Brand promotion: How to do brand public relations?

Off topic: "public relations" is a high-frequency word these days. A tweet from Daryl Morey, general manager of the NBA Houston Rockets, triggered unanimous condemnation from domestic media, sponsors and fans. From a public relations perspective, his logic of "free expression" with his identity does not make sense.

At the same time, Huawei's Ms. Meng Wanzhou's wearing of shiny Jimmy Choo shoes and electronic anklets during the court hearing in Vancouver once again sparked heated discussions from domestic public opinion. Many people said that Huawei played the public relations card beautifully this time.

Although most companies are not as big as the NBA and Huawei, they rarely face political public relations crises. However, public relations (PR), as the "behind-the-scenes strategist" and "god of assist", has gradually come to the fore through these events.

Taking advantage of the current hot topic, let’s briefly talk about the basic rules and principles of brand public relations in the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. I am not a PR expert, so I dare not comment or criticize hot topics. After all, in a complex business environment, there is no standard "right answer" for everything.

The biggest difficulty faced by small and medium-sized enterprises is the issue of customer trust . For small and medium-sized enterprises with limited marketing expenses, brand public relations is an investment that achieves great results with little money, and it is also the most effective way to expand influence.

Compared with large-scale advertising, the cost of brand public relations is extremely low. But it is priceless, it moistens things silently, silently but powerfully.

A good PR strategy can help new brands cross the threshold from 0 to 1 in terms of market awareness, establish a good reputation, and reduce the persuasion costs of sales staff...

In the book "PR First, Advertising Second", the author believes that business growth is equivalent to climbing a mountain. With the help of public relations, we started with small media exposures and reports and gradually built and developed the brand. In addition to assisting with mountaineering, public relations also needs to guard against landslides and avalanches (crisis events) at all times and in all places. Once there are product quality problems, bad words and deeds of managers, business scandals, etc., the company will fall back to the bottom of the mountain or even suffer heavy losses, and it will be difficult to get up again.

The PR team also needs to screen various content outputs - what words are appropriate to say and what are inappropriate to say. For example, directly attacking competitors, using customer images and cases without permission, and exaggerating business data will all get you into trouble.

In summary, brand public relations has three main responsibilities: brand communication, crisis public relations, and content management.

Let’s talk about the various aspects of brand PR in detail:

01 Brand Public Relations in the Social Media Era

The current media environment can be described as “complex”. In addition to their own websites, Weibo, WeChat and Douyin, companies also use traditional professional media (or media platforms) to make their voices heard. At the same time, word of mouth and social media are becoming increasingly influential. While bringing value to brand communication, there are also various risks and challenges.

Social media composed of self-media people is a major trend in media development, such as Toutiao and Titanium Media. In addition, the discourse power of self-media people is getting stronger and stronger. The form of communication will also change from all interviews by reporters to a variety of methods such as submission of articles, provision of materials, and forwarding on public accounts.

This requires companies to do a good job of content sorting and planning before doing brand public relations. Product technology, business model, brand positioning, etc. all require clear, easy-to-understand information for the audience to understand and be convinced.

02 Various brand public relations methods

1. One-on-one interview

Founder interviews are a common media communication method used by startups. The media is interested in future industry trends, corporate growth stories, and investment and financing conditions.

Whether it is a face-to-face interview, or a telephone, video, etc., advance preparation is very important. It is recommended to get an outline of questions before the interview, answer them carefully and practice repeatedly before conducting a formal interview.

Except for the founder or the spokesperson designated by the company, other employees are advised not to speak to the media and be wary of "trouble comes from the mouth".

2. Press release

Before launching a new product, B2B companies usually send press releases to various media outlets to seek coverage. Generally speaking, comprehensive media prefer to use press releases directly (or make slight adjustments), while in-depth reporting media such as 36Kr, Huxiu, and professional media prefer exclusive interviews.

The advantage of a press release is that it has a wide coverage, low cost, and is conducive to improving search visibility, but its credibility is not high enough. This approach can be used for external releases that do not have such high news value (such as customer signings, product iterations, etc.).

3. Brand PR activities and media conferences

New product launch events and regular corporate media meetings are relatively formal. The purpose is to quickly disseminate the latest products and update corporate developments.

In addition to inviting traditional news media to launch new products, B2C consumer product companies are increasingly interested in the participation of self-media influencers. By leveraging the influence of opinion leaders on specific groups, brand concepts and product information can be delivered more easily, making people more convinced and generating consumption impulses.

4. Widespread dissemination through social media

Employees endorse the company by forwarding WeChat public account articles, promotional websites, apps, etc., becoming brand ambassadors. You can also write promotional articles related to your company’s brand through your own media or make objective comments on platforms such as Zhihu.

However, not every employee is the company's spokesperson. They cannot release unpublished financial data or operating conditions on behalf of the company, nor can they make political speeches in the name of the company.

This does not mean that employees should not be informed of anything, but rather that one voice should be maintained to the outside world. Mature companies will regularly announce financial reports, third-party market share reports, industry white papers, public account articles, etc. These can all be used as content for unified external communication.

03 Some principles of brand public relations

1. Pay high attention and be well prepared

No matter how good a speaker is, he or she cannot answer questions from the media by "winging it" or "going with the flow". The public relations team needs to constantly polish all the questions that may be asked and the answers.

Through spokesperson simulation drills, students can constantly practice how to answer questions, making sure their facial expressions, body language, and reaction speed are natural and reasonable. Only in this way can we calmly face the various difficult, sharp and rude questions that may arise from the media.

2. Maintain good communication with the media over a long period of time

Many companies only think of contacting the media to communicate and reduce the scope of negative communication when crisis public relations occurs. It looks very utilitarian, right?

The media is the partner of enterprises in their journey to the top. What they need are topics such as hot technologies, industry development, and product innovation. Only by being neither humble nor arrogant, treating each other sincerely, and communicating over the long term can we gain the trust of the media, provide early warnings in times of crisis, and make fair evaluations in times of controversy.

This principle is easy to understand, but not many people do it.

3. Be open and communicate honestly

When communicating with the media, being secretive or deliberately avoiding the issue will create a bad impression. By maintaining an open attitude and professionally conveying the company's message, you can gain the respect of the media and long-term cooperation.

4. Stay calm and rational

When faced with slander from unscrupulous media, unfair reporting and provocations from competitors, the best way to deal with them is to remain calm and rational, analyze and investigate, understand the truth of the matter and then respond. Don't lose your composure because of a momentary impulse.

If the other party is deliberately trying to scam you, you don't need to respond directly and can just focus on making good products and services. If it is unfair reporting or distorted data, the facts can be clarified through public reporting by third-party authoritative organizations, and be reasonable, well-founded, honest and restrained.

04 Details that the spokesperson needs to pay attention to

The founder always knows the company best. Anyone who is not good at speaking or does not know how to give public speeches can receive professional training, attend product launches and accept media interviews.

As long as you are sincere and have enough substance, you will find a personal style that suits you. The unique "personal charm" is exactly what the media appreciates and pursues.

However, as mentioned earlier, any spokesperson needs professional training and practice before meeting the media. Know what to say and what not to say. There is a difference between freedom of speech and free expression. When holding a corporate position, there is no so-called free expression on some issues (race, sovereignty, etc.), which means that spokespersons cannot speak carelessly.

Also, remember to show enough respect to the media and the public.

For example, when a spokesperson attends a media event, he or she should wear formal attire. The company's image is widely disseminated and preserved for a long time through videos, pictures, etc. From the standpoint of respecting the majority of users, T-shirts and jeans seem too casual, and formal suits can gain more trust from users. (From long-term observation, suits are also good for shaping your figure. Who doesn’t want to leave a good impression in the media?)

The spokesperson needs to answer questions honestly and pay attention to the tone of voice. When it is inconvenient to respond directly, you can decline tactfully.

05 Public Opinion Monitoring and Crisis Public Relations

1. Daily public opinion monitoring

Use public opinion monitoring software to keep abreast of competitor trends, industry developments, and issue crisis warnings. Once a problem is discovered, the product should be recalled, the internal person in charge should handle it, the supplier should be replaced, and legal action should be taken immediately.

2. Within 24 hours of a crisis

After a crisis occurs, the company's attitude is the most important. The CEO himself immediately issued a sincere apology through a public statement. Make up for it in terms of interests and comfort emotionally as soon as possible. At the same time, an investigation will be launched, and the cause of the incident will be found out within 24 hours after the incident, and an official response will be given to the public.

Employees within the company should also express their understanding and support for public statements and maintain a consistent tone. As the incident develops, the progress will be announced in a timely manner and the public is invited to supervise.

3. Post-crisis rectification

After a crisis occurs, rectification will be carried out immediately, and users and public opinion are requested to monitor at any time.

For a period of time after the incident, invite a third party with industry authority to conduct testing and evaluation. Eliminate doubts and gradually regain trust.

The 5S principles of crisis public relations still hold true - speed first, sincere communication, responsibility, authoritative verification, and systematic operation.

Some companies believe that time will dilute everything, and when faced with a crisis they choose to ignore it, pass the buck, divert public opinion, hire cyber-trolls, etc. The result will only increase resentment and cause great damage to the brand.

Everyone remembers the collapse of Country Garden’s houses. The quality issues of Mercedes-Benz have left a mark in the public’s mind and have not disappeared with the wind, right? Zuckerberg’s public relations behavior when facing user privacy leaks is worthy of learning and discussion for companies.

06 Stop thinking about “fake PR” and “screen-sweeping incidents”

There is a bad habit in China's Internet public relations circle. That is, if the second or third place wants to move up, they must compete with the biggest name, such as Pinduoduo and Taobao, Uber and Uber, Toutiao and Tencent... Of course, some brands directly target international brands, such as Luckin Coffee and Starbucks.

Simply put, the "touching PR" is to make a small profit with a big investment, put oneself in a disadvantaged position, and rely on traffic to increase one's own attention.

However, Luckin’s self-indulgent public relations did not elicit a response from Starbucks, nor did it bring any goodwill to the brand. Instead, non-professionals will think it is a scam, and the brand's style will be lowered immediately.

Some companies also want to quickly go viral by planning "hot events" or "phenomenal events", but the difficulty and risks are very high.

I wonder if the “Hongyan Huoshui” incident a few months ago was Baidu’s “event marketing”. Whether intentional or accidental, it did not bring more attention to the AI ​​Developer Conference.

The core job of a public relations professional is to do a good job in brand communication, crisis management and content management.

In the field of public relations where there is no right answer, understanding basic common sense may help you find a relatively appropriate way to deal with things. Facing the public sincerely and honestly is the greatest support for the brand.

Author: Hanni

Source: Time Notebook