Digital marketing

The importance of a Public Relations plan

Having a good public relations plan will be the spearhead of any business that wants to achieve its business goals. Designing an ideal public relations plan will help the brand reach its customers, position itself well in the networks and create its own identity.

However, before designing any PR plan, it is essential to know the company well. Analyzing its weaknesses and strengths, as well as its threats, strengths and objectives will be key.

Why is it important to have a good company image?

A good brand image will be one of the things you will achieve by drawing up a good public relations plan. The corporate image is a key pillar to achieve the success of a business.

A good corporate image must transmit the values of your company, the ideas behind it and the objectives to which it aspires.

Image goes far beyond logos. An image is sustained by every detail that you transmit to your audience, such as your publications on the web or your customer service. With a good image you will gain reputation, trust and importance within the sector in which you develop your business.

Every detail matters, and with each one you are transmitting an image. Therefore, do not neglect any aspect.

Commitments, values, mission and vision of a company

Consumers increasingly demand to know the values and purposes of companies. It has been proven that those brands that are committed to social issues have a greater acceptance among the public and a higher number of sales.

Therefore, transmitting the objectives, values and purposes of a brand will be fundamental in the current era.

Thanks to a good public relations plan drawn up by a good communications agency or internal team, this objective can be achieved.

In addition, it is also very important to transmit these values internally. Employees will have a greater sense of belonging and will feel more fulfilled knowing that what they do has a greater purpose.

Glenn carstens peters

Storytelling, crucial for differentiation

Throughout this article we have been mentioning the importance of connecting with the public in any public relations plan. Well, storytelling will be the perfect tool to achieve that connection.

Storytelling is the art of telling stories. Every day the public receives more and more messages. They are bombarded by an immensity of information that they cannot even process. Therefore, it is increasingly difficult to get their attention.

A good storytelling will be the key to stand out from the crowd. And in that sense, the important thing is to know how to tell your own story, narrate the very existence of the brand, its objectives, values and manage to convey its unique personality.

Creating stories has the great power to create emotional bonds between consumer and brand, therefore, in your public relations plan, you can not miss a good storytelling strategy.

How to design your PR plan?

Taking into account all the above mentioned, it is time to give you some more concrete advice on how to design a public relations plan.

Know the company and its customers

As we said at the beginning, you cannot begin to outline a strategy if you do not know your company in depth, and much less if you do not have your buyer persona well defined.

Defining our ideal customer will be essential to choose the tone and content with which we want to address them. It is not the same if our brand is focused on teenage women than on adult women.

Once we have well defined our buyer persona, it will be time to analyze those details of our company that we want to be part of our communication strategy, beyond the products or services we offer. For example, telling the values on which it is based, the work dynamics or the social work in which it collaborates can be interesting points to transmit.

Set specific objectives

In any job, if you don’t set objectives, it is like going around in circles. Setting goals in our public relations strategy will be vital to get to the point we want.

It is advisable to set both long-term and short-term objectives. The more imminent ones will help us get further step by step and the bigger goals will help motivate and encourage the whole team.

What do you want to achieve with your PR strategy? Short-term goals could be to convey more closeness to the customer, improve customer service or get more visits on social media. These will help you achieve larger, long-term goals such as increasing your sales.

Tactics, tools and strategies to follow

Among the most important tactics to include in the dynamics of any public relations strategy are: being prepared for any situation that arises, time organization, being flexible to adapt to changes, and monitoring the steps that are being taken.

Just as there are tactics that are highly desirable, there are tactics that, although they have been used for many years, should cease to exist, such as: sending excessive spam to journalists, focusing only on large media or ignoring storytelling.

For their part, tools are fundamental to any public relations strategy in order to execute it effectively. Thanks to certain instruments, the road will be easier and we will be able to reach our goal faster. There are a multitude of tools for an infinite number of objectives, from programs focused on making it easier for you to publish on social networks, to software that makes reports on the results that your campaigns are obtaining.

Finally, as for strategies, we have already talked about some of them, such as storytelling. However, there are many more that we can put into practice. Strategic alliances or generating experiences around the brand are very good strategies to put into practice.

Budget

When designing our public relations plan, this is a very important point to take into account. Our strategy will depend a lot on it, because depending on the amount, we will be able to increase or reduce actions. In addition, we will also have to think about whether it is more convenient to hire an external public relations agency or to incorporate professionals to the staff.

Divide up the tasks and get down to it

To guarantee a good organization of the work and to be effective, it is essential to create different departments that are connected and coordinated with each other to carry out the public relations plan.

Verify and evaluate the results, successes and failures

Finally, the results obtained from the plan should always be analyzed in order to take the next step in the best possible way. With a good evaluation of the performance, it will be possible to know what the weak points of the campaign have been and to try to improve them. It will also be possible to identify and correct them for the next campaign. In short, a detailed report of the results will help to continue growing.

FINZEL PR | Your Communication Agency in Spain

We offer customised PR and digital content services

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Marketing and communication covid

Marketing and communication in the post-covid era

The health crisis has changed our consumer habits. In fact, according to the CIS, 23% of Spaniards have made more online purchases during the pandemic. In addition to the digitalisation of consumption, covid has also led to a diversification of payment methods and new communication demands. As a result, PR agencies need to develop new plans and strategies to adapt to the post-covid era and continue to generate good results.

How has Covid 19 changed the way we relate and communicate?

For a start, the digital barrier has been broken. Online shopping is no longer something that belongs to a certain generation, as it is spreading to the over-54s. This denotes a greater trust in the platforms.

Teleworking has also been implemented, and does not seem to be something that will change, but is here to stay. Many companies are going to start adapting it to their routine, so the increase in online shopping during working hours does not seem to be a passing phenomenon.

With more online presence, users are more concerned about their security and working on the customer-brand bond will be a challenge for companies that want to convey empathy, honesty and authenticity in order to have a more trustworthy image to the public.

New ways and tools to communicate during the pandemic

Short videos have undoubtedly been one of the fastest growing forms of communication during the pandemic. It was already booming before covid came into our lives, but users have exploited it even more during the pandemic.

For their part, digital events have been the outlet for internal brand communication. A multitude of platforms have been created for this purpose and the budget for this area has decreased enormously.

Consumers have also diversified their search for information during the pandemic. And not only do they use a variety of channels, but they do so simultaneously. Social media, TV, radio, print media, blogs… Traditional and digital channels, both continue to be used.

Due to the critical moment during the pandemic, companies began to develop a more human and sensitive message to connect with people’s pain. This led to brand activism and concern for social issues becoming a core consumer demand. They had been demanding it for a long time, but the situation accelerated its development.

Due to the need to humanise the message, brands increased their commitment to influence marketing in order to create a more relatable tone.

Companies have also seen the importance of strengthening internal communication to cope with uncertainty. Not only does it build trust and unity internally, but it is also essential to respond to customer demands in a coordinated way.

marketing and communication covid 19

Which of these will last after the pandemic has passed?

It is a matter of time to see how consumers evolve and which trends are here to stay and which have a more transient purpose.

What is clear is that digital transformation has accelerated by leaps and bounds within organisations and that elements such as teleworking, although not fully incorporated, will be introduced into organisations, at least as an option, on certain days of the week.

Similarly, online security requirements will continue to exist and companies will need to be up to the task if they are to continue to grow online.

Online events will continue to exist, but will evolve into hybrid models combining the virtual with the face-to-face.

Finally, the demands for brand activism and positioning are not likely to disappear, as this was the trend and the pandemic has only accelerated it.

How should companies adapt their marketing and communication to this new paradigm?

Brands must generate new marketing strategies that allow them to meet the new requirements of the new paradigm, which will demand more human, more digitised and safer brands online.

FINZEL PR | Your Communication Agency in Spain

We offer customised PR and digital content services

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Online reputation management

Reputation management, how to do it?

A brand’s reputation depends not only on the image it projects to the public, but also on the comments that the public makes on different platforms.

It may seem that these opinions cannot be controlled, that there is nothing we can do about a reputational crisis. However, although we cannot directly influence the public’s opinion, there are different strategies that help consumers to have more confidence in a company and, therefore, reinforce its reputation.

When can we say that a company is going through a reputational crisis?

Reputational crises are characterised by a loss of consumer confidence in a particular brand. This can have a direct impact on the company’s sales, revenues and participation in events.

Today, thanks to the internet, it is much easier to know why these crises have occurred and even if they are going to occur. Opinions on social networks and websites, and even news reports on the web, can give clues and even certainty about such situations. However, this is positive and actually plays in your favour as a brand.

In fact, communication agencies use these platforms and messages to assess the level of reputation they have among their clients.

It is important to know that reputation is not static. It can fluctuate over time and in digital environments even more so. Because of this, a good monitoring and evaluation of it will be key not only to prevent a crisis, but also to know how to deal with it in the best possible way.

How to identify the origin and depth of a reputation crisis?

These are the two elements to take into account when analysing the reputation of a brand and knowing whether it is going through a reputational crisis:

  • Analyse everything that is said about your brand and compare it with others in the sector.
  • Find out the repercussions of everything that has been said on the different channels.

Depending on this analysis, we will be able to know where and how the crisis has originated, as well as the size of the crisis.

online reputation management

Tools and techniques for dealing with reputational crises

Due to the immense amount of comments that are posted on the internet, it is practically impossible to monitor them manually. Therefore, we can make use of different platforms to help us analyse these interactions. Below we recommend a few of them.

Reputology is one of the most accurate platforms for analysing online reputation. It is very useful for companies that have different sites in different locations. It works by scanning the web for content about your brand and suggests actions to deal with it in the best possible way.

Another interesting platform is Talkwalker. It monitors consumer sentiment on the main social networks and on more than 150 million websites.

In the case of Hootsuite, we can have at our fingertips a very well-planned analysis centre in which to manage the brand’s presence with great precision.

In terms of reputational crisis management techniques, applying the corporate reputation management cycle can be very effective. It consists of first listening to all criticism, then assessing it and, finally, dealing with it in two ways: reactively or proactively.

In the first case, we will respond to negative opinions in a prudent manner by providing valuable information and focusing on the cause that has provoked the criticism.

In the second case, we will create different barriers by publishing positive content about the brand to prevent further negative criticism.

However, it can also be interesting to carry out surveys with your customers to learn more directly about their opinions and criticisms.

How to prevent reputational crises?

Protection, defence and monitoring. These are the three pillars that will help you prevent reputational crises for any brand, large or small.

Protection starts with knowing your buyer persona in order to convey a message that connects with their values, desires, concerns and ambitions. Moreover, it is not only the message that needs to go in this direction, but also the corporate culture that develops within the brand.

Once we have solid protection, customers will have enough information and trust to speak well of the brand and defend us against others. In other words, they will become ambassadors of sorts. However, the dreaded fake news can arise here and the best way to deal with it is transparency. How? There are different actions such as revealing parts of your work and your values that help fake news to be disproved on its own.

Finally, it is essential to be attentive to all conversations and interactions generated on networks and websites through monitoring and analysis.

FINZEL PR | Your Communication Agency in Spain

We offer customised PR and digital content services

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Which digital event to choose

Digital, face-to-face or hybrid event – which one to choose?

In this process of digital transformation, accelerated by the pandemic that began in 2020, companies are faced with a big question: What type of event is best for me?

The question of whether digital events can achieve the same results as face-to-face events is the order of the day.

It is clear that 2021 was hybrid, and it seems that this trend is going to explode much more in 2022. But when to choose one or the other? Here are some tips and guidance to help you plot your best strategy.

Differences between the different events

Today, a public relations agency can design three types of events for companies:

  • 100% digital event: these are meetings that take place remotely. Both speakers and attendees connect digitally through certain platforms. Generally, in digital events, users connect simultaneously at a specific time and date, but this does not have to be the case for all events.
  • Face-to-face event: before the arrival of the pandemic, this was the most commonly used event. All interested parties gathered in the same physical space where the meeting, presentation or lecture took place.
  • Hybrid event: in this last type, part of the attendees and speakers meet face-to-face and the rest attend digitally from wherever they are. In other words, the event takes place physically, but it is also broadcast digitally, bringing the two worlds together.
Digital event which to choose

Advantages of each

On the one hand, 100% remote events save a lot of money. The investment in protocol, travel, organization, accommodation, among others, will be minimal or even zero. In addition, they can reach many more people, as those interested can connect from anywhere in the world.

On the other hand, face-to-face events transmit much more closeness and attendees and participants can create more bonds between them, thus generating a much more enriching and complete experience. In addition, the visual impact on attendees will be much greater.

Finally, hybrid events combine the benefits of both worlds. They offer flexibility by allowing each person to participate in the way they want or can. This can greatly increase the audience for the event, as both people who prefer face-to-face and virtual events will attend.

What type of events fit best with each way of doing it?

In reality, any type of event can be adapted to the digital world. However, there are some that, due to their characteristics, it is difficult for them to be completely converted online.

For example, fairs and exhibitions are events whose essence is impossible to transmit digitally. This is also true for award ceremonies and concerts.

What 2022 does bring is that events will tend to become hybrids and offer the possibility to attend both digitally and in person.

What should you look at when deciding whether your event is best done digitally, face-to-face or hybrid?

In this sense, the best thing to do is to look at the objectives you want to achieve with the event. Review the benefits of each and choose the one that will help you achieve them in the best possible way.

For example, if your budget is not very high, 100% online events will undoubtedly be your best option. As time goes by, you can consider other types of events. In addition, digital events can be a very good way to get a good start and to see how your audience welcomes your events.

If you are looking to generate a community among attendees, face-to-face events are much more useful. People can engage in conversations at any time and networks can be created, which is very difficult to achieve at digital events.

If you have several objectives and you want to reach the widest possible audience and create a community, hybrid events can be a very good option. They are cheaper than face-to-face events and, in addition, they offer the possibility for people who live far away to participate, thus increasing the number of attendees.

In short, what do you want to achieve? By answering this question and taking into account your situation as a brand, you can choose the best option for your company.

FINZEL PR | Your Communication Agency in Spain

We offer customised PR and digital content services

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Memes marketing

Memes in marketing – a good idea?

Memes are spreading like wildfire. Their ability to connect with the audience is incredible. However, in any communication agency the same question arises: “should I use memes with my client? If you still have doubts about how to make the most of this trend that is here to stay, in this article we will give you some tips on meme marketing.

What are memes?

Memes can be any image, short video or image with video. Their particularity is that they convey an ironic or funny message that is usually closely related to the context of the moment.

Anyone can create a meme. They are a completely open space for creativity. A meme can even change over time as it passes from hand to hand.

Memes are not a new fad, they have been around for a while and it seems that they are not going to disappear. Quite the contrary. They are a way of spreading feelings, ideas and thoughts in a short space and time, in a compressed form. This is one of the reasons why they have made them so successful.

Social networks are the platform par excellence for spreading this type of creations and they are already part of them as a humorous element.

The use of memes in marketing

Marketing can use the potential of memes to connect with the public and get the brand message across in a friendly, relaxed and fun way.

Memes are a great way to grab consumers’ attention, not only to try to sell them a product or service, but also to entertain them and generate an emotion in them.

Marketing with memes can give a brand an innovative, modern, creative feel and the feeling that it is a company that knows how to adapt to the times. If used well, it can be a very powerful and effective tool.

This type of strategy is a way to stand out, as commercials are already so clichéd and do not attract attention. A meme is also much more likely to be shared among users.

Marketing memes

The best way to use memes in publications or business marketing

First of all, meme-based marketing is not about reusing or creating meaningless memes, it has certain requirements for it to work. You need to develop an approach, a course of action and then create useful, creative and funny memes that connect with your buyer persona.

Therefore, the most important step is to know your target audience. Don’t try to please everyone with your memes. Memes are a tool that requires personalisation, especially at a generational level. Once you have defined your audience, choose the social networks where you are going to act.

The next step is to create or reuse memes that are in line with your brand. Memes are fun elements and have an informal tone. If your brand has a more serious tone and is aimed at a more adult audience, memes may not be the best tool for you. We’re not saying you should rule them out completely, but they may not be something to build a strategy around, but rather something to use on an ad hoc basis.

If you’ve decided that a meme marketing strategy can work for your brand, it’s time to get to work. The best thing to do is to create your own meme library. In other words, a large folder in which to store your creations. There are many platforms where you can design your own memes. However, sometimes you can reuse some that are in trend.

What should you avoid if you are going to use memes in your company’s marketing?

It is important that you don’t make the mistake of overusing memes. This can happen in the same way as with emojis. If you fall into this dynamic you can saturate your audience and what used to provoke humour and fun, can become tired and boring. Your brand can lose reputation.

Keep in mind that memes cannot replace quality content. Memes are a useful tool to create a relaxed atmosphere and relax the user, but consumers also want to be informed and find useful content. The key is to combine both elements with common sense.

So… Is it a good idea to use them or not?

It depends. If after analysing your tone, your buyer persona and your style, you think memes can fit well with your brand, go for it! But even if memes are trendy, it is not an obligation to incorporate them into your marketing strategy.

FINZEL PR | Your Communication Agency in Spain

We offer customised PR and digital content services

PR Agency in Spain