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PR during the pandemic: How digital drives COVID success

by | Apr 8, 2021 | Analysis, Public Relations

The pandemic has touched on every single business and industry around the globe. While some ended up benefitting from people increasingly relying on digital services, others ended up in seemingly impossible situations where they couldn’t operate properly with the strict regulations and measures.

However, at the end of the day, companies should still be improving their public relations strategies and homing in on their digital presence, especially because these things can help businesses thrive during these uncertain times.

Customer engagement

With plenty of people not being able to travel, attend events, or even visit physical stores, companies have had to find other ways to reach out to their target audience and customer base. The way that a company can do that largely depends on the industry and its products or services, however, there are plenty of options that are available for everyone.

There is the option of writing valuable articles on websites that the customers already frequent or starting a podcast where company executives can share relevant insights about the industry, or even creating a digital event where people can learn how to use the company’s products better. This type of digital content doesn’t have immediate effects on the company’s bottom line, but it’s still a valuable investment for businesses looking for long-term solutions.

Credibility and trust

People have started taking their time to research what options they have when it comes to making a purchase, and businesses that don’t take the time to improve their company’s website or get media coverage are at a disadvantage. Customers notice what others are saying about businesses, and they take that into account before deciding to make a purchase.

Additionally, it’s not just businesses that are under increased scrutiny – celebrities and influencers are being analyzed and observed too. This means that partnering on an influencer campaign with someone that’s out of touch with the public or their target audience could mean ending up in the middle of a PR crisis.

What that means is that companies should be working on improving their digital credibility and building their trust with the target audience, and digital content, as well as a good social media presence, can help businesses in getting positive media coverage, which impacts their bottom line.

Creativity

When a business is doing well, the owners rarely think about changing or improving things, because they often believe there’s nothing to improve if everything is working well. However, these are uncertain times, and many businesses would do well to try different strategies or solutions that will make them stand out from the crowd, reach new audiences, and keep the existing audience interested at the same time.

There are plenty of available options when it comes to being creative and trying something new, from using new platforms, such as TikTok, for companies that have a younger target audience, or creating a digital PR or influencer marketing campaign that spans various platforms and engages with more people that are on social media.

Ronn Torossian
Ronn Torossian founded 5WPR, a leading PR agency. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company’s growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O’Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year.

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