We’re all ready to sit back, prop our feet up, and ring in a new year with family and friends, but wait.As business owners, our best planning is NOW—while the past year’s still fresh in our minds and the new year hasn’t quite gotten here.
So let’s not totally relax…not yet.
Instead let’s think about where we’d like to be 365 days from now. As 2018 wraps up, let’s tie a ribbon around the best PR and marketing strategies to give your business in 2019.
- Crisis Communication Plan. We’ve all felt empathy for business owners caught up in PR blunders. A misguided social media post, attention-grabbing image, or slip of the tongue—seemingly small missteps can lead to big doses of negative attention. Don’t wait until your business is caught in a whirlwind. In 2019, create a plan to handle crises before they come, and if you already have one in place, revisit it to be sure it still meets the needs of your growing business.
- Media Relations Management. HubSpot emphasizes: “You need to be doing something worth talking about in order to get press.” That may seem like a tall order, but you don’t have to host a special event to have something special to say. Your business impacts the world positively every day. Don’t shy away from sharing the stories of that impact with the media. Give your business a PR boost when you prioritize media relations in 2019.
- Brand Reputation Management. Happy clients don’t always comment on our feeds and, unfortunately, unsatisfied customers express frustrations more often than we’d like. In 2019, why not ask loyal clients for their reviews? Also, respond to negative comments respectfully, striving to resolve issues immediately and assuage disgruntled customers. Your brand reputation will thank you.
Before the lights go out on 2018, be sure you’ve wrapped up these PR and marketing strategies as gifts for your business in 2019.
And, from our team to you, Happy (almost) New Year.