NOTE: This is a reposted blog by our Public Relations Global Network Party RumboCierto. For the original blog, please visit here.
A recommended approach that tackles our new realities can be summarized in seven simple steps and tactics:
Be empathetic:
PR pros can no longer put together a communications plan considering only what companies want to communicate but also what the public wants to hear. Without this empathy, communication may even be counterproductive rather than helping a brand.
Be flexible:
If there is one thing we have all learned in the Covid pandemic, it is that companies must be flexible and adjust to what is happening around them. Planning is essential but can easily become useless if we do not adjust our actions to the needs of the moment.
Listening:
The top-down approach also belongs to the past. Today, a level communications field is preferred, and it is a must to listen to customers. There are now many tools available, ranging from social monitoring and listening apps to polls and surveys made easy to help us hear what the audience wants or says.
Adaptation:
In today’s environment, a comms plan made in the headquarters of a developed market must – more than ever – go through local consultants to adapt it to the realities of each country before the plan is applied in several markets.
Give certainty in the messages:
Uncertainty has become one of the great challenges of the 2020s. Why not use this to our advantage in communications plans? For example, when announcing a multi-million-dollar factory investment, make sure it goes hand in hand with facts underlying that the project will not contribute to price increases of final products. People tend to try and read between the lines. So why not give them the final benefits in the beginning and stop all the worries right there?
Care for the environment:
Environmental concerns and projects used to be the privilege of large companies on rich budgets. Today caring about the environment has become everyone’s duty and mission. The time for inaction is over. All companies must contribute to building a better world, and this involves actively taking care of our planet and considering it as a long-term investment.
Constant innovation:
With all the changes around, solutions of the past will no longer serve us in the future. Comms consultants today must be more creative than ever before when creating the best communications plans for 2023. And they constantly have to look for new angles.
Some additional thoughts from the Landis team are:
Lead with hope:
We all need more of it, and elevating the potential for positive impact in your products, services and actions may differentiate your message from the negative noise so prevalent today in virtually every sector. In interviews and support materials, it’s okay to recognize direct and indirect competitors. You must acknowledge what’s out there before you can show what makes your company unique.
Don’t be afraid of competition:
All boats rise with the tides. Having competition is a good thing. It drives us to provide better services for customers. It also has the added benefit of creating reporter interest and, in some cases, new outlets that cover your sector.
By considering these factors and applying new approaches, we will be able to continue to make a difference as advisors and provide added value for our clients. For this, we also must seek clients who really want to listen to their advisors and not end up always doing the same.
Additional Resources: