Is It Time for a New PR Strategy? How to Decide When to Take a New PR Approach

Is your company using the right PR strategy? Is it time for a change. These can be difficult questions to answer, especially for companies that are relatively new. Thankfully, there are some signals that can help you to determine if you need a new approach to PR (or possibly a new PR team!).

You’ve Been at it a While

Of course any PR strategy needs time to work. Experts advise that you allow three to six months for the full impact of PR strategies to be seen. If you’ve gone more than a year using the same strategy and experiencing no positive changes, it is time to look in a new direction.

It is important to note though that since varying PR strategies have varying timelines though, your best option is to arrive at a set time with your PR team before the program is launched. If for instance, the team guaranteed an ROI of 12 months then you should start seeing some tangible results by that time. In fact, if most of your PR goals are not met by this agreed deadline it is time to call your team back to the drawing board.

A lot of time also needs to be invested into the conceptualizing and development of the strategy. Strategies that are crafted in haste are likely to have flaws than those that go through meticulous scrutiny and adjustments.

Brand Awareness

You can measure brand awareness among the target audience to see whether your PR strategies are having the effect you envisioned. If your target audience seems largely ignorant of your brand and what it offers, your PR strategies have not been effective.

You’re Stuck in the Past

If Your company has not stepped into the digital age with PR, it is definitely time for a change. While traditional PR tools and methods such as press releases, interviews and editorials remain relevant, they no longer form the nucleus off a sound PR program. More than half of the world’s population explores the virtual world which makes internet based PR a gold mine for attracting a wide client base. If you have not been leveraging the benefits of social media platforms (like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), blogging, website management digital tools (like chatbots) and artificial intelligence, you are ages behind your competition in public relations and need to act quickly to remedy this.

You’re Not Meeting Your Sales Targets

Sales and PR are correlated. If your sales have been trending downwards or seem stagnant then your PR strategy might be to blame.  One of the reasons people ignore some brands is the fact that they are simply unfamiliar with them. If that is the case, you need to make some serious changes to ensure that your brand becomes more visible.

Customers Say So

One of the biggest signals that your PR strategy isn’t working is customer feedback. Simply invite your target audience to say how they feel about your brand. The results will show you whether your PR is lacking. If consumers complain about a lack of interactivity, or limited information on the products and services or if they say they are bored by your attempts at engaging them, you have a PR problem.

Should you conclude that your current PR strategies just don’t work anymore, rest assured that yours is not the first or only company that has ever considered a change in PR direction. In fact, it is often a healthy and productive way to revive a brand that has lost its flavor.