Showcase: The Power of PR
With money at the forefront of most minds of any company, many oftentimes forget about the other “m” word – messaging. From inception through funding and acquisition, public relations (PR) should play a vital role in the strategy of every startup or business. With several of our community members being part of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) programs, we invited CEO and Strategist of Rein Communications, Nicole Peternel, to host a Showcase: The Power of PR and share how it is an integral component of success, especially for new companies.
Both seasoned professionals and new startups gathered at The Clubhouse last Wednesday for an interactive session to learn more about creating a communications plan that will drive profit, reaching diverse audiences with simple content tweaks, becoming an industry thought leader, and so much more.
However, prior to the Showcase starting, we asked attendees to share one thing they hoped to learn from the speaking engagement. Several responses included specific how-tos:
How to be a better speaker/communicator
How PR activity is deemed successful
How PR is tied to increased sales
How to create a multi-channel communications plan
How to better position my brand publicly
How to reach more diverse audiences with PR
While others were more interested in gaining general knowledge around PR:
I want to understand more about PR
I want to learn about PR
I'm hoping to have a PR strategy
And boy did Nicole deliver, with insightful and enticing topics, such as:
What PR is
The benefits of PR
The difference between PR and advertising
Five elements of strategy
Crafting the message
Throughout the activation, Nicole engaged with attendees, accepting questions from the audience while continuously challenging them to rethink their approach when it comes to messaging. “Start with the end in mind,” she shared, touting that in doing so, it will ultimately help build communications that support their goals, increase brand awareness, and create an effective strategy framework.
One community member, LaVonda Brown of EyeGage (an ATDC company!), asked if PR was applicable to all businesses, or just companies in specific verticals. “Absolutely,” confirmed Nicole, “PR is beneficial for any and every company, regardless of their industry!” Additionally, Nicole cites that “public relations is not only a cost-effective way to funnel leads into your pipeline, but also elevates your credibility, making you stand out from competitors and helping you target investors. PR increases your ROI tenfold.”
Concluding the other Q&As, attendees mingled with one another, with one Tech Square ATL (TSQATL) Social Club member, Paul McKee, stating that the experience had been “eye-opening for him.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Do you have a PR strategy, or will now be making sure you have one? Let us know in the comments below.