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Five PR opportunities for business today

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In just the last few months, we’ve seen the business environment change rapidly as New Zealand begins to open up once again, return to offices and ramp up business interactions.  This has created some immediate communications opportunities that many organisations should be leveraging.

The following is a list of five strategic communication opportunities that our team at HMC is currently experiencing.

Desire for reconnection is strong

As I talked about in my article last month, there’s a huge desire for reconnection – whether that be with staff, clients, business partners or our communities.

As I mentioned in last month’s issue about planning for reconnection: we are human, and at a very basic level we all need connection to others to feel complete. We’ve always thrived in partnerships and groups, going right back to the dawn of time!

Face-to-face interaction facilitates better engagement and connection both internally with staff, and externally with clients, partners, suppliers and others.

Employment ‘brands’ are taking precedent

I’m going to be so bold as to say, every organisation should be looking at what they are doing proactively to build their reputation as a great employer. Most businesses are in the throes of recruitment drives and are struggling to find great staff.  The competition is fierce for quality people. 

That means it’s prime time to build up your business reputation and promote your company values in the eyes of potential recruits.

People are ready for good news

It’s no secret: we are all sick of hearing, watching and reading about the pandemic. After years of enduring a huge crisis together, we are ready for some good news!

Take advantage of the open ears and eyes that are craving some positive stories right now. Relating to my last point, this is a great time to shed some positive light on your organisation – what exciting projects are you working on right now? What is your business doing others would like to hear about?

Media remains an important channel to reach those who matter most to your business

When it comes to telling your stories… media has always been – and very much still is – a great channel to reach your audiences.

New Zealanders are all still turning to the media.  Here are a few statistics that prove it:

•Stuff and then NZ Herald are the 4th and 5th most visited websites in New Zealand.  Trumped only by Google, YouTube, and Facebook which are 1,2,3 respectively.

•Over 1.3M people read the Herald online each week, while over 1.7M read Stuff online each week. 

•Around 630,000 of us tune into RadioNZ each week, while around 713,000 tune into NewsTalk ZB.

In the PR business, we are using a range of different channels to get a business’ news out to key audiences. And media remains a very powerful and influential tool for any organisation.

Doing digital communication well is the key

We know we are living in a digital world, so communicating through digital channels is crucial.  While many businesses have known this for some time, there is a considerable number who are still not doing it well.

It’s not just about social media: it’s your website, e-newsletter, email communication, video library on YouTube and much more.  Or, here’s an idea: how about a podcast? You might not immediately think of a podcast as a ‘digital’ tool, but it provides great digital content you can get out to your audience through a range of channels. 

It’s important to be intentional with your digital communication. When scrolling, browsing and clicking, we are overwhelmed with posts fighting for a smidge of attention. It’s key to put yourself in the shoes of the people that matter most to your business and think about what they want to see and listen to, and how they would like to receive it.

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About Author

Heather Claycomb

Heather Claycomb is director of HMC, a Hamilton-based, award-winning public relations agency.