Five Actions To Make Your Business, Brand & You More Visible in 2021.

Being more visible and doing PR for your business, brand and you has been critical to success or survival over the last nine months.

For the first time, many business owners who had got by through more traditional PR methods such as networking, a basic website (if any), word of mouth found those tried and tested routes to market closed down overnight. In a state of panic for many business owners, they initially cut back and then realised they had to try something new or different, or not. Some have survived by relying on savings or bumbling along and, sadly, some have gone altogether.

It won’t come as any surprise that I’ve always valued networking and ‘word of mouth’ or referral because they continue to be powerful. However I’m one of many in the creative and media world who have realised now that ‘word of mouth’ means something quite different today. That’s why businesses like Total Guide Swindon and the whole family of Total Guide to platforms exist. We recognised the power of digital many years ago. Now we’re more vital than ever.

The new generation of business owners and entrepreneurs include social media, media news on the internet, blogs etc etc as part of ‘word of mouth’ – it all builds into how they view and react with new prospects, staff and clients. It even matters if they’ve actually met you in the real world. Being visible digitally impacts real world relationships in business.

Consider this (and I work with several young entrepreneurs under the age of 40): you meet a successful entrepreneur face to face at an event, you get on well, you swap business cards, you agree to keep in contact. What do you think that entrepreneur does when they have time over the following days? Do you think that they just pick up the phone and arrange to meet you? Or do you think they start to research you online to see the evidence that you are what you say you are before emailing or picking up the phone? What do you think they will think if they cannot find you? Will they bother? Or will you have dropped in their estimation? Will they take you slightly less seriously?

It still staggers me during this year, the amount of business owners – particularly in the retail sector – who don’t even have a website. They often rely on a Facebook business page and say ‘websites are dead’. I always remind them that Facebook is a private company and can change its rules and criteria overnight without warning – you could find you are shut down and your audience has gone. It happens all of the time and it will take weeks, months or forever to get sort it out. You have to take ownership of your online persona and be more savvy than that.

2020 has taught us all many lessons in life and business – one of the biggest being that if your digital profile is poor, you will be disappearing even quicker than I would have imagined just a year ago.

Here are five things in PR you can do to be more visible in 2021:

*Invest and engage with the media as they have a bigger audience and reach. Identify where your target market sits and invest in being there – don’t just rely on editorial (though take opportunities when they arise). For some of you Total Guide is your perfect partner in this, for others it will be elsewhere and that’s okay.

*Don’t forget radio. Radio is still one of the most powerful mediums around and it often gets forgotten. BBC Radio or community radio or even commercial radio. Plan which one works for you based on your target market and age demographic and you may have to invest with commercial, you may be invited to donate to community radio or you may have to build a relationship with the BBC over time. Or a mixture of these…

*Blog on your website – a website can be very static. It is vital for your online profile and it sets out who you are, what you do and your ethics and it’s a space you control. However it’s not constantly moving and changing, it doesn’t just ‘deliver magic’ into your bank account. You have to be proactive and one of the best ways to do this is to blog. Create a blog plan and, done well, this makes search engines come around and around to see what ‘new stuff’ is available. The more new stuff on your website, the more visible you are.

*Embrace charity or community – one of the best ways to be visible is to give back and evidence that you are giving back with a tone of being helpful and supportive – not driven by ego or arrogance. If your business can pledge to raise money for a local good cause for a year, that’s a story which helps them as well as your business. Charities need our support at this time more than ever. They often operate on a business model with volunteers so they face the same challenges.

*Share stories on a daily basis – just be mindful of what stories where. This is where social media plays an important role for any business. Being present and active, gives customers and clients confidence that you are around, you are active and you are open for business. Share something every day on the platform/s appropriate for your business.

And if you are struggling with any of this – you know where to come! Visit https://scottmedia.uk