Successful strategic public relations can help small businesses truly stand out in today’s competitive business environment. As the owner of a small makeup business, I have seen firsthand how PR enables organizations to establish trust, increase visibility, and cultivate enduring relationships with their audience. By focusing on four key strategies, businesses can harness the full potential of PR.

1) Identify Audience and Goals
Understanding your target audience and clearly defining PR objectives is essential for success. By identifying your audience and what motivates them, you can tailor your PR efforts to resonate with their interests and needs. Whether aiming to increase brand awareness, safeguard reputation, or introduce new products/services, this understanding fosters the groundwork for effective PR campaigns.

2) Craft Compelling Stories
Successful PR heavily revolves around narratives. Engaging stories can effortlessly highlight brand values, accomplishments, and client testimonials that will engage viewers and differentiate your brand from competitors. Authenticity and relevance are vital to building loyalty and trust among your audience.

3) Build Relationships with Media and Influencers
PR efforts are enhanced by building connections with bloggers, journalists, and influencers within the industry. Drawing from my experience, it is imperative to interact with influencers and media sources by providing insightful analysis, original viewpoints, and expert commentary. These collaborations can broaden your audience and heighten your brand’s authority.

4) Monitor and Adapt
PR is ever-changing. Regularly monitoring your audience’s mood, social media interactions, and media engagement provides critical insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns. To maximize positive exposure you need to remain flexible and responsive to PR opportunities and challenges and use data analytics to adjust your strategies based on insights derived from data analysis.

Becoming proficient in strategic PR is crucial for small businesses aiming to distinguish themselves in a competitive market. Utilizing these tips will elevate your brand’s visibility and reputation while forging stronger connections with your audience and achieving substantial business growth.

Big or small, a crisis is any disruption that can impact your company’s operations, reputation and/or stakeholders. We all like to think we respond well under pressure, but oftentimes thinking clearly is farthest from our minds. Having a crisis plan or strategy in place can save you time, money and a lot of frustration in the long run. I worked through several crises during my time as the Public Information Officer at Charleston County Government including hurricanes, major flooding, an ice storm, civil unrest after a jail death and other HR issues. Here are a few key strategies to consider during a crisis: 

1) Act quickly

Time is not your friend during a crisis. Gather information about what has occurred as quickly as possible. 

2) Don’t ignore the media

“No comment” = “I’m guilty.” Don’t let others tell your story. Carefully crafted messaging can help shape the narrative even if you aren’t able to share everything. If necessary, recognize any wrongdoing, express empathy for those involved, focus on strategies moving forward, and restate what your mission/focus is as a company. 

3) Know your stakeholders and how to reach them

One of the biggest takeaways as a PIO is knowing who your stakeholders are. Remember, oftentimes they are also your employees. When a hurricane threatens the coast, it wasn’t just residents who we needed to communicate with. It is also the hundreds of employees who need to make plans for their families and pets before preparing to report to work emergency operations during a storm. Charleston County is huge and there are rural areas where not everyone uses social media or the internet to get their information. Knowing who your audience is, is just as important as knowing how to reach them.

4) Evaluation

Continue to monitor the situation. Track any media reporting and understand the public sentiment involving the crisis. Adjust messaging if necessary. 

A crisis doesn’t have to be the end of your brand or company. Learn more about the crisis services NP Strategy offers at https://www.npstrategy.com/services/crisis-management/. 

Launching a new project, opening a new business, or implementing a new initiative has a greater chance of success when you can build public support. Navigating your community’s unique culture, values and socio-economic dynamics is crucial to fostering this support. However, engaging a community involves much more than just making a social media post. Here are a few strategies to consider for meaningful and impactful engagement:

Understand the Community

The first step in community engagement is understanding the community you aim to engage with. Each community is unique, with its own set of values, concerns and priorities. Take the time to research and listen to the community members. What are their needs? What issues are important to them? Understanding these factors will help tailor your approach and build genuine connections.

Communication

Effective communication is the cornerstone of community engagement. Establishing open channels of communication allows for meaningful dialogue between stakeholders. Utilize various platforms such as town hall meetings, social media, community forums, or newsletters to reach a wider audience. This ensures that your message is heard and that you can gather valuable feedback.

Build Relationships

Building trust and rapport with community members is essential for long-term engagement. Take the time to build relationships based on mutual respect and understanding. Engage with influencers and top organizations at local events to grow your network and establish a strong community presence.

Customize Engagement

Recognize that one size does not fit all. Tailor your strategies to meet the unique needs and preferences of your community. Consider factors such as demographics, cultural sensitivities and accessibility when designing engagement activities. Utilize diverse formats such as workshops, surveys, storytelling sessions or interactive digital platforms to engage a broader spectrum of community members.

Embrace Feedback

Community engagement is an ongoing process that requires flexibility and adaptability. Embrace feedback as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Actively listen to concerns, suggestions, and critiques from the community and be willing to adjust course when necessary. This will demonstrate your commitment to meeting the community’s needs and fosters a collaborative environment.

Navigating community engagement requires a thoughtful and inclusive approach that prioritizes understanding, communication, collaboration and relationship-building. By investing time and effort into building genuine connections with the community, you can foster trust, garner support and create positive change together.

Learn more about how NP Strategy can support your community engagement today: https://www.npstrategy.com/services/community-assessment/

Stories resonate on a personal level, fostering empathy and understanding. Whether you’re a brand, influencer, or individual, storytelling can transform your social media strategy. By weaving personal narratives into your content, you humanize your brand, showcase values and establish a unique digital identity.

Consider these key strategies:

1. Understand Your Audience
Knowing your audience is essential. Research their demographics, interests, challenges, and aspirations. Tailor your stories to resonate with their experiences and emotions.

2. Embrace Authenticity
Authenticity builds trust and rapport. Share genuine, relatable stories reflecting your values and personality. Embrace vulnerability—authenticity connects more than perfection.

3. Evoke Emotions
Emotions drive engagement. Craft stories evoking joy, nostalgia, inspiration, or empathy. Emotional resonance makes stories memorable and shareable.

4. Spark a Dialogue
Encourage interaction with thought-provoking questions or calls to action. Invite your audience to share their experiences, turning your story into a conversation starter.

5. Be Consistent
Consistency builds a loyal following. Develop a storytelling style and voice aligned with your brand. Regularly share stories reinforcing your message and values, keeping your audience engaged.

Many brands and individuals have successfully used storytelling on social media to foster deeper connections, drive user engagement, and enhance brand loyalty. For example, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign produced 25 million new Facebook followers and over 500K user-generated content and GoPro’s user-generated content strategy resulted in 130K website visits and 42K customer posts.

Learn more about NP Strategy’s digital and social media services and contact us to discuss your organization’s social media storytelling strategy: www.npstrategy.com/services/digital-and-social-media.

Corporate Social Responsibility, widely known as CSR, is important to implement as it shows that an organization recognizes and acts upon its ethical obligation to positively contribute to society and its stakeholders. When implemented successfully, CSR has tremendous benefits for a public relations strategy, as it helps organizations steer with a moral compass to navigate relationships with key internal and external audiences, such as employees, consumers, investors, community members and media. This fosters an environment of trust and support by mirroring what the organization and its stakeholders find value in.

The reality is that including CSR in your PR strategy is more important now than ever. One evident reason is that the rise in technology and social media have afforded people a closer look at what their favorite brands are doing. Another reason is related to the behavioral trends of the Gen Z and Millennial demographics, which are two groups that have a significant place in both the consumer and workforce spaces. A study by Deloitte found that companies are more likely to retain their Gen Z and Millenial employees for more than five years by taking action on the specific needs in their communities in an impactful way. (Deloitte, 2022) Internal and external stakeholders want to see that these brands they support are not just talking the talk, but that they are walking the walk with their social and environmental actions.  With this in mind, there is a growing importance for companies to ramp up their tactical approaches to ensure there is consistency across the board that reflects the organization’s goals and its audience’s expectations. Here are three ways that a healthy CSR culture can benefit an organization’s public relations strategy.

1. Sense of Belonging Amongst Internal Stakeholders: CSR initiatives can create a sense of identity, belonging and camaraderie among employees by bringing them together to work towards a common goal that goes beyond business objectives. Whether it is participating in team-based service activities or creating fundraising efforts for specific causes, including employees in CSR opportunities can strengthen interpersonal relationships and build a positive organizational culture based on shared values. This sense of belonging fosters trust among leaders and team members, leading to a more supportive work environment where employees champion their employers’ societal contributions as brand advocates.

2. Increased Positive Media Coverage: Including CSR initiatives in your media strategy is a great way to convey emotional appeal to external audiences as journalists are often interested in stories that have a positive impact on society and the environment. Organizations can do this by leveraging CSR-related press releases, events, partnerships, and social media campaigns. This authentic storytelling can help organizations gain visibility, reach new audiences, and build trusting relationships with members of the media.

3. Differentiation = Competitive Advantage: CSR initiatives can serve as a source of differentiation and competitive advantage in crowded markets. Baking CSR into a public relations strategy will help organizations differentiate themselves from competitors by sharing their own unique values to appeal to specific audiences. This unique positioning can help attract new customers, retain existing ones, and strengthen overall brand identity by offering something beyond just the product or service itself. By demonstrating this true commitment to building CSR opportunities off of existing organizational values and social responsibilities, brands will build stronger relationships with stakeholders to achieve long-term success.

In summary, integrating CSR into public relations can deliver great benefits to an organization, such as creating successful team building, positive media coverage and a unique competitive advantage. With our specialization in implementing the best practices to serve organizations with strategic communications work, NP Strategy can be a strategic partner in integrating CSR into an organization’s overall communications strategy, enhancing its reputation, and creating positive social impact. 

CHARLESTON, S.C. [April 2, 2024] – NP Strategy, a strategic communications firm providing crisis, media and public relations assistance, expands its Lowcountry presence with the hiring of Kelsey Barlow who will work out of the Charleston, South Carolina office as a Senior Advisor. With nearly 20 years of experience in local government and media, Barlow brings a wealth of valuable knowledge that will benefit NP Strategy clients from coast to coast in the U.S.

“Kelsey has successfully navigated newsrooms during a crisis and advanced in local government during challenging years. She will add immense value to our clients especially those with crisis communications and community/media relations engagement needs,” said CEO Heather Hoopes Matthews. “We are blessed to have her join our growing NP Strategy team. ”

In March 2024, Kelsey left her role as the Public Information Officer for Charleston County Government where she spearheaded the county’s messaging and community outreach efforts during crises including the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple hurricane emergencies. Kelsey also played a key role in introducing new technology to residents to improve communication channels in Charleston County.

Prior to her time in local government, Barlow spent nearly a decade as a journalist, including time as an executive producer at WCSC TV in Charleston. She led a team of journalists through significant events including the Mother Emanuel Church shooting, which garnered national and international media attention.

“It is an honor to join NP Strategy and work with this incredibly talented group of professionals,” said Kelsey Barlow. “I am excited to utilize my journalism background, media connections, and experience in local government to provide strategic communication advice for our clients and continue to grow NP Strategy’s reach in the Charleston area.”

Barlow is an active community member and graduate of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Charleston Program. She also has served on the Adopt-a-Highway Board since 2018 and volunteers to beautify the Charleston community. Originally from New Orleans, Barlow studied broadcast journalism at the University of Georgia.

Reach Kelsey Barlow at kelsey@npstrategy.com.