Five PR Resolutions Your Organization Should Make for 2023

Whether it was Adidas’ slow response to Kanye’s anti-Semitic remarks or Ticketmaster’s handling of Taylor Swift tickets, there were some big PR mistakes in the last year. Those weren’t the only stories making headlines though. Market instability continues to disrupt companies’ plans causing some to make the mistake of pulling back on public relations budgets. Now is the time to be strategic and position yourself and your company as a thought leader. Approaching 2023 with a fresh look at your company’s strategy and a set of public relations resolutions is a great way to avoid those mistakes and start the year strong.?

Resolution #1: Define what public relations means to your company’s strategy.?

When it comes to a company’s communications strategy, there are many different words that often get lumped together like marketing, advertising and public relations. But, each serves a specific purpose. Get clear on how public relations can help your company reach your strategic goals.

Look at what your company can do itself and where the weaknesses are so you know what kind of partner or people you need to bring in to support those goals. Just like you would never go to a general practitioner for a specialty procedure, you should find an agency that specializes in the type of PR your business needs. You need a strategy that is authentic to you and your brand and a team of experts who can be flexible in making that plan happen.??

Resolution #2: Tell your authentic story.

There’s an old-school mindset in business that you shouldn’t reveal too much information or brag too much about yourself. Throw that out the window, and instead, position you and your company as thought leaders by sharing your story and expertise. More and more people expect to work or engage with companies and executives that are transparent. You can control your story by sharing when good things happen and proactively releasing that information as part of your PR plan. If you aren’t sharing your awards, client success stories or big wins, who will??

These positive stories should be at the center of your PR plan. At Media Minefield, we call that Storycentric MarketingSM. This means using your stories and your company’s values throughout earned, owned and paid media strategies.

Resolution #3: Leverage your executives on social media to create Positive Online Presence (POP?).?

This year, leveraging your executives’ platforms has to be a priority in your public relations plan. Studies show more consumers engage with companies based on their executives’ social media. In fact, 77% of consumers prefer to make purchases from a company where executives are active on social media. Too many times budgets focus solely on the brand, but don’t include the reach their executives have.

By creating a Positive Online Presence for your leaders, you’re having a direct impact on the reputation of your company. This strategy also gives ideal customers and employees an opportunity to make authentic connections to the people behind the brand. If you don’t consider leveraging your executives on social media as part of your public relations plan, you’re missing huge opportunities to connect with your target audience(s).?

Resolution #4: Be ready for a crisis.

Bad things happen to good businesses. According to PWC’s Global Crisis Survey, 69% of business leaders say they’ve faced a crisis in the last five years. It’s important to be prepared for a crisis, because one can strike at any moment and a company or person can face a situation that threatens its reputation and puts the business in peril.?

Determine what crises are most likely to affect your company and have a team in place that is trained and ready to spring into action. It’s important to know how and when you’ll respond and who will be involved, and don’t forget to update your communication plan periodically. Stick to your message and stay authentic to your company’s values, because how you respond can make or break the future of your organization.?

Resolution #5 Rethink the typical PR and communications plan.

Public relations and how it works has changed. Companies and their leaders need to change with it. It doesn’t work to bury bad news on a Friday anymore or take days to respond to an interview request from the media. The 24-hour, seven-days-a-week news combined with social media has changed the game, and it means public relations teams need to respond at the speed of news which often means within minutes.

In 2023, companies need a PR strategy and communications plan that gets rid of the traditional thinking related to the press and the impact of social media. Companies must be nimble, yet authentic when sharing their story and utilizing their leaders and social media to create positive relationships between the public and their organization.