Here’s 5 PR Mistakes Companies are making in 2020

5 PR Mistakes Companies & Individuals Made During COVID-19

You would think that by now, established companies know which marketing strategies work and which ones don’t. It’s not every day that all your brilliant PR ideas would play out as you intended, especially with the Coronavirus pandemic. Somewhere along the way, you’re bound to make a few PR mistakes at the company’s cost.

That said, here are the 5 biggest Public Relations Mistakes companies make and ones that you should avoid when working remote during COVID-19. Here’s some advice for your online reputation so you can try to avoid these online PR mistakes as much as possible:

 

  1. Not Understanding and Testing All Target Markets

 

This is basically marketing 101 and something every company looking to market their products or services must know. Knowing and understanding your audience is genuinely, deeply, and fundamentally, one of the most critical aspects of marketing.

You want to know your audience’s hobbies. You want to know their goals, their desires, and just about everything else that will help you more desirable to them. As a business, study what makes your audience up at night or the kind of thoughts that will likely lull them back to sleep.

Generally, you’ve to know what makes your audience tick to stand any chance of selling your products to anyone. Doing this will also enable you to speak to your audience on a level that they can relate to and understand.

Only then can you say you’ve targeted your audience effectively. Therefore, whenever you notice a major brand make such kind of audience targeting mistake, it’s usually hard not to notice. And the Covid-19 pandemic seems to be making PR representative’s jobs a lot more difficult. Especially with the isolation and mandatory quarantine measures in place.

 

  1. Developing A Product or Service That Doesn’t Match the Brand

 

It may seem illogical or unrealistic that a big company would make such a mistake, but it does happen occasionally. Brand extension is a clever technique for companies looking to create new products and drop the social clout over them to make them sell better.

Take, for instance, what toothpastes do with toothbrushes. Or what Weber does with seasoning spices. Generally, most big companies prefer to expand their products and reach a wider market put this technique on the table.

And when done well, this strategy can make your company massively successful even as you introduce a new product into your company’s product line. Also, diversifying your company’s product lines can open doors to huge upselling opportunities. But even this is only effective if you know how to upsell effectively.

If done poorly, however, it can lead to other serious marketing disasters, which, often, are even more fun to read about.

 

  1. The Logo Design Is Questionable

 

A company’s logo design is an art form that it uses to identify with its audience, who also uses it to identify the company. You must, therefore, find and use the perfect mix of brand representation and clean imagery to enable you to create a truly memorable logo. Remember, the easier people are in relating to and responding to your logo, the more likely they will be to engage with your company.

However, this is easier said than done. Unfortunately, most startup businesses miss the mark on this one. In your pursuit of the perfect logo, don’t be blinded by other factors that hinder you from realizing if anything isn’t right with the logo.

 

  1. Using Unauthentic Messaging

 

Authenticity is critical for having an effective marketing campaign now more than ever. But even more important is the authenticity of your marketing content. You must learn to avoid finding yourself in a massive internet backlash due to copyright issues with your competitors.

Most consumers can easily find unauthentic messaging and likely blast you, thanks to the likes of Twitter and Facebook. It seems like there’s always a new viral movement looking to hold some big-name company accountable for an insensitive, tone-deaf comment. Most times, that outrage is justified. Not all the time, though.

Consequently, you must be sure about the content you have and how you plan to deliver it. Ensure that your content matches up to your ads. Because if not, then you’re likely to face a wave of backlash your brand might not easily recover from.

 

  1. Trying to Cash in On A Tragedy

It goes without saying that no company should ever try to cash in on a tragedy in an effort to drive its marketing campaigns. It’s a huge mistake that many companies have made in the past and come back to haunt them.

Your organization can, however, show support, especially in times of national turmoil. But if even a whiff of salesmanship is involved, you can end up putting your company in more jeopardy. And frankly, your business may never recover from making a mistake.

 

Bottom Line

Several companies, and especially startup companies must first learn about PR marketing before actually deciding to market their products. This is even truer with the Coronavirus pandemic terrorizing companies and bringing governments, businesses, and families to their knees. You must be careful about the kind of message your marketing campaign sends. Lest you end up on the wrong side of your audience’s list.

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