If people haven't heard anything about your business for a while, they will assume it is not doing so well.
PR consultants call it failure by default. It's a notion that was backed up by research** during the early days of the pandemic, when a third (31%) of people in a global study of 13,000 consumers from 14 countries concluded that when a business had gone quiet, people assumed it was in financial trouble.
Employees worried too –that if the business they worked for wasn't in the public eye, their jobs might be at risk.
One of the ways coronavirus has changed our lives is the consumption of content. In the absence of face-to-face communication, many of us have turned to our screens – computers, tablets, smartphones and televisions – to help us to connect with others, but also to stay informed about what's going on in the world.
So it’s more important than ever to get your story out there.
By this point, most of us also welcome some light relief from the constant bombardment of news about Covid-19.
Have you won a contract or secured new funding?
Have you developed an interesting new technology or product?
Have you adjusted your business model because the business landscape has changed (Cambridge Network has)?
Have you appointed new people or promoted someone within your organisation?
A news item centred on any of these examples will raise your profile and keep your name front of mind.
Being contentious and/or authoritative is also worthwhile. Maybe you have a valid comment to make on a subject about which you know a great deal – so why not write about it?
You don't need to overdo it and issue a press release every five minutes.
And it needn't be issued for the sake of it: it must be something worth saying. If you can do that regularly, or at the very least when you have an interesting message to convey, so much the better.
A story released once every few weeks (in PR terms, the drip-drip method) will keep your business in people’s minds, ensuring that customers and employees alike know that you are still around. They will see that you are coping with the challenges posed by the pandemic and the current economic upheaval. Add an interesting image and you will get more traction.
As well as reaching the ~40,000 visitors a month Cambridge Network attracts, the best news stories posted on this site also get wider exposure, either in our weekly newsletter (circulation 6,500) or through our social media channels: Cambridge Network has 9,500 LinkedIn and almost 17,000 Twitter followers.
What are you waiting for? Network members can post as much news as they like! If you are unsure about what to say or how to say it, get in touch – we are always willing to help.
Better still, come along to our next online 'Making the most of membership' session on Friday 29th January and find out more about raising your profile - and the range of other Cambridge Network services.
Image by Michael Bußmann from Pixabay