So, 2021 wasn’t quite the year we all had in mind. It came with many challenges and many of us are probably relieved to see the back end of it.
But each new year brings with it an exciting opportunity to start afresh and make positive changes in our personal and working lives. It allows us to reflect on our experiences from the year before, celebrate the wins and learn from the mistakes.
In this blog, I wanted to share with you why January is the perfect time to start your PR journey and also provide some top tips on how to go about doing that.
Though January may seem like a bit of a tedious month, it’s the perfect time to harness that new year motivation and energy and throw yourself into trying new things and pursuing new goals. The media is very much in a new year, new goals and plans mindset and you can really use that to your advantage as a business that’s just starting out with PR.
Starting your PR journey – the steps to take
1. Take a moment to reflect
Firstly, take a moment to reflect. What went well in the previous year and what didn’t go so well? Be honest with yourself and take note. Take learnings from challenges you faced before and use them to consider how you can improve processes and methods that are no longer working to your advantage.
2. Take advantage of your audience being online
Though we’re all a bit sick of Zoom meetings, one benefit that comes with working remotely is that most of your audience will be too. Why not take advantage of that and be present online? Get yourselves noticed by your target audience.
Make sure your website is up to date and represents your business at its best. Develop social media accounts that tie in with this. This will be key as you begin your PR journey. For more tips on setting yourselves up for PR success, check out our blog post on things to get right before doing PR.
3. Come up with a crisis plan
If there’s one thing the past few years has taught us it’s that ‘normal’ can change incredibly quickly. Get ahead and prepare for potential challenges. Think of the 2020 mad dash to remote working as an example. Are you ready to pivot as a business if you need to? Don’t get caught off guard. We can’t predict the future but we can use the past to inform our plan of action should we need to react quickly. There’s more about crisis communications planning in our post.
4. Align plans and goals with strategy!
Starting your PR journey at the beginning of a fresh new year means you can neatly align your PR goals and target audience with the overarching business goals and plans for the year ahead. Take the time to get the team together and ensure everyone is on the same page, communications both internal and external are aligned, and everybody knows what their role is in working towards business success.
Whether you’re entering 2022 with hope, motivation and optimism, or you feel a bit at a loss following the challenges of previous years; there is no denying that the new year is a great opportunity to reflect, plan and make steps towards positive change.
New Year + PR = business success!
And if you are feeling a little bit of the January Blues, here are some other helpful tips to start 2022 with an inspired and positive mindset.