2020 has been one of the most challenging years in the history of humankind. The world was absolutely normal in the beginning and toppled in the blink of an eye in March. Life as we knew it has changed in every aspect. Every industry is affected by the pandemic in some ways. Public relation professionals and marketers are observing the most difficult phase in their career. The PR industry depends on the businesses that are looking for increasing visibility through public relations. The pandemic has caused many businesses to shut down and cut the jobs of many people. The media houses are also suffering from the crisis making it worse for the PR professionals.
The new crisis has forced PR professionals and marketing experts to abandon their planned strategies. They had to adopt some new ones abruptly. The new normal has opened up some new possibilities as well. To stay updated, they must adopt the new technique of public relations quickly. Let’s go through the do’s and don’ts in public relations at the time of the pandemic.
Let’s start with what public relations professionals should do to survive in this situation.
1. Get online
As per the surveys, the pandemic has increased the average time people spend online. The lack of outdoor activities has pushed them more towards the internet in a very short time. People have become dependent on the internet more than before. PR professionals need to seize this opportunity to take their business to a whole new client base. Like every other business, going online is a necessity for PR professionals as well.
2. Maintain consistency
Consistency is the key. Whether it’s the regular times or a pandemic situation, you need to stay connected with your clients all the time. The pandemic has driven everyone to take their business completely online. That has increased competition in each industry. If you do not do regular follow-ups with your clients, they may find your alternative in the meantime. Staying in touch with your clients also set a professional image for you in the market.
3. Analyze your competitors
In the current competitive market, everyone is fighting for that one chance. In order to stay ahead in the competition, you should keep track of what your competitors are doing to survive in the situation. Study their moves and measures that they have taken to solve the problems they face. Try to learn from them and implement those lessons in your work to enhance your capabilities.
4. Stay in touch with your colleagues
Being actively connected with your colleagues in this time of difficulty will help you run your work smoothly. This will also work as a motivator for you as well as them spreading optimism. You can all help each other to solve the problems and give advice on dealing with them. You can video calls and conference calls for the meeting to normalize the ambiance as much as possible.
5. Drop an email
The pandemic has caused many PR professionals to lose their clients. It is the peak time to make new ones. You can send emails to potential clients in order to attract their attention. You can tell them about your business, how it’s different from others, and your past achievements in the emails. You should also mention your business requirements to avoid any confusion.
Now that we have covered the do’s, let’s discuss the don’ts that should be avoided at any cost.
1. Don’t lose your regularity
Most PR professionals work following their schedule. That was before the pandemic hit the world. It has altered the whole working schedule in every field. Many PR executives are now working from home. They are experiencing dysfunctional work and private life balance. Keep your priorities straight and treat your work as before. Taking your work lightly can have a serious negative impact in the future.
2. Don’t lose patience
Due to the pandemic, your business might slow down compared to before. You may find yourself growing impatient with the sluggish pace and go overboard with the email dropping. It may annoy the clients receiving an endless amount of unnecessary emails from you. You need to give some time to the market as everyone is suffering from losses.
3. Don’t be too promotional
As a PR professional it is your job to sell products and services through promotions. But keeping the current situation in mind you need to be more sensitive about your word choices. The tone of your writing needs to have a certain amount of empathy. So that it makes a connection with the readers. Review your language and try not to be overly promotional in your content.
4. Don’t be spurious
At this time of crisis, you cannot risk losing your credibility. It is a good time to build trust with your readers and clients. People are looking for authentic news now. Do not feed them anything remotely unauthentic. Try to give them what they resonate with the most staying honest and relevant.
5. Don’t hesitate to adapt
The pandemic has established brand new social measures like social distancing, which is a huge setback for businesses. As an alternative, you need to keep yourself updated with the new-age social media tools. Use them to make advancements in your business.
