Author: Gail Bergman

It’s the number one question asked in job interviews. You may have even asked it yourself when hiring employees: what sets you apart from your competitors?

Ironically, many companies are so focused on running their business that they themselves struggle to come up with an answer to this question.

We see this firsthand time and again. How? Because it’s also one of the first questions we ask organizations who approach us to do PR. In order to help a company craft an impactful message that reaches its target market, we need to create a compelling angle that reflects the company’s unique story.

If you can’t come up with an answer in 10 seconds as to what sets you apart from the rest, you have some thinking to do.

The market is a very crowded place. To get attention, you need to stand out.

What if your product or service doesn’t fit into the “stand-out” category? Our advice to you is to adapt your positioning.

If your product or service is one of many in a category:

• Position your company as an industry leader by speaking out on issues, reporting industry trends or vocalizing responses to industry news of the day.
• Introduce your company to the media and influencers and let them know you’re available for interviews on industry topics.
• Use social channels to communicate thoughts and concepts that no one else is communicating.

The list of possibilities is endless. If what you offer isn’t particularly unique, make sure your message is and you’ll get one foot in the door ahead of your competition.

With so many digital communications options out there, how can a company cut through the clutter and get its message where it needs to go?

Enter the new face of public relations.

No longer just about press releases and media pitches, today’s PR practitioners are relationship, brand and image builders. We help companies “do more with more,” using multi-platform strategies to achieve the results they’re after.

It’s no secret that the media landscape isn’t what it used to be. For businesses looking to promote their products and services, it is actually much more than it once was.

Every media outlet now optimizes use of its social channels, for example, while journalists, bloggers and influencers have become their own media outlets of sorts, continually pushing out original content. This means there are more opportunities than ever before for companies to get their message across.

Solely pushing out content in the social sphere or buying Facebook ads is no longer enough. To reach targeted audiences and raise brand image with increased credibility, companies need to rely on others to help spread their word. It’s all about relationship building and adding value to the communications agendas of others.

This not only includes social influencers, but the media as well. Newsfeeds, newspapers, magazines, TV and radio outlets can help your messages go viral, thanks to their extensive online presence and huge amount of original online content.

No matter who your target audience is, PR strategies need to incorporate multi-platform options to build relationships and start conversations.

Today, anyone can get a message out in seconds, but it’s the skilled communicators who are able to get credible third parties talking. Creativity is the key to cutting through the clutter and ensuring a message gets heard by those who need to hear it.