Are customers not taking you seriously or flat out ignoring you and your message? Then you may have to change tactics when marketing yourself. There’s a lot of noise and buzz out there so you can’t really blame the general public for feeling lost and confused!
Try these five unconventional ways to adjust your marketing strategy. They may be wacky but they also may help you get noticed when the time comes.
1. Take Unconventional Jobs
When it comes to public relations “pros,” there seems to be a common thread weaving between the lesser ones. That is, they don’t want to work! Though PR can be a lot of fun sometimes, it’s still a career, and you’re here to work your tail off.
One aspect of this is taking on unconventional jobs. While your competitors may not want to help with an essay or write a speech or spread the word about a person’s campaign to put up a traffic light near her house, you should have no such hang-ups. This gives you the appearance of being well-rounded and open for anything that comes along. Plus, an unconventional career move or two makes for great anecdotes when pitching new clients.
2. Show Your Individuality
Public relations is a popular field, and you’ll have no shortage of competitors. When so many people want to jump on the bandwagon, the dime-a-dozen PR pros will inevitably fall off.
So when you market yourself, try to imagine what makes you stand out from the rest. Is your strong suit writing or convincing people to listen to you? Then play that up for your audience. If you think you can get away with it, disparage your flaws a little in order to build up your strengths. For example, “We may not promise a press release written in an hour, but that’s because we pride ourselves on delivering a perfect document every time.”
3. Be Outgoing
I don’t mean this in the normal kind of “be outgoing” that’s a de facto trait in the PR world. I mean really get out there and mix it up. Show up to events. Sponsor parties and business meetings. Make your name (and brand) known as one who isn’t afraid to hang out with the people. If your field is public relations, you could definitely do worse than having a reputation as a social (well, socially business minded) butterfly.
4. Be An Individual
On top of being outgoing, you also sometimes just need a strong personality to get noticed. People react one way or another to someone standing out, which means they’re not ignoring you. The best part? It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the “real world.” Strong personalities work on the Internet just as much (if not more so) as in life. Eventually, this strong personality becomes your brand. Don’t worry too much about offending people by letting your individuality flag fly, either. For all the people who strongly hate you, just as many will adore you and will not dream of turning to anyone else when it comes time to pick a PR pro.
5. Think Small
Just like that car commercial where everyone is yelling about things needing to be “Big!” all the time, it only takes one “Small” person to make a difference. While your peers and rivals are trying to take over the world, may you should consider limiting your reach a bit.
Why? Because your local area needs your expertise as much as the rest of the planet does. And you know your local area like the back of your hand, right? Then you’re the best person to help them achieve their goals. Become the local PR hero and your work markets itself! Or perhaps you specialize in a specific niche, like fighting to save the endangered habitats of unlovable spiders and insects. Sure your focus is small (literally) but if you specialize and get your name out there in this area of expertise, you’ll be the first person environmentalists call when an new habitat is endangered.
What are some unconventional ways you’ve gotten work as a PR pro?
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of the Beginner’s Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/beginners-guide-writing-powerful-press-releases/