Developing a communications strategy can seem like a daunting task – particularly if you’re looking to promote and publicise a specialist technical product or service, but there are a number of tactics and approaches that businesses can employ to create highly effective engagement strategies.
Although companies operating in niche sectors will usually be targeting specific markets, it is still important for content to tell a compelling story. Storytelling is written into our DNA and an effective narrative arc is still the best way to grip an audience, no matter what form your content takes or how technical your story.
Remembering to tell an engaging story can be hard for brands that have become very focused on the detailed, technical elements of their product or service, so it’s worth taking time to gain a fresh perspective on your offering and see if there are angles that could be explored that might bring your brand story to life.
THE HUMAN FACTOR
It’s important to remember that even the most technical product will have been created to deliver a human benefit or solve a people-based problem.
Often, linking your product or service to a human-based issue or scenario can help to bring it to life for target audiences. This can also be an important way to showcase your brand values; linking your business to bigger, broader strategic topics and campaigns which will elevate your messaging and align your business with potential clients.
Explore ways in which content can be linked back into scenarios that will resonate with broader audiences can also be an effective tool to drive engagement across a wider base – growing your audience and developing greater influence and brand recognition.
DEVELOP A CLEAR ELEVATOR PITCH
Hone your narrative and ensure you have a compelling company descriptor that showcases your company’s USPs, key features and functions, important selling points, and the core company brand values that help you to stand out.
Your company descriptor will sit at the heart of the key messages you develop to sell and tell your story and it’s important that this base message is strategically and carefully considered and crafted.
Remember to keep your messaging clear and concise. Cut down the jargon, use specialist terms only when absolutely necessary, and ensure you’ve trained your team so they are on message and able to act as ambassadors who can positively and confidently describe the business and its offer.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE BIG PICTURE
Keeping the bigger picture in mind and connecting your content to topical global events, national days or campaigns, or events happening in your sector, can be a great way to elevate your content and connect you into a bigger conversation.
This approach can help to link in with new leads and open out your content to new audiences. It also shows a positive level of awareness and engagement with your sector community and the wider market.
DIVERSIFY YOUR CONTENT
Creating a range of content that can be shared and engaged with across platforms will help your message reach and resonate with more audiences.
Different content will lend itself better to different formats – a newsy piece about a new contract you’ve won probably won’t work so well for a podcast, but might make great content for your social and digital channels and your key target media.
While a thought leadership campaign might create a rich seam of content that could be brought to life through a multi-channel approach that ties in video, infographics, or long-form thought leadership features.
People absorb and respond to information in different ways – some are more visually-led and may be drawn to infographics or image-led content. While others may react to audio content such as a podcast or a social media campaign they can easily digest.
Opening out your channels and embracing a wide range of content will optimise your chances of reaching key audiences and add richness and interest to your website and other social and digital channels.
Whatever content options you choose – the key take-aways are to mix it up, and ensure that the method your chosen is the best vehicle for your content.
OFFER VALUE
Once you have a strong, engaged audience, it can be worthwhile leveraging your niche sector experience and insight to offer value to potential buyers. By creating free case studies, white papers, reports and downloadable insight-led content, that people can download, you can add real value to potential purchasers.
Case studies, in particular, are a powerful tool, demonstrating how you’ve worked successfully with clients in the past and providing clear evidence of you’re the viability of your approach. Case studies also imbue potential purchasers with confidence, as they are able to gain a clearer picture of how you would work with them in various different scenarios.
This approach will also enhance potential clients’ brand journey with you by offering content which really showcases your offering and explores it in different ways – showcasing your company as an expert thought leader, encouraging conversions and deepening engagement with your business.
TOP TAKEAWAYS:
Want to get the word out about your niche product or service…
Remember to tell a story
Connect into the bigger picture
Look for opportunities to connect into the news agenda
Research national days and weeks that will provide a ‘content hook’
Remember that even the most technical product has people at its heart
Use the three ‘Cs’ to create a Clear, Compelling, Concise company descriptor
To help start-up brands connect with their key audiences, Influential has launched a brand-new start-up package, offering discounted PR and marketing support to help companies reach and engage with key target markets at the start of their brand journey.
It always helps to have an experienced, expert communications partner on board to shape and deliver an effective PR strategy, so please contact us on accelerate@thisisinfluential.com if you would like to have an informal chat with one of our team about how we might be able to help.
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