It’s that time of the year again when evenings are lighter and the temperature gets warmer. So while you’re clearing out the clutter in your house and digging out your summer wardrobe (hoping it all still fits!) you should consider other areas that might need a little sprucing up.

PR and marketing is a vital element to every business, especially in the automotive sector due to the fast paced advances within the industry. So keeping your PR and marketing strategy up to date is crucial to your success. Here are some of our top tips you might want to consider this spring to give your business a boost.

1)         Don’t let your social media fall behind

Just a few years ago, it would have been unusual for a company to have a Facebook page, with social media being used primarily for staying in contact and posting photographs to your friends. However, in 2015 there were over 2 billion active users on social media accounts, making it one of the easiest ways for businesses to connect with their customers.

So, with this scale of potential reach, it is clear why businesses are becoming regular Tweeters, bloggers and Instagrammers. It is important to use social media accounts effectively, by posting regular content that is likely to engage your target audience.

2)         Get clued up on SEO and analytics

With social media usage constantly growing, ensuring you know your audience is important. Different demographics will be active on accounts at different times of the day and it is important to know when your posts will achieve maximum reach, exposure and engagement.

Using analytics you will be able to tell what posts are most successful and the effect your social media account is having in relation to web traffic and ultimately your sales.

3)         Improve current relationships with journalists

Getting media coverage plays a key role in PR and marketing and being on the radar of journalists will ensure your press releases are not ignored. Maintaining these relationships can be time consuming, but by having regular contact and hosting press events your articles are more likely to be covered. Simple things like responding quickly to their requests will also put you in good favour.

4)         Find new journalists to start a relationship with

Maintaining relationships with journalists is important, but if you want to drive your business forward, making new contacts is crucial. Being consistently featured in magazines will build brand awareness, but it is also important to expand your audience.

So, reaching out to magazines that aren’t directly linked to your product, but reach the same target market is a great way of expanding your audience. Think about reaching out to lifestyle and luxury magazines and local newspapers or radio stations.

5)         Try fresh writing styles/techniques

Instead of following your typical press release or blog style that journalists have seen a hundred times over, change your writing styles to make it more individual and interesting for journalists to read. This however, is all dependant on your target audience, so adapt your style of writing for the different publications you are targeting and the story you are writing.

Changing your style of writing and a range of posts will encourage engagement and interaction on social media.

6)         Be creative

Creativity is at the core of any PR and marketing business. Making sure that when creating a campaign your ideas are innovative and exciting will help make it more successful and effective. By thinking outside the box you will be much more likely to attract media interest and attract the attention of potential consumers.

7)         Don’t rely on advertising

Advertising, although potentially effective, can be an expensive way to get media coverage. There are many arguments surrounding PR versus advertising, and it very much depends on the product you are trying to promote. However, relying on advertising alone is not the most effective way to engage with an audience, and investing in both PR and advertising will help drive your business forward.

By using a PR agency, with experience in getting media coverage then you will get more than your money’s worth of coverage. This coverage will also be more likely to interest readers.

8)         Quality over quantity

Writing quality is more important than the amount of articles or posts you are sending out, as good press releases and blogs will gather more interest. Find the hook of the story and focus your release around that hook, engaging the reader. So, before you send out a story, first ask yourself ‘is it news worthy?’

Using PR as a technique to get more coverage can be very effective for your business, especially within the automotive industry. Whether you use an internal team or an experienced agency it is important to have industry knowledge and key contacts when first starting a campaign.

To find out more about the services Red Marlin offer as a specialist automotive PR agency please feel free to give us a call on 01926 832395 or drop us an email to hello@redmarlin.co.uk.