Retailers love when a brand secures public relations (PR) coverage. Anything to pull product through their stores or online storefronts is welcome. The brand building that PR can bring is unique and unmatched by other marketing activities. Here are 4 tips for using PR to grow your brand in the retail space:
- Secure Product Reviews: A review of your product can pay off in the days, weeks and even years to come. Put yourself in the shoes of a consumer. Since you actually are one, it’s easy! When you’re going to make a purchase and aren’t quite sure what to buy or what brand to buy, what do you do? You Google it. Hopefully what you find is an article about the particular genre of products in which you are listed. In many cases, one of your product reviews by a highly ranked outlet may come up in response to the search. This can help build the awareness and even further, the trust in your brand to lead to the final sale. Articles often list where the product is available so it may even point them to the retailer. No matter what, as long as your brand is selling, the retailer is happy.
- Land in Affiliate Content: Many retailers also host affiliate programs. If this is the case with your retail partner, landing your product in affiliate content could drive traffic to your retailer. This is trackable so you’ll even get credit in the eyes of the retailer. While affiliate marketing has its own ecosystem, there is a lot of crossover with PR. When pitching earned media/PR, also known as editorial content, affiliate content opportunities are often uncovered. Affiliate content is written with the intent to sell product and includes links directly to the retailer to make taking that next step to purchase very easy. Major retailers like Walmart, Target and Amazon have robust affiliate programs.
- Attract Other Retailers: Use PR to share updates and major milestones through trade and business outlet coverage. If a buyer has been on the fence about adding you to their lineup, a well-timed, well-placed article about your company’s success or new product launch may help seal the deal. Retailers want to work with companies that are generating buzz.
- It’s All Good: PR is a great complement to your other marketing activities. After all, they say it takes at least 5 impressions for someone to remember your brand. Each impression can be costly. With multiple PR features, you can potentially get in front of your potential buyer multiple times and you’re not paying anything additional for every view or click. When they go shopping, brand recognition will increase the odds that they will buy your product. So even if they did not recall a specific review or shop with the intent of buying your brand, if it is the brand they recognize in the product category then you will likely still win. PR has been proven time and again to be the most cost-effective tool for brand building.
Keep in mind that those who work in retail are also consumers. Brand building through PR will also impact their impression of the brand and its relevance to the end user. Keeping the buzz up on your product in the media can help keep the excitement up with the retailer as well.
This guest blog post was provided by Cynthia Guiang of Orca Communications Unlimited, LLC. Cynthia has 30+ years of experience leading PR campaigns and marketing strategies. Are you in retail but looking for a PR agency to help build awareness of your product on the shelf? Contact the team at Orca Communications to get a no-obligation quote.
