Clients in the News

North Bay Biz

May 23, 2023 in Columns

by Jenny Kaplan

Control Your Story, Control Your Brand

I was recently dubbed “The Verbalizer” by a friend. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or not, but now after much reflection, I realize it is—and I’m considering having a red cape made with a big V on the back, because that’s exactly what you need to be to effectively communicate your brand identity. You must be hyper focused on communication.

Own your narrative

Every business has a story that makes it unique. When you strategically put out your own material, you can control the discussion about you. The first step is to know your brand. What do you stand for? What do you want the public to think—and say—about you? What exactly makes you different from all your competitors? Taking the time to define this is a crucial exercise. Understanding these basics about your business—and being able to convey the information in a succinct and memorable way—will attract customers that want what you have to offer. The purpose of PR is to master your market through exposure. Once you’ve honed your message, make sure you use it often, brand everything, make sure your employees are telling the same story, and make sure the public knows your story well.

Earning trust

Positioning yourself as an expert is one of the best ways to validate your work and attract public interest. Use your story to talk about your successes. Tell the story of what you know, what you can achieve and how you help your clients and address their pain points (challenges, unknown factors, and end goals) in your messaging, explaining how you can solve these issues for them. This will compel them to look to you for solutions.

The strategy

It’s never been easier to show your customers exactly who you are and what you stand for. Powerful social media platforms, traditional press outlets and other media are multiple ways you can connect with customers. Choosing the right messenger(s) for your message and deciding exactly what you will say is important. It’s vital to find the right types of outlets and platforms to contribute to. Not all business and industries fit each, so ask yourself: “Where does your audience ‘live’? What do they read, watch, listen to, like and follow?” Now you can think about what will immediately draw your intended audience to you—use your narrative to capture their attention and create concepts and stories that the audience will remember. The current landscape is crowded with businesses offering services just like yours, but your unique message will differentiate you. This will be your very own “Verbalizer Superpower” and how you will capture the public’s interest and support.

Contributing to the conversation

Further your position and the perception of your business as a leader in its field by writing articles, participating in interviews, podcasts, webinars and social media across all media outlets. Use press releases, media alerts and media invites to reach out and get in front of reporters, editors and producers in your industry. Even if they don’t initially respond, it’s about getting on their radar, so your name and work becomes familiar to them, and so they understand who you are.

Brand everything

Don’t let any content go out without your brand clearly on it (including ways to contact you, website address, taglines and social media links). This includes social media posts, email signatures, merchandise, documents, community involvement and all other messaging. You may feel somehow shy about this tactic, think it’s too boastful? You want to stay humble or under the radar? I understand how that can be, yet I must say an emphatic—please no! Clients have come to regret not putting their name on everything they send out. On one such occasion a client felt like it was too showy or arrogant to brand a specific piece of content…and then the post went viral. Going viral is a dream come true for a business, but since the content didn’t have their name or information attached to it, they've regretted it ever since. The lesson here is to tell your story, branded every time. (And don’t forget to hashtag your brand on social too: I use #prneversleeps, #getnoticed, #verbalizer!)

Controlling your narrative is a conscious choice. So, the next time someone calls you an over-communicator, proudly take it as a compliment and don’t be shy about shouting your message out from the rooftops. Because if not you, then who?

Jenny Kaplan has gotten clients newsworthy ink for more than 20 years. Most days, this public relations strategist can be found connecting in one way or another to the public. She specializes in brands, inspiring content and telling your story. Ask her PR questions at (707) 578-1336. For more information, visit JKaplanpr.com.