Few things are more vital to the long-term success of an organization than the quality of the relationships and reputation with stakeholders. While products and services may stand on their own merits, a properly designed and executed public and media relations strategy can enhance an organization’s stature and success significantly.
An effective strategy must account for a media landscape that is vastly more expansive, more complex and more integrated than what was imaginable just a few years ago. Yet even with all these changes, media relations still comes down to “the story.”
When people talk about “the story,” they usually are referring solely to story-telling. That’s important, but it’s only one part of a three-stage communication process for making a genuine connection with the marketplace:
- Story-listening. It all start with getting to know the marketplace and tuning into the “stories” that your customers are sharing about what’s happening in their lives and what mattes to them. This step involves formal research and informal investigation and assessment of the people you are trying to reach, learning what drives them, and determining what they need and want to know in order to connect with your product or service.
- Story-doing. You need to walk the talk and deliver on your promises to establish a credible identity in the marketplace. Today more than ever, customers won’t believe your story unless it aligns with your organization’s actions. We look at how your company operates, and we advise on how to align your stories with your business practices.
- Story-telling. Finally, we help you craft your story, building on the foundation of “listening” and “doing” to create an authentic narrative that resonates with honesty and integrity in the marketplace.
At Landes & Associates we use this three-stage process to help you LISTEN … DO … and TELL “the story” in a way that sets you apart from the crowd and builds relationships with your stakeholders that are firmly grounded in trust and credibility. We can help you …
- Develop a “listening” strategy so your communication reflects the attitudes and interests of your customers, and you’re not caught off guard when an attack or an opportunity shows up unexpectedly in the media-sphere
- Shape and share an authentic story that aligns with your organization’s actions
- Craft messages that resonate with the marketplace and get the attention of the right people in the right way at the right time