3 ways to use PR to guide business development

Public relation is an essential component of business management, but most often, it’s used as a way to improve the brand’s reputation and overall perception. Very rarely do business owners consider how PR can also be used to help guide their business’s direction. Companies will use PR to change tracks if there is a scandal or backlash, but being proactive about using PR in order to gauge what works, what’s wanted, and what’s needed is a key trait in many successful businesses.

You can work to add that trait to your own company just by using this guide:

Use market research

Market research is a go-to method of understanding the market’s needs, wants, and trends dominating sales. While investing in overall market trends from research firms should continue to be a strategy that you use, it is far from the only approach out there or the only one you should take.

Like all things, bringing research analysis in-house means getting more specific results for your business. The good news is that a lot of this can now be automated, so you can get the benefits without the need to bring on a team of experts. Market research software uses AI to read through every review written about you and your customers to help reveal the gaps in the market that you can fill. It’s a simple, effective way that uses customer engagement to fuel your development research and investments.

Engage your audience

Going through customer reviews is a standard PR practice. However, using it to help identify how your business should grow is not common practice. Neither is actively engaging with the audience.

This doesn’t mean you can ask general questions to your customer base. Instead, put forth your top three ideas and put them to the audience at large. This is how you use the power of social media engagement to drive your business forward in a way your customers and audience are excited to see.

Not only is this a good way to put your business growth in the hands of your customers, but it’s also a great way to strengthen customer relations and advertise your efforts.

Run an information-based campaign

A lot of PR and marketing is done through relationships. This helps you get your product or business featured in the top magazines and publications. A good way to advertise your new business venture is to run an information-based campaign. Go to industry publications to write, discuss, and start a debate about the missing gap in the market that you’re working to fill. While yes, this does run the risk of sparking a bit of an arm’s race in your competitors, it also means that the discussion is centered around you and your ideas.

You’re also free to benefit from the debate it sparks. Pay attention to the comments section so that you can extract key information, ideas, and important factors that’ll impact your efforts. Thinking outside the box is a paramount element to any successful business, but that doesn’t mean you need to come up with every idea yourself.