Creating and maintaining a brand image and reputation is essential in the business world — work that is handled meticulously by a PR & marketing team. In 2022, research showed that most PR budgets are either increasing (45%) or staying the same (50%).

For SMEs with minimal marketing experience, dealing with media and other external stakeholders can be a daunting labyrinth; multinational companies who are looking to build a brand reputation in a new market need guidance from local experts and firms who want to change their image, increase visibility and awareness, and overall Improve their Online Reputation need to be positioned accordingly in the public space.

There are plenty of benefits to outsourcing your PR activities. If you’re still on the fence about it, let’s deep dive into why this might be the key to getting your name out there:

Focus on your day-to-day

With the firm’s PR and marketing in the capable hands of your trusted advisors, you can focus on other important business responsibilities. That doesn’t mean you’ll be blindsided in the planning phase, brainstorming sessions, or monitoring the agency’s activities, but rather that as a decision-maker you can focus on the bigger picture while the PR specialists take care of the nitty-gritty.

Get more facetime with the media

A business is likely to get more interest from the media if approached by an experienced PR agency in the UAE than directly by a firm. With an objective perspective on how the media works, your trusted consultancy will be able to craft suitable pitches to relevant publications, bringing positive news stories to established members of the media. These media relations services are not just a list of names but rather relationships that have been nurtured long-term to give their clients the most effective reach possible. This will be the inception of moulding the firm’s local and national reputation that hinges on its mission and vision, organically reaching potential customers.

Receive professional advice

Good PR and marketing strategies require experience and expertise. The best PR agencies in Dubai have members with professional expertise in several skills, from research and writing to analytics and understanding of the market. Agencies also stay updated with the changing trends and the latest technologies in the field, adapting to them.

Improve your marketing strategy

Public relations cover various aspects of a company’s stakeholder relationships, including the media, which requires excellent communication and interpersonal skills. A major perk is that you will learn from your agency’s best practices throughout your partnership. For example, our experience with small businesses has shown that many need help drafting their communication strategy, a critical part of your marketing efforts. Hiring an external expert helps close this task efficiently and fast, so you can promote and scale up your business faster.

Save on resources

An effective PR strategy includes obtaining market intelligence, planning, and implementing campaigns. For an internal team, there are extra steps such as vetting relevant publications, obtaining media contacts, and developing a relationship with them before being able to secure coverage for the brand. Hiring an external agency that already knows the marketplace means you have access to all their experience to develop a suitable plan quicker. Subsequently, this will save the firm man-hours and resources.

PR isn’t a quick add-on to your firm’s to-do list; it is a wholesome tool and requires knowledge and experience to execute effectively. Being a B2B-focused PR and Social Media agency, we at Sherpa Communications ensure that we download as much information from our clients as we can to formulate the best communications plan for them, keeping them in the loop at every step of the process.

Get in touch today with one of the experts at Sherpa Communications, who will help you develop an effective communications strategy for your brand or secure interviews with tier 1 media.

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HOW DIGITAL PR CAN LIFT YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS SUSTAIN AND GROW

Public Relations has always worked better when combined with other B2B marketing efforts, but in 2023 this will be vital. PR is one of the cogs that make the marketing machine work smoothly — mixed with a robust content strategy — creating the perfect ecosystem for the brand to communicate its key messages.

In 2022, we saw the events industry come back in full swing post the lull caused by the pandemic, the importance of brand-owned channels, executive profiling and more. Brands need to be loud and proud of their mission and vision. Let’s look at a year in review for the PR industry in 2022 and how brands can leverage this to amplify their PR strategy in 2023.

1- Events are in

The event industry is back with full force and a lot of businesses have benefited from on-ground PR support at exhibitions, conferences, and other such events. Showcasing your company’s solutions at a relevant exhibition can prove to be integral in your publicity and brand awareness strategy while also generating several promising leads. Such a tactic can help with a higher Return on Investment (ROI) while quality publicity can also be secured for the brand at the same time. Being a B2B focused PR agency, we represented our clients at some of the biggest shows in the region including The Big 5 and GITEX, which proved to be an amazing pedestal from both PR and sales perspectives, especially for brands in the B2B space.   

2- Importance of content marketing

Earned media is not the only thing that is part of a comprehensive PR strategy, more companies understand the importance of developing strong online visibility for their brand via owned media. This includes blog articles, newsletters, and social media posts on a brand’s platforms. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, B2B buyers are spending, on average, 33% more time researching products than they did before. Striking a balance between earned and owned media is essential for a PR strategy in 2023. This will in turn boost the company’s B2B Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and brand visibility across multiple channels. PR agency’s support with a well-thought-out content marketing strategy for owned media is invaluable as we go into 2023.

3- Strong executive profiling

More founders and top executives understand the importance of a strong public profile. At the end of the day, humans need other humans. Building up the profile of your executives makes your brand more credible and provides a tangible human connection point. Every external communication initiated by the brand also provides another channel of communication for its vision and mission. Executive profiling is key to connecting with your target audience as whether you’re a B2B or B2C company, people always connect with those who showcase strong business acumen and market expertise.

4- Spread news faster through social media

This isn’t a new one, it’s a PR trend that’s been ongoing for years now. Twitter is one of the quickest ways to convey timely information or breaking news about your brand to the press at large. Engage a PR agency to help you develop an effective strategy, define your target audience and develop powerful content for the right social media platforms. For B2B players it’s a must to be present on Twitter and LinkedIn, while for B2C companies it’s better to connect with their audience via Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Facebook. From announcing the joining of a new or securing new funding to product launches and other developments in the organization, news can be shared in a few words and a click of a button. It’s also the perfect way to position a company as an expert — whenever there is relevant breaking news, the business can comment on it and share it with a wide audience in a matter of seconds. HubSpot found that 51% of marketers who leverage social media plan to increase their investment in 2022.

5- Influencer marketing strategies for B2B firms

It is widely believed that social media campaigns and online awareness campaigns involving influencers will dominate the PR Agency industry in the UAE for the next five years. When it comes to B2B companies, influencers are an untapped resource and media outlets are no longer the sole source of exposure. Trends and information are spread by relevant experts, who have built a strong professional network who trust them. Influencer campaign can also work very well in B2C space. A report by eMarketer found that 72.5% of the US marketers from companies with 100+ employees expect to use influencer marketing in 2022. Influencers bring authenticity and personalization to any brand — they won’t just announce the launch of a new product, they have to be part of a bigger story so that the promotion seems organic.
If you need advice on which PR tactics would best suit your company in helping you achieve your business goals while building the online reputation, just drop us an email on [email protected]

It’s important that we PR Professionals are dynamic and adaptable to the changes that keep the wheels moving in this industry. After an unpredictable 2020 and 2021, this year and the ones moving forward are ours for the taking and Sherpa Communications has had to adapt and evolve to ensure our clients get their due in the spotlight. To stay ahead of the game, here are some trends in PR for 2022 and beyond:

Online is in

Research shows that as of 2021, more people get their news from the Internet. According to Pew Research, in the US, 86% of adults get information from a smartphone, computer, or tablet. This indicates that companies and their spokespeople should focus on appearing in shorter content forms, podcasts, and easily accessible video formats such as YouTube. Locally, as of January 2022, there are 9.94 million internet users in the UAE, which amounts to 99% internet penetration, and in 2025, the number of mobile internet users in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is forecasted to reach around 357 million. The consumption of online content may be even higher here than in the US.

Up your skillset

Online interviews are out

The last two years saw podcasts, TV, and radio interviews taking place over video calls, but media outlets are ensuring that face-to-face interviews make a comeback. We’ve already seen this happening, specifically with in-depth features, CEO profiles and lengthy, informative discussions. There is always a better connection in a face-to-face interview than through a video call. Video calls will not die out, they are a convenient alternative when in-person meetings are impractical, but in-person interviews provide the opportunity for authenticity, something the public is hungry for.

Spread the news faster through social media

Twitter is one of the quickest ways to let people know what’s going on in a company, especially for SMEs. From announcing the joining of a new member to the leadership team or securing new funding to product launches and other developments in the organization, news can be shared in a few words and a click of a button. It’s also the perfect way to position a company as an expert — whenever there is relevant breaking news, the business can comment on it and share it with a wide audience in a matter of seconds.

Influencer marketing strategies for B2B firms It is widely believed that social media campaigns and Online Awareness Campaigns involving influencers will dominate the PR Agency industry in the UAE for the next five years. When it comes to B2B companies, influencers are an untapped resource and media outlets are no longer the sole source of exposure. Trends and information are spread by relevant influencers, who have and build strong fan bases who trust them. The onset of this was definitely boosted by the pandemic. A report by eMarketer found that 72.5% of the US marketers from companies with 100+ employees expect to use influencer marketing in 2022. Influencers bring authenticity and personalization to any brand — they won’t just announce the launch of a new product, they have to be part of a bigger story so that the promotion seems organic.

Get in touch today with one of the experts at Sherpa Communications who can guide and share their recommendations as to which PR tactics would best suit your company in helping you achieve your business goals while building the online reputation of your business. 

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How digital PR can lift your business to the next level 

Public Relations strategy to help your business sustain and grow

At the end of 2019, industry experts predicted 2020 to be the “year of remote work”. But even the seasoned experts of remote working never anticipated largest work-from-home experiment across the globe to be launched in the first quarter of 2020. Remote work has now been hailed as the hero to rescue the world from the repercussions of the economic slowdown due to coronavirus.

With the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, there has been a wave of fear and panic all around. To reduce the impact of COVID-19 outbreak, businesses are following the government directives to operate their business and perform their duties from a remote location to keep their employees safe. 90% of businesses are either confident or very confident that employees will remain productive during the time frame of remote work as a result of a crisis.

A survey by 8×8 at the end of February reported, 44% of employees with full-time jobs have felt the impact of coronavirus on the way they conduct business operations. Another 55% have canceled their travel plans and are avoiding in-person meetings while another 40% are increasingly in favor of technological advancements and are using video conferencing tools to conduct virtual meetings. 

Businesses shift to remote working setups since the fight against COVID-19 has intensified. Here are a few tips for businesses to implement a sustainable work-from-home setup.

Do write a company policy – 

The most common mistake that businesses make while remote working is not having a formal policy in place. It is a critical component in ensuring all parties know their responsibility while shifting from physical to virtual environment. 

It is advisable for companies to create a specific-work-from-home guideline in terms of crisis such as coronavirus. This guideline will help employees clearly understand their responsibilities during the remote working phase and avoid confusion with regards to task deliverables. To ensure the tasks for the day and long-term deadlines get accomplished, consider setting communication guidelines to hold remote workers accountable.

Collaborate and communicate –

Businesses should keep the communication flowing with updates in the morning to all the employees requesting to stay alert and also with helpful tips. 

With the technological advancements, it has become easier for businesses to integrate their processes and have a more streamlined approach to run the tasks smoothly. It is ideal to embrace tools such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom to streamline the communication between employees and to optimize remote and virtual working, run effective virtual meetings and set up a functional team to reach out to for critical elements. 

It is really important to be clear and proactive about communicating the responsibilities of every employee of what has to be delivered and by when, especially in a remote working scenario. 

Do not assume your employees to ace remote working –

Remote working isn’t always as easy as it looks. Even with all the technological advancements, there will be times where you will face a host of IT issues and remote workers might have their own apprehensions about remote working negatively affecting their career. With no colleague or manager insight to be approached, remote workers are often responsible for their own time management and prioritization of tasks, without receiving any training on remote working. The key here is to have frequent communication with your remote workers to feel your presence in their work-lives to establish the level of trust and understanding in striking the right balance remotely. 

Opportunity to engage with a mentor –

There are a number of challenges when it comes to remote work. New-to-remote-working professionals need guidance to explore the world of virtual productivity, set their own milestones and foster personal growth. It is advisable for businesses to offer subscription to mentorship programs to ease the transition from physical to virtual environment and approach a mentor anytime who can help them take the necessary steps to stay productive, enhance their skills and set their own career goals. 

Online mentorship platforms can help with actively guiding your employees to acknowledge their shortcomings and develop their strengths to take them through their career development. 

Set an example –

Effective remote work starts at the top. When the leaders execute correct remote-working friendly behavior and implement inclusive processes in place, the effect is felt down as a successful experience for everyone to follow. As businesses are expecting employees not to slack during remote working period and share updates every now and then, it is advisable for managers to keep the communication going with the team on project updates, new business announcements, etc. to keep the motivation strong. Managers should also schedule a weekly check-in via video call to learn of any setbacks or to answer any queries. 

Public Relations had long held a reputation of being an elusive industry. The core service of the industry is to offer business consultancy to brands which leads to creating awareness, building online and offline reputation, increasing visibility of your brand to hosting experiential events and blogging.

A well-defined PR strategy from a well-established PR agency can help your team to develop the best plan of action and integrate communication tactics to derive results.

If you are a company looking for a public relations agency, let us break down some key services you should consider when shortlisting to appoint a public relations firm –

1. Copywriting services – Effective copywriting aims to create content that builds brand identity, educate the readers and encourage the public to purchase the mentioned product or service. Not just random content, a public relations agency will develop content and produce pieces that incorporate the key messages of the brand, ensuring it is valuable, relevant and consistent at all times and can be distributed through several channels simultaneously to spur profitable consumer action. Depending on the desired outcome, the agency can support brands with creating content in the form of blogs, press releases, media alerts, social media posts, technical articles, expert or thought-leadership pieces, website content, and more. If not done in the right way, it can negatively affect SEO presence of the brand. It is very important for your public relations agency to follow the SEO copywriting format acceptable to create a number of backlinks, ultimately benefitting your brand.
2. Translation services – As your business expands its wings and reaches new milestones, it is advisable to translate your messages in the country’s local language. A multi-lingual public relations strategy lends gravity to your corporate message and helps companies reach a wider target audience thereby increasing the pool of potential customers. Our native Arabic translators know the subtle nuances and differences related to the cultural preferences of the audience you are targeting and hence are experts in drafting corporate messages to present your success stories and latest endeavors in a positive light.
3. Social Media Management – Your company pages on social media platforms are additional channels through which a PR professional can reach out to journalists or respond to queries received by the general public. Your PR team is an extension of your in-house team. They are already well-equipped with the company’s messaging and are adept at communicating in the organization’s style. Your PR team is best suited to incorporate the unique tone of your corporate messages into the various communication channels your organization uses to reach out to your audiences such as consumers, partners, investors, stockholders, media, etc.
4. SEO Management – SEO is a key ingredient to improve a website’s overall searchability and visibility. Regardless of the industry or business size, SEO management can be crucial to take your business to the next level. Being highly visible as a trusted resource by Google and other search engines is always going to work in a brand’s favor as it helps in building trust and credibility. Customers know what they are looking for and if they can’t find it online, they would rush to competitors and the business performance will suffer. The intention for implementing SEO optimization is to offer users the information they are looking for in fewer clicks, quickly and easily.

As you can notice, public relations can be an important tool for building an industry presence and for established businesses, the practice can help to further their reach. The right team with an understanding of your sector can be of immense help to set your business up for success down the road. Reach out to know more about our offerings and things great PR can help your brand to achieve.