Blog Article

This time last year nobody could have predicted what lay ahead. We were in the early days of the first lockdown and had no idea how long Covid-19 would be a part of our daily lives.

When we went into the first lockdown in March 2020, I don’t mind admitting we lost some business at Ballyhoo PR.

When faced with a sudden closure of their business, some clients naturally looked at their outgoings and questioned where they could save money and either cut what they were doing with us or put a freeze on all activity.

We completely understood. We had never been in a situation like this before and had no idea how long it would last.

We checked in with the clients who stayed with us and revised and adapted our 2020 PR and communications plans. What was a priority in January 2020 either wasn’t anymore, or the plans we had could no longer go ahead.

We thought about what customers and potential customers would be eager to learn from our clients and/or searching the internet for – were they still open? Had they changed their service offering? How could they get hold of someone to talk to? How had their industry and business been impacted?

It turns out that PR and communications were more important than ever during a pandemic!

In a fast-changing world, we need answers. As customers, brand followers and potential referrers we need to know what a business is up to and crucially, how we can support them.

If you are working from home or offering a delivery-only service, people need to know.

When we all have to stay in, getting yourself out there – whether that be in the local press, on social media, through Google my Business, or through having blogs or articles published on high ranking websites so you come up in search results – ensures you remain visible to your target audience.

During the pandemic, we have helped our clients get published in the national and local media, in trade magazines and websites, and on TV and radio. We also worked with them to create and publish their own content on social media and in regular blogs and emails so people are kept up to date with their activity. We even entered clients into awards to create a buzz about them online when the finalists were announced.

And now, as businesses are looking to gradually re-open and we follow the government’s step-by-step roadmap out of lockdown, we need to be using our methods of communication – whether that be PR, social media or marketing – to let everyone know what our plans are and how they can support us or buy from us.

PR and comms have never been so important. Are you using them effectively in your business right now? Do you have a roadmap comms plan?

Contact Emma on 01536 261666 or emma.speirs@ballyhoo-pr.co.uk if you would like some support with your PR and communications in the coming months.