Tuesday 11 October 2016

Why Startups in India Need Effective Public Relations


When an organization invests in a well thought-out, articulated and sustained PR effort, the return on investment can be incredibly valuable. For a startup, it is even more important to ensure the right reputation is established and putting a new venture on the map pays off. A well-structured PR strategy doesn’t only help in increasing visibility for the brand, but also attracts the right talent, helps in raising employee and investor morale which in-turn facilitates the process of fund raising.

Changing perceptions
There are many testimonials in the recent past like the success of Iroko TV, that prove how effective communication can completely transform a new inexperienced organization; into one of the most trusted and spoken about companies. This transformation is a result of the change in perception that a startup PR agency in India can bring about for a particular company.

It is thus important that every startup in India dedicates resources towards creating an effective public relation strategy. It is necessary to consider PR as an integral part of the business while formulating a startup idea.

Startups being beginners are considered to be learners and not a reliable source of information. But with the help of PR one can position the spokesperson as an industry thought leader, thus adding credibility the company.

Effective messaging
Again, to quote the example of Iroko TV, the PR strategy resulted to massive coverage in every major media brand including CNN, WSJ, Bloomberg and a host of others. As a result of this, the Iroko TV spokesperson was approached for expert opinion by most media organizations on the industry. This led to the transformation of consumer perception towards Iroko TV, from being apprehensive of purchasing it to considering it as an expert in TV technology. Effective messaging and perception, that is PR, also has a direct effect on the company sales. Being a startup, decent sale is one of the most important outcomes for a successful business model.

Start early 
This brings back focus on the fact that at the early stage itself, it is important to put heads together and dwell deeper into understanding how one wants their company to be perceived and scale it with time. This cannot be done without the help of experienced professionals who have been in the industry for a long duration and have been major contributors to the success of brands that once were startups. With perception, startups also need to clearly define the resources and time that can be delegated towards developing an effective communication model.