The power of PR
Nicola Scott, Mearns & Gill

Nicola Scott, Mearns & Gill

PR is about portraying the best possible image of an individual, company or organisation. This can take many forms and goes far beyond just distributing press releases.

At Mearns & Gill, we work with clients from all different sectors who all have different objectives. Some want to effectively communicate with their target audience to increase sales. Some want to share exciting developments about their business to stay at the forefront of customers’ minds. And the list continues.

As far as the not-for-profit organisations that we work with go, their objectives all follow a similar theme. They want to create interest and engagement with their brand so that they can garner support to further their mission.

As the name suggests, not-for-profit organisations don’t have the same budget that could potentially be available in a limited company. So how do you communicate with stakeholders effectively when your resources are more limited?

The untapped resource often lies at the very heart of the organisation – the people who lead and run the organisation itself. Often working as volunteers, these individuals have a huge amount of passion for what the organisation is trying to achieve and a commitment to getting the word out there. And this is incredibly useful when it comes to generating content which gets the organisation noticed, shared, followed, and invested in.

We often call on committee members and volunteers to provide interviews, quotes, debate topics and a host of other content which can be used on social media or for distribution to the media. This has the obvious benefit of costing close to nothing, but also utilises the voices at the heart of the topics in question. Who better to tell you why you should attend a conference than someone who will actually be at the conference across the two days? Who better to give award entry advice than one of the judges? Who better to give the benefits of membership than an actual member?

By putting these voices at the very heart of our PR content, we can showcase the enthusiasm and passion that exists within these organisations. And it has the added benefit of “brand consistency”. You see a face pop up in your LinkedIn feed who is extolling the benefits of becoming a member of this fantastic organisation. You then become a member and suddenly that person is at a member event you attend. It all feels cohesive and most importantly, authentic.

If we are creating the best possible image of an organisation, the most compelling content comes back to one thing – the story. If all you have is costs and a list of benefits, it just won’t cut through the noise. But if you have someone who has been part of the not-for-profit organisation and has seen the good work that has come from them carrying out their mission statement, you’re far more likely to attract the audience you want – the ones who are willing to invest in the future of your organisation.