All I want for Christmas is some good PR

The festive season is almost upon us, and personally, I have always loved the excitement Christmas brings – what’s not to love about lights, late night shopping and carols in the park!

But for the business world, it can be a different story. Most businesses slow down production, have a shut-down period or have ‘skeleton crew’ on the floor. For these reasons, you’d be forgiven for thinking that PR is redundant between November and January. After all, you could save a bit of your budget for later, right?

But the reality is that these ‘slow’ months could be the key to getting a head start – and a jump start on the competition – in 2019. See my recommendations below for PR activity during Christmas and the New Year.

Client testimonials

No doubt your clients give you great feedback throughout the year, but when’s the last time you updated their testimonials? That huge project you managed or cost-saving procedure you put in place deserves to be recognised, so don’t be afraid to ask for acknowledgment on a job well done. Upload these testimonials to your website, update your tender documents or use them as social media posts to highlight all your achievements.

Update your website

Your website is the window into your business and updating it regularly with relevant content helps with your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Google ranking. Don’t worry, you’re not alone if you haven’t updated it all year but now is the best time to make sure all the information is correct. Check that your contact information is up to date, the team member profiles are current and the ‘About Us’ section still accurately reflects your brand story.

Pitch for business stories

Although journalists also like to take a holiday, the news cycle doesn’t stop. Newspapers and TV stations still need stories to tell and you can take advantage of this by pitching during the silly season. Angles like business growth over the year or predictions for your industry in 2019 are great timely pieces. Make sure you have a high-quality image to accompany your email and follow up with a phone call – you might be surprised by the reaction you get.

Research events and award submissions

How many times have you seen an award opportunity during the year but decided not to apply because the deadline was the following day and you just didn’t have the time? Now is the perfect time to plan out any award submissions, events you’d like to attend or conferences you’d like to sponsor. Even if you look back and get an idea of costs and timings from the events gone this year, it will help you to be organised and open to more opportunities for the year ahead. 

Social media competitions and giveaways

Not sure what to do with your social media channels this time of year? Try a competition or giveaway and get in the spirit! Offering a discount on your services, asking for feedback from your audience or giving away a hamper is sure to increase engagement. Creating an ad as part of the competition could also help you achieve some serious social media goals before the year is out. 

Regardless of whether you make a major business announcement or simply create a PR calendar for next year, don’t switch off activity altogether during the Christmas and New Year break. We all know that things are in full swing by the time you return from holidays and your PR plan needs to be ready to go then too, otherwise you could miss some great opportunities! 

If you’re looking for help planning your 2019 PR, Marketing or Digital activity, give the Elevate Communication team a call on 3180 3666.