Not only have consumers suffered during the economic downturn, so have the companies that serve them. Julie Batliner, managing director of Carmichael Lynch Spong, offers three best PR practices that allowed heating, ventilation and air conditioning company Trane to gain more than half of the industry’s media share of voice.
1. Stay committed to research: Clients have tight budgets, and new research often gets cut, says Batliner. “In a time when the consumer’s economic mindset had drastically changed, we needed to really understand the insights about what consumers needed and wanted,” she says, particularly with a long-term purchase cycle product such as an HVAC.
2. Partner with advocates: Empowering third-party influencers that already believe in your product adds credibility and is cost-effective: “Find people who are true advocates of the brand, and arm them with information to tell the world,” says Batliner.
3. Know the product Inside and out: Says Batliner: “When it’s a highly technical and science-based product, visit social communities, listen to conversations, ask friends about their experiences, read articles and get to know the product engineers.”
PR News subscribers can read more about driving product preference in the case study: "Energy Education Sparks Reluctant Consumers to Get on Board With Trane's Heating and Air Products."