Taking a global approach to PR
Often manufacturers approach us with the question, do you work globally as well as in the UK? Without a doubt in the past 10 years, one of the major trends in PR has been globalisation. Virtually all the clients we work with have some requirement for international PR.
Many of our manufacturing clients secure 80% of their business overseas, so it is imperative that the majority of our PR efforts are concentrated on global media opportunities.
Here are our five top tips for ensuring a successful international media relations campaign:
1. Work with an experienced agency with international contacts
It’s not simply a case of choosing a PR agency that has a global media database. It is important to work with an agency that has experience and understanding in writing for particular markets eg USA, Far East, Africa.. Here at Dragonfly PR, we have in-depth knowledge and understanding of many of the key global markets and have a track record of securing high profile articles around the world.
2. Involve your agents and distributors to ‘test’ any articles
In many cases we work with an industrial translation agency to translate thought leadership articles, case studies and press releases into many different languages to cover specific markets for our clients. However, we always advise clients to ensure that these articles are given a final proof read by an agent or distributor in that country. We find this is particularly valuable to ensure that technical details have been translated accurately and to ensure the article hits the mark with the native speaker.
3. Ensure photos are tailored to the market
There is no point sending a photo that is quite clearly of a UK application for a magazine in South Korea, for example. Photography needs careful consideration and where possible, pictures should be taken in the native country to demonstrate a project. Sounds simple, but it really does make a difference. If it is difficult to take photographs to accompany the case study in the native country, it could be worth buying a photograph through the stock libraries. For example, if a company has supplied a component part for a major new vessel but you don’t have a photo of the ship’s engine, you could purchase one through FlickR or stock libraries of the ship itself. This would be far more interesting to the magazines and is more likely to achieve good media coverage.
4. Recognise that some awards have international recognition
For many of our clients, securing a Queen’s Award for International Trade or Innovation is one of their major objectives – the reason is that these awards are recognised all over the world and carry prestige and give huge credibility to a company. We have had success with working with clients to enter and win these awards, which has had a tremendous impact on their overseas business.
5. Meet editors at overseas exhibitions and events, as you would in the UK
Don’t be afraid to meet editors overseas. On many occasions we have organised editor visits to major international exhibitions, which has had a huge benefit by enhancing the relationship with these editors on our client’s behalf. Many international editors have excellent English skills, so this should not be a barrier, however, many global exhibitions hire out their own translators and this could be a good option to ease communication with key editors.
If you would like to discuss an international media relations campaign for your business, please contact our PR team on 01709 300130 or email: hello@dragonflypr.co.uk.