Meaningful Relationships are Key to PR Success

What’s the job of a healthcare PR professional? You could say that it’s to help healthcare organizations push their messages to the market. In reality, though, that’s not enough for today’s sophisticated healthcare consumers. PR is no longer about pushing broad, blanket messages to anyone who will listen. Instead, it’s about engaging the right people in relevant, two-way dialog. PR professionals must develop communication strategies that build meaningful relationships. Although distrust of the media can make that task challenging, two steps can help ensure success. First, PR professionals must gain a deep, strategic understanding of both the target audience and their healthcare client. That requires scrutinizing the audience’s needs, motivators, behaviors, and preferences. But it also means helping clients understand who they are, what they offer, and the value they provide. Alignment is key. Then, we must help clients enrich their audiences’ conversations. Very often, the reason a deal closes has as much to do with deep emotional connections created by company passion, mission and vision as it does product features. Content must demonstrate not only how the client’s products and services improve healthcare tactically, but how they benefit people more globally. This can be done through authentic, genuine content that delivers real value. Creating lasting professional relationships this way takes dedication and commitment. But relationships built on shared interests and demonstrated value can cut through the clutter and build brand loyalty like nothing else can. To read the full article by Maria English, MERGE VP, click here.