Latest news with #JennaGuarneri
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
5 Essential Strategies To Build Value With Your Story
Jenna Guarneri, Founder and CEO of JMG Public Relations, an award-winning PR firm for innovators and their mission-driven startup companies. Today's world is more media-saturated than it has ever been. With the myriad of products, services and information that the average consumer is presented with, brands find themselves competing not just for product quality but for the attention of the audience. The traditional paradigm, where brands focused their energy on product development and then built their marketing strategy as an afterthought, can now be considered a thing of the past. Today, it's not just the product that is the product. It's people's perception of the product that is the product. One major component that drives perception is public relations (PR). Contrary to popular belief, PR is not just about getting media coverage, issuing press releases or managing crises. Modern PR is much more proactive and creative. It is an engine for shaping the narrative around your brand. If your business is not putting PR strategy at the center of your product promotion efforts, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to highlight your true value in this media-saturated market. Here's why PR is your most valuable asset and why the smartest businesses are taking their narratives more seriously than ever. Why PR Is Now A Strategic Investment In the past, businesses invested more of their time and money into research and development (R&D). Product quality is the core of gaining a consumer's trust and loyalty. However, the truth that the most successful businesses have unlocked is that even the best product in the world can be ignored if not presented to the world in a strategic, attractive way. Beyond product quality, you need a loud, clear and consistent brand voice. It's PR that helps your company build that voice, attracting the attention of your target audience. With excellent PR, you establish social and emotional relevance, allowing you to position yourself front and center in important conversations within your industry. This directly leads to tangible results: networking with investors, attracting top talent and growing your customer base. 5 Ways To Build PR Like A Product Paying the same attention to PR as R&D will get you further ahead. More than organizing one-off events or interviews, PR should be seen as a long-term asset that develops as your brand grows. Here are five things you can do to improve your PR. 1. Think about PR from the get-go. Startups can get so caught up in product development that they put off their PR, and that is a missed opportunity. A PR strategy should not be activated during product launch or right after a public crisis. If your product development plans are carefully laid out from inception to execution, your communications strategy should be treated with the same amount of care. From the start, you should have clear answers to questions such as "What does your company stand for?" or "How do you want people to react when they hear about you?" Getting your message sorted from the start helps you ensure that your narrative is clear and consistent, so that future customers or investors are interested when they do a deep dive into your brand history. 2. Think of PR as ongoing narrative development. Your communications strategy should be proactive, not reactive. When you have a consistent message, brand values, mission and advocacy, you're able to participate in the cultural moment more effectively. If your industry faces a crisis, create articles or speeches with confidence that will allow you to participate as a thought leader in the discussion. Once you launch a new product, you're able to present the product as a point of growth, allowing both customers and investors to cultivate a deeper trust in you after seeing steady development. 3. Adopt a people-focused approach. Brands that appear to be "business as usual" all the time often fall short in creating meaningful connections with their audience. At the end of the day, people want to connect with people. It cannot be denied or ignored that emotional connections are at the core of human interaction, whether that be in the boardroom or on the sidewalk. That's why it's important for a brand to make leadership visible. Founders, executives and key team members should represent the brand personally. Everything from podcast interviews to written online content allows them to build those emotional connections. 4. Rely on data at all times. For a growing business, the effectiveness of a PR strategy can be measured through data research, surveys, social media metrics, website visits and more. In the same way that you pay close attention to product usage after your product is launched, you should also keep a close eye on how your message is being received by the public. From there, you're able to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. 5. Invest in a thorough, targeted communications strategy. Even though your brand narrative is not a tangible asset, it's an asset nonetheless, and it is arguably just as important as the product itself. If your brand narrative is what draws eyes to your business in the first place, then it is worth investing time, energy and resources in. Dedicate time for planning, work with the right PR experts, and gather the technology needed to make good PR happen. Most importantly, devote time to internal training, briefing key brand representatives and team members on your strategies. This will allow you to delegate brand stewardship from top-level executives to team members in all departments. Perception Drives Value While great products often speak for themselves, they need to be given the opportunity to take the stage. It's your brand narrative that creates those opportunities. In a market that overwhelms people with information, brands that stand out are those that are smart, prepared, intentional and human-centered with their approach to communications. They understand that PR truly is the new product. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Forbes
16-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Beyond The Story: 5 Tips For Strategic Storytelling
Jenna Guarneri, Founder and CEO of JMG Public Relations, an award-winning PR firm for innovators and their mission-driven startup companies. Storytelling is one of the core elements of modern branding. By developing a memorable, emotionally resonant brand story told through a combination of modern storytelling techniques (e.g., written copy, interviews and video content), you can breathe life into your business. Effective storytelling can help you build strong, long-term connections with your audience and eventually build a community of like-minded individuals who support your brand. However, the word 'storytelling' can sometimes be overused or, in some cases, misused and underutilized. Saying 'We just need a story' is like saying 'We just need a logo.' It oversimplifies a brand strategy that, when done correctly, will pay off more than expected. In today's competitive media environment, I believe most brand stories fall flat. This is not because they are inauthentic or less compelling, but simply because these narratives were put out there without a proper strategy following closely behind as support. If you're serious about using storytelling as a tool to grow your business, it's time to think beyond simple slogans or catchphrases. With a holistic, tailor-fit storytelling strategy, your brand story evolves from a simple introduction to a business asset. Every business has a story, but not every story pulls in an audience. Without strategic storytelling, a business' story would just be words on a page, and it wouldn't move the needle on brand awareness or thought leadership within your industry. Strategies always come with set goals or targets to achieve, so whether you're aiming for market expansion, investor confidence or simply education and connection with your community, no effort is wasted in strategic storytelling. Every move takes you one step further to your business goals. Here are five tips to help you rethink your plans to incorporate more strategic ways of telling your story. A brand story and a business do not exist in a vacuum. It's important to first acknowledge that your brand is not isolated from the industry you belong in or the community you serve. Ask yourself these questions: What problem do you solve? What kind of people benefit from your solutions? What sets you apart from your peers? Strategic storytelling does not require you to come up with a clever fictional narrative; in fact, it discourages it. Why? Because the best brand stories are those rooted in a brand's truth and self-assuredness. Once you're able to identify your real-world value, you can then amplify it, making the truth of your brand resonate more clearly and powerfully. In the same way that you need to clearly identify your brand identity to build a good story, you also need to identify your business goals to build a good storytelling strategy. For example, if your goal is to attract investors, then you want to show them that you're worth investing in: highlight growth, vision and operational excellence. Or, if your goal is to hire the best talent, your brand story should revolve around company culture, perks and benefits for staff, good leadership and overall purpose. Furthermore, if your goal is to expand your audience and attract more customers, then your story should reflect your deep empathy and understanding for the experiences of your customers and should also be supported with social proof from your existing customer base. One-off stories may be entertaining, but their effect on people is temporary. A strategic storytelling plan does not aim to entertain or please; it instead helps you build a reputation that will last for as long as you're in business. Consistent themes rooted in expertise, supported by research and delivered in easy-to-digest ways help you establish your brand as a voice of authority in your field. Telling your story across blogs, op-eds, media interviews and keynote talks helps you establish that consistency and build industry trust. While CEOs typically become the face of the company, they don't have to be the sole messenger of your story. In fact, a powerful brand narrative reflects a sense of community within the business—a shared culture of strong values that every person embodies in their own way. Team members, customers and partners can also serve as impactful representatives of your brand values. Identify the relationships that add dimension to your story and create opportunities for them to share their experience. Examples include testimonials, brand activations, behind-the-scenes content and team-led speakerships. Your brand story should not be confined within the limits of the 'Who We Are' page on your website. Storytelling should be the device you use to craft your entire communications plan, including press releases, speeches, social media content, email newsletters, internal documents and more. Beyond that, you should also build consistency throughout all the types of creative content you put out there, including your visuals, video content and overall brand design. Establishing a consistent narrative in all the ways your brand presents itself not only draws customers or investors in, but also allows your team members to identify with something solid, such that they naturally become effective brand ambassadors in their own right. When a story is compelling, effective storytelling can take it to the next level. In my experience, the brands that achieve success within their respective industries are typically those that know how to use the power of a narrative to their advantage, with clear and consistent systems in place that allow them to share their message with meaning, purpose and passion. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
