By the end of 2025, the global public relations (PR) industry will likely surpass US$129 billion. Yet, despite this tremendous growth potential in the sector, the PR industry in Southeast Asia is not doing as well as it should.
Based on my experience working with over 300 entrepreneurs in the region, the lack of PR and content marketing innovation prevents startups from thriving.
As the world evolves and adopts novel solutions and technologies, the industry remains rotted in its traditional methods and processes. And while clients and entrepreneurs want effectiveness and clarity when working with partners, PR messaging is not hitting the right notes, thereby hindering collaboration.
Meanwhile, startups in Southeast Asia still face many challenges in establishing themselves. They have to deal with complicated bureaucracy, poor infrastructure, and an underdeveloped regulatory environment.
They are also constantly searching for investors to provide capital to boost their growth and product developments.
Even though these factors are vital, communication can make or break businesses. Companies need to rethink the relationship between PR, content, and startups in order to succeed and promote economic growth.
The traditional way of doing PR and content
PR firms and startups in Southeast Asia still follow traditional public relations and content creation models. While these techniques were tried-and-tested successes in the past, the world has changed and become ever-more digitised, making it challenging for the old ways to be as effective.
Some of the issues associated with traditional PR and content creating include:
High costs
Traditional content and PR campaigns are often expensive compared to digital marketing campaigns. Going digital gives cost-effective and sometimes free promotional and messaging opportunities for building a brand and selling more products.
In effect, startups are hurting their cash flow by paying for overpriced solutions.
Poor measurement
The lack of innovation in the sector restricts companies from conducting thorough analytics to understand their audience, predict consumer behaviour, and reach their PR goals.
As a result, businesses are unsure how to measure their PR success or even define it.
Success results from tying PR goals to the startup’s goals. For example, if the brand is focused on inbound lead generation, increasing web traffic, or establishing itself as an authority in its industry, then it is essential to target PR efforts toward reaching those milestones.
Also Read: How startups should approach public relations
Thus, it is possible to say that the press release, if that’s the PR tool used, played a part in raising awareness about a product, leading to website visits and boosting sales.
Zero transparency
There is a lot of bloat in PR both in agencies and in-house departments, creating a scenario where uncertainty arises about what the PR firm is doing for the company.
PR and content experts may be doing an excellent job, but they may neglect to let the business owners understand the process and the end goal.
Thus lack of transparency can cause mistrust, preventing everyone from collaborating towards success.
Lack of understanding of cultural differences
Companies that expand to other Southeast Asian countries may find it challenging to operate and communicate with a regional audience.
In some cases, PR and content consultants may not know the cultural implications of how businesses work in a different country. As such, they cannot provide suitable solutions to the startup owners for their new markets.
How to solve the PR and content problem in Southeast Asia
So, how do we solve the PR and content problem affecting startups in Southeast Asia with the above issues in mind?
Focus on results-driven campaigns
First, define how PR fits into the marketing solutions. PR must embrace the changes and evolve because technology has become part of our lives. Today, there are more digital opportunities for spreading targeted messages than ever before.
Most marketers have already adopted technology, using social media campaigns, automation, and online content marketing, and PR and content professionals must follow suit to get the results they are seeking.
PR experts can now position effective messages in multiple channels, employing Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques to appear in search results.
Also Read: Be credible and reliable: Key tips for startup communication in the new normal
By engaging online audiences and nurturing relationships, the sector’s professionals can boost the startup’s brand, enhancing sales opportunities. They should also remove the fluff in content to have clear, concise messages that resonate with the target audience.
Effective PR and content techniques training
Even though the PR industry’s history involves professionals learning on the job, employees require training on the significance of PR and content production and its impact on the company.
This need for continued professional development goes doubly for senior PR executives to prevent the entrenchment of bad habits at the core of the business.
Each department should also collaborate to guarantee uniformity and consistency in the brand messaging. Inconsistent communication affects branding and limits the impact of PR campaigns.
If teams are dispersed across Southeast Asia or globally, at least some of the messaging should be specific to the local area and the overall message regionally relevant.
Train business leaders
Finally, train business leaders rather than PR or content consultants. It will help create a professional team of consultants who can customise or personalise solutions to meet the needs of the startups in various sectors.
The PR industry in ASEAN is growing and moving beyond the traditional approaches that have served it well historically. Digital transformation in Southeast Asia is driving companies to adopt technological solutions to address the challenges facing them in their respective industries.
Innovation in PR efforts and content management is crucial for startups to stand out in the competitive space.
While old techniques, such as posting stories in magazines, are still relevant in some situations, industry experts must use digital tools and media to brand startups and get their messages to the audiences quickly.
Information travels fast nowadays. Therefore, rapid, consistent messaging across all channels is essential while maintaining awareness of the communication differences between the countries in Southeast Asia.
Embracing innovation, focusing on results-driven campaigns, and training PR, content experts, and startup leaders will help achieve better PR results.
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