Let’s face it – B2B PR is often nothing short of baffling for businesses, with so much to consider and so many pitfalls to navigate. That’s why we focus on results-driven, no-nonsense PR support whilst offering insight and inspiration through these helpful guides – and it’s also why we’d love to share with you the 3 As of PR. We often find that businesses have a bit of a lightbulb moment when we explain this approach, and it’s not just a revelation, it’s a game-changer. Embracing the 3 A’s can transform a lacklustre campaign with disappointing results into innovative ideas destined to take your growth to the next level.
Using straightforward techniques like this isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy for success, but it can help B2B companies implement more effective measures and start to see tangible results that lead to a real ROI from their PR efforts.
What are the three A’s of PR?
The three A’s of PR are authenticity, advocacy, and amplification. This values-led trifecta cleverly focuses on three concepts that can actually address some key challenges faced by B2B businesses, such as low impact, stunted growth, and lack of visibility.
Using this simple formula, we can ensure your PR strategies hone in on key elements that enable you to connect and engage with your audience. Authenticity, advocacy, and amplification are essential for building trust and fostering brand loyalty in most sectors. In turn, they help you achieve that all-important personal connection with your audience.
According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, 63% of consumers buy from or advocate for brands whose beliefs align with theirs. PR is now less about broadcasting your best attributes and more about alignment – with consumer values, needs and aspirations. In this article, we’ll share a brief overview of how authenticity, advocacy, and amplification can contribute to the success of B2B PR strategies – including tips and tools to help you use this framework to your advantage when promoting your business.
Authenticity in B2B PR
In today’s world of false facts and polarising opinions, a focus on authenticity has become more critical than ever. An authentic approach to B2B PR prioritises transparency and clarity around a brand and its activity, helping like-minded potential clients connect with it.
Advertising alone doesn’t cut it these days. Consumers increasingly question the ethics, efficacy and intentions of a product or service and the company offering it. It’s easy to say you’re all the things your audience wants to hear, but now brands have to walk the walk, too. Authenticity goes beyond just company culture. Like a stick of rock from your favourite seaside town, it must run through absolutely everything you do.
Authenticity is all about ensuring consistently genuine, honest, and transparent communication between a brand and its audience. It’s not just a buzzword, it’s a cornerstone of trust and credibility. In the specific context of B2B PR, authenticity forms an important foundation from which brands can build trust, manage their reputation, and navigate potential crises. B2B consumers increasingly expect open communication and ethical behaviour from the brands they engage with, and these key priorities can easily be covered with a firm focus on authenticity.
So, how can B2B businesses demonstrate and incorporate authenticity into their PR efforts and communications more effectively? First, take some time to review the values of your target audiences and cross-check to determine where they align with your own. Then focus on how these values are expressed within your company and offering – prioritising tangibles over fluffy concepts and empty promises that can easily be sniffed out. Honesty and integrity should lead the way here – don’t try to be something you’re not. Frequent check-ins with your teams and focus groups may be needed to ensure you’re staying on track.
Authenticity can also refer to a closer link with reality — more raw campaigns that really resonate with your target audience, especially if you address their pain points.
Advocacy in B2B PR
As one of PR’s most elusive and misunderstood aspects, advocacy is more complex in a B2B context. In our world, advocacy involves supporting a cause or policy by influencing public opinion and decision-making, two factors which are crucial for driving positive change in society (and successful PR campaigns). It goes hand-in-hand with authenticity and ties closely with your brand values and company culture. Like word-of-mouth marketing, advocacy is powerful because it’s genuine (bringing us back to the first of our three A’s once again) – and aside from the initial costs involved in establishing sufficient positive sentiment, it’s absolutely free.
Brand advocates fall in love with you and your products and services to the point where they feel compelled to voluntarily share your business and talk positively about your offering with their professional network and colleagues. This fosters more widespread trust and credibility and, in turn, boosts sales. Developing this kind of relationship can take time and requires a consistent, targeted approach, but the impact is so powerful that it’s well worth the time and effort involved.
Advocacy is essential for B2B PR campaigns because it simultaneously improves engagement and brand sentiment while maximising reach. Another secondary benefit of advocacy is that by sharing your company and its core values, you also encourage others to advocate for you if they are suitably impressed or excited with what you have to offer.
B2B businesses can cultivate brand advocates in several ways – including incentivisation and expanded reach – but customer satisfaction is the most effective way to encourage the kind of advocacy that generates a noticeable return. Although we often automatically think of influencers and brand ambassadors in this role, the best advocacy is organic and unpaid – because that’s the most genuine and impactful kind. Successful advocacy requires diverse and sustained support from community members, industry leaders, and interest groups in the B2B sector, as well as internal teams and stakeholders.
Amplification in B2B PR
Once your messaging and methodologies have been carefully outlined, amplification is the next step in driving recognition and growth for your brand. Amplification in B2B PR refers to the strategic use of various channels and formats to extend the reach (and therefore the impact) of your PR messages, enabling brands to connect with a broader audience. In the competitive B2B landscape with many different platforms and approaches, PR practitioners must carefully select the best channels and formats to amplify their messages effectively.
Most of us are familiar with the amplification techniques often used within B2C strategies – such as influencer marketing, press outreach and social media. Effective channels and formats you can use to amplify PR messages within the B2B sector are much the same but require an alternative approach that aligns with the wants and needs of your audiences. Amplification techniques can also include exploiting new platforms and increasing engagement and organic web traffic. Content amplification in 2024 involves using online platforms and other more diverse media channels to reach a larger or more targeted audience in B2B PR.
In today’s crowded marketplace, a focus on amplification has become an even more crucial prerequisite for reaching wider audiences with B2B PR campaigns. Understanding these elements and determining which will be most beneficial for your business can be confusing – which is where a solid strategy comes in to guide and underpin your efforts for the best results. In order to develop a productive strategic amplification plan, B2B businesses need to be well-informed and targeted in their approach, using a blend of strategies to amplify their PR messages and maximise their impact.
Embracing the Three A’s: A Blueprint for B2B PR Success
Authenticity, advocacy, and amplification are incredibly important elements of any customer-business connection. They allow brands to build trust, drive positive change, and reach a wider audience. By embracing the three A’s, B2B marketers and PR professionals can significantly elevate their communication strategies for more sustainable growth.
As essential components of effective B2B PR campaigns, the three A’s contribute to brand trust, reputation management and audience engagement. B2B businesses that prioritise authenticity, foster advocacy, and leverage amplification techniques are better positioned to achieve their PR goals and stand out in a competitive market. By establishing the three A’s as essential objectives within your B2B marketing and PR strategy, you can build a solid and sustainable public presence which naturally delivers long-term success.
