Effective PR strategy is an all-encompassing and inescapable variable needed for accelerating growth in startups. Africa’s budding innovative ecosystem is increasingly aligning its frameworks towards the perspective—giving businesses and startups greater chances for sustainable success.
Like never before, Startups in the continent are attracting exponential investment capital because of their positioning and evolving brand architecture—largely driven by well-curated PR strategies. In Ghana, for example, startups have raised around $212 million, a staggering amount achievable given a great public relations strategy.
Here are 5 ways to develop PR strategies for Startups in Africa.
- Understand the Right Audience
Your strategy is well on track if you know your target audience. For example, the rate of failure with Ghana startups reportedly stood at 74%, largely due to negligence in identifying the right audience. When you design processes for products and services, it is often advisable to essentially define your target audience. A speculative approach often leads to failure in the market, and in a multicultural continent like Africa, more research needs to be conducted on defining the right audience before rolling out a PR strategy.
- Invest in PR Storytelling
Simple pitches, ads, and other generic marketing elements hardly drive growth for startups in Africa. To truly engage an audience in the continent, a brand needs to hone its skills to enhance its reputation to stay top of mind in the marketplace. And there is no better way to do that than to rely on constructive, consistent, and strategic storytelling. As the best PR agency in Africa, Djembe Consultants has been in the business of building growth for startups using cutting-edge storytelling processes.
Read: Storytelling: Your Best Bet to Drive Sustainable Brand Growth
- Build a Great Media Relations Networks
A great media relation and networking lies at the heart of Public Relations. At Djembe Consultants, our wide network of media experts across the length and breadth of Africa, arguably makes us the best PR agency on the continent. When Startups connect with prominent media organizations and journalists, especially those that understand the continent’s business landscape, it becomes one of the fastest ways to grow in the market. Given this, startups are likely to benefit incrementally from brand awareness, media buying, press releases, and traditional and digital media pushes. However, your brand must find the best mediums to convey the messaging of its products and services.
- Create a Strong Social Media Presence
Building a great social media presence is one of the fastest ways to build a PR strategy for African startups. This is where most of your target audience is likely to come in contact and engage with your brand while getting intrigued with your content. Endeavor to share quality content on your social media platforms. Also, know what platforms your audience is most familiar with. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin are a few you can consider.
- Invest in Advertising
Investing in advertising will take your brand to a whole new level in Africa. It is one of the quickest ways to outrank competitors in the market. If you are unsure how you can drive creative and strategic advertising that will convert the audience to customers and reach out to the best PR and Communications agencies in Africa—Djembe Consultants is number one on the list. Startups need to avail themselves of professional advertising services and most importantly, a PR Consultancy that can help drive their growth effectively.
Chitra Rawat
Whitevox, Project Manager- Internet Marketing
