If you want your company’s amazing stories told, oftentimes you need to tell them yourself. That means you are responsible for sniffing out stories that are relevant to your target audiences and useful to the media.

There are certain stories that are obviously worth telling, but there are others that may go unnoticed. In order to keep your business front-of-mind for your target audience, you need to put on your reporter hat and start digging.

Here are 10 not-to-be-missed story ideas that could be happening right now at your organization:

1. Personnel changes. Did one of your employees get promoted to a key position? Do you have a new board of directors? Is there a new leader at your company? If you answered yes to any of these questions, tell the story to your audience and let them know how this person or new position will better your company and services to customers. Many business-focused and trade publications have sections for personnel changes and like receiving information about this as well.
2. Anniversary celebrations. Anniversary celebrations are not just for married couples. When your organization hits a milestone – tell the world about it. These landmark events tell people that you are an established firm with a track record of success. Invite your key audiences to celebrate with you by offering promos, discounts or even a party.
3. Moving or office expansion. For obvious reasons your customers need to know if you have a new address, but why not tell them about the impetus for the move as well. If your company is growing or if you are moving into a new, more desirable location this is only going to benefit your organization and consumers.
4. A new process. Are you manufacturing something in a way that no one has ever done it before? Have you “gone green?” Did your employees create a way to do something that saves money for your company? These are stories that business media and media specific to your industry love to hear. If the saving in time or money trickle down to benefit your customer, tell them about it too. Not only will your company seem progressive, but you may also get new customers looking to partner with the best.
5. Trends. People love statistics. Have you noticed sales to a particular segment skyrocketing all of the sudden? Does one color of your product sell better than another color? Keep a watchful eye on these trends and alert the media or post it on your company blog.
6. You’re hiring. Two years ago that would have sounded like business as usual, but today with nearly 12 percent of Americans looking for work, companies that are hiring rather than firing are a novelty. Tell the news about open positions or job fairs, post info on community job boards and alert your contacts. The likelihood that you will see more quality candidates come your company’s way increases, and you also tell your shareholders that you are a company that is growing.
7. Discontinuing products. Just because you’re not going to make or sell a certain product any more does not mean it is a bad thing for your organization. You now have the opportunity to tell customers with what you are replacing it and why it is better than its discontinued counterpart. This also gives you the opportunity to talk about discount pricing, limited-time offers and special promotions with the old and new products.
8. Holidays. Most of us celebrate holidays by shutting down the office. However, if your company does something special surrounding a holiday, this not only becomes an HR perk to employees, but it also becomes a personal interest or a soft business story. Some companies have food drives at Thanksgiving; others create teams to do charity runs. What ever your organization does that is out-of-the-norm your key audiences need to know. This news also makes for another reason to send them well wishes.
9. Awards. If actors and actresses tie to their names Oscar nods and winnings throughout their entire careers, then why can’t businesses use awards to tout expertise as well? Every one wants to be positioned with a winning team, so if your company is being recognized for excellence in its field, tell the world.
10. News. Believe it or not, making news can be news. Is someone from your company featured as a guest columnist in a magazine? Are you being interviewed to talk about your organizations processes? Don’t assume that your customers will automatically know about it or catch it on the 5 p.m. broadcast. Grab a clip of the segment or article and send it around to your key audiences. Show them that you are a thought-leader in your industry.

It is important to remember that your company’s public relations is not a once-in-a-while occasion, like when you launch a new product or forge a new partnership. Your company’s story lies in your hands. We all have a story to tell, it is just a matter of finding it.

For more information about public relations and marketing tactics that can work for your organization, contact us at info@consultmyagent.com.