A case study of Action Society’s exposure driven by Edge Communications

Our client Action Society enjoyed two weeks of exceptional exposure and reputation building for their work by entrusting Edge Communications with public relations matters when it counted most. 

Knowing what good public relations (PR) can mean for your business and getting experienced PR specialists involved in your communication differentiates companies with a fair amount of consumer awareness and companies that excel. 

PR is a specialised field of communication and therefore needs specialists to help get the most out of every event, campaign and venture a company take on.

Edge Communications is proud to be the PR and communication specialist partner of Action Society. Not only because of the results we saw last week thanks to the unique public relations services Edge Communications delivers to them, but because we genuinely believe in what they do. 

Action Society got the Edge-type of exposure 

After Ian Cameron from Action Society had a chance to speak at a community meeting in Gugulethu, in the Cape Flats, he struck a nerve that most South Africans shares and that, along with excellent PR advice and support, gave Action Society a massive amount of positive exposure.

Edge Communications and Action Society joined forces in April 2020. Since their launch, we can testify to the honest, hard work and innovating ideas of this non-profit. Our partnership has grown, and the services we deliver to them now span from PR to writing, acting as spokesperson, graphic design, website management and marketing. 

With specialised and customised PR inputs, Edge Communications assisted Action Society in reaching the following exposure. 

Let the stats tell the story:

Facebook the last 28 days (14 June to 11 July 2022)

• On Facebook, Action Society reached 507 722 people, a reach rate spike of 661% compared to the usual reach.  
• Facebook post engagements of 284 682 people, 1 481% more engagements than usual.
• 10 252 new Facebook likes. The page now has 34 611 page likes, which means this event ensured a 42% page growth in just one month. 

Twitter the last 11 days

• The total Twitter impressions over 11 days on 62 Tweets was 1,74 million. Impressions are the total tally of all the times the Twitter audience saw a tweet.
• Action Society has 5 432 new Twitter followers, which brings the total to 8 154 followers and a 199% growth. 

Traditional media hits spiked to 140 hits from 1 to 11 July 2022 compared to only 11 hits during the same period in 2021. 

Public Relations and social media go hand in hand

Simply being on a social media platform is not enough; public relations play a key role in how effective your social media presence is for your company’s growth and prosperity. 

All Africa explains this new era of PR perfectly. 

“Public relations have always been about communication; communicating with your current client, communicating with your target market, communicating your company’s brand and ideals and ensuring that your clients and target market have a way to communicate with you. 

The internet has not changed these basic principles – it’s just changed the way they’re handled. In fact, the internet has provided companies and clients alike with more efficient, faster and easier ways to communicate with the added bonus of being extremely effective. 

Wanting information to go ‘viral’ isn’t something that only your teenage daughter should be concerned about – once information on your company goes viral, the reach of your message increases exponentially. That’s the point of creating content designed to hit the internet with not just a splash but a wave.”

Daleen Gouws, Edge Communications’ MD and Chief Inspiration Officer, defines PR as creating actual value for clients through a combination of research, different media, social media, advertising and valuable awareness through focused relationships.

“This past week, our PR efforts skyrocketed Action Society’s exposure – not with a planned PR action, but through staying up to date with the client’s industry daily. Our writing, editing, design and video efforts gave Action Society an exceptionally positive reputation-building week. In addition, our public relations response to an unplanned incident ensured that the client got maximum exposure”, Gouws says. 

Yes, PR can directly correlate to your company’s bottom-line 

Public relations efforts should support business goals to influence the bottom line ultimately. However, your company’s bottom line merely symbolises the behaviour of people and here is how you can positively influence their behaviour: 

PR makes your brand relevant: Truly effective PR puts your brand in front of interested prospects, making you relevant to their lives.

PR transforms customers into evangelists: Consumers trust recommendations from peers far more than any education marketing communication you can throw at them. 

PR helps you keep the customers you already have: It’s easier to grow your revenue when you have a reliable customer base.

PR validates the sales team: Prospects like to see a record of success, and discussing your wins publicly via PR reassures them that you’re a credible partner. 

Connecting PR to the bottom line is different for every organisation. It takes cooperation, creativity and experimentation. But the reward is worth the effort. (C. Blohm & Associates Inc.) 

If you take away anything about PR, it should be this: Relationships and a well-run PR business on your side are a winning combination. So dream big and have fun, remember that the audience matters, and do the little things.

With Edge Communications as a PR partner on your side, you are also able to get this type of exposure for your company. Of course, publicity is absolutely critical, but a good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front-page advertisement. 

Get the Edge; contact us today for your communication and PR needs.

Sources:

• Science Direct Journals and Books: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.12.001 
• Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12132 
• Marketing and Business Development: http://www.mbd.ase.ro/?p=177 
• C Blohm & Associates: https://www.cblohm.com/blog/education-pr-blog/5-ways-pr-improves-your-bottom-line/ 

Media Update: https://www.mediaupdate.co.za/