Today, we are continuing Engage PR’s three-part series with European PR partner agencies regarding Best Practices for North American technology companies looking to expand into the European marketplace. Each partner provided a tremendous amount of insight and shared what companies must consider before embarking down this new path.
In the second post of the series, Managing Director of UK-based technology PR agency Johnson King, Mike King shares his thoughts on what should be a company’s priorities when engaging in PR in the region.
By Mike King
Which countries are you going to focus on?
Although the technology industry is global, the market in Europe is very different from the US. For a start the European market is highly fragmented and it is a mistake to think of Europe as one place – it consists of 47 different countries, with more than 200 different languages spoken. Within the various European countries there are different stages of market maturity, different local competitors and very different local issues to address. This means that the first decision US companies need to make when embarking on European PR is which countries do they want to focus on? Of course, this needs to reflect where the most appealing business opportunities exists and doing business across 47 countries is clearly not an easy, or cheap, undertaking so having a clear idea of where to focus is essential.
Engage with the media on a local level
Europe’s diversity is reflected in its media landscape. Areas of interest, styles of reporting, journalist expectations and levels of technical understanding vary hugely between countries. The only way to engage effectively with local media is with on the ground PR teams who have the relationships and local knowledge required. Of course, this means an additional local PR team for each target country.
Essential to demonstrate local commitment
An effective PR campaign needs to engage target audiences by demonstrating expertise, commitment and a good understanding of issues that are relevant to them. This means being seen to have local language spokespeople (how can a company convince journalists that it is committed to a particular market if it doesn’t even speak their language?) and being in tune with local market drivers.
Find the right PR partner
Often, US tech companies will break into the European market by starting in one or two countries and then, as revenues build, expanding into other European countries. When embarking on such a strategy, it is important to find a PR partner that not only understands your market (and has done it before) but also one that can comfortably expand activities to support future business growth. A proven ability to manage pan-European campaigns from a central ‘hub’ and an open and honest relationship will mean that the right agency can help determine realistic targets and ensure expectations are met.
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