When most people think about marketing, they think advertising. While advertising is a part of marketing, marketing is much bigger than advertising. There are lots of different marketing methods floating around out there, and the challenge as a business owner is figuring out when it's appropriate to use each one and the best way to use it.
Public relations, or PR, is the art of getting someone else to write or talk about you or your business. Preferably in a favorable manner. Traditionally, "someone else" was the media. In this day and age however, someone else can also be a blogger, a freelance writer, an e-zine publisher or even an owner of a big Web site. For purposes of this article, I'm using the word "media" to refer to all of those folks.
PR is also being able to get yourself on a big talk show to talk about yourself or your business, or writing your own article that's published in a desired outlet. (Not your own newsletter or Web site.)
PR is one of my favorite marketing methods, but it can also be one of the more frustrating ones. Even when you do everything right, you still might not get the publicity you want. Or for that matter, ANY publicity at all. When a PR campaign doesn't work, you can find yourself wanting to pull out all your hair in frustration.
Even with that in mind, I do believe most if not all businesses can benefit from some type of PR campaign. But before you launch into something that could end with you becoming hairless (and investing in a sizeable hat collection) ask yourself the following questions.
1. Do I need to see results right away? If you do, better pull out your wallet and pay for some advertising. PR takes time. And it's not guaranteed. You might not see your article for weeks, months or ever, and there isn't a darn thing you can do about it. If it's immediate gratification you want, don't look for it in a public relations campaign.
2. Do I have the time to consistently devote to a public relations campaign? We're back to the time issue. PR not only takes time to see results, but you also have to take time to make it happen. Either you have to do it or you have to pay someone else to do it. If you do it yourself, you'll have the potential of garnering the equivalent of thousands of dollars of advertising for little or no money. But it will cost you some time. If you pay someone else, you'll save time (which is a good thing, I'm a big believer in outsourcing) but it can get expensive. Worse yet, you STILL might not get any coverage for your money.
3. Do I have enough perseverance to run a PR campaign? PR is about follow-up. It's about sending story idea after story idea to the same reporter before one finally connects (and maybe it's the tenth one). It's about sending a little note or letter to the same editor for as long as several years before you get a bite. It's about reminding your contacts you're out there until one day they realize they need you.
If you're willing to court the media, develop relationships and do whatever you can to make their lives easier, the rewards can be huge.
4. Do I have newsworthy events happening at my business? (Newsworthy is something media personnel feel would interest their readers.) Or, if I don't, can I create them?
I'm not talking about making things up here. But there are things you can be doing to make your business more newsworthy. For example, you can do a survey and publish the results. You can tie a feature of your product or service to something that's currently happening in the news. You can hold an event. You can research a newly published study that relates to your product or service. There are countless ways you can transform aspects of your business into newsworthy story items -- the creativity exercise below can help you come up with your ideas.
5. Do I want to build my credibility? Develop my status as an expert? Then get that PR campaign off the ground. Nothing builds your credibility or expert status faster than having other people say you know what you're talking about.
6. Do I want to augment my other marketing efforts? Public relations definitely plays nicely with the other marketing methods. You can be building your long-term expert campaign with PR and building short-term customers with advertising. Or you can turn your community relations strategies into PR campaigns. It's a great way to get the most bang out of your marketing time and dollar.
Creativity Exercise -- How can you use PR in your business?
Grab some sheets of paper and pen (I like the fun gel pens myself) and get ready for some brainstorming.
Start by listing everything you do or sell. Then write out all the features or descriptions of your products or services. For instance, if you have a book, what is your book about? What does it offer people?
Now see if you can turn those features into something newsworthy. Is there a time of year when people are interested in your services? (Accounting and tax season). Are there any studies you can dig up? Is there something in the news that ties into your product? Can you turn an aspect of your business into a human interest story? (Something like fitness tips for busy people or parenting tips for single parents, etc.) Write everything down that comes into your head, even if it's silly. See if you can come up with 50 story ideas.
Now look at what you wrote. Can you find a few in there that you think would interest the media? Congratulations -- you just came up with a PR campaign.
Michele Pariza Wacek is the author of "Got Ideas? Unleash Your Creativity and Make More Money." She offers two free e-zines that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business.
She can be reached at http://www.theartistsoul.com
Copyright 2005 Michele Pariza Wacek
Really? You mean there are NO perceptions and behaviors peculiar... Read More
In my travels around the country while building my business... Read More
Recently I had a craving for... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager, what do you... Read More
The VIP databases are fun to create and can be... Read More
Where is there a business, non-profit or association manager who... Read More
There's good news for public relations execs, marketing professionals and... Read More
From time to time, people ask me how public relations... Read More
I recently worked with a group dealing with an unusual... Read More
Radio is a powerful publicity tool. Most stations offer news... Read More
Public relations is all about credibility and trustworthiness. If you... Read More
In previous articles for marketing-minded financial planners, I've discussed what... Read More
Some people think that publicity is all about paparazzi snapping... Read More
Your public relations people are busy. The buzz is all... Read More
Better check out the public relations fundamental premise, then take... Read More
They'd hate to admit it, but the media is pretty... Read More
Andrew Bogut, the Australian basketballer is now officially in the... Read More
Getting on the radio can be a great tactical move... Read More
More than half of America skips the Super Bowl, the... Read More
Imagine you're the technology reporter at a daily newspaper. You... Read More
Are you launching a new product or website? Announcing a... Read More
You know that getting publicity is vital to the health... Read More
If you want to succeed, build a great team. A... Read More
Effective Media Relations Tips - What To Do After The... Read More
NUMBERS, NUMBERS EVERYWHEREYou just placed a terrific story on the... Read More
With a dismal failure rate of more than 75 percent... Read More
Small businesses have always known the importance of word of... Read More
Often the first point of contact the media has with... Read More
It really is powerful when a business, non-profit or association... Read More
There's a dirty little secret about press releases that the... Read More
Business, non-profit and association managers are in a stronger position... Read More
Mark Twain once said the rumors of his death had... Read More
Like human nature over time, the power of good public... Read More
A press release telling about "Stevie, the Water-Skiing Squirrel" will... Read More
PRESIDENT BUSH TELLS A STORYOn March 18, 2005, President Bush... Read More
As a business, non-profit or association manager, you have a... Read More
Many people are intimidated by radio interviews, whether live or... Read More
Redevelopment is replacing new construction throughout the Greater Boston area,... Read More
What's a press release? This is generally a one page... Read More
They know they had better do something positive about those... Read More
The Internet may have opened worlds for businesses and consumers,... Read More
The most sensible way for business, non-profit or association managers... Read More
How cool is this? You're a business, non-profit or association... Read More
When you pay good money for public relations services, you... Read More
Community relations is one of those marketing strategies that isn't... Read More
Financial planners, the first thing to know about reporters is... Read More
If you want to succeed, build a great team. A... Read More
It's a phrase I hear over and over again from... Read More
The public relations goal and strategy make sense; the message... Read More
Can you honestly say that your business, non-profit or association's... Read More
Public Relations |