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If you are on a tight marketing budget and are trying to get your name out there, consider spending time and a few dollars on a public relations campaign. It can be the best investment you can make! The first part of this article will discuss the major reason why you should consider developing a campaign. Part two will take you through the step-by-step process of implementing a program.
Let’s discuss the benefits
Just because you have been around for a while, don’t assume that everyone in your area knows who you are. Until a consumer has an interest in your product your name won’t register with them. The best way to explain what public relations is all about, is to explain that a comprehensive public relations program educates, informs, explains, persuades, enhances credibility of your company, and can boost sales.
It’s difficult to put a value on what public relations is worth, however, most experts say that an article and news story has a value of 5 times the cost of a comparable ad, for the same space. The reason for this is that an article comes across as a third party story and endorsement, versus a paid advertisement. The biggest key is that a good campaign creates a larger than life image for your company. One of the comments that I hear often, is that a certain newspaper or publication ran an article on your company and you didn’t get many inquiries or make any sales, as a result of the article. Keep in mind, that a good story has a 5-year shelf life. It’s not as important who sees the article initially, but how you use it as a marketing piece. By using it as a marketing tool, you’ll be able to direct the article to a more targeted group of potential buyers. When you show a customer a copy of an article that featured your company a few years ago, they might be impressed. On the other hand showing a customer a copy of an ad you ran 3 years ago or last month, does not generate the same impact. Articles and stories help establish creditability, trust, and reliability.
Published articles will also help the search ranking of your website and name, where an advertisement does not. As you look at the overall benefits of public relations campaigns, you must remember that it is not an expense; it is an investment in your company’s future.
As we said above, it’s not who sees the article or story initially, it’s how you use it ongoing. Any articles or stories that you have had published, should be posted on your website (create an “In the News” tab). They should be posted in your office or showroom, included in a photo book and used to promote your company via mailings, newsletters, e-mail campaigns and other marketing sources.
Before you actually start a campaign, there are a couple of things you should do.
1.) Set a Time Frame. Be in a position to make a commitment, for a minimum of a six to eight month active campaign. A public relations campaign is not a program that you try for one or two months and then say, it didn’t work. It takes time to open up doors and make connections. It’s a continual process that is always in motion.
2.) Establish a Budget. The first rule of thumb is to spend 15-20% of your ad budget, towards public relations. Should you have a small or no advertising budget, a public relations campaign will do more for you than a few ads. Keep in mind that I am not suggesting that you spend more marketing dollars, just reallocate some of the funds you are already spending. A goal of a good public relations campaign is to receive 5-10 times the value of the public relations expense. This value is based on comparable advertising space costs.
3.) Set Goals. Establish a benchmark of what kind of exposure you currently have. By doing this, you will be able to benchmark on the success of a campaign. Conduct an Internet search of your company to see how many links you have to newspapers, magazines and trade publications that feature your company or product. If you are a business owner, have you ever done a search on your name? How many times do you show up? Other benchmarks to consider prior to establishing a campaign are to list the number of articles you received in the past two years. Also look at how much of this coverage was outside of your standard industry publications. It’s great to get published in specific trade publications. What is even better is to get your name out in general publications.
4.) Implementing the Plan. There are a four ways you can get your plan started. 1. Give the assignment to a staff person. 2. Hire a journalist. 3. Employ a PR firm. 4. Work with a PR specialist who understands your product and industry. The major factor of your success will be in the experience, knowledge and contacts, that the individual or firm has.
In part 2 & 3, we will take you through the step-by-step process of putting a public relations plan in place. For companies interested in implementing a public relations programs, Jerry Rouleau has produced a 12 chapter workbook titled “A Practical Step-by-Step Do-it Yourself Publicity Starter Workbook”.
Onward!
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