Benefits of PR - Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

It's rare that I actually post something from another public relations professional, but hey, we're all on the same team, right? I came across this on Twitter today and thought...."I couldn't have said it better myself!" So, Jenna, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Benefits of Public Relations
By: Jenna (Gruhala) Oltersdorf

It’s no secret that both public relations (PR) and advertising offer unique benefits when employed correctly. And, when working together, the two practices can build awareness, boost brand value and drive sales. Some of our most successful campaigns stem from a strong relationship between our PR team and advertising agency partners.

To contrast the two, PR earns media coverage through strategic outreach to journalists while advertising is a controlled message placed in paid-for space. Both practices work to influence the behavior of consumers by swaying opinion, calling consumers to action, etc., but the tactics used to gain results and meet goals couldn’t be more different.

Unfortunately, PR tends to be overlooked during the planning stages of some marketing campaigns because many don’t fully understand the benefits. And, if PR isn’t overlooked all together, many times key decision makers don’t quite understand how it works or worse, don’t understand how to measure a PR campaign’s success (common measurements include impressions, number of placements and types of placements).

The primary goal of any PR campaign, no matter how large or small, is to build relationships. Through these relationships, we’re able to secure stories, build momentum and create opportunities for brands, be it a person, organization, product or service. Before launching any PR campaign, it’s important to outline measures of success to fairly evaluate the benefits as well as manage expectations both internally and externally.

So what sort of benefits can you expect from a well-planned PR campaign?

Read more....

Pitch to Editors Should Cross Mediums

Score Multiple Hits Per Pitch: Chicago Tribune Critic Daley Suggests Writing Pitches Adaptable for Print, Online, Radio and Social Media

Jim Bucci (jbucci@bulldogreporter.com) Issue Date: Daily 'Dog - August 19, 2009 "Pitches need to be adaptable to multiple platforms and multiple adaptations," says Bill Daley, a food and wine critic for the Chicago Tribune. "I need to be able to write something for the newspaper, rewrite it into a radio script and also do it as a tweet. For example, I once took research for one story and repackaged it seven ways for the different media types. Pitches have to be focused and laser sharp. Fewer journalists mean fewer of us doing more things." His additional tips for scoring more coverage per pitch: Read more...

Business Week: Time to Change Course?

I will say it again, today's small businesses have a real opportunity to grow their business by thinking outside of the box; getting creative and maybe even finally forcing your business in a new direction, which you've been delaying.

Moreover, these changes can create opportunities for public relations for your business, further setting you apart from competitors. Here is a great article from Business Week Small Business.....


Is It Time for Your Business to Change Course? By Ann Field Business Week

In an economy like this, it may take more than tinkering to turn you company around. But big changes carry big risks

Kim Matheson Shedrick had spent 16 years growing New York-based Natural Resources into a 15-person, $1 million company that advises developers of high-end spas. But in late 2008 no one was building much of anything, never mind pricey spas selling hot seashell massages and lavender-oil body scrubs. Matheson Shedrick decided the time was ripe for an idea she'd been kicking around since 2001—mySpaShop.com, which would offer products and wellness advice for less affluent spa aficionados. "I looked at how I could use all the contacts I have in the industry to target the customer who can't spend $500 visiting a spa," says Matheson Shedrick, who now makes $10,000 a month through the site. She also expanded the B-to-B side of her company, charging spa owners a monthly fee for advice on how to boost revenue. She expects the new line of work to bring in about 15% of her overall sales by the end of the year.

Sometimes, when business is bad, you can't just tinker at the edges—you have to make fundamental changes to your company. That might mean selling to a new market or changing your offerings. It might mean strategic changes in distribution or marketing.

Read more....

10 Ways to Generate PR for Ongoing Media Coverage

Today, I'm going to let you in on a little secret that Fortune 500 companies and larger "small" businesses caught on to a long time ago: To grow a successful business you have to continue "branding" it in the minds of your audience. Okay, in layman's terms this means that you need to engage in a steady flow of marketing for the lifetime of your business to ensure ongoing growth and long-term success.

Yes, as a small business owner myself, I clearly recognize that funding an integrated marketing campaign year after year can be a real challenge for a cash-strapped small business, so let's just focus on the many ways you can build an ongoing PR program.

The one thing I continue telling my clients is that they have a real opportunity to leap frog over their competitors by being flexible and creative - you don't have the red tape and paper pushing through various departments to deal with. You can, literally, decide today that you want to hold a promotion in three weeks and make it happen.

To generate ongoing public relations for your business you simply have to keep thinking outside of the box.

First of all, everyone wants a business feature on their organization, but after you get it media aren't going to do it again, for at least five years, unless you grow at lightening speed or sign a serious client.

Here are 10 ways you can generate more PR for your business:

1. HR announcements
2. Business wins/partnerships
3. Sales/promotions
4. New product introductions
5. Expert advice & tips
6. Events
7. Charity tie-ins
8. Office Move - say into a larger facility, bringing jobs
9. Pro bono
10. Recipes/food

There are other things that you can pursue and each industry has its niches. This is just a handful of my top suggestions. For instance, trend stories that you can comment on from either a national or industry perspective - just don't get caught in the clutter of everyone else attempting to do the same thing.

To be successful at achieving ongoing PR you must clearly differentiate yourself from competitors.

At the end of the day, public relations is a credibility builder. The more people see your name or that of your business in the news, the more likely they will view it as a credible resource, and see you as someone they should do business with.

Public relations doesn't stop with the business announcement. Be different, be creative and generate more press to position you positively in your community and industry, and....you will GROW!

Follow me on Twitter @SmallBizPRXpert for daily SMB PR Tips, or become a PR expert for your business by joining www.SmallBizPRMadeEasy.com for inexpensive weekly lessons, templates, tips, advice, expertise, media interviews and more!

GrowSmartBiz Wants Your Story

Small Business Success Stories Wanted! Winners Attend GrowSmartBiz Conference for FREE!
August 4th, 2009 :: Steven Fisher

Every small business owner has a story, and we want to hear yours! As a small business owner, you put your heart and soul into your work, but that effort often goes largely unnoticed. This is your chance to tell everyone about your company and what you have done to make it a success.

Tell us your story! From August 11 through September 22, Network Solutions will select one small business success story from the entries each week to publish on the GrowSmartBusiness Blog, a site dedicated to furthering small business growth. Additionally, each of the eight winners will receive FREE admission to the GrowSmartBiz Conference – a premier educational and networking event designed to help small business owners successfully grow their enterprises – hosted on September 29, 2009 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Read more....

Magazine Sales Decline: Want PR, Subscribe Now

Everyday someone asks me what the most important element to a successful PR campaign is and everyday I give them the same answer: "Know the media. Understand how they work and what journalists are writing about". It's really quite simple, except that there are so many media outlets out there now. How does one keep up with all of it?

As a publicist the answer is not so easy for me, but it is quite a bit simpler and easier to do for small business. Just select those publications/media you want to be in and read, listen and watch each day, week, month. Sure you can get the latest news online, but it's worth it to subscribe....especially if you want to be in that publication any time in the next few years.

This week's news revealed bad news for the nation's magazines. It is our reality. However, even as circulations decline the demand for my clients and other small businesses to be in those magazines is not ceasing. Everyone believes that if they can only make into "O" that their lives and businesses will become a mad success. And that's why I say "If you want to be in it, buy it!"

Remember that while a magazine is a great way for you to promote your business, others rely on advertising in them, and others....well it puts food on their table. So before you cut subscriptions to your fav mags and those that could be your meal ticket, read this article and think again.

First Half Circ Data Reveals Bad Newsstand Dropoff
Aug 2, 2009
-By Lucia Moses for MediaWeek

Single-copy sales for many magazines tumbled in the first half of 2009, when consumers pinched pennies and delivery snafus kept many stores from getting product.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations’ first-half magazine report isn’t due out until Aug. 31, but filings of publishers’ estimates to the ABC’s Rapid Report paint a grim picture of single-copy sales, roughly a third of the industry’s paid circulation revenue.

Early this year, some publishers suspended deliveries to wholesalers over their demand for higher per-copy delivery fees. One of them, Anderson News, went out of business as a result of the kerfuffle. Read more...