In public relations, this may mean a wide range of"constituents," including existing and prospective customers,employees, and shareholders. In addition, today's consumers are moredemanding than ever; and better educated about their purchase options,including who offers the best product at the best price. Consumersexpect a total value equation of price, selection, quality, andconvenience.
The Value Of Being Newsworthy
Because of these circumstances, the role of public relations in a totalmarketing approach is growing at an unprecedented pace. Businessexecutives and service professionals increasingly recognize the powerof the public relations process. This power resides primarily in theauthority of the third party endorsement implied in a news article ortelevision interview. Beware, however, for great risk accompanies greatpower. Once you invite the media in, they are less easily shown thedoor, and you become subject to their procedures and standards. How doyou achieve an effective public relations campaign? Knowledge andexperience certainly help. As in any worthwhile business endeavor,there are no substitutes for doing your homework and then payingattention to every detail of execution.
Know Yourself
A clear understanding of who you are is the foundation of allworthwhile business and media relations efforts. It's impossible toinform others about a product or service that is ill-defined, whetheryou are the low cost leader or known for prestige products and luxuryservice. Never underestimate the importance of your mission statement,because it is the first step in accomplishing your marketing objective:differentiating yourself from your competition.
Know Your Customers
The next task is to know what portion or portions of the populationmake up your customer base. Know what they watch, read, listen to,believe in, and care about. This is essential in an era of segmentedmarkets, which today often cross the more traditional dividing lines ofage or income to include ethnic group, education, and specialinterests. Unless you know who your customers are, it is impossible todevise an intelligent and effective media campaign.
Know The Media
Next, become knowledgeable about journalists, broadcasters, andproducers. Put yourself in their shoes. Understand and appreciate theiragendas. The print and broadcast media are looking for news threehundred and sixty-five days a year, twenty-four hours a day. But keepin mind that journalism is an ethical profession, with high standardsof quality and purpose. Journalists are looking for fresh stories thatinform and create interest in their audience. If you want to be on theradio, then flip the dials. Get to know the radio personalities, theDJ's, and news anchors. Learn what types of stories they like topresent and why. The same holds true for television and all printformats, from daily newspapers to consumer and trade magazines. Payattention to what is put on the air, or in print, as well as how it isdone.
Only when you know whom you will be approaching with a story idea orpress release can you effectively package and present your marketingmessage. Wallpapering a newsroom with press releases will not, byitself, generate positive publicity. As a matter of fact, it canirritate and alienate a journalist who might otherwise be interested inyour story.
If a reporter is not interested in your story, learn why not. Also,understand the realities of deadlines for reporters and editors.There's nothing worse, for example, than calling a reporter at a busydaily with an article idea around four in the afternoon. This is afrantic time when final writing and editing is taking place.
The Value Of A Media Specialist
Just as you wouldn't put braces on your own teeth or hopefully defendyourself at trial, there is a time when it's much more cost-effectiveto focus on what you do best and hire a public relations professional to do what he or she does best. I've seen many companies squander timeand money trying to produce a quarterly newsletter, often assigning twohundred dollars an hour professionals to write copy. In truth, it wouldbe more effective for these professionals to service their clients, andretain the services of a qualified and experienced public relationsfirm.
There is no magic, however, to effective marketing and publicrelations. It takes hard work and attention to detail. It can be doneby anyone who has a lot of common sense, good sales abilities, and agood command of the English language.
Some Do's And Don'ts
Perhaps the most important point to keep in mind is that mediarelations is not advertising. Media relations is packaging andpresenting information about your company or firm in a way that willcatch the attention of reporters, editors, and producers. In order todo this, you must present newsworthy stories. Also, for some messagesor types of information, public relations may, in fact, be moreappropriate than advertising.
Let's take the example of a company that specializes in asphalt. If theowner turns a single paving machine operation into a multi-milliondollar business, this achievement is newsworthy, but only for a limitedtime. The challenge then becomes to make the asphalt company newsworthyin a broader, ongoing manner. This might be accomplished if the firmvolunteered its material, equipment, and skills to pave tennis courtsin an underprivileged area and then hold competitions.
Target your submissions or approaches to the right publications, talkshows, or radio stations. While many people might expect coverage onthe front page of a major daily to generate new business, in fact, thegreatest source of new business might actually be a trade publicationthat hits your target audience more directly. Whether you aresubmitting your story to the Wall Street Journal or to a small weeklynewspaper, all media appreciate story ideas that are professionallywritten. Take the time to do it right. Package your story in a conciseand compelling way. Also, get the right message to the right media atthe right time. For example, a monthly magazine is not going to beinterested in the race your company is sponsoring next week. Learnabout the different deadlines for different media. Finally, understandthat one interview does not make a media relations campaign. It's anongoing process, an ongoing commitment to marketing what you do or makeor sell.
When business is good, don't let up. When business is bad, try evenharder. The businesses or professionals who are most successful intheir public relations efforts take a multi-dimensional approach. It'simportant to make several media impressions upon your customers. How doyou know when things are going right? Perhaps when your most importantbusiness prospect sees your name while reading the paper at lunch andthen hears you being interviewed on radio during the drive home fromwork. With growing name recognition, you are on your way toaccomplishing your marketing objectives. And effective public relationscan be good for the morale of an organization. Everybody likes workingfor a winner.
