Free Lunch, Anyone?

Seems like everyone is looking for the proverbial free lunch these days, particularly when it comes to marketing communications. Well, I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but there's no such thing. However, there are ways to stretch your budget and marketing public relations (PR) is one of them.


MARKETING PR – that’s publicity directed towards your marketing target audience carrying marketing messages. (It's a different animal than investor, community, or employee relations.) Marketing PR can generate inquiries, economically extend the reach of your advertising and direct mail programs, boost your company's credibility and enhance its standing as an expert.


Here are three basic marketing PR tactics for you to consider:


NEWS RELEASES
Does your company bring new products or services to market? Improve existing products or services? Publish literature? These are all great subjects for news releases. Send releases to editors at relevant websites and publications. One release a month is a good goal.


CASE HISTORIES
These can highlight your company's problem solving abilities. And well-written case histories are in demand -- by readers and editors alike. You can work with a single publication to place a case history or broadcast it to many.


FEATURE ARTICLES
Getting an article placed on the right site or in the right publication can be very rewarding in terms of enhanced credibility. To be successful this tactic must be backed with careful research and planning to ensure the topic is of interest and timely.

Is there a blog or newsletter in your future?

If you’re thinking of launching a blog or newsletter, take time to plan carefully.  Your efforts will yield greater success.

TRUE STORY:  There was a company that sold exclusively through distribution.  Sales and marketing were frustrated, though, because distributors weren’t emphasizing the right products.

The solution, based on talking to top distributors, was a distributor blog on key products.  Not only did distributors like it, sales and marketing staff were happy to see sales of these products improve.

Wondering if a newsletter or blog is right for you? Ask yourself these questions.

1) Who do I want to talk to?

Start with a well-defined audience. Different groups have different information needs. If you have diverse audiences (like employees and customers), you may need separate vehicles.

2) What do they want to know?   What do I want to tell them?

People pay attention to what’s important to them. Find out what that is by ASKING your audience. Then try to fit what you want to tell them into what they want to know.

The best-read blogs offer useful information. Can you provide that consistently?

3) Do I have enough to say to keep it going?

The world is full of newsletters that never made it past Issue #1 and blogs that end after a few posts. Avoid this by planning content for the year. (I recommend brief posts sent often.) If you don’t have enough content for a year, maybe you need to send an email or a series of info sheets instead.

Being visible on a budget

Once upon a time a company introduced a new product. They didn’t want their competition to know, so they didn’t advertise or even send out a news release. Sales of the new product were disappointing. The manufacturer was unhappy. What went wrong? Any thoughts?

I don't believe “stealth marketing” ever works. You need to be visible to sell something. When this companyr started promoting their new product, sales picked up.

Visibility is good for business. But how do you get visible with limited resources? Here are some ideas.

1) Postcard marketing - Use postcards to ask for referrals, announce events, build website traffic, say thanks, and more. Of course, for best results you need a good list.  Surface mail of any kind tends to get noticed since it's leas common than email.

2) News release program - Does your company bring new products or services to market? Publish literature? These are great subjects for news releases. Send releases to editors at relevant publications regularly to get more than your fair share of coverage. Public relations activities like this are time-intensive, but cost much less than advertising.

3) Feature coverage - Getting major coverage in the right media outlet can enhance visibility and credibility quickly. Use research and planning to ensure your topic is timely. Then target specific editors.

4) Case history articles - Highlight your company's capabilities with problem/solution articles. Well-written case histories are in demand -- by readers and editors alike. These stories make great website content, too.

5) Use the power of the Internet - A website is essential.  Be sure to provide content your target audience wants and update it often.  Social networks may be a good place to promote your content if your audience uses them.  Use social networks for brand building, too.  E-mail marketing can be a good tool, if you have the recipient's permission.

6) Newsletter or blog - Developing a good newsletter or popular blog takes market intelligence and careful planning. Then you need discipline and skill to crank out something worthwhile on a schedule. But it’s worth it! A good blog or newsletter can gain you loyalty, credibility, and visibility.

7) Identity - Maintaining a consistent identity is a low-cost way to maximize impact. Consistency and professionalism help any business over time. Consistency means repetition. That's what solidifies ideas in our brains. Professionalism is about looking good. If you want to be taken seriously, present a professional image.

Whatever you do, repeat, repeat, repeat! A single mailing (for example) may get disappointing results. Don’t be surprised or discouraged. Keep at it with a consistent look, message and audience, and over time your message will sink in.