Making a Case for PR Publicity

It's true, public relations can be a powerful tool to draw attention to your organization,
in conjunction with direct marketing or on its own.

By Grant A. Johnson, Johnson Direct

Publicity, through news releases and other public relations methods, is designed to broaden knowledge and positive recognition of an organization, its personnel and its activities.

Publicity differs dramatically from advertising, despite the fact that most people confuse the two:

Publicity has numerous values for an organization. Here are just a few reasons why publicity may make great sense for your business:

• Announce a new company, product or service. Because publicity is regarded as NEWS, it should be used before advertising commences. If used after advertising the product, it is no longer news.
• Reenergize an old product. When customers find it difficult to pay attention to advertising, publicity techniques - case studies, how-to articles, special events, sponsorships - can breathe new life into a mature product.
• Explain a complicated product or process. When there isn't enough room in an ad (or budget) to explain a product or service, publicity can find a way to tell the story.
• Spend less of your budget. To make an impact, advertising requires frequency. A well-planned PR program can cost-effectively and consistently promote a company, product or service and its experts over a period of time.
• Enhance the organization's reputation. Whether a company does a good deed for its community or wants to share helpful, expert information with its target markets, publicity is the best solution.
• Respond to a crisis. In a crisis, publicity techniques are the fastest and most credible means of response.

Your "public" can be classified into several overlapping categories including: Primary, secondary and marginal prospects, customers, employees, stockholders, press, government and community.

The fact is, you must communicate with many different publics, each having its own special needs and requiring different types of communication. This is why PR is considered to be a strong direct response solution - it is very possible to target specific audiences.

To effectively reach your varied, perhaps overlapping publics, you must invest in a proactive public relations program that involves one or several different strategies.

This is where the expert counsel of a seasoned public relations professional proves to be a valuable investment. Handling the media is a science in itself, and not understanding how to communicate properly can bring even a newsworthy effort to a screeching halt. And, knowing which PR technique to use, and when, comes with years of practice.

Gather up your ideas, accomplishments and challenges and contact us. Our PR strategist, Denise B. Hearden will help you make headlines for your company and products.

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