Image Really is Everything
By Meghan Hinds, MPA Media Marketing Coordinator
Focusing your marketing efforts on increasing awareness and visibility of your company is a critical component of any successful marketing strategy. A comprehensive public relations and media strategy is one of the most important tools businesses can utilize to create positive awareness of their services and products.
While it is but a piece of the marketing puzzle, most experts agree that PR is one of the most cost effective ways to promote your company. (Paid advertisements, events, promotional materials and brand identity should still be relied on for a thorough outreach plan.)
Before you venture into the world of PR, you must have a solid grasp on your company identity. This means you need a cohesive collateral package (including your website and other promotional materials) and consistent messaging. Implemented correctly, a successful public relations campaign will leverage your company's messaging, branding and identity to obtain positive media coverage. But it's up to you to make sure your brand identity is up to par.
Developing a comprehensive, up-to-date media list is an essential component of any PR strategy. The goal is not to create the biggest list, but a targeted list. Here, it is important to take inventory of the type of clients you are currently serving and the clients you want to serve in the next three to five years. Include media outlets that you know your clients pay attention to and those that your targeted clients are reading, watching, listening and visiting. Launching a survey to your client list is a good way to get answers to these types of questions.
Keep your business objectives in mind when compiling your media list. What kind of company do you want to be in five to 10 years? What media outlets can help you get there?
While building strong relationships with several media outlets is important, you also want them to see you as a resource -- a company they can come to when they have questions. The faster you get back to them and the easier you make it for them, the more positive media hits you will see. When your media outlets view you as an expert, rather than a commodity, you have more opportunity to engage in discussions that relate to what you want to promote -- your company.
Don't limit yourself to one particular type of media outlet. We live in a world where we can get our news and information from scores of silos. Your media list should feature a variety of media types -- from print and broadcast to blogs and podcasts. While you want to be strategic with your messaging, you should "touch" your clients and prospective customers through many different mediums.
While it is important to consistently have news coming out of your organization, don't overload the media with useless press releases and events. Send out too many and you'll see you coverage dwindle. Instead, create an announcement calendar to stagger your known important events throughout the year if possible. This way, the media won't get overwhelmed (and lose interest) in your company's announcements.
A successful PR strategy not only incorporates brand awareness and overall visibility tactics, it also sets metrics to increase and demonstrate the strategy's impact on your company. For example, set measurable PR goals for your company such as increasing media coverage by a certain percentage. Make sure to revisit your goals every six months.
No team to execute your public relations and marketing goals? No problem! While MPA Media can help your business tap into our impressive print, web and overall readership levels through our print and web advertising services, we also offer creative marketing services, custom research and market intelligence to help you get the most bang for your marketing buck. From strategic marketing plans to execution, our customized programs assist our advertising customers in maximizing their return on every marketing dollar spent.
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