1. Public relations should be an important part of your marketing effort.
2. Get involved in your community. Join the chamber of commerce, business organizations, service clubs and charities.
3. Gain third-party credibility by sending the media news releases. Limit copy to one page and send releases to when you have an important story to tell.
4. Maintain relations with the markets you serve. By following the trends and news that affect your market, you will become the “town expert,” and the public and the media will come to you for your opinion.
5. Sponsor a radio or TV public service announcement for a local charity. This will give you name recognition and show community support.
How the public perceives your company, services or product sometimes isn't how you want them to perceive it.
Effectively marketing your company or organization requires
communications that integrates your corporate identity with your
message, educates your audiences and builds employees as "brand
enthusiasts."
Both public relations and marketing efforts
should function as part of the whole, evaluating public attitudes and
the marketplace, with execution to earn public understanding and
acceptance.
Due
to budget constraints, often the marketing budget can only incorporate
specific tactical elements – a newsletter, website and logo perhaps. Or
a brochure; but if you have limited resources (or not!) a professional
can help sort through the tactics and put together a strategy.
* * *
No
matter what the medium, the message must always be the same. Why do you
think you see the "swoosh" and immediately think of Nike now? Because
they put it on everything the sell and everything they use to sell
their products to you.
And look at Coca-cola: there is a bound
binder with pages and pages of information that specifically describes
their corporate color red.
And with the internet now a major marketing force, how are you getting your message across to the on-line audience?
Are your materials all saying the same thing?
Is there an internal newsletter that the employees like to read?
Are they using social networking? Are you?
How do the employees perceive the company? Is it different than the public?
Public
relations is often considered to be marginal or worse – an occasional
news release distributed to local newspapers when someone is promoted
or resigns.
But, what is your story?
What media are we using to tell it? (By media, I don't mean just radio and tv).
Is there a cross-promotion we're missing?
Can you partner with a profit/not-for-profit to better involve the public?
Whether you're
just starting up or wish to get some outside perspective on refreshing
your brand, I can help put the pieces together.