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Archive for the ‘Public Relations’ Category

Evaluating Earned Media: The Metrics of PR

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 @ 12:08 PM Ballywho News

How do I get great PR for my business? You may ask yourself that question every day. What’s tricky is that the answer seems to be changing every day, too.

One of the most important attention getters for your brand is earned media. In contrast to traditional advertising, this term refers to publicity you don’t buy, such as news stories, editorials, and word of mouth. However, while earned media is free, you often pay for it through hard work.

But how do you know how effective earned media is? Sure, some customers will tell you how they found you, but mostly it can feel like a mystery. You wonder why one event was more successful than another or why one product is a best-seller and another is a dud. So how do you really know what publicity has worked and what hasn’t?

There was a time when measuring public relations success relying on counting clips. That is, the batch of news stories about your business that you cut out newspapers. But even that only gave you a random number—not a tangible result of increased profits or customer traffic.

Today, the Internet has changed everything. What was once a single news story can now appear on multiple websites. That story can generate comments from readers. Or it can prompt a blogger to write an opinion piece. And that generates more reader comments. A local TV interview can be posted on YouTube, and suddenly you get national attention, which brings more comments. And all those comments are the 21st-century version of word of mouth.

Here are some concepts for you to consider as you think about the evolving metrics of PR:

  • Reputation: Some businesses just seem to have good reps. Customers know they can rely on the products, and they trust that any problems they encounter will be resolved. Today, some of those reputations are being measured by social media experts. They can comb every story, every site, every comment on the Internet and find out what people are saying about your business. Clearly, that process seems more meaningful than counting clips.
  • Spurned media: That’s the negative “free” media you get, and it can include news stories about recalls, critical Internet reviews, and angry customer comments. For example, Toyota probably got its fill of spurned media in recent months.
  • Fans, followers, and views: If you’re like most businesses, you know that using social media is a necessity. You have a website that you update, and you have a Facebook page. Maybe one of your employees keeps the Twitter account active with tweets about upcoming events. All these social media platforms boost publicity for you, and you can measure some of your effectiveness by the number of fans and followers you have. You can also see how many people visit your site. It’s important that you pay attention to the feedback—both positive and negative–that your customers post on these platforms as well. Take to answer questions and respond to complaints.

So as you begin to lay out your upcoming advertising and publicity plans, be sure to look at the big picture. These days, your earned media can appear in all sorts of outlets.

SOURCES
Biznology
Advertising Age

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Tips and Tools for a Comprehensive PR Plan

Monday, August 16, 2010 @ 02:08 PM Ballywho News

It’s amazing. People are crowded into your store, and the phone won’t stop ringing. You’ve exceeded your goals for this quarter, and your employees can barely keep up. With all your profits, you’ll keep expanding, keep increasing your market.

Then your alarm clock rings and you wake up. It’s time to face the day and figure out how to make that dream a reality.

If you’re like most people, you want to grow your business. But what are the best ways to do that? Here are some ideas to get you and your brand noticed.

  • Hold an event. No, your business may not be new, but find something to celebrate. “1st Anniversary!” “Customer Appreciation Day!” “Open House!” However you label it, having a party will bring people into your store and generate traffic. Be sure to list the event in newsletters, newspapers, or other local media outlets.
  • Give a speech. Doing some public speaking is a great free way to make yourself familiar to the community. Join organizations such as the chamber of commerce, Rotary, and business-related groups, then offer to talk about topics you think members will find interesting. You’ll become more recognized and have more opportunities to network.
  • Find a cause. Support a nonprofit group in the community and get active. By working with a local charity, you’ll meet terrific people and spread goodwill.
  • Make contact. It may sound old-fashioned, but take some time to figure out what local media your customers favor. It is radio and TV? Or maybe a community newspaper? Then contact the people who write for these outlets. Send them press releases on a regular basis, talking not only about your products but also how you solve problems for your clients.
  • Go electronic. Social media may seem daunting, but embrace it! Make sure your website is appealing to visitors and stays current. Begin at Twitter and start following people and groups that you like. See what they are doing and then post your own tweets. Next, explore other platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. If you don’t have the time to update on a regular basis, hire a social media group to do it for you.

No matter what strategies you favor, never miss an opportunity to meet people and talk about your business. Word of mouth is one of the best ways to boost your brand.

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Marketing Your Small Business

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 03:08 PM Ballywho News

According to The United States Small Business Administration, small businesses account for more than 99% of the unique businesses in the country and provide jobs for more than 50% of the private sector. Some are involved in small business because they prefer to work for themselves. Others don’t mind having a boss but would rather work in a more familiar environment. Whatever the reason, small business is a prevalent force in the United States’ economy. If you are involved in one, then you know how customer-dependant your business is. This may sound simple minded, but consider that business seasons and other environmental factors can realistically be less harmful to franchises that are most often backed by corporate budgets. If one store is down, but another is picking up the slack, they cancel each other out as part of something greater than their individual initiatives. For those of you that own or operate a small business then you understand how nice that kind of cushion would be at times. Important buzz-building, traffic-driving marketing is critical to keep you on the path that will ultimately increase your bottom line – in good times and in bad.

Marketing can be a true lifeline for small business. It is one of the factors that can directly and indirectly lead to increased revenue and profitability. A small business must approach marketing form a different standpoint than a large one. Small business deals with leaner budgets and often more precisely targeted customers. Large businesses can afford a variety of marketing outlets and can step outside of targeting specifically in an effort to attract new customers. Small business must think about what they do, how they do it and ultimately who they do it for. Here are some tips to consider when putting together your small business marketing plan.

Tips to market your small business

Establish you presence- You have likely already chosen your location. Ideally you are easily accessible to your customer base. You need to make sure that they see you.

  • Is your physical location physically visible? If not ensure that you have signs that announce your presence.
  • You also need a virtual presence. If you have not done it already, set up a website and maintain it. You may opt to pay someone who knows more than you to do this for you. This is not a bad idea as web knowledge can get very deep very fast. Remember, people take to the internet when making purchasing decisions these days, whether you do or not.

Find your best customers- As you are involved in running the business, you know who your best customers are. These clients use you regularly and constitute a considerable portion of your overall revenue despite the fact that they may not be a considerable number of your total customers. These people are extremely important.

  • Get to know them! Find out personal things about them that you can include into regular interaction. This will help you communicate with them on a more personal level and help you to find ways to please them while you are doing business. These factors combined will help you to keep them and their revenue.
  • Ask them for referrals. These customers are coming back because they like your business and think that you do a good job. Ask them to refer their friends and colleagues that can use your services. Word of mouth is the best advertising and there is no shame in asking for it.

Position yourself- In marketing terms, positioning means to present yourself so as to communicate how you are different from your closest competitors. This seems basic but many businesses fail to do it.

  • You can start as early as choosing a name. Think of something memorable that clearly describes your business. Carry this attitude and idea of your business over into communicating with customers. Describe yourself in your chosen way when talking in person or placing written content on your website.
  • Making friends with non-competitors is another way to do this. Find other small businesses that you feel have the same “feel” as yours and that share similar customers. Partnering with them for promotions is a great way to find new customers that match your target market and making connections with fellow business owners can lead to new opportunities down the road.

This is not a comprehensive marketing plan but it is a good start. Take these thinking points and decide how they can be applied to your business. These tips all focus on low to no monetary cost techniques. As a small business, see what you can do for yourself without spending a lot of money first.

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How to Integrate Marketing and PR within Your Business

Monday, August 2, 2010 @ 01:08 PM Ballywho News

Now that you’ve launched your business, you understandably want to announce it to the world.

But before you click the “send” button on that email with your initial press release, you need to quiz yourself on your marketing readiness. For example:

  • Do my employees understand the company brand, mission and vision?
  • Has sales training been conducted?
  • Is our website user-friendly?
  • Are my print marketing materials consistent with the website?
  • Are my electronic marketing materials consistent with my print materials?
  • Do we have a method to acquire leads and convert them into prospects?
  • Do I have a way to measure ROI?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, I’d say you have done your homework and are well on your way to marketing success. On the other hand, if you answered “no” to two or more of these questions, you need to craft a more comprehensive marketing strategy before telling everybody who you are and what you do.

Marketing and PR go together

Gone are the days when a company sold itself using radio, TV, billboards and newspapers. While those mediums are still relevant depending on the audience and the message, email, the Internet and social media have drastically changed the world of marketing and PR.

Bottom line: If your messages aren’t consistent across all these communication platforms, and the look and “feel” of your marketing and PR themes aren’t the same, you will come across as disjointed or inconsistent. While marketing is sales-based and PR is image-based, both elements need to be integrated into your business promotions.

It’s critical that employees grasp this. When they understand the service you provide, the products you offer and their role in delivering them to customers, they will not only support the external marketing and PR efforts, but they will also complement them. Employees loyal to what you stand for and clear on how they contribute to the company’s success make the best sales people.

Alignment isn’t just for cars

Will any of your employees be assigned to work trade shows, to serve as a community liaison, or represent the company at sponsorship events? If so, they will be much more effective brand ambassadors if they are in sync with your company’s marketing strategy. And aligning employees with your strategy is much easier when it’s implemented consistently throughout the organization.

Increasing employee understanding and enthusiasm for your brand can be done in a number of ways, including frequent communications about the company’s operational goals and achievements; team-building exercises; and incentive campaigns.

So before you shoot off that first news release, be sure you’ve integrated your company’s marketing and PR efforts and messages – and that your employees are as ready for your company’s big debut as you are.

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10 Tips for In-House Marketing Directors

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 @ 01:07 PM Ballywho News

So you’ve just been hired as a marketing director, or promoted from within your organization to this position.

No matter how you got the job, congratulations. Being in charge of a company’s day-to-day marketing effort is a huge responsibility, as I’ve discovered, but it can be a highly rewarding one as well. Depending on the size of your staff – if you even HAVE a staff – you will be assigning tasks to your team, outsourcing work to agencies, or running the show completely on your own.

Here are 10 tips to help you get it all accomplished.

  1. Plan: You can’t do enough of this. You need a big-picture marketing strategy for the year, including your budget. Then create more detailed plans for your various marketing initiatives.
  2. Delegate: If you have staff, give them as much responsibility as they can handle. If you don’t feel someone is up to the challenge, can you coach or mentor this person?
  3. Repurpose: Don’t reinvent the wheel. Figure out what content can be used for more than one medium.
  4. Network: Keep up your professional contacts outside the company; and build them within the company. These allies will help you stay on top of trends and internal politics.
  5. Share: Spread your wealth around. Marketing should be contributing to internal departments and customers, external customers and branding efforts, and any charitable causes and community organizations that the company supports.
  6. Innovate: Don’t do things the same old way. Come up with new ideas for marketing strategies and campaigns. Try to bring a fresh perspective to standard tools like press releases.
  7. Invite: Don’t build a wall around Marketing. Encourage input and suggestions. People are going to offer their opinions whether you like it or not, and embracing it will make you seem more approachable, and supportive of the company.
  8. Appreciate: If Marketing gets helpful feedback from internal customers or external ones, show your appreciation. This is especially important within your company, where Marketing can be seen as aloof and superior by other employees – some of whom feel undervalued.
  9. Decline: Sometimes, it’s best just to say ‘no’ to an internal or external customer when their request is not in anybody’s best interests. But don’t just cross your arms and shake your head from side to side; explain your reasoning and your concerns.

Last but not least…

  1. Acquiesce: If you’ve stated your case and you’ve made the best argument for or against something, learn when you need to give in and/or make a gracious retreat.

Following these 10 tips will help you become, or remain, a highly-effective marketing director, whether you are a department of one or have a staff backing you up.

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Best Practices When Pitching Media

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 @ 05:07 PM Ballywho News

Getting the correct information out is our job. In order to do this you need to know how to pitch ideas and stories to writers, editors or whoever else can get your story distributed through media channels. As with anything there are methods of doing this that are better than others. You cannot simply call or email a journalist without careful research, planning, and yes some basic professional principles. Here are some practices that will help ensure that you get the attention of the media and convey a message that they can help you promote.

1) Remember journalists are people AND professionals.

Journalists have a job to do just like everyone else. They dislike being interrupted at work at an inappropriate time by a disorganized person. Have a plan for the message you want to convey. Know what you are going to communicate before you communicate it. Also, find out when and how the individual journalist likes to be contacted. If they check email while working in the office in the morning before heading into the field, leaving repeated voicemails in the afternoon will likely get you ignored. Be aware that they have deadlines and it is your job to work around them if you want to be heard. Being prepared and respecting the preferences of the individual will allow your message to be received in a positive light.

2) Present your story so it is news, not blatant advertising.

Journalists report news; they are not advertisers. Think of angles for your pitch that can add a human element to your message. It is your job to know what is considered newsworthy. It’s always smart to take some time to monitor the news being written by those reporters you want to approach so that you can find ways to make your story relevant to them at a certain point and time. Can you think of a way that your story can tie into something that the publication is currently reporting on? If so you are more likely to get the attention of the reporter and that they will pass your story on to their audience. Include necessary details with facts to back them up, but avoid the mundane. Reporters have heard the same detail-oriented pitch before so make yours something that they will want to work with.

3) Establish relationships with your contacts and know what they do.

Know who the journalists are, what publications they work for (keep in mind some freelance outside of their regular jobs) and what topics they report on. Not knowing these things will show a lack of initiative on your part. Journalists often cover specific beats. Don’t waste a reporter’s time by pitching them a business story when they write about entertainment. Establishing relationships with reporters well before you need their assistance makes your approach a mutually beneficial one. If you have a source for a story they are working on perhaps you can connect them. Though nothing is in it for you your willingness to help, making their job easier in the long run, will make them remember you. It will be easier to get future articles written and far more likely that your material will be presented in the light you want it to be. It’s always easier to call a friend than to pitch to a stranger.

4) Remember there is a fine line between assertive and pushy.

You are going to have to make efforts to contact members of the media. Whether you have established a relationship with them or it is your first time reaching out always use tact. Introduce yourself and immediately ask them if they are on deadline. If not, and they have the time then you can introduce your client is and your story idea. Do not however, repeatedly call, email or otherwise try to contact them. If you reach them by phone and they say they are busy at the moment, politely schedule time to discuss your ideas with them at their convenience. Bottom line, be a professional, not a pest.

Could you include something here about the importance of reaching out to thank them after the story runs and how important it is to keep the conversation going? That would be another tip.

Working with media professionals requires a special touch. Mastering the technique pays off in terms of valuable relationships and positive media coverage for you and your business.

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Seven Tips for Marketing a New Restaurant

Thursday, July 15, 2010 @ 02:07 PM Ballywho News

Have you wondered why some fledgling eateries succeed, while others bite the dust?

Restaurant marketing is much more than placing ads and sending out press releases. It’s about how well the person in charge of promoting the restaurant knows the owners, how they do business, and how the restaurant operates. It’s how well the PR person knows the menu, the food, and the clientele.

During my career, I’ve worked for restaurants all over the country. Drawing from my hard-earned experience, here are seven ways to help ensure a dining establishment’s success.

  1. Forget a “one size fits all” model. In my years with Chipotle, they did not advertise, but employed a grass roots approach, and focused strictly on the customer. On the other hand, at Bonefish Grill, we adopted a wider marketing strategy that worked well as the number of locations grew.
  1. Establish brand awareness. What does the restaurant have to offer, food-wise? Experience-wise? Community-wise? Just who or what is Restaurant X? Some restaurants choose not to provide discounts or coupons. It’s just not their style. So tell the story of who they are.
  1. Advertise. Once you create brand awareness, then you can think about advertising. The brand identity should be reflected in every kind of promotion you do, whether it’s TV, radio, print, web, or social media.
  1. Track marketing dollars and ROI. You will want to focus your budget in the areas you have targeted as those which will grow the business, and redirect funds when something isn’t working.
  1. Generate publicity. Some examples of good restaurant PR may include: offering the restaurant’s signature recipes to the local food or “taste” section; secure and appear cooking segments on television that highlights a seasonal dish available at your location or get the cook out of the kitchen and participate in fundraising or ‘taste of’ events. (Hint: Don’t schedule any of these time-consuming initiatives on “truck day”, which is the day of the week the restaurant gets its food distribution). Once again, you’ve gotta know the operation in order to market most effectively.
  1. Reach out to customers (and get their feedback). A server or a manager may ask a customer how their meal was. If they say “fine” when they really mean “not so good”, and the staffer lets it go, an opportunity is missed. Fine is never what you want your customers to say about you. Fine is not a response that will motivate them to tell their friends, families, colleagues or neighbors that your restaurant is worth the trip. Though a less-than-satisfactory meal might be rewarded by not having to pay for it, or an “it’s on us the next time”, letting those customers go without getting detailed feedback about their experience brings me to my final tip…
  1. Fix mistakes and acknowledge unusual circumstances. Honesty is critical. If you dismiss a customer or insult their intelligence, you will lose that customer. They have choices, and if they are unhappy, they will take their dining dollars elsewhere – and tell others about it. And believe you me, there won’t be a “next time” to redeem yourself.

Roll with change

Some things you simply cannot help. Case in point: the current oil spill, which has affected fishing in a large area of the Gulf of Mexico, is impacting seafood availability and pricing in some areas.

Other extraordinary situations that could affect a restaurant are recalls on products like vegetables, or natural disasters, such as hurricanes, blizzards, floods, earthquakes and tornados.

Just remember that knowing the business is the key to marketing the business. This goes for all types of companies, not just places to eat.

If you keep these things in mind when signing on to do marketing and PR for a restaurant, your chances of tasting success will be that much better.

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