Where to focus your PR efforts
By Linda Forrest
In a perfect world, clients would have unlimited resources, in terms of both time and manpower, to devote to their PR program. In such a utopia, our jobs would be a whole lot easier, never having to put the governor on and being able to run with the PR ball in all directions… but alas, we live in the real world where this is just not the case.
In the real world, resources are constrained and thus the PR effort must by definition be limited. The program must be oriented, not only to meet budget considerations, but also to have the best effect on the client’s bottom line. Determining what that program will be and where to focus the PR effort is a considered process, one that I’ll go into in some limited detail below.
The first question that must be asked is who are you trying to reach, who is your market? Hopefully, you’ve long ago answered this question yourself and thus tailored your marketing efforts as a whole to speak to a particular target group, a group that may consist of both purchasing decision makers and influencers. Once you have a clear view of who you’re trying to reach, it then becomes about how you will reach them. With the media marketplace growing daily, it’s important to have the correct mix of both media channels (print, online, radio, television) and types of outlets, depending on your business (consumer-focused, horizontal trade publications, industry vertical outlets, etc.)
Most of our clients have target markets in particular industry verticals, such as healthcare, legal, or financial services. It’s also often the case that our clients work across a number of verticals, not just one. Then, the decision has to be made as to when and how much effort is put against the trade publications in these verticals.
If you have an established presence in a particular vertical, garnering coverage in trade publications – by way of news items, bylined articles, and most importantly, customer case studies – will affirm your success in this market. If you are looking to build your presence in the market, by the same token, coverage in these publications will speak directly to the decision makers in your space and perhaps get your solution on the short list when prospects are considering their options.
The other side of this coin is knowing when to say when. In the case of a client releasing a particularly sought after product that is perhaps first to market, you may find yourself with the happy problem of a lot of in-bound requests for interviews and contributed pieces. This interest from your media and analyst marketplace likely coincides with interest from prospective customers, partners and other potential revenue generating parties. Therefore, careful consideration must be paid to where and when you expend your PR effort. If the company spokesperson only has time for a few interviews, which ones will derive the most benefit for the company, will reach the most high-value audience? Is it the size of the audience that will generate the most benefit? Or is it the focus of the audience, the niche publication, that will really move the yard sticks for your organization?
Because we consider ourselves a marketing PR agency, our efforts are meant to ultimately help you sell more of what you offer. Your agency should work with your company to really learn about your business objectives and structure the PR effort accordingly. Coordination of all elements of the marketing mix toward a common goal will ensure best results and create good relationships between clients and agencies.
