Media Relations and Developing a Marketing Strategy

     In the previous posting we began a discussion of the effective ways to use media relations to uncover the core market and media resources which will help draw customers to your business. Media relations, or the use of press releases, press events and announcements, and such, were touched upon as cost effective ways to begin this process. 

     This is due in part to the fact that editors and publishers of media have a very good idea of what their audience is looking for, and so will respond positively to stories that will be of interest to their readers.That said, it should be noted that media of all kinds and at all levels are not as open to publishing press releases as they once were; the media industry as a whole is also strapped for paying customers (advertisers) and is loathe to offend their advertisers with stories about businesses and non-profits which compete with their paying customers. The wall between advertising and editorial departments is in many cases not as clearly defined as once it was, especially in publications which are not in the hard news reporting business.

     For this reason, it is important that press releases and follow up packages contain something that will be effective at helping the media resource attract readers and viewers, sell copies and advertising. There is thus a level of de facto collaboration between the writers and publishers of press releases, both parties wanting to attract readers who will in turn lead to respective and ideally repeating sales. 

     From the publishers perspective, especially well written press releases are a plus, as they become the basis of editorial copy which requires minimal input (and cost) on the publisher's part. I have sent out press releases to fairly extensive numbers of publications which in fact published the release, with it's photos and in its entirety, with no changes at all to the text; a self-directed message to potential clients repeated word for word to a multitude of readerships. 

     Now, to get to the nuts and bolts of writing good press releases. Press releases must have an element of newsworthiness to get editors to publish them. Simply publicizing a sale at your business won't get you much ink; donating a portion of one day's profits to charity, or announcing an expansion that will add new jobs, is more likely to get published. Marketing requires a planned, coordinated effort, which we will get into a bit further on. In general, informing people of activity that will be of benefit and interest to an audience served by the publication will catch the editors eye.

     Editors are also interested in the people behind an enterprise, especially if they have a special talent or intriguing story. Bringing new people of exceptional talent or experience into an enterprise will also warrant at least a short mention. But generally, one needs an out of the ordinary story, which falls inside the "news" and not entirely under the "advertising" category, to gain coverage.

     A good press release should be concise and to the point, with the gist of the story contained in the title and first paragraph. The real art of good reporting is to get the attention of the reader in the first line, and then hold their attention until they fully grasp, remember, and act on the piece. With press releases and other media work, one must first accomplish this with the filtering editors, and then with the targeted, buying audience. Practical experience is always desirable; and, it is certainly acceptable to send follow-up information carrying the same basic message in a modified form, as a process designed to find the right combination that will lead to publication.

     Ideally, a release will contain all of the essential information in a single page. After establishing the fundamental information, subsequent paragraphs should fill in the essential details, including the all important contact info, website, address, etc.

     There should also be a header before the body of the release giving contact information and names of contact people. This allows the receiving editor to contact you for more information or, in a best of all worlds response, to do a full article on your business or non-profit.

     Include good quality photos of the subject, principle people, etc. Photos draw attention in publications; if the photos are interesting enough, they will carry your release to publication, even if only the photo and a brief caption are used. Be sure to include your own caption, with names of any people and descriptions of any objecs. The smoother the path is set out for editors, the better your chance of coverage.

     In the next posting, I will address the issues of timing for press releases, and the need and value of  having follow up and supporting media to leverage the coverage you receive. Also, it is important to keep track of where your press release does get published, and of any response you get to these publications. Remember, the dual purpose of sending out press releases are 1) to promote and publicize your enterprise and 2) to determine which media resources are likely to be most cost effective at drawing in customers with paid advertising.
 

     

    

First Steps

  

In the inaugural posting of this blog, a general discussion of the city's underlying problems, potentials, and needs was presented. This posting will address some of the immediate first steps that can be taken within the economic drivers of the city to build on  a trend toward the positive development of a sustainable local economy. The city is at a point where initiatives are needed from motivated citizens working on the promotion and growth of both the micro and macro economy of New London. It is of critical importance going forward that these actions by organized to create synergies which benefit both the individual endeavors and the general economic base of the city. This is a process which may begin with some very simple, effective, and indispensable first steps.

     To begin, every individual business and economic entity needs to be primarily responsible for it's own promotion and marketing. Attracting and, more importantly, keeping customers and patrons on a continuing basis is obviously the single most important factor in any success formula. Doing so in an efficient and cost effective way is of course highly desirable for any economic entity. This is the micro-element of developing a sustainable local economy; the macro-level is, attracting a larger overall number of potential clients into the city on a regular basis. We will focus first on some thoughts for the individual economic entity (as a clarification: I consider any entity which operates in the marketplace to be an entity of the economic community. Businesses, housing, non-profit theaters, employees, and artists are all examples).

     Having and executing an effective and consistent marketing plan is the essential and often overlooked aspect of any economic venture. Marketing and sales are a science to which enormous amounts of study have been devoted, and yet too often marketing by small entities is given only secondary consideration. Advertising through various media is the obvious approach to drawing in customers, yet budgets are spent without measuring the effectiveness of the dollars spent.

     In the city of New London, which continues to experience unique economic stagnation in the midst of a slow economy, the need to effectively compete for business requires greater than typical effort and diligence. This is a process of discovery and understanding, requiring constant testing, diligence, and the consistent delivery of the core value which an enterprise delivers.

     The subject of establishing and operating an enterprise at a level and manner which attracts and keeps a regular clientele is a subject for another time. Obviously any economic entity must offer something unique which is of value to enough people with the means to make the enterprise a success. For now we will assume that this has been accomplished, and look at the most effective ways to inform and attract people to your enterprise.

     Identifying your market is the obvious first step, though in practice the actual market for a successful venture can at times come as a bit of a surprise. Generally speaking, though, it is possible to match what your enterprise does with that segment of society most likely to be a customer or patron. It may in fact be necessary to adjust your plans and model to be better aligned with the actual available market. This is why what follows in this text is so critical to the success of your enterprise.

     New London, as noted frequently, has a serious problem with the lack of foot traffic and people who actually spend money in the city. For this reason I am treating the general question of promoting individual enterprises as though they are all newly established, struggling ventures. Given the high rate of business closures and empty business real estate, this is not an unreasonable position to take.

     It is thus essential that economic  entities, whether for profit or non-profit, carry out a wide reaching promotional and marketing effort, as a way of identifying primary market areas, and the media which most effectively reaches their market segment.

     This, of course, needs to be accomplished without spending monies which would stress an entity or which simply do not exist. Again, our purpose at this point is for a maximum number of enterprises to attract a maximum number of paying clients and patrons, which will have the added mutually beneficial effect of increasing overall traffic within the city.

     Press releases and media packages are one of the most effective ways of accessing a wide media, including print and online media. I would add that what are essentially press releases, distributed through social media outlets, would be counted here. This is not an especially illuminating statement, I realize; but, having been on both sides of the press relationship dynamic, I can say that simply going through the exercise of sending out press notices is not enough, especially at this time. Press and media relations are only useful if they get published and distributed and, most importantly, read and responded to by customers and patrons. And, part of the reason for utilizing media relations is to identify markets and the media which reaches them, to a point of bringing in new business. Media relations, then, are a first line tool in developing an effective and sustained marketing strategy which will sustain and build on the fortunes of your individual economic endeavor.

     The next post will delve further into the process of using media relations to build a marketing strategy and successful market presence.

    
     

     

     

     (identifying market territory and population; identifying best media resources; quantifying marketing; marketing calendar, overall marketing plan/program)