Spread the Word with Public Relations
| Category: PR/Publicity and Media | Date: 2002-04-23 |
One of the least expensive and potentially most effective ways to promote your Web site or business is through public relations (PR). Word-of-mouth or mention in a published article can generate more attention to your site than all of your paid advertising combined. You must tread carefully, however.
PR is different from advertising. When advertising, your explicit goal is to make your product or company known. You pay for the right to advertise by purchasing ad space, buying a sponsorship, or bartering. When conducting PR activities, however, your explicit goal is to benefit a targeted community by providing them with something useful. Consequently, you build goodwill and a solid reputation for your business. You "pay" for the right to publicize your business by keeping the contributory aspect firmly in the foreground. Your contribution can be monetary, valuable information or advice, entertainment, volunteer work, or other offerings and can take place in a variety of ways.
Message Boards
Usenet newsgroups, discussion groups, and forums are Web or Internet based communities where members post topical messages. Threads - or conversations - are created as users post responses to others’ messages (While technically incorrect, for simplicity I will refer to these types of communities generically as message boards.). Message boards create countless opportunities for business people to help others by answering questions or suggesting solutions to problems. By participating in discussions related to your business, you can provide valuable information while increasing your site’s visibility. Regularly posting to discussions will establish credibility for yourself and for your business. Consequently, the community members will be more likely to use your product or refer others to you. Message Board directories where you can search for topic-specific message boards include Lycos, Forum One, and SmartGroups.
When participating in message board discussions, stick to the rules. The first and most important rule of conducting PR on message boards is DO NOT SPAM. Most boards are purely topical and blatant advertising is not tolerated. You are there to help, not deliver a sales pitch. A seemingly innocent message such as "See my widgets at www.widgetsRus.com" can fill your inbox with wrathful email, get you banned from the board, or even result in your ISP closing your site. Along with the wrath comes a lot of bad publicity for your business. Here are a few pointers for successfully participating in discussions:
Read the group description and spend some time following discussions on the board. This will give you a feel for the group and for what is acceptable.
Include your Web site address and contact information as part of your signature line. This is an unobtrusive and generally accepted way to guide people to your site. Be sure you contribute substantially to a conversation or introduce a relevant new topic when you post. Also, unless someone asks or if it is directly relevant to your point, mention your business in the message only as part of your signature line.
DON’T TYPE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. In cyber space this means you are shouting and is considered rude.
Don’t be pompous, sarcastic, or vulgar. Most people like others to be nice. Your goal is to make positive contributions in order to build a solid reputation for your business, not to pick a fight.
Press Releases
Reporters and editors have ongoing space to fill and are always looking for news that will interest others. If you go about it correctly, you can earn free press coverage for your business. To get the coverage, however, you have to play by the media’s rules. Sending them your advertising brochures will get you nowhere. You will need a press release that the media will be interested in. Publications use press releases in a variety of ways: as articles themselves, as the basis for a more in-depth interview, or as input into a larger story. Decide which of these needs your press release will fill and write it accordingly.
When writing a press release, focus on why the publication’s audience will be interested in the information. You should also consider the media’s needs when developing a press release. Reporters and editors are busy people under deadline pressure and they have no obligation to read your press release. You increase the chances of your story being reported by delivering complete, concise, relevant, and newsworthy material they can quickly read and comprehend. For press release articles and direction on how to write and distribute your press releases, explore the Press Release Writing Tips site.
In addition to traditional delivery methods of fax and postal mail, you also have the option of emailing your release. You can manually email to each individual publication or use an email distribution service.
Leveraging Expertise
If you have experience owning or running a business, then you may want to position yourself as an expert in your industry or specialty area. By doing so, you not only educate the public, but also spread the word about your products. By consistently providing knowledgeable advice you can increase goodwill for your company and build your business. If you are not sincere in your efforts to help and educate others or are not truly versed in your field, however, this approach could backfire. As an expert, giving information comes first and "advertising" is secondary. If people see your efforts as a thinly disguised sales pitch you will lose credibility and may hurt your business. To remain credible, keep up-to-date on developments in your field and offer opinions.
One way you can be seen as an expert by becoming an information source for journalists. You can choose to cultivate relationships with key reporters and writers in your industry as well as register as an expert in journalist source books. In either case, you must have a good grasp of your subject area and be open to time-sensitive calls from the media. You should also be ready to offer opinions and commentary as well as general overview information.
By intelligently using public relations techniques as marketing tactics - message boards, press releases, and leveraged expertise - you can spread the word about your business without blowing your budget.
About the Author
Bobette Kyle has over 10 years experience in Corporate Marketing; Brand and Product Marketing; Field Marketing and Sales; and Management. She helps small-budget businesses - both traditional and Web based - include the Internet in marketing strategies. For a step-by-step approach to developing a Web site marketing plan, read her book How Much For Just the Spider?, available beginning April, 2002.
Bobette@WebSiteMarketingPlan.com
http://www.websitemarketingplan.com
PR is different from advertising. When advertising, your explicit goal is to make your product or company known. You pay for the right to advertise by purchasing ad space, buying a sponsorship, or bartering. When conducting PR activities, however, your explicit goal is to benefit a targeted community by providing them with something useful. Consequently, you build goodwill and a solid reputation for your business. You "pay" for the right to publicize your business by keeping the contributory aspect firmly in the foreground. Your contribution can be monetary, valuable information or advice, entertainment, volunteer work, or other offerings and can take place in a variety of ways.
Message Boards
Usenet newsgroups, discussion groups, and forums are Web or Internet based communities where members post topical messages. Threads - or conversations - are created as users post responses to others’ messages (While technically incorrect, for simplicity I will refer to these types of communities generically as message boards.). Message boards create countless opportunities for business people to help others by answering questions or suggesting solutions to problems. By participating in discussions related to your business, you can provide valuable information while increasing your site’s visibility. Regularly posting to discussions will establish credibility for yourself and for your business. Consequently, the community members will be more likely to use your product or refer others to you. Message Board directories where you can search for topic-specific message boards include Lycos, Forum One, and SmartGroups.
When participating in message board discussions, stick to the rules. The first and most important rule of conducting PR on message boards is DO NOT SPAM. Most boards are purely topical and blatant advertising is not tolerated. You are there to help, not deliver a sales pitch. A seemingly innocent message such as "See my widgets at www.widgetsRus.com" can fill your inbox with wrathful email, get you banned from the board, or even result in your ISP closing your site. Along with the wrath comes a lot of bad publicity for your business. Here are a few pointers for successfully participating in discussions:
Read the group description and spend some time following discussions on the board. This will give you a feel for the group and for what is acceptable.
Include your Web site address and contact information as part of your signature line. This is an unobtrusive and generally accepted way to guide people to your site. Be sure you contribute substantially to a conversation or introduce a relevant new topic when you post. Also, unless someone asks or if it is directly relevant to your point, mention your business in the message only as part of your signature line.
DON’T TYPE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. In cyber space this means you are shouting and is considered rude.
Don’t be pompous, sarcastic, or vulgar. Most people like others to be nice. Your goal is to make positive contributions in order to build a solid reputation for your business, not to pick a fight.
Press Releases
Reporters and editors have ongoing space to fill and are always looking for news that will interest others. If you go about it correctly, you can earn free press coverage for your business. To get the coverage, however, you have to play by the media’s rules. Sending them your advertising brochures will get you nowhere. You will need a press release that the media will be interested in. Publications use press releases in a variety of ways: as articles themselves, as the basis for a more in-depth interview, or as input into a larger story. Decide which of these needs your press release will fill and write it accordingly.
When writing a press release, focus on why the publication’s audience will be interested in the information. You should also consider the media’s needs when developing a press release. Reporters and editors are busy people under deadline pressure and they have no obligation to read your press release. You increase the chances of your story being reported by delivering complete, concise, relevant, and newsworthy material they can quickly read and comprehend. For press release articles and direction on how to write and distribute your press releases, explore the Press Release Writing Tips site.
In addition to traditional delivery methods of fax and postal mail, you also have the option of emailing your release. You can manually email to each individual publication or use an email distribution service.
Leveraging Expertise
If you have experience owning or running a business, then you may want to position yourself as an expert in your industry or specialty area. By doing so, you not only educate the public, but also spread the word about your products. By consistently providing knowledgeable advice you can increase goodwill for your company and build your business. If you are not sincere in your efforts to help and educate others or are not truly versed in your field, however, this approach could backfire. As an expert, giving information comes first and "advertising" is secondary. If people see your efforts as a thinly disguised sales pitch you will lose credibility and may hurt your business. To remain credible, keep up-to-date on developments in your field and offer opinions.
One way you can be seen as an expert by becoming an information source for journalists. You can choose to cultivate relationships with key reporters and writers in your industry as well as register as an expert in journalist source books. In either case, you must have a good grasp of your subject area and be open to time-sensitive calls from the media. You should also be ready to offer opinions and commentary as well as general overview information.
By intelligently using public relations techniques as marketing tactics - message boards, press releases, and leveraged expertise - you can spread the word about your business without blowing your budget.
About the Author
Bobette Kyle has over 10 years experience in Corporate Marketing; Brand and Product Marketing; Field Marketing and Sales; and Management. She helps small-budget businesses - both traditional and Web based - include the Internet in marketing strategies. For a step-by-step approach to developing a Web site marketing plan, read her book How Much For Just the Spider?, available beginning April, 2002.
Bobette@WebSiteMarketingPlan.com
http://www.websitemarketingplan.com
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