leading the way - Commercial Law League Of America

marketing
PR
(continued from page 17)
PUBLIC RELATIONS
FOR PROFESSIONALS
than if I had been speaking in front of a dozen people. For
me, the secret to getting over my fear was threefold: 1.) to
admit from the outset to the audience that I was nervous—
this helps relieve my fear of failure, and often draws a
chuckle from the audience; 2.) to speak on a subject that I
know very well so that I can follow an outline without trying
to memorize anything; and, 3.) to get off the podium
and walk among the audience focusing my attention on the
individuals who I make eye contact with as I move. This
latter technique helps me feel like I am talking to individuals
in a small class rather than to a large crowd.
THE FIVE GREATEST
STRENGTHS OF PR
To sum it up, public relations has five great strengths over
other forms of marketing, they are:
CREDIBILITY—Because you are not directly “purchasing”
the time and attention of your audience, someone at a
publication, media outlet, special event or a leader within
an organization has tacitly endorsed the validity of your
message.
TIMELY—Announcements can be developed on a very
tight schedule. Newspapers, association newsletters, and
trade magazines must be published regularly and they are
always on the lookout for breaking news. A blog or other
Internet-based PR program can be created and delivered in
a matter of hours.
TARGETED—PR can be highly targeted to the appropriate
audience of decision makers. A proper mix of such
diverse audiences as customers, employees, investors, partners
and suppliers can be specifically targeted based on
where and when the PR is delivered.
COST EFFECTIVE—While the development cost and
tracking of PR can be expensive and time consuming, it is a
fraction of what can be spent developing ads and buying
space or media time to run them.
CUMULATIVE POWER—Story ideas, speeches, and content
can be reformulated and utilized again and again.
Written reprints, text references and Web archives all help
a single story last for months or even years. Reprints of a
published article can also be mailed directly to targeted
audiences.
With some 13,000 individual magazine titles published in
the United States, and thousands of professional meetings,
conventions, and association events each year, there are
innumerable ways to deliver newsworthy stories, educational
pieces and well-reasoned opinion. PR has the unique
ability to tell stories that resonate within a narrowly focused
interest group. The more information and value you can
deliver to a particular audience, the more credibility and
name recognition you will gain. And, that’s not only good
for your business, it’s good for everyone with whom you
communicate.
Kelly Newcomb, President of Newcomb
Marketing Solutions has been helping organizations
with strategic planning, development of
client-loyalty programs, and the execution of
marketing campaigns for more than seventeen
years. He also owns and facilitates Can Do!
Success Building Programs designed to help organizations improve
organizational culture and effectiveness, team-building, brand
development, sales and communications. He can be reached at
kelly@candosuccess.com or at 1-800-921-1221.
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