The Value of Public Relations

A well-crafted public relations campaign is a key ingredient for every company's marketing mix.

There was a time when a good reputation - spread by word of mouth - and advertising alone were enough to create and maintain a successful business. Those times; however, are long gone. More than it ever has been, positive public awareness is vital to a company's success - and this positive public awareness is today best achieved through a public relations campaign, versus traditional advertising by itself.

An effective public relations campaign that generates favorable exposure through newspapers, magazines, TV stations, radio stations and social media has a wider reach than word-of-mouth alone. And the public lends more credibility to articles they read and stories they hear about your company than advertisements they read and see.

A carefully crafted public relations campaign will raise both media and consumer awareness of your business. Simply put, the "buzz" about your business begins and remains through the media. By cultivating positive relationships with the media and creating publicity via the media, business owners enhance their chances for continued prosperity.

So what exactly is public relations, and why is it the best route for you to create positive awareness? People often confuse PR with advertising, but the two are dramatically different.

Simply put, advertising places ads while PR places news. Both are designed to elevate consumers' interest in product or service. Both often use the same media - print, radio and television and the Internet. This is where the similarities end.

PR Builds Credibility
Public relations helps form a favorable public opinion through the "implied endorsement" of non-biased industry authorities (namely print and broadcast media members). Consider, which holds more weight - an advertisement about a new hotel or a positive article written in editorial style about the hottest new hotel in town?

The late entertainer Will Rogers once said, "All I know is just what I read in the papers." PR generates news coverage, and news coverage builds credibility. People believe what they read in newspapers and magazines, what they hear on the radio and what they see on television. It's more difficult to get someone to believe your claims through advertising alone.

PR Allows Personalization of Your Story
By generating multiple story angles designed to reach different media outlets - such as business journals, trade publications, daily and weekly newspapers, city and regional magazines, regional entertainment publications, and major national magazines - you enhance the number of published and broadcast stories about your business. And each of these stories educates the public of what your company is all about.

PR Is Cost-Effective
Compare the cost of a direct mail campaign or a display ad in a publication with the cost of writing and distributing a press release. There is no comparison. The cost of hiring a publicist to produce press releases and get them placed in media outlets is a fraction of what you pay for advertisements. In addition, the articles the press release generates may be viewed by a larger audience since consumers tend to pay more attention to stories than advertisements.

It would be difficult to find an executive who would prefer seeing his company's ads on TV instead of a news feature in Forbes or Fortune. The article builds credibility, positions the company as an industry leader and generates awareness without the costly inefficiencies of traditional advertising.

PR's Life Span Is Long
A well-placed story can reap benefits for an extended period. The fundamental PR strategy is to place a story in one publication and move it up the ladder to another magazine or newspaper, or transfer it to another medium such as radio or television.

Consumers often clip articles they read about a company they would like to visit or a destination they would like to see. Also, a copy of the publication containing your article can be passed around, mailed or generally distributed to customers and other contacts. This is another way to "touch" customers and prospects; they typically like to be informed about special accomplishments and kept up-to-date on both you and your company.

If the newspaper or magazine is noteworthy in your area, you can cite "as seen in" on all printed advertising, e-mail signatures and point-of-purchase marketing. "As seen in "Atlanta Magazine" or even "The Orlando Sentinel" can give you tremendous credibility and set you apart from your competition in a significant way.

Of course, one PR opportunity often leads to another. For example, assignment editors and reporters at TV and radio stations read the local and regional newspapers and magazines, and sometimes get story ideas from published articles they read. In addition, editors and reporters at newspapers and magazines sometimes get ideas from stories they hear on the radio or see on TV.

The ultimate goal of a public relations campaign is to get you noticed, and to attract business to your location. A flattering article in the local newspaper or regional magazine creates a celebrity status for the person or place profiled. This truly separates you from your competition.

Don't Serve As Your Own Public Relations Firm
Some people think they can write a press release, send it to the media and watch the publicity from published and broadcast stories pour in. If that was the case, then publicists wouldn't exist. Effective PR is an art that involves writing well-crafted press releases with story angles that interest the media, not self-serving marketing verbiage. There is nothing more irritating to reporters than receiving poorly written press releases with no newsworthy angles.

This is why you should hire a publicist to design and implement your PR campaign. It allows you to focus on your core business. When choosing a publicist to coordinate your campaign, it is vital to hire someone who is experienced, does not require long-term contracts and has staff members who have worked as journalists since they will think like reporters and editors.

It's also extremely important to make sure the publicist you're considering has a genuine interest in your business, background and future potential. If they can't get excited about what you do, it will be harder for them to get the media excited enough to write about you.

Exposure In Local Publications Is Valuable, Too
A major misconception of restaurant public relations is that media exposure is only beneficial if it appears in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. Landing a story in a national publication or a prominent television or radio show is certainly reason to cheer - and it will provide valuable publicity that an advertisement could never achieve - but an effective public relations campaign starts closer to home. There are a variety of accessible, well-targeted media opportunities eager for good story ideas.

Chains of small weekly and daily newspapers, major metropolitan newspapers, city magazines, state magazines, local and regional lifestyle magazines, local and regional family publications and local and regional men's, women's, senior living and entertainment newspapers are among the media outlets that are ideal targets for stories on your restaurant.

Remember, the goal of a public relations campaign is to create and maintain a buzz about your business, build your credibility, position you in the marketplace and save you money over traditional advertising alone. There are lots of media outlets within your reach if you have a well-crafted plan, and the right publicist to execute it.

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