DIY PR by Penny Haywood Calder

The expectations that go along with great press coverage are huge - and so they should be, but I hear almost every day about businesses wasting that opportunity. When you know how much effort and luck goes into great coverage, it is really galling to see all those opportunities slide away.

If you think great press coverage is 'free' advertising and that a few press mentions will perform the sales, marketing and PR miracle all on their own, I have some real news for you.

Great news coverage is just the start: it's what you do with it that counts.
Of course you'll often get some sales enquiries sparked by media coverage. But the real difference between smaller and larger businesses' approach to marketing is never losing an opportunity to exploit great coverage in your marketing and sales efforts. That's how you harness the power of PR, marketing and sales to work together.

Research shows that PR boosts sales and marketing by up to 50%, but 50% of zero sales and marketing is still zero.

Just like winning an award, where you can claim to be an award-winning business for life, getting good media coverage allows you a major claim to fame forever. And getting lots of it, and making sure it's recycled, creates a real buzz that builds business success on and offline, provided that the marketing shapes up to the hype and the sales process is effective.

We always advise people to give their PR coverage 'legs'. Make the most of any coverage you get by using it in all your marketing materials. It's so simple to lift a short attributed quote or phrase from the article (like they do in West End shows - "the solution" Joe Smith, The Times).

Why not:

• Put it up on your website
• Use in your email signatures.
• Add it to your social media profile.
• Blog about it.
• Include it in your newsletter masthead or credentials piece.
• Add it to your sales proposals and letters.
• Pop it on the back of your biz card, on a card at reception: anywhere you can.
• Include a link to the article or programme online and when the link breaks because the piece is archived, take the link off, but keep the quote.
• And don't forget to ensure you have on and offline PR coverage.

Online distribution of your news using the right search terms will ensure that the search engine keep sending you targeted new business enquiries long after the initial buzz has settled.

Media relations is only one of hundreds of PR techniques to enable you to get your key messages across to your key target people, but it is a particularly powerful and lasting medium if used to your advantage.

Labels: budgeting for PR, ecommerce., marketing, media relations, online businesses, PR sales and marketing