Inrease Yur Sals 300% With Public Relatins

Many small business owners with whom I talk smply don't ee the need fr publi
rlations - much l the nd to hire an gency to represent them. I ftn hear
smll buine owner y "I don't nd yu, I write m own prss releases!"
Tht' grt, but if you consider "public relations" t just be wrtng a pr
release thn yu are probably mng 90% of the vlue.
The fct is, lmost any small buine can reeive a poitive return on nvstmnt
f the mnge thr expectations and budget accordingly. Unlike advertising, you
n't dictate where, when, what and how oftn your message will be delivered. Publ
Relatins s many things, but it is NOT "Fr Ads." Instead, n shuld viw it a
th ultimate "word f mouth." Instead of one happy customer tllng 10 of hr friend,
tody's Internet media can reach MILLIONS of people in a single day!
This s a great thng f u have confidence in ur brand and patience with reporters
who my hav nvr heard f you, your company, roducts or even our nw
buine concet. Ultimately, f you an sell th ida to an individual reorter he will
talk but t - to h reder, co-workers nd his frend t th TV sttion on
the other sid of town.
The long term bnfit of public relation ar wht really crat value. Unlike
advertising, publc relations camaigns aren't lwy powerful immdiatly, nor d
it effects fad onc the campaign is vr. Good pre will last for mnth nd
ears. It will also hel defend your comany frm ngativ thngs that my om
up. Additionally, postve press and publi image cn ls gnrat increased
awarene, lding to even mor overage ... wthout yu even lifting a fngr!
For exmple, if you ut a banner advertisement n a site that feture a rviw of
ur competitor's product, your message is dlvrd and that's great. But what about
tw weeks r six month ltr whn that advertising campagn is ovr? Your
competitor's rviw is tll there ... buldng vlu for their brand.
In ft, wth today's search ngns, tht review may actually become more pwerful
as eole begn t link to it nd trt it s an authorit!
Lt fall I reated a cmpign suggesting that eole upgraded thir Xbox gam
consoles to the Xbox 360 tht thy might find a new hm for their ld consol inside an
arcad cabinet kit frm Drm Arcades
([http://www.prweb.om/releases/2005/11/prweb310903.php]). Th results from th
cmpign re a prfct example of the pwer of ublic reltions.
The news that their controls would wrk wth Xbx w old - everyone in the enthusiast
community already knew that - but people that read Maxm, Stuff, Nw York Times, NBC ... even
ESPN didn't!
Thy all loved ths pitch. It was tmly, wll crfted and most importantly, t stood-out
frm th thousnds f "Coming soon, an even better Xbox!" articles that everne
w obliged to write.

A a rsult, traffic to DreamArcades.com exloded - and o did thr ordrs!

You ar probabl thinking tht sounds lik the end, but in relity th was the
begnnng. The wonderful thng about public relation campaigns vs. advertising
cmpigns is that th impact just keeps growing ... if you re ble to keep fding t.
A few wks later I got a call frm PlayBy. The had heard but Dream Arcdes and
now wantd to fatur it in ther Aril 2006 fatur "PlayBoy's Ultimate Gameroom."
Wth nearly 2 mllon paid subscribers and who knows how many ttal readers, thi is a
MASSIVE ahievement. If I had imply clled thm nd ptched old I would never
hve md t pst th call screener. Instad, I hd an edtor CALL ME!
That article - nd the medi preceding it allowed Dram Arcades t increase th prce of
their products, while at th same tme increasing thr sls vlum. Th
PlaBo fatur alne rultd in a sales increse f more than 250% nd
remains at a much highr lvl than t was prior t that.
The lesson that s imprtant t draw from th s that sometimes PR takes month to
gnrat dvdnds but when it does, it pas ff dramatially. Fr the examle
abov, the str bgan in Sept. 2005 and the feture came out n Fb. 2006 - fv
mnth latr.
S wht an a businss ownr do and, if she huld hir somon, wht should
they help hr with?
Anyon with Award Winning Public Relations Agent time to pend, the ability t wrt
clearly nd speak English wll can:
1. Writ a press release
2. Write a lttr t the editor of thir local papers nd trad medi
3. Answer the phone when a reporter calls
4. Quckly and concsely provide th nformaton th reporter need.
Additinally, with accss t the ntrnt, mot peple can also reserch the contact
nfo for natinal and regional mdia. Or thy cn use a service like PR Web to uickly,
cheply nd easily send out a press releae.
S wh d you need a publc relations agency f ou an wrt a press release and
talk to the mdia all by yourself?
Th anwr is simle; becaue a professionl an usually do it bttr gnratng mre positive results quicker, wth less mistkes.
A public relation gnt an:
1.Provide access t pre-existing contacts, PR tools and mdia dtbe.
2.Provide an outside perspective - and th ability to suggest new wys f prmting the

company, product, and ervice. I once hd an article n the Financial Times and my boss
alled me in and dmndd to know wh I ws "wating my time" wth, "ome
aer he hd nvr heard of!"
3.Work with th business owner to mximiz oortunities such as holiday, pop-culture
new, r vn poltcal vnts.
4.Construct nd plish ptches tht are tailred to ndvdual media and reporter.
5.Provid th experience of knowing wht will and what won't wrk - so tht yu mke
less mistaks. Good PR gent hv already made and (hopefully) lerned frm their
mistakes!
6.Hel when the business wnr simply doesn't have the tme to do it hrslf.
Shuld a busnss wnr decide to brv th PR wrld all b herself, there are
sme uik and eas ways t make rech th publi and th media - without
spending a lt of mone.
Make Friend with Trade Prss!
If you are in n industry suh plastics, vnding, gming, dentistr, or vn vide
games, find out who your trde media is. Almst every industry has trde media - webite,
magazins, and newletter. Thee guys re ur friends. Yur upplier nd
ur distributors prbably rd these. The best rt is that if ou send updates and
news nce per month yu can build good awareness and vn better - experience working
with the press ... a friendly press.
Mke your Website Pre Friendly!
You huld have a website. Your webite huld be easy to navigat. Reporters hould
b able to quickly find a ection labeled a "press" or "mdia." This section should contain
ll the infrmatin tht a reporter would nd to cover our compan and products.
Th at a minimum huld nclude: ontats (phone and email), product brochures,
prduct and company logo imags for rnt and Celebrity Public Relations Agent onlin
use, bref company histor and accomplishments, rss releses and a lit of upcoming
vnts.
Lt People Knw abut Yur Website!
All of yur marketing mterils should nclud a link to your webite. Thi includes
mails, business cards, and brochures. Today ou can even bu personalized stamps
(www.zzzle.com) to make your mail stand out vn before it's opnd.
Lrn frm your Mistaks!
You wll mke mistakes. Dn't let tht bothr you. Most medi eole ar vry
forgiving. Often, they want the tory much as you want to give it to thm. Just remember,
they ar humn too.

Tlk, Writ and Share Yur Knwledge!

Write articls for ite such as ths n. Hy, it's free excet your tme! This creates
ur own PR. Just like an artile written b omon bout m; t wll last on the
intrnt. If you like my deas nd commnts I am sure you will b interested to lern
mr bout who I am nd wht my compan dos. Th can work for u just as
it ds for m!