Making You Memorable

How do you choose a PR firm?
Why do people use PR?
Using your sales leads

How do you choose a PR firm?

Because there are so many PR firms, choosing the right one can be difficult. Unfortunately, agencies often promise more than they can deliver.

In the world of PR, no one can promise anything. Especially media coverage. It’s NOT possible.

The only people who can promise space are advertising firms. And, no matter what they say, they cannot guarantee results.

Advertising is the least effective, most expensive marketing strategy out there. Most people only start there because they don’t know what else to do.

PR is effective because the information goes through a reporter, editor or producer, giving it legitimacy.

Sophisticated people realize that PR is the fastest way to build credibility and reputation, a value that translates into sales.

So, how do you choose? There are four major things to look for:

Experience counts, but what type of experience is it? Someone who has never been a journalist can’t talk to a reporter the way another journalist can. They don’t know what to say or how to say it. Look for someone who has been a journalist.

What type of experience do they have? If the firm mainly worked for government agencies or large corporations that get coverage easily, they won’t know how to place stories for a large company, much less mid-size firm. Or start-up. Creativity is what counts.

What industries have they worked in? If they have worked in your industry, they may know reporters, editors and producers. They also may be more familiar with the issues and jargon, which means less time getting up to speed.

Speaking of which, beware of anyone who speaks in buzzwords or jargon. Reporters, editors and producers hate it. If the publicity firm can’t simplify information enough to make it understandable to a child, they can’t place articles. Journalism is targeted to eighth grader.

If you want to know what they a publicist can do, ask to see their portfolio. Looking at reprints or copies of actual articles will give you the best idea of what the PR firm can do. And, whether they are right for you.

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Why do people use PR?

	People see more than 10,000 pieces of information daily, most of which is subconscious. While people automatically hit the remote when they see an advertisement on TV, they watch the programs, see the products in the background and assume the talking heads are experts in their field.
	Few people realize that most news and feature articles are the direct result of PR people place those stories. A study by the Columbia University Review of Journalism showed that even in the Wall Street Journal, 45 percent of the articles were placed by PR people.
	The people in the articles are not experts, but they are smart enough to hire a PR agency to get them publicity. They are not experts either, yet they are seen as experts and taken as reference points because they are in the media.
	People believe the information they see and read. The media has credibility that advertising never achieves.
	Think of it this way: Television advertising is bought in .15- or .30-second spots while most television segments are 3 to 5 minutes long. That’s ten times as long, or more.
	Measured by the amount of money it would cost to buy an ad that long, an appearance on a newscast would be worth tens of thousands of dollars.
	Because you cannot buy that space, an article in a newspaper or magazine is worth much, much more.
	Add the credibility factor and you begin to see how valuable publicity can be.

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Using your sales leads

Most people want more business. Many rely on leads from publicity, marketing, and advertising. Yet:

	20 percent of all leads are never followed up on.
	After the first try, 90 percent of leads are abandoned.
	The average time from initial contact to first follow-up is 58 days – nearly two months.
	Worse, 33 percent of businesses take up to six months to followup.
	12 percent take more than six months.
	A survey by Performark calculated that, given these statistics, the advertising revenue lost from lack of timely follow-through was 82 cents on the dollar.

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For more information, please call Dell Richards Publicity at 916.455.4790 or contact us.