Ask any prominent business leader and they will tell you – “PR is not a luxury.” This holds true whether you’re running a multi-billion dollar corporation or the corner grocery store. Public Relations is an essential tool for connecting with an audience of current and potential clients and building trust in your brand, but is often overlooked and under-utilized by small- and medium-sized businesses. Why? Many people simply don’t know what PR is or why it’s important for every business.
The crucial question, of course, is “What is PR?” PR is the art of generating buzz and excitement, connecting with an audience in a way that excites them, and opening that audience’s eyes to a message which resonates with them: your message. Many people mistakenly expect there to be a direct correlation between PR activity and sales results, and indeed, there is a fuzzy line between marketing or advertising and PR. However, the difference lies in the goal. Effectively spent advertising dollars are expected to have a direct return in increased revenue, but the “return” for a PR campaign is more nuanced. The goal of PR is to get a person, product, and/or message into people’s consciousness and make them comfortable and familiar with it. It’s about building a community and a relationship. The trust which a PR campaign builds in a product or brand should enable marketing to be more effective and generate income, but for a PR campaign, the income itself is more of a long-term aim than a short-term objective.
Another way to think about it is that PR tells a story, and stories are not advertisements. Instead, they give takeaway value –something people can use in their daily lives and be grateful for with no cost attached. As an example, I have a client who has written a book about how her and her husband both overcame cancer at same time. During an interview on XM/Sirius radio, she shared this intriguing story and tips about how she beat cancer through changes in diet and lifestyle. This is literally lifesaving information, but she did not say, “Buy my book to learn how to beat cancer.” The goal of the interview was not to sell more books. Instead, she wanted to provide value with no strings attached, and hopefully some listeners will want to continue the relationship by going to her website and learning more. Perhaps down the line when a friend or loved one is diagnosed with cancer, this listener will remember the interview and purchase a copy the book, but at the very least, they will remember my client’s name and be grateful that they can share some of her advice.
Building this kind of relationship through PR is critical for any business because of a fundamental fact of human nature: people make decisions based on emotion. Whether it’s a purchase decision or just how to spend their time, for most people, the main factors in any choice are their feelings and any communication on the topic which they’ve received from someone they perceive to be like themselves. This is why face to face meetings and word of mouth are so important. Think about it. No matter how many advertisements you see for a new restaurant in town, you are infinitely more likely to actually try that restaurant if friend mentions it to you while watching a little league game. PR is the tool that helps that restaurant resonate in your friend’s mind and makes them want to bring it up the next time they see you. The main lesson of PR is that no matter how small or large your business, there are always ways to make people more aware of what you’re doing, which will in turn generate more business.
After 20 years as a network news producer, I’ve been trained to recognize the difference between an advertisement and a story, and that’s the value that Tom Martin Media brings to the table. I’ve seen first-hand that an interview segment can’t be a commercial or the audience will tune it out and journalists won’t give it air time. My experience has taught me how to position a story or message so that it truly provides value and connects with the desired audience. I believe only in earned (not purchased) media, because I’ve seen that any product or person can be newsworthy if presented in the right way.
With a network of friends and former colleagues who are still producers at major news networks (Oprah, The Today Show, World News Tonight, and the New York Times, to name a few), I have connections to people who know that I am a veteran journalist who is not going to waste their time because I’ve brought them great stories in the past and will continue to bring them great stories in the future. That being said, I’m not solely reliant on my connections in traditional media like TV, radio, and newspaper. Lately, the best way to reach a desired audience is often through social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or blogs, and I know that to reach potential customers you need to use the medium that they are most comfortable with. Finally, with Tom Martin Media, you’ll always get me directly. There’s nothing I find more exciting than working with individuals to get actively involved in the brainstorming and creative process, and being there to see it through on an on-going basis. Together, we can craft your message and get it out to the people who are most interested in hearing it. PR is not a luxury, and with a seasoned professional by your side, it can be opportunity to bring your business – no matter how large or small – to the next level.