A public relations, or PR, campaign allows you to control the spread of information about you and your business, creating a media narrative that positions you to attract customers without the expense of traditional advertising.
However, public relations doesn't happen all on its own. To create and implement a PR campaign, you need a comprehensive plan that your business can follow, measure, and improve on.
What Goes Into a Media Plan?
To achieve your public relations objectives and reach your customers, you need to develop a media plan. This plan outlines:
You can create a successful media plan, and structure your public relations campaign, in six steps.
Step 1: Define Your Objective
Define and write down your objectives. What will your public relations campaign be designed to achieve? Do you want to:
Step 2: Establish Clear Goals
Articulate clear goals for your campaign. Unlike your objective, which is qualitative, your goals should be quantitative. These goals should be in line with your overall business, marketing, and sales objectives.
When establishing these goals, use the SMART method. Your goals should be:
Step 3: Identify Your Target Market
In marketing, everything is determined by your target customer. Identify who you are trying to reach, what those customers care about, and where they can be found, you can create a blueprint for your entire campaign, including:
Once you know who makes up your target market, you can begin creating a plan for where and when your PR campaign will appear, as well as what it will say. It can be helpful to look at public relations outreach that your competitors have done, which will give you an idea of which media outlets to target, as well as what messages you should and should not send.
Step 4: Research Opportunities
Begin to research and plan opportunities for your media campaign. What communication vehicles will you use to get your message to the public? Examples may include:
As you begin researching opportunities, reach out to contacts you already have in the media or explore opportunities for creating media relationships such as networking events or HARO queries.
Step 5: Create a Schedule
Once you have connected with your media contacts and know what opportunities are available, create a schedule for your public relations campaign that includes:
As you create your schedule, consider what else will be happening with other marketing and sales efforts during or after your campaign. By coordinating your PR appearances with upcoming sales, for example, you create more incentive for those learning about your business to convert into customers. You can even create special landing pages, email onboarding, or discounts for those who learn about your business through your public relations campaign.
Step 6: Measure Your Progress
Finally, put measures in place to track the results of your public relations campaign. These can include:
After each stage of your campaign, sit down and review the results. Did you achieve the defined objectives and goals of this campaign? Should you consider modifying your original plan? If so, how, and why? To be successful, you must measure and track not only your media appearances but the details of the campaign's results.
As you track the results of your media campaign, you should also measure how it is integrating with the rest of your marketing. Public relations allows you to reach your target market without the expense of advertising, but it should not be the only tool in your marketing mix. By creating a comprehensive media plan and integrating it with the rest of your marketing strategy, you'll put your business in the best possible position to grow and thrive.
Advertising and the Ways to Go About It How Businesses Market Themselves Vehicle Advertising ••• Table of Contents
Target Market - page 4 Common Advertising Methods - page 5 Online Advertising Taking Over - page 6
Advertising is the attempt to influence the buying behavior of customers or clients with a persuasive selling message about products and/or services. In business, the goal of advertising is to attract new customers by defining the target market and reaching out to them with an effective ad campaign.
Target Market
Establishing the target market is the critical first step in any advertising campaign – you need to know who your intended audience is before you can reach them. If your target audience is senior citizens, for example, an advertising medium such as Facebook is a poor choice. Similarly, Millennials are much less likely to read newspapers or use the Yellow Pages.
Defining the target market involves building a demographic profile of the prospective customer by taking into account criteria such as age, gender, marital status, lifestyles, shopping habits, etc.
It is also important to check out the level of competition for your product or service with your target audience as you may need to compete on price and/or service.
Common Advertising Methods
There are many different types of advertising that are typically used by small businesses. Online advertising: Online marketing includes a myriad of advertising opportunities, such as:
Local website advertising: Many municipalities and Chamber of Commerce chapters have websites that provide listings of local businesses.
Business web pages: Creating and maintaining a professional website with clearly outlined descriptions of business offerings, optimized for search traffic.
Email: Requires a customer email list and adherence to anti-spam regulations. Email newsletters can be useful for keeping in touch with existing customers and passing on information about new products or services.
Facebook: Taking advantage of social media by creating a business Facebook page and using it to regularly promote products and services. A common advertising venue for businesses such as restaurants who use Facebook fan pages to promote new menu items or specials and to receive feedback from customers. There are also a number of available 3 for doing business on Facebook.
Twitter: Assuming the business has Twitter followers tweets can be used to send out short promotional messages.
Newspaper advertising: While on the decline (U.S. newspaper ad revenue dropped by over 50% between 2006 and 2015) newspaper ads can still be an effective way to reach customers. Many municipalities have special interest newspapers which can be used by businesses for local advertising.
Yellow Pages: Usage of the printed pages is also in decline. However, there is an online version.
Direct mail: Can be very useful. Can be costly if sent via post, but even without a mailing list brochures, flyers, etc. can still be delivered directly to residences and/or businesses in targeted geographic areas. Unfortunately, statistics show that nearly half of direct mail ads are unread by recipients and tossed away as "junk mail."
Cable TV and radio – Cable companies often have local info channels that offer affordable advertising for small businesses.
Cold calling – By phone or in person can still be surprisingly effective. As an example, while on a call a service company can take the opportunity to visit neighboring residences/businesses and mention their services (or drop off flyers or brochures). Phone solicitation is now illegal in Canada to numbers registered in the National Do Not Call List unless the business has an existing relationship to the customer.
Vehicle (wrap) advertising – Turning a vehicle into a “mobile billboard” is an excellent way to maximize business exposure. Vehicle ads are eye-catching and in a major metro area can be seen over a million times a month.
Online Advertising Taking Over
Online advertising continues to grow rapidly, with over $229 billion invested globally in online advertising in 2017. According to statista, this is projected to rise to $335 billion by 2020.
With over 2 billion users of social networks, spending on social media ads alone has grown to over $35 billion in 2017 from virtually nothing in 2010 (spending doubled from 2014 to 2016). Social media is particularly popular with advertisers, where easy access to user demographic data (such as age, interests, spending habits, etc.) companies can finely tailor ads to the audience.
How to Define Your Target Market
Don't make the mistake of marketing your product or service before you've defined your customer or client. If you do, you're just throwing your marketing money away.
Marketing isn't just a matter of placing ads. It's a method of attracting new business. Before you can hope to achieve this, you have to know exactly who you want to target with your marketing. You need to know your target market before you can reach them.
What's the point, for instance, in buying an advertising spot on TV if you're trying to sell whitewater rafting adventures? Are these sorts of people really going to be sitting in front of the tube?
Define your customer by getting to know everything you possibly can about him or her. Think carefully about your product or service. Exactly who would want to purchase it?
What Is the Target Customer Demographic Profile?
Demographics are extremely important for targeted marketing—obviously, you do not want to be marketing skateboards to seniors or expensive furniture in a low-income housing community. Establish the demographic profile of the target market:
What Are the Target Customer Lifestyles/Attitudes?
Lifestyles and attitudes are also important when determining your customer profile. Working folks have lifestyle priorities and constraints on their time that retired people do not have. Is your audience:
The web offers a wealth of information from various sources that can provide you with up to date market research and current consumer trends.
What Is the Competition for Your Product or Service?
If your targeted audience is currently buying a similar product or service from one or more competitors, find out why. Is the competitor offering:
You need to develop your target market as specifically as possible if you're going to market your product or service effectively. So think of your "ideal" client or customer as a person. Visualize him or her in detail. "See" what he or she does, thinks, and wants.
If you can't visualize this person clearly and distinctly, then you need to research your potential customer or client until you can. Because until you can define your target market, you won't be able to make the decisions that need to be made about marketing, such as how, where, and when to advertise.
Why Your Marketing Plan Should Include Sponsorship
Learn how event sponsorship can benefit your marketing and sales.
Sponsorships are the financial or in-kind support of activities. Businesses often sponsor events, trade shows, groups, or charity causes to reach specific business goals and increase their competitive advantage.
Though sponsorship is a form of marketing, it is different from advertising, which attempts to persuade customers to make purchases by sharing specific messages about a product or company.
Sponsorships, on the other hand, don't directly promote your company or products. Instead, your company pays to support a specific event that your customers care about. Your business is then associated with the event by customers, attendees, and the media.
How Event Sponsorships Work
Most large, community events use sponsorship support to offer more exciting programs and to help defray costs.
Promotional opportunities at trade shows, charity events, or business functions include sponsorships of press rooms, an international lounge, a speaker or VIP room, an awards reception, educational programs, banners, badge holders, audiovisual equipment, display computers, shuttle buses, tote bags, or other branded swag.
Local causes such as sports teams or charity drives offer more limited places for your branding and products, but they also allow you to reach a specific local audience. For example, fewer people will see your logo on the backs of local Little League uniforms than at a national trade show. However, if your customers are all local and have kids on the Little League team, that's the best place to be seen by your ideal audience.
9 Marketing Benefits of Sponsorship
In all its forms, sponsorships allow you to reach targeted niche markets without the expense and uncertainty associated with traditional advertising. Strategic sponsorships can help your business meet multiple marketing goals at once.
Shape consumer attitudes. Sponsoring events that your customers care about creates positive feelings about your brand. If customers feel you care about the same things they do, they are more likely to have a positive attitude toward your company.
Build brand awareness. Sponsorships with in-kind products are often cheaper than traditional advertising. If you choose your events carefully, it guarantees you an audience that needs your products, unlike traditional media ads, which can be seen by anyone. For example, a pet store owner who provides branded leashes for a local kennel club's annual dog show knows their brand's name will be seen in action repeatedly by their target customers.
Drive sales. Driving sales goes hand-in-hand with brand awareness, and many sponsorship opportunities allow you to introduce consumers to your product in a way that encourages them to make a purchase. Food or cosmetic companies at a trade show, for example, may have samples for a customer to try at the same location where they can purchase full-size products. You may choose to link purchases to a specific event, as American Express did by making a donation every time customers used their AmEx cards during its "Charge Against Hunger" campaign.
Increase reach. Strategic sponsorship encourages word-of-mouth marketing. Ideally, people who attend an event that you sponsor will have a positive interaction with your brand and continue to talk about your service or product. If your company's name is on the event's promotional materials, including emails and advertisements, you have an additional opportunity to reach more customers.
Generate media exposure. For many small companies, media coverage is expensive and out of financial reach. If, however, you can sponsor a local occasion or industry trade show, you can capitalize on the media presence of that event. Media coverage often includes the names of sponsors, especially if your logo is tied to the name or branding of the event. This positive publicity increases the visibility of your products and services, especially if you have a media plan in place to capitalize on the exposure.
Differentiate yourself from competitors. Sponsoring an event, especially an exclusive sponsorship, sets you apart from your competitors by tying you to something positive in consumers' minds. This tactic is particularly helpful if your competitor has a larger ad budget than your company.
Take on a "corporate citizen" role. Not all sponsorships have to center around industry events. Sponsoring local sports teams, charity campaigns, or public organizations like museums puts you in the role of a good neighbor or a corporation with a conscience. Customers are more likely to perceive you as contributing to their community, which creates goodwill and positive associations with your brand.
Generate new leads. If you're sponsoring an industry event, you have the opportunity to connect with consumers who are actively in need of your services. Capitalize on the position and respect associated with sponsorship to showcase yourself or your product. Don't focus on sales. Be knowledgeable and helpful while providing a way for interested customers to sign up to learn more about your business. If you can, offer something for free in exchange for their contact information.
Enhance business, consumer, and VIP relationships. Many events will offer special opportunities to sponsors, such as exclusive networking settings, VIP receptions, or outings with high-profile people in the industry. You can take advantage of these events to meet key customers and solidify business relationships, especially if you have a plan for following up once the event is done.
How to Add Sponsorship to Your Marketing Plan
Sponsorships help your business increase its credibility, improve its public image, and build prestige. Like any form of marketing, it should be used strategically as a way to reach your target customers.
As you build your marketing plan, research the events and causes that your ideal customers care about.
Depending on the cost and reach of different sponsorship opportunities, you may find that they are a better use of your marketing budget than many forms of traditional advertising.