PR should not be scary
by Michael B. Perini, ABC
perini & associates
With the Halloween holiday around the corner and those creepy spiders crawling up walls everywhere, I thought a post on what makes public relations scary for many a perfect fit for this weekly post.
Yes, believe it or not, there are many business owners, adovacy gurus and event planners who, when they think about PR, run off and hide in the woods. Or, a more frightening thought, decide to do the public relations work themselves. SCREAM!
In the long run it’s cost effective to have a professional public relations consultant navigate through the cobwebs and darkness that often surround public relations. Public Relations won’t be scary if you are mindful of the following potential horrors and take steps to avoid them:
1. You want to run your own business: Not your publicity campaign. You really do not have the time or expertise to put your product or service into the appropriate target audience(s). You really can not do it all when it comes to developing a public relations strategy followed up with effective tools.
2. There are many ins and outs to pitching the media: You can hurt your business, your reputation or issue support by using a haphazard approach. So, let someone who has built relationships with the media take this work on.
3. What you really need is a new perspective: A consultant who lives and breathes public relations can see your business, event or issue in a new light. Too be honest you really don’t have a “fence” around all ideas. Let a new set of eyes help you work smart.
4. Need to save money? Most small to midized businesses find that having an outside public relations consultant is far less of an investment than hiring in house. You simply pay to enact a program and thus you save those employee costs. Now, I bet your accountant will like those pumpkins!!
5. Sales down. Business slow: The prescription is usually developing a marketing plan, updating the website, establishing an outreach program, creating lists to call on, finding “fans” to share the story. Multiple touch points in a sustained manner is critical to protect the brand and foster business. Again, a PR consultant can take the fear out of this process.
So, this Halloween go out and find a public relations consultant. One who is the right choice for you. Remember, PR need not be scary, as spiders are to many, if someone is guiding you through the night.
Trick or treat! Have fun. Be safe.