An Insiders tip-off PRPosted by dan123 on July 30th, 2010
What are some of the most commonly asked questions that companies new to PR raise as they create a marketing strategy.
As full service PR consulting agency to multi-national corporations we are often asked – how much will ‘it’ cost? Unfortunately there is no simple answer to that as the two main objectives are usually to raise awareness of the brand and to grow sales. As there is usually no finite end to these objectives and often a challenge in measuring them – especially for small-medium size businesses – there is subsequently no exact figure for a public relations budget.
Another question asked of us is: as a marketing agency: what do you think is the best value tactic for our PR spend? For businesses on a low budget, it’s important to get the basics right. Often the first item to address is a strong Search Engine Optimisation strategy. Sadly many web developers believe almost exclusively in terms of aesthetics, not in terms of improving Google’s ability to rank your site high. Even a mere Website Optimization inspection of the site can provide very positive higher website traffic. Every advance toward the number 1 search engine ranking will translate into a significant increase in sites impressions. Research estimates tell that 4 out of ten internet surfers will click on the top Google listing with only 1 out of 10 clicking on the second.
The one thing that most often catchesout organisations embarking on a effective advertising campaign is the lack of clear strategic planning. At Impact PR we advise you to begin at the ultimate objective and work backwards from there. You should be asking yourself how will we get to the final objective? Is the marketing budget sufficient to allow us to meet the required outcome? This recommendation applies to any marketing strategy – large, medium or small.
The next issue is whether the marketing strategy should use public relations or advertising or both? Generally public relations works especially well if there is a significant news angle – this can best be described as something particularly unique about the product or brand. For example an internet shopping website which gives all its profits to charity. Other factors which may influence the success of a campaign are how well the product is matched to the target markets personal needs. Eg a moisturiser seems to go very well when the media market is female aged 20-30 – primarily because they can personally relate to the product.
Advertising might be utilised when the goal is shorter term in nature or when the outcome demands high repetition to be achieved. Google adwords are usually useful if budget is modest and/or if the product is in popular category – ie web surfers know to search for it. For brand new products in new categories, public relations/other forms of marketing can be an effective way to raise awareness.
