As I look back on the year and my clients, I realized that not all of them really understand what PR can and can’t do for them and their businesses. In some cases, PR can go a long way to building awareness for a company and its products, while in other cases it can do more harm than good if it’s not fully understood.
I came across a blog on Bulldog Reporter’s Daily Dog PR blog from Marshfield, Mass.-based PerkettPR about what to expect from PR. Here are a few tips, combined from that blog and my own thoughts and experiences.
Here’s what you can expect PR to accomplish:
- Get your products in front of the “right people” – reporters, bloggers, analysts and others who influence the buying decisions of your prospects.
- Connect executives and spokespersons with these folks for personal meetings/briefings/interviews – to help maintain a personal relationship or provide expertise for a story.
- Get these media influencers to listen – based on long-standing relationships the PR firm has or the PR firm’s ability to understand what they want, how they want to be connected, and what they care about, etc.
- Give you insight on where to be (events, online and off) to connect with the right folks who can help you – whether it’s media, VCs, analysts, customers/prospects, partners, etc.
- Help you write, message, brand and promote what you want to say in a more eloquent manner.
- Help “roll out the red carpet” for sales by spreading awareness of you, your company, and your products consistently, and in the right places. Ideally, PR sets the stage so that when a sales executive walks into a deal, the prospect says, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of you – I see you guys everywhere.” That’s always a nice start.
In Part 2, next week, I’ll explain what a PR firm should not be expected to do.
Wendy Alpine
wendy@alpinepr.com
www.alpinepr.com
Phone: 770-321-1695
Fax: 404-806-5316