Success in business places a premium on aggressive, opportunistic sales and marketing. But make no mistake, you are wasting the most credible, trusted and cost-efficient type of marketing there is if you're not making PR a vital part of the equation.
Public relations is about reaching the community of journalists and industry analysts who have the power to chart and influence the perception of your company. It's about:
- Creating awareness of your company and the value of your products or services as a way to achieve awareness, competitive differentiation, preference and, ultimately, market leadership.
- Placing articles in online, business and industry trade publications and generating evaluations from leading industry analysts. This, in turn, produces sales leads and referrals that generate profitable business.
Advertising, events, direct response and web-based marketing certainly
have their place. But these are hopelessly congested, heavily-hyped
arenas, and buyers know vendor claims are not validated by any objective third party. PR is
different, which is why it's so effective.
And the best part is that PR-driven coverage is free -- in fact, you couldn't buy it even if you wanted to.
In the final analysis, public relations is about defining the marketplace in your own image, which is key to shaping the story of what you want the world to know about your company and what it stands for.
Bottom Line Communications (BLC)
is an award-winning full-service public relations and marketing
communications consultancy serving the high-tech industry and other
fields. If PR is not a strategic part of your marketing communications program, it's not too late. It's just that the sooner we talk the better you'll feel.
Meet Bill Bradley, principal of BLC.
Read BLC's monthly newsletter, Got PR?
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