MARKETING
TIP #092
The Credibility Bonus
I’ll bet if you asked three of your colleagues what P.R. is they’d tell you it’s publicity, press releases, events, and sampling. And yes, they’re right, BUT, it’s much more than that. There’s a whole new way of thinking about P.R. that you need to know about.
P.R. is about publicity, but it’s also about managing your relationship with your customers whether they are the public, trade or B2B. It’s about building your brand credibility in addition to recognition. Honest credibility, not trumped up, over-inflated tales like those perpetuated by WholeFoods president John Mackey in his ‘devil’s advocate’ blog. You have a story to tell. You believe in your product or service and you want your audience to believe too. That’s what P.R. does; it tells your story.
You may be thinking, “Can’t I accomplish this through my advertising dollars?” The answer is yes, but...
In advertising, the public knows you paid for the space and the message. That’s not the case with P.R. Because no space is purchased and the opinions about your product or service are independent, there is earned credibility.
Lisa LaMotta on Forbes.com nails it, “Depending on the outlet and nature of the story, P.R. offers a potentially huge benefit that advertising does not: third-party approval.”
While we P.R. types will always be hitting the bricks to keep in front of the right editors, we’ve found new ways of keeping you in front of your public: blogs, RSS feeds, HTML newsletters, e-blasts, e-media alerts and podcasts – like the one we just did for Flinchbaugh Engineering that got over 200 reads or downloads in just 8 days.
Not every tool, or tactic, is right for everyone and every situation. It’s all about knowing what works most effectively for a given strategy and how you use the tools. That’s where North Star Marketing’s experience and expertise can benefit you – give me call, 717-392-6982, ext. 109. Let’s chat about your P.R. options for 2008.
Ciao,
Mary Anne Piccirillo
Public Relations Director
P.S. Click here to learn about getting the buzz going for you
Mary Anne comes to North Star Marketing with over 13 years of corporate, retail and product public relations experience. She has earned product placements in publications such as Home, House Beautiful, House & Garden, Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publications and Woman’s Day Special Interest Publications. She wrote a monthly column for three trade publications and has ghost-written articles for several others. She has also produced press events, international press junkets and special events.