As the saying goes, the only bad publicity
is no publicity. That’s a common refrain shared among PR folks and there is a
grain of truth in that saying. Unless your target audience is aware of your
business it will be extremely difficult to generate sales. That applies to a
corner dry cleaner or an ecommerce site. Every business is dependent upon buzz
and a good reputation. And the best way to generate that buzz is through
positive press mentions. But you shouldn’t stop there. Good PR can come in many
forms, especially through social media.
In this age, no one can ignore the fact
that being online is a must for any business.
Gone are the days when your customers turn to actual yellow pages or pay
attention to a TV ad to find what they need. Now most folks head to Google or
ask their friends online to find just what they are looking for. What they will
find could be your business ranked at the top of the search engine listings
thanks to positive PR. Here are some ideas for generating that kind of
proactive response:
Get
involved in your target market’s community
Not every company can become an official
sponsor of the Olympic Games but they can become a sponsor of the local youth
hockey team or get involved with charity drives. All of those ideas can create positive
a positive reputation that your business cares about the community you are targeting.
Even if your market is nationwide, you can sponsor events or even athletes to
build brand reputation. Start researching the interests and passions of your
target market and see if you can find a way to get your brand involved in a
positive way. Your involvement can often be mentioned by news organizations
reporting on these causes. That’s terrific publicity.
Get
to know your local TV news station
A good way to generate brand visibility is
taking advantage of your local TV station. Many stations are affiliates of a
larger channel so by promoting your PR angle; you have a higher chance of
getting features, especially if it’s unusual. You can also re-post the news
feature through YouTube and generate a lot of views. News producers need to
fill up that programming with interesting features and not just the headline
stories. Could you pitch an unusual segment to a local news producer? Suppose
you have an ecommerce business that offers housecleaning products. You could
pitch a segment about how your product can remove any stain in any home. If you
can’t, then the winner will receive free cleaning services for life. Bottom line:
think of how you can promote your business by providing something unusual that
makes your company stand out.
Get involved
in online discussions
If your business is already attracting
customers then it’s a safe bet those customers are talking about you to their
friends or online. One of the most popular and largest online review sites is
Yelp. Not only are they offering reviews for restaurants, but there are reviews
for just about any other kind of business.
You need to plug into the various
online communities to find out what is being said about your business. Set up a
Google Alert for your company – this enables you to receive notifications if
your company is being mentioned online. If you stumble upon a forum that your
target market uses heavily, get involved. If someone has a problem with your
company, go into customer service mode and try to fix their issue.
