Media Releases Public Relations
Publicity And PR Information
|
|
|
Media Releases Public Relations |
|
| ||
| ||
|
| ||
|
eBay:
More books on public relations | ||
|
You are free to use content from this page in your blog or website, in return for a link back to this page from that blog or website.
A New Idea For Venture Capitalists
Obviously, it hurts when a promising business project you backed financially goes down the tube. But while you point to many possible causes, seldom do you attribute the wreckage to a lack of effective communications that might have modified the behavior of sales prospects in a positive way, thus averting a money-losing shutdown. Is it not possible, Mr. or Ms. Venture Capitalist, that aggressive publicity and promotion might salvage the occasional, marginal investment' I believe it could, so here is a suggestion. Make it standard operating procedure, starting with your next venture, (a minor cost compared to your investment) that any project you back MUST include an adequately funded, top-notch plan to aggressively publicize the venture. Here's why. In public relations, we know people will act on their perception of the facts before them about your new venture. Further, we know that those perceptions will lead to predictable behaviors, good or bad, about which something can be done. So when we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those folks whose behaviors affect your new venture, your public relations effort is a success. I know you have startup worries beyond public relations concerns, but consider for a moment some very serious PR exposures faced by that new venture of yours, and especially by the new management you recently installed. If sales prospects are not made aware of your product or service, you will not get them as customers. And, as customers, if they don't remain convinced of the value of your product or service, you lose them. If employees believe your new management doesn't care about them, productivity suffers, and if a minority person believes your new venture discriminates when it doesn't, a host of unnecessary problems may ensue. For that matter, if community residents perceive your new business as a lousy place to work, you have employee hiring and retention problems. And if insurance carriers perceive your new management as a bad risk, they don't provide the needed business coverage. There's more. If journalists are suspicious of your new management's motives and they are not convinced otherwise, the venture gets "bad press." And if business people believe what some competitors say about the new business, that strategic alliance your managers want so badly may not come about. Plus, as you grow bigger, if government regulators believe the venture's products are not completely safe, sales will almost certainly be negatively affected. By the way, this article calls addressing these kinds of risks a new idea for venture capitalists because I've yet to see it discussed or even mentioned in the public press. Fortunately, you can put the kind of PR we're discussing to work immediately on behalf of your newest venture by introducing the new program to its managers with a brief, no-nonsense charter. Possibly along the lines of "yes, yes, I know you're very busy but it's our money on the line here and we're going to do everything possible to make it work!" From that might flow these "marching orders" to your managers. You will take the time to meet with members of your most important audiences and evaluate their feelings and beliefs about you and the business. You commit to take action when you discover troubling perceptions that could lead to negative behaviors. You accept that what people BELIEVE to be true, versus the truth, defines your public relations problem. You will raise your profile, and that of the business, by regularly speaking before business and fraternal clubs, by meeting with the media and by promoting your business as appropriate, thus building the kind of good will you will need should things go awry. You will prepare carefully thought out, persuasive messages that directly address the misconceptions you discover during your periodic fact finding sessions. You will select effective communications tactics that will carry those messages to your key audiences in a timely manner. And you will choose from a wide array of tactics such as meetings, speeches, luncheons, facility tours, promotional events, emails, media interviews and many more. And finally, you will track the progress of your public relations effort by speaking regularly with members of those key audiences, and monitoring both the media and the reaction of community residents and other businesses, adjusting your strategy and tactics accordingly. Yes, Mr. or Ms. Venture Capitalist, it does hurt when a promising project you backed goes down the tube. Of course, you are, and must be concerned with a host of financial, human resource, legal and competitive issues for each new venture. At the same time, in my view, you must remain vigilant as to how a single issue - potentially dangerous, unattended perceptions among a key audience -- can nudge a fledgling business closer to failure than success. Fortunately, the "marching orders" outlined above will lead your venture management team to resolve such issues without a major investment in either time or money. Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Robert A. Kelly 2005. Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com; bobkelly@TNI.net
Cat 267 |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Perception Persuasion Behavior: PR at Work Managers ' the business, non-profit and association sort ' really need to get this down pat if they are to meet their managerial objectives. Be Patient? Nah, Lets Kill Something There's the old joke about the two buzzards sitting in a tree overlooking a highway. One responds to the other, "Be patient? I'm hungry. Let's kill something." Just like that buzzard, it is not in the nature of most marketers to be patient for business to grow. They want to go out and "kill something," too. The Ten Ps of PR Everyone is talking about the Ps of successful marketing, so I thought it was time that PR had it's own Ps - essentials that will help you maximise your PR activities and results. Starting A Publicity Program Successful buisnesses know that media attention reaches consumers better than advertising can. A feature story on a start-up's new product or service, for example, can send the business into a new stage of growth. Publicity can help bring your business greater visiblity and success. Publicity lets the public know you exist and creates crediblity and good will. That makes customers and prospects more receptive to your products and services. Gaining Free Publicity Through Press Releases One of the greatest ways to promote your product or service is with publicity. Many people have little, if any, understanding of how to go about securing publicity, never mind free publicity. Fact is, people will pay more attention to free publicity than they often do to paid advertising. Tough Times, Tough Tactics When times are tough, it's no time to ignore those external audiences whose behaviors matter so much to your organization. The Only Way to Get Free Advertising' Receiving free advertising is the dream of most business people. If you've ever found yourself frosting at the mouth over how your competitor got interviewed on the news or how they are always highlighted in the local paper, then read on. Maybe next time you can beat them to the punch and reach thousands at no cost. Recessions Dont Last Forever! It could, but what if it doesn't? Do You See PRs Real Value' As a business, non-profit or association manager, do you see the value in doing something positive about the behaviors of those important external audiences of yours that most affect your operation? Public Relations Writing: Write Better Press Release Headlines With More Impact in Less Time Public relations writing when writing press releases can be a real challenge. Building Community Support for Project Permitting, Construction, and Marketing Redevelopment is replacing new construction throughout the Greater Boston area, as construction costs climb and the commercial/retail vacancy rate reaches new (and alarming) levels. Attention Owners of Food Related Businesses: How to Get Publicity Any Time You Want Attention: Who Else Wants To Get Publicity Whenever You Want It? Rise of the Creative Class The fast changing dynamics of the world economy is forcing organizations to fundamentally rethink the manner in which they have been communicating with their constituent communities and decision-makers. It is constantly being proven that conventional communication approaches that are designed to raise public awareness may often have the opposite effects of those intended. This is because they fail to take into account the public's profound resistance to the traditional communication stimuli. PR Is Just Smart Business The name of the game is doing our part to achieve manage- ment's objectives. And public relations best practice ' properly applied ' does just that. Publicity: Write a Letter to the Editor for Free Publicity Ever wonder why papers devote a page or more to letters to the editor? Because subscribers love to read them! 35 Quick Tips for Writing A Press Release Layout1. 1-2 pages in length.2. Double-space.3. 1.5 to 2 inch margins.4. Use company stationary with logo and slogan.5. Avoid bright or dark-colored paper.6. Center "News Release" at top.7. Place a "release date" under "News Release".8. On second page, type "page 2".9. Use company stationary with logo and slogan on page 2.10. Leave out "release after" date on second page, all else should be the same.11. At end of press release, type "-30-" or "# # #".12. Include both black & white, color, and a variety of font sizes (but no more than four). PR Secrets for Small Business Most small businesses do little to no public relations (PR) to promote their businesses. The reasons are fairly common. No one within the small business knows the mechanics of writing a press release, and if they did, they don't know what to say. Instead, small business owners wait for a local reporter to stop by or for a trade publication editor to notice them at a trade show. Most small businesses are still waiting, but a select few luck into their moment of fame; and when it comes, Wow! what an impact it can have. Media Training: How to Avoid Being Misquoted I often begin my media training sessions by asking members of the audience to raise their hands if they've been interviewed by the media. Almost all of the hands in the room go up. I then ask them to keep their hands up if they've ever been misquoted. Not only do virtually all of the hands remain up, but the usually nod their heads vigorously, followed by laughter. Media Training 101: When 60 Minutes Knocks On Your Door You never know when 60 Minutes will knock on your door and if not them, then maybe a local investigative reporter. A little media savvy is a valuable skill for executives and their image-conscious organizations. Unless you've had media training you know most businesspeople would rather face a firing squad than a crew from the 5:00 news. Although most reporters have professional integrity, some can be crafty. What Does the Public Relations Client REALLY Want, and Why' It's not unusual for clients of service providers to insist that their budget dollars be quickly applied to a variety of flashy tactics. Yet, when pressed, many acknowledge that what they REALLY want for their money is visible, end-game change.
|
 Public relations home | Public relations site map | custom google search | Privacy policy |
| Copyright © 2010 www.dovada.net.au Website Hosting Australia |
