PR that Goes Beyond the Swag

We are living in an era of prioritizing.  Today, we are tightening budgets and trying to avoid debt.  We hear the political debates discussing what to cut and how much it will save.  Most small businesses are having similar conversations about where is best to invest their money.

Recently, President Obama cut travel, cell phones and swag.  For years, the Federal Government has used taxpayer money to pay for the swag, the promotional items they use public relations tools.  Obama wants to cut “things we don’t need to afford things we do need.”

Have you used swag as a creative marketing tool then wondered what return you were getting on your investment?  It’s a magnet your customers see every morning when they reach in the refrigerator for milk.  It’s the pen they use just about every day at the office.  It’s the t-shirt that they wear while sweating it out on the treadmill.

Swag certainly serves a purpose, but is it enough? Which would you remember longer: the story you saw on the news while on the treadmill or the ad that’s on someone’s t-shirt at the gym?  Meaningful stories are lasting in our mind and influence our opinions on businesses.

You can take your message to the marketplace in a creative, effective and lasting way. CEL utilize the media as an avenue to tell our clients’ stories to their target audience.  Have you thought about redirecting some of your swag money to media relations?

If you are planning to dive into securing media coverage for your business or brand, CEL offers you our Top Ten Media Tips:

1. Fine-tune your media angle and remember that it’s not always obvious to your audience.
2. Know the reporter.
3. Be prompt in meeting deadlines.
4. Develop and implement a media policy so your team knows the protocol when the media calls.
5. Identify three key messages and stick to them.
6. Know your facts that support your key messages.
7. Remember who the audience is.
8. Incorporate the name of your business into the interview because you can’t expect the reporter to do it.
9. Never say anything that you don’t want to see in print or hear on the radio or on television.
10. Use your news!  Frame print coverage and hang it in your office.  Place the words “as seen on” on your website and on promotional materials.

Published on: November 29, 2011