Creating Buzz - Useful Tips
This is the second and the final on my articles on "buzz". The key to any successful PR campaign revolves around creating interest in your company - both with your customers and with the media. In this article, I will reveal tips for putting your business in the spotlight.
There's a famous saying that goes like this, "If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying 'Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday,' that's advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk him into town, that's promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor's flowerbed, that's publicity. If you can get the mayor to laugh about it, that's public relations. And if you planned the elephant's walk, that's marketing.". Try and decipher that...
While this may seem like just a cute anecdote, there is an important lesson to be learned from it: A well-timed public relations (PR) campaign can increase your businesses' chances of reaching your target market with exactly what they want to hear, when they are ready to hear it. Explaining good strategic PR is an art.
The art of building a successful PR campaign revolves around creating strong relationships with the media and your customers, planning special events and building an image - elements that when combined gain publicity, or "buzz," for your company. You need not spend thousands of dollars creating buzz about your company, however. innovative methods, such as identifying a media niche, creating a theme, and using trade shows and celebrity spokespersons are all publicity-generating vehicles for budget-minded businesses. We at Prudent International Inc have helped generate buzz for thousands of our customers with many finding their way to the print, internet and broadcast media.
You can garner attention for your company using a variety of creative techniques, from basic media relations to outrageous stunts. Creativity is very essential and it is important that it is done by someone who can totally divorce themselves from any marketing ambition because the public will feel it. This is one reason why PR is normally outsourced.
Trade shows can provide an excellent, cost-effective arena for creating buzz about your company and introducing new products or services to a captive audience.
When it comes to approaching the media to attract buzz, customizing your message is the only way to get their attention. After all, you don't carry on the exact same conversation with everyone you know, so why would you send every newspaper the same press release? Each media outlet has different story needs and a different audience. Before attempting to pitch your story to an editor, ask yourself what would make a disinterested party want to read an article about your company. Once you hit on the hook you have a story. An explosion of both new companies and new media is generating stiff competition in the marketplace of public awareness. It's also creating a gold mine of opportunities to reach the audiences that matter to you. When you find a media niche for your business, also engage in your industry's dialogue, establish a company presence, create an awareness and build credibility.
The beautiful part for entrepreneurs is that almost everyone and every business has a story to tell, a distinctive voice than can make a space for itself amid the noise. Good entrepreneurial media relations is primarily about identifying your story and determining who cares about it. It can be time-consuming but this kind of work is inexpensive and can give the business owner a greater understanding of his industry.
When celebrities appear in a company's product advertisements, it can create a very loud buzz. Psychologists explain this is because we are unconsciously drawn to the familiar. So, right off the bat, the presence of a celebrity gives many customers an extra reason to stop and pay attention. Second is the widespread belief that a celebrity appearance represents a true endorsement - that the celebrity uses the product and believes it to be better than its competitors. Celebrity endorsements can carry the same weight for customers as a recommendation from a friend. While the illusion is that the celebrity is endorsing the vendor's product or service, the job of celebrity spokesperson is strictly business If you can afford the celebrity's fee, you have as good an opportunity of attracting the celebrity's services as any other company. Many celebrities cost much less than one would expect.
Celebrity spokespersons are usually represented by agents who serve as brokers. If you're interesting in contracting the services of a celebrity spokesperson, contact several agents, describing your business goals, then asking for recommendations on available celebrities who best fit your product or promotion. We at Prudent International Inc are in touch with a good number of celebrity agents who we have honed over the years. The key to making celebrities work for a company is finding someone who will be credible for your product. That's more important than how famous they are. If you sell plant food, find a famous horticulturist, not just an actor. If you sell coffee, find a famous chef. And if you sell carpet cleaning, find someone who is recognized in decorating or living in a fine home. The closer the fit, the greater the perceived endorsement value.
In business or life you don't get anything without asking. You might be surprised to learn that the celebrity you are asking just might be flattered by the request and thrilled about the opportunity to endorse your business even for free if it results in free or helpful publicity for them.
Have you ever wondered why the same companies seem to attract all of the media coverage? No matter where you turn - newspapers, trade magazines, even lifestyle publications - it seems that some businesses are just natural media darlings. Do they know some secret that the rest of us don't? Companies that get all the buzz usually have a good marriage of solid or innovative product or service with good promotional ideas.The best way to get the industry's attention is with a 'first, biggest or best' of a new product or service. If you are the second company to offer something, you are already at a disadvantage, but if you can show why yours is different than the rest, you are on your way to getting buzz. Try and get consistent evaluation by independent organizations of your products or services.
It is a myth that companies have to spend a lot of money on marketing to become buzz magnets. Too many companies think they need to do ongoing promotions. They are wasting money. Promotions are important, but there needs to be something behind it.
Tune-Up It is important to know as much about your competition as your own products/services and company. Journalist will feel free to ask anything even vaguely connected with products, your market, its sector and your competition. They might also ask personal questions which, in another context, might seem rude. Joseph Reriani - PR Consultant
This article is part of Joseph Reriani's "PR Tune-up Blog" newsletter posted to over 6,000 subscribers weekly. The newsletter was first published in 2002 at http://www.Reriani.com. For more articles and PR tune-up tips, please visit www.PrudentPressAgency.com and www.SkyNewswire.com. Joseph Reriani is a Media Consultant and Fellow with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations- United Kingdom. He is the President/CEO of Prudent International Inc and Executive Editor of Prudent Press Agency. He is also an Assistant Editor of SkyNewswire.com directed by Jackie Mugambi . He is a trained journalist and specializes in helping businesses, organizations, and individuals improve their public image by effectively employing the power of public relations. Mr Reriani can be reached at admin @ Reriani.com. You may freely copy and re-publish this article without altering any part in the body.