Why PR Now Stands For Personal Relationships  

December 10, 2009 Leave a comment

Yes PR still means public relations, but the definition of the term has broadened.  It is now about building a personal relationship.  Traditional PR is more important that ever; it is the only form of marketing that offers you the validation and credibility of being featured in the media. It also establishes you as an expert in your field and is the most effective brand building tool available.

PR has also dramatically changed. The world of social media, blogging, and online communication has created a new era of personal reporting, what is sometimes referred to as citizen journalism.  Although it usually has very little in common with true journalism, which includes research and third party vetting, it has become a very powerful form of communication.

The internet has not only changed how we market, but how we communicate.  Social media sites offer (at least the illusion of) personal one-on-one communication.  There is a much more intimate relationship that is formed.   Now anyone with a computer can post information and that information can affect a company and a brand. The net is a much more democratic information system, but the real shift is in the style and tone of the communication. Whereas print, TV and radio are still incredibly important, people are now also used to being spoken to directly.  The internet is perhaps the closest we’ve come to a physical manifestation of the collective subconscious.  Unlike previous forms of one-way communication, such as TV, newspapers and radio, the net is a free flowing system. To be effective in this new information terrain, people need more than a modified promotional approach, they need a marketing transformation. They need to redefine how to market on a very basic level.

Savvy businesses and entrepreneurs no longer speak to or at their audience or target market, they speak with them.  They personalize their message and their approach.  Companies and PR professionals now need to treat customers and potential customers in the same way they treat the media.  They need to build a Personal Relationship, and as in any effective relationship, there needs to be respect, as well as open and timely communication.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Filed under advertising, Build Your Business, Economy, internet marketing, Marketing, PR, PR Campaign Tagged with , , , ,

Creating An Authentic Transformational Marketing Machine

November 17, 2009 Leave a comment

Having worked in public relations and marketing for over twenty years, I can honestly say that I have never seen a time when professionals, businesses and entrepreneurs are at such a loss as to how to market.  This is a dizzying time.  When it comes to marketing there have never been so many options.  At the same time, I doubt there has been a time when so many different failed marketing approaches have been implemented.  It was tough before to know what ad to run, or how to focus your PR campaign, but businesses knew the mediums that were available and, at least in theory, understood how they worked.

The trick was to craft a message that resonated with the target market.  That has shifted; yes those marketing tools are still extremely powerful, but they are no longer sufficient as stand-alone approaches.  For a company to be truly successful, a mix of traditional and internet marketing must be implemented, but deciding what that mix should be is not an easy task.  Because my public relations firm is eclectic, we have worked with a wide range of clients.  We have represented clients in such fields as entertainment, medicine, law, publishing, technology, beauty, psychology, finance, fitness, and a number of other fields.  One thing I have learned is that here is no one marketing mix that fits all of those arenas, each has a specific target market and a unique message.  Each needs to craft its message using language that its target market understands and has to target venues that the market utilizes.  In this brave new world of marketing, companies need to learn how to find the right marketing mix for their business, product or service.  But that is just step one.  They also need to develop a personal, authentic message, one that reflects the values and goals of a business or entrepreneur in its marketing message.  Companies that focus on and solve those two problems are those that succeed; those are companies that have created their own transformational marketing machine.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Filed under business, internet marketing, Marketing, marketing strategy, PR Campaign Tagged with , , , , , ,

Surviving the Marketing Maze

November 12, 2009 Leave a comment

In the current business worlds, it appears that marketing is steering the ship, but not in the usual sense. In the past, having marketing drive your business meant just that, your marketing drove business to your company. Your PR and advertising reached your target market; it sold products, brought in clients and grew your business. Now having marketing drive your business, generally means jumping on the marketing treadmill in an effort to keep up with each of the latest marketing tools, which generally results in driving your business around in circles.

With the advent of the internet and social media, the myriad marketing options available grow on a seemingly daily basis. The dizzying number of choices often cause businesses to come to a virtual standstill, as companies struggle to figure out the most effective marketing approaches. The mistake many companies make is to decide to try every option available. The decision is often made out of the fear that something will be left out of the marketing-mix. So companies start a blog, target every social media site, launch an online video campaign, an ezine, an email campaign and continue with their offline marketing efforts. Most of their time is spent trying to make sense of the marketing mix, than reaching clients. That is not an effective marketing campaign; it is a marketing train wreck.

As a business owner or marketer, the most effective way to launch an effective campaign is to take a step back, study your business. View your company, product, or service as a customer would. Now use that as your guide. That is your marketing north star. Does having thousands of Twitter followers across the country or in Europe or India really help your business? If not, fine, eliminate that from your marketing mix. Go with a less-is-more approach and keep your focus on where your customers or clients truly find their information.

When devising your marketing plan, you want a public relations outreach to offer your company the validation and credibility that comes with being featured in the news. You may or may not benefit from traditional offline advertising, but you definitely do want a marketing presence online. You’re job is to figure out which online direction serves you the best. Perhaps it’s article marketing, perhaps it’s blogging, it might be social media, but don’t get caught in the trap that you have to do them all. Be selective, stay targeted. Build an individualized, well-thought-out limited, marketing campaign that serves your specific needs, and watch your business grow.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Filed under business, internet marketing, Marketing, marketing strategy, Media, Media Exposure, Media Relations, PR Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

How to Get More Clients – NOW!

March 20, 2009 Leave a comment

 hands-shaking

The clients are out there, you just need to reach them.  Sell your value not your product or service.  Once you’ve figured out exactly what value you’re offering your clients, find the unique marketing mix specific to your needs.  Then you’re set to reach and land more clients – now!

 

Most businesses are looking for clients or customers, particularly now. The trick is to reach them.  They’re there.  Yes the economy has shifted, but people are still spending money, buying products, using services.  The economy has changed, but it hasn’t disappeared and just as it’s gone down, it will eventually start to go up again.  You not only want to be prepared for the upswing, you want to use strategic marketing and promotional tools now to find your clients and build your business, now.

 

What is it you’re selling? and I don’t mean what product or service.  Are you selling health, wealth, beauty, success, fun?  What is the value or effect that your product or service offers your customer?  Focus on that.  Sell your value not your product.  This can be trickier than it seems.  I’ve worked with several companies that understood the product they were selling, but not the value.  Take some time and figure out who your target market is and what your product or service truly offers.  What is the core value?  Once you’ve figured that out, the next step is to find the best avenue(s) to reach them.

 

Consider all of the possibilities including advertising, direct marketing, public relations, Internet marketing, networking, etc.  Make a list of them as well as a list of how your business can benefit from each.  Pick two promotional avenues to start with.  My favorite approach is a mix of PR and specific forms of Internet marketing, since each helps reinforce the other.  You can create a buzz on the Internet and then launch a PR campaign around the phenomena you created, or you can post your media coverage on the Internet and multiply the amount of potential customers who see it by thousands, potentially millions. 

 

Once you understand what you’re really offering your customer and can effectively articulate it, you’ll be able to define your most effective marketing venues.  Then, you’re set to move forward.  You’re ready to reach and land new customers- now!

 

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

 

Filed under Public Relations, Media Relations, Media, Entrepreneur PR, small business Public Relations, Press Release Writing, advertising vs. public relations, business, public relations expert, public relations specialist, Clients, PR Campaign, Economy, Marketing, advertising, Media Coverage, internet marketing, Figure Out Your Story, Sell YOur Product Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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