Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing

Why You Should Invest in PR

Tirza Wibel, Principal Brandbloom

Yesterday another potential client complained about the lack of response to her recent ad campaign. She’d spent thousands on slick ads in national magazines targeting her market – mothers and parents. Only able to afford the smallest size ad in these publications, her ads were easily “glossed” over as most small magazine ads are.

Together we pulled out a copy of one of the magazines she’s advertised in. Throughout the magazine were products from companies similar to hers. Those products weren’t in advertisements; rather they were featured in stories, in gift guides, and in the photo spreads of new products for that target market. Why weren’t her products showcased in those sections, I asked her, instead on in a small ad in the back of the magazine?

I got the dead silence that I usually get from a new client unfamiliar with public relations.

I explained to her that those products were showcased in the magazine – not in the ads- because someone, a publicist or even the company owner had pitched their product and sent samples to the magazine. They weren’t paying for that space I explained. Their products were featured because the magazine editors has been told about them and found them worthy and relevant to their readers.

Not only did those other companies get major national news coverage without paying for it, but their products also got something you’ll never get with advertising: third party credibility. By being endorsed by the magazine as a cool new product, readers trusted that the magazine knew what they were talking about.

As part of my job as a publicist I enjoy educating new business owners and entrepreneurs about the benefits of public relations. Public relations is one of the most cost-effective ways to influence target audiences, establish trust and build credibility for your company. In fact, according to a new form of marketing science called “marketing mix modeling” — a statistical analysis that compares marketing activities — every dollar invested in advertising returns an average of $1.25, whereas for every dollar invested in PR (hiring a publicist, or your time spent on PR) will return an average of $6.

As you get ready to launch your new business or want to ramp up your current business, consider the complete marketing picture and how PR might help you influence how your company is perceived and how that relates to your bottom line.

Author

Tirza Wibel is the principal of BrandBloom, a public relations agency serving small businesses. BrandBloom’s award-winning team are experts at launching businesses and building buzz through strategic media relations and in writing compelling copy that sells. Wibel’s background includes developing publicity strategy for clients such as Starbucks, Amazon, Hawaiian Airlines and hundreds of small businesses across the U.S. Her clients have been featured in major local and national media, including: The New York Times, USA Today, Entrepreneur and on NPR, Good Morning America and CNN. For free tips on national publicity opportunities and more ideas for how to grow your business through PR, visit the BrandBloom Buzz Blog available at www.brandbloom.com.

Related Topics: Advertising, Marketing, PR    1 Comment    

David Grenda Joins the Small Business Blog

David Grenda, Founder, Grenda Computer Consulting

Let me begin by saying how pleased I am to be a part of this new website vision from Logoworks. I am a very satisfied client of theirs, and an admirer of their customer service paradigm. The growth they are experiencing is a direct result of the hard work and vision we all strive for as business owners. I hope to make this portion of their website a place where you can come to find real world advice about technology and how it can be most efficiently used in your enterprise.

Rather than simply relate and review the latest in techno-computing gadgets, I’ll cover such topics as choosing a good IT support consultant, how to define your needs and applications before choosing your technology path, choosing the right network design for your needs and growth, and how the internet has impacted businesses today. I’ll give you the opportunity to suggest topics and we can discuss them together. My focus will be in assisting you with issues from your perspective as a business owner, culled from my experiences across a wide range of clients and situations.

I understand where you started. I began my practice by making my own business cards and walking around the endless office parks handing them out and talking to people. I handled all the aspects of my business from the marketing and accounting, to negotiating service agreements and navigating client management structures, all while striving to provide the best in customer service. In my hard earned success, I’ve learned valuable lessons along the way and will never forget where I came from. My work now comes almost exclusively from existing clients and referrals, but I would walk the office parks again tomorrow. If you understand what I mean, then I think you’ll find value here.

So, where shall we begin? We all recognize that computers and their related technologies are now an absolute necessity in business. At one time they gave you an edge on your non-computing competition. Now, that non-computing competition has mostly been selected out of existence. The implementation of any computing in your enterprise involves (as you may have already learned) much more than just throwing a computer on a desk. Choosing the wrong technology solution these days can throttle your productivity and send you down a time consuming, expensive path to disaster. No one needs to unravel computer problems when there’s business to get done.

The problem is, few of us understand the world of computers and struggle to find the right source of guidance. So in my next installment, I’ll give you some tips on choosing the right source of help in implementing your technology solutions.

Author

David Grenda is the founder of Grenda Computer Consulting LLC. His firm provides a full range of IT and telecom support services to business of all sizes, including the Fortune 500. Among his 24 years of professional accomplishments, he has been featured in BusinessWeek magazine and received numerous professional recognitions. GCC’s guiding principle is that technology is a tool in a solution, not the solution itself. “We measure our success in years of client relationships”.

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Related Topics: Computers, Technology    6 Comments