Since 2009 is almost a memory and 2010 is almost upon us, now is the time to get your resolutions ready.
And while you may be vowing to lose weight or stop smoking, you may also want to consider some resolutions that will help you with PR.
1. Resolve to stand out from the crowd.
The key to good PR is stickiness and the goal of any campaign, be it through PR, marketing or advertising is making sure there is something that resonates with people.
Many people who hire an agency for PR will second guess what the agency is suggesting because it sounds weird or bizarre. Well, sometimes you have to do things in order to stick out from the competition.
That might mean a fun publicity stunt, taking advantage of a current news story to promote your product or even doing a soft-sell promotion that lets people know you have interests other than your business.
Whatever it is, don't be afraid to be different.
2. Resolve to use social media wisely.
Social media is here to stay and it's making people more savvy of their customer base.
However, as social media grows, people are figuring out how to use it. Frankly, successful social media is counter intuitive to the usual PR model.
Have a Facebook page set up to promote your business? Well, you are more likely to develop fans and keep customers happy if you focus more on providing information than plugs. Also, use social media as a way to connect with customers (even the unhappy ones).
Take Yelp for instance. If someone posts a bad review there, take time to connect with them and ask how you can make the next experience better. Many business owners take bad reviews as a personal attack when they are actually an opportunity to improve.
3. Resolve to take advantage of the opportunities that happen.
You may have this idea of getting on Oprah and hold out hopes of starting at the top.
The truth is, you're better off thinking of PR as incremental. Sometimes, starting off at a smaller blog or news site can help you create a body of press clippings that impress a larger outlet. Plus it helps you build up experience with the media.
When considering a media opportunity, it's important to decide quickly whether it's right for you, but make sure you decide, because there's no guarantee the opportunity will come up again.
Wonderful post... Very informational and educational as usual!
Posted by: Advanced Acai | February 10, 2010 at 01:18 AM