Be Prepared for Publicity Successes

They say that you should be careful what you wish for and many small-business operations have learned the hard way when they seek media publicity without being adequately prepared. It simply makes no sense to crow about your potential, or how your operation could solve all the world’s ills, if you’re not prepared for a sudden onslaught of attention. You may well have tried to attract publicity before and failed and this tends to lead to a weathered opinion. You may start to go through the motions and publicize while not prepared for the consequences, certain to receive a wake-up call if you get feedback.

Many people believe that you need to engage in a comprehensive public relations campaign using press releases and other formats on a scattershot basis. It is far better to be highly targeted and to identify by organization and individual name the media outlets of most relevance to your business.

We have learned that in social media marketing and in Internet marketing as a whole, it is wise to try and establish yourself and your operation as expert in your niche. This subtle, below the radar approach to marketing always pays dividends if approached correctly within the online world. Use this approach to help you position yourself within the ranks of the media as well and establish yourself as an expert and go to person when needed.

Media entities are always looking for input. They cannot be experts in every conceivable subject and as there is such a thirst for information in such a variety of media outlets and options available, the media director is driven to find good input from authentic sources. Be proactive and look for those seeking this information. Do not do this at those pressure moments when a story is breaking relevant to your niche, but pre establish your authority and create a channel for future use.

You must create an infrastructure within your business, a machine which can be pushed into service as and when needed. Formulate a press kit containing all the information about your company, its history, its founders, its vision, together with audiovisual elements, local files and contact details. Designate a person, if not yourself, as the spokesperson for the operation and make sure that you are prepared to position your company creatively and successfully.

Focus on interacting with media outlets that can be of most benefit to your company. If you’re stated goal is to sell product X or service Y, make sure that you have adequate inventory or resources available to help you do so, at an increased pace, as and when you receive the publicity you are seeking. Keep in touch with trends on a daily basis and be ready to identify when things are moving in your direction.

Do you have any stories to tell us about scrambling to respond to media attention?

Matthew Toren