5 Essential Publicity Resolutions

Posted by Bonny Albo Feb 2, 2007

What New Year's "resolutions" have you made for yourself in 2007? Are you going to finally join a gym, eat right and try to cut down on road rage? That's all well and good, but what about those resolutions to jump-start your business for the coming year? To help you get started, publicity expert Diana Laverdure, vice president of Reeves Laverdure Public Relations, Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida, outlines five important resolutions that people can implement immediately to increase their company's awareness and credibility through positive publicity.

Resolve to finally figure out a "unique selling proposition."

A unique selling proposition is that attribute about the company that positively differentiates it from its competition. At Reeves Laverdure Public Relations, our unique selling proposition is that our agency concentrates strictly on media publicity, and we are all former journalists. Being aware of our unique selling proposition enables us to more effectively sell our services and differentiate ourselves from other PR agencies.

If you own, say, a car wash, what is the unique selling proposition? Is it that the service is mobile, enabling busy executives to keep their cars spiffy without ever having to leave their offices? Or, if you're a cosmetic surgeon, do you employ specialized technology that allows clients to "see" their results prior to undergoing a surgical

procedure?

Every company has a unique selling proposition. But when we are so entrenched on a day-to-day basis just keeping our businesses running, we often overlook what is special about us. Take the time to step back and assess the business from the perspective of a client or customer. Or, better yet, ask clients and customers what it is about your business that they particularly like. You might uncover a common theme that is in fact the unique selling proposition you never knew you had.

Resolve to get to know the local reporters that cover your industry.

If you don't take the time to figure out who covers the industry in the local media area, then how can you expect to ever get publicity coverage? Without targeting your message to the correct person, it will just get lost in some reporter's "delete" box -- and make you appear unprofessional at the same time. To find the reporters that cover issues pertaining to your business, carefully read local papers and take note of who covers what industries. You can also simply call the papers' newsrooms and ask, for example, who covers the restaurant (or medical or legal or banking or whatever) industry. If your business falls into a category that does not fit under a specific beat, your best bet is to target media outreach to the paper's business (or small business) editor. If it is a small paper without a business editor, ask for the person who covers your specific geographic location.

Resolve to not send reporters meaningless press releases.

Press releases are a dying breed, and for very good reason. Most press releases are nothing more than self-serving drivel that contain not even a shred of credible newsworthiness to them (so, should we tell you how we really feel?). Instead of irritating reporters and editors with yet one-more meaningless press release in their already packed in-box, resolve this year to come up with newsworthy angles to promote your company, service or product. Reporters and editors love local angles to national stories, and you will certainly have a much better shot at getting some press by approaching the media this way than with one more self-congratulatory press release.

Resolve to become an "expert source" in your field.

One of the best ways to establish a good relationship with reporters -- and score yourself some positive ink at the same time -- is to offer yourself up as an expert source in your industry. We're all used to seeing "experts" quoted in the newspapers and magazines on everything from the latest cosmetic procedures to tax strategies to the right wine to pair with your Thanksgiving meal. The only reason that these "experts" are indeed "experts" at all is because they (or their publicist) have offered themselves up as such to the media. Put together a brief one-page fact sheet outlining your experience and expertise in the industry, perhaps also outlining specific issues you can comment on, and either e-mail it or mail it to the appropriate reporter with a brief cover letter explaining your purpose. Most importantly, when a reporter does call, be sure to respond in a timely manner. When they need quotes they will mot often be on a tight deadline and will need to speak with you immediately. If you fail to accommodate them, you will gain a reputation as being an unreliable source, and that will only serve to backfire.

Resolve to create a publicity plan.

As with most everything else in life, we can't achieve publicity goals unless we draw out a plan for how we will get there. When creating a plan, we suggest setting both long-term (three-to-five-year) and short term (one-year) goals. The short-term goals can then be broken down into monthly, weekly and daily action steps to help you get where you want to go. For example, if your three to five year goal is to become so recognized as the authority in your industry that you are called to do a minimum of 10 speaking engagements a year, then you must first set shorter term goals which will create the foundation for your long-term goals. Your one year goal, for instance, could be to have six articles written about you and to be quoted at least 10 times in the media. Action steps to achieve these goals can be to send the appropriate media one timely story angle each week which involves your company. Only by really carving out the time to take the necessary steps will you acieve the publicity results you are aiming for. Like anything else worthwhile, getting into the media is not easy. It takes patience, perseverance and the ability to create newsworthy story angles that both appeal to reporters and gain recognition for your company at the same time.

If you integrate these "publicity resolutions" into your 2007 marketing plan and stick with implementing them on a regular basis throughout the year, you will be sure to make huge strides by the time 2008 rolls around.