PR - Luxury or Necessity?

Small businesses and sole traders are finding the current economical crisis rather challenging and in some cases, just plain scary! I for one have felt the knock-on effect of businesses cutting down on their spending, as two things which get shoved out the window before anything else are advertising and, sadly for me, PR! But is this sensible business practice or a potential disaster waiting to happen?I’m not biased – I promise you – but unfortunately cutting out PR entirely or even scaling it down to too little activity can have long-term detrimental effects on a small company’s overall profits and success.

Particularly with on-line businesses, as well as spending money on advertising such as banners and ad-words, regular, professional and targeted on-line PR increases search engine ratings, website traffic and direct sales. The best way of doing this is regular output in the form of blogs and press releases to the online world. Coupled with regular contact with the world of print media ie. magazine and newspapers, plus radio and TV, exposure and enhanced exposure to your target audiences and the outside world are a dead cert.However, PR is NOT advertising! With an advert, you’re sending a message direct to your target market, saying whatever it is you need your message to be: buy me now! click on me now! order this now! … you get the picture. The advert contains clear instructions of how this can be achieved – phone number, website – and if it’s worth it’s salt, perhaps a little incentive just to metaphorically twist the reader’s arm that little bit more – a discount, free gift, or a message which categorically says we are the best! If you don’t do xyz now then you’re a total loser…..or in some instances comparison with competitors (such as the Pepsi Challenge for example)!

PR isn’t quite like that. It’s a more subtle approach, endorsing your products and services through the very trusted eyes, ears and other senses of the journalists whose magazines, papers, blogs and TV or radio reports the world listens to and reads every day. If they say it, well it must be true… mustn’t it? Well of course, there are certain “persuasive methods” open to PRs to encourage their reporter friends to look upon their clients favourably – ie. the freebie, the goody bag, the media party, the editor’s lunch – but journalists are of course professionals and a key part of their job is to be impartial and pass honest judgment on what comes that way, which is why PR is so much more powerful than an advert and should be an important part of any company’s strategy to communicate with their public.

They’ll only print what they agree with and believe in, and like, (or what their editor does, anyway!) which is why (as discussed previously) samples are imperative in certain sectors such as beauty when you really do need to get these people hooked on your products for real. This goes for anything though, from makeup to cars, from nappies to pensions, hotel rooms to the latest Wii game…if it doesn’t do what it says on the tin, then watch out! But if it does – you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll be shouting about it from the avidly-read columns and pixels of print or online media. Honest feedback from journalists on what you're showing them is also helpful! If they don't like something, it's because they're viewing it from the eyes of their readers, your end buyers, so any constructive criticism should be swallowed whole without any sweetener! And your PR is that interface between your business and the media.

So, you get all that, but that still doesn’t mean that when the chips are down, who do you pay - your suppliers, your staff, yourself even, or a giggly airheaded PR whose main job consists of schmoozing with the magazines and bunging a few free lipsticks across their desks? Well, take it from one of my clients – I won’t mention who for fear of embarrassment! – who says that the work I do is a key component in bringing in sales to their website based business, and that sales actually dropped off noticeably when I dared to take a holiday and cut back on the blogging and press releases! The other effect of cutting out PR activity is that unlike advertising which is instant, PR is a longer term method. Doing it here and there when you’ve got a spare bit of budget can have a hit but nowhere near as effective as long-term communication and the building up of an online presence.

So, keep your story and your business going and do the right thing, set aside a small amount per month or quarter for some quality, professional PR. If that really isn’t an option then take some advice from your PR and try and continue with the basics yourself if you can until that multi-million pound order or deal comes your way!

PR really isn’t a luxury for when you want to make a splash, but an important necessity for bread-and-butter exposure and a vital component in the life-blood of your special business.

Crunch Time for Consumerism

Goodness me, how time has run on! It’s been ages since my last blog which is quite embarrassing given the subject matter of the first one – making time for blogging! I’m blessed to have been so busy of late with all my clients, but as I enter this wonderful new year, I am, as well as the majority of us out there, feeling the pinch a bit.

“Credit crunch” is certainly the favourite phrase on the keyboard fingers of journalists out there, as they chunter out story after inspirational story about how bad the economic climate is, how it’s affecting us all, what we can do about it, things we can do or avoid, and list after list of credit crunch beating tips, things to do on a shoestring, how to survive three months on two quid and a tin of beans….. all that sort of thing…. but am I, even with my PR head on, just a little bemused by all these “money-saving”, “debt-busting” stories in the papers, on the TV and radio and clogging up the internet?

The reality is, people are losing their jobs, companies are definitely going bust (national mourning for Woolies and Wedgwood, and the poor boss of M&S a few million quid down on his profits), despite interest rates going down (the phrase “stable door – bolted horse” kind of springs to mind!) mortgages are being defaulted on, it’s impossible to buy a house and the supermarkets seem to love the fact that the credit crunch means they can encourage us to buy MORE of all their cheaper products!

PR cynic that I am – 16 years in the business has rubbed off quite well – I think many companies are just laughing up their sleeves at the general public. Instead of looking at practical, sustainable ways of saving money, many PR machines are happily seizing another opportunity to flog us more stuff only at seemingly lower prices. The story about the battle between the pound store next door to the 99p shop on the radio today made me chuckle over my marmite on (organic!) toast. The pound store had been losing customers in their droves as they stampeded next door to buy the same products but at 1p cheaper per item. But are people really that hard up? The queues of individuals buying lottery tickets seems to get longer and longer, people seemingly spending what little they have in their wallets on a sliver of hope that they’ll scoop the jackpot.

Really, saving money is as simple as losing weight – calories in versus calories out – just swap the calories for pounds if you like ('scuse the pun!), and you’ll get my drift. Simple enough - don’t eat that cream cake and you won’t end up with cottage cheese thighs – likewise if you don’t spend it, you won’t be in debt. Many people have lost the ability to equate real need with need engendered by too much advertising.

It may seem bonkers for a PR to be advocating LESS consumerism, but the entire point of my own business is to shout out loud for all those truly anti-consumerist, ethical and environmental businesses who want you to buy quality, beautiful items which do the job, look great and are produced with the environment in mind. Less really can be more – swap quantity for quality, make things last and see the difference not only to your wallet but also the planet. Consumerism will eventually cost us the earth….. make this the year you shop less, save resources, and start saving your pennies and the environment.