You need more marketing to improve sales, but you need more sales to pay for marketing. It can be frustrating. Well, before you yell out your favorite four-letter word, turn to the bottle or curl up in the fetal position and cry, there is a secret weapon that can help end this vicious cycle.
And the good news is, it won’t cost you a dime. Sound too good to be true?
It’s not.
I’m talking about public relations (PR), which refers to any kind of communications you have with potential customers, clients, the media and more. When you send the right message to the right people at the right time, you can boost sales, awareness and credibility within minutes.
Now, PR may be a foreign activity to you, but the truth is that anyone can do it. In fact, you can get better results than hiring someone to do it for you.
This is because most people would rather hear directly from you than a publicity person. As a leader within your business, you offer credibility with firsthand knowledge of your products and services and industry expertise.
Many businesses don’t really understand what PR is, so they don’t use it effectively. If they do, they probably outsource it to an outside firm. That’s because it takes a lot of time and effort to get good results.
But, if you need to boost sales fast with zero budget, it can be your secret weapon for success.
Like other business activities, start with an action plan so you know your goals and how you are going to accomplish them. Let’s say your goal is to boost sales by 20 percent in the next month. Ask yourself these questions:
What is newsworthy about your business? Think about the unique benefits of your products and services, upcoming events, charitable activities, employee hobbies, and more.
What would your potential customers want to hear about that make you stand out from the competition?
If you can’t think of anything, don’t worry. Just create something newsworthy.
Hold an employee event like a chili cook-off, take-your-child-to-work day, pet contest or something else.
You can also partner with another business or organization and do a joint event that helps others in the local community. Another idea is to invent a special award, tip sheet or contest.
Use your imagination and have your team think of different ideas. Have fun with it, and you may be surprised at what develops.
Who needs to hear your news? Once you have your news ready to promote, make a list of the people who need to hear about it. Begin with venues that cover local, industry and regional news. Conduct online research to find contact information for the media members you want to reach.
Then, create a simple database and add the names, emails, websites, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and other pertinent information to it.
Also develop a list of your current customers, sponsors/investors, potential clients, and more who will receive information about your news.
How do you share your news? When you finish your lists, decide how you will share the information. Create some talking points for the media that focus on the benefits your news offers.
To create a press release, look at samples online, those from businesses you admire, and the official releases published at PRNewswire. Then, use these as a guide.
You can email your final press release to the media members on your list. But a better option is to call each person individually and tell them your news, invite them to your event or let them know you’d be happy to comment on a story as an industry expert now and in the future.
For other contacts who will receive your news, develop the appropriate email campaigns, landing pages, social media posts, etc. Make it easy for them to respond, share the news and get more information.
Also, include tracking mechanisms for each message so you can see what is working and what’s not (and if you are on the way to reaching your goals.)
When you have your contacts and messaging ready, press the “go” button and share your news.
This is when the magic happens. From your PR activities, you may:
Get a media mention in a top news venue that your target market sees. This is free advertising that provides third-party credibility you can’t get any other way.
Build buzz. If you provide value and something interesting, people are more likely to share your news with family and friends… online and off.
Boost sales. Many people who see your news will want to learn more about your products and services or make purchases right away. You can also send your news clippings to potential customers and use them in future sales processes.
Crush the competition. If potential customers read about your news in a credible media source, and your competition is nowhere to be found, guess who they are going to contact first? Plus, if you offer something unique in your news that others can’t provide, you gain a competitive edge.
Your secret weapon is waiting. Are you ready to use it?
These are just a few of the benefits good PR can provide. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but if you take the time to craft a unique and newsworthy message and send it to the right people at the right time, you can significantly boost sales, awareness and credibility fast. And the best part is, it doesn’t need to cost you a cent.
Public relations is your secret weapon to raising awareness and credibility without emptying your pockets.
A press release is part of the whole public relations process, but it will only help your business if you keep a few things in mind.
COVID-19 has changed all of our lives in a matter of days. Many people are worried about what’s going to happen next. With this in mind, how are you communicating …
You’ve probably heard of public relations, but you may not be using it to your advantage.
Public relations is your secret weapon to raising awareness and credibility without emptying your pockets.
