Publicity - What
Every Business Needs To Know
By Abe Cherian
Businesses from all
over the world are always searching for ways to get more
publicity. You can let thousands of people know about your
service, your store, or your new products without paying a
penny.
Whether you want to make
more sales, or get an offer on television, you can broaden the
scope of your clients by free publicity. You don't have to
send up huge banners flying behind airplanes to attract
attention. In fact, with just a telephone, internet access,
follow up letters and flyers, you can be making much more
money than you are.
What product or business
are you involved with that needs more clients or customers?
You might have a neighborhood store, or you might be seeking
exposure for a celebrity or politician. Maybe you have a new
invention that you can't get marketed or a recently released
line of designer furniture that you want to increase sales on.
How are you presently
getting to customers? You may be advertising in newspapers and
magazines or trade journals. Or you may be relying on a
distribution agreement to retail the products your plant
manufactures.
Perhaps you're an author
depending on a publishing house to promote your book. Or you
could be a young comic, trying to get some more acts to
further your career.
Regardless of your
business or enterprise, free publicity is available to you.
And you don't need any particular back ground or training to
do it. What you do need is the belief in yourself and your
product and the diligence and perseverance to continue when
one idea doesn't pan out.
Whether you want a local
increase in sales, or national fame, free publicity is
available to you at all times.
First, publicity is
making something known to the public, spreading information to
the general local or national market. It is information with a
news value used to attract public attention or support.
Everybody utilizes publicity. Politicians, manufacturers,
celebrities even car makers use publicity to further their
causes and gain attention.
And publicity isn't
limited to large organizations. Small committees and
enterprises use the local newspapers to publicize events.
Publicity differs from
advertising because it is free. Although some groups or
individuals do trade tickets or services for free mention in
publications, generally publicity is newsworthy copy that a
publication produces.
Publicity is a form of
promotion, although promoting a product or service may require
other efforts that cost the company money. Good publicity is
one of the best ways to let people know you have a worthwhile
business.
In order to gain
publicity, you have to be totally familiar with your product,
service or business that you are promoting. If it is your own
product, you are the best one to describe the benefits and
features. If you want to publicize something else, talk to
everyone involved to get the facts and details.
Consider the radius of
your market. If you have a local business such as a small
store or service shop, most of your customers are from the
surrounding five miles. If you are located in a large city,
you may have a larger radius, but at the same time there may
be stiffer competition.
Your business might be
regional or statewide and your clients may come from hundreds
of miles, either in person or by telephone to use your
services. And if you are a large manufacturer, your clients
and customers may come from the entire United States or you
may have a worldwide audience.
Profile your customers.
Who are they and what do they do? If you have a service, how
often is this service used? If you have a product, is it
something that is bought again and again, or is it a lifetime
purchase?
How much do your
customers pay for your products and are you competitive with
the other manufacturers of the same products? If you have an
unusual product, are you reaching the widest audience you can?
What do the customers
want? Sometimes, the least expensive price is not the most
important element. With today's packaging, many customers
expect and will pay for things elaborately packaged. Where do
these people go to buy your products? Are they sold at retail
outlets or through trade publications or magazines? Or are
they special items available from online web sites or from
certain regions of the nation or the world?
Finally, why do your
customers buy this particular service or product, or use the
particular business you have? An architectural design company
produces blueprints for architects to construct buildings for
homeowners and industry. But your product may be aimed at a
less precise group of people, somewhat hard to define.
You can discover what
consumers want from surveys. You can get copies of surveys
from special companies that conduct surveys, or you can do
your own. The best place to conduct a survey is at a trade
show for your product. Another good source is your own email
list or offline mailing list.
You might run a drawing
and ask people to fill in information. You can have cards
printed with boxes to check easily so people will spend the
time to answer your questions.
Manufacturers use surveys
with warranties. Appliance makers often include a few
questions along with the warranty that the consumer sends
back.
Most major manufacturers
have their own teams of product testing. Toy makers bring in
children and watch their reactions. Book publishers have
people look at covers and decide which they'd buy. Even the
car manufacturers run surveys and opinion testing on style and
pricing.
Before you seek publicity
or even advertise, Know your Product First! Be familiar with
the people who buy your products or services, and have a full
understanding of the general competition and the full scope of
your market.
By Abe
Cherian
Copyright ©
2005
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