The February 1, 2012 CBS News “10 Companies With Insanely Bad Marketing” article written by Steve Tobak starts out by stating, “David Packard, the iconic cofounder of HP (HPQ), once said, “Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.” Marketing is also too important to be left to small business owners who don’t know how to engage their target audience to increase customer sales.
Pay for Performance Makes Publicists Affordable for Small Business Owners
Small business owners could hire experienced market researchers, analysts and publicists on an upfront fee basis, but market researchers, analysts and publicists, including those working for a public relations agency, can get pricey. Small business owners might not want to stomach the upfront costs of paying for market research or media exposure gained by working with an experienced and reputable publicist.
To avoid having to pay for these expert services, until recently small business owners, especially those heading up small companies, either wrote and distributed press releases, blog posts, newsletters, direct marketing emails and print letters to customers and members of the media themselves. Of course, time spent handling these tasks cut into time creative business leaders could spend developing new products and services, meeting with business partners and getting out in the community to engage consumers one-on-one.
It’s a reason smart small business owners are starting to hire publicists on a pay-for-performance basis. Using this approach, publicists don’t get paid until they secure an interview for business representatives, preferably an interview with one or more major media outlets (e.g. CBS News, Black Enterprise, OWN, Forbes or Good Morning America). By using this approach, creative business leaders also avoid having to pay for marketing and promotion services that may not yield desired results.
Top Pay for Performance Publicists Get Major Exposure for Small Businesses
Exposure is essential when it comes to working with a publicist. Exposure builds name recognition, which, over time, can build consumer trust. Amazon.com did it for five years, plastering banner ads for their book business all over the Internet. The results speak for themselves. If creative business leaders want to combine online ads with offline marketing and promotion efforts, Google Adsense, Value Click and AdBrite are programs they can use to get their products and services in front of Internet users.
But those ads won’t put small business owners directly in front of thousands and millions of consumers. Ads only put business products and services in front of consumers. That’s where publicists come in. Publicists can get business owners in front of large numbers of consumers as the best publicists have existing relationships with media executives. For example, top publicists might have the cell phone number for the head of major television station. They also vet business leaders before they work with them, ensuring that they only send the best leaders to media outlets they work with.
In addition to the above, reputable and talented publicists meet with creative business leaders to prep them for radio and television interviews. They may also help them avoid tight spots during print interviews, whether those interviews are online or offline. Some publicists even keep interview calendars for their clients. After awhile, business owners will become media savvy and may start to receive interview requests directly from television, radio and print executives. The growth opportunities are boundless, clearly revealing that paying talented publicists for their performance is money well spent.
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Sources:
CBS News. 10 Companies With Insanely Bad Marketing. February 1, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57369256/10-companies-with-insanely-bad-marketing/?tag=nl.e808
Publicists are expensive. I’ve not seen one who wasn’t. Even with pay for performance, you better know how to connect with people when you do interviews, etc. that your publicist lands for you. If not, you’ll get lots of press but few sales. I also agree with you that it’s important to get in front of the same consumers over and over again to build trust. That’s very important. It works!