Here are three public relations expense options

Here are three public relations expense options

Elizabeth: When launching a new product or releasing a new policy, PR should be integrated into the initial stages of the marketing strategy. In order to develop your brand, use it strongly at first and gradually reduce it over time. It's also a useful resource for dealing with emergencies in the future.

It's appropriate to allocate 40–50% of your budget toward public relations if your communications are targeted at consumers.

Fritz: In the traditional view, advertisements, not public relations (PR), should accompany product marketing. and that editorials and public relations be utilized for issues and position-related releases. However, I see it as just the reverse. A compelling NPR story, for instance, can have a greater impact than commercials. Consider public relations for introductions and advertising for upkeep.

Kelly: I was wondering whether you have any words of wisdom for a business's or organization's new PR manager.

Fritz: Public relations is a process; there is no silver bullet. It takes time to build trust and reputation, just like it does in networking or other social situations. Therefore, a single press release on its own is insufficient. This is essential work. Planning is essential, even if it's for next year. Start thinking about it today.

In fact, you should constantly be contemplating and discussing it in your mind. Every single one of your workers acts as a representative of your company. Therefore, it is essential that all internal communications be coordinated, including guidelines for when and how to speak with the media and the public. Both training and talking points are essential. You can best protect your brand if everyone is on the same page.

Kelly: What is the one thing that your clients could do differently that would make your job easier when it comes to assisting them with their public relations campaigns?

Elizabeth: Include us in the preliminary stages of planning. In many cases, clients don't involve their PR staff in their annual budget and planning until much later in the year. Prioritize strategy above tactics as you consider potential approaches and pitches.

Fritz: The media calendar is another factor; if you want to make major announcements in February, keep in mind that you'll be up against the Super Bowl, the Grammys, and the Oscars. There is an annual cycle that must be considered, no matter how small or local the operation.

Elizabeth: You should make arrangements around some factors unless your discussion can naturally incorporate them.

Fritz: The other issue is for the customer to recognize the distinction between the story and the pitch. It's got to be about what the public wants, not what you necessarily want to say. We had a client who shot themselves in the foot by refusing to let us let the media interview them about a particularly heated topic.

Kelly: So, how much money should be allotted for public relations if a small business is to establish itself in a given area?

Fritz: Wow, interesting inquiry. Again, it's all about the target audience. Consider the full extent of your plans. What would be at the top of your ideal shopping list? Don't squander your money on ineffective public relations strategies. As a result, it's possible that radio interviews are preferable to television interviews.

Kelly: In a moment, I want to discuss radio. First, though, what are SMTs and VNRs, and how may they help PR efforts?

Fritz: A VNR is a news segment that has already been produced. There's a reporter in the field, there's a voiceover, and the editing style is identical to that of a local news broadcast. Send that to any newspaper, and it will be treated like any other news item when it arrives at the newsroom. So you're saving the station the time and money they would have spent traveling to your location to cover your story. The cost of making news and the amount of work required of producers have increased dramatically in recent years. This makes perfect sense because, provided the piece is well-balanced, you are saving them time and effort. You can even tailor your presentation to a certain channel.

A satellite media tour, or SMT. A reporter would conduct a series of interviews in a studio connected to any affiliate in the country through a satellite uplink. In the span of a few hours, you'll visit a dozen or more marketplaces, saving yourself the hassle and expense of travel, housing, downtime, etc. Smaller businesses often don't go this route (the initial investment starts at around $12k), but the benefits become clear on a national scale. It can also be used on a smaller scale to reach specific customers in your immediate vicinity.

Elizabeth: The answer is yes if you're launching anything within a state (say, a new mass transit system in an area). Officials at the local level may not have time to visit each and every station in their market, but they can spend an hour or two in a single studio talking to eight different stations.

Kelly: It's time to turn the radio back on. How can we use the radio to promote our PR initiatives?

Elizabeth: If a client has a limited budget, radio can be an excellent choice. Combining it with SMTs is also recommended. Radio listeners are a distinct demographic because they are typically confined to a moving vehicle. The ability to reach a certain demographic is facilitated by the proliferation of niche programming.

Radio also has a lot of credibility and is much more affordable than SMTs (by around 50%). This is a powerful new resource.

Radio, like TV, requires advanced planning but has fewer moving parts. For optimal targeting and messaging, we suggest giving yourself at least four to six weeks' notice. Even though radio is not a visual medium, there are occasions when it is superior.

Fritz: The radio's ability to zero in on a specific audience is unparalleled. Knowing your demographics is crucial before allocating marketing funds.

Kelly: Do you have an opinion on whether or not an editorialized audio news release is more effective than a plain radio interview?

Elizabeth: I like radio media tours better since it's easier to put a face with a name and talk to the anchor about a subject. and establish more credible relationships with the target audience.

Kelly: Is there a particular public relations triumph of which you are particularly proud?

Elizabeth: We toured the National Museum of the American Indian via satellite for the media. We had planned 21 interviews with the museum director for the launch, and she ended up being featured in 91 broadcasts around the country. We were especially helpful in narrowing in on the radio stations, many of which we discovered to be located on Native American reservations.

Kelly: Therefore, how should people define "success"? What are the measures we should take into account when evaluating public relations?

Elizabeth: Is your aim to raise awareness or something entirely different? to attract more people to museums? to increase book sales? Therefore, we offer airtime data, encrypt our transmissions to measure their durability, and then contrast that to the cost of advertising. Compared to the cost of the tour, the cost of advertising is almost always much higher, and the credibility gained through PR is much greater.