When it comes to marketing your business, ask yourself three questions:  What are my marketing goals?  On what do I spend the most money to market my business?  And where do I focus the majority of my time?  Now assess the results you get in return for your marketing efforts, based on your goals.  It’s often surprising to people when they break it down in this fashion.  And it’s surprising to us, as well.

Just recently we had “Company X” approach us about public relations, as they are looking to create national awareness for their brand and products, grow their email list and penetrate new markets and customers.  They wanted to know how it works, what they need to do to get started, how much it would cost, and what the payoff would be for their company.  They were very excited about the potential rewards that come from public relations, but were also nervous about the financial investment.  We certainly appreciate this; PR is an investment if you hire an agency, and not every business is yet at a point where this is feasible.

In continuing our discussion with Company X, the interesting part was learning that they were paying tens of thousands of dollars to purchase lists of names in order to conduct direct mail marketing, as well as exhibiting at various trade shows around the country each year. When we asked if these activities were proving to be fruitful, the answer was a resounding, “So-so.”   So-so doesn’t seem like a worthy enough payoff for their investment and time, yet they hadn’t questioned these efforts - or the associated costs - because this is how many businesses in their industry choose to market themselves.

For a similar investment, public relations has the potential to help them achieve all their goals, and beyond.  We have recently started with a new client who has great information to share with women business owners and how they can work more effectively.  Because she is also a friend, we had talked with her conceptually about PR over the past few months and how it could benefit her business.  We saw the wheels turning, then - boom - we got a call about three weeks ago and she was ready.  Today she just finished her second TV interview and has three more already in the pipeline.  While a bit overwhelmed, she is thrilled to have “shaken up” her marketing mix to include PR, which will help get her where she wants to go.

Whether it’s time spent on Facebook or Twitter, attending events, conducting direct mail marketing, or doing public relations, now is a great time to reassess your marketing efforts vs. payoff ratio.