Social media provides an amazing opportunity to deliver messages in a targeted and direct fashion. In fact, in many ways, it has brought PR back to its roots of connecting directly with your publics - but instead of going one-on-one in street campaigns, it allows you to directly relate to a larger group of people virtually. The social dialogue is a fantastic way to nurture brand loyalty.

However, integrating traditional media into your marketing campaign  is essential to truly take your business to the next level. The credibility that traditional media provides cannot be undervalued. When your business receives a third-party “endorsement” by being covered in the press, it is instantly elevated in the minds of consumers.

Furthermore, you can spend a lot of time, energy and money growing your list of online followers, one person at a time. There are many tools and strategies to do this. When you have the opportunity to be on TV, radio or in print/online media outlets, however, you are reaching thousands, tens of thousands and sometimes millions all at one time. This takes you out of the “small pond” and into the ocean.

Finally, an active public relations program will ensure that your business has fresh and relevant news and content to pump into your social media stream. The Pew Research Center found that 75% of online news consumers get news forwarded through email or posts on social networking sites. Traditional media opportunities secured for your business can now live on forever not just in your business portfolio, but by being actively shared through social media channels. The very act of sharing news helps further elevate your business credibility.

We live in a world where we want direct value for our time and money spent.  We want to know that if we spend “A” in resources, we will get “B” in return. But for some reason, pubic relations is often thought of as a marketing agent in which that particular ROI might not happen, or cannot be quantified.  However, numerous studies have shown there to be a direct correlation between an investment in PR, and a monetary return on that investment.  While no form of marketing has a 100% return every time (if there was, every single company would use that same discipline every single time), public relations has one of the highest returns on investment, including higher than that of advertising.

According to a study published by the independent and not-for-profit Institute For Public Relations, industry veteran Marc Weiner cites the case study of a beverage brand that measured the impact of PR versus other forms of marketing, and its findings are typical. The data showed that $1.00 spent on TV advertising delivered $1.10 in sales. Trade advertising delivered a return of roughly $2.20 for every dollar spent. But PR delivered an incredible $8.00 for every $1.00 invested — the best of any marketing agent tested.  In fact, four percent of all incremental sales were attributed to PR.  While this may not sound like much, it represents tens of millions of dollars.

PR is also the only form of marketing to positively affect all other forms of marketing.  When news coverage about a brand was positive and prominent, every other form of marketing was shown to be more efficient and more effective, thus creating a beneficial ripple effect across all marketing efforts.

The study goes on to point out that while it’s wonderful that PR has the best return on the dollar in terms of sales, it’s time to look beyond just the monetary ROI to the other benefits public relations brings to the table.  Through PR, a company has a distinct advantage when compared to other forms of marketing.  It offers the opportunity for a company to tell its story, achieve unparalleled credibility and gain the involvement and loyalty of its customers.  Those brands with the most positive reputation also benefit through consistent premium pricing and customer loyalty, regardless of the economy.  In short, PR is uniquely positioned to drive a meaningful company/customer interaction that builds the world’s most successful brands.

As always, journalists are looking for new ways to cover an “old” topic. This can include a vast array of experts and products, including fashion trends; supplies; food and nutrition; technology; organization; after-school programs; online safety; street safety; school-life balance; and more. Leverage this seasonal opportunity by finding a way to insert your expertise or product into the story.

In order to ensure that you “make the grade,” keep the following steps in mind as you develop your campaign:

A: Advance Planning - Most of us have had to cram for an exam at some point in our lives, but avoid compromising your results in your PR campaign by allowing yourself sufficient time to plan your campaign and put it into action. Give yourself at least a month to develop any ideas, promotions, press materials and/or partnerships; and then several weeks to pitch your story to the press.

B: Broadcast Your Message - Once you’ve planned your campaign, it’s time to get it out to the world. Pitch newspapers, radio, TV and online outlets (as appropriate for your goals and objectives) to broadcast your message.

C: Collect Coverage - Always make sure to gather any clippings or appearances you’ve done. These can be leveraged for years to come in both your online and offline efforts. Take your traditional press and utilize it to further expand your business opportunities. Need more info on this? You can read our series on leveraging your traditional press here: http://www.prtakeoff.com/secrets/learning-to-leverage-media-coverage/

“Back in the day,” businesses made important decisions about their company internally, such as what events to have, who to invite to those events, how to best launch a new product, and so forth.  There was no Internet, no social media and no 24-hour news cycle.  What PR people had were media contacts…and he who had the best media contacts ruled.

We are often surprised when potential clients still place the most weight on who to hire based on what contacts a freelancer or agency seems to know.  And there are no lack of PR pros who will drop names for that very reason.  But it’s striking in today’s world where companies and entrepreneurs are much more sophisticated and are seeking experienced consultants in many areas, how simply “knowing people” is not nearly enough.

We were at a meeting this past week discussing a client’s product not yet on the market, and it won’t be launching for months.  The client looked to us to for counsel in regard to such things as how and when to launch the first products, potential distribution methods, price point recommendations and the pros and cons of an influencer outreach campaign.  At some point in the launch, “who we know” will come into play, but even then it’s less about what media you know, and really how to develop a compelling pitch that will get the attention of ANY journalist - buddy or not.

Even an expert who wants to become better known in their industry and primarily needs the support of a media relations campaign should look beyond those just touting media contacts.  For the experts with whom we work, we also support them in areas of their business such as strategic partnership identification and development, other creative ways in which to reach their customer, how to package and leverage the media coverage they get for even more awareness, and so forth.

Before seeking PR representation, take time to assess all the areas where you need counsel that public relations can provide.  If you find you need a broader range of support than just media contacts, then look beyond someone’s Rolodex to find the best fit for you.

• 4th of July Safety Tips - Have you ever heard of the expression, “If it bleeds, it leads?” This is a common cliche used among the press, meaning that the top news stories are typically not the “feel good” philanthopic stories of the day. Those are saved for the second half of the news. This may seem a bit extreme, but the media will even cover the “dark side” of the holidays. The 4th of July is particularly fraught with dangers such as drinking and driving; fireworks; boating safety; fire safety…the list goes on and on. Even something like staying out in the sun too long can be a news hook for a dermatologist, or parenting expert or sunscreen company. Can you leverage your product or expertise to speak to these issues?
• 4th of July Parties - Nutritionists: whip out those eating tips for a delicious and healthy holiday. Party planners: what are the hot trends for an innovative 4th of July? What are some inexpensive things people can do in this economy to still create a festive environment? Chefs and restaurants: here’s a prime opportunity to get your dishes covered. Same with food products.
• 4th of July Festivities - Is your store or company doing something to celebrate 4th of July that’s a bit different, family-friendly and fun? For example, one year we had a hair salon chain host “Patriotic Hairpainting” at various 4th of July events across the country. The stars and stripes were temporary (think face painting - but for your hair); and for every person that got their hair painted, a donation was made to a charity. Can you implement a similar visual activity on a local level in your own community that will help your company get noticed?

With these ideas to start, you can blast into the media in no time. Have a safe, happy and press-filled 4th of July!