Please point out any grammar or punctuation, and maybe if something is worded funny let me know or suggest a new way to word it.
Marketing and PR on a Budget
When I started my current marketing position five years ago, there wasn’t an existing department, a plan, a budget or a desire to pay me for a full time position (which was fine, since I was looking for a part time position). It was clear that results were important, and I had to produce without a lot of money or time. As the economy continues its current course, all marketing and PR departments are looking for ways to get more results with less. Here’s what I found worked best:
1.Consistency is Key
Much like training for an endurance event, it’s not as important how enthusiastic you are on any particular day or how great any one workout is, it’s most important that you train consistently. Obviously you want to produce your best work possible with each PR release or customer outreach, but you can’t predict what piece will fall on the right desk on the right day. So the more consistent you are in sending things out, the more likely you are to reach a new customer or have an editor call you back for a story. A yearly “calendar of contacts” that tracks both customer touches and story ideas sent to editors helps build consistency. Some content will be apparent when you build the calendar, for example a product launch or large event. But even if you don’t know what you’re going to write about or promote next Spring, put it on your calendar that you’re going to send something out and then as the time approaches, work to build a story.
2.Work to Build a Story
If you find the right audience, (almost) any story is worth telling. Today there are very specific audiences who gather and share very specific information, using many different platforms. Even a small project or story within your company may have great significance elsewhere, if you find the right audience. For example, BIG INK does all sorts of vehicle wraps, as do many other companies. But when we produced a branded wrap for a bank on their night depository, it became a great story to produce and send to banking publications. The story helped show them how to expand their branding to an unusual area (a deposit box), while promoting our capabilities to them.
3.Promote your Capabilities and Expertise
Another way to spread the word about your company is by developing an in-house expert. People are often uncomfortable with the label of “expert” but really, most people who have been in an industry for a number of years qualify. An expert has to be good at and willing to share information, either through print and/or appearances. After a few years of consistently submitting informative press releases to industry magazines, our president was asked to join the Advisory Panel for the leading digital printing publication. (Now when we send an article, we get paid for the submission!). Don’t be shy about reaching out and asking about this opportunity, once you’ve built a relationship with an editor. It’s to their advantage to have people on the panel they already know supply them with good editorial content. If they don’t have a panel, ask if you can be built into the editorial calendar, by agreeing to supply stories for designated issues.
Your expert can also present at trades shows, even if it doesn’t make sense to have a booth space there (or you don’t have the budget for it). We have submitted an application for a break out session seminar for the 2009 NeoCon entitled, “Environmental Graphics: How to Brand a Space.” The application was accepted, and we presented ideas on this topic to professional designers and architects at the largest show of its type in North America. You can then turn around and market this idea to customers, inviting them to attend the same presentation at your office or offering to bring it to them. It’s a great differentiator and even if they don’t see the presentation, you’ve established your company as an expert.
Although they are simple and methodical processes the three examples above can help you create exciting results, without using a lot of your budget on resources.
The following passage is the job advertisement as seen on the website.
