A targeted media relations campaign can put a small business in the national spotlight. Here's how.
Begin with an analysis of the client's objectives in terms of publicity, marketing, forming new business partnerships, potential acquisition, and investment in the company. Once the objectives are clearly defined, develop a strategic game plan and the tactics you will use to implement that plan. Your plan should include:
Aggressive and targeted media relations campaign.
Publicity through news releases and press conferences announcing milestone achievements.
Nominating the client for awards.
Implementing a Web 2.0 strategy to boost the company's visibility online.
Accomplishing this requires developing a good working relationship with the news media, particularly the trade press. You need to establish trust and reliability; i.e., tone down the hyperbole and deliver on your promises. Once you have achieved legitimacy with the trade media, strive to land profiles about the company itself or its key personnel.
You also need to track your results, producing hard data whenever possible, so you can evaluate the success of the program and demonstrate to the client that he got a worthwhile return on his PR investment.
Results Highlight Success
Here's a case study that demonstrates how this approach works in the real world: M Ship Co., a San Diego-based maritime design and technology firm, had patented technology with an outsized impact on the performance of commercial, military and recreational boats and ships. However, despite its influence on ship design, the company had an undersized reputation, receiving almost no recognition for its revolutionary technology.
The goal of the public relations program was to gain traction with important target audiences through the news media. The program began with an analysis of the client's objectives, which included landing further military and civilian contracts, possible acquisition by a large defense industry firm, partnerships with top-tier boat builders, or an infusion of private equity.
Then we developed and implemented a strategy and specific tactics:
Map out media milestones and secure coverage around the launch and testing of the company's new vessel.
Build buzz with local and trade media, then leverage that coverage with bigger media targets.
Increase the quantity of media coverage and ensure the company is credited as the inventor of the technology.
Shift media attention beyond the technology to the company and its potential.
Place the "business story" to reach potential investors, partners or acquirers.
Pursue industry and media awards.
Implement a Web 2.0 strategy.
Complete a "score sheet" of metrics verifying the success of the program.
The results exceeded our expectations, and we were able to prove this to the client by quantifying the successes:
Expanded coverage in trade and local media.
Nationally, stories appeared in Popular Science, Forbes, Time, Maxim and on the Discovery Channel.
Articles shifted focus from the technology to the company itself, with a profile of the company founder appearing on the front page of the hometown newspaper's business section.
The company won Time magazine's Coolest Inventions for 2006 award, as well as CONNECT's Most Innovative Product, resulting in widespread media coverage.
The story was a top pick on Digg.com, achieving an estimated 5 million viewings.
Military personnel published an article about the company's new vessel in Wikipedia.
Media coverage increased 100% in frequency and 19% for story length; articles with photos increased 73%.
Coverage in general readership and business publications spiked 50%.
The company was mentioned within the top three paragraphs in 39% of all stories after initiating the media relations campaign, compared to 20% previously.
Because of the broad media coverage, the ship builder was contacted by a major defense industry contractor about acquisition, as well as by shipbuilders from the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia about partnerships. A boat builder contracted with the company to build a line of boats based on the company's revolutionary hull design.
The company was approached by several venture capital firms and is currently in discussions with several groups about private equity investment.
These documented results and metrics confirmed the success of the strategic media relations program. You can achieve similar results by following these proven guidelines.
Jon Schmid is a founding partner of San Diego-based Cook & Schmid Public Relations. His prior experience includes more than a decade of work as a professional journalist at a number of publications, including the Chicago Sun-Times, one of the nation's largest metropolitan daily newspapers. As a journalist, Jon was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
In 2007, Cook & Schmid received the Silver Anvil Award, the public relations industry's highest honor, for its work promoting the San Diego Rescue Mission. The firm also received a national Bronze Anvil Award of Merit in the category of Business to Business Media Relations for the M Ship Co. project described above.
Cook & Schmid - http://www.cookandschmid.com
M Ship Co. - http://www.mshipco.com
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