MARKETING

BRANDING

POSITIONING

DESIGN & LAYOUT

 

 

For more information on building your brand, contact:
John Meng

 

E-MarkeTIP is a monthly marketing column by John Meng of Meng & Associates Inc., a full-service marketing firm, specializing in strategic positioning, brand building and public relations custom-fit to the needs of small- to medium-sized companies.

Public relations fail in a vacuum. Whether it’s in the chilled confines of space or a competitive business environment, a vacuum stifles growth. And, when business managers don’t communicate with their PR people, it creates a communication vacuum that chokes off profits faster than a Winona Ryder shopping spree.

I’ve seen business owners and marketing managers that acted as though hiring a public relations company freed them of public relations forever. The instant they hired a PR firm, they happily wiped their hands of all public relations. Their work was done. They had uncorked the bottle and the PR genie was going to grant their every wish.

Many times, PR firms receive little or no communication with the company’s principle managers. Not surprising, these clients often ask for detailed reports on the PR firms efforts. They want to know what’s been done and they wonder why there has not been a rapid increase in sales. Often their conclusion is that public relations is a waste of money. It’s very much like a person who buys a Mercedes and parks it in the garage for months on end. He makes monthly payments and then questions the real value of having a Mercedes.  


“I don’t believe
in just ordering
people to do things.
You have to sort of
grab an oar and
row with them.”

Harold Geneen

But good public relations firms are not genies, not mind readers and, most importantly, they are not surrogate mothers that can give birth to your business’s marketing success without you. Rather, good public relations firms work side-by-side, day-after-day to nurture and foster your company’s brand position within the public arena.

I say ‘Partner Up.’ Any public relations professional should be treated as a partner in your business. Bring them into your inner circle and share information. What may seem to be mundane daily drivel for you may be priceless background information that can help develop a strategy for your company’s message. Even the routine task of hiring a new manager can lead to a well-publicized press release to local business news publications.

So, when hiring a public relations firm, be clear on what you want from the effort. Some things a PR firm can do for you are to get you positive and frequent exposure in the media, create and conduct special events, and help you build and maintain solid brand awareness. But none of it is possible if you don’t work closely with them and Partner Up.

2004© MENG & ASSOCIATES INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.