12 Jul Publicity: Do You Really Need It?
I already pay for advertising.
I don’t need publicity.
I can do my own publicity.
Three reasons you shouldn’t spend money on publicity. Right?
Wrong. Want to know why?
Here’s a breakdown.
1. Credibility.
If you hear from 5 of your good friends that there’s an amazing restaurant in town, you’re probably going to eat there. That’s because you trust your friends more than you trust, say, Yelp.
Well, just like you trust your friends, people trust credible sources. And publicity will get you press through those sources. You can pay for advertising anywhere, anytime, but getting good story placements in the media can have a much bigger impact than a full-page ad, because it was earned instead of bought.
2. Advantage over your competitors.
There’s a good chance that your competitors aren’t using publicity. And if they are, they might not be using it effectively. Simply put: having the right publicity strategy will give you a huge leg-up over your competition.
3. Real targeting.
You can spend a ton of money on advertising and pay-per-clicks, but you may not be targeting the right audience. In that case, you’re paying for a lot of waste.
Your PR firm will know your exact target audience and in which media to reach them. This goes hand-in-hand with the credibility factor; you’re getting real readers who are genuinely interested in what you do.
4. A wider audience.
A PR firm not only reaches your target audience, but also secures publicity that gets picked up by millions of other media sites that spread the word. This also increases your search engine visibility.
5. Protecting your image.
It’s too common these days for a business to instantly mar their image with bad press – often times via social media. That’s where positive publicity comes in.
Aside from working to gain publicity, a PR firm works to keep your reputation unscathed. Should a crisis emerge, they have a plan in place, and they’re there to rebuild!
6. And finally, it costs less.
Of course, it’s not free. But your PR dollars will stretch much farther than advertising dollars. When you pay for publicity, you’re paying for real press – not cheap clicks, fake followers, or missed banner ads.
So, the answer to the question of the hour is: Yes, you should really have publicity. Not only should you have it, you should plan it just as carefully as you plan the rest of your business. It’s all worth it when your prospects see your company in the news over and over again, and when, in turn, you see the results in your bottom line.