Re: How to Ask for Special Advertising Deals

From: Julie Law <jlaw_at_marketfundamentals.net>
Date: Wed 26 Nov 2003 21:36:20 -0600

Jeremy Stetson wrote:

> Unfortunately, I don't see how extensive online PR is feasible
> with a roughly $1000 monthly 'advertising' budget.

Jeremy,

I think you'd be surprised. When you think of public relations, you
may think only of posh agencies with excessive retainers, most
covering the costs of entertaining clients or buzzing around in the
corporate jet. However, our (PR) industry continues to evolve,
creating a niche of more "guerrilla" PR folks than you may realize.

Speaking from my own experiences within our integrated marketing
agency, ALL of our clients require doing more with less - and yet
they are still finding success. It's not so much the budget as it is
a clear understanding of the campaign objectives and the means to
quantify your return-on-investment.

Keep in mind that online PR is considerably different than the
traditional practice of PR - placing an article online has a much
longer "shelf life" within site archives making it valuable not just
for the impression but for the active link back to your site. Given
the extended "shelf life" you essentially build momentum over time -
so your fear that an extensive campaign isn't feasible can be
overcome because it's not as if you're re-creating the wheel from
month-to-month. Instead you establish a strong foundation over time.

Other advantages of online PR - it's easily tracked (most traffic
analytics programs will include the URL for referrer sites) and
evaluated so that you can effectively direct your dollars to create
more efficiencies within your overall marketing program. For example
(a very general example), you may find that Weblog or "blog" mentions
have outperformed placements on more traditional media properties so
you spend more energy positioning your product for the blogging
community. By conducting keyword analysis like search engine
professionals, we can proactively identify trends and vertical
applications that would not have occurred to us until it already made
news - putting us in the all-to-common "me too" dilemma (i.e. more of
the same). Additionally, innovative marketers (e.g. Corey Rundl) are
effectively converting online PR into a direct marketing tactic.
Immediate response. Quantifiable, measurable results. This is not
your grandfather's stack of press clips!

The opportunities are valuable and, quite possibly, limitless. I can
confidently say that you will pull far greater results from a $1000
PR campaign than you will with a $1000 ad campaign - and pick up the
ancillary benefits of credibility, reach and cross-pollination with
other online marketing tactics like e-mail and search engine
optimization. I speak from our own experiences with client campaigns
- we test and measure to create the most value for our clients.
Online PR isn't a one-size-fits-all solution and it shouldn't be the
only tactic in your marketing arsenal, but if given the choice
between the two as a start to a program, your $1000 is better spent
on PR.

Julie Law

Market Fundamentals

http://www.marketfundamentals.net/










Received on Wed Nov 26 2003 - 21:36:20 CST