Why Public Relations? Strangely, we get this question quite a bit. Most of the time it is when someone wants to know what options are out there other than placing an advertisement. There are a couple key differences between public relations and spending money on advertising. 1. An ad is usually a one-time deal. You place an ad in a magazine (it’s pricey by the way), and you have it for the duration of the shelf life of the publication or media outlet. Public relations targets ALL media outlets vs. just one. 2. Credibility. A successful public relations campaign leads to credibility, because a story is being told vs. an advertisement that is obviously “selling” to the reader/viewer. Of course you are still selling your product or service with a PR campaign, it is just more subtle. What is the ROI is another question that is frequently asked. Now, I never know whether a client’s television spot featuring their book is going to produce sales, create new business opportunities, build brand or increase speaking engagements. It is different every time. This public relations spot for Feed Your Pet to Avoid the Vet on FOX news went national and resulted in daily sales for the client. You can watch it here. My point? There is power in PR and you need to get your name/product/service out there.
