Publicity for Marketing Business to Business

Preface

This book will be a great help to anyone responsible for publicity in any size company. All can benefit - whether a start-up firm or an established business to business firm.

You could be a very busy MD, sales or marketing manager, or a secretary with marketing responsibility, and because of your workload, you may consider PR is an add-on to other marketing activities. Wrong! PR is a powerful tool and for many firms, especially those with a low publicity/promotional budget, it can often be the only affordable option in the marketing mix.

You may think that you can dip in and out of PR, according to how busy you may be at any given moment. Wrong again!! PR must be planned and maintained to be effective, just like other business activity.

If, as I hope, you have purchased this book to understand the real truth about PR and other promotional activities, great! You are my kind of person – take the rest of the day off!

Firms that devote just half an hour daily to PR can benefit from free publicity in the media, leading to more sales leads and increased business.

Even if you use a PR and/or advertising agency, you can both benefit from your knowledge and techniques gained from this book. But make no mistake, you will save hundreds or even thousands of pounds by using this book to see how easily you can, in fact, do it all yourself.

Of all the marketing methods at your disposal, public relations and sending press releases to the media is the most cost-effective.

This book will enable you to set-up and operate an effective in-house PR department, or even start an agency of your very own. If you are a sole trader you may wonder why I use the word ‘department’. Well, although I would never persuade anyone to exaggerate, if you handle your own publicity you are in PR and are building an image, so ‘department’ is not so far fetched is it?

Because you are involved in publicity and most probably in all aspects of it, I have also included advertising, print and production, newsletters, direct mail, graphic designers, exhibitions and photography.

NOTE: This book will give basic information on most day-to-day requirements for publicity and advertising. If you wish to learn more about the public relations profession, or gain professional PR qualifications you should consider consulting the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), based in London. They run a number of excellent training courses and can offer general information for anyone involved in public relations. www.cipr.co.uk 020 7631 6900. Also, I can highly recommend Peter Bartram, author, journalist and ex editor of many publications. He runs excellent courses on publicity, writing etc. www.prtrainingzone.co.uk

01273 455117

I hope you and others will enjoy, benefit and profit from the Guide.

Alan Godfrey

Author

Section 1 : Tools of the trade

Whether you are in a large or small company, or perhaps in business on your own and maybe even working from a home office, or in the process of setting-up your own PR unit/department within an existing company or separate agency, you will need a few ‘tools of the trade’.

I have assumed you are working in an office environment and have all the basic items such as computers with broadband, filing cabinets and good photocopier etc.

Your contacts are one of your most valuable assets, so it is essential to have a record of them in an interactive computer database.

NOTE: If you keep records on other people you may need to register under the Data Protection Act. Publications and other media invite people to send in material so are therefore not protected by the scheme. (see Guide to Data Protection at www.ico.gov.uk)

Special forms. Some advertising and PR agencies use custom production and work flow programs, but in a small PR office you can operate efficiently by producing your own forms and procedures. Typical examples are to be found in the appropriate sections in this book.

Trade magazines. You should read or at least monitor your trade magazines regularly. If you sell to just one market covered by perhaps around six magazines, you are lucky! If you are in many markets you will need to monitor all the magazines covering all those markets. This will give you an idea of what your competitors are up to, what editorials they get published and whether they are advertising.

It will also enable you to judge each publication’s editorial ‘style/slant’ and see what type of articles they publish or if they print ‘product’ releases (not all do) as a guide to what you should submit to each one.

Subscription or free? Many trade publications are free of charge, but most have fairly strict ‘terms of readership control’. If you are a marketing or publicity person they may reject you because they need readers who are responsible for specifying or buying products and services covered by the publication. These are the people that you need to respond to your releases and advertisements. To obtain your free subscription send off the completed card usually contained in the publication or write to the publisher.

TIP: If a publication rejects your ‘free sub’ application ask a top management, technical person or buyer in your firm to apply or ask the advertisement manager to put you on their 'promotional free-list’ as a potential advertiser. You should get at least six months free copies.

There may be publications to which you will simply have to subscribe, but if they’re important to your business, so be it.

Where to find publication contact information

There are many printed and online directories containing details of publications and other media. Your public library is usually a good source for the printed versions. Also, next time you attend a trade show, you will find most of the publications covering that market exhibiting. Check the show catalogue and ask in the Press Office.

On the next few pages I have detailed the main directories I believe you will find most useful in your PR office.

Media directories

The directories listed I consider to be the main media contacts directories published in the UK. There are a few more, so you may wish to also search the internet for a more comprehensive list, especially overseas directories.

BRAD INSIGHT (British Rate and Data)

Online by subscription.

www.bradinsight.com

Tel: 020 7728 4315

Lists trade and consumer magazines, newspapers, broadcast media and other UK media.

Media data includes publisher, web site, address, telephone and email. Editor, advertisement manager, editorial profiles, advertisement rates, mechanical data and circulation details.

Mainly used by advertisers and agencies but can be used for PR.

Media UK

Free internet media directory

www.mediauk.com Tel: 020 7100 1811

Consumer and trade magazines, newspapers, TV and radio.

Very useful for searching individual media.

Cision/Willings Press Guide

Annual books and online by subscription

www.cisionpoint.com Tel: 0800 358 3110

Global database. Comprehensive guide to newspapers, magazines, online media, periodicals and broadcast media.

Lists advertising and editorial contacts, ad rates.

Vol 1 UK.

Vol 2 Europe (excluding UK).

Vol 3 World (excl Europe & UK).

Cision Point

www.cisionpoint.com Tel: 0800 358 3110

PR software, and online. Manages PR activities, press release distribution, monitoring and analysis.

Ideal for larger agencies and organisations.

Cision Editors Media Directories

Annual books

www.cision.com Tel: 0800 358 3110

Vol.1 National Newspapers, news agencies, radio and TV.

Vol.2 Business & professional magazines and media.

Vol.3 Regional newspapers and town guide.

Vol.4 Consumer & leisure magazines and media.

Vol.5 TV and radio.

Vol.6 Freelance writers & guilds.

Gorkana

Online Subscription.

www.gorkana.com Tel: 020 7074 2555

Media database & forward features.

Exhibition Bulletin

Monthly online by subscription

www.mashmedia.net Tel: 020 8971 8282

Lists exhibitions and trade shows worldwide. There are many other exhibition & conference related publications here.

PRMax

www.prmax.co.uk Tel: 01582 380199

PR software, media database and pr distribution.

Features Exec

www.featuresexec.com

Tel: 0845 370 7777

Media database, forward features, press release distribution.

Daryl Wilcox Publishing

www.dwpublishing.com/pr

This firm covers a wide range of services for PR distribution and monitoring etc

Suppliers – Tip:

As with most successful business people, surround yourself with good suppliers including graphic designers, printers, a computer/IT expert and a photographer with full digital manipulation facilities (and skills).

NOTE: The above is information is correct at the time of writing. The list is not complete, so please check updates and additions. The publisher cannot take responsibility for errors or omissions.

Section 2: Public Relations

What is Public Relations?

PR is all about image, reputation and credibility. It is a main marketing tool and is essential to any individual or organisation. PR should never be viewed or used just as an add-on to other marketing activities.

Good PR does far more than advertising alone can do, and is usually more effective because it is more ‘believable’. For many businesses, especially start-ups or those new to active publicity, it is the only affordable option. Start-ups rarely know this!

PR is a planned activity, aimed at promoting a company and its products and services, activities, technological and business successes, etc., for short and long-term goals.

PR should be a continuous day-to-day activity and given appropriate time and attention.

PR is very powerful and must be respected as such.

PR can maintain an image and build upon it. It can change the way people think about you.

We will later discuss the main tool of the publicist – the Press Release.

Who needs PR?

Bill Gates, Microsoft said If I were down to my last Dollar I would spend it on PR. I think that just about sums it up, so let’s bear those words in mind whilst reading this book.

Everyone and every organisation throughout the world needs PR and can benefit from it. This includes all businesses large or small, individuals, charities and clubs, politicians, governments and even religions – anyone who wants to influence people or customers.

Good PR can be observed on a daily basis – for instance Sir Richard Branson, who often takes the lead in promoting his many interests, which keeps his companies as well as himself in the public eye. He rarely misses an opportunity and most people admire him for this, and therefore his businesses.

The power of PR is also recognised by celebrities who hire people like Max Clifford to advise them on media handling. He and others feed the media with information virtually every day on behalf of their clients.

The interaction between suppliers and buyers in the trade and business-to-business sphere is really no different and the same successes can be achieved from treating publicity seriously.

No such thing as bad publicity – RUBBISH!

Bad PR can ruin a business almost immediately. Remember Gerald Ratner, who gave an after dinner speech, mentioning that the reason his jewellery business could sell products cheaply was that they were rubbish, or words to that effect. The next day, the media reported his ‘unfortunate words’. A shareholder exodus wiped many millions off its market value. The company eventually lost all credibility and sales.

Politicians can lose their good public image instantly, by saying or doing the wrong thing. Excellent examples are demonstrated virtually every day!

Even public relations people can get it wrong, with disastrous consequences. An example was Sophie Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward, who reportedly used her royal position to gain PR clients. Her big mistake was to discuss ‘The Family’ with a person posing as a Sheikh and a potential client, but was apparently from a newspaper ‘setting her up’.

A better show of PR came from the Royal Family responding to this quickly in issuing statements about members of the family having to possibly relinquish their business activities or be cut from the public purse.

Who can perform the PR function?

Any individual working alone or in any organisation can perform the PR function, as can a public relations agency of course. But, to be more effective any agency used should specialise in your markets.

What PR cannot do

PR cannot guarantee publication or other media exposure. You will usually not know when, where or what space will be devoted to your story, or if it will ever be published at all. Sometimes your press release or story could take several months or more to be published, unless it is obviously time-sensitive (in which case it may not be used if the needed date is missed).

In the UK you do not pressurise or bribe a journalist to run your story – at least, not in the trade press (see Colour Separation Charges