| Public relations is by far the most affordable and | | | | advertising trustworthiness - 9 percent |
| effective marketing tool available for small businesses | | | | The reason public relations is more trusted is because |
| and consultants. That's a bold statement, but perfectly | | | | of the implicit endorsement of the media organization |
| reasonable when you know the facts. I can't tell you | | | | that covers your story. Let's face it, if they are willing |
| how many times I am approached by entrepreneurs | | | | to put it on their free air time, their editorial space or |
| who ask me, "Can I afford to do PR?" I always | | | | their web site, it means you were at least important |
| answer the same way: "You can't afford NOT to do | | | | enough for them to expend resources to cover your |
| PR." | | | | news. With advertising, anyone who can pay for the |
| Advertising is Not Public Relations | | | | space can buy it. There's not much pre-qualification or |
| First, understand that advertising is not PR, and PR is | | | | trust required there - just a check book. |
| not advertising. Advertising is simply a tactic by which | | | | Cost Savings |
| you pay for placement of an ad-in newspapers or | | | | In addition, a good public relations campaign costs |
| magazines, direct mail pieces or Web mediums-which | | | | about one-tenth of an advertising campaign. A small |
| you hope will generate responses commensurate with | | | | advertising budget will buy you a campaign that drops |
| the amount of money you spend. The problem with | | | | a pebble in a pond, and you hope the tiny ripples reach |
| this plan for small business people is that you have to | | | | some customers. A PR campaign has the potential to |
| spend a significant amount of money before you | | | | drop a boulder in that same pond, for the price of |
| reach enough critical mass to make enough sales to | | | | advertising's pebble. |
| recoup the money you've spent. At the end of the | | | | Some retainer-based firms are taking on small |
| day, it's a numbers game, and a game that only large | | | | businesses and consultant clients at cut rates these |
| companies can afford. | | | | days, while "pay-for-performance" style agencies (that |
| People Trust News | | | | do project-based work with placement guarantees) |
| Public relations is cost efficient, because it delivers | | | | are even more cost efficient because their guarantees |
| more than just numbers-it delivers trust. According to | | | | help mitigate your risk. |
| research, people trust news coverage far more than | | | | All in all, there are a wide variety of inexpensive |
| advertising. For example, TNS, a leading marketing | | | | options out there for small companies who feel they |
| information group, announced in early 2009 the results | | | | can benefit from the branding and exposure good |
| of a survey of 1,000 US households regarding | | | | public relations delivers. In addition, advertising is an |
| consumer trust. The main result is that people tend to | | | | exercise in sales, whereas PR is an exercise in so |
| trust the news and what they read in print. As far as | | | | much more. Good PR counselors help their clients with |
| advertising goes, not so much. | | | | branding, messaging, positioning, crisis communications |
| In that survey, only 35 percent of respondents showed | | | | and community relations. The better ones know how |
| any level of trust in advertising, a number that would | | | | to position you with the media as an expert in your |
| concern most CEO's and their bean counters! | | | | field so that whenever a story breaks in your industry, |
| Here's a summary of the findings:o Local newspaper | | | | you get the proactive call from the media to help them |
| credibility - 46 percento Local TV credibility - 44 | | | | analyze the event and interpret it for their audiences. In |
| percento Print advertising credibility - 21 percento | | | | many ways, PR delivers a marketing gift that keeps |
| Television advertising credibility - 11 percento Print | | | | on giving. |
| advertising trustworthiness - 17 percento Television | | | | |