3 MINUTE READ

People today are shrewd and skeptical about advertising and so when they find information about you in newspapers, magazines, websites, on television or any other form of media they believe that you are more credible. This is the world of Public Relations or PR and something that as Little PR Rock Marketing I see regularly.

The stories people hear about you from outside sources give them more trust because you have received validation from an independent third party. PR is about building a relationship with the media, your customer and your audience in a way that focuses on positive stories which helps to enhance your reputation. When there are unavoidable situations which have an effect on the way that you are seen, PR is as I call it “damage limitation.”

For me some examples of public relations tools include:

• Press releases
• Speaking engagements
• Pitching to journalists
• Networking
• Guest posting
• Social media responses
• Event management
• Market research
• Crisis management etc

As an experienced graphic designer myself I’m aware that when we are building brands we convey a message about you and your values in a way that you want to represent to your customers and audience. To attract a good PR those values need to shine through and be recognised for what they are! As there is no guarantee with PR that you will be featured so the audience knows that you must have something important to say or offer. This is why I include PR within my marketing strategy as one of my FIVE KEY ROI MARKETING PRINCIPLES.

MY FIVE KEY ROI MARKETING PRINCIPLES © are:

1. RESPECT ON INVESTMENT
   A bedrock of Intellectual Property
2. RECOGNITION ON INVESTMENT
   Regular 3rd party independent endorsement
3. RESILIENCE ON INVESTMENT
   Engagement strategy with quality not quantity social posts
4. REPUTATION ON INVESTMENT
   Professional aesthetic graphics designed
5. REINFORCEMENT ON INVESTMENT
   Your USP in content creation or repurposing.

That’s a great way to measure your ROI (Return On Investment)

You may be familiar with the term ROI as RETURN ON INVESTMENT and media features offer great value. Therefore this is my second KEY ROI MARKETING PRINCIPLE: RECOGNITION ON INVESTMENT (ROI) – Regular 3rd party independent endorsement.

I believe that social media can amplify the effects of good PR and keep it active, however it cannot replace it.

Recently I appeared on an online 24 hour news stream called Ticker News and the ripple effect was extremely positive on social media when I shared this fact. I was able to use segments of the video interview along with a personal post which showed my social media connections what is possible. This relationship building meant that when the video cut-out in my second interview on Ticker News because of technical difficulties it was less impactful. I demonstrated how I managed the difficult situation live on air as a public speaker and how they can too.

I had given it a positive outcome to good effect.

It is difficult to monitor and measure PR but you soon recognise the effects that it has on you and your reputation. As a business owner we develop our own personal brand and it often becomes the brand of our business, therefore it’s important to represent yourself effectively, and make good use of opportunities like this. In this example I was true to my business and personal brand by showing people how to manage my PR when the technology fails.

I had turned the negative experience into a positive live on air.

As a graphic designer I tell stories with images and text using the tools that I learned at university and in my own experience. Storytelling in PR is all about language and writing persuasive content. Both roles include communication and the ability to create positive pictures in people’s minds-eye. With fierce competition today, keeping your reputation positive, at the forefront of people’s minds and backing it up with great marketing can elevate you above your competitors.

PR also includes the way you engage with your customers and audience such as how you respond to queries, complaints and display testimonials. That is why my THIRD KEY ROI MARKETING PRINCIPLE iis to have an engagement strategy on social media where you relate to your followers, connections, customers and those lurking in the shadows who never like or comment. This is what I call: RESILIENCE ON INVESTMENT (ROI) – Engagement strategy with quality not quantity social posts included.

You may be wondering why I am including the term ROI or RETURN ON INVESTMENT term in my key principles. That is because you need a strong RETURN ON INVESTMENT in your marketing and PR because it can be expensive. Effectively communicating your values can leverage you to the next level and get you noticed. Marketing and PR are one of the most important things that you can invest in as a business owner or self-employed public speaker, life coach or consultant as I do.