Public relations tactics

When it comes to public relations tactics everybody has some type of advice to give you on what works best for their company. There are numerous opinions out there about which tactic has the best results and what people consider to be the best tactics of all times. But it is not very often that people take a close look at the things that don't work. In fact very little is said about the negative aspects of certain public relations tactics because of the fact it can create a lot of controversy. It can also damage some public relations firms business because some of the tactics are going to be recommended by various firms. But there are some tactics that experts feel are a waste of time for you to use if you want to effectively use your public relations budget.

Here are some of the public relations tactics that you need to avoid using.

Number one:
Big events. This is going to be pitched to you by various public relations firms because for the companies that you hire to handle your public relations love big events. The main reason that they love these huge events is because of the fact that they can charge you for the numerous hours that it takes them to coordinate, arrange and staff the huge event, which most of the time ends up being tons of hours and the bigger the event the more hours that they can charge. But another reason that they like big events is because most of these big events give you a feeling of success, even if it is a false feeling. The reason that you feel successful at these events is because when you walk around you see tons of people wandering around and talking to you so you tend to think that this worked. But just because there was a huge turnout doesn't mean that the event worked because it is not the amount of people who attended that counts but the amount of press coverage that you received afterwards and how your sales were affected. It is actually a rare occurrence for your sales to increase just from a big event.

Number two:
Sponsorships. Almost every business person knows about sponsorships because it is a great way to give back to the community, but it can also be used to get your name out to the general public and more often than not it gives you a much needed tax write off. But it is not very often that this kind of an event will actually increase your sales. The reason for this is that nobody is going to really be paying attention to your name on the banner when there are so many other names on the same banner. What this means is that this type of event should be considered simple exposure because it does not set you apart from the other people that are selling the same thing that you are.

Number three:
Sending out undifferentiated media releases. This is not saying that you shouldn't send out media releases because sending out media releases is one of the key tactics that is used in a public relations campaign. This is actually talking about the companies that send out a media release that sounds just like everybody else's media release and calling it breaking news. What the media wants is something that they consider news so you are going to need to make sure that you have something that they will consider news not something about so and so getting promoted or how the gadget you have been selling is now in a different color. Rather they want to hear about something new and exciting that only you can offer your customers. This is news and it will give you a better chance of getting your story told then others.

Number four:
Sending media releases to the world. During the course of public relations people have some how started thinking that the more people you can send the media release to the better the chances of you increasing your sales. This is just a myth; in fact sending it out to every media outlet that you have ever heard of is a waste of time and money on your end. You are better off sending it to your targeted list of media outlets so that you can use the extra money in different ways that will help to increase your sales. They only way that you should send the media release out worldwide is if it is really news that is on a national or even international level. But it should also add value to the world rather than just brag about what you have to offer.

Number five:
Creating expensive media kits that you send out to the world media sources. This is a waste of money because of how mail is actually looked at in the newsroom. Most of the time what happen sis they open the mail and glance at it, then nine times out of ten the mail ends up getting tossed in the garbage can because they are not looking for news on your story at that time. If you are one of the lucky few that the story gets picked up that is great, but you are still wasting money on the media kits. Media kits cost a lot of money to put together and you can actually give people what they need on your story for a small amount of money. And the best part is that all you have to do is give them what they need and if they are interested in your story you will get the same impact with the less expensive route that you would get with the more expensive media kit.

So now that you know what tactics you are going to want to avoid if you want your public relations campaign to be successful you are also going to want to get some ideas on what tactics you can use that will help you achieve your goals. Here are some tactics that you can use to create a successful public relations campaign.

Number one:
Newsletters. These can be anywhere from four to twelve pages in length and they are filled with a variety of short articles that are intended to help keep your customers, investors, clients, etc up to date on what it is that your company is currently doing. But these newsletters can also contain other information such as how to articles or special announcements that the people who read your newsletter will find valuable.

Number two:
Take advantage of email. You need to become skilled at email campaigns. The reason for this is that email is quickly becoming one of the fastest means of communication. So you want to learn all of the ins and outs for what you need to do to have a successful email campaign, including where to get the email addresses that you need.

Number three:
Learn how to use a lead service. This type of service is a special PR tool that allows reporters who are facing a deadline to reach out to companies and individuals to gather information and interviews for their stories. So what you want to do is get signed up with one of these services so when the reporters are looking for that story they can easily reach you for more information.

Number four:
Write various articles for different websites. These articles should reflect your expertise on a certain subject and should also include your byline. These articles can range in length but no matter how long they are it is a great way to get some free publicity. The reason for this is at the end of each article there is usually a small paragraph that talks about your credentials, your place of business and also includes information on how to contact you.

Number five:
Write tip sheets and fact sheets that your customers will find extremely useful. Both of these sheets should be one page and need to contain a variety of useful information. The fact sheets need to provide the reader with data that is verifiable that is in response to a certain issue or project. Where the tips sheets need to contain helpful information, advice or instructions that your clients will be able to use to accomplish a certain project that you are consider you to be an expert at.

But keep in mind that no matter what tactics you choose to employ for your public relations campaign you are going to want to make sure that they are the right ones for your business and will give you the best possible results. The best way to do this is to make sure that you evaluate the public relation tactics that you are using on an ongoing basis so that you can make changes as needed.