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Gaining Promotion: Importance of Marketing and PR

Taking the decision to run your own business is both exciting and challenging. You will need to acquire a range of new skills, from bookkeeping to sales, and although you are provided with training and support, ultimately it will be down to you to make a success of marketing your new business. Here I show you how this can be achieved through simple and cost-effective PR…

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Perhaps one of the most important elements in driving the success of your business or franchise venture is to market you business in the most effective manner to get high visibility of your company, products and services. While you may think a start up business will not have the capital available for a huge advertising campaign that involves national exposure on television, billboards etc, but PR can offer a cost-efficient and effective alternative…
One great aspect in investing in a franchise is the instant solid brand recognition you receive from the start. Your business will have been established within a consumer’s mind prior your investment in the franchise. However, in order for your franchise to succeed within its own exclusive territory, you need to gain promotion of your business with local people to make it truly successful.
Your first step in building a visible marketing business portfolio is to create awareness of your business within the local market place. And how do you achieve this? Gaining coverage in local media, whether it be press or radio or local TV, will help put your business ‘on the map’ and has the added advantage over advertising of being more likely to be read- and more likely to be believed!
If someone reads an editorial piece on how good your business service, products is, then they are more likely to trust this source, than a 30 second advertisement recorded on radio…In saying this, editorial coverage has also the added benefit of providing you with the opportunity to say more about your business, products and services than a short advertisement will allow.
So what makes a good PR story? The launch of your new business within the local market place is a good start. Thereafter you should announce:

  • new business gains;
  • achievements and awards;
  • special deals;
  • promotions and
  • family, birthday and seasonal occasions.

A regular flow of newsworthy information will increase your business credibility and visibility in your locality and even outside of your local marketplace. This is a classic example of pull factor, whereby word of mouth can drive new customers to come looking for you. Once you have achieved this pull factor, your well on your way to business success and profitability…
Next make sure you send your story to the right place. It is important to find out the correct names of editors, writers, news reporters, radio editors who you will be contacting to promote your PR story. Keep your communications simple and to the point. Journalists do not what novels! They want snappy and short editorial pieces of news that is to the point, gives factual information and possibly a short bio of the business. Where possible include a photograph to illustrate your story too. As readers our eyes are drawn first to pictures in the pages of newspapers and magazines, and a good picture with your PR story should grab attention…
There are other forms of “PR” that falls under the banner heading of press releases, such as your business sponsorship of local sports events and charity events, supporting customers and clients can be an effective means in creating brand awareness and high visibility of your business. The principle of PR is based on fostering positive perceptions of your business through communication of information. What people feel and say about you- your customers, suppliers, business franchisees and franchisor, the wider community- will influence potential customers and make a real difference to your business success in the future.
In short, PR is not just about generating a “feel good factor” but in making a significant contribution to real business success for you and the franchise operation.
For more information on PR and marketing campaigns and incentives, please feel free to leave me a comment…
AineMeadePhoto.jpgAine Meade is a Website Editor for Franchise Direct, a leading Internet franchise advertising portal. Aine creates high quality franchise information for its international websites in the U.S., and Europe. Aine has a BA (First) in English and History; MA in Literature & Publishing; Diploma in Media Journalism and a Diploma in Marketing.

By Ethan Theo

Abe WalkingBear Sanchez is an International Speaker / Trainer / Consultant on the subject of cash flow / sales enhancement and business knowledge organization and use. Founder and President of www.armg-usa.com, WalkingBear has authored hundreds of business articles, has worked with numerous companies in a wide range of industries since 1982 and has spoken at many venues including the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London.

7 replies on “Gaining Promotion: Importance of Marketing and PR”

Thanks for the post. Being an internet marketer by myself i know the importance of getting the business to be in the right way. I feel now a days that online media is the most effective way to target the audience for boosting up your business.

Pretty decent blog and informative post. This post is useful for people like me as well who are new to this internet industry. Kindly keep on sharing such up to date information.

The awareness of the internet as a lower cost platform to market businesses is growing. That is spawning a number of internet marketing companies. The speed at which this is happening and the massive increment of internet marketing companies vouches for the relevance of your information.

PR which can bring about a positive perception of our business with communication of information and building thereby a network of community has inestimable value in the long term.

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