Top PR Tips for 2011

Feeling Snowed Under by PR and Marketing?

Now that the freezing conditions are gone don't get snowed under by your PR and Marketing in 2011.

Many people dread the idea of developing a PR and Marketing Plan envisaging hours spent typing, researching, doing competitor analysis to ultimately abandon the plan as being redundant or running out of budget to keep up the implementation.

Keep it simple - even a one page plan can prove to be more realistic by keeping the following tips in mind.

1. Pick a Market and Stick to it.
Although you might offer your handmade chocolates to everyone because 'everyone loves chocolate', trying to target 'everyone' unless you've an infinite budget, is going to prove exhausting, frustrating and quite possibly ineffective.

Instead choose a niche, and develop your marketing and PR plan directed and tailored to this market. For example a chocolate brand aiming their recent marketing at females aged 25-45, adverts depict a professional lady sharing an apartment with two other girls takes time out to enjoy her hidden chocolate.

Contrary to what you might believe, targeting one particular market will not alienate other markets who will still buy your product but it will help you position yourself and build brand strength.

If you produce a niche product stick to it, for example if you operate an Italian restaurant then exclusively offer Italian food. You might feel tempted to add Fish and Chips to make your menu a more 'something for everyone' type of offering, you will be diluting your brand and then fall into the trap of trying to market to 'everyone'.

Find your market and stick to it, use this as your basis for your Marketing and PR Plan then become very, very good at servicing that market and become known for it. Which brings us on to Top Tip number 2.....

2. Communicate Clearly and Consistently

Once you have decided on the marketing niche you will pursue, or are very clear on your niche offering communicate this throughout all your marketing and PR activities. Develop tag lines that concisely communicates to your market. Develop packages that would appeal to this market i.e. if your market is honeymooning couples don't keep shouting about how child-friendly your resort is. Keep the message consistent and keep the messages frequent.

3. Develop relations with other suppliers or producers targeting a similar market.
Looking at year ahead mark months where a new PR and Marketing campaign will be launched. For a clothing store this could be as simple as an End of Season Sale or something more intense like a Fashion Show.  Then using this as a base look at hooking up with other complimentary suppliers who are aimed at a similar market and join forces for one of your marketing campaigns. For a teenage clothing End Of Season sale perhaps consider working with a music store on discounts and vouchers with each purchase. By aligning yourself with other stores or businesses targeting a similar market will strengthen your positioning and reinforce who and what your target market is.

There are many forms of inexpensive marketing and PR tools at your disposal. Consistent communication with your target market is what will make one business stand out from another. For businesses developing an ongoing plan spending little time often is more effective then high impact one hit campaigns. Get creative, but most of all stay true to your niche.

Best of luck in 2011 and a very Happy New Year.