[Marketing Update] The Value of Public Relations

Pest control product manufacturers and service owners face countless challenges in creating a competitive edge, anything from client/customer prospecting, sales, forecasting and more. Along with the responsibility of managing these functions, they are also faced with the implementation of an effective marketing communications strategy to get the word out about what they offer, and why they are the best option for their current and potential customers. All aspects of their product’s use, benefits and positioning need to be incorporated into a program designed to communicate the most important aspects of the product to help in the overall marketing program. The same is true for whatever pest control service is being offered.

One of the most valuable, yet overlooked tools for accomplishing communications objectives, is public relations. Public relations can be an important part of the marketing mix because it offers opportunities to communicate information about a product or service in ways that cannot be accomplished by any other means.

PR can incorporate a wide variety of skills and tactics that can include working with the news media, generating partnership opportunities with third-party organizations, working with advocacy groups, government branches and more.

Understanding the different facets of PR can be worthwhile and of particular assistance to business managers as a marketing-support function. As a marketing tool, public relations can be used to generate news about a product or service, it can be used to develop alliances to help broaden the distribution of messages and it can be used to help advance greater awareness about a certain business issue. The list of possibilities is endless, but the question remains: How does PR help to make all this happen?

Advertising vs. PR. To provide a brief anecdote about public relations, there is an industry phrase that helps put things in perspective: “Advertising you pay for; public relations you pray for.”

For example, many people watching a television news report about a new product would see the TV news anchorperson reporting on the development and outlining the use and benefits of the product. Appropriate visuals usually are used to support the story, such as video footage of the product in use or an interview with an expert who offers commentary. On the surface, it would appear that the TV station itself generated the news material being used. Very often, this is not the case.

Instead, the material was most likely produced by a public relations professional working on behalf of the product company. The value of this news broadcast is that it was reported through a very credible source — TV news. Another benefit is that there was no media placement cost involved. Rather, the news producers used the story because of the educational value it had for their viewers. In many ways, this is one of the greatest differentiating factors between advertising and public relations.

With advertising, the content of the ad, the selection of the media and the choice of timing are all controlled by the ad’s sponsor. Since public relations material is considered editorial in nature, the quality and news value of the material are the primary factors that help editors and producers to decide what ultimately will be used. As a result, added credibility is accorded the messages since a third-party decision maker was involved in running the story.

It is also important to remember that PR can be a valuable communications tool through the entire lifecycle of a product. Even before a product is introduced, news announcements can be sent out alerting appropriate audiences to a forthcoming development of interest to them. Additional “pre-launch” work can be done to build awareness about certain voids in the marketplace about needed product solutions, so that when the new introduction takes place, it is accepted as a long-awaited answer. Service updates, emerging pests and new products also can be publicized to continue the momentum.

Pursue Third Parties. Public relations is not limited exclusively to communicating through the news media. Often, a successful outreach program can be accomplished by inviting the participation of an outside organization, such as trade, industry and/or consumer groups or even government organizations. Their involvement in a press conference, for example, lends an entirely new level of perspective and credibility that helps support your position. And, because the effort is usually mutually beneficial, there are no fees involved, just cooperation.

Is PR always applicable? Like any other tool, public relations is best used only when and where it fits best.

Although it would be difficult to say that there are occasions where public relations tactics cannot be applied, a business manager should always consider the potential communications benefit against the cost. And, while PR can be cost-efficient, there are no set parameters that dictate specifically what a public relations budget should be.

As a general rule, if an overall promotional budget is in the range of about 8 percent of total sales, an appropriate public relations allotment might be about 12 percent of this amount. Naturally, this can vary greatly, depending on the opportunity, or lack of, based on the circumstances. In some cases, the public relations portion can be substantially higher or lower. Nonetheless, flexibility is certainly a valued benefit.

Measuring Results. Very often, the results are measured not by the amount of sales that are generated, but by the amount of editorial space or airtime achieved through the public relations program. Converting this information into the number of people reached, or calculating the cost for an equivalent level of advertising space are two other common approaches. However, depending on the budget available, benchmark testing, combined with ZIP code analysis and attitude measurement, should be considered as appropriate methods for estimating results. Website spikes are also helpful.

In one case, a client undertook a careful ZIP code analysis of sales in regions where clusters of consumer-targeted material appeared. When the sales numbers in these areas were compared to areas where the material had not appeared, a consistent increase in sales was indicated wherever the news material had appeared. As a result, the client acknowledged that the effort was well worth the small cost involved in the initiative.

What steps can you take? If you have not been involved with a public relations initiative before, or if you are not certain about what public relations can do to help you in reaching your marketing objectives, you may want to consider contacting professional organizations, such as the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), based in New York City. This and other such organizations may have regional chapters where you can explore the services that are available.

You colleagues also can be a valuable resource for information about PR firms since they may already have had experience in this area. First and foremost, however, is the need to recognize the value that PR can add to your overall marketing communications program and explore the possibilities of a public relations professional.

The author is founder and owner of R.J. Sincovich Communications, an independent public relations consultant firm offering strategic PR services to industrial, consumer and institutional-oriented companies. Visit www.rjsincovichpr.com or call 267/614-2265 for further information.