MEDIA COMMUNICATION TOOLS

By: Tatiana Ruiz

Many small business entrepreneurs do not take full advantage of the power of public relations. Public relations may be used as a marketing tool to promote a company, its services and products. The advantages of public relations are that it has more credibility with the public than does advertising, if used successfully it can position a company in the marketplace and it is a lot less expensive than advertising.

For a public relations strategy to succeed it must be done consistently and on a long-term basis. This type of investment will be broadcasted to the media for free, but companies might lose control of the content when reporters, editors and others want to change your message to their own benefit. To maximize a communication message, planning is imperative, goals have to be identified and a communications program has to be implemented. A brief description of these steps is outlined below.

Define public relations goals

Produce a goal statement

Determine service or product message

Establish organization's position statement

Define mediums to use

Monitor and measure results

There are several media communication tools that companies may use to promote their services and products. The major ones include:

1. News Releases
2. Presentations
3. Newsletters

1. News Releases

Step 1 - Identifying When to Use News Releases

Before writing a news release, a viability test of the release should be performed. A news release is supposed to connect with the media. Need to answer questions such as:

What results do you hope to produce from your news release?

What audience will your news release speak to?

Is there anything unusual or noteworthy about the release the company will issue?

Step 2 - Writing compelling News Releases

Your news release needs to stand out from the crowd. The news release content, format and presentation have to attract the reader. Helpful hints include:

Write clear, concise and without jargon

Organize information so most important information is at the beginning

Create catchy headlines, use quotes and facts

Use standard format used by your specific audience

Print in company letterhead

Step 3 - Revise News Release

Have a checklist including all the information you want to present in a news release (who, what, where, how, when, why), and the standard format you will use for news releases. Compare the news release with the check list and do the edits as appropriate. Always remember that news releases have to contain noteworthy information.

Step 4 - Send To Specific Target Audience

Figure out which is the best way to reach your target audience via wire, fax, mail, email, etc. You may also want to send the news release to clients, prospects, associations and strategic partners who will enjoy receiving up-to-date information from you.

2. Presentations

Presentations are becoming a common media communications tool. To take advantage of speaking opportunities, organizations must learn to write and present entertaining and interesting topics. Several steps should be taken to accomplish this.

Planning

During planning, the purpose of your presentation should be defined. The audience whom the presentation will be directed to should be known and allotment of speaking time should be set.

Writing

Before thinking about the speech, the focus should be on the topic being addressed. Write an outline and then expand from the outline to write a thorough analysis. Do not pay attention to the length or the speaking vocabulary, instead focus on the content of the message.

Turn It Into a Speech

Go over the text and take out anything that may be redundant. Focus on the introduction to grasp the audience attention, then go over the body of the speech to be consistent in your message. Include anecdotes that are relevant to the subject matter. Time yourself.

Conclusion

Go over the conclusion and compare it to the purpose of your speech. Check to see if your conclusion does fulfill your objectives.

Edit

Provide your speech to a colleague to revise. Try it on a smaller audience that may provide you feedback. Never do a speech without going over the edits.

Measure Performance

Always measure a speech's success after it has been presented. Informal measures include comments and compliments days and weeks after the speaking engagement, media picking up or quoting your speech, and if you are seeked to speak again at other engagements.

3. Newsletters

Newsletters are also used by large and small organizations as a media communications tool. It provides a sense of credibility that advertisement does not, and may be a more cost effective way of promoting your services and products. Before jumping into developing a newsletter, several questions need to be addressed.

What purpose does your newsletter have - promote, inform, educate?

Is the audience for your message well defined?

Is control of content, timing, or context important?

After answering these questions to figure out if a newsletter is the appropriate communications medium for your organization then focus on the strategy. By answering the questions above the main factors of the strategy are already decided upon. Objectives are defined and the audience and the message are specified. A tactical plan can then be developed to focus on the content and presentation of the newsletter.

Related Web Sites

A Manager's Guide to Newsletters

Provides several links to free reports and tools for creating newsletters. Advice is provided on preparing a newsletter strategy, tactics and different types of newsletters for clients, employees and investors.

Articles on Improving Small Business Activities

Index of articles to assist small business owners confronting business issues such as proposal writing, business plans, legal issues, communication technology, speaking engagements and more.

Building a News Release

Online workshop to understanding how to build an effective news release. It also includes an online template to build actual news releases.

Media Policy

Includes information on media policy, public relations strategy, skills to utilize with the media and other informative web resources on related issues, books, etc.

Public Relations Strategy

Provides detailed steps in creating and maximizing a public relations message.