All Publicity is Good Publicity - Right?

Generally I’d agree, but sometimes you have to wonder how a business thinks it will benefit from certain types of coverage.

Take the trade press for instance. I have clients who could achieve coverage in a range of specialist titles very regularly. But they don’t want to. Why? Well, they’d rather concentrate on targeting media read by potential customers - rather than by their contemporaries and competitors.

It’s certainly more challenging getting these businesses into the local papers regularly, but the coverage achieved is worth a great deal. It helps to them to raise their profile, build their reputation and highlights their values – important marketing objectives.

Quality rather than quantity is what counts. A bulging cuttings book is worth little unless it’s been driven by clear thinking about key messages and key audiences.

As my former boss used to say ‘”f it was easy they’d do it themselves”.

If you can do it yourself then fantastic, but if you’re too busy with your day job to get around to some strategically-driven PR then time to call in the experts! Or leave it until you find the time…..

The Emperor's New Clothes

Now, I’m sure you know it’s all about your USP – the bit that makes you stand out from the rest. Which is all fine and dandy if you truly do have a USP. But in some sectors it’s not easy to get across what really makes you different (accountancy, for instance).  PR and marketing can be quite tricky too, because everyone claims to be the best.

So it was interesting to read what born-again Norwich marketing agency The Line had to say this week:

“Too many agencies claim to have a unique approach; claim to be ‘different’ or use industry speak like Big Ideas or On Time, On Brief and On Budget – as if it’s a unique feature of what they do, as opposed to a fundamental aspect of doing their job properly. The irony is, they’re all the same as the other agencies saying virtually the same thing…..”

I couldn’t agree more – and I’m proud to say I share The Line’s approach to business:

“Our job is to bring objectivity, wisdom, honesty and commitment to our clients’ businesses, working with them to think creatively about the best ways to market them and build connections that will make their business more successful.”

You see, added value is difficult to quantify – but it can make all the difference, especially in these challenging times.