This post initially ran five years ago, but since the PR frenzy is back (as a result of the M&A frenzy), this needs a re-post!
In yesterday’s post, we insisted that Enterprise Software Companies DO NOT need Public Relations, because they do not. Why? Simple. They DO NOT sell to the public. They sell to big corporations. Big corporations are not the public.
Also, the messaging that you need to sell to a CFO is nothing like the message that you need to sell to an impulsive consumer. Good business is all about productivity, progress, and Return On Investment. Good public relations is all about feeling, connection, sexy, environmental responsibility, or anything else that happens to be the buzz of the day. Good enterprise relations is all about results. Public relations, like consumer advertising, is in constant flux. But the basics of good business never change.
However, the advertising channels through which business advertising have exploded, not only as a result of the rapid expansion of the ubiquity of the world wide web, but of social media as well. As a result, the complexity of media management has increased dramatically. The fundamentals haven’t changed, but the amount of work required to coordinate and manage the effort has. Not to mention the knowledge required to strategically place your advertising and messaging to stand out amidst the noise, which consists not only of a constant stream of advertising and messaging from your competitors but analysis, third party reviews, and random comments. It’s a media jungle, and unless you have a team of full time pros to manage it 24/7, you need help. Even if you do have a team, you probably need guidance.
A good Media Relations Team will help you:
- Identify the Right Channels
Which traditional print and online web publications are right for you?
What are the right channels to advertise your coverage?
Who are the right people at these outlets to reach out to? - Tailor the Message
While you need to craft and own your message, you also need to recognize that different individuals at different publications who control different channels are interested in different parts of the message you have to deliver. To get your message heard, sometimes you have to focus in on the part that will get a crier’s attention. - Spread the Message
Parts of your message have to spread through others, but thanks to the social media revolution, other parts have to be spread by your organization through social media channels. Managing these can be a full time job, and not the best use of your limited resources. This is best left to an expert.
In other words, you need help, but the help you need is not Public Relations. It’s Media Relations.
And if you really need someone to talk to in order to help you elicit your messaging in a collaborative fashion, hire a subject matter expert (SME) whom can also offer you project management, product development, or thought leadership consulting services. This will jump start those efforts as the subject matter expert will not only be fully familiar with your messaging, but with your modus operandi as well. As a result, there will be little to no learning curve for the SME when it’s time to start the project management, product development, or thought leadership creation. This will pay off in spades as you’ll get your project, product, and/or thought leadership done faster, hit the market faster, and see a significant return faster.
So when it comes to getting help, get the right help. Even if you don’t thank me for it.