White Papers

March 2005

PR Strategies for Small Tech Companies

AnnMarie Kemp, Vice President, Director of Public Relations for Cronin and Company, Inc.

Used alone or in combination with other marketing disciplines, public relations is an effective communications tool. It’s ideally suited to build awareness and credibility for a company or product and, often, it’s the best place to start for small companies either entering the marketplace or looking to grow their business.

PR can be used to accomplish any number of goals – creating visibility, educating key audiences and, yes, even building sales. Plus:

PR delivers credibility. A newspaper story, an article in a trade journal or a television segment is more believable than a paid advertisement; it’s an endorsement by a third party.

PR is targeted. Messages can be planned and directed toward specific groups.

PR can help an organization persuade people who are increasingly resistant to commercials to make decisions.

PR is cost-effective particularly compared to some other marketing tools.

While PR is multi-faceted and a PR program can be comprised of many different elements, two elements rise to the top in terms of establishing a strong PR foundation: media relations and event marketing. Before putting either of these into motion, however, the first step is to develop a plan. Plans should be strategically thought out and include objectives, target audiences, tactics, timing, results measurement and a budget.

Getting Started – Media Relations

The backbone of most PR programs is media relations. Learning about and developing strong, ongoing relationships with the media that cover your organization or industry are imperative for success. The following tactics are the basis for any media relations campaign.

• Press Materials – An organization should have informative, well-written press materials available for the media – either in hard copy or electronically or both. Everyone needs the fundamentals – a backgrounder on the organization, fact sheet on products and/or services, and key executive biographies with photos. Timely press materials can be developed to announce new “news” or talk about a trend or address a current marketplace issue. All press materials should include the name and number or e-mail of the media contact – the person within the organization responsible for working with the media. Appropriate materials should also be posted on your website.
  
  
• Media List Development – Research and compile a targeted list of local and/or national media -- depending on your objectives – where you want to see your company talked about. For a high tech company, media targets may include national trade journals (print and online) and local/national business publications. Also, don’t overlook media that cover your customers’ industry if different from your own.
  
  
• Relationships – Get to know the editors/reporters who you will be targeting. Familiarize yourself with their publications, what they like to write about and how they like to receive information. Relationships can be built via phone, e-mail and face-to-face. This will not only help you pitch your story, but will help you become a resource for the media.
  
  
• Spokespeople –Every media effort needs a designated media spokesperson. Provide spokespeople with professional media training if possible. Typically, but not always, the spokesperson is different from the media contact. The spokesperson, usually a company executive, should be an expert on the topic and possess the ability to clearly articulate key company messages.
  
  
• Getting The News Out – Distributing a press release, editorial pitch letter, announcement or statement can be done in a number of different ways. E-mail and fax are among the most frequent distribution methods used today, although if you have a lot to distribute at once, sending a packet in the mail is not uncommon.
  
  Press releases can be used to announce new products/services, trends, hires, strategic partnerships, awards, major sales results, or project completions.
  
  Another way to approach the media is to tie in with current industry news or a trend. A press release or pitch letter could be used in this approach or even a cold call to the media. Offer your spokesperson as an expert to comment on the trend or demonstrate how your product or services fit into the trend or answer a current market need.
  
  
• Follow Up – Sending a press release is far from the last step in getting the media to tell your story. Following up with the media on materials you send is imperative. This is the place where relationships matter most. Use the call to determine whether a reporter is interested in your story and what additional information he/she may need. If a reporter isn’t interested, ask why and inquire about the types of stories he/she is currently developing.

Event Marketing

A commonly used PR tactic is event marketing. Event marketing can help do everything from maximize exposure to build brand awareness and increase visibility to create a buzz around existing products to launch new products to develop sales leads.

Whether it’s tying in with or sponsoring an existing event that caters to your target audience or creating your own event, event marketing is a tried and true method of communicating directly to those who are predisposed to your message, product or service. For example, if a sneaker company is introducing a new running shoe, an event at or tie-in with a marathon is the perfect place to debut the new product. In the case of tech companies, don’t overlook trade shows for both customer and media events. Trade shows deliver a captive and interested audience and the event possibilities are endless – product demos, VIP events, press announcements, panel discussions, breakfast meetings, etc.

Event marketing offers a variety of opportunities from media exposure to direct interaction with the target audience