When I meet with a new prospect about handling publicity work, I usually ask the prospect to describe his or her past experience with other firms. The typical response is that their public relations "never worked" and cost "a lot of money." Most are quite nervous about attempting publicity again, but they know they need it. Smart business owners realize that good public relations builds credibility and visibility worth a mint in leads and sales if developed and managed properly.

With so many media choices today, including cable TV, major network TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, the Internet, and on-line news media, the task of where to start and where to go with your news may, at first, seem overwhelming. But there's a business to creating publicity that sells and leads to greater recognition for your company's products or services.

In the process of determining how to handle a client's publicity, I recommend a 10-Point Plan for developing an effective public relations program. If followed, the Plan should dramatically improve your company's visibility and sales success:

PR Point #1 - Know your business goals. Define the goals of your business and the means to reach them through effective publicity.

PR Point #2 - Identify the media that will best serve those goals. Many business owners like the prestige of securing publicity in a popular medium, such as their local newspaper or on television. The reality is that unless this medium delivers results that relate to business growth, the publicity is of little value. Utilize media which target the right prospects for your business.

PR Point #3 - Stay "niche-oriented" with your news. Target news about your company to the specific audiences that buy your products or services. Media that don't build your sales or visibility within your key markets should be avoided.

PR Point #4 - Create a separate media database of information. Include the name of the publication and for broadcast medium, the editor's name, the street address, the direct phone line, the fax number and the e-mail address. These contacts will get to know everything about your firm over the long-term so that your company becomes "visible" and a good source of news and information.

PR Point #5 - Contact the media for editorial calendars or programming schedules, and create a year-long media planning calendar. Become familiar with the "feature of the month, week, day or hour." Under stand what the editor or news department wants in order to match your business goals with the various news/editorial cycles.

PR Point #6 - Match your news to the interests of the editors. This news may be about a new product or service, a senior-level promotion, an important upcoming event, a joint venture with another firm - or any other relevant business news.

PR Point #7 - Pitch your story or news idea to editors via fax, not mail. It's faster, cheaper and can actually aid an editor under deadline. Develop a one-page format that allows the editor to respond to your story idea with a "fax back" response on the same page.

PR Point #8 - Keep plugging away with news angles that sell your company as the expert to the editors. Editors will become familiar with your company as you send them newsworthy press releases on a regular basis. The key is to stay in touch.

PR Point #9 -Take a media kit about your company to your industry trade shows. Find out which editors will be attending and distribute media kits to them. If you're an exhibitor, write the exhibit number on the media kit so every editor knows where to find you.

PR Point #10 - Don't expect publicity to work like advertising - it is not a controllable medium. With advertising, you plan your schedule, the frequency of the ad, and the related costs. With publicity, you'll never know its length and, often, you may not know when it is scheduled to run.

Be constant in your newsmaking, and you will constantly find your company in the news. By staying focused with your media and your message, you will also discover the payback in terms of increased visibility and actual sales leads./

About the Author
Annemarie Marek is the principal of Marek & Company, a Dallas-based consulting firm that specializes in business publicity and promotion. She has lectured widely on "How to Market Your Small Business."