Crafting a Media Relations Strategy
When developing your company’s sales and marketing strategy, consider the role media coverage can play in generating new business and in raising the public profile of your company. Compared with other forms of marketing and advertising, media publicity can be one of the most effective and low-cost means of reaching out to current and future customers, business partners, and the community.
Crafting a media relations strategy involves more than just hiring a staff member or public relations (PR) agency to issue news releases and take calls from the press. Start by developing a media relations plan that reflects your company’s core business goals and has the support of the company’s managers and staff. Outline who is responsible for distributing news and responding to media inquiries, and specify what information may be released to the media and what information is to remain confidential. If your company decides to work with an agency, seek one with expertise in the construction sector.
When your company develops a new product or service, starts or finishes a high-profile project, acquires a business, or undergoes an important change in management, consider issuing a press release, along with photos where appropriate. While not all announcements will result in media coverage, some may attract the attention of the industry press, or even of business reporters from consumer publications.
In press releases or when responding to media inquiries, offer members of your management team as "experts" who are willing to comment about issues and trends in construction. If a related topic is attracting attention in the news, consider drafting a press release explaining your company’s views on the situation. An offer to write a guest column in the local paper may be welcomed by editors looking for fresh perspectives from area businesses,. There may also be opportunities to contribute opinion pieces or feature articles to industry publications, or to draft informational articles and distribute them via e-mail, newswire services, or other online channels, including professional networking sites. If your company is a member of a trade association that receives frequent inquiries from the press, let the association know that your firm is available for interviews. By addressing issues critical to your industry, you are raising the profile of your management team and your company.
While most businesses want media exposure, positive exposure is key. The possibility that a negative event involving your company could trigger a media attention is another reason to prepare in advance to handle press inquiries. A failure to respond adequately to questions from the press -- or giving inappropriate responses -- can result in negative press coverage that could exacerbate an already difficult situation.
Ideally, provide all spokespersons in your company with media training. Such instruction can help you learn how to choose your words carefully when talking to reporters, as well as communicate your message succinctly and effectively. Whenever possible before speaking to the media, familiarize yourself with the issues likely to be discussed and prepare your responses to possible questions. You may want to enlist a media relations officer to accompany spokespersons during important interviews. A PR professional can help to steer the conversation away from controversial topics and toward the topics your company wishes to emphasize and promote.
Building relationships with key members of the press may be a great way to attract positive publicity. Whether speaking to reporters as part of a formal interview or chatting during a social occasion, always be courteous and professional. Even if you disagree with a reporter’s or editor’s perspective, use facts and persuasion, rather than arguments, to make your point. When seeking the correction of an error, always do so politely, with the understanding that the mistake may not have been intentional. Keeping relationships with the media as amicable as possible can improve the chances that your business will receive more positive coverage in the future.
The media can play an important role in your marketing strategy, helping you to promote your business through its coverage. Developing a media relations strategy can help you prepare a positive outcome.
