I recently attended the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA) Annual Summit and was given a lot of food for thought.

Of particular interest were the four “M”s of marketing:

1. Motivation
2. Message
3. Media Mix
4. Maximization

These four “M”s outline the exact process that a PR professional should take in the successful execution of a campaign.

It stands to reason, the very first consideration should be “Motivation”. What is the goal? What do you want to achieve from executing this particular campaign? Indeed, with public relations, and marketing in general, becoming more focused on measuring results, there is more need than ever to clearly understand the goal behind each piece of PR.

Once the goal has been ascertained, then it’s time to carefully craft the message. Again, we are not looking for media coverage for coverage’s sake. We are looking to tie PR efforts directly to their impact on generating leads and sales. This is, of course, the no#1 reason for engaging in PR, in the first place. The message, therefore, should be focused on driving purchase probability.

With the growth of technology, we have seen a huge increase in the number of media channels that are available to marketers and that are exposed to consumers.

Television advertisements no longer have the same impact on consumers.

The growing dominance of the web has shown us that more people are going online and marketers, therefore, should be changing their marketing tactics and budget appropriately to accommodate this shift in the consumer mindset.

Technology has moved society into an on-demand envrionment, in which the Internet makes content readily available to consumers.

For example, in the past, consumers would see an advert for a product in a particular store on the Television or in a newspaper. Depending on the time of day, their option would be to go to the store to look at the product and possibly buy it, or wait for the store to open.

These days, the time of day does not prevent the consumer from finding out more information. Now, when the consumer sees the advertisment on T.V, in a newspaper or magazine, or online, the advertisement will direct the consumer to a website where they can find out more information. In many cases, not only does the consumer have access to this “on demand” information, but they are also able to make a purchase via the website and have the product delivered to their home, without being restricted by store hours or even having to leave their home.

Today, successful marketing is all about integration.

Of course, Public Relations is still a highly effective tactic if deployed alone. However, many companies are now looking to measure the direct impact of their marketing on their overall leads and sales.

Companies that deploy Public Relations can take their marketing programs to the next level by integrating Search Engine Optimization, online PR and other marketing tactics.

Companies can then see how PR increases their search engine rankings and, in turn, can measure the direct impact of each tactic (SEO, PR, newsletters, direct marketing) on overall business revenue.

Implementing a truly integrated marketing mix means that companies can see the impact of every single tactic deployed and how these tactics blend together.

Is it possible to ever understand the bi-polar personality? Especially when you are the PR executive experiencing the bi-polar tendencies of your client?

How are you to ever please your client, you may ask?
That is a very good question.

Oftentimes, the PR executive is left feeling frustrated and deflated by the client who demands one thing one week and the complete opposite the week after.

What can you do to stop your client from changing stragetic direction week to week?
Here are some tips:
- Don’t be afraid to present your recommendations (verbally and in writing)
- Communicate the impact that each campaign will have (or will not have) on achieving media coverage and building brand awareness

For example:
If the client is setting precise goals for achieving media coverage, but is not committed to providing news and content, you have a problem. The client has to be aware that media coverage is dependent on content and while the PR pro is engaged to make any content “newsworthy”, it is not the PR pro’s responsibility to pluck this content out of thin air.

It seems like a silly question, but being ready for a Public Relations program is very important. By “ready”, I really mean “committed” and “engaged”.

If the executive management of a company is not engaged in the public relations program, succeeding will be very difficult because the company will get in the way of its own success.

In order for a PR agency to generate media coverage, the PR specialists need news and content. Where does this news come from? The client.

If the client is not engaged, not only is extracting news a painful experience for the PR agency, but client expectations are still high. Where’s the media coverage?

At this point, the PR pro feels like banging his or her head against a brick wall. Unfortunately, being psychic is not one of their talents.

Yet, executives that are not ready for PR often fail to understand why they need to be involved in the program and, indeed, feel that the PR agency should be able to whip up news out of thin air.

When one thinks about reputation as it pertains to Public Relations, the image that comes to mind is of the PR Account Manager delicately handling the reputation of clients.

However, client reputation is not all that is at stake. What many people do not understand is that the PR professional walks a thin line between protecting the client’s reputation and, indeed, protecting how their own agency is perceived.

Just as an executive is cautious when selecting an agency to manage his/her company’s public relations and marketing program, the PR agency must also take care in selecting clients. Not all firms have respect for the relationships that PR pros have carefully built with the media over time. These same executives do not realize the implication that being late, or failing to show up, to an interview may have on their PR agency’s relationship with the media.

It is hardly surprising, therefore, that many journalists and editors have little respect for public relations professionals, who are continually frustrated by having to personally take the brunt of their clients’ mistakes.