HOLIDAY PUBLICITY OPPORTUNITIES

If your product/business lends itself to increased holiday sales, next few weeks are a perfect time to get a publicity campaign launched - given right media targets. Many holiday issues are already been laid out for magazines, and many other media outlets are feverishly seeking information/pitches on innovative stories for holidays. Some media outlets even reorganize or beef up staff around holidays to allow for an increase in stories on products. Have your publicist help you take advantage of this increased media opportunity. PLANTING

PUBLICITY SEEDS NOW FOR 1ST QUARTER RESULTS

Some business owners may be of mindset: "I think we'll wait to launch a publicity campaign until after January 1st." The problem is -- if you wait to launch your publicity campaign until first of year hoping for a quick media interest blast in January, you may be in for a quiet month. Keep in mind most media outlets have editorial lead-times of a few weeks to 6 months. Also what some entrepreneurs don't realize is this. Because of increasing number of publicity pitches media outlets receive, anything you send out is subjected to what I call "media digestion period" - simply put - that is a period of time (sometimes weeks, sometimes months) that it takes media outlets to:

#1) see/understand your release and decide if they are interested;

Are You Culprit?

Are you a manager who pretty much ignores your organization’s important outside audiences?

If that’s you, do you realize how difficult you’re making it to achieve important behavior changes you really need and want? I mean changes that lead directly to achieving your department, division or subsidiary’s objectives?

I’m talking about growing repeat purchase rate; attracting new prospects; achieving new levels of membership applications or contributions; expanding list of organizations officially specifying your service and products; or suppliers newly motivated to meet your strict quality and delivery requirements.

Start operating in your own best interest by taking a closer look at public relations work underway on behalf of your unit.

Is it focused more on communications tactics than upon a workable, comprehensive plan for dealing with those key external audience behaviors that impact your operation most?

What may be needed is a refocus on fundamental premise of public relations: People act on their own perception of facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action very people whose behaviors affect organization most, public relations mission is accomplished.

When you meet with PR people assigned to your unit, be clear about need to list and prioritize those key external audiences, and then monitor how your unit is perceived by members of those audiences. That means interacting with those folks and asking lots of questions. Now, and only now, can you mount an effort to alter those perceptions, and thus behaviors, in your direction.

You need to evaluate data gathered during perception monitoring session. Is there a glaring inaccuracy about your organization mentioned by several members of that audience? Any false assumptions come bubbling up about your products, services or management? Are misconceptions, rumors or distinctly negative attitudes obvious during your monitoring interviews?