How To Make Money In A Recession With The Help Of Public Relations

Tough economic times are precisely the times that you want to reach out to and stay in front of your target market.  They are also challenging times marketing-wise because you also need to be frugal and savvy with your marketing budget. Studies have shown that companies that stop all marketing during a recession are those that fair the poorest not only during the recession, but in the long run.  So, there is your dilemma, you need to promote your company, reach your market and not overly-strain your budget.

You have a number of choices to consider from advertising and direct marketing to public relations and online marketing.  All forms of promotion have their upsides, but your job is to find the marketing avenue that is the most advantageous for you and your company.  During rough times consumers and clients are particularly focused on companies that they can trust.  Sure cost savings is a big deciding factor, but credibility becomes more important than ever.

That is where public relations becomes such an important marketing tool.  Through it, you reach your target market and gain the validation and credibility of being featured in the news.  Also cost-wise, PR can be much more cost effective than a concerted advertising campaign.  Both require consistency.  You can't run one ad or send out one press release and expect to really benefit from either, but going the PR route offers you a number of different avenues.  You can pitch the local, regional and national media.  You can develop a number of different story ideas, from a product or service-based story, to a local human interest story, to a national trend story.  You can present yourself as an expert in your field.  You can tailor make pitches for radio, TV and print.  You have the entire media world that you can pitch your story to.  Then, as you garner media placement, you can feature your media hits on your website, on your blog and on various social media sites.    Touch economic times are times that call for you to be both proactive and creative.  So, take a deep breath, and move forward.  Study the various media outlets; see what stories they run with.  Now, come up with effective story ideas that meet both the media's needs and yours.  Even in the toughest of times, one well-placed story on you and your company can make all the difference. 

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009