Going Public: Promoting your Business through Public Relations

At Main Street Futon, business is booming. Sales and profits have increased so much, as a matter of fact, that Joe Futon has leased additional retail space for his growing business. Joe would love to have local media cover his store’s expansion, but the journalists he has contacted don’t seem curious about his ‘news’. It doesn’t seem to be interesting to anyone but Joe.

But what if Mr. Futon scouted out some interesting statistics, made them relevant to his store, and passed this story on to local media? That’s news.

Americans in 2000 are relocating their households more than ever, and census data now indicates that only 31% of adults live in the town of their childhood. To keep family ties strong, seven million Americans plan to visit their grown children this summer, and most of them will be calling upon their children’s hospitality for their accommodations. Joe Futon of Main Street Futons has seen this trend among his customers. “Many people accommodate house guests and find that futons fit their needs perfectly.” The futon sofa bed so clearly provides for today’s flexible lifestyles that Main Street Futons recently doubled its showroom size.

As a result of this interesting slant given to his news story, the story is more likely to be published and generate positive exposure for his store. But this is only one possible strategy that Mr. Futon could have used to promote his business outside of the traditional advertising avenues. He could have chosen from any number of strategies to bring about a positive image of his store apart from paid advertising. And that is what public relations, or PR, is all about.

WHAT EXACTLY IS PR?
WHAT CAN IT DO FOR ME?

Just a glance through today’s newspaper or at this evening’s television will reveal an array of PR. Is there a story about a new internet company signing up its millionth customer? Do you read about fund-raising for a medical cause by a famous actor? Is a local bookstore offering free story hours for children this week? Has the owner of a car dealership just hired his grandson to join his multi-generation business? What about the announcement of an upcoming community health fair which prominently trumpets its sponsors? Examples of businesses gaining positive promotion through PR are everywhere. From the uniforms on the town’s little league team to pens, magnets and calendars, every time you hear the words “is sponsored by”, you are hearing PR.

All retailers are familiar with the world of paid advertising, but may be less acquainted with public relations. Simply put, when your store or products come to the attention of the public through avenues other than advertising, we call it PR. Public relations can cost money, take time to create, and it can come in many forms.

Many retailers choose to promote their businesses through PR because of its greater power to persuade and affect consumer decisions. When you say that your futons are terrific and your selection of covers is super, people may not listen. But if someone else raves about your futons and covers, the claims are much more credible. PR’s advantage comes from the fact that a third person is endorsing your business.

Here’s how it works. When the Local Times publishes the story about Joe Futon’s store expansion and includes a quote from him, the newspaper, in effect, acts as an advocate for the store. Even though the old saying “you can’t believe everything you read,” exists, people do believe what they read, and any quotes from Mr. Futon come across as authoritative and influential. Furthermore, reporters’ comments can serve as endorsements from a neutral party. Because of these factors, PR can influence public opinion and customer behavior in a way that advertising is unable to do.

PUBLIC RELATIONS THROUGH NEWS MEDIA

But how can a story about your business actually get published or broadcast? The ticket into the world of media PR is a simple tool called the press release. A press release is a written format used to communicate a newsworthy story to the media. It contains a concise description of your news story with enough quotes and facts to document its importance. Editors typically receive hundreds of press releases, so be sure to put your story’s most important facts first, where they will quickly grab attention. You will also want to include some supporting background information about yourself and your store, along with your name and phone number where a reporter can contact you.

Keep in mind that journalists are very interested in receiving well-written stories complete with a sharp photo, because it makes their job easier. So after you have given your press release its finishing touches, consider including a photograph along with it, and send it on to your local radio, television and newspaper editors. Follow up with a personal phone call, making sure your letter was received and asking for any questions you can answer or any further information you can supply.

As Joe Futon found in our opening scenario, the key to a successful press release is giving your news a ‘slant’ or ‘hook’ that is going to make it newsworthy and interesting to readers. According to PR industry professionals there isn’t a formula to predict a story’s newsworthiness. But if you are trying to persuade editors to cover your story, there are some elements that you can include in your press release that will get their attention.

People are always interested in reading stories that contain some element of conflict (“Mom and Pop store to compete with Futon King”). And who wouldn’t be drawn to a story that features surprise (“Mother of ten knows about bedding- opens Futon Mama store”) or offers something useful (“Nature Futon’s all natural materials just what the doctor ordered”)? Something new or different about your products or store can also generate media interest (“Futons From the Heart partners with Habitat for Humanity and donates futon”). You can also create publicity by citing evidence and solid facts that are of interest and that influence people’s lives, as was done with the fictitious census data mentioned earlier in this article.

ONLY THE TIP OF THE PR ICEBERG

So far, we have focused on generating PR through local newspapers and other media. But this is only the beginning. There are a plethora of other avenues for PR. All you need to do is plan a brain storming session and think them up. Here are some tried and true PR strategies.

Premiums. What do T-shirts, mugs, pens, magnets and calendars have in common? They are all items that businesses frequently use as premiums. A premium is a gift you give to your customers in order to create and keep customers. Everyone likes receiving gifts, and everyone has received a liberal share of pencils, flimsy calendars and calculators with buttons too small to push. Some of these over-used premiums seem to have little power to positively promote your store. Instead, why not consider generating some terrific PR by giving your customers a novel gift like a Frisbee, a quality tote bag, a mouse pad, or a sport/water bottle? All of them imprinted with your store’s well-designed logo, of course!

One popular premium that customers never tire of is T-shirts, which seem especially appropriate for the futon market. Research shows that young adults own at least twelve T-shirts, and some own up to fifty. Even older adults own at least five, and physically active adults own more than twenty. For a minimal cost, your store name and logo can become a walking, talking advertisement on someone else’s back.

Special Events. Promote your products and store by first drawing attention to an event such as a trade show, home show or demonstration. A familiar tactic is to have a local radio station broadcast from your store, drawing in a crowd, which then browses your appealing merchandise. For a store located in a college town, a sidewalk futon demonstration might be an effective attention-getter and could be followed up with an invitation into the store for a cup of coffee or a cool drink.

Small futon retailers might be daunted by the amount of planning and organizing required to execute a special event. But the PR benefits of special events can also be had through signing on to sponsor another’s event. An example in your market could be a local health fair, which offers sponsorship to businesses that contribute a determined amount. In exchange, your store name or logo would be included in all promotion of the event.

Cause Marketing, is a growing form of public relations promotion in which a business pledges a set percentage of sales or profits towards a charity. Ben and Jerry’s ice cream company is a well-known example of this, as they pledge 7% of sales to various charitable causes. Cause marketing is an effective form of PR because when your store is affiliated with an appealing cause, its message is more credible and convincing.

To take advantage of this growing form of PR, make sure you choose a cause that is attractive to your customers. Supporting global disarmament in your military-base market is probably not a good idea. Donating to a local Veteran’s Hospital, however, might be just the ticket. Is your store in the college market? Perhaps an autumn, back to school promotion that pledges two percent of sales to buy educational supplies for schoolchildren in Honduras would be effective.

Active PR

A frequent misconception about public relations is that it is free advertising. As we have seen, PR is not always free. But the time, money and attention required to pull it off are well spent. Public relations is a tremendous opportunity for retailers to impact their customers’ behavior and decisions as they actively pursue publicity for their products and stores.

Three Case Studies— PUBLICITY THROUGH CHARITY: FUTON SOURCE

David Miley, like all retailers, receives many solicitations from charitable causes. But when he received a flyer from his local high school requesting donations for an auction being held to raise money for the school, he decided to take part. And the result was terrific publicity.

Miley donated a wooden futon frame, mattress and cover to the high school. “A discontinued model, though no one knew,” he commented, figuring the futon ensemble was worth about $400 retail. The school even came and picked it up for him. And while the increased store name recognition didn’t come free for Futon Source, Miley found it to be an excellent tool that increased his store’s visibility in its market.

David Miley has also made small contributions to local public radio, which in turn mentions his store on the air as a sponsor. He feels that it is a great way to engage in philanthropy and promote his store at the same time. Though its effects are not immediately seen, this type of promotion is an important part of his growing business.

WALKING, TALKING ADVERTISEMENTS: FUTON FACTORY

David Jones of Futon Factory in Clemson, South Carolina has been giving T-shirts to his customers for over ten years. He figures that he has given away over a thousand T-shirts so far, and has no plans to stop. Just the day before we spoke about his successful public relations promotion, a customer had seen one of his “walking, talking advertisements” in a restaurant, came into his store and bought a full bedroom set. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” Jones commented.

The beauty of his publicity plan is that the T-shirts promote word of mouth advertising, which Jones rightly believes to be the best type of advertising. The shirts can open up conversations among people about futons- “what exactly is a futon?” for example. Jones frequently has customers come into his store because they saw his store’s logo on someone’s back. He has even had repeat customers ask, “do I get another T-shirt?”

What is involved in this type of PR program? “Not much,” says Jones. “About $300.00 buys me about 75 T-shirts.” Futon Factory T-shirts always have the store logo, address and phone number on them, and sometimes they are ordered with a picture of a futon on the back. After customers pay for their selection, Jones happily informs them, “by the way, here’s your free T-shirt,” and their futon purchase just got sweeter. Any last words of advice from David Jones? “You gotta give ‘em 100% cotton.”

HOME SHOW PRESENTATION: FRED’S BEDS

Do you usually remember what you dream at night? Depending upon how you answer that question, Frank Stansbury of Fred’s Beds will take a good guess at whether you awaken by an alarm clock in the morning. “It’s really just common sense,” says Stansbury, “and the more research about sleep a retailer can do, the better.”

And he should know. He has made it his business to know the ins and outs of sleep research, and has positioned himself for excellent PR in his North Carolina market. For the last fifteen years, his chain of five stores has sponsored a sleep deprivation seminar at a home show. He tries to vary the program a little each year, giving away an airbed one year, a premium mattress another. But the focal point is a forty-five minute video that informs customers regarding quality and quantity of sleep.

Showing ergonomic diagrams and research footage from one of his main suppliers, Stansbury hopes customers will be able to pinpoint their sleep problems and select bedding products to solve them. He then has his home show booth heavily staffed by knowledgeable sales people. After establishing this base of understanding, sales come much more easily.

The answer to the dream question? If you frequently remember your dreams, you probably use an alarm clock, which awakens you, interrupts your dreams and enables you to more easily recall them.