What's It Take in PR These Days?

Wondering what you're going to have to do to get your business noticed? Well, the best thing is to analyze who you're trying to reach, what you're trying to sell them, and how best to reach them. Sounds simple? It's not. Today many businesses are faced with having to reach a population through traditional marketing, as well as, a population through new media marketing. What do I mean? Well, think about the senior population and how they get their information. This is a loyal, but aging customer group. For this market, online marketing isn't going to work. People in this age group have heard a lot about online marketing, but a good number haven't tried it themselves. As recently as July of 2008, the Associated Press summed up the use of the Internet by Senior Citizens. In a story triggered by presidential candidate John McCain's claim that he doesn't use the Internet, they said that's a trend that's changing. According to the article and the research data from April and May compiled by the Pew Internet Project at the Pew Research Center, only 35 percent of Americans over age 65 are online, but when you account for factors like race, wealth and education, the picture changes dramatically, and about three-quarters of the white, college-educated men over age 65 use the Internet. That's a great trend, but it still means that most of this population get's their information from traditional marketing including ads in local publications.

Now, the 50 Something Baby Boomers and the Generation Y, well there a group that's happy to do things online. They'll buy online, research online, and never have to meet you in person. Marketing to this group is a whole different game. Now, you have to think about how to budget for two separate forms of adverstising without blowing the budget. So, let's think about the Internet.

Why do most of use the Internet(73 percent of Americans use the Internet)? The top three reasons are, in order, email, informational searches, and finding a map or driving directions. There are also dozens of other conveniences: online banking, shopping, travel or restaurant reservations, job searches, real estate listings, and of course, the news.

Okay, so what's this all about? It's about identifying who you're trying to reach as your customer and the best way of reaching them. So many businesses decide to run print ads, or send out a mailer, but they really don't evaluate if they're reaching their target. You need to think viral marketing and how best to use the information you have for reaching your current clients and potential clients. Marketing is all about planning, and when you're faced with so many options for marketing you really have to fine-tune your plan so that you have a reasonable budget to work with, and you can give the marketing initiatives a chance to work. It's all about getting the best bang for your buck.

At Rebillard Public Relations we'd be glad to help you identify your budget and come-up with a plan that works. For more discussion on marketing for your business. Email me jeanne@rebillardpr.com