PR goals for 2008
Just like a dooctor often fails to take his own medicine, I rarely get time to think about doing my own PR. In fact, I've been very lazy at it for the whole of 2007. My mailing list has reached a level where it's self generating and often writing a newsletter is enough to bring me enough of an influx of new business to keep me busy so I haven't really had to pay it much attention.
But I've grown increasingly aware that I can't rest on my laurels. Whereas a couple of years ago I was the only person specialising in this area of helping small businesses put together their own PR campaigns, there has recently been a few others joining me in the market. Admittedly, their main job is actually doing rather than teaching PR and this addition to their business seems more of an afterthought or sideline, but I can't let myself become complacent.
So, now that I've got a bit of a breathing space over the holiday period, I'll be taking myself through my own PR consultation. This involves looking at goals for 2008and setting myself mini targets so that I can reach them. The aim is to keep things manageable but also fun, because if they are not, I won't necessarily keep them up.
One of the big questions for this end of year pondering is what have I learned from my promotional efforts over the year. One thing I did do, which I have never done before, was to employ someone to do direct marketing for me - approaching associations and organisations to offer myself as a speaker and trainer, and also approach restaurants about my restaurant orientated PR consulatation.
While the results have been ok, it's made me realise that actually what I have been doing for the last five years works best - showing what I know about PR and basically going the expert route. It's much more of a softly softly approach, attracting the people that will be right for you. It can take longer, and is a lot more work that just packing someone off to put together letters and emails on your behalf, butI believe that it's this form of marketing and PR that will build up the strongest and longest lasting bonds with your clients, and it's this I intend to focus on for 2008.
Paula Gardner is a PR and media coach and the author of Get Noticed: How to Boost Your Small Business Profile in 30 days. For a free weekly newsletter on how to attract new customers and clients and raise your professional credibility and visibility visit here
Just like a dooctor often fails to take his own medicine, I rarely get time to think about doing my own PR. In fact, I've been very lazy at it for the whole of 2007. My mailing list has reached a level where it's self generating and often writing a newsletter is enough to bring me enough of an influx of new business to keep me busy so I haven't really had to pay it much attention.
But I've grown increasingly aware that I can't rest on my laurels. Whereas a couple of years ago I was the only person specialising in this area of helping small businesses put together their own PR campaigns, there has recently been a few others joining me in the market. Admittedly, their main job is actually doing rather than teaching PR and this addition to their business seems more of an afterthought or sideline, but I can't let myself become complacent.
So, now that I've got a bit of a breathing space over the holiday period, I'll be taking myself through my own PR consultation. This involves looking at goals for 2008and setting myself mini targets so that I can reach them. The aim is to keep things manageable but also fun, because if they are not, I won't necessarily keep them up.
One of the big questions for this end of year pondering is what have I learned from my promotional efforts over the year. One thing I did do, which I have never done before, was to employ someone to do direct marketing for me - approaching associations and organisations to offer myself as a speaker and trainer, and also approach restaurants about my restaurant orientated PR consulatation.
While the results have been ok, it's made me realise that actually what I have been doing for the last five years works best - showing what I know about PR and basically going the expert route. It's much more of a softly softly approach, attracting the people that will be right for you. It can take longer, and is a lot more work that just packing someone off to put together letters and emails on your behalf, butI believe that it's this form of marketing and PR that will build up the strongest and longest lasting bonds with your clients, and it's this I intend to focus on for 2008.
Paula Gardner is a PR and media coach and the author of Get Noticed: How to Boost Your Small Business Profile in 30 days. For a free weekly newsletter on how to attract new customers and clients and raise your professional credibility and visibility visit here
posted by Paula Gardner at
11:59 AM
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