“Let’s write a press release and send it to all the local outlets.”
Would you be surprised if we told you not to? A few years ago–sure–that was the expectation for any PR professional. Announcements were preceded by pitching, a release was put on the wire and then incoming inquiries were fielded.
But now, with the rapid advancement of technology and the changing field of journalism, the traditional PR model is no longer enough. Agencies can pitch news until they are blue in the face and not receive any coverage. That is because newsrooms are smaller and journalists are busier.
So, what is a PR professional to do?
At Silver Spur, we believe that flexibility and adaptability are key to successful campaigns. It seems like every day there are new outlets where our clients can tell their stories. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are just the tip of the iceberg. What about Snapchat, blogs and Pinterest? And of course we can’t forget good old-fashioned flyers, direct mail and word of mouth. It is important that we look at all possible outlets when communicating a message. Who is our target audience and where do they consume most of their content? For millenials a social media campaign may be the most effective, but an older audience may be better reached through direct mail.
We have been doing a lot of event marketing lately and noticed that press releases have become the default expectation. Now, we aren’t saying that press releases are useless–they are a great way to communicate information in a professional and succinct fashion–we are just saying that they are no longer the ONLY option. We are excited by the ever-changing opportunities for marketing and media outreach. No announcement is the same, and so campaigns cannot be formulaic. Instead, we begin by taking a moment to think about who the audience is and how to best tailor our outreach to specifically reach them.
Ride for the Brand.
SSM
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