PR: How It Impacts the Bottom Line (Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York)

With the current state of the economy, companies may be questioning the value of PR and how publicity can directly translate into increased sales. I understand this and all too often our industry sees clients cutting PR from their budgets when it is the one thing that is most important in an economic downturn. The economy has caused the priorities of public relations to begin a seismic shift and our main focus is no longer solely about consumer awareness, but now includes the added challenge of positively impacting the bottom line. For the industry to remain afloat here are some public relations strategies we implement here at Pierce Mattie PR that we've found to be successful:

• Securing Online Placement
• Generating Consumer Conversation
• Interacting via Social Media
• Supporting Success Through Multiple Media Channels
• Understanding and Engaging the New Educated Consumer
• Procure Regional Placements
• Building Brand Ambassadors

Of course, national print and broadcast are part of the strategy as well, but that is a given. Using our client, Every Man Jack as an example, our PR team implemented various strategies in the 4th quarter to generate publicity that drove sales for the male grooming brand that were ten times more than it had been at the same time the year prior. This is quite an accomplishment considering the severe recession we are in.

Generating positive consumer dialogue about a brand is a powerful tool to embed the message in the consumer psyche, which in turn will positively affect sales. With the ever growing network of forums, blogs, online media and social media sites, odds are that consumers are discussing your client's product or brand. It is crucial to become part of the conversation and provide consumers with accurate information, gaining a measure of control over the online environment. While we know that social media is really beyond our control (as it should be), clients still want to know that when their brand permeates the blogosphere and digital magazines, that it has some sort of quantifiable way to be measured.

How do you see the role public relations plays in this turbulent economy?

Tags: Public Relations