Back in the day, PR simply wasn’t necessary.
Not all that long ago (most Baby Boomers can remember the times) it was easier–much easier–to sell stuff. As mentioned several times already, before the advent of mass media outreach and interstate commerce, an egg was an egg was an egg: local, farm fresh, free-range and delicious. There was nothing to recommend one farmer’s hens over another’s, unless the hens were scrawny and sickly-looking or the farmer treated them (or you) badly. Sales back then (ever since sales began and until recently) were based on relationships within a community.
As radio and TV came along, and as commerce could be exchanged farther from home or homestead, ad people came up with ways to differentiate products and services, to “brand” them so people knew they were still trading with companies they felt they would like and trust if they knew them intimately.
Today, with global commerce and scores of social media platforms in addition to TV and radio, all bets are off. But the more things change, the more they stay the same when it comes to PR. The ONLY way you’ll ever be able to stand out in any crowd is to develop relationships with your target audience. They can buy what you’re offering almost anywhere these days, and it’s fast and easy to look around for the best price and quality.
- If your USP is “low price/good enough,” you’ll be racing to the bottom with a gazillion other sellers of similar goods and services
- If you’re competing on quality, you’re in rarer atmosphere with slimmer pickings because there are fewer truly savvy shoppers who are looking for stuff that will last, products and services whose ROI will make them smile to realize that they’ve invested in quality outcomes that will serve them commendably for long periods of time
No matter who your target audience is, you need to know where they hang out online and off, and you need to start (if you aren’t already) hanging out with them, not as an opportunistic seller but as a helpful, giving, pro-active sounding board and fellow human being. You need to develop relationships so you’re not pegged as a tireless, unwelcome predator. Although people love to buy (when they’re good and ready) most of us loathe being sold to–especially inappropriately within social media places where people gather to be entertained, to learn stuff, and to have a good time! Interact with your target audiences “inappropriately” in the various forums–as a ham-handed promoter of Thine Own Goods and Services–and you’ll have your head in your hands faster than you can figure out what the hell happened.
What people learn about you and how they feel about you matters. Unless you’re a conglomerate with monopoly powers/zero competition, how you treat your potential customers matters. What you offer and share (freely) will determine whether they’ll want to have anything to do with you in the short term and over the long haul. That’s easy enough to understand. After all, PR stands for “Public Relations” not “Push Relentlessly”!
What’s harder to understand is that every social media platform is different. The people who frequent these sites have established a “culture” for them; business owners (and the clueless copywriters they hire) violate them at their own great risk.
A good book that explains the different cultures is Gary Vayverchuk’s Jab Jab Jab Right Hook. If you’re using social media in any way, or about to enter it as a business presence, READ IT!
(This week. Not next!)
