If you were to hire a contractor to fix your house would you expect that he take the same approach to fixing your house as he did with the house down the street? The answer is obvious, of course not. Robinson Marketing and Public Relations believes that very project is unique. Or, to put it bluntly, marketing and public relations programs should never been cookie cutter.
For some of our clients, coverage in mainstream media and trade publications is their top objective. For others, widespread pickup amongst bloggers and other social media influencers is most important.
But whatever the priority, one thing is clear: marketing and public relations must play a role in the sales process. Whether clients use marketing programs or public relations to create brand awareness for the company (what we like to call air cover) or to demonstrate widespread adoption of its products and services across many industries, marketing and public relations must play a role in the sales process. If neither is helping to move the sales process along, we’re doing the wrong thing.
When we begin working with a new client we conduct a deep dive into the sales process to see where marketing and public relations can make a difference. Sometimes we discover that public relations is needed on the front end when name and brand recognition matters most. Other times we discover that that the biggest impact the marketing program can make is near the end of the sales cycle when potential customers need the assurance that they’re making the right choice.
This client-by-client approach, however, doesn’t mean that the way we go about doing our job changes. We’re not about reinventing the wheel. It’s the goals, objectives, metrics and tools that we have to work with that vary and that’s what makes each marketing and public relations program different.