B2B Marketing Blog

If you don’t have anything nice to say …

Although the leap into uncontrolled messaging through public relations programs can at first be frightening, if approached properly, the results can overwhelmingly succeed that of costly advertising and self-praising brochures. In a perfect world, you could pick and choose the information your organization communicated externally without limits - a messaging buffet, if you will. Unfortunately, neither advertising nor in-house collateral fall under the all-you-can eat category. That could, however, be a blessing in disguise. The power of third-party credibility just doesn’t translate into advertising, particularly in the B-to-B world. Editorial coverage gives readers the signal that someone, aside from your own company, believes your organization deserves merit.

So, what’s the catch? Well, in exchange for the opportunity to have someone else tell the world your story, you have to let go and trust the messaging your organization puts forth to the media. That’s right. In theory, you have no say in what a writer, or someone else quoted in a story, says about you or your organization. And there is no guarantee that everyone abides by Mom’s “If you don’t have anything nice to say …” rule.

Strategic and planned media relations can ease this fear. By making sure that the messaging provided to media is clear and consistent among personnel and aligned with the organization’s overall goals, you give journalists information they need, in the words developed and approved internally. Another way to deter from misinformation is by providing journalists with background information on your organization (unbiased in nature) and/or its role within the topic they are covering. The more resources you provide them with, the more likely they will look to you again in the future. You are also putting controlled and approved messaging into their hands, which, if presented correctly, may make its way into editorial coverage.

Journalists may ask you to refer them to customers or end users of your product or service. At first glance, this could seem like dangerous territory. But really, it can be a wonderful opportunity to a) nurture a relationship with an existing customer and b) make sure the media gets a chance to hear from someone who had a positive experience with your organization. It’s actually quite controlled for uncontrolled messaging. Chances are that a determined writer will find someone to interview. If you can’t offer anyone, maybe a competitor can. Or perhaps they may find someone willing to divulge details on a relationship that went wrong. Bottom-line: seize the opportunity to make their contact one of your customers who you trust and has an experience worth unveiling.

The best way to approach uncontrolled messaging programs is with confidence and strategy. Don’t be afraid of what the media “could” say. Give those speaking to the media the tools and training they need to inform writers and project the messaging your company stands by.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 30th, 2007 at 9:26 am and is filed under Public Relations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.