One of the best ways to get noticed, especially without mega-marketing budgets, is great PR. However, it’s often seen as a bit of a “dark art” and consistently baffles even the most experienced of us.
I’ve been impressed over the years by Vijay Chattha, Founder and Chief Talker of VSC Public Relations. Firstly, I’ve been impressed¬†with my¬†blogging hat on,¬†whenever Vijay approached me with stories about his clients. Sure, I¬†haven’t always used them, but they’ve always been well-thought through, researched properly and somewhat unusually, they’re obviously pitched by someone who understands the space. You have to be on the receiving end of constant PR pitches to realise that this is unfortunately very unusual. I get approached to write about dog food and nuclear waste, believe it or not!
More lately, Vijay has been doing a fine job handling Public Relations for AdMob is the US, although the decision to appoint him was nothing to do with me as it happens.
He recently approached me to see if I would be interested running a feature on sharing some secrets of the PR trade and I thought that’s the kind of thing you’ll like to learn about. It’s not a pitch, just good advice, though I’m sure he’d be happy to talk to you if you want.
Over to Vijay:
Even when your business is entirely focused on mobile communication technology, you might find it challenging to express your own business story in words. As the mobile industry explodes, start-up companies (and the big guys) often make weekly announcements, resulting in writers receiving hundreds of press releases, most of which fall short of delivering news likely to earn a headline. Being part of the mobile content industry is truly exciting; rapidly changing and greatly affecting people’s daily lives. Then why, when an industry that is making such a dramatic impact, do many important developments go unnoticed and unreported? Still in its infancy, the mobile content industry needs to educate of the masses, and get everyone as enthusiastic about what is available, and coming next, as we are.
I think about how to explain new mobile technology and mobile content to the media, well, pretty much everyday as part of my job. I thought I’d share some quick tips that I’ve learned over the years that might be of help to Mobhappy readers: 
1) Research
DO your homework. So many companies fail to step outside of their own internal bubble and look at what competitors may be doing. 
DON’T proclaim that a new product or service is the first of its kind, unless you are very very sure it is the one and only.  Get industry newsletters, read insider blogs (like this one), attend relevant trade shows and talk to others in your field. Also keep a global perspective, as a small company in Eastern Europe may have moved to market faster than you. Post on forums to query about what others are doing. I think you’ll find that professionals in the industry are helpful in sharing information and happy to network. 
2) News, not snooze!
DON’T bore your audience. Spend some time thinking about the excitement factor – don’t leave it up to a journalist to figure out what makes your company interesting, they’ve got their own job to handle, not yours.  Avoid industry jargon for mainstream writers, as not everyone understands what SMS, MMS, WAP, Java, BREW, JSRs, Bluetooth, SMIL, WML actually means. Additionally, know your jargon for industry insiders. PMS and PSMS describe different things depending on who you ask and what time of the month it is. 
Of course if you are sending news to ‘Mobile Marketing Magazine’, you most likely will not have to explain that the phrase “mobile marketing” refers to cellphone related messages vs. trucks with advertisements pasted on them. 
DO dig for your company’s hidden news gems and present these to the appropriate audience. A B2B publication may run announcements about new hires, new partnerships and new product and service launches. A B2C publication, will not want this information, but will want to know about developments from your company that matter to the person on the street. Tell a consumer writer about something that matters to the guy that is sitting on the bus or in traffic next to you. If you are discussing a mobile advertising network, you may start with a story like, “Did you know you can surf websites on your phone?..Would you like to know which ones? Or find out how long it takes?…Read on…”
 
3) The Pinocchio Effect
DON’T lace your communications with overblown marketing promises, unnecessary big words or fancy industry jargon. It makes you seem like Pinocchio, telling tall tall tales as everyone watches your nose grows! 
DO pack your sales collateral materials, press information and company newsletter articles with real analysis, data and opinion. Earn trust with truth. Most companies don‚Äôt want to release statistics because they fear that they are exposing themselves too much‚Ķwell then get creative. Think in terms of percentages of growth, not actual hard numbers. Journalists want to comb through the hype to learn what is working now!…not 5 years from now.¬†
4) Know Who’s Who Before you Dial and Smile
DON’T chat up FHM or Rolling Stone magazines when your company announcement of new investor funding is only relevant to venture capital newsletters. 
DO develop a realistic and strategic list of publications and news outlets that will find your news of relevance. Identify the most appropriate person to speak with – is there a beat reporter covering the mobile industry, or a telecommunications editor, or has the publication lumped mobile content into the general coverage area of technology? At large business publications such as The Wall Street Journal, a reporter will be assigned to cover an industry, and specific companies. Some writers watch the big players closely, and others watch newcomers. Watch by-lines (the author’s name) to see who is writing what, and search the Internet to see what they’ve written recently. 
5) Our Industry Communication Challenge: Convergence
DON’T make the mistake of thinking a product or service offered is only relevant to the mobile industry, when it is relevant to other vertical markets. 
DO increase your exposure opportunities, by communicating to relevant convergent industries. Analyse what sector your product or service can reach, and spin your approach to suit varied niche audiences needs. For instance, mobile advertising can be an advertising industry story. Entertainment content, if tied to a known celebrity or brand, may be relevant to Variety as well as Wireless Development News. 
6) Talk the talk, walk the walk but don’t stalk. 
DO Tell your story, deliver sources and statistics, via the journalists preferred method of communications (most often email). And if they tell you ‘no’, accept it. 
DON’T ever Spam contacts with irrelevant information. Clearly there are times when news needs to be distributed to a number of reporters, but be careful not to annoy. No one likes to be forced to be brusque or rude. You’ll build a reputation that could harm you as you try to build your business. 
7) Communicate Through A Variety of Approaches
DON’T make every PR tactic a press release. If you’re company is truly innovative, every division should represent that quality, including your PR program. 
DO consider using news items in company newsletters, an online webinar, dropping short personalized emails to contacts or keeping in touch with key contacts with creative promotions. One company sends out free games for mobile downloads and another mails a promotional CD with music and a letter about recent developments. There are many others, ask you local PR professional to find out what tactic is right for you. 
It’s Not All About the Press
DON’T underestimate the value of alternative audiences.
DO recognize that a briefing meeting with an analyst can be a huge opportunity. A write-up on a blog or even a thread about your company or product in a forum is of value and will often build up your online trail, hey you’re reading this blog aren’t you? 
9) Digital Drives Traffic
DON’T overlook one of the most growing methods of getting out your message – online marketing and advertising. 
DO reserve ad spend budget for websites, microsites, banner ads and online ad campaigns. An online campaign can help you communicate to a very niche or mass audience on a consistent basis. The beauty of online advertising is that it is quantifiable. Within thirty to sixty days, you can decide if your campaign is generating results. What is your advertising plan for the year? How are you determining its effectiveness? The answers may be in the numbers. 
10) What about Word of Mouth?
DON’T be caught out of the loop on some of the more recent tactical strategies companies are using to reach consumers, such as Word of Mouth Marketing (WOM). 
DO consider if a WOM campaign (also known as viral marketing or buzz marketing campaign) works for your campaign objectives. These approaches can be very effective with consumer outreach efforts, if your budget allows, it can be a great way to get the word on the street about what you have to offer. 
You’ll want a neat package of goodies that fully integrates all the tactics you have at your disposal. Develop key message points (many say the magic number is three bullet points) and integrate these throughout your PR, advertising and marketing aspects of your company’s external communications efforts. Be cautious of getting into a situation where one of your communication tentacles is off on a tangent that is off the mark of others, as it confuses your audiences and diffuses your branding efforts. 
A successful communications plan can take some time to develop, and execute. Hiring a communications firm that will be devoted to your company’s objectives can be an excellent investment in growing your business. If you don’t like DIY, consider working with a professional communications agency. Here’s a few things to consider when hiring an agency: 
1) Is the agency knowledgeable about your industry? Find out if they have any history in working with the mobile content industry. Ask them to show you results. What have others said? Find out the buzz on the firm, get to know them from your colleagues in the industry, look up any information about them on the Internet and ask to speak to current or former clients. You probably wouldn’t hire a new employee without a reference check, so do the same with a new agency.
2) Do you like their creative approach? Most firms will offer an initial presentation that will give you a taste of what style of work they offer, and how they will approach working with you. The presentation should both demonstrate a good sense of knowledge, creative and show that they understand your business.
3) Did you like them? Yes, business is personal – if you don’t like them, don’t hire them. Trust your instincts. PR will be a roller coaster ride or ups and downs, is this someone who can deal with both sides?
I hope you find the insights I’ve shared above of value. Every company’s case is different, so if you have specific questions, I’m happy to talk further. Just email me at: vijay AT vscconsulting DOT com
Vijay Chattha is the founder and president of San Francisco based VSC Consulting, an award winning high-tech boutique PR agency. Earlier this year the magazine PR Week nominated him as one of America’s top young PR professionals of 2006. Visit http://www.vscconsulting.com/ for more information.
 
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