Not That Craig’s List:
Branding for Start-ups and SMEs
It’s no secret that a company’s brand is their reputation; and nothing
is more important than reputation. Moreover, every brand has a story to tell,
and a good amount of marketing is to ensure that this unique story is conveyed
to your customers and potential customers. In this short article for Brand
Laureate Magazine, Orchan’s Managing Director, Craig J Selby, looks at how
small players and start-ups can engage effectively in public relations
initiatives. The key message – public relations is no longer just the tool for
bigger business.
 |
| The BrandLaureate Magazine |
Is Your Start-Up Brand Newsworthy?
Simple answer - most likely, yes! But for the longest of times start-ups
have been emerging under the guise that their brand is unlikely to be
newsworthy until further into their product lifecycle, or until they devote a
significant quantity of cash into advertising and publicity.
Let’s explore the typical start-up marketing plan - usually consisting
of print advertising, (more recently) a smattering of social media, and a whole
lot of point-of-sale promotional materials. You have invested heavily in
creating a product, extrapolated that product to develop a brand, but then use
an incomplete integrated marketing process to compliment and propel your brand
onto the world.
Typically, where’s publicity?
The misconception - some marketing activities are expensive. Well, yes. Some are - but
with everything, shop around, and look at ways of equipping yourself to do some
of the work towards fulfilling your marketing objectives. Entrepreneurs succeed
and fail for one reason - they are good at one thing - their product (or
service). They know it inside out, and can often explain it in detail for many
(too many) hours to the point of others’ boredom. This paradox of success /
fail occurs because on the fail side, entrepreneurs tend to just know their
product - they are not astute business people who knew when to take an
opportunity and run with it - they see an opportunity to get their dream
started, but all too often don’t quite know how to take it from first steps to
a successful (and profitable) business.
The flipside to this is that they know their product so well that they
are able to convince others easily, and are in fact a walking-talking marketing
mechanism for their wares - they often forget this. The limitation many find
though, is in turning this ‘skill set’ advantage into an actual marketing
communications plan. Bridging this gap is what helps to get your start-up brand
out there in ways that you may previously thought prudent not to explore based
on budget limitations.
The shortfall in this case is actually training, guiding, mentoring, and
a sprinkling of self-confidence which pushes the entrepreneur from creator to
activator to doer (most entrepreneurs reach activator stage, but need guidance
to go beyond).
In Malaysia, public entrepreneurial training is lacking - there is a
stronger focus on hooking up with angel investors and letting them take the
reins; but this does not work for everyone, and frankly speaking, does not
equip an emerging entrepreneur with the skills required to really take control
of their business and hold responsibility for all aspects (at least in the
initial phases).
So let us get back to the question of making your start-up brand newsworthy.
Most products / services have a publicity value, ie; there will be publications
/ portals out there that are keen on what you have - it’s just finding the way
to engage with these ‘opportunities’ and help to promote your product.
Larger, more established companies may have a dedicated PR team, or
outsource to a PR Agency, but this in many cases appears financially impossible
for a start-up (unless of course they are backed by a very financially fluid
angel investor). So, the buck stops here? No! It certainly does not. Sometimes,
we have to find ways to do this for ourselves - after all, we are entrepreneurs
- creators, go-getters, and visionaries.
By all means approach agencies and get quotes, but rather than despair
at the possible five figure monthly retainers they would like to extract from
you, look at what you can do for yourself. We start with the most basic
publicity tool of all - the press release. The press release is simply an
overview or description of what you are launching - a no brainer really.
Remember, you know your product / service better than anyone, and are in the
unique position to communicate that to others with extreme clarity. Why not
write it yourself? Yes, there are some basic rules, but ultimately you have overcome
the major hurdle - that being understanding your product.
A good press release is relatively short and simple end of course
newsworthy. Newsworthiness comes from a variety of
sources / angles and it should be easy for you to find something suitable. Most
start-up businesses will focus on the launch of their product. Follow some
basic rules - don't compare yourself to the competition, don’t make exaggerated
claims and don’t over-sell your product’s availability. Be honest, sincere, and
share your knowledge about your product, including benefits.
So, we have got through the writing - in fact, at this stage you have
achieved a significant milestone - getting a piece of communication coherently
put together. Now it is simply time to get this out there - check out the
publications that you are interested to have your business featured in - get
the relevant email addresses and phone numbers of the sections - email, and do follow-up
- check they got it, inquire do they want further information, or would they be
keen on an interview, and basically, let your fingers do the walking as you
work the phones. That’s what a PR person does (ok, there is more to it, but
that’s the gist that is relevant to your start-up).
You may ask - how does this make my brand newsworthy? It is about
putting yourself out there and doing what so many others say is for the ‘bigger
boys’ only - publicity. All brands have a story to tell, and it is often the
entrepreneur themselves who is best at telling that story - direct to media, thus
helping to get your brand out there. By being out there, others notice you, and
this creates brand inertia for you to get rolling - a very important stage to
take your brand from zero to hero.
The main point being, don’t side-line the opportunities that PR offers
you as a new brand; embrace them, but recognise the fact that in many cases you
will need to be the champion of your own cause, rather than brushing it aside
because unfavourable quotes come through to do things which to be frank, you
have the basic skills to handle yourself.
When building your brand, it is more important to be seen to be having
others talking about you, rather than be seen to be solely ‘advertising’.
Credibility comes from third parties in reliable forums (newspapers, magazines,
online portals) openly highlighting your brand in a way that is not seen as
advertising, but instead compliments it - this gives any a very valuable leg up
when it comes to extending the reach you have as a start-up.
No comments:
Post a Comment