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For higher quality results, the PR process at MediaFirst embeds strategy within the tactical documentation for the client.
MediaFirst attempts to identify the desired, future positioning for a client. The view of how the client firm wishes to be viewed in a year. Most of our clients are privately held. Most often, we work for executives that have shareholdings in the client company and recognize the need to promote the valuation of the firm, not just offerings. To succeed in the best overall promotion of a client, our approach is similar to venture-backed, private companies. Clients, including those seeking or having Venture Capital (VC) funding, need to prove: a.) the qualification and capability of the management team, b.) the unique and strong reasons that customers select the firm through the value proposition, c.) the pursuit of a targeted market that is large enough to be worthy of investor interest and enable the firm to grow effectively, and d.) the ability of the team and offerings to execute effectively in the delivery of products or services and in generating revenue growth with respectable margins. Execution includes creating customers and alliance partners. This approach drives valuation, enables funding, speaks to current investors in meaningful ways, and creates exit opportunities, which most frequently involve acquisition of the client. This positioning can also be used by the client to support its own acquisitions, merger, or Initial Public Offering (IPO).
TARGET AUDIENCES: Reaching a desired audience to generate awareness (of the client) and knowledge (of the client's offerings, value proposition, and successes) is the prime goal of a client. Target audiences are reached through media outlets: magazines, newspapers, etc. Therefore, the Media Outlets List of the targeted periodicals becomes the first of strategic decisions and is embedded in the tactical, working documentation, in this case the Client Editorial Calendar (EdCal), compiled from the many EdCals of targeted publications. The Media Outlets List becomes the left-hand column of the Client EdCal. The final tactical Client EdCal is formatted for internal use as a tickler of EdCal opportunities. Each of these editorial opportunities is a targeted opportunity to "sell" the client's story, spokesperson, case study, offerings, etc. The "sale" is obtaining an interview with the reporter or editor assigned to the story - then connecting reporter and the client spokesperson - and possibly the client's customer, alliance partner, or an industry anlayst. The primary determinant of the scope of work is the number of targeted media outlets. Metrics that MediaFirst uses in assessing performance include: quantity of EdCal opportunities that "fit" for the client [in the client's EdCal], number of interview opportunities acquired with reporters/editors [reported in the Monthly Report from MediaFirst], number of interviews conducted - or failed to occur - by the client spokespersons, and the quantity and type of press coverage obtained by the client.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES: The Proposed Press Release Schedule is the tactical document that MediaFirst uses to capture strategic initiatives of the client, scheduling the release of news and positioning each initiative in ways that match the desired, future description of the firm. This schedule captures information that proves the ability of the client in the same terms expected by investors, by teeing up and issuing press releases on the:
- Management Team press releases describe how the client has the top talent that enables success. This would include announcing awards, promotions, hirings, and other newsworthy recognition of the executive management team.
- Offerings include hardware, software, or services (products and services) that reflect the client's ability to deliver what customers want - recognizing the emerging needs or opportunities for customers to be better served by the client than elsewhere. MediaFirst writes the press releases (and other materials, such as newsletters, Web pages, brochures, etc.) in ways that establish that the client understands the needs of its marketplace and executes on the products and services that provide better value for the customer. These efforts - along with interview opportunities - allow the client to reinforce its value proposition.
- Market: All writing describes the market served by the client and the importance, size, and client success in meeting that industry's needs. In addition, MediaFirst writes to position the client as a thought-leader in identifying the emerging needs of cusotmers and effectively meeting those needs.
- Ability to Execute: The ability to execute is shown through press releases that announce: new clients, alliance partners, new product or service offerings, winning awards, speaking at industry conferences, hiring the right people, and growth in revenues, profitability, or staff. For private firms, growth may be described in percentage increases - avoiding disclosure of exact revenues. Quarterly growth - or quarter over quarter growth over the period of a year - are examples of other, flexible ways to describe growth.
YEAR-FORWARD POSITIONING: The primary tactical tool for capturing and positioning the client is the Press Release Template, especially the "About" paragraph, also know as a "tombstone." This document describes that future positioning desired by the client. It is a statement of capabilities, current and future that speaks in terms for this future positioning. The other key piece of this document is the first sentence of the press release, which provides a single, succinct opportunity to influence this future positioning.
Copyright 2006 James W. Caruso, MediaFirst PR - Atlanta, All Rights Reserved.
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