What do ABC, CBS, NBC, TNT, CNN, MSNBC, and newspapers (if you can call them that) like The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and USA Today have in common?  

     If your business is running local, regional, or mass media advertising without the support of a major public relations program, odds are you’re wasting your money, and whatever results you may be getting are just a fraction of what you could be generating. 

     Businesses get stuck running “maximum impact” schedules of TV and radio commercials, and newspaper ads because they’ve been sold a bill of goods, or because the competitors are doing it, or because that’s just the way it’s always been, or because they enjoy the ego-gratification that accompanies flashy, “big-time” exposure of their business, and perhaps themselves, or because of friendships, or whatever feeble excuse comes to the surface.

     Reality, though, is that the only thing these businesses are accomplishing–at their own expense–is that they’re making the media moguls rich.  Yup, probability is that the media people we’re talking about are the very same ones who consistently deliver insane, insulting, opinionated, negative garbage to our living rooms: Flagship and affiliate radio and TV stations of networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, TNT, CNN, MSNBC, and newspapers (if you can call them that) like The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and the smutty scores of other trash opinion messengers (a much truer categorization than their self-appointed “news” misnomer) . . . and your time or space advertising purchase puts your business smack in the middle of all this crap!  You think your customers don’t care or notice the environment you present your messages in?   

     So you run a small or medium sized business that is presently stuffing these destestable fantasyland coffers with your hard-earned dollars?  What can you do?  STOP!  Stop accepting the rape cards (pun intended!) that their salespeople thrust in your face!  Stop accepting the packaged program scheduling that’s pushed in front of your checkbook!  Go back to those media you consider truly essential to getting your message out, and bring your own package with you . . . to sell them!  If they truly honor and respect you as a customer, they’ll be thrilled at the innovative prompting.

     Surely you are more of an expert at your business than any of the media, so (on your own, or with professional help) develop your own content (e.g., a radio or TV feature show, a daily or weekly news column, a blog site, a series of feature magazine articles), package it, and sell it to receptive media programmers or editors (they’re not all bad!) along with your company’s sponsorship.

     Start a PR program to support, back up or even replace your advertising program.  BUT make it good; make it consistent; make it benefit others; make it NEWSWORTHY!  And be tenacious in your follow-up to give the program teeth!                    halalpiar

If you’re interested in how to make what’s suggested here actually work for your firm, or you have questions about any of the comments in this post, contact Hal Alpiar at 302.933.0116 or visit www.TheWriterWorks.com