As you have heard me say in the past, PR is extremely cost effective. In a lot of cases the cost is zero, but PR is not limited to just sending out press releases.

Your visibility will increase with powerful publicity. Publicizing your business, you or your services will help increase the value of each to you and your whole target audience.

The idea is that publicity will bring the news of your company to the world, online or off, computer or no computer. The basic weapons that can be used to do this are a press kit, a company background piece, press releases, story ideas, and articles or columns about your firm, as mentioned in the article section above. As you can see there are many vehicles to distribute through the media, even though the most important of all is the press release.

A press kit can include the background piece, press releases, photos, story ideas, reprints of previous articles about your business, a list of customer references and anything else that the news media might find newsy or just be a simple fact sheet on you and your company. If you provide the media with news that will appeal to their readers, you will gain instant credibility and have a very valuable promotional relationship. This can be very powerful from a marketing point of view.

There are also a host of online magazines that might want to post your story, article or information. (This is related to both press releases and the article campaign mentioned above.)

A publicity campaign should begin with a master plan. The more newsworthy you make your company, the more coverage you'll get. And publicity will earn credibility that advertising just can't buy. Your goals should be uniqueness, timeliness and top-of-the-mind awareness. With publicity and visibility, your company profile raises and your client and prospect level rise as well.

One successful story about your company can result in free publicity is advertising worth hundreds and thousands of dollars.

Part of managing the total marketing campaign and especially the Public Relations portion is supplying the media with a unique story that will grasp their reader and viewer audiences. Press Releases also have a dramatic impact on customers and your targeted prospects.

PR is one of the most cost effective parts of marketing that an organization can undertake. The cost is in the development of an organized campaign and the writing and distribution of press releases. There is usually no cost associated with printed pieces or placement into publications. Because of this it is considered to be very cost effective. There is definitely a knack to writing a "newsworthy" press release even though sometimes the goal is awareness and promotion. Editors do not like promotion so crafting a press release to appeal to an editor is key. Now there is no guarantee that any press release will ever be published but with a consistent professional newsworthy approach with reputable editors of reputable publications, probability is good that some press will be gained and awareness will increase.

Press releases are also great vehicles for communicating with clients and prospects. Putting them on a website is a very effective means of promotion to your captive markets. It also further substantiates your place in the marketing and your credibility in your field.