This month Alan Gayle hands over the coulmn to PR consultant Aneela Rose, who works with stone and conservation specialists CWO, among others. She offers advice on running cost-effective PR campaigns in these challenging economic times.

According to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, ‘Public Relations is about reputation – the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you.’

With difficult economic conditions continuing to impact the stone sector, it’s more important than ever to highlight competitive advantages and win new business.

Raising awareness will not only secure business for you now, but will put you in a strong position when the economy does finally turn around.

When times are hard, meeting your target audience head on is when strategic PR can make a considerable difference. The most successful companies keep their name in front of customers, particularly when loyalty is unpredictable. The construction sector is no exception and although customer moods change, spending hasn’t stopped, people are simply making more careful choices than before.

While there have been numerous casualties in the stone sector, several companies have used PR to strengthen their position in the market by promoting new services, targeting new markets and building upon their existing assets. PR is about sending out clear, consistent and confident messages and maintaining a strong presence in the market. Here are a few of my tips to help you get press coverage:

Target the publications you want to appear in

Your goal is to be written about. You need to research what your customers are reading and send your news to those magazines. It’s that simple. You might find there are only one or two magazines that are relevant, but you have a greater chance of being featured in a well researched and targeted publication than if you bombard 50 publications with a general release. Focus your activity.

Write a first class press release with the headline as the hook and, if possible, have a photograph ready

Construction industry journalists receive hundreds of press releases every week, so your news needs to stand out. In PR, first impressions are everything so your headline must be compelling and create immediate impact – if it doesn’t it might be as far as the journalist reads.

Try to ensure your release is grammatically flawless and spelt correctly. Read your work thoroughly before ou send it or your professional image might be compromised.

Befriend influential journalists

Achieve the first two points above and you will earn the respect of journalists. Provide them with relevant news, ideas for articles and features, case studies, photographs, testimonials from management within your company, expert opinion… the potential is endless. You can win them over with the right information sent at the right time to achieve great press coverage for your company.

Stay current

Keep up-to-date with exactly what’s happening in the industry and all related sectors. Position yourself as a go-to source for journalists; an expert in your field. Welcome their enquiries and respond to them positively.

And when you send press releases, do it while the news is current. There’s no point sending out a press release about a product you launched last year or an event that happened months ago. It’s got to be ‘now’, not yesterday’s news.

It doesn’t end here

If you secure press coverage, use it! Email your staff, customers, suppliers and business contacts to tell them you’re in the news.

Get permission from the publisher to add a cutting to your website, newsletter and company noticeboard. Never underestimate the power of word of mouth. It’s how my business (and, of course, many I work for) has grown.

As Alan Gayle mentioned in this column last month, PR does not happen overnight. But in a niche market sector such as stone, PR that is implemented correctly can deliver a significant return on investment – a return that can be measured and quantified. And it needn’t cost a fortune!

Aneela Rose is a public relations and marketing consultant with 17 years experience. Her company specialises in the construction, manufacturing and engineering industries and current clients include Cathedral Works Organisation, Tower Bridge and the Monument. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the Public Relations Consultants Association and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. She has been a non-execuctive Director with Sussex Enterprise and has received the Success in Business award from Anglia Ruskin University. She is a writer, trainer and public speaker, and is the PR contributor to an award winning marketer publishing her 3rd book in 2013. Tel: 01444 241341