Media coverage has been called "free publicity". Well, it's not quite that, but it is a treasure chest of opportunity for any business wanting to break ahead of the pack.
1. Credibility
It's amazing! Everybody will say, "You can't believe everything you read in the paper." Yet, if we see somebody quoted on the news or in the paper, we instantly assume they know what they are talking about more than someone else. If YOU are the person quoted in the news, who do you think potential customers will seek out?
2. People seek YOU out
Tired of cold calling? Bored of waiting for customers to call
you? A good media appearance can keep you too busy pleasing new customers to be tired or bored.
3. Fresh, untapped markets
Something exciting happens when you appear in the
media. New markets open up. New customers call who you never would
have guessed were customers. You may even want to revise your entire marketing plan to tap these new markets.
4. Product awareness
Better sit down. This might come as a shock. Not everybody knows about your product. Sure, if you are a plumber, most people know just what you do and why they would need you. But if you sell something a little more obscure, good media coverage can introduce people to something they never knew they might want.
5. It's cheap!
"Free publicity" is rarely free, but it does cost a
lot less than advertising. Of course, there is some work involved, but there is just as much work to produce effective ads. And media coverage gives you more credibility than advertising, so it is an all-round better deal.
6. Visibility
Unless you operate a storefront on Times Square, you
can always use more visibility for both your company and your products. Nothing is more visible than what is in the media.
7. Community good will
Is good will in the community important too you? Might it be at some point, like when the next zoning amendment threatens your plant or that of a key supplier? Media coverage makes you an upstanding member of the community in the eyes of the citizens.
8. Amplify "word-of-mouth" advertising
Do your customers sing your praises? (If not, you have big problems.) Give them something to really sing about. Photocopy your press clippings and send it to them with a "just thought you would want to see this"
note.
9. Extend your shelf life
Everybody tries the new restaurant or the new brand
of watermelon flavored cereal bars or the new waterslide park. But what happens when people move on to
"the next new thing"? Media coverage makes you the next new thing for both new customers and old.
10. Your competition has it
Ooh. I
hate doing anything just because other people are doing it. But let's face it, if one of your competitors is in the media, that company will reap the benefits. Better get at least as much media coverage for yourself.
| 
