The Pioneer Strategist -- July 2006

"People suffer from the same disease as products.

They try to be all things to all people."
- Al Ries and Jack Trout,

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind -

PR Blog Topics

Recent entries posted on our blog, Public Relations Insights, include:

• July 5 -- An interesting article about Perception Management & the Iraq war

• June 30 -- Strategic Guru's Carolyn Rhinebarger: How to Identify Your Target Market

• June 28 -- Article: A cruel twist of fate - Perception of players determined by draft position

• June 28 -- Article: Using Newsletters as Part of Your Public Relations Program

• June 28 -- Study Ranks Cause-Related Public Relations Highest among Distributed Releases

• June 28 -- Article: Police on bikes good thing for public relations

• June 28 -- Interesting article on perception (from the world of sports)

PR Tool:  Newsletters

by Frank Williams, President

When used properly, a newsletter can be a valuable addition to your Public Relations toolbox.  A sharp, professional newsletter can be used to demonstrate your expertise to clients, potential clients and opinion leaders, therefore strengthening your organization's credibility among those key groups.

Things to consider as you develop or review your company's newsletter strategy:

-  Method:  Will you distribute an electronic newsletter, a printed newsletter, or both?  Which strategy enables you to effectively and efficiently reach your key audiences on a consistent basis? 

- Message:  What message should your newsletter communicate to your key target publics?  We recommend that your newsletter program be structured in a way that demonstrates your expertise in your field.  You can accomplish this by including articles (ideally written by you or someone with your company) or other useful tips that benefit your primary target groups.  This demonstrates your expertise and adds value.

-  Adding Value:  If your newsletter is to be effective, it cannot be a mere piece of sales literature.  Your newsletter should provide recipients with something of value (we hope articles like this one add value to this newsletter).  This requires that you understand your audience and know what matters to them. 

-  Recipients:  It is important to send your newsletter to the right people.  The best place to start is with your current base of clients, prospects and other key contacts.  Additionally, you should include a method for people to subscribe on your Web site.

-  Frequency:  If one of your objectives is to build credibility and strengthen your relationship with key groups, you should distribute your newsletter on a consistent basis.  Conversely, you should be careful not to distribute your newsletter so frequently that it is viewed as spam or junk mail.  Establish a sensible schedule, and stick with it.

- Archiving:  We recommend including an archive of past newsletters on your Web site.

These are a few tips for developing an effective newsletter program that builds your credibility as an expert in your field.

-FLW-

RALEIGH – Pioneer Strategies received a Silver award at the recent Sir Walter Raleigh Awards banquet, sponsored by the Raleigh Public Relations Society (RPRS).  Pioneer was recognized in the open publications category for State Auditor Les Merritt’s 2005 Christmas Card.  The four-color card’s cover featured a Christmas photo of the Merritt family, while the inside included a Bible verse and a message from Auditor Merritt and his family.

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