Don't Let Your PR Become More About Vanity Than Selling Product

I once had a client who was relatively ho-hum about all the trade press we were getting (i.e., great visibility with the audience actually likely to buy his product) ... yet would take great delight in any mere mention in business press articles (sending out celebratory emails to his friends and family list). This guy was on a mission to get his name in every major business publication, and completely oblivious to whether or not these mentions were actually moving the needle for his company.

There's something about the star power of the big business press that make certain folks' eyes light up. And certainly, if you're interested to chase mere mentions in business press articles, there are scores of cutesy little trend articles that a resourceful PR person can find ways to secure participation in.

For an early stage venture, there's no doubt that the cumulative effect of business press mentions creates great brand awareness. But (while trying to precisely measure the exact impact of publicity is a voodoo exercise) I've always contended that the lion's share of the efforts and attention should be going towards the industry publications that specifically cater to your target customers. I've seen a lot of inbound leads attributed to trade press coverage ... but very few from little business press mentions.

Duh. Pretty obvious, right? But look how many vendors out there are spending all their cycles chasing one-line mentions in business press articles (and the vast majority of these efforts will never convert), while they're not even getting pervasive attention within the industry they serve.

Isn't the end game generating awareness with your target customer and compelling them to buy your product or service?

Image courtesy of ameliacatalano's photostream on flickr creative commons.