“Without publicity there can be no public support, and without public support every nation must decay.” - Benjamin Disraeli

Used to be that you could put $1 into Facebook ads and expect a return of $3. Sadly, those days are gone, along with a gallon of gas for $1.

What if there was a way to position yourself as the “go-to” for your business niche so that YOUR name was the first one everyone thought of? There is, and it’s a proven method to increase visibility, credibility and authority.

It’s publicity.

The Public Relations Society of America defines public relations as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

In other words, publicity allows businesses, like yours, to communicate with your audiences, usually through a neutral third party organization, such as radio, newspapers, television, podcasts, magazines, and blogs. It’s a highly effective way to connect with your target market in a deeper, more meaningful way - and it should be part of your marketing strategy for success.

Here are five reasons why you need publicity to grow your business with ease:

1. Visibility

The Marketing Rule of 7 states that a potential client needs to be exposed to your marketing message at least seven times before they’re ready to take action. However, that was true back in the 1970s, when the average consumer saw 500 ads per day. Fast forward to 2020, and people are seeing 7,500 ads per day on average! Your audience needs to see you more than seven times but…how? The media is the answer! Being featured on local TV or in an article in the community paper exposes you to tens of thousands of people in your town, the very people who are likely to use your services. And thanks to the internet, these appearances are searchable for years to come, popping up whenever someone Googles your name. There’s also the added benefit of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your website by having these higher-ranked sites backlinking to yours.

2. Credibility

While ads and social media are important marketing tools, they lack the credibility of a third party singing your praises. Your ads say you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread but if a television or newspaper reporter says you are, then people are far more likely to believe it.

“The idea is the believability of an article versus an advertisement, says Michael Levine, a well- known publicist and author of the book, Guerilla P.R. “Depending on how you measure and monitor, an article it is between 10 times and 100 times more valuable than an advertisement.” Forbes 2014

Now that’s a huge ROI, especially when you consider this is “earned” media, meaning you’ve not paid to be featured, but you’ve earned the spot because the media felt your message was of importance to its audience.

3. Authority

Imagine a television reporter turning to you for advice as thousands of viewers watch, waiting for your expert answer. Who do you think they’ll think of when they have a problem that you solve? When you are viewed as the master of your craft, you have no competition.

4. Content Marketing

Being interviewed by the media offers you the opportunity to deep dive into information to showcase your knowledge, confirming your position as an expert and a thought leader. You’re also reaffirming to current clients that they are in good hands with a trusted professional who knows their craft.

5. Value

Quite simply, publicity gives you more bang for your buck (plus... it’s free). There’s no algorithm to fight against, no ads to spend money on and it’s the gift that keeps on giving for years to come with SEO and Google indexing. Thanks to all the reasons we’ve looked at above, it’s no surprise that a 2014 Nielsen study found that “PR is almost 90% more effective than advertising.” Take for example being on television. A 30-second spot can cost thousands of dollars to run just once, plus all the money required to produce that commercial. But if you’re a guest on the morning program, being interviewed for upwards of four to five minutes, you don’t spend a dime because you’re providing valuable content for the station’s viewers. That one interview is worth tens of thousands of dollars and all it costs you is a trip to the local TV station. Imagine if you could leverage becoming a regular contributor to your local media outlets - how could it affect your business?

Being featured in the media is the fastest way to increase your status amongst the community and clients, to be seen as a trusted advisor and an experienced professional while boosting your SEO and differentiating yourself from the hundreds of other businesses in your niche. If publicity isn’t part of your marketing strategy, there’s no time like the present to start getting visible in your local media.