Working Smart
Getting Your Message Out:
Public Relations Campaigns
that Work
by Currie Corbin
On the eve of last year's Academy Awards, 22 A-list celebrities received their highly publicized gift bags. Among the gold jewelry, designer clothes, resort destination getaways and spa packages, they found a tube of toothpaste-Oxyfresh toothpaste. Some of these movie stars were not familiar with the company, even though it has been around for 23 years. In the months that followed, many of these celebs discovered their new favorite toothpaste. Oxyfresh, in turn, gained some impressive international media exposure. Those tubes of toothpaste put Oxyfresh in the spotlight and started a long chain of press coverage over the next 12 months.
In our industry, one of the best forms of advertising is word-of-mouth through distributors and customers. That's why a direct selling company's marketing plan is focused on investing in its distributors. In-depth training, energetic events and lucrative compensation plans leave a minimal corporate budget for high-profile advertising and paid media placement.
What many don't realize is that a strong public relations campaign can help get your company's name and products in front of millions-without having to pay the high price of national advertising. Maybe you don't have a public relations department, or maybe you don't want to spend a large sum on hiring a public relations firm. Oxyfresh didn't either, so we developed our own public relations strategy.
The Academy Awards was our first big media score. What a way to kick off our public relations campaign! What has since followed is a series of high-profile media spots that have kept Oxyfresh in front of tens of millions across the country.
The goals of our media drive were simple:
- Build enthusiasm and credibility for our distributors.
- Increase public awareness of all our product lines.
- Get our products into the hands of as many influential people as possible. (Our current celebrity customers include John Travolta, Reba McIntyre, Fantasia Barrino and many more!)
Here's how we put our plan into action and why it has been successful:
Media Coverage Helps You
Attract "Quality" Prospects
As a network marketing company, Oxyfresh must be careful with paid advertising because we don't want potential customers going to a retail store expecting to find our products. It's important to target prospects looking for something "special" or "premium" because you want them to contact a distributor or call the company to make a purchase-not look for it in a store. You can avoid having potential customers looking elsewhere for your product by positioning it as "exclusive" or "not available in stores." A successful public relations plan boosts credibility, and in doing so helps you attract those customers who want top-notch products-something they can't find anyplace else.
Media Coverage Increases Credibility-
Focus on a Market
Our target audience for one aspect of our plan was the health-conscious community-a rapidly growing segment of society eager to learn about premium health products. We focused on a few unique stories about our nutritional line and contacted health and wellness publications. In one example, we shared information about our new healthy energy drink, Primorye OTGT. We knew stories were surfacing everywhere about the dangers of wildly popular energy drinks loaded with caffeine and sugar, so we saw this as an opportunity to tug on the media's ear about a unique alternative. We let them know this is a product in demand and their readers would be eager to hear about it.
And it worked! Health magazine, Men's Journal and Best Body are just a few popular publications that featured OTG.
Paid advertising can help with name recognition, but unsolicited media recognition increases credibility. In the case of targeting health publications, the majority of reporters and editors are health professionals. There is a huge difference in perception between simply seeing the product in an ad and having a health professional recommend it.
Media Coverage Makes You a Player
Regardless of whether you are a two-employee company or a corporation with 500 on your payroll, a PR campaign can put you on a level playing field. Oxyfresh has been able to position itself in mainstream publications that also carry information from some of the largest MLM corporations in the industry. Readers don't care how big a company is. They want proven products that work. That's the value of publicity. The media spotlight doesn't focus on big or small. it sells quality. Why? Because their credibility is at stake. The media would never intentionally endorse something that was not worthy of its recognition because it would damage their reputation.
Public Relations Helps You
Avoid Price Competition
If people believe that you are the best, they will understand why it is worth paying your price. Oxyfresh products are made with premium ingredients, and often those ingredients are more expensive. So, people can sometimes be surprised by the higher price of everyday products like our dental care line.
How do we overcome this challenge? By targeting every dental professional publication and dental reporter and allowing them to be our messenger. There is just something special about a dental professional recommending our products. Think of it this way: If your problem is bad breath that just won't go away, would you rather run to the store and look for a mouthwash on sale, or use a mouthwash recommended by a leading health columnist? Consumers understand quality costs more and they know that a health professional would not endorse anything that was not top-notch. Consumers want products they trust; cost is secondary. Media exposure helps build that trust.
Public Relations Program Stretches
Your Marketing Budget
Because the media does not charge for news coverage, the relative cost of a PR campaign is much less than paid advertising. Essentially, it boils down to corporate staff time. For every dollar spent on a PR campaign, the payback can be many times more in exposure. Of course, not every publication or news outlet you contact will jump at the opportunity to offer you publicity. If one in 10 runs with a story, you're a winner! Remember, you must offer an explanation on why they should care. Is it exclusive? Does it fill a niche? Is it made with premium ingredients you won't find in other similar products? Share this information-tell them, then sell them!
Best Way to Launch or Re-Launch a Brand
When it's new, they will write about it! People love new; they get excited and they want to try it. The news industry is aware of this and will take an interest in letting their readers and viewers know about new products. Find your target audience and then contact every publication you can think of that caters to that demographic. If you have a new nutritional product, target every health and wellness publication you can find. Individualize each press release. Find out the name of the person who will be receiving the product. When sending to print publications, always send a photo of the product; it makes your message more compelling. And send samples. If they can try it firsthand, they will be much more impressed and inclined to publish your information.
Media Exposure Excites the Salesforce
Your salesforce is already proud of your company and its products, so when those products get national attention it reinforces their commitment and excitement to generate more company growth and strive for excellence. When celebrities and other well-known people are seen with your products, it generates a high-profile, fun story for your distributors to share with their prospects. It adds some glamour, credibility and novelty to your company's first impression.
In the end, a strong PR campaign can gain new attention for your current products. It can boost sales, increase awareness about the company, improve credibility and excite your salesforce. And the best part? It's virtually free! The media spotlight on Oxyfresh has never been brighter, and with some creative planning and new media opportunities being discovered each day, this spotlight is not about to fade.
Currie Corbin is the Director of Marketing & Public Relations for Oxyfresh Worldwide Inc. in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Since 2004 he has played a key role in the company's marketing, branding and media relations initiatives. E-mail your questions or comments to curriec@oxyfresh.com.
Jump to:
|
