Public Relations: Give your profile an extra boost...

Give your profile an extra boost

Your brand can be great, your service or product groundbreaking, but if nobody knows about it, it might as well not exist. PR is a hugely powerful marketing tool, generating editorial coverage and media interest in the right places is a sure way to gain awareness and credibility.

More than just Press Release…
At Graphic Evidence we apply more than just a press release to our client’s public relations campaigns. Being the enthusiastic friendly bunch we are, we like to get to know your market place and your audience, this allows us to effectively target the right people at the right time and through the right mediums. Being noticed is only worthwhile if it’s being noticed by the right people!

Send your profile rocketing

The definition from the Public Relations Consultants Association is - “PR is about reputation - the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you.”

At Graphic Evidence we believe that good PR is about developing positive reputations, maintaining goodwill and creating awareness through any and all media. Whether generating editorial coverage, utilising sponsorship opportunities or organising the event of the year, PR is employed to influence opinion and behaviour for the better.

The Graphic Evidence Express
As our testimonial page proves, our clients benefit greatly from our PR services. We offer a comprehensive PR package that is cost effective, efficient, successful and tailored specifically to your needs. Due to our background and extensive experience as a company we understand what can realistically be achieved in numerous mediums and therefore know what works best and when.

Our history and background of publishing has given us an insight as to how the media operate and what makes them sit up and pay attention. We’ve been on the reciprocating end of some good and very bad PR and it is this experience of both sides of the fence that gives us the edge over our competitors.

We are not about bombarding the media with endless press releases. All that does is upset the people you are trying to impress and make them head straight for the delete button. At Graphic Evidence we understand what the media are looking for, how to deliver it and most importantly how to capture their attention.

Prepare for launch!
We would begin by initially meeting with you to build a full understanding of your company and your aims/goals for your public relations. We would then decide upon key messages for the promotion, produce a PR plan and then launch our campaign. Once the plan is underway, we’ll keep you fully involved at every stage of the media’s response.

PR FAQ's

What PR does Graphic Evidence do?
Our job is to ensure that our clients have a positive and proactive relationship and reputation with their potential market. Using the best forms of media to raise their profile. We also handle media enquiries on behalf of clients and act as their press office on a day-to-day basis.

If things go wrong - we will employ our Crisis Management strategies to protect your reputation and ensure that any damage is limited. We begin by taking the time to get to know you, your business and your goals. Your PR campaign is then formed to achieve your immediate objectives whilst enhancing your company mantra, philosophy and overall aims.

Can I do my own PR?
Yes - but remember 9 out of 10 press releases don't get used by the media because they are either badly written, irrelevant, not news worthy, targeted at the wrong people or publication, miss the deadline or aren't accompanied by a decent photo.

Do you know the editor of your industry’s leading magazine, how to capture the attention of the features editor at your local newspaper or how to get on a particular radio station show? We do!

Must I employ Graphic Evidence on a retainer or can I commission you for particular projects?
Most of the companies we work with hire Graphic Evidence on a ‘retained basis’, where the client pays a fixed fee each month, in return for a set amount of service. This ensures that every opportunity that arises is explored and that the company receives the very best value for money for a comprehensive PR package.

Clients may hire Graphic Evidence for specific projects and we will agree a price for a specified public relation project or period and deliver your PR to meet the projects needs. This can be useful for one-off product launches, annual events and for special occasions.

Can we hire you for a project and continue our own internal PR campaigns at the same time?
Graphic Evidence already work with a number of clients who proceed with their internal PR campaigns and hire Graphic Evidence for specific projects and areas. Graphic Evidence even work very closely with other PR agencies.

Can you guarantee my PR will get coverage?
To be blunt, no. But to date we have never failed!

If you expect your news release and PR to appear word-for-word in a specific publication, consider paying for an advertorial. However, Graphic Evidence’s close working relationship with the media allows us to encourage powerful coverage for your campaigns.

Would you ever refuse to take on a client?
Yes. If we genuinely believe (based on the brief) that extensive coverage is extremely unlikely or improbable. We do not want to waste your money or time – we would always advise you to concentrate your efforts in areas that will be more valuable to you.

Power of PR

PR (Public Relations) has become very popular over the past few years, with more and more companies becoming aware of its importance and effectiveness. With this said PR is often perceived by industry as just frequently bombarding publications with press releases until one sticks and some editorial coverage is achieved.

Realistically this just tends to dilute the message and cause the relevant parties to head straight for the delete button. I know this because I was one of those people. Up until recently Graphic Evidence published an equestrian magazine and we were (and still are!) under fire by press releases – literally hundreds get emailed to us every week by people/agencies we haven’t even met or spoken to! Needless to say the vast majority of these emails reside in the bottom of our trash folders. The thought of people viewing PR as just a press release frustrates me a great deal. It’s so much more! Public Relations is an exciting marketing tool and when completed effectively can be extremely powerful and economical. It seems that the PR sector could use a bit of PR itself.

Now more than ever consumers have environmental, political and ethical concerns and require reassurance that brands they purchase or services used, meet their own moral standards. Public Relations is perfect in educating and informing consumers in just that. It’s all about developing positive reputations, maintaining goodwill and creating awareness through any and all media. Whether generating editorial coverage, utilising sponsorship opportunities or organising the event of the year, PR is employed to influence opinion and behaviour for the better. Having a clear public relations strategy in place will not only help to promote your company when there is good things to say, but also could be a huge resource if things should turn sour. Sometimes the best publicity is when nothing is said at all, it has been known for some businesses to spend just as much money keeping things out of the press as getting them in it! Over recent years there have been various publicity stunts to achieve media coverage, for example FHM magazine projecting a nude image of Gail Porter onto the side of The Houses or Parliament or when the UK’s directory enquiry company 118 118 got their moustache runners to appear at Wimbledon sitting in the crowd and being seen on the non-ad-funded BBC. It is cheeky stunts such as these that are capturing the attention of the press and really demonstrating the power of PR.

A lot of people do not even know the difference between advertising and public relations, with most thinking they’re pretty much the same thing. Perhaps the biggest variant between them both is the control of content. A strong plus-point of advertising is that it comes with complete control of what is featured while with PR the control lies in the hands of the media you are targeting. Managing events, building relations, or sending press releases does not guarantee media coverage and if the information given to the media is poorly produced or relations are bad, the editorial you do end up getting may not portray the relevant company in the best possible light. This is where a good public relations agency comes into their own. An editorial feature is often considered to be worth at least five times that of an advert in regards to creating awareness and building brand loyalty. Consumers are saturated with advertisements that give a biased view of what they should do or buy, while in contrast editorial publicity is seen as trusted impartial content and gives credibility to the products or company featured.

Ultimately for the most effective and economic results, advertising and public relations need to work hand in hand. It would be unwise in today’s competitive market to rely solely on advertising to launch a new product/service or promote existing ones. Apart from being expensive advertising does not allow you to educate the market to the extent of PR and therefore would not lay the foundations for a successful campaign. It is always better to inform consumers in the area in which your company or product works and then provide them with further information on your USP (unique selling point). The same relates to PR, you could not undertake just a public relations campaign and expect to receive the same coverage or response – it is near on impossible to supply the media with a news worthy story to feature in every programme or issue!

Whatever your view towards to public relations it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore its benefits. Not only is it cheaper than other forms or marketing, but can be rewarding to almost any company, no matter what the size. If you have found this article informative then this has proved to be a positive piece of PR in itself and thus demonstrating that public relations is more than a press release!

The Tools of PR

When Graphic Evidence construct a public relation campaign we look at all of the varying PR tools that are available and together construct a plan to maximise on those that will be most effective for you. This enables us to reach your PR goals quickly and effectively. PR campaigns may consist of any of the following tools:

Advertorials - an advertisement that imitates editorial format. These are useful when you need a publication to carry your information ‘word for word’. This is paid for and will be identified as advertorial, but can ensure your message is delivered exactly as you intended.

Award entries - entry or nomination into industry/public awards. Nomination and the winning of awards will impress clients/customers as it reaffirms that your work is so good it should be publicly recognised.

Copywriting - we write inspiring and eloquent words that promote your business, conveying the message and feelings you require your audience to understand and relate with.

Crisis management - be ready, just incase. We will arm you with strategies and tools to deal with unexpected and unwelcome developments.

Feature articles - we can write informative and interesting articles by and about your company that will help explain specific projects, industry trends, etc., while positioning your organisation as a leader.

Media relations - we will improve your relationship with the media and with particular key personnel. Graphic Evidence already have a solid relationship with the media and we will use our contacts for your gain, which will improve your chances for editorial, special offers, opportunities and support for your campaigns.

News/Press releases - keep editors and readers up-to-date on positive developments: business news, technological advances, promotions and new hires, and special events. Journalists are very busy and can receive hundreds of press releases every day. Imagine their reaction to press releases that are badly written, wrong in structure, contain poor spelling/grammar, use inappropriate language like jargon or don’t convey a clear and relevant message. They just delete them!

Graphic Evidence’s press releases are tailored for each specific audience and structured to help the journalist in question, therefore ensuring they are read and as every journalist would prefer to receive them.

Media Planning and buying - we will help you to decide on the best placements for your advertisements and how to make your budget work more effectively. We can place adverts on your behalf, as we benefit from a sustained buying power we are able to often encourage lower prices and better terms for your adverts. The placements of advertisements can even encourage and generate editorial for PR projects.

Profiles - present and promote key members of your staff or team as figure heads or experts in your industry, promoting their achievements with your company, leaders are often viewed in a positive light and this will reflect positively onto your company.

Seminars and Lecturers - these will allow you to highlight your latest achievements and innovations and share information with colleagues. They can be held to educate customers with free information/advice or to bring them together to discuss a current concern.

Sponsorship management - we will find ideal sponsorship opportunities that will enhance your brand and message.

This is just an example of some of the PR tools Graphic Evidence utilise when conducting a PR campaign.