Using PR to Generate Sales

Can good press really help generate sales? Yes it can. That is not to suggest that good press exposure can take the place of sales activity. However, good press can do much to enhance your overall effort. In many cases, it’s one or two sightings of your product in the press that generates enough interest to cause a potential customer to call.

For online coverage, the process is even easier: all the reader needs to do is “click through” from the article to your website to investigate a possible sale. There’s no recollection of the article required, and in some cases the process may move directly from the article to the first sale.

What are the best ways to leverage PR?

A smart company realizes that the bulk of the benefit from the press exposure doesn’t result from the initial appearance of an article. Much of the resulting sales activity comes from your proactive activities to leverage every piece of PR.

The strongest organizations use their best PR articles as validating tools that they and their salespeople and resellers can use. A strong company will also use the article – or select portions of it – as fuel for newsletters they can e-mail to their customers and to all of the prospects they find.

Make it a habit to walk into a sales meeting or a presentation with a piece or two of strong, recent coverage in hand.

When you make a statement about your company or product, your information will be considered to be biased by the fact that you are an “insider.” However, the information in the press, even if it’s been written by you and submitted or you had very close involvement with it, is considered independent. Press articles are strong validation and help to provide credibility.

The smartest companies know that getting into the press is only part of the equation, and have become experts at leveraging their positive PR.

Read some other related articles:

• Making the Best Use of Press Release Marketing
• Creating a Media List
• Press Release – Inside Info
• PR Crisis Management – Tell It All, Tell It Fast And Tell The Truth
• PR – What it is and How to Use it to Your Benefit