Commitment To Smart PR Delivers Qualified Sales Leads, Builds Credibility For Plastics Firm
Six months after devising and launching the PR program for plastics engineering and manufacturing firm Scientific Process & Research, Inc. (SPR), I received a note from the company president reporting that the agency "presented new facets to our products that made them interesting to both the press and potential customers…and over a three-month period, these articles have brought us over 200 responses from potential customers. These leads were more qualified than any paid advertising that we have ever placed."
SPR had clients including DuPont, Kimberly-Clark and Amoco but did not enjoy the luxury of a hefty marketing budget. The agency crafted a program to help the company compete against bigger budget competitors that were launching a devastating price war. The agency program set out to position SPR executives as credible experts in the industry and add value to its products and services while building name awareness and recognition and creating a consistent in-flow of qualified sales leads.
PR strategy delivered sales leads without advertising
The program featured the development of application-oriented news releases, released every other month to the appropriate trade media, supported by aggressive yet subtle media relations efforts. Rather than wait for the introduction of new products, the agency studied the needs of the market and devised articles positioning SPR products and services as the solutions to specific, market-by-market problems.
To
enhance credibility, the agency developed and placed in-depth feature
articles in key trade publications, borrowing strength from companies
such as Amoco. Results were immediate and have been instrumental in attracting
new customers for more than five years.
Thanks to the results of epr public relations programs, SPR's marketing budget grew and the company has been able to use print advertising to broaden the scope of its program. While many people rely on PR as a low-cost alternative to print advertising, it is important to understand that the issue is not "either PR or advertising." Rather, results typically are strongest when both PR and advertising are used in tandem.