Aspirin has been referred to as the wonder drug because of its versatility.  It provides headache and pain relief and has many positive effects for cardiovascular health.  Reportedly, taking a low daily dose of aspirin thins the blood, interferes with its ability to form clots, and reduces inflammation of the arteries.  “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning” has been a common reprise for doctors.

These days, product marketing can give you a headache.   Where to invest your marketing budget: advertising in publications, online banner advertising, pay-per-click, e-mail, direct mail, publicity, social marketing, telemarketing, attending trade shows, etc.  Product publicity is the marketing wonder drug.  It is the marketing equivalent of aspirin and should always be the first step in any marketing plan because it is free [if you have the expertise to get it] and it can accomplish so much.  Today, with the competition for quality space online and in-print, the emphasis ought to be on expertise.

Product Publicity, the marketing wonder drug

Product publicity has always been the best way to introduce and promote products.  Al Ries, author of “The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR,” wrote “advertising lacks credibility, the crucial ingredient in brand building, and only PR (public relations) can supply that credibility.”  According to Ries, the task of PR is to take the latest product improvement and with a generous dose of creativity turn it into some-thing really new and different.  “PR first, advertising second, this is the key to success in today’s marketing arena,” he said.  And when commenting about “branding” he continued, “If a brand is nowhere in the mind, then it is a new brand as far as the prospect is concerned, even though it might have been on the market for decades.”

That dose of creativity Ries was referring to is the specialty of Venmark International, plus under-standing what the media needs.  The key to getting the best product publicity results is to provide a service to editors.  According to Russell Kratowicz, P.E., Senior Editor of “Plant Services Magazine,” “when I see the characteristic “editor-friendly” Venmark press release, I know it is worth-while for me to read it because I know it contains information that I cannot afford to ignore.  The now familiar format means I know exactly where to look for the information I need.  That makes my life easier.”

What makes product publicity the marketing wonder drug is that it can accomplish so much.  Public companies can drive up the value of their stock prices and small companies can compete more effectively.  This is because publicity is news.  And news is a respected equalizer.   When you see a “product news feature” you have no idea how big the company is.   So, the first thing that product publicity does is puts you on equal footing with all other companies. This is often the first bit of credibility that stimulates your prospect to contact you.

Because of the widespread news coverage provided online and in-print, the second thing product publicity does is generate sales leads and the third major benefit is more traffic to your Web site.  News coverage also enhances your SEO (search engine optimization). The fourth benefit results from the links to your Web site from high quality Web sites.  This is because Google’s page rank technology is based on the number of Web sites linking to a document, rather than simply the characteristics of the document.  Product publicity is an extremely effective integrated marketing tool.

Product Publicity is much more than a press release

There’s a huge difference between writing and distributing a press release and preparing the proper publicity materials. A press release by definition is: information supplied to reporters for them to make known to the public.  So, why will reporters choose to publish your press release over another one?  A reporter or editor will choose to publish one press release over another based upon the presentation, relevance, and the reliability of their source.  As Al Ries noted, a product publicist stimulates the interest of editors.

Venmark International knows how to get exposure for products in the right media outlets.  Anybody can pay their money and get listed on PR Web or E-media newswire, but getting the attention of the right editors for your products is essential to unlocking the potential of this marketing wonder drug.  Product publicity is the most cost-effective way to “brand” your company as a problem-solver by demonstrating how your products solve problems and doing this in the publications and Web sites that get read by your prospects and customers.

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© 2010- 2014 Steven M. Stroum