For many of us, a major highlight in our PR career is landing that placement in the Wall Street Journal … or the New York Times. Getting clients in national publications is always such a rush! When you walk the halls of our agency, these “beauty pieces” are framed — our achievements decorating the walls.
And, for some clients, that major clip is a big deal — after all, isn’t that what they’re paying us for? For many companies, it still provides a significant amount of value.
But, times are changing.
Be Where People Are Searching
When people talk about the problem with free online, they’re missing the point. Free is creating lots of attention, but marketers haven’t gotten smart enough to do something profitable with that attention. — Seth Godin
Over on The Lost Jacket, there was an interesting discussion today about “the next big thing” in PR. One commenter suggested perhaps local search would be the next hot-ticket item. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately (especially as my obsession with Foursquare grows!) After all, as was mentioned in that thread, Twitter’s API will soon include the functionality to include geolocation data into tweets. Look at the popularity of Yelp, Foursquare and Brightkite. If you work in PR — especially for companies with local focus (think bank, gym, salon, restaurant, TV station, movie theater, etc) — and you’re not taking advantage of these kinds of services, aren’t you missing a huge opportunity?
Think about it like this. As a PR person for a local nail salon (or bank or other local business), how do you provide more value: Proposing and implementing a program that encourages positive reviews on Yelp (other other local review network), or chasing a clip in USA Today? I’d be willing to bet that a client would see more business through an ongoing attention-getting, locally focused campaign than a national placement.
Inside-the-Box Thinking Not Allowed
This is a serious change in mindset, though. How many clients still don’t understand the value of a placement on a major blog — believing print is the end all, be all? Imagine convincing them that time spent creating Foursquare promotions is time well spent. Will they see value in hyperlocal PR? This requires a savvy PR person who can provide data about local usage to make the business case for a new approach. But, it also takes an open-minded client, willing to take a risk and think outside the box. It also demands a different culture at PR agencies. If you’re working for a firm that places so much value on big placements, but doesn’t understand the power of local search — you’re at a disadvantage. (Hint: Start educating your bosses now, because this will be an issue in the not-too-distant future.)
For businesses with a geographically focused client base, local search has the potential to be a major game changer. As PR people, are we ready to be ahead of the curve? Are you leveraging local search? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!