Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/743328
NOVEMBER 2016 26 THE JOURNAL Stop Advertising and Start Educating Buyers BY SCOTT STROUD MARKETING CONSULTANT The MH industry has an identity crisis. What I mean is, our homes and communities offer the perfect solution for a huge number of people that don't know we exist – or don't know that we have what they are looking for – strong, secure, comfortable homes in beautiful, safe set- tings that they would satisfy their wants and needs, and a lifestyle that they would readily em- brace. That's who we are and what we have. What a shame our buyers don't know it… yet. The MH industry needs a publicist. But until we all, manufacturers, communities and retailers alike, come together to create a uni- fied publicity campaign that accurately tells our story, something like the California raisin indus- try or the dairy industry did (Got Milk?) then its up to each of you as individual businesses to do what you can. You need to educate your market to the fact that you have what they need. You need a PR campaign. Why Public Relations? A comprehensive pub- lic relations program educates, informs, ex- plains, persuades and can enhance credibility of your company or community and can boost sales. Articles and news stories that are published in the media have a value of 5 times the cost of a comparable ad in the same publication. The rea- son for this is that an article comes across as a third party endorsement rather than a paid ad- vertisement. And a good public relations cam- paign creates a "bigger than life" image for your company. One of the comments that I hear often is that a certain newspaper or publication "ran an article on our company and we didn't get many inquiries and didn't make any sales" as a result of the ar- ticle. Keep in mind that a good story has a 5-year shelf life. It's not as important who sees the ar- ticle initially, but how you use it as a marketing piece. When you appreciate this long-term value and use the article effectively, you'll be able to direct the article to a more targeted group of po- tential buyers. Published articles will also help the search ranking of your web site, something advertising does not do. As you look at the overall benefits of a public relations campaign, you will realize that it is not an expense; it is an investment in your company's future. Any articles or stories that you have had pub- lished should be posted on your website (create an "In the News" tab), posted in your office or showroom, included in a photo book and used to promote your company via mailings, newsletters, e-mail campaigns and other marketing sources. Before you actually start a campaign, there are a couple of things you should do: 1. Establish exactly how much media expo- sure you currently have. By doing this you will be able to benchmark to measure the success of a campaign. 2. Be in a position to make a commitment to at least a six-month campaign. A public relations campaign is not a program that you try for one or two months and then say it didn't work. It takes time to open up doors and make connections. It's a continual process that is always in motion. Once you have a story in mind, the next step is to write a Press Release. Here are some simple guidelines you should consider before you just start writing away. Do not write the releases to sound like a sales pitch or one-sided. Refer to other products, companies, cus- tomers, industry associations and individuals whenever possible All good press releases include Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Releases should be typed neatly, double- spaced with wide margins. Be brief and factual. Don't ask and expect to be able to review copy before it is written. Release should include a contact name and telephone number in upper right hand corner. Make sure you include the date and headline for your story. If the release has more than one page, start each page with the headline, page number, total pages included and date. Hand-deliver press releases whenever possi- ble. This provides an excellent opportunity to es- tablish you as an area-housing expert. Always follow-up by phone. Provide photos with the releases. Label your photos with the company name, project, loca- tion, name and phone number of a contact per- son. Use labels for this purpose. Never write on the back of the photo since this may damage it. The cost to create a PR campaign can vary based on your approach. There are three ways to go about it. You can do it yourself, or you can hire someone to do it for you, or you can work with a PR specialist that will provide you with the contacts and help you write effective releases. The first way is the least expensive if you've got the time, know-how and list of contacts. The second way is by far the easiest way. But hiring a PR consultant can often be the most effective method. Nobody can represent your company better than you, and your consultant will coach you to prepare effective statements that capture the interest of editors and journalists. Who would be interested in publishing a story about your business or community? With what we have to offer, who wouldn't? Your local Sunday paper has a Lifestyle section – a perfect place to talk about the lifestyle that our commu- nities offer that can't be matched anywhere else. Most people are unaware of how innovative the interiors of our home are – many with features usually reserved for upscale luxury homes. Un- derstand that people don't know what we do, and they won't know unless someone tells them. Public Relations, more than advertising, might be your best means of educating new buy- ers to the real benefits of the MH Lifestyle. For a list of resources to help you create a Pub- lic Relations campaign, please visit http://cash- flowengineering.com/public-relations/ Scott Stroud has been involved in the factory-built housing indus- try since 1980. He is a founding partner of Cash Flow Engineer- ing, LLC, an international training and education firm helping small business owners and entrepreneurs drive consistent, pre- dictable and sustainable cash flow and build healthy businesses. He is also a Marketing Automation Specialist and an Infusionsoft Certified Partner. Contact Scott at 606.416.2078, or by email at sstroud@cashflowengineering.com. T J