“PR isn’t in our budget right now”……When I hear this from companies I immediately ask, “What marketing efforts are you utilizing today that are immediately resulting in sales? What else are you doing to create sales leads? How are you actively engaging with your target audience? How are you letting the world know about your product?

PR is usually one of the least appreciated and the most under-valued sales / communication tools. We at BLASTmedia believe – we know – PR can actually be one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal! When consumers read an unbiased expert article in a media outlet that recommends a product (via a review, company feature, etc.), they are more likely to purchase that product. Advertising is what a company says about itself; PR is what an expert says about it. Which one do you trust?

Here’s a great example of the impact of PR: We secured coverage for our client Sonnet Technologies in The New York Times. The direct result was Sonnet shattering both their one-day and two-day sales records by a factor of 5. We launched SLEEPTRACKER last year before the Holiday Season and secured dozens of articles in major media outlets including an award as on of the “50 Best Inventions of 2005” from TIME Magazine. Their founder credits us for helping him become profitable after six months (as PR is the ONLY marketing they do), and in 2006, they expect to sell over 20,000 units in over 40 countries!

Another example comes from our client Horizon Software, who wanted to grow visibility within school systems as a company in the forefront of tackling childhood obesity with their MealpayPlus solution. Through our media outreach we secured numerous articles in not only national media including Good Morning America and CNN, but also in newspapers and education trade pubs. This coverage has helped Horizon Software increase their new accounts by 175% and their revenue is up 35% in just a matter of months!

Shouldn’t PR be the first tool you grab out of your marketing bucket?