The Power of PR
This article ran in an advisor publication a few months ago — enjoy!
The Power of PR
As an advisor progresses on the course of his or her career, there comes a time where the amount of acquired knowledge and expertise is too great to keep quiet. Incidentally, this time typically coincides with that advisor’s desire to grow their business, gain more affluent clientele and/or expand their capabilities. It’s often referred to as “the next level” and when advisors are ready to make this leap they have but a few options to propel them through. One of the most effective ways to grow a brand is through the power of Public Relations.
Public Relations can be described as the process of working with the media. It gives an expert, such as yourself, the opportunity to share that expertise with the viewing public, and it provides many benefits. First, it gives you a large-scale platform to publicize your vast acquired knowledge. Instead of being in front of tens or hundreds of potentially interested prospects at a workshop, your message can be read, watched or heard by tens, even hundreds of thousands of people at the same time. These are people that most likely would not have heard of you otherwise, and it’s just the beginning. Media appearances can come in the form of writing a contributing column for your local community newspaper, interviewing on a popular radio show, sitting down with a local-celebrity television host or being quoted in your daily newspaper on the latest story in personal finance.
However, PR is a process and it involves pursuing, conquering and leveraging placement after placement to gain the greatest results. Whatever the opportunity, you must be prepared to deliver your message in the most effective, concise and powerful manner possible and use those few words to best illustrate your expertise. It is always important to be interviewed on the topics to which you specialize, because regardless of what you may have heard… not all PR is good PR. Don’t waste an interview opportunity on the wrong story. For retirement advisors interested in getting to this “next level” an interview on the topics of Groupon or budgeting secrets for 30-somethings doesn’t quite go hand in hand with boomer retirement planning. Without creating a clear connection of what you do and who you do it for through your media interviews, you may leave could-have-been interested prospects confused.
The real power of PR does not just come from the one-time placement, but rather it comes from how you leverage your on-going media successes. Your television interviews can be edited into one consecutive loop and played when guests are entering your workshops. Your articles can be leveraged in your marketing collateral, and with permission, showcased in their entirety on your website.. Positive PR can help your prospects gain immediate comfort in choosing to work with you. If the media has already vetted your expertise, who are they to second-guess? It will also help more affluent clients, who otherwise would not respond to a direct mail piece, become familiar with what you do and how you can help them. Ongoing exposure is key!
AdvisorPR’s quarterly “In the News” with Retirement Planning Quarterly Public Relations Program can help you accomplish these objectives and more. By increasing your visibility, you will enhance your credibility and your profitability will likely follow. Contact AdvisorPR today to learn how to get to the next level with the Power of PR!
