REACHING THE YOUNGER DEMOGRAPHIC
More than ever, public relations professionals are having a difficult time reaching the 18-to-24-year-olds – an increasingly important age group. The typical public relations tactics must be fine-tuned to reach such a young generation of consumers. Recognize the potential of the younger demographic. The 18-to-24-year-old student population can significantly increase the success of a product or service. The college population has deep pockets, considering they represent one of the highest percentages of discretionary income in the United States – spending $53.9 billion a year1. Their purchasing power should encourage public relations professionals to stand up and take notice. Get on the same level with your audience. The demographic is technologically savvy and keenly aware of traditional marketing tactics. Messages that speak down to them or have no relevance to their everyday life will deter them from your client or brand. The best public relations campaigns will tailor messages to this population in such a way that demonstrates a respect for their youth yet recognizes and values them as potential buyers. Utilize new media tactics. College students use the Internet as a vital source of information. In fact, research from New Paradigm indicates the "Net Generation" (16-to-29-year-olds) prefers the Internet to television and 77 percent would rather live without television than the Internet2. As public relations professionals, it is imperative that we stay on top of the latest Internet marketing strategies. An effective way to disseminate your message to this younger population is through blogs, forums and social networking like Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook. If you decide to utilize these social networking sites for your marketing methods, it is important to be completely transparent as to who you are and what your purpose is. If you are not transparent, it could damage your client's reputation. Recognize the importance of word of mouth. The 18-to-24-year-old population relies heavily on the opinions of its peers. By reaching a small percentage of this population, you may have the ability to disseminate your message quickly and broadly. This is where online tactics are beneficial. A blogger that finds your client's product or service useful may write a blog entry regarding it, which could be posted to a popular social book-marking site such as digg.com or del.icio.us. This has the potential of reaching millions of additional consumers within your target population. Using word of mouth is effective and cost-efficient. The 18-to-24-year-old student population can generate significant revenue for your client if you have the right strategy. While traditional public relations may sometimes be effective, the more successful public relations professionals are tailoring their messages and utilizing online public relations tactics.
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CREATING GREAT B-ROLL
With budgets in television newsrooms tighter than ever before, the media is more receptive to well-produced b-roll instead of packaged, narrated video news releases and marketing tapes. To clarify, b-roll is background video. It's a series of shots and interviews edited together that give an overview of a particular subject. There is no narration or specific story angle because only certain portions will be used depending upon the intended purpose, audience or outlet using the footage. Here's a hint: What looks fantastic to the client is actually terrible in the media's eye. Give broadcast reporters exactly what they want - the content they would use if they had the time and resources to shoot it themselves. Think simple – nothing flashy – with steady shots and natural sound. Have it done by a professional video crew, and have it done correctly. Good b-roll can and will secure television news airtime. It's no secret that the content that plays best to a mass audience deals with health-related issues. A medical miracle can impact everyone. But, in many cases – no matter what the story – satellite distribution is simply the wrong direction to go. Instead, do your homework and find the dozen or so targets that are truly interested in your service. From there, that $25-$35K required for VNR production and satellite distribution comes down to $5-$10K for b-roll production and strategic delivery of hard copy tapes. Because of its versatility, b-roll can be used in many ways including:
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