44- The Laws of PR and Marketing: Rule No. 6 The Law of Compound Effect

This rule is literally the key concept of public relations.

It’s also true in marketing, but there it doesn’t work the same way.

We know what the compound effect is on our savings and investments.

It’s also a powerful law in communications.

How do you put it into practice?

Right now I’ll give you an example of a compound effect strategy, to show you how we apply it.

A client once awarded us a contract to promote the advantages of PVC windows.

Now, PVC sometimes gets a bad rap in a world where we believe (often mistakenly) that only wood or natural materials are environmentally responsible.

We proposed a three-point strategy to them that activates the law of compound effect.

Point 1: Did you know PVC windows are green?

Point 2: PVC windows are a creative and trendy choice.

Point 3: The Expert - we’d chosen an architect who swore by PVC windows for their projects.

We then had to make each of these points newsworthy by publishing a press release or two.

And we created a schedule for strategically issuing each press release.

You should know that when you send out that press release, no one’s waiting for it on the other end.

Journalists may very well be interested in your first press release, but not react until the third one.

Nothing is more effective for a subject like PVC.

Multi-point messaging gives you the compound effect.

I like to ask my friends if they’ve ever heard of certain brands.

If the answer is yes, I ask them where they saw (or heard about) that brand.

If their answer is yes but vague: “I think I read something, or heard about the brand from an influencer or a radio station,” then you know the compound effect works.

There is a balance between getting people to talk about a brand, its creators and its new products, just enough and often enough that it plants the brand in people’s minds.

There’s nothing like smart repetition with relevant information for applying the law of compound effect.

In marketing, this law is put into practice with an ad campaign.

Today, it can be hard to choose the right channels to make yourself known: Facebook, Google, Instagram, YouTube, or online advertising?

There are so many options.

Here’s a little secret: PR is your tool for adding the famous “organic” part to any ad campaign you want to develop.

Take Starbucks, which literally built itself, and made its name thanks to PR.

Even today, Starbucks doesn’t do massive advertising.

Interesting, isn’t it?

PR is still the least expensive part of your marketing plan.

Don’t let your new digital marketing agency tell you that PR is expensive and there are fewer traditional media outlets anyway.

This is totally false.

It doesn’t factor in all the digital platforms of influencers and the mainstream media.

The New York Times and all the major magazines went digital a long time ago.

We analyzed our results and calculated many (ROI – return on investment – cost per thousand).

PR is still cheaper than a new customer acquisition campaign.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what we do.

Since our top value is serving at the highest level, it was crucial that I answer our clients’ questions.

We never sell a service just to sell a service.

This goes against our deepest values, and it doesn’t fit with our long-term plan any more than it fits with creating partnerships with the brands we serve.

We’re committed to being useful, just like this podcast proves to you (I hope) at your business, every week.

Interested in taking your thought process further?

Do you want to talk?

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