Mr. Luciani

Social Media & PR

Overview: Effective Public Relations For Your Hotel

By Doug Luciani, Chief Associate, PRofit from PR - Public Relations & Marketing

Regardless of the size of your property or business, you can benefit from PR. Public Relations is perhaps one of the most misunderstood marketing disciplines. It is also perhaps, one of the most under utilized. Forget what you have seen on television or the movies. It's not about spin. It's not about a cover up. It's not about lying. Public Relations IS about building relationships with the key bottom line your balance sheet - your customers. It is about generating business and revenue. It involves supplying factual, interesting and newsworthy information to the media (local, national and international), communicating with customers/clients, and employees. It's a commitment to the community through participation in activities that support important local groups and their causes.

Public relations is an important component of any integrated marketing campaign. Dollars spent on advertising can only go so far. Effective public relations strategies and tactics can help spread your message to an even wider audience. PR also helps establish name recognition and brand awareness opening the door for your sales team to sell a recognized product.

How effective is PR? In December 2004, Visit Florida, the state of Florida's official tourism promotion corporation, conducted research to determine what influenced travelers the most to plan a trip to the Sunshine State. Word of mouth was by far the greatest influence at 71 percent. That was followed by their official web site at 60 percent. The third highest influence, travel articles at 49 percent. Travel articles that are the result of effective public relations efforts. Advertising and travel agents only received 27 and 26 percent respectively.

I don't think Visit Florida's research would indicate that advertising is not an effective marketing tool. But, I do think it reinforces the value and the influence public relations has with audiences. Is PR more effective than advertising? That's another debate and we don't have enough time to cover that here. I do think it is safe to say that an integrated effort involving both is more effective than either one separately.

It's important to first establish what public relations is and what it can do for you. One of the greatest values of public relations is its ability to create third-person endorsements to:

Because it is often misunderstood, it is also important to understand that public relations is different from advertising. Here are just a few ways in which PR is different:

Many people think that PR is free coverage. That assessment is partially correct. After all, you do not pay a newspaper or magazine to run a travel article that includes your property. However, there are fees associated with a public relations employee or an outside agency. Many times a property will provide complimentary accommodations to travel writers. There are associated costs, but these costs are very different and in most cases are actually less than what it costs to place an ad.

There are many PR strategies and activities than can be implemented to achieve your objectives and goals. First, you must establish those goals. It may be to increase sales. It may be to attract and retain quality employees. It may be to provide credibility as a committed corporate citizen.

After determining what you want to accomplish with PR, the hard work begins. All marketing involves research, whether it is primary or secondary, and PR is no exception. What publics are you trying to reach? You probably have more than one. What are you trying to communicate to them? What is your key message? These are all things that must be developed. Without an effective message, you can't effectively communicate.

Media relations is a major component and perhaps the most commonly associated tactic when talking about PR. Regardless of the size of your property, you probably have a story that will be of interest to the press. However, when dealing with the media you need a newsworthy story.

It is important that your news is truly news and not just news to you. Shameless self promotion is not going to impress a writer, in fact if may completely turn them off. You have to understand the media's goals: inform, entertain, and make money (just like you).

When pitching the media give them a story. For example, your property may offer a unique amenity for guests to enjoy. Perhaps you have a vacation package that is only one of a kind and saves guests money. What makes your story different from the other stories being pitched? How does it affect the audience financially, professionally, emotionally, at all? Is it entertaining or out of the ordinary? When pitching an outlet it's also important to consider is this outlet the right one for me? Is their audience my audience?

It is important that you do not limit your view of PR to media relations. PR is making your voice heard. Tactics go beyond media relations. For many, a newsletter, or e-newsletter, may be an appropriate tool to communicate to an existing client base or past guests. This is an excellent way to establish regular contact with an audience who is already familiar with what your property offers. You can update them on "what's new" and offer incentives to return.

Planning and participating in special events can also bring exposure to your message. Many non-profits execute these types of events to bring awareness to their cause. As a local business, you can help sponsor these events or execute your own events.

PR can also be an effective tool in employee relations. Are you working to ensure your employee morale is high and you are able to retain your talent? Many issues can cause friction between employees and management. Health insurance changes, pending mergers, and rumors of downsizing can all affect morale. Effective communications with your team can minimize negative feelings and help employees feel good about where they work and the job they do.

Understand that PR requires a long-term commitment; it is a process that evolves over time. It takes time to familiarize the media with your property and its special features. It is the consistent communication of useful news and information that generates publicity. The real value of participation in PR programs increases over time, and in direct relation to the time and effort that is put into them.

Large or small, almost any property can benefit from effective PR efforts. After all, you can't spell profit without PR.

Doug Luciani leads PRofit from PR, focusing on media relations, marketing communications, e-marketing strategies and media training. PRofit from PR's clients span the U.S. and feature technology, healthcare, security, real estate and corporate training. Mr.Luciani also serves as VP of PR for Dickinson & Associates, and Chief Communications Officer for Florida Vacation Auction. A graduate of the University of Florida, he is a member of the Florida Public Relations Association, the Public Relations Society of America and several regional business development organizations. Mr. Luciani can be contacted at 407-719-6102 or doug@profitfrompr.com Extended Bio...

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