Looking for PR person

It would be cool if all of us local business owners pitched in together to share our own direct mail piece.

[Robin Garr]

It would be cool if all of us local business owners pitched in together to share our own direct mail piece.

Direct mail!? Postal or E? Either way, there are *distinct* downsides to spamming potential customers.

I was thinking more like a small group of businesses sharing a bulk postal direct mail program similar to a cash-saver's magazine(not as many spots or pages though). Spots could be rotated through out the year. Maybe 4 deliveries per year.

[Robin Garr]

I was thinking more like a small group of businesses sharing a bulk postal direct mail program similar to a cash-saver's magazine(not as many spots or pages though). Spots could be rotated through out the year. Maybe 4 deliveries per year.

I didn't mean to rain on your parade, Danny.

Personally, I'm not persuaded by mass mail in general - mass Email really honks people off, and mass postal mail, in my opinion, requires a very large mailing for a moderate return. But hey, if the price is right ...

I do assume we're on the same ground in the assumption that hiring a PR firm - particularly from the universe of such available in Louisville - is a poor idea for a local, independent restaurant.

You didn't Robin.LOL

Mailings do work if they are concentrated on a certain area. I think when people do big mass mailings , it's like using a shotgun to shoot ducks blindfolded. YOu probably don't get enough back to pay for the ads you put out, but if a small group around the Highlands area got together and put out a direct mailing for the Highlands, I would think the money would be worth the return.

...and yes I wouldn't think it would be worth paying a middle man to do the job that you can do yourself.

[Robin Garr]

Mailings do work if they are concentrated on a certain area. I think when people do big mass mailings , it's like using a shotgun to shoot ducks blindfolded. YOu probably don't get enough back to pay for the ads you put out, but if a small group around the Highlands area got together and put out a direct mailing for the Highlands, I would think the money would be worth the return.

<nodding> Okay, I can see that. I would probably be more likely to respond to a special offer at a place up at the corner than one in, say, Shively.

I was thinking more like a small group of businesses sharing a bulk postal direct mail program similar to a cash-saver's magazine(not as many spots or pages though). Spots could be rotated through out the year. Maybe 4 deliveries per year.

I didn't mean to rain on your parade, Danny.

Personally, I'm not persuaded by mass mail in general - mass Email really honks people off, and mass postal mail, in my opinion, requires a very large mailing for a moderate return. But hey, if the price is right ...

I do assume we're on the same ground in the assumption that hiring a PR firm - particularly from the universe of such available in Louisville - is a poor idea for a local, independent restaurant.

I am really surprised Robin at you last statement. Not only was it most unprofessional, but it was both obtuse and unfounded. To prove my point, look at the exposure that these restaurants have experienced over the last year with the help of professional PR representation. Corbett's, Equus, Jack's, Napa River Grill, the English Grill, Proof on Main, and Wild Eggs. These have all become not only regional restaurant destinations, but they are now known by "foodies" all over the nation. I'm sure if you would take the time to interview the principals of these establishments, they would acknowlege that it was money well spent, and they received the needed exposure that they were looking for.

Perhaps Robin, in earlier years, you may have had a bad experience with a PR firm, but that does not give you the right to make a broad generalization of a statement that has no founded argument. Times are certainly changing, and we can no longer hold on to ideals that were a basis over a decade ago.

[Robin Garr]

I am really surprised Robin at you last statement. Not only was it most unprofessional, but it was both obtuse and unfounded.

Fine, David. I'm really not going to argue with you about this. As I said before, you know coffee very well, and I respect that.

However, I'll be glad to offer my advice (free) privately to any restaurateur who thinks this sort of thing is a good idea.

I run a small marketing firm, and I think my opinion runs somewhere between Robyn's and Dave's. Does a small restaurateur need the services of a full fledged ad agency? Probably not. Can they get the same quality of work done in-house (compared to a small, professional marketing firm)? From my experience, no. I'm continually amazed at the unprofessional image and HUGE marketing mistakes that small business owners make on a regular basis.

With that being said... restaurants are a tough tough business. It's best to get a firm that really knows your world inside and out. Somebody that can save you a great deal of time and money. PR *may* be a part of what you need...maybe not.

Oh, and no...we don't have any restaurant clients and I don't consider myself an expert. We do have one of the biggest purveyor's in the region as a client...but not a restaurant

I guess the big question is... what's your goal? Just get more people in the door? Then I would lean towards more "guerilla" tactics mentioned here. Want to build an empire and expand nation-wide? You're gonna need a professional firm.

Boy, everyone has made some really good points in this thread. PR firms are around because they do work and they work well. They are costly and not everyone has the money that it takes to enlist a good firm. Yes, some businesses can do it themselves but it depends on a lot of variables. Ask yourself if

1. you have the contacts needed to get the media to pay attention to you. Newspapers get dozens of press releases a day. Most of them get skimmed over and tossed. An earlier post quoted an article that advised planning some sort of event and making sure to invite the media. Then when the reporters decend on you 'en masse' be sure to let them take pictures! I'm sorry but I laughed my considerable bottom off at that. The article must have been written a few years ago when papers had numerous reporters. These days they don't have the funds to pay a reporters salery. The few they do have are busy chasing real news because those are the kind of articles that further their carreers. If you do a press release, think like the paper- include some photos that the paper can use without them having to send out a costly photographer. I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying this approach, just remember that what's important and news to YOU may not be important and newsworthy to someone else. Your job is to make what you're doing relevant and news-worthy or you won't get covered. Remember, you're not the only business out there wanting free press coverage.

2. Another big question is "Do you have time to invest in your own marketing?" It takes a vast amount of time and resources to market anything. I mean hours a day, every day. Do you have that kind of time to invest in writing up press releases, organizing fund raisers or events and promoting your restaurant? There are only 24 hrs in a day; you have the immediate needs of your restaurant which are numerous and I assume you have a family, a home and a wee tiny chunk of your own life away from the restaurant just to keep you sane. If you take on an advertising/marketing job as well, what's gonna give? Will it take the focus off your best advertising , that being your food and service?

If you're someone that has a brother in law or cousin in the biz that's willing to help, or if your teen kids are willing to pitch in, or your retired father has some time on his hands and wants to stay busy, well yeah, go for it.
Personally, I don't think successful restaurants "expload " on the scene. Solid growth takes time. That's one of the reasons chains are so crappy. Too much time is spent on advertising a marketing to turn a big profit RIGHT NOW so all those investors will be happy and the real reason for the business (the food) gets lost along the way.

Just my 2 cents and worth about as much.

Very well said Carla.

Carla,
I think your points could apply to just about any small business. Well said!
Rebecca

Very nice Carla. So much for "in house" PR suggestions. Just too archaic.

Thanks, very much for the props.
I do want to reiterate, in house can work for some but the situations and the resources have got to be there. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying to self promote just be aware of what you're getting into. God knows I'm a big believer in reading whatever book is out there on marketing but frankly there isn't much out there in print - for now- that deals with advertising in the economic climate that we are in right now. And newspapers have NEVER been in this kind of wilt before. Not like this. I think John Greenup recommended guerilla marketing. I agree, it's think outside the box time for sure.

Folks, not to toot the LHB horn too loudly here but sites like like LHB are especially valuable during stressful economic times. A site that deals about food on almost every level with a plethora of knowledge and help from folks in the biz and others that dine out regularly? And in your specific geographic area? For sure! I don't think LHB is the "end all, be all" of marketing but I definitely think it's part of the equation.
Perhaps I should, at this point, put at the bottom of my post:

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