Free Advertising – Myth or PR?

Okay, there’s not really such a thing as free advertising, but PR comes as close as we can get. PR is simply using any news that sheds a positive light on your association, one of your members, or the union to get attention in the press. Believe it or not, journalists are always looking for someone to make their jobs easier, much like marketing professionals and association execs. So when you have a newsworthy story about a large project one of your contractors is involved with or a charitable event your association participated in, there’s a newspaper journalist, TV reporter or trade pub editor that would like to plug it into empty news space they’re trying to fill.

Ask contractor members for information about their current projects. You’ll serve a dual purpose – you get press coverage for your association and make a member very happy. Write a concise, easy to read Press Release and send it to the news contact who covers the type of news you are reporting (Business Editor for a large project story, Community Editor for charitable activities, etc.). Follow up with a phone call to make sure they received your release and ask if they need more information, photos or an interview with someone mentioned in the release.

That follow-up phone call is absolutely essential. Editors, journalists and reporters may place your release neatly in their “To Do Someday When I Get Around To It” file and never actually read it. A friendly phone call from you offering even more help to make their jobs easier will get them to read it, consider it, and perhaps even publish it.

Here’s a sample News Release. Note the format. It includes space for the date, contact name and dateline (city and state). You should create a form similar to the one below for your use. Keep it on hand with your letterhead or as an electronic file in your computer and use it often – it’s FREE ADVERTISING!

Nancy Nehlsen

The following tips are highlights from the various Construction Education Institute classes presented by Nancy Nehlsen, president of Nehlsen Communications and a faculty member of C.E.I.

Contact Nehlsen Communications at:
309.736.1071
www.ncpr.com


Check out different marketing approaches at: www.mcaproof.com/tips


Watch for emails with more steps for successful marketing.


© Nehlsen Communications 2006-2008

NEWS Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: (Enter Date)
Contact: (Enter Contact Name)

MCA CONTRACTORS PROMISE SUPERIORITY IN MECHANCIAL CONSTRUCTION SAFETY & TRAINING

(Enter City, State)–Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) members are setting the standards in construction safety and training across the United States. From major construction firms winning National awards to small contractors being recognized locally, MCA contractors have promised to put safety first and are willing to back up their promises with proof!

With the ever increasing cost of insurance pushing construction costs higher and higher, employee safety on the job has become a key factor in controlling costs and increasing productivity. “For MCA contractors and their union workforce,” stated (Enter your local MCA name) Executive (Enter Executive’s name), “safety doesn’t just belong in a book, but is the responsibility of each and every individual on the job.”

Over $100,000,000 is spent annually on training for the MCA’s union workforce. Each worker receives on average 2,000 hours of training—including classroom instruction, on the job training, and OSHA awareness. Locally, (Enter your local MCA name) members and their union workforce spend (Enter dollar amount) each year on training and continuing education, resulting in some of the Lowest Recordable Incident rates in the industry.

With construction labor costs accounting for close to 25% of project costs—the single largest non-material component of a project—the benefits of excellence in safety among MCA’s union workers leads to reduced workers’ compensation expenditures and significantly increased productivity—enhancing the bottom line for all involved. According to Dean Findley of Independent Project Analysis, a union workforce averages a labor cost index of 0.998 versus 1.08 for the rest of the industry and is almost 17 % more productive.

For more information on safety issues and how they can affect you, please contact the (Enter your local MCA name) at (Enter your local MCA telephone number) or visit the MCA’s “Promises with Proof” web site at www.mcaproof.com.

END