IF YOU HAVE THE BEST PRODUCT IN THE WORLD, BUT NOBODY KNOWS YOU HAVE IT, THEN YOU ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE IT. CAPISCE? AND DON'T EVEN BOTHER TRYING TO ARGUE THAT THEORY, SIR, JUST LISTEN AND BE A GOOD BOY!

The role played by the media in our world is by far the most important at shaping the orientation of both the least and most impressionable of us. Its no wonder why the governments of advanced countries invest so much time and money into the affairs of the media. They understand that the media is like the element FIRE which can be used to mold metal, purify gold or burn up Adolf Hitlers remains so that his enemies couldn't humiliate his corpse. They understand that fire can be wielded by both the forces of good, and of evil. And most importantly, they understand the POWER OF PERCEPTION, which is a crucial power, which the media controls. But take note; I said "ADVANCED" countries.

SIERRA LEONE/2013/10:14 AM, THE FOLLOWING CONVERSATION OCCURRED AT A BUSINESS MEETING;

VISITING MARKETER: ......So thats why we've made it very affordable. Both the Radio and TV services. The commercials would be created by a team of professionals based on the concept we've just discussed. And since statistics have revealed that for now, Sierraleoneans listen to radio than watch TV by a large margin, I would suggest we focus our attention more on the radio campaign which is also a cost-effective move.

INDIGENOUS BUSINESS OWNER: Thank you. But I don't think I need this stuff cos, you know, we have our customers

VISITING MARKETER: Okay, but don't you intend to have more customers or expand your business?

INDIGENOUS BUSINESS OWNER: I do. But you know, its a big risk for me and I can't afford to be wasting money on such things.

NIGERIA is obviously more advanced than Sierra Leone, but not as advanced as the aforementioned "advanced countries" hence it's really just the large corporations and a relatively few elite business owners who have mastered the power of perception and exercise this power through public relations (PR) and advertising. Most business owners in Nigeria are still almost as ignorant as that Sierraleonean businessman. I.e. they know that advertising and PR is a "good thing" for the advancement of their business ventures, but well, since they don't have the money for such now, such would just have to wait until they have the money for such.
What these suit-wearing-intelligent-but-uninformed businessmen don't know is that PR and advertising is not just a "good thing" for their business; it is crucial, pivotal, and a matter of top priority. Moreso, like an octopus with many tentacles, good PR/Advertising may be achieved through various means, expensive and inexpensive.

HOW TO INVEST IN PROPER PR/ADVERTISING

So you're still a broke ole' businessman....or lady....hence you can't afford the luxurious spending on massive campaigns that plaster a Superstar's picture on a giant billboard, and the superstar is eating your product or using it or wearing it or...you get the idea. And your company's logo is there too. And we hear your company's name all the time on radio and also see your commercials on TV. MAYBE WE EVEN SEE YOUR COMPANY'S LOGO ON DSTV WHILE WE ARE WATCHING THE PREMIER LEAGUE. Juicy stuff, right? Well, No you can't do the juicy stuff yet; those multinationals and well-established companies pay hefty sums to achieve such things. So what are you left with; renting one crooked old sedan and fastening two giant speakers to its hatch along with one "I pass my neighbor" generator in the trunk, then driving around making illiterate noise and constituting local nuisance? No, please don't do that. If you must, then atleast rent a truck with a hatchless back, rent more speakers than two, a bigger generator and some boys and girls to drive around playing and dancing to loud music with your banners on display. That way, even though you would still be constituting local nuisance, you would have also created jobs, however ephemeral, thereby proving yourself a good citizen worthy of a medal-of-honor. Capisce?

Now Lets be serious:

PR and Advertising has nothing to do with making noise parse; it's about creating awareness through information. It’s about instilling into the minds of your potential clients/customers, ideas that would eventually favor your brand and increase your sales or patronage. These ideas may be factual, exaggerated or downright contrived. But in the end they must always head in the same direction of painting your brand in favorable colors. So the big question is; how would you like to be perceived by your potential clients or customers?

The kind of image you wish to cultivate determines everything from the kind of colors you would use on your campaign to the kind of marketing strategies you would employ. Hence it is the most important point to consider.

Take for instance two guys trying to get the attention of a sophisticated lady:

Guy 1 wears a classy outfit, carefully trims his facial hairs and tailors his looks so that he seems well-groomed as though he has a limousine just waiting for him outside. Although he has no such thing, not even a regular car. In fact he is actually a "brokeass nigga"

Guy 2 is shoddily dressed, looks unkempt and seems generally irresponsible. Although he is actually a business tycoon with a fleet of limousines at his disposal.

When the girl walks in, she gives all of her attention to Guy 1 cos somehow it's him she feels attracted to.

And you’re thinking “NO! thats not right! Is there even any justice left in this world!” Well, say hello to PR!
The IMPRESSION you create about yourself is what would attract the right clients or repel them. (and did you observe that neither of the guys spoke, and yet they both passed a message through the image they'd cultivated, which determined their fate)

Now some branding strategies you can employ.


Firstly, if you can't be excellent, at least be good enough at what you do/or create a product that is up to standard. This is self-explanatory; you don't want your pioneer clients to take a bite and then quickly spit you out because your services taste like shrek's poop. If that happens word would spread quickly and you will be doomed even before you start building a rep.


Make your brand seem elite by associating it with elite causes or events: For example, you can offer to support a sophisticated event by supplying the staff T shirts for the event. T shirts are not expensive hence you can afford to get and brand them with your company's logo claiming to support the event. The high-end clients that are attracted by the event are bound to notice your brand. The event's advertorials would list you as one of their supporters. This is the kind of publicity you need. Not local-nuisance publicity.
Note: always choose events that have at least a little something to do with what you (your brand) are into. This strategy would rapidly grow your elite clientèle.


Talk high of your brand: never sell yourself short. Besides, corporate bragging is sexy to the ears. It is the equivalent of self-confidence in a person. It makes potential clients feel like you know what you're doing, hence you are worth their time or money. you've probably heard some companies say things like "......leading the way since 1945" or ".....cos we don't just talk, we walk the talk" etc. That's what corporate bragging sounds like. Use this kind of language on your website, radio or TV commercials and even on fliers or banners.



Use the Radio to create awareness; what most people don't realize is that advertising on radio is not as expensive as they assume. Its actually quite affordable. So find a good voice for your radio advert, this is a very important point to note because the right voice on your radio campaign can suddenly propel your brand to astronomical heights because of the impression it creates, while the wrong voice may damage your brand forever for the same reason. Your message may be very brief and yet seem very powerful. Cos its not really about what was said, as much as HOW it was said. If you want elite clients, find a well-polished elite-sounding voice. Most people just cajole their son or friend to "do the voice over plsss" in order to cut cost; try to pay a professional voice over artiste for that effect you need. Professional voice-over artistes normally charge between 20-30k for such works and there are hundreds of them out there but you may need to work with a studio. Here's how it works, you contact a production studio and tell then what you want done, they playback some voices for you to make a pick if you don't already have someone in mind, then you write a script to be recorded or their copywriters may write it for you, and then the whole thing is produced either in jingle form (short catchy song) or otherwise. According to your choice. Perhaps these guys can help you with the advert production aspect (08134963084) they are very good. The whole process is rather simple and yet very effective at creating that impression you want about your brand.


Lets not talk about TV, Giant Billboards or Million-dollar endorsement deals cos those are expensive for you for now. Wait until your smaller investments begin to attract the right clients that would make the bigger strategies affordable.

I could write you much more but I'll stop here cos I have some PAID jobs to attend to now. But I suggest you make judicious use of the information herein. Remember, its about gently and carefully guiding people's perception of your brand. Don't Leave perception to chance and you will build a very powerful, favorable and ultimately, a very lucrative rep. Success awaits you!

This article was written by an impish PR genius code-named AleckZandah As seen On THE BACHELORS NIGERIA https://thebachelorsng./2015/07/01/how-to-attract-the-right-clients-through-proper-pradvertising/

Interesting, incisive and point-blank

Services/goods without adverts is like keeping a candle under bucket.....no radiation to attract

PS: This article wasn't written by me. It was written by someone I happen to know personally so pls don't PM regarding PR or branding stuff. I don't know about it. my stuff is Music, Videos and Radio/TV advert production. its my Studio's number thats in the article, which is why I pasted the article here anyway. hehe.

U're on point bro...As a professional advertiser too..I reckon with ur piece....Business owners do underrate d power of the media some advanced companies will even ignorantly tell u
dt dey have dia customers on ground already...

For a start....

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This is great stuff
Well done Op for sharing

eninaija:
This is great stuff
Well done Op for sharing

Thanks. Lol. To be honest I initially pasted the article here for selfish reasons But If you think its great then perhaps I should get his other articles (the ones that don't carry my studio number )

Afromano:


Thanks. Lol. To be honest I initially pasted the article here for selfish reasons But If you think its great then perhaps I should get his other articles (the ones that don't carry my studio number )

Go ahead. That will be very nice