MARCH 2016 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \
15
Colorado Pulse
simply publishing an article about
one of your projects in a trade mag-
azine isn’t what I'm referring to here.
Media relations is much more nuanced
and strategic than that. What you pub-
lish, where it’s placed, the focus of the
story, the messages it communicates, and
how it fits into your overall market devel-
opment strategy are what will determine
the impact of your efforts. In fact, focusing
on the wrong piece at the wrong time, or
wasting an opportunity that is not strate-
gically aligned with your overall goals, can
actually diminish your efforts or confuse the
marketplace.
Because editors and reporters no longer
have time to track down most stories on their
own, approximately 90 percent of noninves-
tigative news is placed or pitched by outside
parties today. This makes implementation of
an ongoing, strategic media effort a necessity
if a firm cares about its competitive position in
the marketplace and how it is perceived. A skilled
professional with the right contacts and proven
knowledge can help you reap serious rewards over
time, but like everything that lasts, gaining good,
positive visibility that supports your firm’s overall
growth objectives requires a proactive plan and hard
work on everyone’s part over the long term.
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You do have at least some
control over how others
perceive your firm in
terms of value, relevance,
reputation, competition
and position in the
marketplace. But it takes
an ongoing effort and
a proactive identity-
development plan to
assure your success or
failure in this area.
