From PR to PRofitsIncreasing Your BNI
Bottom Line
What do BNI & PR have in Common?
Word of Mouth!
What is PR?
A formalized extension of
Word-of-mouth (WOM)
PR takes the positive elements of Word-of-mouth and
AMPLIFIES the message!
What are PR Chicks?
well-trained
well-connected
extremely smart PR professionals
not all are female
Why is Leveraging WOM Important?
Word-of-mouth behavior among "familiars" trumps all forms of advertising and is more trusted than news or "expert commentary."
Why is Leveraging WOM Important?
Positive word-of-mouth from a personal acquaintance carries just as much impact as negative word-of-mouth.
To what degree would your decision to purchase a product or service be influenced by:
Response Mean Index*
Positive word of mouth from someone you knew personally 7.7 134
Negative word of mouth from someone you knew personally 7 121
A negative news story on TV or radio or in a newspaper or magazine 5.7 99
A TV or radio commercial 4.7 82
An advertisement in a newspaper or magazine 4.6 80
*100 represents the average score
*Taken from the 2005 Intelliseek Consumer Generated Media (CGM) and Engagement Study
What can PR do for your BNI Region?
Build the BNI brand in your areaGet more visitors to existing chaptersGrow into new communitiesStart more new chaptersIncrease members in existing chaptersCreate and develop a positive image for chapter members to utilizeIncrease your social capital (Media Bank Account)Help the media see you as a WOMM/Networking expert
Media Bank Account
Good PR practitioners build Social Capital or "bank accounts" with the media to ensure that they'll have access to the right reporters at the right time.
The Benefits of PRPlace Story or Get Quoted
in an article about WOMM and Networking—
highlights BNI.
Builds credibility & reputation of BNI. ED seen as knowledgeable in
industry.
Potential member calls for more info or has familiarity when invited to a BNI mtg.
Visits Chapter Meeting Article strengthens im-age of BNI as Interna-tional organization–increases credibility.
More Members Join! Build Region and
Reach Goals.
Promote accom-plishments. ED be-comes media ‘go-to’ person for WOMM.
"Best Practices"
Northwest Examples
Indiana ExamplePress Release
For Immediate Release: For more information: June 29, 2005 Jill Bode, 317-736-6885 or
Hazel Walker named to MDFF Board Hazel Walker has been named to the board of directors for the
Muscular Dystrophy Family Foundation headquartered in Indianapolis. Walker is Executive Director of Business Network International Central Indiana and owner of Crystal Synergies, a training company focusing on networking and word of mouth marketing.
MDFF, founded in 1958, serves children, adults and families facing any of over 40 neuromuscular diseases. For more information, visit their website at www.mdff.org
###
Canada Examples
UK Examples
New Zealand ExamplesRaising Profile of BNI through structured &
professional PR/Marketing Campaign
Issued 10 Newsletters in 2005Press Releases for new chapter launchesEntered & Won Vero in Business Excellence AwardsFormed Alliance with Enterprise Organizations Joining NZ Franchise Association Participated in Major Trade Show
Hiring a PR Professional
vs.
Do-It-Yourself
Hiring a Professional Pros & Cons
A professional who does this every day with existing relationships with the media.You are the expert in WOMM/Networking.It saves you time.Better quality image/product because that's what they do every day.They can help keep you on task and provide consistency.Help prep you for interviews & eliminate misquoting.Bragging rights. "I have a PR Chick, don't you?"
It costs money! You still have to provide information and resources to the PR professional so they can do their job. You may not find the right PR professional on the first try.You may not agree on the PR goals. Your region may be too small or spread out for PR to reach critical mass. Every region is different and needs to be evaluated accordingly.
Do-It-Yourself Pros & Cons
You know more than anyone else about your region.You have ultimate control.You can develop personal relationships with media. You would not be paying outside person.You may be able to pay more attention to specific outcomes, through use of BNInet.You can better leverage existing member relationships with the media.You can have chapters do their own PR.
It can be very time consuming.It is easy to "back burner" PR. It may take some time to build those muscles and your media "bank account." Your members may feel like they have carte blanche to do say what they want to the media.You can have chapters do their own PR--badly!
Looking for PR Opportunities in all the
right places…
Leveraging Existing Relationships
Press Release Ideasregional events
high dollar referrals
directors/members who win awards
director speaking engagements
member extravaganza winners
regional milestone (1000 members, 50 chapters, etc.)
new directors, new leadership teams
Speaking Opportunities
Chamber of Commerce
American Business Woman's Assn..
Local professional & business groups
Colleges and universities
Rotary, Kiwanis, Sertoma, etc.
Awards
Director/Member Awards
Chapter Awards
Regional Awards
Testimonials
Can be used to recruit new members
Can be used as anecdotal evidence during interviews
Can be used to generate media coverage
Article/Column Ideas
How word of mouth marketing sustains business during economic downturns
Chapter/Region generates $XXX million for local economy (economic impact)
Maximizing Your Marketing Dollars
Referrals mean better business
Shortening your sales cycle
Newsletters
Your own regional newsletter
Chambers of Commerce
Member companies
Books
Masters of Networking
Masters of Success
Masters of Sales
It's in the Cards!
Your next book _______________
Building Your Media “Bank Account”
Offer yourself or members as experts for reporters to interview
Follow through on promises
Invite media to special events
Send thank you notes
From PR to PRofitsIncreasing Your BNI
Bottom Line
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