Why You Need a PR Pro
“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.”
Lee Iacocca
When promoting your museum you have a lot of choices of how to spend your money and your time. You could choose to spend your promotion budget buying ads in the local paper or wrap a bus with an image from your upcoming exhibit. You could also use it to hire a public relations professional. Forbes magazine says that “PR still accounts for 10 times as many conversions as advertising.” You don’t need to be a rocket scientist or a 5th grader to know why. Getting a third party endorsement for your museum whether it’s from a journalist or a visitor is a lot more convincing than that bus ad. That being said, the magic happens when you have a person in your corner who can think about all of the different pieces and proactively put them together into one strategic communications plan.
A Public Relations professional is an essential asset for any museum looking to build and maintain a positive reputation. And who doesn’t want to do that? PR pros specialize in managing and crafting communication strategies that help promote a positive image, build credibility, and establish trust with visitors, possible donors and other key stakeholders. They have the skills and expertise to manage crisis situations, handle media relations, and create compelling content that resonates with your target audience.
Good PR is thoughtful but organic. Good PR is proactive but also prepared to be reactive. It’s what others say about you when you are not around, but also what YOU say when asked the hard questions by a third party. What is your message? Who do you want to tell that message to? How will you do that? And why should anyone care?
Bill Gates once said, “If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on Public Relations.”
For more than 30 years, I’ve popped in and out of museum communications offices to help with projects like exhibit openings, museum openings, and special programs. I’ve been the extra set of hands to help get through a busy period. But, now I want to take away the stress and take this one step further. I want to guide you through the creation of a comprehensive strategy that will help you set up communications habits that work to create “brand love” with your visitors and also relieve some of the day-to-day struggles in your job. I want to give your Comms office a make over.
If you want to get to know me better and learn some tips and tricks along the way, be sure to join my email list. It is a great free resource for museum communications professionals.
