In order to survive a business needs to follow several principles. First it is important that the business offer a good product. Second, the business must manage effectively the expenses of producing that product. And third, that business must make effective use of marketing public relations.
Even if a business has a great product and can manage productions costs, without good marketing public relations, it will not succeed. There have been many businesses with the first two keys that have missed out on the third and they are now history.
When we talk of marketing public relations, we are talking about a business’ reputation. Without a good reputation many businesses fail. If a business originally began with a poor product, but then improves the product, the damage may have already been done. It may be too late to save such a business. People will always associate that first product with the company.
The public is willing to forgive a company that has a good reputation for a model that does not meet their expectations. If that product is quickly replaced it goes to actually reinforce the public image of the company.
If your company had a bad start is there no hope? Of course there is hope, however you will need to work with extra diligence in the area of marketing public relations.
There are several ways that businesses can overcome such temporary setbacks in reputation.
Offer samples of the best product you can produce. Diet sweeteners developed a bad reputation in the 1970s. Cyclamates had been banned as causing cancer in 1969. Saccharine had a very bitter aftertaste. In 1984, everyone got a gumball in the mail which contained a new artificial sweetener. Almost overnight the reputation of artificial sweeteners changed due to the blue packets. With the image change, aspartame became the sweetener of choice for everything from soda to dipping strawberries.
A second way to change marketing public relations is to offer a better warranty. Kia motors used this strategy to gain a large share of the market. The first Kia’s sold in the United States markets were far from the best vehicles ever built. Even after Kia began to improve their vehicles but had a reputation to overcome. They began to offer the best warranty in the industry at the time, ten years or 100, 000 miles for all their vehicles. Today, they have gained a respectable share of the market.
Offer a better price. For many people, the ultimate determination of what product is bought it the price. Even if a company has had a bad reputation in the past some people will try the less expensive product. If your product has improved, then you will begin to get a following. Kia motors also used this campaign along with easy financing to win back their share of the market.
If you want to overcome problems with your public relations and marketing communications and businesses past and become a great company today, you must have good marketing communications public relations.