7. Public relations and advertising
Page 46
Page 47
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THIS is my final article in the present marketing series and is about communications, something as old as the hills but which still involve problems we cannot seem to resolve in the 1970s—despite all our modern paraphernalia.
What is at once obvious is that if you are seeking to expand business, develop new services and find more customers, you have a better chance of doing so if you are known and respected; this point links public relations with advertising, and in practising PR you are preparing the ground on which to advertise and sell successfully.
It is perhaps unfortunate for the transport industry that it is so much in the public eye all the time. We cannot operate in an enclosed factory away from the public gaze—our every move is seen by others, and that is why it is important people do not get the wrong impression of what we are doing. I sympathize with the railways and bus undertakings who every day carry millions of customers; every passenger on every journey poses a customer relations problem.
How should you go about achieving the much sought-after ideal "image" that will give access to the distribution manager's office and, better still, his traffic?
Contact points It is taken for granted that the image to be projected is a true one and really reflects the company's outlook and methods of doing business, because anyone who uses PR tactics merely as a facade to conceal the real state of affairs will come to a bad end.
First of all, think of everything in your organization which at some time or other is seen, or touched, or heard by an outsider. All contact points represent opportunities to improve or damage your relationship with your present and future customers. Here are just a few that come to mind: envelopes, letter-head design, letter-writing, quotations and invoices, telephone calls, vehicle appearance and road behaviour. You can no doubt think of others, but let me now show how each of these can help create the right atmosphere in which to expand or alternatively can put another nail in the box.
When you receive a letter the first thing you see is the envelope, and its shape, colour, size and method of addressing give you a first clue to the kind of firm which has sent it—and first impressions count. So with your own notepaper remember the design should also reflect the image of your company. You may want to convey an impression of Victorian solidarity, in which case the letter-head that you have been Using since the 1930 Road Traffic Act is fine. But if you want to give the appearance of a progressive and forward-thinking company, you had better start thinking of a 1971 letter-head design to go, and be, with It.
Modern business letter-writing is comparatively easy. There was a time when everything had to be wrapped up in strange jargon. But "We wish to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 6th inst" can now be replaced by "Thank you for your letter of June 6"; and "Thanking you in anticipation of an early reply" is just nonsense. It is sufficient to say what you mean in straightforward simple words, although you do have to be careful to adopt the right tone and style, because while a business letter cannot always please it should not offend.
Like letter-heads, your invoices, consignment notes and other external documents are the part of your company that penetrates the customer's organization, so make sure it works for you when it gets there. Telephone calls
The telephone could be a good sales anc public relations tool in the transport anc other industries if its true potential were eve. realized, whereas in fact as frequently usec (or rather, misused) today it is a disma failure. How often do you see expensive eye-catching advertisements offering self drive cars, holiday tours, air services, hotels and the like, only to experience a frustratirq let-down when you follow up with ; telephone call? You then get the feeling the just do not want to know you! Make sun that whoever operates and answers you telephone is not only trained in tit+ technique (the Post Office is willing tc advise and train) but also uses the telephom as a means of projecting your company an what it stands for, to the outside world.
Good impression As a frequent user of M6 (and the Eas Lancs, road) I see many haulage vehicle: Because of the easier driving conditions tha motorways have produced, I seem thes days to have more time to look around mc I notice not only the way lorries are driver but how the load is secured and sheeted, th livery and general appearance of the vehicic the traffic being carried and the name of th company or haulier. As a transportman have a critical eye, but even so the overa impression I receive is a very good one an not at all in keeping with the picture painte in some Sunday papers. However, when yo drive alongside your own vehicles on th motorway, are you satisfied they are doin a good PR job for you?
I suggest that if you are the proprietor c manager of a transport company, yo should not miss out on any opportunity ,t address public bodies such as kotar chambers of commerce or transpot discussion groups or societies (there is usually at least one appropriate society at every univeristy). The organizers are always on the lookout for speakers and, although the subsequent discussion may become a bit lively sometimes, they will give you a fair hearing. But the real value of talking to all these groups is that their members are of the class that influence and form public opinion. Convince them and they will persuade others.
Advertising.
You advertise to inform and persuade. If you advertise a service giving details of routes covered and types of traffic carried, you are informing. If you garnish the advertisement with pictures or colour, or words such as "Leave your worries to us" you are trying to attract and persuade. There is a place for both, separately and together. For example, if you were advertising in the ABC Goods Transport Guide an informative announcement is what is required, because the person who consults that guide is looking for information about services and routes, and an advertisement. would only seek to enlarge on the facts already included in the guide entry.
If, however, you were trying to catch the eye of a potential customer, you would first find out the kind of journal or magazine which he reads, and then, by placing a well-designed, persuasive, or better still informative plus persuasive, advertisement, arouse his interest and curiosity.
Golden rules This kind of advertising can be expensive. For one thing it is no use placing one advertisement and leaving it at that; once you have embarked on a policy of press advertising you have to be prepared to stick at it for a period of weeks and months if you hope to Make any impact at all.
Secondly it is costly because while you are paying on the basis of the total readership of the journal, the number of people you are trying to reach may be a very small percentage of that readership.
Therefore I advocate a few golden rules when considering embarking on press advertising:— I. Decide how much you are going to allocate to advertising, either a lump sum for a fixed period, or a percentage of turnover or planned turnover, and stick to it.
2. Consult one of the many small industrial agencies to help you plan the campaign, design the advertisements and place the bookings. Do not be afraid of approaching an agency, most of them do a good job for modest fees and they will tell you beforehand just how much it will cost. It is in their own interest to do good work because, like you, they do not want to lose a customer.
3. Be selective about the type of publication you choose. Decide at whom you are aiming your message and then seek advice from your agency as to which periodicals you should use. The obvious target may seem to be transport Managers, but as physical distribution becomes more and more the concern of purchasing, production inventory, warehousing as well as transport, you will find you have to aim at other people farther inside the organization.
4. Do not expect your advertising, by itself, to sell the service for you. As I pointed out at the beginning of this series, advertising is part of the marketing "mix" you have to decide which is the right mixture for your company. To take an example from another industry, a compound fertilizer may have six or seven separate ingredients, none of which by itself will produce the right growth. 5. Do not crowd an advertisement with facts. You cannot hope to tell a customer all about your services in the space of one display. Leave the detail for the subsequent follow up personto-person.
6. Don't waste money on prestige advertising. Only the giants can afford this and even then its effect is questionable.
Direct mail Press advertising is only one method and may prove too costly for the average transport operator, but there are other means of getting through and one that is much used is direct mail. This consists of a letter with or without advertising material to selected individuals or firms. It has the advantage over press advertising in that it is highly selective and therefore less costly per head of readership.
If you had spare capacity to sell, or were introducing a new serivce, or providing new warehousing, an effective way of telling prospective customers about it would be by sending them a well-written, informative letter; should you intend to follow each letter up, add that your representative will telephone or call to discuss the new service.
Specialists can help you with this kind of campaign. There are agencies who supply lists of every conceivable kind from doctors who drive a 1966 Rover 2000 to manufacturers of left-handed safety-pins, and bearing in mind you will probably be sending the mail shot to 500 or more firms you will obviously be involved in printing. Consult an agency to help you with this work, because as in transport operation a touch of professionalism is required in what is a specialized field.
Having considered "paid for" advertising, do not neglect to carry the message forward at all your other contact points. If you have adopted a symbol which clearly identifies your company, make sure it appears on all your letter-heads, quotations and consignment notes, and on that much neglected opportunity for advertising, the vehicle itself.
Suppose I see a vehicle which says on the cab door in small print "R. Smith & Co. 'Phone: Heckmondwike 36". Why should phone? This announcement dosn't tell me anything else worthwhile, and if the vehicle had been moving I would not have been able to read that much. Take a fresh look at the advertising on your vehicle in the motorway age. Don't be afraid of shouting about your service, but make sure the words can be heard.