Mar4Written by:John (Host)
3/4/2010 4:12 PM 
When discussing various forms of marketing I like to break them down a bit. One of the big distinctions I make is, are they Active, Passive or PR. If you are going to be successful you need to consider all three.
Active marketing is where you go out and try to contact new people. Good examples of this are Direct Mail, Television, Radio, Billboards, or anything that goes out and says "Hey you! Come look at this!" and "This is what you need!" Did I mention Direct Mail?
Passive marketing just sits there in the hope that someone who is looking for it will come and see it. Yellow Pages, Web Sites, Pay Per Click search engine advertising are all passive. They sit there waiting till someone comes looking for them.
PR (Public Relations) is just the stuff you do so you look good to your public. This can be as simple as keeping your office spaces neat and well organized and paying your bills on time, to support or involvement in community activities and brand name advertising. It's pretty much anything that gets your name out there or makes you look good. Good PR gets you well known and well thought of.
If you want to be successful at what you do, if you want your business to grow, Active marketing is vital. Active marketing creates want. It says "I'm here, you need me!" Without it, your chances of growing your business is slim.
Why Passive too? Your active marketing doesn't always create an immediate response. Often it just plants the idea. And when the idea grows they start looking. And when they go to look, you need to be there. So passive is also vital. You need to be in the places they will look for you when they go searching for what you have to offer. They might not even remember who you are, but when picking what names to look at out of the choices they are given, something about you will seem familiar. Passive marketing fulfills want.
And the value of PR? PR is the clincher! It builds trust. It makes people want you over the other guy.
So... are you doing all three?