

                             Public Relations

     [] "Now gongs and drums, banners and flags are used to focus the
     attention of the troops.  When the troops can be thus united, the brave
     cannot advance alone, nor can the cowardly withdraw.  This is the art
     of employing a host." -- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

     [] This section can assist tremendously when you prepare to introduce
     your venture to its various public segments.

     [] See also PublicityBuilder(tm) described in the back of the 
     BizPlanBuilder(r) manual.

Objectives

Position (Company) at the leading edge in providing XXX (product/service for
industry or market segment).

Increase (Company) awareness and name/brand recognition among managers/
buyers/customers in XXX (prospective companies/industries/markets).

Communicate on a regular basis with three target publics:

     [] Major trade, business, and local publication editorial staffs.

     [] Key management personnel in the existing customer companies.

     [] Employees and sales representative organizations.

Strategies

Develop a sustaining public relations effort, with ongoing contact between
key editors and top-level personnel.

Develop a regular and consistent product/service update program for the
major target medias, keeping key editors abreast of XXX enhancements and XXX
new product/service introductions.

Develop an internal newsletter which can cover key sales successes,
significant marketing and manufacturing events, technical support and
product development stories.  Internally, the newsletter would be targeted
to all company personnel and sales representatives; externally the piece
would be targeted to key customers and prospects.

Develop a minimum of four technical articles written by key executives to be
placed in XXX and XXX (publications) within the next XXX months.

Establish contact with editorial staffs for the purpose of being included in
product "round-ups" -- product/service comparisons vis-a-vis Consumer
Reports where competing products/services are compared.  This exposure
builds credibility and market acceptance.

     [] See "Bacon's Publicity Checker" at your local library for a
     directory of publications and editors suited to your business purposes.

Company Backgrounder

Produce a complete company backgrounder on (Company) to be used as the
primary public relations tool for all target media editorial contact. This
is also effective for inclusion in press kits, dealer kits and sales
packages.  The backgrounder would include sections on the following broad
subjects:

     [] Overview of the Market: size; characteristics.

     [] The Market need in 19XX, present & future.

     [] The Company
        History
        Management Philosophy
        Brief sketches of Top Executives

     [] The Products/Services.
        Market niches

Major Sales Announcements

Major contract agreements representing sales volumes of over $XXX should be
written up and released to selected media as soon as practical after the
signing of papers.  Ideally, these would be joint announcements.
Concurrently, a shortened version of the release should be mailed to all
internal and external sales organizations.

Press Releases

Develop a series of press releases on the entire product line/service area.
Prepare press releases for each new product/service introduction, technical
development, participation in a major event, awards/recognition for
product/personnel excellence/performance, etc.

     [] Include an 8x10 black & white glossy photo of your product or of an
     interesting demo of your service -- editors will likely pick up your
     news release sooner with a photo.

Editorial Visitations

Over the next XXX months invite the most influential reporters and editors
from XXX and XXX (publication and or broadcast media names) for a visit to
(Company).  During the visit, each of the editors would receive a complete
facility tour, product briefing, and an opportunity to interview the
chairman, president, product designer and marketing manager.  If logistics
or timing is a problem with the interviews, then these could possibly be
arranged at the major trade shows.

Trade Shows

Use trade shows as another method for maintaining a high profile with the
editors of key target media.  If a major product/service announcement is
feasible at one of the shows, care should be taken to plan the announcement
well in advance.  However, since the major publications send their editors
to the major shows, an opportunity exists to schedule, in advance, key
personnel with selected reporters and editors.  These mini-interviews can be
used in lieu of the above described editorial visit, or as opportunities to
give editors a company or product update from a chief executive's point of
view.

Internal/External Newsletter

Produce a four-page, black-and-white (2-color/4-color) newsletter to serve
as an informational piece for internal personnel, the sales force, and key
customers.  Include sections covering each major department or organization
within (Company) (Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, R&D) and a message from
the executive staff.  Highlight major developments such as XXX (key sales
stories, successful customer applications/uses/ installations, significant
marketing events, and product development news).
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