When your garden business chooses public relations, you expect your strategy to pay off.

And, you're right to expect a return on your investment (ROI) - hiring a PR firm is a cost-effective, efficient way to meet your business goals. 

One thing PR isn't, though, is immediate.

It takes time for a PR campaign to build momentum. Plus, the nature of PR is such that as your brand reputation grows media endorsements over time, even more outlets will want to work with you as you to become a household garden brand. 

So, the million dollar question: how can you tell if your public relations strategy is working?

Read on to learn 3 tips for measuring your garden brand's current public relations success.

1. Evaluate Media Relationships

Photo Credit: Blooming Desert

The gardening media is essential to the overall success of your business' public relations or marketing strategy.

They are your mouthpiece, and it's your PR firm's job to make the introduction for you.

Whether you get a radio interview, newspaper mention, or full-page spread in a magazine, your garden business or public relations firm needs to cultivate a friendly relationship with top media influencers.

In seeking early returns on your public relations investment, examine the number and quality of media contacts recently obtained as an indicator of your PR campaign's success.

Media contacts are the foundation of a great public relations campaign since you need to be talking to the right people to help get the word out about your business.

If you've made the most of the contacts sent your way, be patient - sales will go up as word about your garden business continues to grow.

2. Examine Blogger Engagement

Photo Credit: BGGarden at Costa Farms Social Summit

Bloggers have taken over the internet.

In the past few years, the quantity and readership of blogs has skyrocketed. Bloggers are internet celebrities now, and your public relations team should understand their importance.

Bloggers review products, take photos and will even host contests or giveaway's on their page.

Plus, their readers trust them, and if your products are highlighted, it puts your garden business in an enviable position.

To evaluate your public relations' performance in the short term, see how many bloggers your PR firm is talking to and how they're working with them.

3. Look for Quality Placements

While the quantity of your media contacts can be an indicator of success, it doesn't tell the whole story. Quality contacts are much more valuable in the long run.

Why?

Your garden business is unlikely to gain business from outlets that don't appeal to your garden business' demographic.

Ten hits in a month sounds good, but if they're all from huge outlets that don't reach your specified consumer base, they're not worth very much.

Evaluate the quality of the media outlets you've been placed in recently. Do they appeal to your target markets? Are they within your targeted industry?

Asking these questions will help you measure the success of your public relations or marketing campaign in the short term, and you'll gain insight into what will work in the future, as well.

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