Marketing Profs

Over the last decade, consumers have learned the do-it-yourself (DIY) approach. They scan and bag their own groceries, pump their own gas, and serve themselves at restaurants from coolers or a buffet line.

Consumers also have become their own music producers, creating custom MP3 mixes from iTunes; their own retail outlets through eBay; and one-person TV stations with YouTube. Social media and cheap Web access makes everyone a content provider.

So it was inevitable, perhaps, that consumers would also come to realize that they don't need traditional media to consume the product and services information that used to use media as its channel.

With the rise of search engines, Wi-Fi, and a DIY mindset, today's consumers are more empowered than ever before. They not only believe that they're entitled to information but also have unprecedented access to information on a global scale.

An increasing number of consumers turn first to the Internet when they want to make a purchase—even if the product will be bought offline.

That's why any PR strategy focused solely on media gatekeepers is missing a large piece of the market. While there's still value in sending your message via traditional media, more and more prospective customers are doing their own research online, bypassing newspaper, magazines, radio, and TV completely.

Here are five tips for creating successful direct-to-consumer PR:

1. Think like a consumer

Too much of traditional advertising pushed features instead of benefits. The consumer is looking for a product or service to meet his/her needs. Your press release must focus on needs met and problems solved. Generic categories and words related to the need or outcome are much more likely to snag users who haven't gotten to the point of selecting a specific product or provider yet.

2. Realize that consumers and reporters need different things

A reporter's job is to entertain or inform. So press releases must do one of those two things. A consumer is looking to meet a need or solve a problem. Consumers are searching with a specific goal in mind.

Your press release must be keyword-rich with the words your prospect is likely to use in a query—words that probably don't include the name of your product or service.

Case studies, videos, and human-interest features should make it easy for consumers to immediately identify with the need/solution.

Traditional press releases don't usually include "how to buy" information, but consumer-focused releases should have a way for readers who discover the solution they need to take immediate action.