Epic Entrepreneurs

Transforming Your Business Through PR with Kyle Parks

• Bill Gilliland

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Unlock the secrets to transforming your organization's visibility and credibility through the power of public relations with insights from our guest, Kyle Parks of Parks PR. From Asheville, NC to the Tampa Bay area, Kyle shares his expertise on how PR has evolved beyond traditional media, utilizing platforms like social media and e-newsletters to craft impactful strategies tailored to any budget. Whether you're navigating the B2B or B2C landscape, discover how understanding your unique value proposition and target audience can shape a compelling PR approach. Kyle explains the importance of discovery calls and strategic planning, ensuring that your message resonates with the right people.

Kyle Parks, principal of Parks PR LLC, has a combination of high-level journalism, corporate and public relations agency experience. Parks PR, which specializes in helping clients get visibility for what they do while enhancing their credibility, has a wide range of clients in Asheville and in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. In Asheville, clients include the Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks, and the Land of the Sky Association of Realtors. Parks PR has also done work for the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Asheville. In the community, Kyle is on the board of Blue Ridge Public Radio, and is a member and volunteer with The Cathedral of All Souls and the Rotary Club of Asheville. • Prior to launching Parks PR, Kyle served as: o Business reporter and editor for the Tampa Bay Times in Florida. o Director of corporate communications for Walter Industries, a Tampa-based Fortune 1000 company at the time, which had seven subsidiaries and over 7,000 employees. o Director of marketing/PR for two real estate organizations – Jim Walter Homes and the residential land development division of Plum Creek. o Principal and co-founder of B2 Communications, a St. Petersburg agency that has worked with such organizations as Colliers, Valley Bank, Lennar Homes, SPCA Tampa Bay, and the University of Tampa. 

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Bill

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Bill

Bill Gilliland:

Hey there, welcome to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs. This week we're having a chat with Kyle Parks of Parks PR. So welcome to the show, kyle. Thanks, bill.

Kyle Parks:

Thanks for having me.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, it's great to have you, so tell us a little bit about your business.

Kyle Parks:

Well Parks PR is a solo public relations practice that I run out of Asheville, north Carolina and the Tampa Bay area of Florida, and I work with a lot of different kinds of organizations everything from for-profit companies to nonprofits and I like to say that I help an organization get visibility but also, just as important, I enhance their credibility. So if you look up someone or a company or a nonprofit company to do business with, nonprofit to give money to, you're going to want to see right away online and also talking to people around town Is the organization credible, do they do a good job? Do they say what they're going to do? And also, are they up to date on trends? And that's where my work comes in, too, where I use trends to talk about through my clients on their have. My clients talk about that and that shows that they are up to speed on the latest on everything.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, that's, yeah, that's awesome. Pr is pretty widespread. What does that mean? What all does it encompass? I think a lot of people are confused about what PR actually is. What PR actually is.

Kyle Parks:

Agreed, I think for many, many years. Up to about maybe 20 years ago, public relations was simply seen as media relations, where you worked with the news media to get stories and to help influence that process. But as the media has shrunk which we've seen happen in Asheville, we've seen in Tampa Bay, we've seen everywhere it's more and more important not only to keep working with the news media but also to work with all the different channels at your disposal as an organization, whether it's social media, whether it's e-newsletters, whether it's different ways to reach your key audiences. So a smart public relations firm doesn't just have like a menu, like McDonald's.

Kyle Parks:

A smart PR firm is going to understand your organization, what your value proposition is, and then you talk about OK, how are we going to reach the people that we want to reach with that value proposition? And it could be any or all of those channels, and some of my clients will never get news coverage and some will. So the idea that a PR firm is going to come in and go here's these eight things I'm going to do for you and prescribe it that way, I would argue, is not as impactful for your organization as saying let's look at your organization, come up with a custom plan for your organization, but it all comes back to what is going to lead to an organization reaching the people that they want to reach, and in some cases it's going to be millions of people, and in some cases it may be 3,000 people. So it just depends on the organization.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah. So it seems to me it's a little bit like a menu that you'd go in. You got all these probably hundreds of things you could do for people, but, depending on what their goals are, you'd want to establish that. So what's the process? A client comes to you. What happens?

Kyle Parks:

Basically I do a discovery call, sometimes a couple of discovery calls. I ask a ton of questions I was a journalist formerly in my career, which helps me, I think, and I try to get inside the head of not only what the organization wants to accomplish but also what does that audience want to learn about. Like, for instance, I'm working with an outfit right now that does student housing development around the country and their audience wants to know how do you get student housing developments to work? How do you find financing? So in that case I try to plug into what that audience is thinking and wondering about and then that helps me start to say, okay, how am I going to reach that audience?

Kyle Parks:

It may be a specific trade industry magazine that reaches student housing readers. It may be the email newsletter to a very targeted list. It's also maybe LinkedIn, which is really helpful to business-to-business customers, and also just doing announcements that are meaningful and not just a news release that has a lot of exclamation points. I don't do that, but it's more of a news release that's written like a news story that also includes a lot of context and in reading about the news involving that organization you learn about that organization. But that's just one example of many.

Kyle Parks:

I could tell you where that's going to be a specific use of my time that is. It doesn't do me, doesn't do the client, any good. If I just say I'm going to write five news releases every three months and I'm going to do this, that and the other, then that in itself may not get you where you want to go. So what I'm trying to do, as I do my plans, is say what percentage of my time is going to be in each area and making sure that what I'm doing is the most impactful for them.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, I love that. So one of the I guess it's not really a secret, but one of the things that's cool about me getting to do this is I get to ask people, I get to learn, so I get to learn from experts, just like you. So I want to talk a little bit about B2B. So B2B versus B2C Talk about that. And then what's your approach there?

Kyle Parks:

You're don't. Most outfits would not have the money Everybody's not Coca-Cola or whatever that they have unlimited. Not unlimited, but a huge ad budget. So, even for B2C, you got to think geography. You got to think about what kind of outlets would reach the folks that you want to reach home buyers and we are talking about, okay, what's the age range, what? What are the radio stations that that age range listens to? So, even for B2C, you want to be targeted.

Kyle Parks:

Now, for B2B, it's all about targeting, because your targeting is going to be tighter. So, in other words, if I am selling, working with an organization that sells a certain service, I'm going to want to try to. There's two ways to spend advertising and sponsorship and money for public relations and marketing agencies. You can either spend money and just blast, or you can spend part of your money to take the time and research to understand how to target and, I would always argue, to spend your money more wisely. So, for B2B, I think it's really important to do that targeting work and figure out where's your audience, what are they listening to, what are they watching, what are they reading?

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, it seems like that. There's a lot, even in B2B. There's a lot of ways to invest your marketing dollars. So what in your mind? I mean you know what percentage should be versus PR and what percentage should be other.

Kyle Parks:

I hate to say it depends on the client.

Bill Gilliland:

Of course it depends. Of course it depends, yeah, yeah, but what I?

Kyle Parks:

would say on that is that you get what you pay for in PR or marketing. Sometimes I'll get a comment saying well, we could do that with an intern. Obviously, today's conversation also often touches on AI. Obviously, today's conversation also often touches on AI. Certainly, ai or an intern could crank out volume in terms of written material, but it's probably not going to be impactful for your audience. Certainly, I have found that AI is a great research tool. It's a great starter kit kit, but the idea that AI is going to speak to your target audience in a way that's going to encourage them to take action and to trust your client we're just not there yet.

Kyle Parks:

I don't know five years from now, who knows, but right now I think it's important that you have actual experienced people doing that.

Kyle Parks:

So, for me, the idea that you can do a PR program for the idea that you can do a PR program for hundreds of dollars or just a few thousand dollars a year, if you have goals that are meaningful, it's going to take a larger budget than that.

Kyle Parks:

So I think it's also important that you don't do marketing and PR in silos.

Kyle Parks:

I often partner with either in-house marketing people or external marketing agencies that are working with my client and that's really important because both sides of that equation need to work together for a real effective program, because marketing should be about getting attention in a meaningful way, so the messaging should match. But also then PR program comes in and goes okay, people are finding us, they're checking you out on the internet, they're asking people in the industry. That's where the PR comes in, which should help the marketing program work more effectively. But I would say certainly in some industries a marketing budget can be one to up to 5% of budget. It's always good to think about what are your competitors doing and you can't necessarily find out what they're spending. But there are industry standards often where you can say, okay, we should be determining a certain percentage of our revenues to spend on marketing and the other big thing is just not to turn the spigot on and off this is a long long-held issue where, oh, our sales are down a bit, we better cut marketing down.

Kyle Parks:

Well, as you can imagine, that's the worst thing you can do. Yeah, well as you can imagine, that's the worst thing you can do. And also consistency, even if you don't have the budget to do a ton of stuff every month, if you're targeted and smart and you're having that repetition, then you're going to get there that way too.

Bill Gilliland:

But again, turning it on and off just to me makes no sense. No, so what I heard was that PR is just a part of marketing.

Kyle Parks:

And so it needs to be part of the part of the overall plan I actually public relations is. I think communications is really important, to use that term, Although when I had one of my corporate communications jobs used to have people in the company call me thinking I could fix the phone system, which I was like that's not my job, Not my job.

Bill Gilliland:

Not your job, no, no, it's communications. So, and then consistency, communications and then consistency. You were talking about consistency and how there, but let's talk about communication a minute. So we have a saying that communication is the response you get. So how do you adjust communications along the way to adjust the response?

Kyle Parks:

I guess yeah, I think adjusting the response really ties back to we talked a minute ago about tying into trends and also understanding what the pain points for a potential customer are. What's the problem I'm trying to solve? Or you know what's the opportunity that I want to try to capitalize on. For instance, if you talk about a nonprofit, adjusting the response may involve we are sending out a lot of information with, let's say, a nonprofit works both, say, in food insecurity, but also in housing. Well, maybe there's obviously going to be needs in both areas, but maybe we're getting more response from a fundraising point of view to talk about housing. So it goes back to really being targeted, where you can't talk about everything effectively. So I would argue do you want to mention, let's say, housing is where you're really seeing a response, that's, and also, at the same time, you're seeing more progress because you're getting more fundraising which helps drive that part of the program. You know, I would say certainly don't leave out the other things you do, but figure out one thing to talk about as a main point and then that's going to adjust the response in the way that you want and also I like to.

Kyle Parks:

There's a couple of things this is really marketing speak, too, where a couple of things I like to talk about. One is if you're raising money or you're trying to get business, you will learn as much or more from the people who don't sign up for your service or don't give you money. It's important for the people who are on the front lines talking to those potential customers or donors. Okay, so tell me why you decided not to support, or tell me why you decided I'm talking nonprofit right now. Why did you decide to give us $300 and not $5,000? And in a lot of cases it might be a personal issue, or in a business it might be our budget for the year or whatever. But by getting to those answers, that's how you can learn to adjust your communications to get the response you want, because you're learning why people are saying no.

Bill Gilliland:

So is there an easy way to do that?

Kyle Parks:

No, yeah, I didn't know, you could, you, could, you, could you know? I think regular surveys are helpful.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah.

Kyle Parks:

But yeah, I'm generalizing here, but a lot of companies have let's say, you have I'm going to business to business here you've got 10 major customers. So I would advocate for taking the time to talk to your sales managers and have them do phone calls with those folks once a quarter and not just sending out some online survey. They could also do both. Sending out some online survey, they could also do both. But I'd want to learn let's say, those 10 customers are 70% of your business.

Kyle Parks:

I want to get in the brains of those 10 customers you know, and nothing against the smaller fish, but basically it's going to take some personal interaction because you know I'm sure you're like this too you get an online survey. Even if it's somebody you know and you work with, it's going to be hard to do more than just check the blanks, and you know a lot of these surveys. Go tell us about this and write something in. In my experience, you'll get a hundred surveys back, and like three people did that. So that's where you have to leverage your personal relationships to get meaningful responses that's where you have to leverage your personal relationships to get meaningful responses.

Kyle Parks:

Yeah, it's a bit like reviews, huh. Yeah, that's a good point, because reviews it's like there's a big difference between sending out a follow-up email every time you make a sale or something and that will get you this much response but not a whole lot. But then if you have a system where you have and of course this takes time but if you can have a system where you have we're calling three or four or five people a week and asking them to do it, that's obviously going to help. Getting reviews is very tough, as you know.

Kyle Parks:

Getting negative reviews is not a problem, but because people are always motivated if they're frustrated. Or we have this, really this thing happening for a number of years now where there's a certain percentage of the population that thinks if they do a negative review, they're going to get something in return, whether it's a discount on their next purchase or a refund or whatever. I'm not counting those folks because there's not a whole lot you can do there. But to get positive reviews is always a challenge and you just have to just it's gotta be a consistent program where you're just consistently reaching out to people and asking.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, yeah, I like the.

Kyle Parks:

I mean, the bottom line is you just need to go talk to people, whatever that looks like, you gotta actually get, you gotta actually have a conversation with people to find out what's going on in their head and how it's working Right, and then make it easy for them. Send them a link to do it. You know, and say talk to them and say I'm going to send you an email with a link and you can click the link and do it. You got to make it as easy as you can for them. And also, you know, don't assume they're going to remember to do it and to do it and just, uh, yeah, don't call them every four days, but you know, have a list where you're like okay, we talked to them last month. They didn't do it.

Bill Gilliland:

Let's reach out to them again. Yeah, well, I think and even in lieu of reviews, I mean, I think there's more information to be. I mean, the really savvy, savvy, large marketing agencies are gonna go talk to people. People, I mean, they might do it individually, they might do it with surveys, they might hire somebody to survey companies to do it, they might have focus groups, whatever it is, but they're actually going to talk to people and find out what's actually happening so that they can adjust their strategies.

Kyle Parks:

I do advocate, it's easier. I always like to joke that it's easy for me to advocate for a company to spend more money but basically it's going to be a lot more effective if someone from the company does it versus a third party. Because you probably had the same experience. Even if I'm asked by a third party, even if it's a product or service that I really love, I'm going to be more motivated probably if it's somebody from the company that's calling me. It's going to break through spam better on the phone calls, all that good stuff. So just having that's a really good, that's a good intern job for a really really sharp intern. They've got to be good on the phone, They've got to be good on their feet or a lower-level person at your company and I would argue that's going to come back to you many-fold.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, uh, man, there's a lot, there's a lot more to, there's a lot more to uh unpack a lot, of, a lot of more of the onion we need to peel. But let me uh, let me wrap it up with this. Let me ask you what do you? And some people said, how much time do you have? But the question I usually ask is like what do you wish you had known? That you know now.

Kyle Parks:

In my business.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, about business or life or anything really. But yeah, so yeah.

Kyle Parks:

I think I wish I'd known the power of relationships in terms of always making new relationships, I think, as I've been the communications agency business now for oh gosh, about 15 years and you tend to get your foot off the gas on business development and making new relationships when you get really busy and I think this is classic for anybody, whether you're in a company, nonprofit or whatever. And I think, just understanding that you cannot take your foot off the gas because situations change, like, for instance, for a company, you never know if your biggest customer is going to get bought out and they change the contract and cancel it even though you're doing a great job. Or, in the agency world, same thing with clients. So, I think, understanding that continuing business development, but doing it in a way where I think, if you're good at it, I think it's really important to know that you're not acting overly salesy as you make new relationships and you're actually listening as you talk to people and that you're building a real personal relationship.

Kyle Parks:

I started my business a year ago and changed and started doing clients both in North Carolina and Florida, doing clients both in North Carolina and Florida and what I found up here in North Carolina was I made a lot of really good professional friends. I would call them and not just people. I would say let me tell you about my business in case you know of anybody who might need me. But I've had business come to me because I'm not doing that hard sell. But I've also been very consistent about it and they're all of us. There's going to be days or weeks where you're like you got so much to do, I don't have time for this. But just taking that time I think is something I wish I'd understood more earlier, but I'm really trying to embrace that now.

Bill Gilliland:

So what's your preferred method of making building those relationships? Is it? Is it phone or networking? Or how are you doing it?

Kyle Parks:

I think networking, but I would argue that networking through getting involved in the community, the business community and the broader community. Here in Asheville I've gotten involved in the Asheville Chamber, I'm a member of the Asheville Rotary Club, I've gotten involved with the Asheville Symphony and I'm on the board of Blue Ridge Public Radio, and those are all causes. I count the Chamber as a cause, because a cause is to support business. But those are all things that I really strongly believe in. And down in Florida there's a nonprofit that's about to put me on their board and I've been involved with a number of things down there for years.

Kyle Parks:

But this is stuff I like to do. I feel like in my own way I'm trying to help those organizations, but then I meet people that can help the business. Now, certainly are there also other times when I get a business card at a chamber event or something one of my clients is doing. I'm going to reach out to them directly, of course, because they fit a potential client category, but I have found doing the other is really I think it's also more fun, honestly, where you don't feel like you just oh, I got to go to this event and go hand out my business card and I think that comes across.

Kyle Parks:

It's like when you meet someone and you're not asking for anything, you're just getting to know each other. I'm also doing the Leadership Asheville program right now 40 people and you know, I could tell you right now I don't think there's anyone in that group that's like, oh my gosh, they're going to be a client next week. But you know those connections, you know how it works. Somebody asks around town who does good public relations in tampa, st pete or ashville. You know I want them to be thinking about me yeah, sure, no, I like it.

Bill Gilliland:

Community involvement, it's a great way to do it, and if you're bent that way, if that's that's who you are, that's helpful.

Kyle Parks:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think you have to be.

Bill Gilliland:

I think you have to be bent a certain way. I way to join boards and to join, I would agree.

Kyle Parks:

I think I see some clients and people and companies I know try to put a square and a round hole on that. And if it's someone who just has no real interest in doing it and they just really are not good at talking to people and they get a bunch of anxiety walking into a room, you know, find other ways for them to get involved. They might be able to help a nonprofit with some of their books if it's a financial type person. But you know, really understanding as a company I have. I think it's great when a company says, okay, our six top people, we're going to look for ways to get them involved. But when I get in the middle of that I'm like, okay, let's not people, we're going to look for ways to get them involved. But when I get in the middle of that I'm like, okay, let's not just start slotting people in, let's think about what are they interested in and what are they willing to do and what are they going to be happy to do.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, and I like it. Yeah, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's an underutilized thing, but if it's something you would do anyway. That's what I say. If it's something you would do anyway, then do it.

Bill Gilliland:

Yeah, if you like, whatever you like to do, do that, cause you'll meet people wherever you are. I mean, I I remember when the kids were little, I coached soccer and I got clients because I coached soccer, right, you know. So it doesn't yeah, it doesn't make it. You know, whatever it is you're involved in, be involved in it, so that I think that's, I think that's awesome. So, hey, look, this has been fun, this has been a great thing and I've learned a lot and I think there's a lot here for a lot of people. So thanks for being on, thanks for having me, yeah, hey, and until next time, all the best.