Media Release

Ottawa Business Journal Media Savvy: Business Owners find press is good press

February 1st, 2006

As most successful small- and medium-sized business owners will tell you, having healthy operations and robust ad campaigns are only small parts of the getting-noticed equation. To wrap up our Biz Savvy series on Dealing with the Media we sought sage words of wisdom from local business owners on how they use media to their company's advantage. Our feature interview is with Akash Sinha, president and founder of Dharma Developments.

By Jim Donnelly, Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Wed, Feb 1, 2006 4:00 PM EST

Play along for a minute, if you will – you're a small business owner with a product you know is just waiting to leap off the shelves. You've consolidated your operations and staff and taken out thousands of dollars in advertising space. All that's left to do is kick back, relax and milk the oncoming cash cow. Right?

Wrong.

As most successful small- and medium-sized business owners will tell you, having healthy operations and robust ad campaigns are only small parts of the getting-noticed equation. What's also necessary, they say, is a well thought-out and vigorous media campaign to get tongues wagging and keep them that way long after yesterday's newspapers become today's fish wrappers.

To wrap up our Biz Savvy series on Dealing with the Media we sought sage words of wisdom from local business owners on how they use media to their company's advantage. This brings us full circle to where we began five weeks ago when local PR professionals discussed how companies can get themselves noticed in the media.

Our feature interview is with Akash Sinha, president and founder of Dharma Developments.

OBJ: In what capacity have you been involved in media coverage over the years, and in particular in the past year or so?

SINHA: My personal involvement with engaging the media began in December 2003, when I started working with friends to promote electronic music events in the city. Since then, and carrying on today, media relations have proven beneficial in this area. Since the startup of Dharma Developments we have involved the media in three areas – the sales and marketing process for our Powers Enclave project, our involvement in a number of community/arts related events, and in showcasing our partnerships with other Ottawa-based companies.

OBJ: How would you describe the coverage – positive for the business, negative for the business, or more or less ineffectual? Have their been any tangible results either way?

SINHA: Dharma has been fortunate to receive a lot of positive press for the events we've been involved with. There have definitely been some tangible benefits as well as those that are more esoteric. For example, since the Powers Enclave project has a strong environmental component to it, we've had good press coverage related directly to that and had queries from people coming to our sales centre with the article in hand.

But not all news always generates measurable results – when we received coverage of the annual fundraising event hosted by Dharma, it didn't really yield more traffic but it helped emphasize the company's views on community involvement. Consequently it has given our customers a better understanding of what the company stands for, and they've told us they feel good about what they are now a part of. There is the adage that any press is good press. That may or may not be true. We do our best and hope the media picks up on that.

OBJ: What's the most important thing, in your opinion – the golden rule, so to speak – for small- to medium-sized businesses when it comes to dealing with the media?

SINHA: Small and medium enterprises should consistently be letting the media know of their accomplishments. Businesses start up because they believe that they'll be contributing to their community. Any media campaign should position its news based on what its target audience would be interested in, and make it clear in the press releases what the benefit is. It's encouraging for us to hear about the successes of other small businesses.

OBJ: Do you recommend media as a successful marketing tool for your business? Why or why not?

SINHA: In the real estate industry in Ottawa, almost every company has a chance to get some press. It is an opportunity for the company to position themselves to the public and say things that can't necessarily be expressed in print ads. With the increasing number of unique projects coming up, the media is a great way for the public to get the inside scoop.

OBJ: What would be the first thing you would tell small business owners with no media experience thinking of wading into the media pool?

SINHA: It's important to get the word out there. The best resource is your company's website, as this is the first place people go to learn more about your company and this is certainly true in real estate sales, so it's important to have news releases clearly available. But one can't wait for the media to come to them, and it pays to take the time to send those press releases to every relevant news source possible. Sometimes it might be good to send it to more than one person within a news organization, as you never know who will find the item worth writing about.

OBJ: Do you have a media department, or one person in particular who always speaks to media? Why or why not?

SINHA: I think most small businesses wouldn't be in a position to dedicate resources exclusively to they're own media department, although it's important to keep the messaging consistent. Usually one or two people are wearing multiple hats and taking on a number of duties. With Dharma that would be myself and the VP of marketing and sales.