Business marketing, the simple act of bringing together the buyers and the sellers has gained such importance in business today that there are specialized strategies for this purpose. Various marketing strategies that are a mixture of innovation and expertise are tried out every now and then. While some of them are winners and hit bull’s eye in the first attempt itself, there are others that fail. If you are a new entrepreneur and are looking for some winning marketing strategies then you have come to the right place indeed. Today, the consumer is more product savvy and hence you need to be more market savvy in order to get the marketing strategy right.

Direct Marketing

Of all the proven marketing strategies, none have gained as much reputation as direct marketing. A successful direct marketing campaign will give you amazing results and will propel your business to newer heights. If you can set up a database of the most probable and right customers and mail to the right customer all the time, then your direct marketing campaign will produce better results. The right customer will read your mail while the others will dismiss it as junk. You want more people in the right customer category than in the junk category. Boost your mail with the right information and dialogue. List the benefits of your product or program in small sweet paragraphs. Finally make an impact with it.

Online Marketing and lead generation

If there is anything in the last decade that has changed the way we live, then it is the internet. So you need to incorporate the internet into your business marketing program. There are several online marketing strategies that are proven winners. Lead generation, affiliate marketing, direct marketing and many more such marketing programs are available online. There was a time when lead generation on the internet was considered to be a dead end. But now there are more precise lead generation models that have put the earlier lead generation practices behind. Lesser number of fraudulent leads is being generated and the other online marketing strategies are also improving.

Guerilla Marketing

This relatively new low cost marketing strategy has created a huge impact on online marketing in the last few years. It relies on the principle that direct marketing is saturated and customers today are unaffected by these strategies. Hence guerilla marketing relies on getting you and your product in the places which customers are most likely to be present in the future. This has a great chance of giving your business the right kind of boost and a head start. There are many strategies that are used in guerilla marketing. The thank-you-take-away packet is one of the most used methods. This not only gives your customer a value added service by means of the packet, but it also thanks the customer for using your service. This keeps your company fresh in the minds of the customers.

Other methods

Besides these, there are many other marketing strategies that can be a part of your winning business plan. It all depends on what your target audience mainly comprises of. Put in the right amount of research and you will surely hit the right note with your marketing plan.

William King is the director of Wholesale UK Distributors, Importers, Dropshippers & Manufacturers Directory, Wholesalers, Traders, Manufacturers, Dropshippers & Distributors Directory, and Canadian Wholesalers and Dropshippers Canada Dropshipping Directory. He has 18 years of experience in the marketing and trading industries and has been helping retailers and startups with their product sourcing, promotion, marketing and supply chain requirements.

Article Source

Tags: business, marketing, plan, strategy, advertising

Many people are aware of advance fee fraud tactics, whereby the scammer regularly sends a donation(they normally targeted charities but due to exposure they now have to focus on other alternatives)to a charity, until he/she suddenly claims there is a huge check they would like to send which dwarfs everything they have previously sent, but there is the small matter of the customs/excise duty/tax,(which incidentally happens to overshadow every donation they have sent previously) they promise to send the money pulling on emotional strings but only if the charity/victim would help with custom and excise charges, the charity unbeknownst to them sees the client’s history and assumes all is well, pays the alleged tax/customer/excise, and never hear from the scammer again.

Well with the help of the net, this type of advance fee fraud is now a rare occurrence, as many people are aware immediately what is going on. So now the scammers have resulted to ingenious ways to con people out of their money. One of these is pretending to provide a job for the victim, e.g for a textiles/clothing business (which may or may not exist, just as far as it fulfills the purposes of the scammer).

The crux of the scam is to claim that there are severe tax duties if trading as a wholesale distributor for this particular region (i.e for Europe) and they would make a saving if individuals were cashing out their check instead, the problem is these check are fraudulent, obtained from ID theft and the like.

The scammer will ask the victim to keep 10% of the proceeds or thereabouts, and forward the rest to them via a recognized international payment method, or any other untraceable e-currency, since these transfers are hard to trace the scammer gets away scot free. Some of the checks might even clear, and the victim thinks he has found a legitimate job opportunity, until the banks contact the police and the victim has to explain what he/she is doing cashing out fraudulent checks.

As always if a job opportunity involves you sending money or spending money avoid like the plague.

Dan Stevens is a contributor on
Scammers exposed

Article Source

Tags: ethics, work, business, person, plan

In addition to a clear strategy, good measures, and streamlined processes, reinventing enterprises requires a focus on personal relationships and human potential. As a result, it depends upon emotional connection and excellent communication to function well. The objective business world has often struggled with the sub­jects of emotions and communication. If they are considered at all, they are spoken of-in businesses and business schools-in somewhat demeaning terms such as “soft” skills.

Something that I learned as a consultant that I didn’t understand very well as an executive was that the notion of command and control with knowledge workers is largely a delusion. When I worked in a large company, people who reported to me would often nod their head “yes” when I asked them to do something. With regularity I would later discover that they really didn’t know what I was asking for, and many times I really didn’t either.

In large Enterprises these types of command and control misconcep­tions have the effect of making executives think that things are changing faster than they really are. After I began consulting, it became clear that co-creating solutions and building broad relationships was really the only way to achieve sustainable and productive change. It’s hard, but it is required. There is probably no business management area where I have changed my view more than on this one. The truth is that with knowledge work, the command and control mindset needs to be demoted, and communications and emotions need to increase in importance.

If knowledge work isn’t co-created, chances are it’s not going to get im­plemented productively. Co-creation is different from consensus, however, because co-creation also requires a decision maker. Even though co-creat­ing work produces slower starts, it will lead to faster and more sustainable results. Investing a little extra time now will save a lot of time later. If you want something done productively and sustainably, you’ll probably need to put more of your own skin in the game-in conjunction with those who are actually doing the work.

The objective nature of Scientific Management effectively bred subjec­tivity out of businesses during the 20th century. Nonetheless, it is very im­portant to articulate how you’re feeling so that you can better connect with how others are feeling. Emotions are important to productive knowledge work and Enterprise reinvention. They increase energy, clarity, and the productivity power of relationships. In this context, key motivators include the desire to win, achievement of something worthwhile, a sense of personal power, approval and acceptance, and recognition of efforts.

In the Operate work-behavior area of the an enterprise reinvention system, feelings influence actions which produces results. As part of this, it’s important to remember that people ultimately love others because of how they make them feel. We too often forget how important the need is to be appreciated, that neglect can often be more damaging than abuse, and that if you really want to honor someone, you should ask for their help. Leaders need to lead with their heads and their hearts, and in difficult times, emotional resis­tance can only be overcome by a stronger emotion. It’s important to turn negative emotions into positive ones, with special emphasis on the positive emotions of optimism, hope, faith, courage, ambition, determina­tion, self-confidence, and self-worth.

In addition to elevating the status of emotions in Enterprises, commu­nication also needs much more emphasis for companies to be more pro­ductive. This requires integrating the four steps of Enterprise Reinvention: Envision-Design-Build-Operate. Where a Design-oriented person might be overly blunt, an Operate-oriented per­son can instinctively be overly nice. Combining the blunt facts of Design with the emotional sensitivity of is the most productive answer. In practice it is called tact. It is the equivalent in the medical world, of the nurse who has the ability to give his or her patient a shot without having it hurt too much.

Productive communications are socially negotiated. This is harder than being blunt or telling someone what they want to hear. In the communica­tion process, it’s important to connect the dots between where you’ve been, where you are, and where you need to go, because if something doesn’t fit with the past, it will very often be discarded or misread by people. This logical and emotional transition from the past to the future is necessary for sustainability.

Effective communication requires leaders to ask great questions and stick to a few key points. Asking questions instead of giving orders empowers people. Statements limit creativity. When you communicate, it is important to articulate what needs to stay the same, what needs to change, the steps required, and the progress being made. Consistent with this, it is important to have a clear and formal communication strat­egy to control the dialogue and to channel formal and informal organiza­tional energy toward achieving the vision of the Enterprise.

Focus is as important to communications as it is to each step of the knowledge work productivity system. Short-term memory is lim­ited to about five items. Three is better. If you have more than five points, people won’t remember any of them. To communicate pro­ductively, it’s important to be consistent, give people something that they can’t get anywhere else, and make them genuinely feel wanted and loved.

Productive relationships are essential ingredients in effective and effi­cient Enterprises. To activate them, the Operate step needs to help in­dividuals achieve something as part of the company that they can’t achieve on their own.

Enterprises need leaders who set the tone, connect with people’s personal lives, support employees when they struggle, provide levity in dif­ficult times, and motivate people to achieve the firm’s vision. Motivation requires the combination of emotions and communications. As hu­mans we all need to be treated fairly, trusted, have a chance to grow, and have a vision that is larger than ourselves.

The Enterprise Reinvention system is an important mechanism to activate the human spirit on a sustainable basis. It requires Envision-Design-Build-Operate as a total system. All are needed to help Enterprises, functions, and individuals productively self-organize-using a unified framework and the cybernetic process.

To set the system in motion, it’s necessary to energize human relation­ships and activate human potential through the Operate work-behavior area. This requires that companies co-create the future with their custom­ers, recognize and capitalize upon informal as well as formal organizations, coach people effectively, and communicate with a combination of objectiv­ity and emotion.

Jack Bergstrand is an expert in enterprise reinvention and knowledge work productivity management. He founded Brand Velocity, Inc., the first company ever prototyped using knowledge work productivity principles, and created the Strategic Profiling (R) instrument, a tool to help firms accelerate and improve important enterprise projects. To learn more about his book, “Reinvent Your Enterprise, Visit .

Article Source

Tags: workplace, ethics, business, plan, decision

I’m guessing that, like me, you’ve been hit up with requests on Facebook and other social media to post your “25 Random Things About Me.” So far I’ve resisted delving into my mental scrapbook for personal trivia about my fourth grade pursuits.

However I decided to use the format to see if I could come up with a list of 25 ways that PR can help small businesses. Once I got going, it was easy! Here’s my list:

1. It will make you more visible.

2. It will make you more credible.

3. It will shape your brand, or the way you are perceived in the minds of your target market.

4. It will educate the public about your new company, product or service.

5. You will win more friends and influence more people.

6. PR is much less expensive than advertising.

7. Current customers will pat themselves on the back that they have chosen to do business with you.

8. Potential customers will seek you out.

9. You’ll experience less resistance when asking prospects for appointments.

10. Closing the sale will be easier because prospects trust you because of “third-party endorsement” (the media).

11. Once you establish a presence in the media, reporters will begin to consider you an expert in your field and will call you to comment on other stories.

12. Other businesses will want to partner with you due to the “halo effect.”

13. Unlike advertising, PR multiples. Once you get publicity in a small venue, the bigger media often “find” you, presenting more opportunities for coverage.

14. Your employees will take pride in working for a great company that others admire.

15. You will nurture a service-oriented attitude among your customers, vendors and employees.

16. You will seek ways to contribute to the community, not only for the publicity but because in giving, your business and your life will be made richer.

17. You will work to eliminate complaints, and when they arise, you will take care to correct them immediately and compassionately, creating loyal customers for life.

18. You will drive traffic to your Web site with low-cost online PR.

19. Through incorporating PR strategies into social media, you will meet prospects that you would not otherwise meet, extending your reach and influence.

20. You can change opinions, beliefs and behaviors through good PR. (Just consider the shift in attitude and behavior generated by the anti-smoking, anti-drunk driving and safe sex campaigns.)

21. A well-constructed PR plan can help your business manage a crisis and reduce the likelihood of law suits, profit loss, employee turnover, ruined careers and lives, and even bankruptcy.

22. By incorporating “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) into your PR plan (think “green,” for example), you reduce taxes, increase public goodwill and make it less likely that the government will want to regulate you.

23. PR not only can help you create your reputation, but it can help you manage it.

24. PR increases the long-term survivability of your business.

25. PR energizes “word of mouth marketing” or “buzz.”

Gail Kent is managing director of The Buzz Factory, a boutique PR and marketing firm that helps small business owners make a living while living their American dream. The Buzz Factory works with businesses by writing and distributing press releases, developing comprehensive online and traditional publicity campaigns, creating brands and Web sites, and developing print materials. Gail is an accredited business communicator with more than three decades of experience who has won more than 350 awards for excellence in communications. For more information, visit The Buzz Factory Web site or the blog

Article Source

Tags: pr, plan, public relations, tips, image

“Failure is not the only punishment for laziness. There is also the success of others.” –Jules Renard

I’ve been working in PR for over 15 years, so you can bet I’ve got some expert thoughts in how to make the absolute worst PR decisions possible. Below are my top 5 ways to ensure the worst PR outcomes.

1. Be inconsistent in your messages. Sure, big successful companies come up with a clear platform of messages around their product that they use over and over again, but that’s so boring. Rework your key messages frequently and make sure they change radically. Use lots of industry lingo too, to make your messages obscure. People should have to work to be able to understand who you are and what you stand for. Don’t make it so easy for them.

2. Hire a professional PR firm but don’t listen to them. It’s true, you weren’t getting great results on your own, which is why you hired the professionals in the first place. But once they start getting results, (or even before), decide that you know better and over-rule their recommendations.

3. Only reach out to the media when you want something. Don’t bother to familiarize yourself with media outlets. They won’t notice. And take your time responding to media requests. They overstate the importance of deadlines anyway. Operate your media relations on a sporadic basis, and only when it suits you. Keep your focus on how important you are. Everyone will realize it soon enough.

4. Don’t work from an annual plan. Shoot from the hip. Planning is too fussy and besides things are always changing anyway. It’s more fun to make decisions about what people think about your company on the fly.

5. Don’t respond to your PR firm in a timely manner but still expect them to produce quality deliverables on time. They can pick up your brainwaves. After all, telepathy is a valid means of communications in many television shows and Hollywood movies.

I suppose that by now you’ve noticed that my tongue is firmly in my cheek for this list, but I truly have seen people implement these tactics and still expect great results. Don’t let that be you.

This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included. ©2009 Barbara Wayman, BlueTree Media, LLC.

Barbara Wayman, APR, president of BlueTree Media, LLC, publishes The Stand Out Newsletter, a free monthly ezine for people who want to know how to leverage the power of marketing and public relations. Get your free subscription today at this site.

Article Source

Tags: pr, media relations, professional, media, plan

I was just scanning my email when a headline from the Yahoo portal jumped out at me. It said skipping a vacation in hard times is not such a good idea.

Have you ever wondered where articles like this come from?

Unlike what we’ve been taught to think about journalists, fearless Clark Kents and Lois Lanes are not sleuthing the streets for scoops and breaking stories.

What they are doing, as a general practice, is sitting on their bottoms or strolling a few feet to the fax machine, screening inbound news releases put out by swarms of publicists that are hoping to nuance the public’s trust and create demand for products and services.

In most articles, after we read the leading paragraph or two, we’ll see a quote from an industry commentator or expert. Usually, it was that person’s firm that “planted” the story, and the payback they got from doing so is being cited prominently in the piece.

This is simply a matter of one hand washing the other, right?

It’s more than that, because the stories that are most likely to get printed are from potential or actual advertisers. You need to know this if you are seeking free publicity in the mainstream media.

The travel industry wants us to travel; no mystery in that. And it advertises, a lot.

Airlines, tour companies, car rental agencies, and hotels support the idea of getting folks to leave home for faraway destinations. Therefore, given a choice between printing a piece that justifies taking a vacation during a recession or one that promotes learning to quilt at home as a substitute, guess which angle the typical editor will go with?

Does this suggest the media are biased, that they’ll choose self-interest and advertising revenues over utter impartiality and editorial balance?

Absolutely.

Right now, with premium gasoline costing me about $4.60 a gallon, I’m promoting the idea of using telephone effectiveness and my “New Telemarketing” to save wasteful business to business car and plane trips.

I’m a telephone communication expert and a sales trainer. Typically, I don’t get my clients through paid ads. Therefore, what chance do I have of snaring headlines if I’m selling a viewpoint that isn’t “advertisible?”

Right now, the cost of making phone calls is ridiculously cheap for nearly everyone.

For the price of a single gallon of gas, we can pay for 50-100 dials of the phone. And if we’re really doing high volume calling, we can bring that up to 250-400 dials per gallon.

That’s astonishing. Calls are nearly free, apart from the labor required to make them.

Similarly, you won’t find the story repeated very often that says municipal water in most locales in America is no worse for us than expensive, bottled brands. Newspapers won’t make a dime promoting the use of tap water, but a feature that chronicles the rise of Perrier is a very different matter.

Having said all this, how can I promote my PhoneMasters Training Program to the press?

I need to use the David and Goliath angle. The puny, punched-out and demeaned phone call needs to be taking on the guzzling gas tank and the lumbering behemoths that require them for propulsion.

“The Telephone Versus The Tank” is the concept.

Hey, it’s worth a try.

Check your local papers and radio and TV.

If you see or hear this angle, you’ll know there’s still hope for the little guy and gal to get free publicity!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top trainer, conference and convention speaker, sales, customer service, and negotiation consultant. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is also the best-selling author of 12 books, more than 1,000 articles and several popular audio and video programs. Visit Gary’s web site for product information: click here

Article Source

Tags: media, relations, strategy, plan, companies

Reporters get hundreds of pitches each week. Most end up in the delete file or trash can. This deluge of pitches tends to make reporters skeptical.

On the other hand, they are always looking for stories that will impact and interest their audiences – both negatively and positively.

As conduits to your prospects and customers, reporters have incredible influence on your target audience. Therefore, it is imperative to build trusting relationships with your target media so that they will be open to hearing your message. This is a long-term process that requires patience, respect and understanding.

Effective communication skills form the foundation for all media relationships. The following tips focus on honing those skills enabling you to cut through the newsroom clutter in order to connect with your target media by gaining their trust and respect.

* Be objective about your announcement – Is it hype or is it newsworthy? If it is hype, forget it or reposition it so that it has a natural news hook.
* Know the media – do your research. Familiarize yourself with each media outlet by repeatedly reading newspapers and magazines, watching news and features shows and listening to radio shows to identify which is most appropriate for your announcement.
* Know the reporter – once you have identified appropriate media outlets, research specific reporters or producers for your announcement.
* Introduce yourself – don’t wait for a call from the media, reach out before you need them to introduce yourself and your area of expertise. Become a resource for them.
* Time for contact – find out how and when the reporter wants to be contacted.
* Know your message – clarify and practice your message before delivering your pitch.
* Keep it simple – when sending ideas and pitches, always keep it short, enticing and informative.
* Good phone etiquette is a must – when calling a reporter, introduce yourself fully, reference previous conversations to jog the reporters memory of who you are and why you are calling, and ask if it is a good time to talk.
* Always deliver – Never make promises you can not keep. If you say you will do something – do it. No excuses.
* Follow up – it is important to be in front of reporters consistently.

Following this tips will help you quickly build mutually beneficial relationships with target media.

Now, I invite you to grab a free copy of my special report: “Marketing with Press Releases” at this site

This 12-page report walks you through the 6 basic steps for getting publicity, 12 steps to writing a press release, a press release template and 20 places to post your press releases online.

Go get famous, one press release at a time.

From ExpertPreneur Strategist Amelia Brazell.

Article Source

Tags: marketing, plan, strategies, strategy, tactics

More and more these days’ people are worried about the environment. You will find that many more companies are now launching public relations campaigns in order to show their customers and the rest of the potential customer market that somehow they are changing their ways and going green. This is a great move for companies to show that there is more to worry about than just the bottom line.

If you own a business and you want to let your customers know about your new green strategies, environmental public relations will come in handy. This is more than just regular PR; instead, it is a type of PR that is focused solely and preparing and presenting your company with green initiatives.

There are many companies that believe that green marketing would be a competitive advantage, yet many companies are still avoiding coming up with a green marketing plan that will prepare their customers for the possibility of higher prices in products, inform them of the company’s green initiatives, and provide updates on how these green initiatives are working.

Environmental public relations are something that every company should consider. You will find that with environmental public relations, the company you own can now be well prepared for the possibility of questions about the environment. You will also be able to prepare all of the evidence of your green initiatives. This will come in handy when you are asked about it from the press at any given time. With environmental public relations, you will have a friend in your corner.

Many of the questions that the press will ask to companies that have not already announced that they are going green usually deal with the company’s future plans. Even if green initiatives are years away from being present or implemented in your company, you should still create a plan and get it out to the public before the press comes knocking at your door. What the press wants to know is if you take part in corporate social responsibility. Make sure to them know that you are responsible and have the evidence to back it up.

Your specific environmental PR team will be able to aid you in all of the issues that come along with going green initiatives. Not only will they help you to understand the impact of your choice on the public, they can also find ways to let the customers know that because of these environmentally friendly choices, prices might be going up. It is important to let an expert in environmental PR prepare your company to answer all of the important questions that will not just come from the customers, but the press as well. This preparation will make your company knowledgeable about your projects and have a leg up on most of the competition that have yet to use the services of environmental public relations.

Jordan Mcpelt is a professional author who specializes in Environmental PR and Green PR. For more information on Utah PR please visit this Site

Article Source

Tag: public, relations, plan, strategic, sample

Your pitch is the most essential part of your communication arsenal. Without it, you are dead in the water; with it, you are alive and well. Case in point: the previous two sentences have either grabbed you or not. You will either read the rest of this article or skip over to the next thing on your mind.

Do not underestimate the power of the pitch and do not under prepare. You will refine and hone the pitch over and over again and each time you will not have prepared enough. I have been “pitching” my businesses for the better part of the last decade. I have worked with great PR and marketing folks refining the pitch and still there are times when I just come off flat. So you have to practice, practice, practice. And, if you’re like me, you don’t need anyone to tell you once you have pitched whether it’s good or not. You just know.

Here are some things to keep in mind when developing your pitch: clarity and conciseness, imagery, and repeatability.

1) Clarity and conciseness. This is the proverbial elevator pitch. I like to think of it as 30 seconds long. It needs to be brief and to the point. I changed the name of my current company because I thought of a tagline that went with the name that accomplished this in three words. Send. Receive. Pay. Don’t try to be clever and don’t try to use big words. If you write it out and the sentence is a run-on or is more than 20 words, it is too long.

2) Imagery. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. So if you don’t have time to say a thousand words, create an image that is way more powerful. Additionally, it is will be quite memorable. To illustrate a scene for an online accounting solution for small businesses, I conjure up the images of invoices everywhere, lost behind desks and even the way things were done when my folks were starting their first business (punch cards). This solution cleans up that mess. Images you conjure up for your business will work and will be remembered.

3) Repeatability. If you don’t say the same thing every time you are at your kids’ soccer game or sitting next to someone on the airplane, then how will your target market remember it? There is a fun game, called “Telephone,” that we used to play as kids. You line up a group of kids and whisper in one ear and then have that repeated to each kid along the chain. Invariably, what you get at the end of the chain is very different than when it started. Don’t forget this when you are developing your pitch. Your message will get repeated many more times than you know and you always want the last person to hear it to be as if you were talking to them.

Now that you have it, practice! Not once or twice, but hundreds of times. When I launched my most recent business at Demo last fall, I practiced my six-minute pitch more than 100 times in the final three weeks before the show. We did win a Demogod award but I still wished I had practiced more. Once thing to keep in mind when you pitch, is your environment. When you are raising money from VC’s it is different than Angel Investors and it is different than being on stage. Be prepared for interruptions in the form of questions, suggestions or bright lights/flashes going off, if on stage. The more you practice by yourself with friends that play the role, or actual advisors, the better you will be.

Developing that pitch is an art and it is never done.

René is currently CEO and founder of bill.com. He realized the tremendous need to simplify and automate the way businesses manage bills, invoices, payments, contracts and other important financial documents; and the challenge of not having control and intelligence into daily spending and cash flow. bill.com solves accounts payable issues and also puts all valuable financial documents in one place for secure access anywhere/anytime.

Prior to bill.com, René co-founded America’s #1 online payroll service PayCycle, which now employs over 100 people and serves over 50,000 customers. PayCycle has received multiple 5-star awards from PC Magazine and numerous accountant trade publications.

René spent five years at Intuit, creating and managing the company’s bill presentment team and growing its bill payment and credit card businesses 30% in one year. He also launched Intuit’s first connected payroll product, growing the team from two employees to 300 in 18 months.

René received a Masters of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Quantitative Economics from Stanford University.

Article Source

Tags: public, relations, marketing, plan, promotion

Millions of people read the newspaper every day. Many others read magazine articles. Most of those two groups combined believe and trust the better part of what they read.

What is published on those pages becomes regarded as truth, or at least it holds an inkling of truth. The stories on those pages are often the topics of morning radio shows, of people chatting at work, and among friends. In short, the stories that make it to print have an impact on consumers.

So therein exists a very effective form of collaboration marketing. With the media, you are building the trust of consumers, who will in turn be more likely to buy your product or service. The trick is to get the newsmakers to write about you and your business, and that starts with news releases. In accomplishing that, you will form a strategic alliance with you and the media.

Many businesses today have incorporated communication plans into their marketing strategies. A large part of these plans involve attaining the media, as an alliance begins with writing news releases to local and/or national publications. The key to success here is to have well written releases. And if all else fails, have a well written release. Yes, it’s that important. The media receives countless press releases each day and if it is not in the correct form, or if you have a made a huge mistake, your release is gone to the trash.

Hiring a communications firm to write them for you is a great idea. They will also have a large media list with specific contact information for publications in your area and around the country. Getting your release to the right person is important. These contacts can be found on your own in most cases, although it make take a lot of work and you may have to make your way through many gatekeepers to find them. There are online services where if you subscribe, you will have access to their media lists. However, some of these sites can be hundreds of dollars to obtain.

If you are going to give it a go yourself, here are a few key things to remember in writing a news release. Never call members of the press members of the press. It is thought of as a negative term these days. So, at the top of your page it should read ‘News Release’, not Press Release. If the content of your release is time sensitive, then the words – for immediate release’ should be in the second line. This will tell the media that the info in the release has an upcoming expiration date. If it can be used for a while, then it should read ‘for release at will.’ This will give your release a longer shelf life and it has a better chance of seeing its way to print. Be sure to include your contact information. Keep paragraphs very short, one or two sentences. Keep the entire news release to one page when possible.

Consistency is going to play an important role in this strategy. Forming a strategic alliance with the media will be a key in your collaboration marketing plan. Some will choose to send releases media once a month for an elongated period of time. Some plans span 3 months, while others choose a more secure year or more. Of course, not all releases will turn into articles because big news happens and you will get sent to the bottom of the pile. But chances are if you consistently send your releases, you’ll see your name in print.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A strategic Collaboration Marketing consulting firm. He empowers business owners to discover and implement Integration, Alliance, and Joint Ventures marketing tactics to solve specific business challenges. He demonstrates how to create your own Collaboration Marketing Strategy to increase your sales, conversation rates, and repeat business.
Visit site

Copyright (c) 2008 Christian Fea

Article Source

Tags: media, relations, strategy, plan, companies

With the marketing budget pressures caused by today’s economy, conducting a press tour to coincide with your current PR and marketing campaigns is an excellent way to focus efforts and resources.

There’s lots and lots of fantastic advice already available on the web describing how to get press coverage. No point in my regurgitating it.

What I would like to do is provide that last piece of the jigsaw that everyone seems to have overlooked. Strange, because it is critical to success.

Why is it overlooked? Because it is so obvious. It used to be known as not seeing the wood for the trees.

The secret is to THINK LIKE AN EDITOR.

PR companies often confuse the issue by being active rather than productive. They measure success in the volume of press releases, rather than placing articles in the right journals.

Successful marketers and copywriters already ‘think like their reader’. It’s second nature. To place PR copy, though, we need to go that extra step and think like an editor.

Picture yourself, a hard pressed, stressed-out editor with tight deadlines. Your email in-basket is full of irrelevant sales puff vying for editorial coverage, when what you need is a story or news. You want a headline that will grab your readers – something that sings out: Now that is interesting.

So, unless you are an IBM, that new appointment to your company board, the fact that you are exhibiting at a trade exhibition, the fact that you have closed another deal, launched a new product, moved offices, simply doesn’t measure up.

You need to make it measure up

Let me give you an example. I am based in the UK and a small company (less than 10 people) in Birmingham specializing in security was moving offices and asked for coverage. To raise profile of the event, they invited the Mayor of Birmingham to cut the tape.

News? No way. Small company moves across town? Mayor opens news offices (on his way to opening a supermarket and visiting a local kindergarten for photo opportunities)?

To get coverage, we dug deeper and constructed a story. As they specialized in security, perhaps the new building was the most secure in the city? In fact, they were able to demonstrate a security device that within seconds could fill a room with ‘smoke’ – disabling an intruder (hey, a potential visual element). A quick phone call to the West Midlands Police provided all the statistics we needed on increased business break-ins over the last year (saving the editor or journalist having to do the research).

Now we really did have a story. It gained huge features in the local press and a significant slot on BBC TV (plus all the inevitable spill-over into international cable TV).

Bottom line: Give editors a really valuable gift. A story. News. Where you have done all the groundwork, supplied the angle and all the backup statistics.

Obvious really.

Len Smith, UK-based copywriter with international clients. Visit my website for lots of hints, tips, advice and more.

Article source .

Tags: pr, strategies, plan, marketing, campaign

You can write a perfect press release in 4 simple steps:

1. The TITLE

2. The CONTACT INFO block

3. The BODY

4. The “ABOUT” footer

NOTE 1: The old stalwart LEAD-IN “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” is falling out of favor rapidly. Some Internet press release sites specifically prohibit using the phrase. When in doubt, omit it.

NOTE 2: Similarly, the concluding hash marks “# # #” or “30-30-30″ that once upon a time used to denote the end of a press release have also become passé. I’d recommend not to use them at all at the end of your PR.

STEP 1. TITLE

A perfect title consists of 3 parts:

1) The SUBJECT, followed by

2) a VERB, concluded with

3) the OBJECT.

SUBJECT is the name of the business or organization which is trying to get its newsworthy message across.

VERB is the newsworthy action. It is the reason why the PR is written.

OBJECT is the main thing that has been accomplished by the SUBJECT through the VERB.

Here are some real titles from real PRs:

TITLE: “Evatone Adds Fulfillment Center in Mocksville, NC”

SUBJECT: Evatone

VERB: Adds

OBJECT: Fulfillment Center in Mocksville, NC

Another real-life example:

TITLE: “American Physicians Capital, Inc. Responds to SCPIE Holdings Press Release”

SUBJECT: American Physicians Capital, Inc.

VERB: Responds

OBJECT: SCPIE Holdings Press Release

NOTE: It’s important that you use your Search Engine KEYWORDS in the Title.

STEP 2. CONTACT INFO block

A perfect Contact Info block comes right after the TITLE and consists of 8 parts:

The HEADER “For More Information Contact:” or anything to that effect.

NAME of the contact person.

TITLE of the contact person.

NAME of the Organization the contact person represents.

BUSINESS ADDRESS of the organization.

PHONE NUMBER [and optional, FAX NUMBER] of the contact person.

E-MAIL of the contact person.

WEB SITE URL of the contact person.

Here is an example:

For More Information Contact:

Dr. Ugur Akinci

Senior Web Content Consultant

Akinci Associates, LLC

4938 Hampden Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814

(240) 460-9384

site

STEP 3. BODY

Start the body of your press release with the DATELINE.

Dateline summarizes the PLACE from where the PR is originated. It gives a quick geographic for the organization releasing the PR. It also has the DATE of the release.

Here are some real-life examples:

CARLSBAD, Calif. – May 29, 2007 – (Microsoft PR)

RALEIGH, NC – April 10, 2006 – (RedHat PR)

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb 01, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) – (Yahoo! PR which includes the name of the PR services that distributed it as well.)

Washington, D.C., March 8, 2007 – (Securities and Exchange Commission PR)

NOTE: There are a number of Internet PR sites that discourage using DATE in the dateline since they determine when the PR is actually distributed.

The BODY consists of the expanded version of the TITLE. Go ahead and deliver the great news about your new product, goods, services, organizational changes, web site, profits, staff changes, office moving, and anything else that is newsworthy.

The BODY should be 3 or 4 paragraph maximum, each paragraph having 3 or 4 sentences. Longer than that, and you’ll put your readers to sleep.

NOTE: It’s important that you use your Search Engine KEYWORDS in the Body, especially in the First Paragraph.

STEP 4. The “ABOUT” footer

This is the section where you introduce your business or organization to your readers in a few paragraphs.

It consists of 3 brief parts:

1.Short summary of what you do, what you produce, which services you deliver, or whom you represent.

2.Short history; establishment date, changes through time, names of important staffers, partners, allies.

3.Way to contact, including perhaps a map link or travel and driving directions.

Follow these 4 basic steps and you’ll have a perfect press release every time.

Best regards and good luck!

**************************************************************************

Visit here to subscribe to free “Monthly Success Update Newsletter” — packed with tips on copy writing, technical writing, information design and marketing. Subscribe and claim your FREE BONUS today!

**************************************************************************

Article Source

Tags: media, relations, strategy, plan, companies

Just like with everything else launching a PR campaign will require planning. If a strategic plan and approach is not put into place the outcome will almost never be positive. Remember your public relations brand will address everything about how you will deliver your message to the public. It is critical that you do your research and target the right audiences for the most effective outcome.

Before you launch your PR campaign there are several steps you should always take to plan your approach. A successful publicity launch can deliver tons of free publicity and exposure for your product. Giving your brand a strong position in the marketplace.

Other important factors to consider before you start is to address what your budget will be and think in terms of development at least no less than one year. Understand that a good plan can work with almost any budget. The key will be to do your research to find the best possible matches for publicity coverage and finding your right audiences.

Here is How to Organize a Winning PR Plan:

1. Identify Objectives:

Set goals that you would like to achieve and outline what you wish to accomplish from communicating your message to the media.

2. Establish A Position

Address how you will deliver a branding position to your target audience and determine what your characteristics will be.

3. Message Delivery

Outline what the most important elements and points of your message will be and the best sources to deliver your message.

Now that you got the fundamentals down of what you need to get started you are ready to make your plan happen. You have something to offer and you need to find the biggest vehicles to let the world know. Get ready, set, go plan!

Learn how to develop a successful PR campaign.
“CR” Cataunya Ransom is the Co-founder of Mosnar Communications, INC. She developed a niche for Luxury PR & Global Marketing. Guiding clients on how to brand, market, and promote luxury products, events, and services. Highly respected as a luxury public relations expert! “CR” consults clients and speaks to audiences about luxury public relations and global marketing practices.
Visit this web.

Article Source.

Tags: pr, strategies, plan, marketing, campaign

There’s lots and lots of fantastic advice already available on the web describing how to get press coverage. No point in my regurgitating it.

What I would like to do is provide that last piece of the jigsaw that everyone seems to have overlooked. Strange, because it is critical to success.

Why is it overlooked? Because it is so obvious. It used to be known as not seeing the wood for the trees.

The secret is to THINK LIKE AN EDITOR.

PR companies often confuse the issue by being active rather than productive. They measure success in the volume of press releases, rather than placing articles in the right journals.

Successful marketers and copywriters already ‘think like their reader’. It’s second nature. To place PR copy, though, we need to go that extra step and think like an editor.

Picture yourself, a hard pressed, stressed-out editor with tight deadlines. Your email in-basket is full of irrelevant sales puff vying for editorial coverage, when what you need is a story or news. You want a headline that will grab your readers – something that sings out: Now that is interesting.

So, unless you are an IBM, that new appointment to your company board, the fact that you are exhibiting at a trade exhibition, the fact that you have closed another deal, launched a new product, moved offices, simply doesn’t measure up.

You need to make it measure up

Let me give you an example. I am based in the UK and a small company (less than 10 people) in Birmingham specializing in security was moving offices and asked for coverage. To raise profile of the event, they invited the Mayor of Birmingham to cut the tape.

News? No way. Small company moves across town? Mayor opens news offices (on his way to opening a supermarket and visiting a local kindergarten for photo opportunities)?

To get coverage, we dug deeper and constructed a story. As they specialized in security, perhaps the new building was the most secure in the city? In fact, they were able to demonstrate a security device that within seconds could fill a room with ‘smoke’ – disabling an intruder (hey, a potential visual element). A quick phone call to the West Midlands Police provided all the statistics we needed on increased business break-ins over the last year (saving the editor or journalist having to do the research).

Now we really did have a story. It gained huge features in the local press and a significant slot on BBC TV (plus all the inevitable spill-over into international cable TV).

Bottom line: Give editors a really valuable gift. A story. News. Where you have done all the groundwork, supplied the angle and all the backup statistics.

Obvious really.

Len Smith, UK-based copywriter with international clients. Visit my website for lots of hints, tips, advice and more.

Article Source.

Tags: pr, strategies, plan, marketing, campaign

Ebook writing is a simple process, but that does not mean it is an easy one. Writing requires planning and organization before the writing process can begin. If you spend some time thinking about what you are going to write and who your readers and audience will be, more people will want to read your ebook and the process of writing it will be more enjoyable for you as an author.

The first step in writing an article, ebook, or even a traditional book is to decide what you would like to write about. Think about what you are passionate about and what you know well. This could be something that you have had much experience in, such as your career or a hobby that is very special to you. Whatever you decide upon, begin to make notes and to do further research so that you will know as much as possible before you begin to write.

Making an outline will then be the next logical step in your ebook writing process. Decide what the main ideas are that you wish to convey to your readers and list them in a logical order. Next, make notes that describe each of these main ideas in more detail. These will become your chapters. Give this area a lot of time and thought so that you will be able to visualize what your ebook will be about in great detail and who the likely audience for your ebook will be. If you have a list of people that are interested in your topic, ask them what they would like for you to include in your ebook.

Find out how to get your ebook written NOW by visiting here, where you will receive free tips and a Special Report on writing and marketing your articles and ebooks.

Article Source

Tags: media, organization, write, plan, media relations

Here are some tips every entrepreneur and small business owner can use, to gain local media coverage, for their business. Make a habit of sending out detailed fact filled press releases that provide lots of relevant information about your business and its products to every media outlet in your region.

The fact that you are releasing a new product line is not merely enough to warrant space on their day planner, but if your release identifies one or more unique benefits or features of your product, then they may give you some face time.After all, reporters are always looking for friendly, enthusiastic people in their local area, with a story to tell. If your story is interesting, when people hear your story, they will want to know more about you and your business.

If you always share useful and important information, the local media may be willing to use your information and mention the name of your business, giving you free publicity.

Having a contact list of local media sources in your area is by far the most important starting point. This list should include the E-mail addresses of the editors of the major newspapers and other local media as well as small weeklies, entertainment papers and magazines that are published regularly.

Any time you take a trip to the grocers and retailers in your community look for these types of publications that are usually found in racks by the door. Build and keep this list updated because it will become a valuable tool for your present and future marketing campaigns.

To the media any release can be relevant if it tells the public an interesting story, in which, your business or product just happens to play a role. Maybe your product is in demand because of a new city ordinance or it’s the same product used by the astronauts that is being introduced for private use for the first time. You can find a hook or an angle that other businesses have not taken advantage of with any item.

Subway’s use of Jared and the facts that he was able to lose weight by eating their subs is a great example of finding a new angle for a product. If you can’t find a hook then develop one, this provides customers with an incentive to spend their money with you instead of your competitors.

Another good way to get the media’s attention is to by sponsoring a charitable event.

“Find some way to get connected with the community, but it must be something from your heart”, explained Michele Miller, partner at Wizard of Ads, an AZ, marketing firm, in a recent article.

It shouldn’t be hard to find a worthy organization, doing a thankless job, that you can donate all or part of the sales proceeds, for a day, week, or a specified amount to help them with their budget.

The charitable component of the story will bring in media attention and create consumer awareness about your product or service. One added bonus is, the great feeling you’ll get, knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life.

Always implement a targeted public relations program, that include on-line press release distribution and viral marketing, directed to your ideal customer. Take the time to acquaint yourself with using on-line tools that can assist to get your business noticed. Be sure that any on-line releases that use web-based PR tools have been optimized to be “search engine friendly” in addition tailor your message to resonate with your target audience. One added benefits is that on-line releases are indexed by the search engines, for six months.

People looking for related information will have access to releases in their natural search results too. This gives them a definite edge over the traditional method. Indexed releases may become fresh news or a hot topic of discussion on a slow news day, when they hang around that long.

Nothing takes the place of having a strong marketing plan that includes effective advertising, interacting with other elements in the marketing mix, to pave the way for your product or service.

E J Jolivet is a freelance writer working, living, and writing in Houston, TX.

Article Source

Tags: media relations, plan, press, coverage, budget

Public relations – stories, articles and features – enhance visibility and help establish credentials. Many small business owners overlook the potential to generate positive public perception with press releases or stories about their business that create public interest. With just a little planning, you can be one of the select few that maximize the power of public relations.

Think PR and look for ways to enhance buzz, which is about hearing your name often, clearly and memorably. You don’t have to pay a high dollar for buzz; instead, you must invest time and energy into your message and use exposure to tell your story. Traditional PR includes newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.

In some cases, a business owner might write a monthly column in his/her area of expertise. A financial services company might write about the pitfalls of retirement planning, for example. This type of public relations can create additional awareness and even credibility. An employment agency might host a weekly talk show on hiring trends in the marketplace.

Sometimes an alliance can be formed to generate more publicity. All of the businesses in one neighborhood, for example, concentrate their efforts to get recognition. They create ongoing team exposure with signage and banners that include all logos. Press releases discuss the venture and detail its progress. The story is the cooperation; or, the story could be a specific event.

Getting consistent publicity involves networking your contacts to penetrate the media. Business is not about being coy or recalcitrant. If you are helping the community, do not be embarrassed to have it noted. The story may inspire philanthropy in others and improve your locality. Further, “helping” not only makes you feel good, it makes the people who patronize your firm feel good about their choice. These are also great stories that will often get on the news ahead of “revenue boasts.”

Other great story and PR ideas might look like this: a local veterinarian posts a review of the latest pet foods on his web site as well as behavioral training tips for cats and dogs; a financial planner writes a monthly column on retirement for a magazine; a painting firm donates excess paint to a charity who then reports that information and it’s aired on the local TV news; a restaurant receives a community award for employing the handicap and the local newspaper covers the story in its business section. Get the idea?

Still stumped about what you could do to generate publicity? Have coffee with a local reporter and ask for their input. Talk with other business owners who have been profiled and find out about their experience. Read blogs, listen to podcasts and review online media. Situations like these force you to be a bit vulnerable. Certainly, rejection will occur. However, be persistent and thoughtful creation of a good story will overcome this hurdle.

© Mary Ellen Merrigan, 2007, Merrigan Group, LLC. Mary Ellen Merrigan consults with small businesses on marketing and public relations; she maintains a marketing strategy blog and a free monthly newsletter, ProfitMeister – For more information visit this site

Article Source

Tags: public relations, plan, business, publicity, community

About six weeks before the baby shower, start planning the event and details so you the last minute is not a rush situation. On your even planning checklist for the shower, you can:

1. Find a suitable location for the baby shower

2. Choose a date for this special event

3. Make up a guest list so you know how many people are invited and you do not miss anyone

4. Select the baby shower invitations

5. Plan the menu so you can prepare the food ahead of time

6. Select a baby shower theme such as teddy bears

7. Games should be decided upon

About two or three weeks before the shower, you should put on your event planning checklist the following:

- Mail out the baby shower invitations

- Make your final choices and test your food menu

- Purchase the materials for decorating

- If you are making a baby shower cake, find a great recipe or if not, order your cake

- If you are having party favors, make them now

You are on event planning checklist countdown now at one week before the baby shower. If the shower is held in a hall, or somewhere else, double-check the reservations. Make sure you not only have the final guest list but also have enough seating for all the guests. Buy and wrap gifts you are giving for the shower.

The day before the shower set up any table and seating needed, decorate, purchase the beverages and set out any supplies. Finally, on the day of the shower, your even planning checklist should have: pick up any food or cakes ordered, put out food, set out a notebook for listing gifts and enjoy the party.

An event planning checklist is extremely important for special events, and should be given top priority before getting started with any occasion.

Event planning jobs listings and event planning companies pages and more related information are available at here.

Article source.

Tags: pr, process, event, plan, preparation

You have heard of a marketing plan, you have heard of a business plan, but have you heard of a communications or PR plan?

Known as the ”RACE” (Research, Analysis, and THEN Communication, and Evaluation) formula, here are the steps to consider in your PR and promotion plan:

1. Research:Who are your target audiences? Where do they get their information? Are media relations the best way of reaching them or can you go directly to them?

2. Analysis: So, you have the raw data…what does it tell you? If you are a toy distributor looking to get your product out to more kids than ever before, perhaps the way of doing it is proving to older siblings just how ”cool” the new gizmo actually is. Perhaps your company sells to a small group of government purchasers. In this instance, the analysis tells you that a more focused and ”below the radar” approach is needed.

3. Communication: ONCE you have taken up the 1st two steps, this is the time to decide on the methods you will use. Will it be press releases? What about a grand scale event with advertising? How about newsletters or an online PR campaign? The options are limitless.

4. Evaluation: Now that you have decided on the tools for promotion, how will you measure its effect? If you’ve gained a pack of media clippings as a result of your efforts, that’s great and one eans of evaluating. But how will you know if perceptions have changed in your favour? By this point, you will need to consider surveys or even focus groups.

PR is more than just ”bugging” journalists for coverage. For the long term development of your business, you owe it to yourself to start planning now. You’ll be amazed how it will positively impact your brand recognition. Fortune 500 companies such Starbucks have successfully leveraged PR plans to their benefit. You can too! Coming in the New Year, I will be launching a new stand alone service helping professionals build their promotion/PR plans.

Mark Buzan is the owner of Action Strategies (see the site), a public affairs & marketing communications consultancy. You can subscribe now to his monthly lobbying tips newsletter by visiting and dropping down the “newsletter” menu. You can also subscribe to his Blog

Article Source

Tags: pr, plan, strategy, firm, business

Now is your chance. While the marketing and public relations experts are off enjoying their hard-earned vacations, the media are left scrambling for much needed copy. Plan ahead, and give them what they’re looking for!

In June, July and August reporters are more accessible and open to creative, fun press releases related to entertainment, lighter business stories, trend pieces, technology news, travel features, and back-to-school and education themes. In September, the marketing, PR and agency reps will be back at it, so make hay while the pros are away!

One publicity strategy is to tie into current events. Think about the upcoming Tour de France. Now that Lance Armstrong has stepped away from the competition, cyclists from around the world will be vying for his place on the podium. Whatever the outcome, this will be a hot news item. Tie into it. Plan your strategy now. A few ideas:

1. Restaurants can offer tour discounts on pasta, pancakes or other carbo items that will be devoured by the Tour de France contenders.

2. Bike stores can tie into the tour with special Tour de France promotions, discounts and contests that would be picked up by media outlets whether print, television or radio. Feature the tie in and the winner of the contest.

3. Bed & breakfast inns and hotels can tie into the tour with special rates and organized rides for bicyclists. Feature stories can focus on the recreational and tourism aspect while showing that human aspect of an individual, couple or family enjoying some R&R. Readers love to see themselves in others who are having fun and experiencing success.

4. Wine shops can tie into the tour by featuring wines from France. Special Tour de France wine and cheese gatherings with a discount on French wines would be a fun tie in and good twist that would get noticed by the press.

5. Children’s toy stores can tie into the tour by offering special promotions related to the color yellow. Perhaps the store is overstocked with yellow stuffed animals. If they tie into the Tour, they can offer discounts on anything yellow. Imagine photos of kids and their stuffed animal published in the news or displayed throughout the store.

6. An ear, nose and throat physician can easily tie into the tour and share his/her expertise related to facial injuries bikers typically suffer when they go head over heels over their handlebars. Newspapers and web sites love these stories. So do prospects searching for a specialist and current patients who hear about their doc in the news.

7. Organizations working on a fundraising campaign can tie into the Tour by telling donors they will contribute a percentage of each donation to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The organization will get publicity from this long after the 2007 Tour de France.

Think current events. What’s your tie in?

Leslie Hamp, Certified Marketing Coach & PR Whiz, shows small business owners how to blast their business to the next level of success. Find out more here.

Article Source

Tags: public relations, publicity, plan, marketing, campaign

I regularly come across retail business owners and other professionals who might not be certain on how they can reach out to the general public if their topic or product might not be particularly ‘newsworthy’. One way to get around that is to skip latching on to a ‘newsy item’ all together and put together a promotional event. Extending out directly to those prospects you’ve wanted to contact for some time, promo events give an interesting excuse to touch base.

Can be used to thank your existing customers for their support. Looking to shore up your clientele base can often be best accomplished by making them aware of your appreciation. Holding a customer appreciation day or special sale brings to light for them their importance to you and in a sense, a form of membership in your organization. Once this happens, they will be more likely to provide you with more referrals. At the event, consider handing out a special membership to your preferred clients.

Events can also provide an excuse to celebrate the holidays. Invite your prospects and customers out for a Christmas party. Trust me, they’ll think of you as a friend and more than just a sales rep. I’ll bet you’ll agree that it’s harder to say no to a friend than a stranger! Interesting enough, these parties are often viewed as opportunities for networking for your prospects as well. The saying that all business is personal is very pertinent in this application of promotional event marketing. Remind attendees to bring business cards and make them available to all. If your attendees realize your event could be beneficial for their business, they’ll have just one more reason to positively remember your brand.

Promote a new product line. Think of Sony, Coca Cola, Ford, on any other big brand name. When any of them have a new product, one of the first actions taken includes an announcement to the media with an official launch. In the case of Apple Computer, the most recent launch of the iPod Nano was shrouded in secrecy. The rumour mill nonetheless built up enough interest that the product’s launch event became news in itself. Personally, I can attest to the model of a local MINI dealership launch of the MINI Convertible. Invitations for a private party were sent to preferred customers and as a result, customers were given a sense of privileged status.

As I alluded to before, organize a networking event. After time and if you organize enough of them, you’ll build up enough PR capital as THE go between in the community. Don’t think this won’t have an impact on your bottom line and your business image!

As you can see, PR is more than just connecting with the media. It’s also about
reaching out to the public and creating a lasting image. Try connecting now with
your prospects, clients, and the general public…you might even make a friend!

Mark Buzan is the owner of Action Strategies, a public affairs & marketing communications consultancy. You can subscribe now to his monthly PR tips newsletter by visiting and dropping down the “newsletter” menu. You can also subscribe to his blog.

Article Source

Tags: promotional, strategies, plan, advertising, marketing

As a business, non-profit, government agency or association manager, one way or the other (and sooner or later), you’ll be paying for some kind of public relations results.

And hopefully, results that do something meaningful about the behaviors of those important audiences of yours that MOST affect the organization you manage.

Better yet, results that create the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

And even better still when those results reflect how your follow through persuaded those key outside folks to your way of thinking as you helped move them to take actions that allowed your department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

In my view, the alternative is unacceptable: managers preoccupied with simple tactics like press releases, broadcast plugs, special events and brochures, which deny them the best that public relations has to offer.

Instead, what is needed is good public relationsplanning that really CAN alter individual perception resulting in changed behaviors among key outside audiences. But that only happens when you demand more than just communications tactics. That’s when you’ll receive the quality public relations results you deserve.

Results, incidentally, based on a highly proactive premise that can easily go your way: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

When managers adopt such an approach to public relations, the desired end-products should soon emerge. For instance, prospects begin to do business with you; membership applications start to rise; welcome bounces in show room visits occur; customers starting to make repeat purchases; capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint venturesstart showing up; politicians and legislators begin looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; and community leaders begin to seek you out.

Still another epiphany occurs when you realize that the public relations people on your staff can be of real use for your new opinion monitoring project. After all, they’re already in the perception and behavior business. But to be certain, determine if those PR folks really accept why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services.

And this is really important: be sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Is your PR plan now complete? Better sit down and review it carefully with the public relations professionals on your team, be they agency, staff or parent. Discuss how you will monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Ask questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased with the exchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

If you decide that, instead of mobilizing your PR staff as key audience data gatherers, you may try professional survey firms to do the job. Just know that that may require more expense than using those PR folks of yours in that monitoring capacity. But whether it’s your people or a survey firm asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identifyuntruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

The most serious problem areas uncovered during your key audience perception monitoring call for setting a realistic, achievable PR goal. For example, will your goal be to straighten out a dangerous misconception? Correct a gross inaccuracy? Or, stop a potentially painful rumor before it does more damage?

To show you how to reach that new goal, a matching strategy should be established. However, there are only three strategic options available to you when it comes to solving perception and opinion problems. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. But the wrong strategy pick will taste like raspberry jam on your collard greens . So be certain your new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. You certainly don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a strategy of reinforcement.

One of the keys to success in public relations is the persuasive message, one that helps move a key audience to your way of thinking. It must be carefully written, and aimed directly at your key external audience. Lean on your best writer to accept the assignment because s/he must produce language that is not merely compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if it is to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

Who will carry that message to the attention of your target audience? Well, with your message written, approved and ready to go, you and your people must answer that question this way:“Communications tactics.” And there is no shortage of such tactics available to you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

It’s an unfortunate, but true aspect of public relations that HOW you communicate your message will bear heavily on its believability, always fragile at best. Which is why you may wish to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

Fact is, a second perception monitoring session will be needed to measure your progress in moving key audience perception,. The results will be your first progress report. Happily, you can use many of the same questions used in your benchmark session. But now, you will be watching
for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Oh, yes. Because a program occasionally can lose some of its early velocity, here are two remedies. Either add more communications tactics, or increase their frequencies,
or both.

And finally, publicity placements are satisfying, but when it’s REAL public relations performance you want, you had best shoot for creating the kind of external stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. And do so by persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking by helping move them to take actions that allow your unit to succeed.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.

Robert A. Kelly © 2006.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website.

Robert A. Kelly © 2005.

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi- cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations.

Visit this Site

Article Source

Tags: action, pr, plan, relations, public

We all have a device right close at hand that allows us to contact the media. It’s called a telephone. Alexander Graham Bell went to so much trouble to invent it and we don’t use it nearly enough.

Awhile ago I approached a reporter about a story using one of my restaurant clients. He liked the idea and told me to have my client call him directly. I briefed my client on the pitch and told him to call the reporter. A few days later I asked my client how it went and this is how the conversation ran:

How was the interview?

What interview?

The interview with the Newspaper.

Oh, he didn’t want to talk to me.

But he told me to have you call him.

Well, I called him once and he never called back.

So my client called him once and never called again. He actually assumed the reporter would drop everything and immediately return the call. When he didn’t, my client dropped it. Fortunately, I was able to patch things up and set up the interview. So often people just don’t call or call just once. Either they really believe the media will call back or they are so arrogant they expect the media to contact them. Of course, if you are one of the industry’s superstars, the media will contact you. But even then, you have to be available.

I always tell my clients, the person who stands to gain the most has to make the first move; in this case, the phone call.

So many people are fearful of contacting the media. Really, what is the worst that can possibly happen? Do you expect reporters to gather on your doorstep waving torches and muttering curses? Of course, not. The worst that can happen is they will say “no.” Isn’t that terrible, they will say no. Mr. Restaurateur, you own a restaurant, you know how to deal with people or, at least, you should. Are you so delicate that you can’t bear to be told no?

I would be the last person to tell you to make a nuisance of yourself, calling every hour on the hour. But I frequently call once, leave a message and then when they don’t call back, I call again. But when I make repeat calls, I leave no message and hang up if they don’t answer. That way, they don’t get so many messages they feel I’m stalking them. And if they don’t answer, why leave another message? I wait until I’m lucky enough to speak to them and then go into my pitch.

The important thing to remember here is you must make the call in the first place. There are very many people wanting publicity and only a comparatively small number of people who can give us that publicity. Another thing to remember is to be availabe at the reporter’s convenience, not yours. Remember: many of us and few of them. They don’t have to interview you, they can easily interview your competitor down the street who makes things easy for them.

A number of years ago I had a client who had been the recipient of a good deal of publicity and it went to her head. I called her one afternoon at home with the happy news that one of the top New York papers wanted to interview her that day. She didn’t want to do it because she was waxing her legs! Couldn’t the reporter do it another day? I explained that no, he couldn’t and she finally agreed to come into Manhattan for the interview (two pages).

So, remember, please: you make the call and you make yourself available at his convenience, not yours.

Miriam Silverberg is president of Miriam Silverberg Associates, a boutique publicity firm in New York City. She has represented and worked with restaurants, doctors, fashion and beauty clients,politicians and New York City Ballet.

Article source

Tags: pr, communications, plan, jobs, agency

In the ‘Age of Scepticism’ gaining media coverage is one way of cutting through the ever increasing noise to get your message across.

Research shows the average consumer receives between 1500 and 3000 marketing messages a day.

Editorial generated by media coverage is more credible than advertising and can help cut through the clutter.

It can also help build your reputation.

But how do you get media coverage?

Here are 10 tips for harnessing the marketing power of the media.

1. Know Your Strengths.

What are you an expert at? What is your specialized area of expertise? What unique services or information can you offer? Position yourself as the expert. Even in a crisis this can position you or your organisation as the ‘go to’ person. This builds credibility.

2. Clarify your communication objectives?

What do I want to achieve? To inform or entertain? To provide information? To build a profile? To influence public opinion? Personal marketing? Marketing or launching a new
product or service?

3. Define your target audience?

Who is my target audience? General public? Customers? Competitors? Suppliers? What age are they, what level of education, what beliefs and values, geographical location, how do they use the media? What influence do they have?

4. Identify the best channels of communication.

What is the best way to reach your target audience? TV, Radio, Internet, newspapers – local or Statewide, specialist or generalist, industry publications, community newsletters?

5. What is your key message?

Distil what you want to say into three key points. Remember less has more impact. Be disciplined and stay ‘on message’. How can this message resonate with, influence or tap into collective attitudes among relevant consumers?

6. Build your case?

What are the features, advantages and benefits of your message for your target audience? What evidence and proof do you have? This helps overcome what I call ‘the hump of cynicism’ entrenched in many journalists when they ask ‘why is this news?’.

7. What is the hook?

What will make your message or news release stand out from the rest. Be creative. Use a media release to control the information flow.

8. Develop long-term relationships with the media.

Visit and meet them face-to-face. Network and get to know them.

9. Use the Three Golden Rules to Perform at your Best = Know Your Topic, Be Prepared, Relax.

10. Seek Professional Help.

For maximum impact, effectiveness and value seek the advice of a media and communications professional.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting this Site. Visit Tom’s blog Here

Article Source

Tags: marketing, strategies, plan, strategic, management