The Power Publicist

Archive for July, 2008

Another issue of Be Heard!, the free weekly ezine, is now available.  Get the scoop on a free webinar with ReadyTalk on promoting your webinar or teleseminar (August 6 at 2 PM ET, 11 AM PT).  Also find out more about social networking for business, and get contacts at O, The Oprah Magazine.

Check it out here.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hearing a lot of hype about hosting your own webinars & teleseminars lately… That they can make you tons on money, etc.

And in some ways, it’s very true. No matter what business you are in, if you do them right, you can get more prospects in your funnel, and hopefully, sell to them again and again.

But with all the chatter going on, I’ve noticed a missing piece.

Sure, you can host a webinar or teleseminar. But if you don’t get people to come to it, it’s worthless.

I consistently get more than 100 people to each and every virtual event I host. And now, I want to share my secrets with you for FREE!

Thanks to my friends at ReadyTalk, I’m presenting a FREE webinar called: Promoting Your Webinar: Using Free Publicity to Attract More Targeted Participants

You’ll learn the step-by-step way to get more people to register for your online events, without spending a dime.

Find out more and register here.

There are many simple ways to make yourself into more of an asset to potential clients. Ever tried out Public Speaking? Not only does speaking in public provide you with a sense of confidence and charisma you may never have tapped into, you can really assert your expertise. People look for someone who can motivate them, we all do. Any potential partner would love to work with someone who has a strong voice and has great communication skills.

Here are a couple ways make people aware that you are available as a Public Speaker:

Create a website or e-zine. Let your audience know of upcoming public appearances and post topics that may interest them. They’ll want to learn more and attend events where you are speaking.

Make the most of your local library. Libraries contain numerous resources that can lead you to places where you’ll get paid to speak. They have access to several business directories, different forms of media and the Yellow Pages. Researching these can lead you to contact information and addresses of businesses that are look for and utilize professional lecturers.

Inform others of your public speaking experience in every presentation. Let others know of your knowledge in your field. It reassures them of your competence in your chosen field/business. However, anyone can give a speech and simply state that they are an expert. You need to back up your statements by including past public appearances and professional work that demonstrate your expertise.

Sign up with a speaking organization. The National Speaker’s Association is one of the most prominent organizations for professional speakers. The benefit of joining such an organization is that you’ll have the chance to learn from other skilled presenters, improve your public speaking skills and receive news of important events in your field.

Write an article that promotes and informs. Don’t write an article just to market your business. Provide useful tips beneficial to your readers as well. Give your audience a preview of what you will be presenting in your speech without going into too much detail. The key is to write an article that will provide a brief summary of your topic — just enough to catch the interest of your readers so they will want to attend the event where you will be speaking. Include your contact information in case they want to learn more about you and your business.

Even though I just wrote about a study that says personalization may not work if gratitius, it seems a new studys says it can really boost the buying process.

The Aberdeen Group’s research reveals that organizations using email personalization techniques report an average order value that’s 57% higher than their non-personalizing peers. In addition, those highest-rated companies are twice as likely to use the data they’re collecting about their customers to tailor personalized content to smaller, more segmented audience groups.

The study also showed that while 96% of organizations recognize the need for personalization, they often lack data to use in personalized emails and struggle to create personalized content.

What’s this mean to you?

The more you know about your subscribers – and the more you engage them, the better the response.

Frankly, it’s nothing new.  It’s basic marketing, adopted to a newer tool.

This month, most people are dreaming of what they’ll be doing on summer vacation, but my thoughts are growing cold.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas – and so should you, if you have a product or service that can be featured in a holiday gift guide. Those are the gift sections that start popping up in magazines, newspapers and on TV every November.

Due to the long lead times for these special sections, many media outlets – especially magazines – start looking for gift ideas in the summer. And as the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm. So you need to start pitching your gift ideas now in order to make the cut.

Here’s the scoop on some of the major media types and their usual deadlines:

• Magazines – July
• Wires and Syndicates – September
• Newspapers – October
• TV – November

Here are some tips to help you make the most of the holidays right now:

1) Don’t just put your gift suggestion in one category. Be creative. For example, I’ve pitched one of my clients, Brown Bag Botanicals, not only as Gift for Women, but a Stocking Stuffer, a Gift for the Mom to Be and a Gift for Your Girlfriends.

2) Keep your pitch short: no more than three paragraphs. Highlight the product, offer samples (if available) and photos, and don’t forget your contact details.

3) Always check to find out who is responsible for the gift guide and what type of information they would like to receive. Some may want a press kit & product samples; others may just want a pitch.

And don’t forget to think beyond gift guides. Sometimes you can use the holidays as a great launch for a story. If you’re selling spa & massage services, for example, offer up tips to relax during the holiday season. If you provide interior design services, a story idea on simple & inexpensive decorating for the holidays would be gladly appreciated.

There’s also a great resource to help you find every detail on what a media outlet wants for their holiday features. It’s called The Gift List, and you can get 15% off any list by by using this exclusive link: http://www.giftlistmedia.com/?link=sc. This is the same media list that I use to get clients on Oprah and The Today Show, as well as featured in Ladies Home Journal, American Baby & more.