The Power Publicist

Archive for September, 2008

We have to be honest, not many of us have ever dealt with an economic crash. So most of us don’t know what steps to take should a recession take place.

As a normal consumer, we are all making changes when it comes to spending. We may go out to dinner less, or cut down on impulse buying. These are steps you should take as a small business owner, as well.

With the threat of a recession at hand, many may feel necessary to focus on cash flow rather than creating media buzz. Luckily there are certain public relations and marketing methods out there that are inexpensive and with a little knowledge can be taken advantage of during times of downturn.

PR and marketing skills are essential when running a business. Here are several free tips about what to do with your business during a recession.

• Do not stop marketing. Be smart, cut back, but remember the time you spent building up your company. If you drop your marketing efforts, you’ll have to ramp them up again!

• Continue developing your relationships with current customers. Yes, it is always nice to gain new customers, but by focusing on those who already know, like and trust you, you’re more apt to continue to profit. And remember, it costs less to target your current clients, than trying to get new ones.

• Pay close attention to consumers and their actions. By keeping an eye on new trends in your target markets, you can outsmart your competitors and make changes in products and prices.

• Locate and invest in market segments that are continuing to grow during a recession. You want to win these markets whether you are already selling to those markets or if they are new market segments.

Another issue of Be Heard!, the free weekly ezine, is now available.  Get tips on working with reporters, info on the improved Penny Pinching Publicity, and contacts at Good Morning America.

Check it out here.

If you want your event or press conference to end well, and you want to see results, there are plenty of steps to take to ensure its Publicized well. If you can make sure to avoid a few easy-to-miss mistakes, you should be able to conduct a great event!

The steps to great publicity are there, its just important not to skip any. You don’t have to be an expert to follow a few simple rules, right? Exposure is right around the corner, and here a couple ways to get there.

Be audience conscious. Keep in mind that not all event topics or event types cater to everyone. It may be best to put your interpersonal skills to good use when a smaller crowd is involved. That way, the person you’re speaking with will get a better sense of what you and your business is about. When dealing with a larger number of people, it may more useful for you as a respectable public figure to speak to all members of your audience at the same time.

Identify the occasion. Ask yourself this question. Is my event worth talking about? Make sure that your event revolves around a topic of interest. You want your event to be news worthy and have substance. Otherwise people won’t likely be interested in attending. It won’t do your reputation any good, either.

Create a plan. First and foremost, put someone in charge. Publicity can become a mess if too many people are involved. Although it’s helpful to assign small tasks to a few people, there should be one person responsible for overseeing and managing the arrangements. Second, do the planning for your event far in advance. Make a decision on how you want to inform others about your event. Then organize a system for making your plan work. Create a schedule of these activities to keep you organized.

Provide correct information. Present the 5 Ws: Who, What, When, Where, Why. The most important thing is to make sure you give accurate information such as the date, time, and address of the event. Always include contact information in your flyer for those who want additional information or have questions.

Keep up with those involved. After the event, make sure to send thanks to those who helped make your event happen and those who attended. You could also send out a small thank you card to those involved in the media relations of your event and let them know the outcome. It always helps to be on good-terms with the media for any future events. You may also want to write about the results of your event and send to the local press for publication. Chances are if your event was successful and worth talking about, it would be considered newsworthy, something that people would want to know about.

Conduct a post-event assessment. Talking to those who attended your event will help you to understand what went well and what didn’t. Keep notes on things that you wish happened differently. When you begin to understand what attracts people to your event and what doesn’t, you will learn what will bring more people to your events in the future. That will ultimately enhance your PR rep.

Another issue of Be Heard!, the free weekly ezine, is now available.  Save 35% on your Publicity Breakthrough, learn how to pitch your story to reports over the phone, and get contacts at Better Homes & Gardens.

Check it out here.

Social networking sites used to be for tech geeks and students. But not anymore. Online networking has become one of the best, easiest and cheapest ways to get noticed on the web. And small business owners are taking notice and joining in by leaps and bounds.

Websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace and various online forums have rapidly become serious assets for businesses and people – especially those who are trying to gain more recognition and reach a larger audience among groups they may not have had such access to in the traditional world of networking.

However, these networking sites can be just as harmful as they are helpful. Remember, your page is your first impression and just about anyone using a search engine can stumble onto your page. Suppose you are on one of these sites to boost your professional/business image and gain useful contacts and clients. There are definitely a lot of things that tweens, teens, etc., include in their profiles that you should definitely not incorporate into yours.

Here are some suggestions creating a successful professional page:

A picture is worth a thousand words. It’s the first thing people look at when they go to your website. Your page should be professional — keep it that way. Leave the pictures of you chugging beers at the family barbeque in the scrapbook and opt for a few professional photographs.

Make yourself accessible. On many of these sites, there are options that block people from seeing your profile unless you are “friends” with them. When promoting yourself, you don’t want people to have to wait until you accept them as a friend to see your page. The longer they wait, the quicker they will lose interest. Keep it public.

Background check. Let people know what you’re about. You can include some personal information that gives insight about you. Just don’t overdo it. Share personal information that will increase credibility in your field of expertise. Explain more about your business and include other contact information — in case a potential client/customer is interested in contacting you.

Comments are a great way to keep in touch with contacts. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly casual nature of “comment walls,” as they are called. Be friendly, but not too friendly, offensive or sloppy in your posts.

Take an “application” vacation. Many sites allow you to add cute, quirky little applications to your page. While some of these might be fun and useful in maintaining relationships with other users, don’t bog down your page with every single application request that comes your way. You are also notified when someone sends you something. You then have the option to accept it to your page or deny it. Use your better judgment when choosing to allow applications to post.

Feed me. Some of these sites have news feeds that tell you what your friends have been up to on the website and tell your friends what you have been up to. Err on the side of caution and don’t do something on the site that could potentially upset someone. If you don’t want your entire friend community to know something, send private messages to just a chosen few who need this information.

Keep in mind that not all of these sites may be right for you. There are networking sites that are completely professional and specialized for your industry, as well as generic ones that include a diverse community of people with different lifestyles. Research the ones interest you and could be the most beneficial for you and your business. Keep your accounts to a minimum though. It can be difficult to maintain relationships if you have too many profiles to keep up with.