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Digg it UP - 8 Ways to Use Local Publicity to Drive Your Business
Networking is a great way to meet people in a "non-selling" setting. So, don't sell. Meet and greet. Ask people about their businesses. Be friendly and relaxed. Enjoy yourself. Get to know people. Above all, do not sell.If and when someone appears to meet your target criteria, ask for their business card. Then follow up with them later to see if there might be a fit.Here are some ideas to help you get the most from your networking:1. Set a time budget each week or month for your networking. Plan to attend a specific number of meetings or events at which you can network. Make sure your other tasks and responsibilities fit around these meetings. It's best to balance networking with your other lead generating activities. This way you can measure the value of your networking leads against the time spent acquiring them.2. Pick networking opportunities that put you face to face with
As a businessperson, your opinion matters when the subject
relates to your field of expertise.
Write a Regular Column. Many smaller publications (such as weekly
newspapers) are on the lookout for ongoing, well-crafted content.
You can fill their needs - and promote your business -- by
offering a regular column. Chances are, you’ve seen features
along the lines of "Ask the Handyman" or perhaps a health column
from a local doctor. Can you create a similar feature that taps
your knowledge or expertise? If so, craft a few sample columns
and present them to the editor
When Merriam-Webster assembled their list of most searched definitions for 2005, they could easily reason why certain words would make the list. Levee, tsunami, filibuster, and refugee were tied to events during the year. Even insipid was explainable due to the timing of the hits and comments made by Simon Cowell of wannabe singers during American Idol. Yet one word, the top word, seemed to be more wide-spread than caused by a single event. The word: Integrity.More people searched for the definition of integrity than any other word during the year. The searchers were potentially hungering for the days when one’s words coincided with their actions under an umbrella of honesty and morality. There was a day when one could trust their supervisor to have concern for their interests and for the heads of the organization to be concerned about the future of the people working for them. You c
nice story in BusinessWeek or USA Today is something to
celebrate, there are times when you need to grab attention a bit
closer to home.
If your business draws its clientele from a specific town, city
or region, focusing your energy on getting an elusive national
publicity hit may be overkill, especially when getting publicity
where you need it -- in your home town -- is often so much
easier.
Let's look at some techniques you can use to reach potential
customers right where you live, through your local papers, radio
and TV stations.
1) Get to Know Your Business Editor.
Unless you live in a very large city, it should be fairly easy to
get in touch with the business editor at the main newspaper
covering your region. A simple call to introduce yourself and
let the editor know that you have some news to share is a good
start. Remember some of the golden rules of calling a
journalist, though: be respectful of his or her deadline (don’t
call an editor in the late afternoon as deadlines approach) and
always start with "is this a good time to talk?" before kicking
into your pitch. In smaller markets, it may even be possible to
develop a personal relationship with a business editor, by
visiting the office or taking the editor to lunch. The bottom
line is this: keeping abreast of local businesses and finding
interesting stories to tell about people in the community is the
essential part of any business editor’s job. He’ll be thrilled
to hear from you if you can provide something new and fresh in
those areas.
2) Keep the Releases Flowing.
Once you’ve built a relationship with a business editor, keep it
growing by providing a regular dose of fresh news about your
company. Won an award? Hired a new executive? Investing in some
interesting new equipment? Scored a big new contract? Let the
editor know with a well-written, hype-free release. Don’t feel
the need to pump out a release for every little thing but, if
it’s something really newsworthy, keeping the editor in the loop
will help spur coverage on a regular basis.
3) Write a Letter to the Editor or an Op-Ed Piece.
If something occurs locally (or even nationally) that relates to
your business, let your voice be heard with a letter to the
editor or a longer "op-ed" opinion piece.
As a businessperson, your opinion matters when the subject
relates to your field of expertise.
Write a Regular Column. Many smaller publications (such as weekly
newspapers) are on the lookout for ongoing, well-crafted content.
You can fill their needs - and promote your business -- by
offering a regular column. Chances are, you’ve seen features
along the lines of "Ask the Handyman" or perhaps a health column
from a local doctor. Can you create a similar feature that taps
your knowledge or expertise? If so, craft a few sample columns
and present them to the editor o
This literally can be the most profitable thing you'll ever do for your business and that is to understand exploiting the actual value of your customer. It's been called the Marginal Net Worth and the Lifetime Value.What is the current worth of one of your customers or prospects? It's the total profit of an average customer over the lifetime that they do business with you. That includes all subsequent sales minus advertising/marketing and your fulfillment expenses.Let's say the average customer brings you $75 per sale. They re-purchase 3 more times in a year. Their average order amount is $300. On each $300 reorder, you make $150 gross profit The average life lasts 2 years. Every new customer is worth $975.You reach the 975 by adding the $75 initial profit to the 3 other purchases each year of $300. Only $150 is profit, so $150 times 3 equals $450. If they do that for 2 straight years
Unless you live in a very large city, it should be fairly easy to
get in touch with the business editor at the main newspaper
covering your region. A simple call to introduce yourself and
let the editor know that you have some news to share is a good
start. Remember some of the golden rules of calling a
journalist, though: be respectful of his or her deadline (don’t
call an editor in the late afternoon as deadlines approach) and
always start with "is this a good time to talk?" before kicking
into your pitch. In smaller markets, it may even be possible to
develop a personal relationship with a business editor, by
visiting the office or taking the editor to lunch. The bottom
line is this: keeping abreast of local businesses and finding
interesting stories to tell about people in the community is the
essential part of any business editor’s job. He’ll be thrilled
to hear from you if you can provide something new and fresh in
those areas.
2) Keep the Releases Flowing.
Once you’ve built a relationship with a business editor, keep it
growing by providing a regular dose of fresh news about your
company. Won an award? Hired a new executive? Investing in some
interesting new equipment? Scored a big new contract? Let the
editor know with a well-written, hype-free release. Don’t feel
the need to pump out a release for every little thing but, if
it’s something really newsworthy, keeping the editor in the loop
will help spur coverage on a regular basis.
3) Write a Letter to the Editor or an Op-Ed Piece.
If something occurs locally (or even nationally) that relates to
your business, let your voice be heard with a letter to the
editor or a longer "op-ed" opinion piece.
As a businessperson, your opinion matters when the subject
relates to your field of expertise.
Write a Regular Column. Many smaller publications (such as weekly
newspapers) are on the lookout for ongoing, well-crafted content.
You can fill their needs - and promote your business -- by
offering a regular column. Chances are, you’ve seen features
along the lines of "Ask the Handyman" or perhaps a health column
from a local doctor. Can you create a similar feature that taps
your knowledge or expertise? If so, craft a few sample columns
and present them to the editor
If you have a product you need to move or a web site that needs promotion, there are great ways to achieve the goal without breaking the bank. One of the best solutions is a smart printing campaign. Generally cheap, easy and quite capable of producing results, few things are easier than a smart printing campaign for getting the word out. Plus, printing doesn't just have to mean fliers.Printing is an easy way for you to market your business and the products that you sell. Many sellable goods can be printed such as T-shirts, baseball caps, book covers and cups. These items are easy to produce and a cost effective means of marketing your business or web site without the hassle of hiring an advertising firm.Creating a design is the first step in the process of screen-printing. Creating a design can be as simple or as complicated as you wish to make it. There are many web sites available on the
develop a personal relationship with a business editor, by
visiting the office or taking the editor to lunch. The bottom
line is this: keeping abreast of local businesses and finding
interesting stories to tell about people in the community is the
essential part of any business editor’s job. He’ll be thrilled
to hear from you if you can provide something new and fresh in
those areas.
2) Keep the Releases Flowing.
Once you’ve built a relationship with a business editor, keep it
growing by providing a regular dose of fresh news about your
company. Won an award? Hired a new executive? Investing in some
interesting new equipment? Scored a big new contract? Let the
editor know with a well-written, hype-free release. Don’t feel
the need to pump out a release for every little thing but, if
it’s something really newsworthy, keeping the editor in the loop
will help spur coverage on a regular basis.
3) Write a Letter to the Editor or an Op-Ed Piece.
If something occurs locally (or even nationally) that relates to
your business, let your voice be heard with a letter to the
editor or a longer "op-ed" opinion piece.
As a businessperson, your opinion matters when the subject
relates to your field of expertise.
Write a Regular Column. Many smaller publications (such as weekly
newspapers) are on the lookout for ongoing, well-crafted content.
You can fill their needs - and promote your business -- by
offering a regular column. Chances are, you’ve seen features
along the lines of "Ask the Handyman" or perhaps a health column
from a local doctor. Can you create a similar feature that taps
your knowledge or expertise? If so, craft a few sample columns
and present them to the editor
People often ask me how to make their stories more attractive to the media. I tell them that providing examples is one of the best ways to do just that.What do I mean by examples? Examples may include:1. Client comments or testimonials.To promote http://www.vegangal.com/: "Jane Johnson spent most of her life overweight. After trying every type of diet, she found a video on becoming a vegan at http://www.vegangal.com/. Six months later, she had lost 30 pounds and gained a great outlook on life."2. Expert quotes and opinions.To promote the benefits of a particular hedge fund: Notes Dave Fields, a leading hedge fund analyst, "Hedge funds typically offer investors a 5% greater return than any other type of investment."3. Anecdotes about people related to current trends.To promote Pamella Roland white pantsuits: "White pantsuits have recently been seen on the br
interesting new equipment? Scored a big new contract? Let the
editor know with a well-written, hype-free release. Don’t feel
the need to pump out a release for every little thing but, if
it’s something really newsworthy, keeping the editor in the loop
will help spur coverage on a regular basis.
3) Write a Letter to the Editor or an Op-Ed Piece.
If something occurs locally (or even nationally) that relates to
your business, let your voice be heard with a letter to the
editor or a longer "op-ed" opinion piece.
As a businessperson, your opinion matters when the subject
relates to your field of expertise.
Write a Regular Column. Many smaller publications (such as weekly
newspapers) are on the lookout for ongoing, well-crafted content.
You can fill their needs - and promote your business -- by
offering a regular column. Chances are, you’ve seen features
along the lines of "Ask the Handyman" or perhaps a health column
from a local doctor. Can you create a similar feature that taps
your knowledge or expertise? If so, craft a few sample columns
and present them to the editor
During the course of my career I was able to compile tips, techniques, and strategies which I feel can serve to advance one's career and help you to stand out at work. These attributes are listed below:Number 1. Know yourself - your strengths, abilities and limitations. Once you know your major characteristics you will be able to pin point the career path you should take and put all of your energy attention and passion into that endeavor. There is nothing worse that giving something your all while you are speeding along on the wrong career path, putting all your talent and ability to work doing things that you can never be the best.Number 2. Be a prudent risk taker - Think Big. To stand out at work and get ahead oft times calls for you to take risks. You should take risks only when they have been well thought out and planned. Never go hap hazard into any venture will out giving it some thoug
As a businessperson, your opinion matters when the subject
relates to your field of expertise.
Write a Regular Column. Many smaller publications (such as weekly
newspapers) are on the lookout for ongoing, well-crafted content.
You can fill their needs - and promote your business -- by
offering a regular column. Chances are, you’ve seen features
along the lines of "Ask the Handyman" or perhaps a health column
from a local doctor. Can you create a similar feature that taps
your knowledge or expertise? If so, craft a few sample columns
and present them to the editor of a publication in your area. You
might even suggest that you don’t wish to be paid if your contact
information (your web URL, number, etc.) is included with each
column. You’ll be providing great no-cost content for the paper
and generating strong local exposure -- and credibility -- for
your business.
4) Conduct a No-Cost Seminar.
Financial planners and real estate pros have known for years that
free seminars are a great way to drum up business and get local
publicity. Try developing a one or two hour seminar in your
field of expertise and offer it to the public. Make it meaty --
it can’t simply be a promo pitch. Here's some ideas to get your
creative juices flowing:
* Remodeling company: "Remodeling projects that do the most to
increase your home’s value"
* Doctor: "The latest research on extending your life-span --
explained and simplified"
* Stockbroker: "How to retire rich"
Promote your seminar by sending releases to the local media.
Keep your release entirely non-promotional. Highlight your
seminar as a public service, not as a commercial event. (Tip:
have someone videotape your seminar and offer the tape as a free
gift for future potential customers!)
5) Connect with Kids.
Local media outlets always enjoy stories that involve schoolkids.
Offer to visit a local school and talk to the students about an
important topic connected with your business or, better yet,
invite a class to come and visit your place of business. (If you
choose the latter, make sure that your business is somewhat
visual. Kids seeing how sheep get sheared or books get printed
makes for a good visual. A bunch of children standing in an
office looking at accounting tables doesn’t.) Craft a release
beforehand -- this one probably works best with features and
lifestyle editors. Suggest that they send a photographer down to
cover the event. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to get in touch with the
person at your local school district who handles media relations,
as they may prove very useful in drawing attention.
6) Partner with a Politician.
No matter how hungry you are for good press, I can guarantee
there’s someone even hungrier -- an elected official. If you can
team up with a local politician for a charity, educational or
public service program, chanc
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