Marketing Comet - Small Business Marketing Secrets

What Is Newsworthy? PR For Your Small Business

The results of good press on a small business profits can be explosive. I have previously written about a case where a single article increased one small business's revenue by 20% overnight. Yet many small businesses do not make PR a part of their marketing efforts.

I think the reason for a lack of PR effort is that small business owners may simply not have the know-how. I also frequently hear, "but I don't have anything going on that the press would report on."

The first part of your PR campaign is to identify your target press outlets. Local newspapers and business journals are obvious choices. TV and radio are other choices. Look around for local shoppers newspapers that aren't just ads.  You might also look for local news and shopping web sites or ezines. Get a good list with contact information for appropriate editors and reporters.

Now look for reasons to contact the press - some reasons my be:

• An Event - Throwing a special event, party, demonstration, fundraiser? Do a press release before and after the event. If it's appropriate - invite members of the press to the event.
• New Products or Services - Are you bringing in a new product line or adding a new service? Are you solving a new problem for your customers?
• Change in company information - Did you move, change names, change hours, add new personnel, change owners?
• Awards or Commendations - Toot your own horn whenever a third party recognizes your excellence.
• Employee Newsworthiness - Do you have an outstanding employee that is running a marathon for charity? Has one of your employees recently gotten an industry certification? You can also give your own employees awards and send out a press release.
• Seasonal Tips - Maybe you run a dry-cleaning business - you could write a list of tips for storing summer clothes when fall comes. If you are a landscaper - how about tips on winter-proofing your trees and shrubs.

PR is an integral part of marketing which can pay off with a huge boost to your profits. Use your creativity and look for opportunities to get press.

J D Moore - Marketing Comet
Technorati Tags : pr, public+relations, small+business, marketing, small+business+marketing

Free Press Release Distribution

PR is a beautiful thing - I have written previously about how to deal with the press

I am a regular reader of John Jantsch's Duct Tape Marketing Blog. And he had a link to another blogger's site who has kindly posted a list fo free places to post press releases. Here's that blog.

PRWeb is an old standby I have used for a long time. A press release I sent through there recently was read by 16,000 people in the first few hours it went online and is still generating hits on the web site it was promoting.

J D Moore - Marketing Comet

5 Tips For Dealing With The Press

A good friend of mine is an editor at a major metropolitan newspaper. He once ran a story about a service that offers home delivery of organic fruits and vegetables in the home section. From that one article, this small business increased its revenue by 20%! Who couldn’t use an instant 20% bump in business?

Positive press should be an important part of your marketing strategy. Press is effective because people consider it an objective third party and an authority. Legitimate press has a tremendous amount of credibility. If they good things about your business - it carries a lot of weight.

The thing that surprises me is that my editor friend tells me that he can’t get some business owners to call him back when trying to set up an interview.  These business owners might as well be shoveling stacks of cash into the furnace! I don’t get it.

Here are some tips for dealing with the press:

1. Be available: I have been really fortunate to get a lot of press exposure for my various businesses. I will drop just about anything to talk to a reporter or editor, or to appear on camera or radio. If you are a good interview and available – reporters will keep you in the rolodex and call you back. Being unavailable means you miss out on opportunities to boost your profits.
2. Learn how press releases work: Press releases are a powerful PR weapon when used correctly. This article is too short to go into how to write and send press releases, so I’ll just recommend that you educate yourself on how they work.
3. Be nice: Do not badger reporters or editors for coverage. Do you enjoy working with people who annoy you? Be nice to everybody in the organization. If you are rude to the advertising sales people it can definitely get back to the editors – who may decide to call on your competitor for the next article. Be pleasant when you speak to the press (actually it’s a great rule of thumb for the world in general).
4. Avoid unethical press: If a press organization offers to do a story about your business in exchange for running an ad, or cash, or anything – politely decline. Legitimate press never prostitutes itself like that; illegitimate press is transparent and ineffective.
5. Stay positive: Never, ever, ever badmouth a competitor or anybody else, especially to the press. Be prepared to be asked about competitors, and have positive responses prepared if you can’t speak off the cuff. Whenever the press asks me about a competitor, I always say something like, “they’re greatthey do x and we’re a little different because we offer y”. Differentiation is great, put-downs make you look like a jerk.

J D Moore – Marketing Comet