Daily Biz Solutions

Guest post by Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc.

Mastering the Media: How to make the most of your publicity/media exposure opportunities

As a former TV news reporter/producer and a current PR professional, I have been on both sides of the media interview game. I like to think I have a good eye for what makes a good interview source, how to conduct an interesting interview, and how to give a compelling interview. There are a few tricks of the trade that can make you come off like a pro — which will make the reporter’s job easier and most likely translate into a better PR placement for you.

Here are a few basic tips to follow:

* When a publicity campaign generates a media response, respond as promptly as possible. The media is on constant deadline. If they don’t get what they want from you quickly — they WON’T wait — they WILL move on to another source.

* State facts, not fireworks, keeping superlatives to a minimum. Proving your product is indeed the “BEST” is impossible. So don’t. Simply state the specific benefits of your product matter of factly. As long as you have a quality product, something that should be evident by the time you implement a publicity campaign, your product won’t need “BEST EVER” or “NUMBER 1” claims to come out in a positive light.

* Speak in sentences, not phrases. Articulate your answers in the following manner: Subject — Verb — Object — Reason

Ex: “We (subject) are launching (verb) our new product (object) to give consumers a healthy new option in beverages (reason).”

This will help you give answers that are straightforward and easily understood. Beginning sentences with phrases, tends to make your answers seem drawn out, disjointed and most times unresponsive. This is not to say you should never begin a sentence with a phrase. Granted, some media savvy interviewees can pull it off with articulation. But until you get to that level — stick to the fundamentals.

* “Echo-answer” the main questions. If a reporter asks: “What’s so great about your new product?” — try to paraphrase and answer: “The great thing about our product is…” That quote/soundbite is much more likely to be used because that answer can stand on its own without needing a “set-up” sentence in the article/story. A reporter can throw that quote in anywhere and it is a logical, understandable statement about the product.

* Keep quotes and sound bites concise and articulate. If you must have a “canned response” to a question speak conversationally, not like a robot. A good rule of thumb for answer lengths: Effective TV/radio news broadcast soundbites should be around 4-10 seconds — something you can speak comfortably in about 3 or 4 normal breaths. Anything longer and it may seem to drone on. That’s why they are called sound bites. Regardless, stick to the S-V-O formula and there’s no real way you can get off track and therefore open you up to awkward follow-up questions.

* Be a well, not a fountain. By that I mean allow the interviewer to dip in and draw out your responses instead of spewing forth a tirade of unsolicited information. (Don’t worry – most interviewers will “lead” you into discussing the most relevant aspects of your product) You will seem more genuine and less self-serving if you answer the interviewer’s questions succinctly and professionally. This is especially true in “firefighting” publicity — when your product/business/company is being interviewed in the wake of a problem.

* Speak to the interviewer, not the medium. Don’t get blinded by the “stage lights”. Whether you are speaking to the editor of a small town weekly newspaper or Oprah, consider the reporter just a single person in your extensive targeted audience. Treat the interview as a one on one conversation with the reporter. That will make you more at ease, allow you to think more clearly and let you be more genuine in your responses.

About the Author

Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc.
His business specializes in generating publicity & media exposure for innovative
products, services & experts.
(785) 842-8909

http://www.spreadthenewspr.com

Guest Post by Brett Stevens, SearchLogix Group

Are you your resume? I don’t think so.

A resume is a brief snapshot of our work history. If the candidate lacks a certain requirement, the recruiter should ask if the candidate has experience in that area. It might have just been left out intentionally. For example, “The candidate has never worked in a Distribution Center” might be that the candidate never specified the difference in a distribution center or a warehouse and didn’t include it in the resume. “The candidate has never implemented a Warehouse Management System before!” The candidate elected not to put that on the resume. We are taught to “be direct and get to the point” and a resume should be a light overview of the work history and basic contact information.

Does a piece of paper accurately predict what results a new employee? Not without personal contact to “peel the onion open” to see what’s driving the candidate, how results are created, what the motivation is, etc. The better recruiters will explore the best fit that is essential to placing the top candidate for your company in a critical position. If your recruiter is “worth his or her salt” they will explore the candidate’s background in detail and identify the requirements needed to fill the position. Recruiters don’t want to waste time with the wrong candidate.

Start a search with clearly defined requirements and then pass them along to the recruiter. We hear clients ask for overseas negotiation experience, but then state later we want someone who has actually flown overseas and knows the proper vendors to deal with in the Orient. A far cry from “overseas negotiations.” Identify those requirements and work accordingly. Recruiters want to get the right candidate and make the placement. More then likely if they have spent time with the candidate and submitted them, it’s because the candidate matched the given requirements.

About the Author:

Brett Stevens is founder and President of The SearchLogix Group. Brett has enjoyed remarkable success in the executive search business in the fields of Software Sales, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Distribution, Warehousing, and Transportation. He has achieved the industry’s highest level of professional certification: Certified Senior Account Manager (CSAM). He has received numerous regional, national, and international awards through meeting the needs of his clients. He continues to achieve record breaking performance and has been nationally recognized for those results with The SearchLogix Group. Brett is a member of The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, formerly The Council of Logistics Management (CLM), The Association for Operations Management, The Warehousing Education and Research Council, and The Institute of Industrial Engineers. He has been recognized in many trade and online magazines and is a notable guest speaker. Most recently, Brett was recognized internationally by both the American Stroke Association and the Prostate Cancer Foundation for his fundraising efforts. You can email Brett at [email protected] or telephone him at  770-517-2660  x20.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Guest Post by Janet Holian, President, VistaPrint Europe

As a small business, your budget is tight and your time is even tighter.  But you still have to compete with larger organizations that have big budgets and even bigger staff.  Let’s face it image is everything and if you can’t look big, prospective customers will go elsewhere.

How can you make your small business look big without breaking the bank? Start with these five time and budget friendly ideas.  In no time you’ll be competing head-to-head with the larger organizations in your market.

1. Powerful Logo – the logo of your company is often the first thing that someone sees.  It doesn’t have to be expensive, but don’t take it for granted.  It should communicate the values of your company – strong, dedicated, customer focused, etc – and be on all of your marketing materials

2. Business Cards – Don’t underestimate the power of the business card.  It’s often the first thing someone sees when you meet them for the first time and they are you when you aren’t there. Make sure your business cards are high-quality, full-color and make an immediate impact.  Distribute them freely to ensure that your name gets out there often.  Give a stack of cards to colleagues who will pass them along to potential customers. 

3. Professional Materials—Produce high-quality, professional materials for all of your branding and marketing initiatives.  All of your collateral materials – business cards, letterhead, brochures, note cards, post cards, giveaways and even return address labels – should all match and make a strong impression. And don’t forget note cards for hand written thank you notes.  Because prospects and customers like to review information from home, clear and easy-to-read brochures with product or service information are important.  Skip photo-copied fliers on colored paper and shoot for full color glossy materials.  Hand them out when you meet with clients or prospects at shows and conferences.

4. Reinforce Your Brand With Great Giveaways—Stay in front of your customers every day.  Look for cost-effective options that have staying power.  If it makes sense for your business, items like calendar magnets with seasonal professional sports calendars are a great way to ensure your customers will place your business and contact information in a frequently viewed location like the refrigerator or file cabinet. Also consider holiday cards and holiday promotional giveaways with your name and messaging.

5. High Impact, High Frequency Mailings—Promotional mailings are one of the most cost-effective ways to keep you top of mind with your customers.  Look for high-impact, full-color postcards that inform customers of your latest successes or upcoming sales.  The frequency of the communication is almost as important as what you say.  Mail your customer base twice a month for the best response.  If you can segment your database, send smaller print runs of mailings to targeted audiences.  You’d be surprised how appropriate mailings can impact the bottom line.

No matter your budget, these simple tips will enable you to look professional and will keep your company’s name in front of your customers.  

Janet Holian is President of VistaPrint Europe. VistaPrint (www.vistaprint.com) is the small business marketing company.

Guest Post by Steve, Vice President of Marketing for Protus

 Back in the 1980s, a popular television show named MacGyver gave rise to a whole new term. Essentially, the cleverness of his ability to extricate himself from life-or-death situations by making something out of practically nothing led to the use of his name as a verb. As in, “I locked myself out of the house, but I managed to McGyver a paper clip onto a popsicle stick with some chewing gum and use it to unlock a window so I could get in.” MacGyvering (being in the process of building something) and MacGyvered (telling the story of your triumph afterward) also became quite popular.
Entrepreneurs who are starting their own businesses in the current economy – whether by choice or circumstances – could learn a lot from our friend Mr. MacGyver. Because while starting a business using conventional methods can be expensive, there are things you can do to severely reduce costs without reducing your ability to do the work or service your customers properly. Here are a few ideas on how to MacGyver your seed money to make it go farther.

Opt for used computers instead of new
 Yes, everyone loves a bright, shiny new PC with all its bells and whistles. The thing is, most small business owners really don’t need all that processing power. Take a look at what you want the computer to do. If you’re planning to use it with basic office applications such as word processors and spreadsheets, send and receive email, and surf the Internet, a used or refurbished PC will likely work just fine.
You can purchase used or refurbished computers online for as little as $99. Many of these computers are units that have come off-lease from large corporations, so you know they should have the core capabilities and speed you need.
If you need to share files or resources with one or more co-workers, you can build simple file and print sharing networks with used wireless routers or low-cost devices available at local retailers (as long as you have a little MacGyver in you to put the network together.) As a bonus, by purchasing used technology you’ll also be helping the environment by keeping those PCs out of landfills.

Create a business phone system using mobile phones
 Mobile phones and PDAs are rapidly displacing the old land line phones among consumers. In fact, the latest figures show that roughly 20 percent of all American households are wireless-only. Now the technology exists to move business phones in the same direction.
 Virtual phone services for small business allow you to overlay an entire business phone system on top of any working phone number – including a mobile number.  Here’s how they work: when you sign up for a virtual phone service you are assigned a phone number (which will become your “business” number). Usually you can choose between a toll-free or local phone number, although “local” is a loose term since you can choose the area code you want. The service provides business-oriented features such as an auto-attendant to greet callers and direct them to the right people, the ability to assign extensions to different people in the company (even if those people don’t work at the main office), voicemail, call forwarding and more.
Calls to the business phone service number go to the service provider, and then are routed to the phones you identify as being part of your phone system. Here’s where it really gets good.
Each of the extensions can be forwarded to your employees’ own mobile and/or home phones, saving on the cost of phone equipment. Users can receive notifications that they have a voicemail message in their email, or even receive a file with voicemail message in their email so they don’t have to call in to retrieve it. Anyone on the system can initiate a conference call, and in some cases bring in as many people as they want whenever they want. All of this functionality (and more) comes for a monthly fee that’s often less than the price of one land line – and with no added cost for equipment or technicians to run it.
As for your personal mobile phone becoming your business phone, not to worry. Your old mobile number will still work too, so it’s easy to distinguish between business and personal calls. The phone number is just the peg on which to MacGyver the service.

Skip leasing office space
 The first two ideas enable this third one. There is something thrilling about having an actual office to go to; nothing says “legitimate” like a separate office. But if you’re trying to conserve cash in a tight economy, consider passing on leasing one office space for your organization in favor of some thrifty alternatives.
 An obvious one is to have everyone work from home. There’s no cost for the space, and you can use an online service to store and share documents, creating a de facto network for the organization. You’ll also save on many of the things you don’t think of at first, such as office furniture, decorating expenses, coffee for the office (along with a coffee maker), a common copier and more.
 If you feel you personally need an office that’s separate from your home, see if you can sublet space from another company in your area. With all the downsizing that’s occurred recently, especially in service-oriented businesses, many companies are probably paying for empty space. If you can sublet one of those empty offices you’ll both win. And with the virtual phone service you won’t even have an impact on their phone bills.
 You can also look into common office space – the type where several organizations share certain resources, such as a common lobby, conference rooms and admin support – while occupying different offices. Often they come equipped with furniture and other office equipment, helping you keep your costs lower. Shop around a little and you may find a great bargain.
 Shopping around also applies to traditional office space. The down economy has created a lot of empty spaces that are costing commercial real estate companies money. Lots of it. Nationally, a little more than 13 percent of office space is unoccupied now. In some regions, though, the figure is almost double that.
Ask around to see where space has been empty for a long time and put on your negotiating hat. Right now commercial real estate companies may figure some income is better than none, and you can move in to space you normally couldn’t afford as a startup.

Beat the odds
 The key to MacGyver’s genius (and popularity) was how creative his solutions were. He didn’t have James Bond’s Q Branch creating devices for him. He simply improvised using whatever he thought would work.
 Remember that most small businesses fail within the first year because their spending outpaces their income. The best way to beat those odds is to keep your spending to a minimum. With a little creativity (and a little help from the right technologies) you can MacGyver together an office that is both fully functional and economical. And one that will serve as a launching pad for when the economy gets better.

Steve Adams is Vice President of Marketing for Protus (www.protus.com), provider of the highest quality Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) communication tools for small-to-medium businesses (SMB) and enterprise organizations, including my1voice, the cost-effective, feature-rich virtual phone service that travels with the user from phone to web, award-winning MyFax, the fastest growing Internet fax service and Campaigner, an email marketing solution with advanced automation features.  Steve can be reached at .