Daily Biz Solutions

Article Contributed by Chris Woodward, My PR Tools

An important part of any public relations and marketing campaign is to be where your clients are. Becoming active in high-profile professional, business, and civic organizations builds your firm’s visibility and increases your networking opportunities.

In deciding which groups you or your top employees should become active in, the trick is to carefully pick and choose among the myriad organizations out there.  Focus on the ones your key customers belong to—the people who buy your products or make the decision to hire your firm. Your time is valuable and limited, so make the most of it.

You can start by asking yourself which organizations the key players in your target market belong to. What are the high-profile organizations in your industry, in your community? Take the time to do a survey of your clients and associates to find out what organizations they are active in.
Read the rest of this entry »

Your company brochure is the face of your business and plays an important part in your small business marketing and PR campaign. Whether it’s is a fold-out brochure or “press kit” with inserts, there are key areas your brochure should cover to showcase your products, services and expertise.

The following points cover the main messages to convey in your brochure. Under each point you will find a brief real-life example. Although these examples are from a brochure I created for a street maintenance firm, the main themes translate to any business or service.

1. A short introductory paragraph or two emphasizing your main messages:

Johnson Street Maintenance is the leading source of high-quality street sweeping services, serving more than 40 municipal clients. We are proud that we have elevated the standards of our industry and have earned an unequaled reputation of providing the highest quality services, with courtesy and complete dependability.
Read the rest of this entry »

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

When it comes to launching a new business or product, some marketing consultants might say that EVERY product is appropriate for a publicity or media exposure campaign. That is true to a degree, but as a PR/publicity professional and former media person, I would qualify that statement by saying that although new products would benefit from a solid publicity campaign, not all businesses or products and their pitches will grab the attention of the media.

A number of strategically generated features or product mentions in magazines, newspapers and TV/radio/cable shows nationwide can lend strong credibility to a new product. That “media bullhorn” can also do wonders toward educating consumers about your product. But does your product — and its media pitch — have what it takes to attract the media into giving you coverage in their pages or on their airwaves? As I mentioned, many products or businesses can generate some type of publicity and media interest, but in my professional experience, the types of products and pitches that lend themselves to the best media exposure include:

• home/garden products
• kitchen/cooking/food products
• consumer electronics
• automotive accessories
• home repair/DIY tools
• personal health/medical/fitness products
• recreational/outdoor products
• experts (business, health, technology)

If you have a new or under-publicized product in one of these categories, the media could be a good friend to you. However, you first have be a friend to the media. Your product (and pitch) needs to have what the media calls a “news peg” — that gives them a logical and newsworthy reason to feature YOUR product as opposed to the 200 other media pitches that are on their desks right now. Additionally, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to do your story or they WILL move onto a competitor’s pitch and product that is easier to cover.

• Can you provide a media sample?
• Do you have quality photos of the product?
• How can the product be purchased: in stores, catalogs, online, by phone?
• Can you arrange a quick interview if needed?

Products/services that don’t really lend themselves to media interest or publicity are things like:

• website developers
• cell phone/printer cartridge sales
• vitamin supplements
• insurance
• financial planning
• realtors
• MLM/downline schemes

I’m not implying that these types of businesses aren’t media worthy. I’m simply saying that from a media interest, editorial standpoint, there are thousands of competing product and businesses like these on the market and unless they are offering something truly unique, they lack that “news peg” that will attract the media’s attention. If you are launching, let’s say, a new garden tool that is very similar to many other garden tools on the market, don’t expect much interest from the media in putting together a feature. You can create that news peg by answering a few questions:

• How does your product differ from competing products already on the market?
• Why should the media and subsequent consumers be interested in your product?
• Does it provide a solution to an existing problem for consumers?

Bottom line – a properly maintained publicity campaign can help forge wonderfully reciprocal, mutually beneficial relationships with the media. Reciprocal, in that the media constantly need interesting information to put together their product profiles and business features — and YOU need constant media exposure to get the word out. If your product or business can meet the media standards mentioned above, you could benefit greatly from some solid nationwide media exposure. Getting your product mentioned in print articles and on TV/radio shows nationwide will help spread the word to customers — and at a fraction of the cost of a nationwide advertising campaign.
About the Author
Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc.
His business specializes in generating media exposure and publicity for innovative products, businesses, experts and inventions.
http://www.spreadthenewspr.com

(785) 842-8909