You’d think with all the communication going on these days
that we’d be getting tired of reading more material – but
it seems in this “information era” we can’t get enough
knowledge whether it’s through online sites such as the one
you are currently logged into or through books and
magazines. So how can we tap into this valuable resource?
Learn how you can build some buzz for your business through
the Power of the Press.
Recently a colleague had an article about her appear in a
magazine and wondered how she could maximise this
opportunity for some publicity. A participant at a recent
seminar of mine wondered if writing articles and submitting
them to magazines was a good publicity idea. Yes! Anytime
you have something written about you it creates awareness
of you and your product or service.
The media is such a powerful tool and when used well can
really help profile you and your brand. Two ways you can
use the media to profile your business and brand is through
a media publicity campaign or writing articles for
magazines. They can help position you as the expert and
authority in your area. The first person people contact
when it comes to that subject. People notice. Okay they
might not immediately pick up the phone and buy from you,
but consistently being seen says, “you’re in business, you
mean business and I’m here when you’re ready to buy”.
The main thing you need to be aware of when writing an
article or media release is that you need to have something
interesting to say. You need to be unique, differentiate
yourself from the others in your field. What is you point
of difference? What sets you apart? Once you work that out,
that can be your “hook” to gain media attention.
What does it mean to others? Will this information be of
benefit or help people in any way? Great to be different
but what relevance does it have? Will it have an impact on
my customers or general public? Can that point of
difference help them?
Do I walk my talk? Am I believable? Do I have the history
or skills to back up my claims? Can I give real life
examples in my stories? What research or statistics have I
discovered? Am I a leader in my field?
Do other people back up those claims? Do I have
testimonials or awards or the $$ to say I’m successful at
what I do? Can you include quotes from others endorsing
what you do? Will they say great things about you?
Am I truly an expert? Have I invested in gaining knowledge
about my industry, my customers and the competition? Do I
have articles on my website on my subject, white papers,
special reports or written a book that demonstrates my
expertise?
You need to be consistent with your media efforts. Keep in
touch with your contacts whether journalists or magazine
editors and build personal relationships. Once you’re known
as the expert and your personal brand shines through the
media will come knocking on your door.
By the way I do write a number of regular articles for
online websites and other consumer publications and find it
to be great PR. As an example, I wrote an article for a
business magazine a while ago. Someone from an industry
association saw the piece I wrote, ran it in their online
magazine and from that I secured speaking and consulting
work and just presented at their annual seminar this year.
Now it might seem like a lot of hard work writing articles
particularly if you don’t think you have the expertise. But
it’s like anything, once you start it does get easier as
you go along. Why not start with just one article and
submit it to as many publications or online sites as
possible.
Begin to develop the habit of writing a regular newsletter
with content you can develop further into articles. Post
articles on your website also as search engines love that
content. The more awareness you create inevitably it will
create more business.
Now that you have all these articles what else can you do
with them? Well apart from posting them on your website -
keep hard copies. Keep a portfolio of your work that you
can show potential clients. Laminate the articles and
display them in your office. Send out copies to potential
clients. Print out the articles and have them bound into a
booklet that you can give away as a prize or raffle.
If your article is in a magazine, another thing you can do
is ask the publisher of the magazine for extra copies. If
you know well in advance maybe they can do an extra print
run for you and you can give away complete copies of the
magazine to prospects.
As a result of creating some “buzz” for myself as a writer
I was asked to be a regular contributor to Flying Solo a
small business website. And…there’s more… I have also
just published my first book a co-authored publication
called Apprentice to Business Ace – your inside-out guide
to personal branding.
—————————————————-
Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications
Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace -
your inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business
educator and speaker on personal branding through image and
media. Sign up for free monthly tips at
http://www.shinecomms.com.au/contactmanager/default.cfm
To learn more about how you can achieve recognition,
enhance your image and shine, visit
http://www.shinecomms.com.au
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