What’s Your Work Ethic?

December 9, 2008

 

Over the weekend, I was walking along the beach early in the morning and noticed several people standing around with brooms. They were all wearing bright orange vests and seemed like they were fulfilling a community-service obligation.

As I passed the group, I heard the leader say, “Now, take your time. If they see you’re not doing anything, they’ll give you more work to do.”

Sure enough, a few minutes later, I noticed all of the volunteers spread out across the sidewalk…standing there looking at the ocean with brooms in hand. There must have been 25-30 people in the group!

Now, in my opinion, about five people could have swept the entire sidewalk in a matter of hours while the others did something more beneficial elsewhere.

I like to avoid negativity, but I felt this was a total waste of people power and it really got me thinking. With everything going on in the world, isn’t there a way these workers could have completed their community-service hours by directly helping others in need, recycling or taking part in some other volunteer activity that provided value?

In addition, what kind of work ethic does this support?

If you were given this situation, would you just stand there and look at the ocean, or would you try to do a good job with the task you were given?

Obviously, many people would take the lazy route and enjoy the ocean view. But is this the mentality that got them to this point in the first place?

Having a strong work ethic is essential in today’s economic environment. Now is not the time to do “only what is expected.” Instead, it’s important to go above and beyond.

The hard-working people who put in the extra effort now will be the ones who will be able to compete, weather these tough times and experience great success in the future…so with this in mind, are you going to settle with the status quo or make your dreams a reality with hard work and perseverance?

If you have copywriting and PR questions, please let me know. I’m here to help!

3 Comments | business, Reaching Goals | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
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Are You Available?

October 23, 2008


I’ve mentioned this information before, but I think it’s important. If you’re not receiving media calls and you’ve spent the appropriate time researching various venues, preparing your media kit, updating your online newsroom, and pitching reporters accordingly, there may be one key factor you’ve overlooked – Availability.

Their deadlines and you.
Many media members work on very tight deadlines and need information immediately. If you are not available to answer questions, set interviews with company leaders or provide needed information, you will not get the media coverage you’ve worked so hard to obtain.

They may not leave a message.
And please don’t think reporters will just leave a message. If your phone keeps ringing or voicemail picks up, most reporters on a tight deadline will immediately move on to another source.

As a small business owner, I know it can be very difficult to be available at all times. With this in mind, be sure to check your phone and e-mails frequently. Or, have an assistant handle media requests and let you know as soon as a reporter or producer calls. This kind of call should be a priority as it can mean thousands of dollars in free publicity now and in the future.

By taking a few simple steps to provide reporters with the information they need, when they need it, you will have more media-placement opportunities.

More importantly, you will set your reputation as a professional who returns call quickly, provides valuable information and is available to give reporters the data they need during tight deadlines.

This is just a little reminder to help you get more media coverage. If you’d like more information, or have small business public relations questions, feel free to comment below or visit www.rembrandtwrites.com to get my monthly newsletter full of valuable PR and writing tips. Thanks!

2 Comments | business, PR, Small Business PR | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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3 Quick Ways to Build Buzz and Sales

October 21, 2008

 

If the economic crunch is starting to hurt your business, it’s time to act
fast to increase sales. Here are three cost-effective publicity activities you
can do now to help build buzz:

1. Team Up With a Bigger Organization.
Find a business or charity with a big name that compliments your products and services. Create a special discount, holiday package or event. Then, invite the press.

You’ll be able to split the costs, time and effort while sharing media resources and customer databases.

2. Contact Media Members Directly.
In addition to sending out a press release to build buzz, pick up the phone too! Contact a targeted reporter, introduce yourself and provide your unique and newsworthy story.

You can also offer yourself as an expert resource for a future story. The point is to start a media relationship and make contact. You may just end up with a feature story from one simple call!

3. Update Your Website.
Is your site current? If not, add valuable information for potential
customers. Make it easy to do business with you. Also, add some keywords to your site so that search engines can find you.

After all, if you don’t look like you are “home,” potential customers will visit
other sites to obtain information and assistance. Don’t miss out on potential business! Try to keep your site updated and provide contact information so people can reach you.

Just by taking a few minutes to make an extra effort, you can increase sales for your business. Even if you have zero funds, try to be creative and think about your customers and media members. What do they want right now, and how can you fulfill their needs?

For more help and free PR information, please provide your comments below or feel free to contact me at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to hear from you!

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Small Business Public Relations-What to pitch right now

October 16, 2008

 

If you are a small business owner ready to pitch your story to the press, hold on.

Right now, media members are concentrating on two major issues:

1. The economy

2. The election

If your pitch doesn’t have anything to do with these two items, it’s time to develop a new story idea.

Think about how your products and services fit into economic news and/or the election.

Can you provide some kind of specific benefit, discount or tip to help people save money or deal with the current economy?

Do you have expertise in an area related to one of the issues on the upcoming ballot (local reform, saving the environment, etc.)?

Check out these news sites to help discover some new story ideas:

www.usatoday.com
http://news.yahoo.com/i/1203
http://money.cnn.com/news/economy/
http://www.ap.org/elections2008/index.html

If you don’t have a story related to these hot news items, you may want to hold off on pitching media members your personal, business story. Instead, it may be wiser to focus on your marketing efforts for a few days and practice your pitch for a later date.

After all, why waste time on a story media members just don’t want to hear right now? You’ll avoid frustration and feel much better if you think about the reporters’ needs first.

Got small business public relations questions? Just let me know. I’m here to help!

1 Comment | business, Marketing | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
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Financial Help for Small Business Owners

October 14, 2008

 

If you are worried about the current economic turmoil and want some help with your small business financial worries, check out these sites:

About.com
http://stress.about.com/od/financialstress/Financial_Concerns_Managing_Your_MoneyAND_Your_Stress.htm

DebtSteps.com
http://www.debtsteps.com/financial-stress.html

Fortune Small Business
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2008/10/01/toc.html

Free Management Library

http://www.managementhelp.org/finance/fp_fnce/fp_fnce.htm

SBA

http://www.sba.gov/services/financialassistance/index.html

SCORE
http://www.score.org/index.html

StartupNation
www.startupnation.com 

SuzeOrman.com

http://www.suzeorman.com/igsbase/igstemplate.cfm?SRC=MD012&SRCN=index&GnavID=84&SnavID=20

Yahoo! Small Business
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-mainCat-m-2-finance-i

http://finance.yahoo.com/how-to-guide/career-work/12825

The more informed you are, the better off your business will be now and in
the long run. Plus, you can save yourself a lot of unnecessary stress and
hassle.

If you need help boosting sales for your small business via publicity and
online copywriting efforts, please let me know below or at
www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help!

6 Comments | business, Marketing, Small Business PR | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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How to Pitch the Media-Part 2

October 9, 2008

 

On Tuesday, I shared some quick tips on how to pitch media members. Here are some additional pointers:

5.  Be Succinct.

Reporters are on deadline. Get to the point fast. Practice what you are going to say in advance. Then, speak clearly and succinctly.

Mention the most important benefits of your story angle first. Reporters will appreciate your sense of urgency and respect for their timelines.

6.  Know Your Industry.

Become an expert in your field and know the most current news, events and activities within your industry.

Share your news with reporters. Soon, they will come to you for the latest industry updates.

7.  Offer Expert Advice.

Without pitching your own products and services, introduce yourself as an expert to a targeted media member. Comment on a current news item, provide a special report and offer your help with a future article.

Reporters will appreciate the fact that you are willing to provide assistance and may add you to their list of resources.

8.  Follow-up Accordingly.

Media members are busy people, and you will probably need to make an effort to stay in touch with them.

If you are waiting for a pending story or a call back and haven’t heard anything for a few days, feel free to contact the media member directly.

Don’t be a pest but conduct the appropriate follow-up when necessary. This is essential to obtaining schedule media clips and maintaining media relationships.

Hopefully, these tips will help you pitch your story to media members and get results. By “thinking like a reporter” and offering beneficial information in a timely fashion, you’ll definitely increase your chances of obtaining good media coverage.

If you’d like help with your pitching efforts and online copywriting, please let me know here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help! Thanks!

1 Comment | PR, Small Business PR | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
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How to Pitch the Media

October 7, 2008

 

Via my previous entries and articles, I’ve provided a lot of information and websites for your small business press releases and publicity efforts.

But if you don’t know how to pitch a reporter once you get through, here are some quick tips to help you through the media process:

1.  Know Your Targeted Media Members.

Before you even reach out to a reporter, you should know what that person writes about and what he or she will be interested in discussing.

Do your homework before contacting a specific reporter, and you’ll have a much better understanding of what you should say (and the topics you should avoid).

2.  Have Talking Points Ready.

With point #1 in mind, write down all of the benefits your business has to offer. Know why a reporter will be interested in what you have to say and practice giving your unique story angle.

Then, when the time is right, you’ll be ready. (You may even want to have your talking points written on an index card by your phone.)

3.  Be Newsworthy.

Try to think of a way that your business fits in with current news and industry events. Develop a story angle related to something newsworthy and current. Then, approach a reporter with your idea. You’ll get much farther with reporters if you can discuss current news and information related to their beats.

4.  Be Unique.

Media members want fresh, interesting stories. Try to stand out from the crowd and offer your opinion about a current topic, a unique statistic or research result, or a story angle that no one else can offer.

By conducting some research and offering something different, you’ll get much farther with your publicity efforts.

Check back on Thursday for more pitching tips.

In the meantime, feel free to contact me below or at www.rembrandtwrites.com with your online copywriting, SEO and publicity questions. Thanks!

1 Comment | PR, Small Business PR | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
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Scared of Reporters? 3 Tips to Overcome Your Fears

October 2, 2008

 

It’s already October, and Halloween is upon us. With this in mind, are you afraid to talk to reporters?

 

If media interviews make you nervous, there are several things you can do to reduce your stress and handle these calls with confidence. Here’s a quick review:

 

1. Be prepared.
 

Learn from this famous Boy Scout motto and be ready for media calls before they happen. Review your messaging and write down key points you want to convey.

 

Think about what you will say and how you will say it. You may even want to keep some cards with talking points by the phone for easy access.

 

And for those times when you need to respond to unexpected media requests regarding current issues and news, take a moment to collect your thoughts. Tell the reporters you will call them back in ten minutes.

 

Then, figure out what you want to say, write it down, take a deep breath, and pick up the phone. This brief interval will help you relax and have confidence so that the last-minute interview goes well.

 

2. Practice.


It never hurts to sharpen your speaking and interview skills. Have a friend or co-worker interview you on a regular basis. Get feedback on your tone, responses and body movements.

 

You may even want to videotape or record these practice interviews. This way, you’ll be able to correct mistakes and improve skills faster.

 

Plus, wouldn’t you like to see what you are doing wrong now as opposed to watching your mistakes on a national news broadcast?

 

3. Review.

 

After you’ve finished an interview, review it carefully. Look and listen for things you can improve on the next time. Perhaps you said “um” a lot, moved your head too much or came across as a weak leader for your organization.

 

The more you review previous interviews and make appropriate adjustments, the faster your skills will improve.

You Can Do It!

Not everyone has natural interview and speaking skills. But if you take the time to prepare, practice and review, you’ll have more confidence, and your fears will disappear.

 

Plus, you’ll give better interviews that can help your company grow and prosper.

 

If you’d like more information about this topic, feel free to comment below or visit my website at www.rembrandtwrites.com to register for my free newsletter packed with valuable tips and information. Thanks!

1 Comment | business, Marketing, PR, Small Business PR | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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Boost Awareness in 5 Minutes!

September 30, 2008

Do you have five minutes?

 

If you have five minutes, you can help boost awareness for your business online!

 

Here are three quick things you can do in about five minutes. Pick your favorite:

 

1. Enter information on a forum or blog.

Visit an online forum or blog where your target market hangs out. Then, enter your quick comments about the current subject being discussed.

 

Provide a valuable statement without pitching your business. Just make sure your name and business name appear in your signature online (also include your website address if appropriate).

 

2. Change your home page.

 

Look at the home page of your website and make a change. Add a valuable statement, a link to a good article, a blog entry, etc.

 

You can even add some keywords to improve search engine optimization. After all, when was the last time you updated your site?

 

You need to appear “home” so make a quick change now. And when you have more time, go back later and add new updates.

 

3. Share a blog entry.

 

Visit a blog carnival like http://blogcarnival.com/bc/. Then, review the different carnivals and add your favorite blog entry to the appropriate group.

 

If you don’t have time for this, send the link to your entry (or a good article) to a new customer, partner or other person as a reminder or networking tool. It only takes a minute to convey a good message.

 

It Only Takes a Few Minutes

Now, these activities only take me a few minutes to complete, and they may take you a bit longer. But when you feel like you are short on time, and you really need to accomplish something, try to do one small thing.

 

Think of things that you can do quickly that will make a difference. Then, take a moment to take action.

 

Not only will you get a small break from whatever you are working on, but you’ll feel more positive. And you’ll be able to return to your other, long-term activities with a better attitude and a new sense of accomplishment!

 

For additional help with your online copywriting and PR needs, feel free to contact me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. Thanks!

3 Comments | Copywriting, Marketing, PR, Reaching Goals, Small Business PR | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
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Duct Tape Marketing Interview with John Jantsch

May 28, 2008

Photo_of_john_jantsch_2John Jantsch, author of “Duct Tape Marketing” and well-known marketing speaker, took a few minutes to share his thoughts on small business PR with me.

Here are his comments:

In your book, “Duct Tape Marketing,” you mention that PR is a “primary plank of your overall lead generation foundation.” Why do you think PR is so important to small business owners?

The fact is that some prospects find an article about your firm in a magazine much more compelling than an ad in the same publication. The third-party endorsement is big. In addition, it really helps resell your existing customers.

How do marketing efforts work with publicity campaigns to build business sales?

A good publicity strategy takes two tactics. Find and develop stories that support the firm’s core marketing messages and support specific initiatives like a sales promotion that partners with a non-profit organization.

How can small business owners develop good stories for the media to help increase positive awareness and credibility?

Understand that journalists don’t care about your business. They care about what their readers care about. Pitch stories that can help their readers get more of what they want. Usually, short of true, earth-shattering news, stories exist not in what you do, but how you do it. Your college reimbursement policy might be an interesting story. Your new product launch may not.

How can new entrepreneurs become good story-sources for reporters?

Read, contribute and be a resource. You probably get more specific information about your industry than a reporter cares to read. Send good content, comment on stories and point out data. Think in terms of giving before you ever try to pitch the big story. Use RSS tools to get a quick view of everything that your targeted journalists are writing about.

What RSS and PR tools do you recommend small business owners use in their publicity efforts?

Google News using the RSS subscribe, Bloglines to subscribe to and read RSS feeds, MySyndicaat to mash together lots of feeds into one custom feed, and FeedBurnerto enhance and easily republish feeds on your web site.

What tips can you provide small business owners who are new to talking to reporters?

Think of them as a target market. They must come to know, like and trust you before you will make much headway. They are often underpaid and overworked. How can you make their job easier? Prove you are a resource – not a pain in the butt.

What marketing tools do you think work best with PR efforts to increase sales cost-effectively?

Make sure you are using all the online PR tools in conjunction with your more traditional outreach. Links back from PR distribution sites can add valuable Google juice.

What action steps can people take now to start their public relations efforts?

Build a media list that makes sense. Don’t forget to include outreach to organizations, associations and school alumni newsletters. These publications are desperate for content and starting small is often the best way to get some PR momentum

What other tips and inspiration can you offer small business owners regarding their marketing and PR activities?

Write a one-page press release at least once a month and send it to your media list AND your customer and key prospects. You’ll be surprised what these extra touches will do for you.

You can read more about John and his book at Duct Tape Marketing. And if you need publicity help, have questions or would like to provide feedback, please contact me at info@rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to hear from you! Thanks!

(original interview posted at my Nielsen Small Business Resource Center Blog)

4 Comments | Marketing, PR, Small Business PR, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
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