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How to use publicity to market your business

press34607811.jpgThere are many different tools that are available, for small business owner to market their business. One of the most overlooked is public relations or publicity. This can be a highly effective tool for reaching a large number of people. One of the major benefits of adding publicity to your marketing arsenal is that it is free. In difficult economic times, publicity becomes particularly important to small businesses. Because of the fact that small businesses are trying to cut costs, and taking advantage of publicity, rather than expensive promotional activities, this makes using it is a smart idea for small business owners. Here is what you need to know about how to use publicity to market your business-

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Simple PR strategies to use

mantalking30346145.jpgWhether you are starting a new business or you are trying to expand an existing one, you need to have some PR strategies to use. Gaining awareness for your company can be a difficult task if you don't know where to start. Often times a company will burn through their original marketing dollars in a hurry, leaving you with limited options as to how you will continue to market to your customers and to gain attention. The good news is that even if you burn through all of your marketing dollars, you can easily generate publicity with easy PR strategies. PR will help you build an effective brand and it can great a great reputation for your company in your particular industry. Here are some PR strategies you need to implement in order to generate awareness for your company:

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How to get press coverage

press34607811.jpgAre you trying to get your companies name into the media? When you are trying to get press coverage, you need to focus on the things the media is seeking in order to convince them to cover a story on your business.

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Helpful ways to set your company apart for reporters

womanpondering16341449.jpgReporters literally have thousands of new press releases that come through the fax machines daily. How can you make sure your press release is newsworthy and will obtain the media attention you are seeking? Since you have a lot of companies to compete against, not just those in your particular industry, you will need to write press releases that will set your company apart from all of the various other press releases they are getting. What do you need to do in order to make your press release stand out from the rest and inspire the media member to write a story? Here are the things you need to do in order to set your company apart for reporters:

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Becoming a reputation defender

meninsuitswordfight32346821.jpgYour companies reputation is vital to it's success. A number of companies have one instance where poor media coverage can absolutely ruin their reputation and will leave them in a bind. If the media has damaged your reputation, there are several things you need to do in order to restore your reputation and build your companies credibility again.

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The quest for publicity

concernedman19185284.jpgBusinesses all over the world are in search of innovative ways to gain more publicity. Publicity is one of the best ways to market your business because you have instant access to millions of customers. How do you get the attention of news media members so you can get the publicity you are in search of? Here are some simple tips to help you on your quest for publicity:

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Public relations and marketing

ladyoncellphone30335335.jpgMarketing is centered on getting attention for the company and boosting customer sales. When marketing and public relations combine, a business is suddenly opened to a whole world of customers that can help the business sink or swim. When you combine public relations and marketing, you are no longer focused on just selling a product to your customers, you are not concerned on educating the public on what your company does. You want people to know more about the foundations of your company, as this will help to inspire them to continue being a customer and spread the word to their friends.

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How to maximize your publicity

olderwomanonphone32013024.jpgWhen you have a small business, publicity is your friend. With good publicity on your side, your business will develop a positive reputation and which in turn will bring you more business.

Once you have publicity, whether it is a profile in the newspaper about your business or an award you receive, you will want to maximize that publicity as much as possible. The more you do this, the farther your publicity will go and the more business you will attract.

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How a good publicity campaign can help your business survive

press34607811.jpgWhen it comes to developing a publicity campaign, many businesses pass it off as an expense they simply cannot afford. Many companies feel that a good publicity campaign will cost thousands of dollars a month and that they simply do not have the money or the resources to do it. With a publicity campaign, the more you spend, the more you will get. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars a month to be successful; you can easily do a lot of it on your own.

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Easy strategies to boost your company's publicity

businessnegoations19314770.jpgWhat business doesn't want to get some publicity? Why would you turn down the chance to boost your sales through smart marketing that uses all the information sources available? What can you do to make sure people know about your products? Here are some tips to help you get started:

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Building your company reputation to attract more customers

oldermanpointing30841371.jpgOne of the smartest things you can do for your company is to build your company reputation. What people say about your business will have a huge impact upon the way you do business. A single bad remark can spin into a huge public relations mess for your company. Although you can't avoid the bad press, you can find a way to cope with it in a positive manner. Your company reputation is built upon your products and customer service. The company reputation should be at the heart of every good marketing strategy, especially if you want to be successful.

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Building a good publicity campaign

businessmeeting26668232.jpgOne of the best marketing techniques you can use is to build a good publicity campaign. Public relations is a large industry for a good reason. These individuals have the media connections businesses need to get news stories run so they can gain more attention for their business. Have you ever noticed when a movie studio is releasing a new film and all the promotions you see about the movie? Not only do you see promotions in print, radio, internet, and television media, you start to see actors show up on talk shows during the week when their new film is being released. This is all part of a publicity campaign where the primary focus is to inspire people to go see this movie on opening weekend so the movie studio can make back their investment, plus some.

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Integrating PR and marketing

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Integrating PR and marketing is a great idea for any business that would like to become successful and reach a larger consumer audience. PR is notorious for developing amazing press releases that will generate a buzz for your company, allowing your marketing department to capitalize on this new attention. PR is also used to help the company regain its reputation when bad media coverage, poor product releases, and scandalous employees hurt its image.

Individuals that are properly training in PR know how to word things just right to sway the opinions and attitudes of powerful members of the media.

To integrate PR and marketing, look at some of the projects you both encounter on a daily or weekly basis. Figure out how you can combine some of these projects to save time and money. Instead of writing the press releases for new product launches, send the information over to the PR department and let them come up with an amazing press release. Since you are both focused on improving the image of the company, look for ways you can do this together.

Perhaps you can try collaborating on a blog site or developing articles for your web site. This is a great way to build your company image and establish your company as the only one "in the know" when it comes to certain topics.

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5 Ways to sell more with your next product launch

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Whether you have launched a product in the past, whether you have launched many, or whether you are just beginning a new business and are looking to successfully launch your product there are five important steps, laid out in a business model, that will help your product to sell more successfully.

Your first step when planning to launch a product should be doing market research
. Market research consists of gathering information about the market you are trying to break into, the customers interested in your product, and your competitors.

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The difference between Marketing, PR and Advertising

investmentagent16485586.jpg Marketing, PR and advertising all go hand-in-hand, but many people aren't sure of what the difference is between the 3. We often see advertising all over, on billboards, on television, and on the internet. Quite often you hear about the 4 "P's" of marketing; price, promotion, place, and products. Marketing does entail the 4 "P's", but its main focus is on finding customers. Public Relations (PR) can be applied to every aspect of marketing. PR creates the knowledge and understanding of the product or service that is being promoted. To gain a better understanding, we will look at the differences between marketing, PR and advertising in more detail.

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How PR affects your marketing strategy

moneyguys67954028.jpg There are a number of different ways to market your company these days, from the internet to numerous ways in print. Many companies choose to use PR to help their marketing strategy. PR or public relations, is a great way to launch your marketing campaign. PR can be a great way to reach many different markets of potential clients. Here is looking at how PR affects your marketing strategy.

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A look at MPR (marketing public relations)

financialteam30902770.jpg MPR is one of the most important things when it comes to your company.You want to make sure that your company is good on the inside and the outside.Here's a look at what MPR really is.

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The difference between marketing and public relations

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The lines between marketing and public relations are sometimes blurred. While both work to promote, there are significant differences between the two.

Marketing
Marketing deals primarily with product awareness and promotion. Those involved with marketing work to promote a specific product or service a company or organization offers. Marketing professionals will concern themselves with the products the company provides, the customers and their needs, and are working to anticipate what the next product will be or how to promote it.

A marketing approach will work to sell a product rather than an organization by taking into consideration demand, competition, and how to get more people to purchase services or products.

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The role of PR in marketing

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PR is a piece of the overall scheme of marketing. It plays a huge role in setting the image of your company. The PR department is responsible for handling the good and the bad press of the company. The PR department is responsible for setting and maintaining the overall image of the company. They decide how your company will become successful and how it will look in the marketplace.

PR responsibilities that affect marketing
Any legal issue is handled by the PR department. Marketing and advertising is responsible for spreading the word, however it is the primarily role of the PR department to withhold the image of your company in the market place. PR is responsible for protecting the company, corporation, or organization.

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Marketing with poor PR

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How can your company improve their image if they have a poor PR department? How do you market with poor PR? PR certainly has an important role to play in the marketing and communication world. It isn't easy to fix problems if you have a poor PR department.

Poor PR case studies
Imagine going to a fast food restaurant and seeing a severed finger in your chili! How about learning the toy your child is playing with has lead based paint? Or learning the hamburger you just bought is linked to an outbreak of ecoli! These are all media stories we have heard in recent years. The biggest thing is, how does your company recover from these potential PR disasters?

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How does PR affect marketing?

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PR is one of the aspects of marketing that makes up the marketing strategy. The marketing strategy is made up with advertising, public relations, and promotions. A good marketing company typically has all three factors, working together in a cohesive environment. Many people feel that marketing is an indirect expense to a company because it is hard to measure which part of marketing efforts are successful and which part were wasted. The value of a company can be judged by its PR department. Having a poor PR department leads to many problems for a company and can cost millions of dollars to repair. Starting off on the right foot with your PR department will help benefit your company in many ways.

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Getting your name out to the public


Getting your name out to the public. Any business large or small is faced with the challenge of being able to get their name out where the public is aware that they are there. That recognition is the foundation that many marketing plans are based on.

So, how do you get your name out there to the public? There really are some basic things that you can add to your marketing plan that will help you gain the potential customers you will need for increased profits.

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Tips for good public relations


Why is public relations such an important aspect of today's business successes or failures? Public relations are consistent, accurate and timely communications that convey the right message to the right audience. A strategic public relations campaign can strengthen a company's position and competitive edge during a weak economy and support sales during a strong economy.Therefore, it should be an essential part of your business, large or small. It is your company's public relations that can maximize profitability during good economic times and minimize losses during the economies down time.

Creating an effective, successful public relations plan is a must in today's business world.To create a public relations effort, there are three steps that you can make.

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How to improve your marketing efforts through good PR

In the book Public Relations: Concepts and Practices written by Ray Simon, he quotes,
"Marketing and public relations both are major external functions of the firm and both share a common ground in regard to product publicity and consumer relations.At the same time, however, they operate on different levels and from different perspectives and perceptions.The traditional view is that marketing exists to sense, serve and satisfy customer needs at a profit. Public relations exists to produce goodwill in the company's various publics so that the publics do not interfere in the firm's profit-making ability."

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Key steps to successful publicity


When it comes to running a business on thing that every good business owner needs to think about is being successful at publicizing their business. The reason for this is that if business owners fail at publicizing their business then there is a strong chance that their business will fail. So in order to keep their business up and running they need to have a sound business plan that covers publicizing the business, which means they need to get their company's name out in the public eye. Basically in order to publicize your business you are going to want to make sure that anybody and everybody knows about your business.

Here are some steps that you should keep in mind so that you can be successful with the publicity of your business.

Step one:
Place ads on websites that your target customers frequently visit. This would involve buying ad space from other people who have designed websites that your target customers would visit. But before you can even get this far you will have to figure out who your target customers are. If you are looking to target young adults for your target customers a great place to purchase ad space is from websites such as MySpace or dating websites. By placing ads on websites that your target customers visit frequently you are increasing the exposure of your company and you are increasing your chances that your target customers will click on your ad and visit your website.

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Keeping your name out to the public


When it comes to running any kind of successful business one thing that you need to understand is publicity. The reason that you need to understand it is that without publicity your business can actually fail regardless of how well planned out everything else is. The reason behind publicity making or breaking a business is that good publicity will bring in customers and bad publicity will keep customers away. So as a business owner something that you are going to want to do is to get your businesses name out in public and then once you have gotten your company name out there you are going to want to keep it out in the public.

Here are some things that you can do to get your businesses name out in public and then keep it there.

Tip one:
Create business cards that your potential customers will keep. Traditional business cards tend to get thrown out the minute people leave the store or clean out their wallets because they are tiny pieces of paper that are just taking up room. Rather than handing out business cards you can create notepads that have your business information on them, magnets, pens, and a variety of other items that can be used by the customer. The more useful the business cards are the longer the customers are likely to keep them, hence getting you many days of exposure.

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Using PR to make your marketing job easier


It is easy to get marketing and PR confused; however, both perform different functions and are important to the success of your business.

Many companies focus strictly on marketing while letting PR go to the wayside. But using PR can actually make your marketing job easier.

The difference between PR and marketing

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What are the key steps to successful publicity?

What are the key steps to successful publicity? The right publicity and the overall success of the publicity can be detrimental to the success of a business. The reason is, that the publicity a company receives will link directly to the amount of consumers they will have interested in their product or service.

When you are looking at ways to get a higher level of successful publicity, then you will find that there is some key steps that can make that happen. Here are those key steps.

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What public relations have to do with marketing

Marketing is key to growing a business, and good marketing is essential for gaining loyal customers and turning profits that can support your business. So, what do public relations have to do with marketing? The following answers this question and explains some of the details of having good public relations through good marketing:

First and foremost public relations are considered the fifth "p" of the marketing mix. The first four "p" s are product, price, place, and promotion, and each of these really make a huge difference in whether or not your marketing plan works. So, the fifth "p" stands for perception. If you have a good image, it is easier to sell your product, and it is through your public relations that your image is created.

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Tips for creating a visual identity

There are so many different ways that you can help your marketing campaign out. One way that you can help your marketing campaign is to make sure that you have the right visual identity. If you have the right visual identity you will attract more people to your marketing. Here are some tips for creating a visual identity.

The first tip for creating a visual identity is to find ways that your product is different from other peoples this will help you to get ideas on how you can make your product stand out from other peoples. If you are trying to have people relate with your products through your advertising you will want to make sure that you use the same kind of style through out all of your advertising.

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What are the steps to successful publicity

What are the steps to successful publicity? There are many steps when it comes to successful publicity, of course, and we could talk about any one of them all day long. Publicity is an exciting, demanding, rewarding business, and it takes hard work and dedication and creativity. Therefore, one of the first steps to successful publicity is:

1. Assembling a good publicity team. Publicity means going public, getting a product or service (including entertainment etc.) noticed by the crowd. It's a direct art, an almost in-your-face art, sometimes aggressive, sometimes quiet, but always difficult and filled with obstacles. These facts should give us an idea of the sort of publicity team we need to assemble. Their personalities, talents, skills, and so forth, should match the nature of successful publicity itself.

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How PR is important to marketing

Contrary to what many people may believe, public relations and marketing are two very different things. However, both contribute to the success of a company.

How are PR and marketing different?
Marketing deals primarily with product awareness and promotion. Those involved with marketing work to promote a specific product or service a company or organization offers. Marketing professionals will concern themselves with the products the company provides, the customers and their needs, and then work to anticipate what the next product will be or how to promote it.

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How to increase your celebrity power

Give me fame and fortune-but mostly, mostly fame! So goes many a fervent prayer across the U.S. and around the world. With the rise of reality television, becoming famous has never been so easy, and, what's more, fortune usually follows fame. Being a celebrity, of course, has its ups and downs. Celebrities complain about never getting a moment's peace, never being able to walk about quietly in public, always having to diet, resorting to expensive surgeries or risk becoming too unattractive for the fans-and so on and so forth.
Whenever I hear such complaints, the first thing I think is: Yes, but what about the money? What about the thrill of being loved and adored by hundreds, thousands, even millions of people? What about the multiple houses, cars, swimming pools, maids, you name it! What about the joys of being able to work creatively for a living? It's likely that most celebrities would admit to enjoying some of the more lavish and rewarding perks of fame. But it is a matter of balancing the good with the bad-celebrity, like everything else in life, is fraught with possibilities that are both negative and positive.

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How to use loyalty programs to build your business

Creating the right loyalty program to build your business is very important. This will be the difference in keeping and gaining loyal customers. Increased costs in obtaining new customers make the attraction to maintaining current customers all that more imperative.

The thing is there are simple steps that can bring about the best loyalty program for your company. The loyalty program to build your business can be essential in the competitive market of products and services playing field.

Competition is fierce now days. Price often drives the consumer's decisions. Consumers can pick and choose with about any product or service there is offered. This varies anywhere from pizza to cars.

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Partnership Between a Business' PR Counsel

Of the multi channels of product and service marketing, public relations seems to be the one most often misunderstood to the degree that it's sometimes viewed as an amorphous promotional device, a little like ectoplasm that occasionally takes solid shape as media stories.Some corporate marketers see it as the stepchild of advertising, and still others find it so mysterious, that they adopt a laissez-faire policy with their PR people until it's time for them to account for how they spent the PR budget.This is fine if the company and its PR people could read each other's minds, and since that's not possible, the next best thing is verbal communications.The corporate marketer must communicate goals and objectives, and the PR representative must advise client or employer of how it intends to fulfill those goals and quantify results.Information sharing is at the core of a successful PR program.This means that the company must provide the tools for PR, i! ncluding feedback and a budget commensurate with the level of PR activity.It must dedicate time for brainstorming story angles, and above all, approve content in a timely manner:

Explain your goals and objectives thoroughly to your PR representative.He or she should prepare an annual plan that meets each goal with strategies and tactics for achieving it.Included in the plan should be clear methods for measuring the outcome.One way to measure publicity is to arm your PR counsel with a dedicated 800 telephone number or code they can use in their press releases.This way, callers who read a published article can refer to the code, and you can trace back the call to publicity

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How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer

Knowing how to write, and write well, is a skill that will come in handy in all sorts of situations. And if you combine good writing skills with the persuasive selling tactics found in, say, copywriting, you'll be that much more ahead of your competition.

Of all the different types of writing I've done in my life (and believe me, I've tried practically all of them) writing radio has made one of the bigger impacts on my writing style.

Below are three ways writing radio can help strengthen your writing style. (Oh, and these tips will also help you write better radio copy too.)

1. Follow the rules. Sometimes rules are good. Especially rules that force you to write a certain way. (Think poetry -- mastering those rules can have an amazing effect on your writing style.) Rules require you to slow down and think, to analyze your word, sentence, grammar, punctuation, etc., choices. And that can be very beneficial to your development as a writer.

Radio is short. You have to write something that fits into a 30- or 60-second slot. Not a lot of time or a lot of words. In that 30 or 60 seconds, you need to capture the listener's attention, explain why they should be interested in buying what you're selling, then let them know what you'd like their next step to be. Oh, and did I mention you need to have the business name in there at least twice and probably a tag line as well? And don't forget about music. Or sound effects.

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PR and the Small Matter of Results

As a business, non-profit and association manager, how satisfied are you when the public relations people assigned to your unit spend the bulk of their time on someone's favorite special event, brochures, press releases and talk-show mentions?

Especially when you'd rather have a public relations effort that creates the kind of key stakeholder behavior change that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives?

You know, PR that does something positive about the important outside audiences whose behaviors most affect your operation. And, in the bargain, helps persuade those key external audiences to your way of thinking, helping move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

After all, what public relations boils down to are these realities: the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you succeed. Your public relations effort must involve more than parties, videos, booklets and column mentions if you really want to get your money's worth. And you need a simple blueprint that gets everyone working towards the same external audience behaviors insuring that the organization's public relations effort stays sharply focused.

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Public Relations-A Free Lunch?

Seems like everyone is looking for the proverbial free lunch these days, particularly when it comes to marketing communications. Well, I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but there's no such thing. However, there are ways to stretch your budget and marketing public relations (PR) is one of them.

By MARKETING PR I mean publicity that is directed towards your marketing target audience and carries marketing messages. (It's not the same as investor or employee relations.) Marketing PR can generate inquiries, economically extend the reach of your advertising and direct mail programs, boost your company's credibility and enhance its standing as an expert.

There are three basic marketing PR tactics for you to consider:

NEWS RELEASES Does your company bring new products or services to market? Improve existing products or services? Publish literature? These are all great subjects for news releases. Send releases to editors at relevant publications. One release a month is a good goal.

CASE HISTORIES These can highlight your company's problem solving abilities. And well-written case histories are in demand -- by readers and editors alike. You can work with a single publication to place a case history or broadcast it to many publications.

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Imagine PR Like This Helping You

As the kids say, how cool is this?

You're a business, non-profit or association manager and, finally, you decide to do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours - behaviors that MOST affect your operation.

What you're doing, of course, is creating the very external stakeholder behaviors that will help achieve your managerial objectives. Best part is, you'll actually pull it off when you persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary reach its goal.

What it comes down to is this. Your public relations effort must involve more than news releases, special events and brochures if you really want to get your money's worth. The right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you succeed.

Here's a public relations blueprint that functions like your own PR Global Positioning System: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect your organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

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PR: Am I Getting a Good Deal?

You are getting a good deal when you accept the fact that the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to the changed behaviors you need.

Especially when you recognize that people really DO act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about your operations, and about you as a manager. Meaning you have little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by reaching and moving those key external audiences of yours to actions you desire.

Thus, you are certainly getting a good deal when your business, non-profit or association PR investment creates behavior change among those important outside audiences that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. However, you'll be able to accomplish this only after persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking, then moving them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Obviously, these managers are doing something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of theirs that MOST affect their operations.

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Grandma Says Stay Out Of The Newspaper

Southern grandmothers have often said, "there are only three times a respectable person's name should be in the paper: when you are born, when you are married, and when you die."

This is the one area in which I part company with my grandmothers. Publicity is more critical today for the success of a business than it has ever been.

Why do I believe it's critical? Let's review what publicity - particularly publicity in business and trade publications - can do for your business.

Provides Neutral Third-party Endorsement. Even though many think the media are biased, consumers still cling to the belief that people who are quoted by the media have something worthwhile to say.

Boosts Your Competitive Advantage. Positive publicity confirms for your customers that they made the smart choice when they elected to use your products or services.

Enables Referrals. Your "smart" customers become evangelists by handing out articles about you to their business contacts.

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Partnership Between a Business' PR Counsel

Of the multi channels of product and service marketing, public relations seems to be the one most often misunderstood to the degree that it's sometimes viewed as an amorphous promotional device, a little like ectoplasm that occasionally takes solid shape as media stories.Some corporate marketers see it as the stepchild of advertising, and still others find it so mysterious, that they adopt a laissez-faire policy with their PR people until it's time for them to account for how they spent the PR budget.This is fine if the company and its PR people could read each other's minds, and since that's not possible, the next best thing is verbal communications.The corporate marketer must communicate goals and objectives, and the PR representative must advise client or employer of how it intends to fulfill those goals and quantify results.Information sharing is at the core of a successful PR program.This means that the company must provide the tools for PR, including feedback and a budget commensurate with the level of PR activity.

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Present for Success

Tomorrow's the day and you're dreading it. You're scheduled to give a presentation to the senior management team about the new program you're proposing. You're excited and enthusiastic about the program but nervous and anxious about the presentation.You don't know how you'll manage to sleep tonight. These thoughts keep running through your mind; What if I stumble? What if I talk too fast? What if they get bored? What if they ask questions and my mind goes blank?

Do any of these sound familiar? If you answered yes, don't worry! Try some of these simple strategies for your next presentation to help you build confidence and credibility with your audiences.

Developing your presentation

Change the paradigm: Think from your listeners' perspective If you can change your focus from "What do I want to communicate?"To "What does the audience need to hear and understand", you can be a more relevant and engaging presenter. By focusing on your listeners' needs, rather than on yourself, you can relax and let that focus guide you through the development and delivery of your presentation.

Here are the essential questions that will help you stay on track. Who is your audience? What is most important to them? What is their current level of knowledge on your topic? What do they want or need to know about this topic?

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Writing Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor can be a great way to express your views on an issue that has importance to you.Many politicians and other decision-makers read the letters page to gauge public opinion.A well worded letter can bring up information not addressed in a news article or can create an impression of widespread support (or opposition) to an issue. Here are some tips to writing letters to the editor:

1. Write about an issue which is current.Try to write within two days of when an article appears. Specify the item to which you are responding.

2. Send the letter to the publication in which the article appeared.Don't bother doing a mass mailing since only those publications that carried the article will be interested in your opinion.

3. Be concise (usually no longer than 250 words) and keep to the point.

4. Type your letter and follow the guidelines in the publication (i.e. mail, email, or fax).

5. Do not be defamatory or obscene. Rather, be polite, even when you disagree.

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Inoculate Yourself Against Bad PR

What is bad PR?

Well, if you're a business, non-profit or association manager, bad PR does nothing positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that most affect your operation.

It fails to create external stakeholder behavior change leading directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

And it never does persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, or move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Good PR, on the other hand, really CAN alter individual perception and lead to the changed behaviors you need. At the same time, however, it requires more than special events, brochures and news releases if you really want to get your PR money's worth.

Your inoculation against bad PR is the underlying premise of public relations, and here it is: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Continue reading "Inoculate Yourself Against Bad PR"

Turn your Business' New Year Resolutions in PR Revolutions

As eyes look forward to a new business year, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are hoping that this upcoming year will be the one that catapults them into success. But according to Shannon Cherry, APR, businesses often overlook a key element when making their business plans and resolutions.

"Most new businesses fail within three years - and it's often due to the fact that many business owners think that simply hanging up an OPEN sign and placing an ad in the yellow pages will attract customers," says Cherry, president of Cherry Communications (https://www.cherrycommunications.com), a public relations and marketing firm which helps small businesses, consultants and entrepreneurs to be heard. "What it takes is a marketing strategy that's effective - and in the case of many small business owners - on a limited budget. They need public relations to turn the resolutions into revolutions."

She says public relations is one of the most cost-effective methods of marketing available today. "Besides the fact that it's low cost or no cost, public relations can help establish your credibility. It can position you as the revolutionary leader and expert in your field."

Cherry suggests including your public relations efforts as part of a year-long, strategic business plan. "As you're looking toward what you're going to accomplish in the future, make sure you incorporate different public relations efforts as part of your complete plan," she says. "That way you'll be sure to schedule it in, just like any other business task."

Continue reading "Turn your Business' New Year Resolutions in PR Revolutions"

Imagine PR Like This Helping You

As the kids say, how cool is this?

You're a business, non-profit or association manager and, finally, you decide to do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours - behaviors that MOST affect your operation.

What you're doing, of course, is creating the very external stakeholder behaviors that will help achieve your managerial objectives. Best part is, you'll actually pull it off when you persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary reach its goal.

What it comes down to is this. Your public relations effort must involve more than news releases, special events and brochures if you really want to get your money's worth. The right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you succeed.

Here's a public relations blueprint that functions like your own PR Global Positioning System: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect your organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Continue reading "Imagine PR Like This Helping You"

This is the Power of PR

The power of public relations is its ability to alter individual perception, resulting in changed behaviors that lead directly to your organization's success.

Its power really lies in doing something positive about the behaviors of a business, non-profit or association manager's important outside audiences - behaviors that MOST affect his or her operation.

That's how external stakeholder behaviors are created that help achieve managerial objectives. In particular when managers persuade those key outside folks to their way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help the manager's department, division or subsidiary succeed.

A basic public relations blueprint looks like this: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

So, two key messages radiating from that fundamental premise are (1) your public relations effort must involve more than special events, brochures and news releases if you really want to get your money's worth, and (2), the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you succeed!

Continue reading "This is the Power of PR"

PR: The Thrill of a Good Idea

The notion that a business, non-profit or association manager can actually hold a big key to success in his or her own hands IS a thrilling idea!

And it becomes more thrilling as the manager actually alters individual perceptions leading to changed behaviors of key outside audiences. Then persuades those external stakeholders to that manager's way of thinking, helping move them to take actions that allow their department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

The thrill is real when public relations does something positive for those managers about the behaviors of the very outside audiences of theirs that MOST affect their operation, thus helping achieve those manager's managerial objectives.

The trick lies in getting a manager's public relations team members working towards the same external stakeholder behaviors so that the PR thrust stays focused.

Here's one blueprint that can help create such a thrilling reality: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Continue reading "PR: The Thrill of a Good Idea"

3 High-Impact Publicity Ideas

Every business needs to get the word out about the basics of who they are, what they do and why they are special. Well-crafted, focused messages about how a prospect can use your services or products are critical marketing tools for thousands of online entrepreneurs. Why? Because both prospects and reporters need a clear understanding of how you can benefit them.

As a business owner, you can attract a substantial and continuous flow of publicity and referrals quicker than ever before- just because you know what to say and how to say it. When you know your main points, you get results faster from all your promotional methods.

The three ideas below will help you figure out exactly what to say:


1. Shop Yourself

Get into your prospect's head by role-playing. Interview yourself from your customer's point of view. Write down the questions that you imagine your customer would ask.

Continue reading "3 High-Impact Publicity Ideas"

Right PR Empowers a Manager

Business, non-profit and association managers are in a stronger position to succeed when they use their public relations resources in a way that alters individual perception leading to changed external stakeholder behavior.

A mouthful, but true.

Here's the obvious core of this approach: persuade your most important outside audiences with the greatest impacts on your organization to your way of thinking. Then move them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary prevail.

The right action plan - the right blueprint - helps you to achieve that kind of success. And it does so by getting everyone working towards the same external audience behaviors. For example: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

And look at what might happen. A nice jumpup in show room traffic; local thoughtleaders seeking your opinion on key local issues; newly interested prospects calling you; growing numbers of membership applications; the repeat purchase rate increasing; new inquiries about strategic alliances and joint ventures; capital givers or specifying sources making inquiries; and even politicians and legislators viewing you as a leading figure in the business, non-profit or association communities.

Continue reading "Right PR Empowers a Manager"

PR Where it Matters Most

What's more crucial to the success of a business, non-profit or association than its most important outside audiences and stakeholders?

Nothing.

Those stakeholder behaviors directly impact virtually every management and operating activity of the organization. From retail patronage, recruiting, civic activity, contributions, and strategic alliances to membership, program participation, plain old sales, and just about everything else.

Which means, if you are such a manager, you may have a real opportunity to do something positive about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that most affect YOUR operation.

In other words, you can create the kind of external stakeholder behavior changes that lead directly to achieving your own managerial objectives.

You can do so by persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking, then help move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Continue reading "PR Where it Matters Most"

PR Still a Mystery to Some

Unfortunately, there are managers who define public
relations by its applications. Which explains neither its
underlying strengths nor what PR is all about.

The casual observer is left with a confusion of tactical,
application-oriented definitions of the public relations
function: Is it publicity? Crisis management? Special
events? Reputation management? Promotion? Or a slew
of other tactics in which we engage from time to time?

Which is it? More important, just what lies at the core of
managerial public relations anyway?

I believe the core lies in doing something positive about
the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours
that most affect your operation.

In other words, create external stakeholder behavior change -
the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial
objectives.

And do so by persuading those key outside folks to your
way of thinking, then help move them to take actions that
allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Luckily, there's also a blueprint at the center of public relations
to help you cement that PR core for your own managerial benefit.

Continue reading "PR Still a Mystery to Some"

Managers and PR: One Thing Is Clear

As a business, non-profit or association manager, you have a clear choice when you set up your public relations. Arrange your resources to generate a variety of product and service plugs on radio, and in newspapers and in magazines. Or, use a broader, more comprehensive and workable public relations blueprint to alter key external audience perceptions that lead to changed behaviors √
behaviors you will need to reach your managerial objectives.

Which is why it also seems clear that your department, division or subsidiary can fail or succeed depending on how well you employ a crucial dynamic like this one: persuade your key external stakeholders with the greatest impacts on your organization to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help your unit succeed.

Best place to start is with the blueprint itself: People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion
by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Continue reading "Managers and PR: One Thing Is Clear"

Where is the Best PR Value?

Wherever the fundamental premise of public relations is practiced.

Look at what it suggests. People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organi-zation, the public relations mission is accomplished.

What a positive message for those business, non-profit and assoc-iation managers who don't really understand the role public relations can play in helping achieve their organizational objectives. Nor, that reliance on public relations' fundamental premise even identifies the tools they need to put such a plan into action.

If, sadly, you are one of those managers, here's how you can make up for lost time and actually boost your chances of reaching your organizational goals.

Continue reading "Where is the Best PR Value?"

PR Going According to Plan?

Think carefully! You're a department, division or subsidiary manager for a business, non-profit or association and you really need to achieve your operating objectives.

But even a yes response to the headline above leaves the really big question unanswered - does your current public relations plan help persuade your most important outside audiences to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that lead to your success?

If the answer to that question is uncertain or even no, change is in order. Change that gives you a public relations blueprint that helps lead to managerial success and, some might say, survival.

I refer here to the kind of blueprint that moves the emphasis from communications tactics to an aggressive plan for reaching those outside groups of people with a big say about how successful you're going to be - your key external audiences.

Continue reading "PR Going According to Plan?"

How to Quickly Build an Arsenal of Powerful Testimonials - Even When You're Just Starting Out!

In this article you'll discover how to get those super valuable testimonials that are so vital to your freelance success!

One of my coaching students, copywriter Kim Stacey, asked the question, "How can my client quickly generate testimonials?"

The answer is the same for Kim's client as it is for us freelancers: you must develop them!

I confess that in my own copywriting business I was lazy in this department and had to scramble once I decided to correct my negligence. It's a fact that every couple of months about 10 percent of your business contacts change jobs, get promoted, quit work, or otherwise leave their positions. When that happens, your chance for getting a glowing testimonial from a happy client is gone forever!

So listen up...here are the secrets to painlessly growing your testimonial list:

Continue reading "How to Quickly Build an Arsenal of Powerful Testimonials - Even When You're Just Starting Out!"

PR Essential to your Success

Whether you are a business, non-profit or association manager, your success will depend, to a large degree, on how well you positively impact the behaviors of those outside audiences that most affect your operation.

You need to create external stakeholder behavior change - the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

And you do that by persuading those important outside folks to your way of thinking, then moving them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed.

The road to that success is filled with potholes, but you'll never feel them if you have the right roadmap.

Like this one: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Continue reading "PR Essential to your Success"

How to Interest the News Media in Your Company's Story

Take a moment to study this lead paragraph from a story by reporter Marilyn Adams, found on the front of a recent USA Today MONEY section:

"Independence Air, the first low-fare airline to launch with 50-seat jets, began selling tickets Wednesday for flights to and from Washington, setting off a fare war."

Here's a story that touches on all four elements of news: Change, conflict, aberration and problem. Every good news story has all four of these elements.

There is change, because Independence Air is launching its services.

There is conflict, because the launch is "setting off a fare war."

There is aberration, because the company is "the first low-fare airline to launch with 50-seat jets."

And there is problem, in that Independence Air is seeking to solve a problem: the high cost of air travel for Americans who live in smaller towns.

Continue reading "How to Interest the News Media in Your Company's Story"

3 Keys to Making Small Talk Easy to Do

Small talk used to be really hard work for me. I never knew what to say and I always worried about saying the wrong thing.

Then something awful happened to me....

I had to take a job dealing with the public. My worst fears came true and I had to make small talk with a whole range of people each and every day.

I found it difficult, tedious and nerve wracking.

Eventually after a lot of trial and error I got the hang of it. And today I find it easy to do and even enjoyable.

You can do the same when you learn a few key distinctions:

Continue reading "3 Keys to Making Small Talk Easy to Do"

I'm A Second Story Man

Can you say who you are and what you do in two sentences or less?

If someone should ask (in an elevator, get it?) what do you do? You should be able to recite the answer as fast as Robin Williams comes up with a quick one liner.

Robin Williams can do it because he has rehearsed every line. He is just waiting for the opportunity to bring up another fully rehearsed blurb. There is no "ad-lib" from Robin, he has carefully worked out every retort to be very funny.

Your elevator speech should be delivered completely rehearsed, no thinking to it, when you get the question: "What do you do?"..

We're not talking labels here, or vague references. "I'm in Hardware" "I'm a Plumber" "I sell life insurance and used cars". "I'm a consultant " "My company sells printing presses" Or the worst of all "I'm in sales"

Continue reading "I'm A Second Story Man"

Can Your PR Do This?

Can your PR do something positive about the behaviors of those outside audiences that most affect your business, non-profit or association?

Can your PR deliver external stakeholder behavior change -- the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives?

Can your PR persuade those important outside folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed?

Or does the money you spend on public relations pretty much buy personnel mentions in the newspaper and product plugs on radio talk shows?

Continue reading "Can Your PR Do This?"

How To Get Slightly Famous in Print

Early in my career, I wrote an article for a small business magazine about self-publishing as a marketing tool for businesses. Because I specialize in helping businesses get into print, the article only took a few hours to write. A few months later it was published. Almost immediately, my phone began to ring and my email box filled up with inquires.

As a result of "Be An Expert, Get More Business" I landed two clients, submitted several proposals, and added dozens of names to my mailing list. Later I used the article in my email newsletter, made glossy reprints for my marketing materials, and arranged to reprint the article in other magazines targeted at potential clients.

Years later, the benefits continue to roll in as prospects read my article on the Internet, recommend it to associates, and hire my firm because I'm an expert in Slightly Famous marketing strategies.

Continue reading "How To Get Slightly Famous in Print"

How to Use Celebrity to Attract the New Media

The Dallas Morning News recently offered two stories that demonstrate the power of celebrity to attract the news media's attention to an otherwise mundane situation.

The first is on the front page of the May 12 sports section. It deals with a Dallas-area golf instructor. Why the fuss? Because this golf instructor, Hank Haney, joined Tiger Woods for a practice round this week before the Byron Nelson. Tiger brought in Haney to help him out of his slump. And that got the media's attention. No Tiger, no story.

The second is on the front page of the May 12 business section. It discusses the launch of yet another new magazine aimed at young adult men. The magazine, called Giant, will compete directly with the established Maxim.

Why does the News care?

Continue reading "How to Use Celebrity to Attract the New Media"

Write Press Releases That Dazzle

When a reporter is wowed, intrigued, surprised or captivated by your press release, you can be pretty sure you'll get some media coverage. And for most businesses, positive media coverage is worth its weight in gold. The bad news: Although truckloads of news releases fill reporters' inboxes every day, few of them are dazzling, or even interesting.

As a former editor, I speak from experience when I say that most press releases end up in the garbage can. But don't let that stop you from sending them - a well-written news release can generate more publicity and goodwill than you could ever accomplish with a paid advertisement. To help keep your release out of the garbage and get it in print, start by following these five guidelines.

Continue reading "Write Press Releases That Dazzle"

Managers: Can We Agree on This?

Your public relations effort really should involve more than press releases, brochures and special events if you are to get your PR money's worth.

In particular, you should be pursuing those three pots of gold at the end of the PR rainbow.

First, when you use the fundamental premise of public relations to produce external stakeholder behavior change - the kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

Second, when you do something positive about the behaviors of those outside audiences that most affect your business, non-profit or association.

Continue reading "Managers: Can We Agree on This?"

19 Ways to Attract Higher Paying Clients

Some people have little difficulty attracting and maintaining clients who have higher discretionary funds to spend for solutions. Others can't get to first base. If you are one of those and want clients that can pay more and you currently aren't attracting them, here is a list of 10 barriers that might be interfering.

Higher paying clients are easier to work with, appreciate your work more, pay quicker and are more profitable.

Whenever I am asked by a independent profession how to get a client to pay more money, the first answer tends to be "you can't." It is very difficult to raise your rates with your existing clients. You generally need to find new, higher-paying clients.

Continue reading "19 Ways to Attract Higher Paying Clients"
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