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Using Publicity to Get Your Name Out |
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Written by Don Cooper
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Wednesday, 24 May 2006 |
Using Publicity to Get Your Name OutBy Don Cooper
You may not have a fancy storefront. You may not have an eight-foot sign outside your office. And if you are like most businesspeople, you don’t have an unlimited advertising budget. So how can you alert potential customers to your business without breaking the bank?
Consistent use of publicity should be an integral part of your overall marketing strategy. It will allow you to reach large numbers of people for virtually no cost while at the same time giving you credibility you cannot buy in an advertisement.
Bear in mind that advertising is very different from publicity. In advertising, you are paying someone to mass distribute a sales-oriented message. Publicity is usually free and focuses on a community-oriented message. Through publicity, you are working to increase your name recognition and create awareness of your business, product or service. Use these strategies to kick your publicity machine into high gear and generate more sales.
Write ArticlesVirtually every trade association and business group has a newsletter, magazine or journal. And they are all in need of articles of value to their members. Such articles must be informational, not promotional in nature. They should be general interest or targeted to the specific needs of the readers. Start with the organizations to which you belong. Contact the editors of their publications and ask about needs, schedules and editorial guidelines. Write according to their guidelines and include your contact information for the authorship credit. If they will also print your picture, that’s ideal, but even just getting your name and company name in print will give you valuable exposure and credibility.
Bonus Strategy: Be sure to get reprints to include in your promotional materials.
Send Seasonal Press ReleasesA press release needs to relate to something of interest to the publication’s readers. One way to do this on a regular basis is to link your press release to recurring, seasonal events. Besides the big, traditional holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, etc.), think about other holiday occasions both religious (Passover, Ramadan, Ash Wednesday) and secular, (Arbor Day, Chinese New Year, Administrative Professionals’ Week). Also consider such recurring themes as back-to-school, tax season and summer vacation.
Bonus Strategy: Don’t forget Small Business Week in May and Home-Based Business Week in October!
Declare Yourself a WinnerMany business organizations give out annual awards in a variety of categories. Nominate yourself for any and every award for which you are eligible, then send out a press release announcing the nomination. If you become a finalist or a winner, send out additional press releases. With this strategy, you can get multiple exposures from a single effort, not even counting the publicity you may get from the sponsoring organization. You also receive the side benefit of being portrayed in an inherently positive light.
Bonus Strategy: Include awards and nominations in your marketing materials.
Be OpinionatedWrite op-ed pieces or send letters to the editor on issues that relate to your industry or your community. Consider issues such as taxes, child-care, transportation and government regulation. Appearing in the editorial section automatically increases your credibility and positions you as someone who cares about your community, not just making money. Use a combination of facts (with sources) and emotional stories to best make your case.
Bonus Strategy: Focus your efforts on smaller magazines and newspapers that have less competition for op-ed space.
Your potential market needs to know who you are and what you do before they will even consider buying anything from you. Good, consistent publicity can help you accomplish that goal. It takes time, effort and persistence, but the return on your investment can be even better than an eight-foot sign.
Don Cooper is an internationally-recognized sales expert who helps companies of all shapes and sizes dramatically increase their sales. He conducts seminars, runs annual sales meetings and trains sales and customer service teams. He is a contributing author of Confessions of Shameless Self Promoters with Debbie Allen and Jay Conrad Levinson. He is also the author of the forthcoming book, The Myth of Price: Why You Should Charge More and How to Do It.
For information about booking Don to speak to your group, please call 303-832-4248 or e-mail
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You can also find free articles, tips and other information at www.DonCooper.com.
* 2007 Don Cooper. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted, intact, as long as the full byline is included. To request a photo to print with the byline, please call 303-832-4248 or e-mail
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