Follow these steps for making your company a heavily quoted source.
Ever wonder why your competitors keep cropping up in coverage - whether it be national dailies, on big-time TV broadcasts or even in local business magazines - while your company's relegated to the back of the trades?
The fact is, a lot of media pickup isn't always driven by stellar press releases, according to Dan Forbush, president and founder of ProfNet, a PR Newswire service that puts journalists in touch with experts and sources for breaking stories. "There are two essential approaches to media placement. One is to persuade reporters that your organization has news worth reporting - this approach is deliberate and release driven. The other is to persuade reporters that there are individuals within your organization who - because of their industry perspective or some form of expertise - are worth interviewing. This approach is opportunistic and pitch driven."
His tips for effectively playing the expert game:
Play reporter. "Forget for a moment your own organization's objectives, and read the world as a reporter would," Forbush advises. "Given your beat and the readers you must satisfy, what topics are of interest? What angles do you find fresh and provocative? With which sources - with what expertise - do you want to be in touch with?"
Become a matchmaker. "Having performed that analysis, you can now lay the role of matchmaker," he continues. "Ask yourself, 'Which individuals within my organization or my clientele can satisfy these reporter needs? And what presentations will be most persuasive?'"
Identify ideas for the masses vs. tailored pitches. "When you write a news release, you're packaging ideas for reporters in masses," Forbush says, "but when you write a pitch, you're tailoring an idea for a single reporter. You're saying 'I think you'll be interested in this person because' - and you have a good reason for thinking so because you've done your homework. You've read the publication, or you've watched the show, and you know what works and what doesn't. Via Lexis-Nexis or Google, you've researched the reporter's work, and you're familiar with his or her recent reporting."
Adopt a long-term perspective. "In all of your relationships with reporters, adopt a long-term perspective," he cautions. "You should craft your pitch carefully in such a way that - even if the reporter doesn't take you up on your offer this time - you can be confident your next pitch will be read. This helps cultivate your standing as a reliable source."
Perform an Expert Audit. "You can be a reliable source only if you have a thorough knowledge of your organization and have identified everyone who can be helpful to reporters and how," Forbush says. "For this reason, when you join a new organization or take on a new client, you should always perform an 'expert audit.' Sit down with colleagues or clients and identify who can talk effectively about what."
Develop platforms for spokespeople. "By profiling your spokesperson(s) on your websites and expert resources for reporters, you provide easy accessibility to these experts," Forbush says. "If you have an expert who can speak on a 'hot topic' that is currently in the news, consider sending out a media advisory alerting reporters to the availability of your spokesperson, and his or her position on the topic," he suggests.
Follow these simple steps and soon you will find reporters seeking you - or one of your experts - out for a quote again and again.
Developing Your Internet Marketing Plan
What is your goal for your website? When it comes to business websites, a return on investment expected. To get any kind of return, your site needs to have a goal to which all actions will be compared.
Do you want your website to inform, share news and information, communicate with different locations, entertain, or make a profit by selling information, services, or products? Imagine that you can have only one action on the website. What would it be? That's your website goal. Beyond this, only you can define what exactly you want other people to do on your website.
From this goal, you can research and develop your audience, keywords, site structure, site design, content, and promotion for your website. Ask yourself:
* What am I offering? . Who needs this? . Where are they online and offline?
* What action do I want them to take?
* What sets my site apart from others like it?
* How can I attract more attention?
* How much time can I invest in updating my site?
* How much money can I invest in Internet Marketing?
* How do you plan to reach that goal?
* The marketing goal is always to attract and convert your target market into customers. Internet marketing techniques are a little different than conventional marketing, but the general strategies still apply. People still buy based on their needs and you still want to make it obvious that your product or service will fulfill one or more of these needs.
People are also tired and annoyed by intrusive advertising, so you will need to be natural in your techniques. Instead of trying to break through barriers and blast your message through the clutter, try earning your target market's trust by building relationships.
Internet Marketing Strategies:
Provide Value To Your Market
On the web, people can leave you with one click if you do not provide them with what they want.
Communicate Respectfully - No one likes SPAM. No one wants to wait on hold when they call Customer Service. No one wants to wait a week for a response to an email.
Be Trustworthy - People buy from people they like and people they trust.
Be Personal - Websites are visited by individuals not organizations.
Build Relationships - Your customers will feel comfortable with you and talking about you to others.
Internet Marketing Techniques:
* Network - Online and Offline the best way to grow is through personal connections and interaction. Online social networks and communities can be a powerful resource for finding customers and creating relationships with them.
* Create An Email Marketing Database - Sending regular emails create and maintain relationships with your customers. It is very important to be trustworthy and honest in these emails. DO NOT SPAM! Do not sell your client's information, and do not send mass emails more than once a week. DO provide value, do allow people to opt-in and opt-out of every email, and be personal in your communications.
* Create A Network Of Links - Links are the key to the Internet. You want to make sure you only add outgoing links on your site if you are sure they are useful to your customer. Only link to helpful and trustworthy sites. The same goes for sites linking to yours. Every link to your site is an online referral for your business. While you can't stop anyone from linking to your site, you can seek out and develop relationships with your vendors, online communities, and other trustworthy and helpful sites that your customers visit.
* Create Attractive Content - Content has always been king. Write a blog, post articles, make a Top 5/10/50/100 List, create a photo gallery, or any other content that will attract your customers, links from other sites, and attention from the search engines.
* Organic and Paid Search Results - Search Engine Optimization techniques can only get you so high in the rankings. However, you can always jump to the front of the line with a little cash.
You can buy Pay-Per-Click ads on your core search terms; you can hire a good, trustworthy SEO expert, or buy links on popular websites and directories. When are you finished? Never! Unless you close up shop or sell your site to Google for millions of dollars, you are going to want to continually update your website, evaluate your marketing plan, add new techniques, expand your niche, and continue to grow.
The minute your site becomes stale your audience begins to move on. With the millions of websites available in the world, someone is posting new information or creating new techniques to reach your target market every day. Developing an effective online presence is becoming more and more similar to any brick and mortar store. If have to use the old elbow grease, network, and actively seek out new customers to grow your business.
Keeping Your Website Fresh:
* Share your news and press releases on your site. . Ask your customers and vendors to share information.
* Take part in blogs, forums, and social sites online.
* Post to your own blog on a regular schedule.
* Create a space for your customers to help you improve your site.
* Reward active participants on your site with gifts and gadgets.
* Watch your competitors and other experts in your field.
Do you want your website to inform, share news and information, communicate with different locations, entertain, or make a profit by selling information, services, or products? Imagine that you can have only one action on the website. What would it be? That's your website goal. Beyond this, only you can define what exactly you want other people to do on your website.
From this goal, you can research and develop your audience, keywords, site structure, site design, content, and promotion for your website. Ask yourself:
* What am I offering? . Who needs this? . Where are they online and offline?
* What action do I want them to take?
* What sets my site apart from others like it?
* How can I attract more attention?
* How much time can I invest in updating my site?
* How much money can I invest in Internet Marketing?
* How do you plan to reach that goal?
* The marketing goal is always to attract and convert your target market into customers. Internet marketing techniques are a little different than conventional marketing, but the general strategies still apply. People still buy based on their needs and you still want to make it obvious that your product or service will fulfill one or more of these needs.
People are also tired and annoyed by intrusive advertising, so you will need to be natural in your techniques. Instead of trying to break through barriers and blast your message through the clutter, try earning your target market's trust by building relationships.
Internet Marketing Strategies:
Provide Value To Your Market
On the web, people can leave you with one click if you do not provide them with what they want.
Communicate Respectfully - No one likes SPAM. No one wants to wait on hold when they call Customer Service. No one wants to wait a week for a response to an email.
Be Trustworthy - People buy from people they like and people they trust.
Be Personal - Websites are visited by individuals not organizations.
Build Relationships - Your customers will feel comfortable with you and talking about you to others.
Internet Marketing Techniques:
* Network - Online and Offline the best way to grow is through personal connections and interaction. Online social networks and communities can be a powerful resource for finding customers and creating relationships with them.
* Create An Email Marketing Database - Sending regular emails create and maintain relationships with your customers. It is very important to be trustworthy and honest in these emails. DO NOT SPAM! Do not sell your client's information, and do not send mass emails more than once a week. DO provide value, do allow people to opt-in and opt-out of every email, and be personal in your communications.
* Create A Network Of Links - Links are the key to the Internet. You want to make sure you only add outgoing links on your site if you are sure they are useful to your customer. Only link to helpful and trustworthy sites. The same goes for sites linking to yours. Every link to your site is an online referral for your business. While you can't stop anyone from linking to your site, you can seek out and develop relationships with your vendors, online communities, and other trustworthy and helpful sites that your customers visit.
* Create Attractive Content - Content has always been king. Write a blog, post articles, make a Top 5/10/50/100 List, create a photo gallery, or any other content that will attract your customers, links from other sites, and attention from the search engines.
* Organic and Paid Search Results - Search Engine Optimization techniques can only get you so high in the rankings. However, you can always jump to the front of the line with a little cash.
You can buy Pay-Per-Click ads on your core search terms; you can hire a good, trustworthy SEO expert, or buy links on popular websites and directories. When are you finished? Never! Unless you close up shop or sell your site to Google for millions of dollars, you are going to want to continually update your website, evaluate your marketing plan, add new techniques, expand your niche, and continue to grow.
The minute your site becomes stale your audience begins to move on. With the millions of websites available in the world, someone is posting new information or creating new techniques to reach your target market every day. Developing an effective online presence is becoming more and more similar to any brick and mortar store. If have to use the old elbow grease, network, and actively seek out new customers to grow your business.
Keeping Your Website Fresh:
* Share your news and press releases on your site. . Ask your customers and vendors to share information.
* Take part in blogs, forums, and social sites online.
* Post to your own blog on a regular schedule.
* Create a space for your customers to help you improve your site.
* Reward active participants on your site with gifts and gadgets.
* Watch your competitors and other experts in your field.
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