What Are the Building Blocks of a Modern-Day PR Campaign?
Presenting the NEW Face of Public Relations
After 21 years in the PR business, it has become increasingly apparent to me that it’s time to drive a new milepost into the ground.
While the media has been specializing in reinventing itself every few business quarters, the business of marketing has been slowly evolving, trying to keep up with the changes. Regular readers of this column have seen some phrases making repeat appearances, such as social media, email blasts, online news outlets and other terms that refer to some of the technological advances that have hit modern marketing communications. As each of these new areas of outreach emerges, our tactics as PR strategists are changing with the times.
Get Customers Influencing Stores to Stock Your Product
Usually, I like to dispense advice from the standpoint of having been in the media for 20 years, but this week’s advice is more in the land of common sense.
When you go to the store and you can’t find the exact product you’re looking for, what do you do? Do you just go home empty-handed? Or do you ask a manager? Most of the time, I ask a store or assistant manager if they carry the product, or if they can order it. And, most of the time retailers want to work with customers, so they’ll find a way to get what you want. After all, if they can service your needs, hopefully you’ll keep coming back. Read more on getting customers to influence stores to stock your product →
Why Are My Sales Lagging?
How Seeing Through the Customer’s Eyes Can Help Open Sales Channels
Famous restaurateur and former TGIFriday’s CEO, Daniel Scroggin, was always intently focused on the customer experience. “The only way to know how customers see your business is to look at it through their eyes,” is a famous quote that has blanketed the Internet throughout his career. And he makes sense!
The customer experience is often the golden nugget that gets lost when companies work on trying to perfect their message. But as the CEO of several restaurant chains, Scroggin knew he was selling more than food. He was selling the experience… and all the metrics and demographic studies in the world can’t supplant the simple, satisfied feeling a consumer has after having a great time and meal on a Friday night! Read more on why my sales are lagging →
When is a Good Time To Start Your PR Campaign? How About NOW?
“What may be done at any time will be done at no time.”
– Scottish Proverb
Okay, don’t ask what the Jewish grandmother from New York is doing with a Scottish proverb. My chief strategist found it for me, and it fit the tone of my message today. Read more on when is a good time to start your PR campaign →
New Rules of Social Media Expert – David Meerman Scott
This is the third in the 3-part series of my interview with David Meerman Scott. As you know by now, David is the author of the number-one bestseller “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” (Wiley…published in 22 languages) and his hit new book “World Wide Rave” (Wiley).
David is an internationally recognized viral marketing strategist and speaker at conferences and corporate events around the world. Read more on the new rules of social media with David Meerman Scott →
5 Tips for Building Viral Buzz
We hear a lot about buzz, but what is “buzz” exactly – and how does it start? First, a buzz is something that you create. It starts small, like ripples in a pond. It builds slowly. But when cultivated and capitalized on, the buzz eventually gets too loud to ignore. This is our goal when we work with you to turn a book into credibility into celebrity: create a buzz that makes your name, your face, your book, and your message instantly synonymous – and ultimately recognizable. Read more on building viral buzz →
A Little Quiz to Show You How Big a Deal You Really Are
Joe the Plumber.
Dog the Bounty Hunter.
Bill Nye the Science Guy.
While plumbing, bounty hunting and science might be worthy industries, few would have ever thought they might be the breeding grounds of some of today’s unlikeliest celebrities. But such is the case when we live in a world where the popular media, indeed popular culture, is plugged in and turned on 24/7, 365 days a year. Read more on how big a deal are you really →
Portable Expertise: How Books Allow You to Go Everywhere They Can
If you’ve decided to become an expert in your field, in any field, allow me to show you how much faster that process can be – and how much further you can reach – through the publication of a well-written, carefully-planned, readable and entertaining book.
Books provide what I call “portable expertise.”
Low-Tech, High-Impact
Anywhere a book can go, you can go. Yes, there are more high-tech ways to reach your audience, but when someone’s wi-fi isn’t working, your book still is. When someone’s at 30,000-feet and can’t use their laptop yet, he or she can still open your book. Read more
Exploring the New Breed of Celebrity
It used to be that the only way to be a celebrity was to be on TV, in the movies, or to do something completely lame.
However, over the last decade, a new kind of celebrity has emerged – the expert celebrity. These are people who are absolutely at the top of their professions, and find a way to use the media to offer their expertise to the masses.
From Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer), Martha Stewart, and Bob Vila to Dr. Phil, Suze Orman and Rachel Ray, expert celebrities are taking over television, radio, print publications and the Internet. Moreover, according to media expert Marsha Friedman — author of Celebtritize Yourself from Warren Publishing (www.celebritizeyourself.com) – the next celebrity expert could well be you. Read more
Corporate America Can Help Promote Your Book
As we all know, most large corporations have big advertising budgets to promote their products. Yet, savvy corporate marketers understand that publicity can be far more effective than advertising for connecting with consumers.The competition for publicity is fierce and an almost impossible task without having a good angle to grab the media’s attention. But, that’s where you come in. You and your book can provide an excellent PR opportunity for the manufacturer of products that aligns with your message. Read more
Can the Power of PR Power Your Company Through the Recession?
“If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.” – Bill Gates
As unlikely as it is that Bill Gates would ever be down to his last million dollars, let alone a single George Washington, the fact remains that it’s a powerful endorsement of the power of PR.
Still, when the economy is tight and corporations yank hard to get their belts down to that last notch, PR is usually one of the first few items on the budget that’s frozen or cut completely. To bean counters, it’s an easy choice. Because it’s impossible to track the impact of PR in strict accounting terms they consider it difficult to quantify PR expenditures. To the numbers guys, if something fails to leave a footprint on the spreadsheet, it is expendable. Read more
It Is NOT Too Late to Promote Your Products for the Holidays!
As media relationship professionals for nearly 20 years, my firm works closely with talk radio show hosts and producers day-in and day-out. Because of this synergistic relationship we know:
What They Need & When They Need It
With that in mind, if you have products to promote, I want to let you know it is not too late to get on the air before the holidays! If your products are available for purchase and have mass appeal, then now is the time to let holiday consumers know about it…and there are still a limited number of interview slots left for you to take advantage of. Read more
Building “BUZZ” For Your Book Can Be Fast, Easy and Cost Effective
In today’s world of publishing, I don’t have to tell you what a challenge it is to get your book noticed. With nearly 300,000 new books hitting the market every year, this is a problem all authors encounter – from first timers to big name celebrities. But once you have the word-of-mouth buzz going, it can spread like wildfire.One of the best methods to get people talking about you and your book is by being interviewed as a guest on talk radio. Why? This medium allows you to talk to a captive audience of affluent, educated and, most importantly, active consumers who are book-buyers. We’ve been one of the country’s top providers of radio show guests since 1990 and, from our years of experience, we’ve seen how instrumental talk radio has been in our daily lives. Talk radio hosts and their guests consistently create thought provoking conversations throughout the country. They’re largely responsible for spreading new ideas resulting in hot trends and lifestyle choices. You and the message of your book CAN be part of this forum that affects peoples lives daily. This is how buzz is built. Read more
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You Can Enjoy Expert Celebrity Status
Are you ready for your own brand of celebrity? Public relations expert Marsha Friedman teaches you how to Celebritize Yourself! Learn the secret to becoming an expert celebrity. Her book is the manual for becoming well known as an expert in your field! -
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