| ||
| ||
|
Marketing Information | |
|
|
How to Run a Successful News Release Program
Marketing public relations gives you cost effective ways to reach your audience. The trade-off, however, is time. It takes time to develop and execute public relations programs. It can take time for these programs to yield rewards. Here are six simple steps for developing a news release program that extends your reach and generates inquiries at a fraction of the cost of advertising. 1) DETERMINE YOUR AUDIENCE AND MESSAGE. If you have a marketing or communications plan in place, you already have audiences and messages defined. No need to reinvent for your news release program, although you may need to select audiences and messages that are most appropriate. 2) BUILD A LIST. Once you know your audience, you'll need a list of publications they're likely to read. A great place to go to create a list is http://www.medialistsonline.com - a service of Bacon's. It's reasonably priced and fast. The downside is the lists come with no updates. You may need to re-purchase your list several times during a year. Or it may make more sense for you to buy a media directory subscription. However you build your list, make it broad. With a news release program you can send releases to many more publications than you can afford to advertise in. Sending a release just entails paper, printing, a photo, an envelope and a stamp. 3) DETERMINE NEWSWORTHY TOPICS. This is a tricky but critical step. You'll need to think like a member of your target audience. What's going to interest him or her? Usually it's new stuff -- products, services, applications, literature, software. If you don't have these to write about, your news releases might not get past the editors' trash can. 4) INCLUDE A PHOTO. Publications can be hungry for visuals so send one with your release - a photo, illustration, chart or graph. In most cases a 3" x 5" glossy B&W print and a color slide will work. Be sure to send good quality visuals since the quality will reflect on you. 5) SET A SCHEDULE - AND STICK TO IT. Sending releases regularly lets editors know you're reliable. If you have six topics for the year, send out a release every other month. Twelve topics - one a month. General rule for monthly publications is one release per editor per month. 6) MEASURE RESULTS AND LEARN. It takes about three months before your releases will show up in monthly publications. Less time for pubs that come out more often. Track what runs, where it runs, how much space you get and inquiries generated. You can use this information to measure results and improve your program. About the author Claire Cunningham, president of Clairvoyant Communications, Inc., has 20+ years' experience developing and implementing successful marketing and communications programs. Sign up for Claire's monthly newsletter, Communiqué, at http://www.clairvoyantcommunications.com Claire can be reached at 763-479-3499 (Fax: 763-479-2809, e-mail: claire@claircomm.com)
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Strategic Marketing and Tactical Marketing Know The Differences And Profit Most people mistakenly assume that when you talk about marketing, you're automatically talking about "Tactical" marketing - placing ads, generating leads, sending out mailers, attending trades shows, creating brochures, implementing a follow-up system, and so forth.They fail to realize that the "Strategic" side of the coin - what you say, how you say it, and who you say it to - is almost always MORE important than the marketing medium of WHERE you say it. Small Business Marketing Tip - Get Attention and Be Remembered We live in a world of noise - not just auditory noise but total sensory overload. Everywhere we go marketing messages are shouting at us day and night. Networking the Media The media is a business's absolute best friend. It is THEsource of information distribution to the masses. Creative Online Marketing For Salespeople and Business Professionals New to a sales career? Want to market yourself but don't have the money to do so? Tired of cold calling and prospecting? Wish there were an easier way to get the word out about your services?Does this sound like you? This was what I felt like when I got my first sales job selling copiers ten years ago. My sales manager back then was into the traditional methods of getting new business; that is, prospecting, cold calling, booking appointments, doing product demonstrations, and closing sales. Do I Need an RSS Feed? RSS has been around for more than 10 years but has only recently become popular. RSS provides headlines and summaries of information in a concise and standardized way. Coupons that Work Turn a coupon into a business card (or vice versa).Coupons are seen everywhere; you clip them from the newspaper to save on groceries, you get them in the mail to save on brand name items, you even get packages in the form of booklets delivered to your door. How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 3 To read the beginning of this special report, you can read part two here: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=58712Let's continue to discuss the various marketing principles that are involved in "popcorn marketing":2. The 5 Minute Marketing Plan If I were to ask you right now, what marketing tactics haveyou used, umm, say in the last month, could you tell me?Chances are you probably could rattle them off quicklyenough.Now, say if I asked you if you knew the results those tacticsbrought. Do this One Thing and Beat 85% of Your Competition! Maybe you don't want to work that hard, or maybe you have been burned by consultants so you are not inclined to listen to one. Or maybe you already have a measure of success and don't think you need to do anything more. Smart Ways To Rocket Launch Your Profits If you really want to pull more profits from your business, you really need take some of the actions listed here. 1. Niche with Passion and Reap Your Financial Rewards One of the keys to creating a successful business is finding a market niche that is small enough to corner the market but big enough to make money. Let me tell you about a few people who have done that well, and why it works for them. Effective List Management Can Save You Big Let's talk about how to keep your postage costs down.So far you have been following my advice and mailing to the same list more than once. A Perfect Partnership for Business Too often we small business owners get caught up in our day-to-day bottom line, and miss the needs of the community outside our door. By doing this, we miss an opportunity to include "socially responsible marketing" -or sponsorship- in our yearly promotional plan. Put Your Marketing To The So What? Test Want to get Better at your Marketing today?For many service business owners, marketing can be a real mystery. We don't really know exactly how it works. Developing the Unique Selling Proposition The "Unique Selling Proposition" advertising campaign was developed by Reeves in 1961. Reeves proposed that marketers offer products different from their competitor' offerings by developing products that have a special formula, design, or feature. Two Methods of Marketing Using Joint Ventures Whether you're a contractor a local merchant with 150 employees, whichever, however or whatever, you've got to know how to keep your business alive during rougheconomic times. Anytime the cash flow in a business,large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship. How to Handle Jargon at Your Web Site - and Why If you sell a technical product or service, you probably know you have jargon at your web site - specialized terminology that the average person doesn't understand. While jargon does help you communicate precisely withpeers, it seriously gets in the way if potential and actualcustomers aren't as conversant with it as you are. Census Data Mapping for Small Business When studying the demographics of an area for a business venture or expansion you need to not only understand all the data, but what it means to your individual business model. Census data and Census projection charting for MSDA's has become very accurate over the years. Lack Of Business Isnt Always The Problem When you're just starting out in business, it's a safe bet that you need more clients. But what if you have been up and running for a while, and you're still not making as much money as you would like? You may be in the habit of thinking that attracting new clients is the answer, but this isn't always the case. 3 Ways to Gain and KEEP Customers Using Postcards In today's competitive (sometimes cutthroat) marketplace, savvy business owners need to constantly look for ways to get and, more importantly, keep their customers. When used properly postcards offer a great opportunity to do both.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
