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Archive for March, 2011



PR 101

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

I am always thrilled to sit with energetic entrepreneurs who are inspired by their business concept and eager to take next steps.  There is an unquenchable optimism that I find so refreshing and powerful when so much of what we hear and see is negative these days.

So, when I met a young, motivated, professional woman at a PR 101 seminar who is about to launch a very exciting niche catering concept I could not have been happier to help.

We spent several hours working on how she can launch and sustain her business from unknown to gotta try using a clever and meaty PR strategy.

We worked through what is news, who might be interested, how to get stories to the right outlet and the right reporter, the strength of social media for her endeavor, how to measure success,  and came up with a year’s worth of timely ideas and next steps that she can manage on her own.

I am just sure that Taste This! will be very successful.  But more than that, I am sure that my new friend will always be successful because she recognizes that taking a bit of time to learn something new from a professional is a sure path to fewer mistakes and better results.  And after all, who has the time to make avoidable mistakes these days?

How can this experience apply to your situation?  Isn’t it time you learned a little something new that can help your business too?

 

Drive Sales With PR

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Many people look at PR as an expense that they want to avoid if possible. Don’t go there my friend!  Instead, look at PR as a valuable, relatively inexpensive and highly effective marketing tool that can drive more customers to your door be it digital or brick & mortar.

Every one of you can create media interest in your  business when you understand what it is the media want, how to reach them and when they are most likely to use what you send them.

What do they want?  It depends on who their audience is.  For example, if you have a technical product that is a whiz-bang problem solver. Choose a media outlet and writer that speaks to those who might buy your product.  Don’t waste their time.  Use the subject line of the email to identify the problem your product is solving.  Tell them in the body of the short, concise email (2 paragraphs or less) what problem your gadget or system solves and the amount of money and time users are saving by using it.  Give them the link to your site and your phone number.  They will be back to you when they can.

No matter the product or service you are selling the same rules apply.

  • Don’t waste the media’s time.
  • Put yourself in their shoes before you contact them – don’t badger them with a dozen emails a week. Give them some time.
  • Make it easy to work with you.
  • Always, always get back to them as soon as you can.  Their lives are ruled by very strict daily deadlines.

Want more how-to tools for working with the media?  Let me know what interests you.

 

 

 

 

Get Every Day Off To A Great Start

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

If getting started on the piles and backlog of to-dos and over-dos has you somewhat paralyzed these days here are 2 easy ways to make every day a whole lot better.

1. Don’t ever leave the night before without at least a short list of 5 things that need attention the next day. When you get in, review it, prioritize according to most urgent, and start at the top. If you only get one thing done today you can feel great that it was the most important thing on the list.
2. Got a really hard thing to do that you have been putting off?   I always do that first – get it out of the way when all your energy and commitment to make this day a great one is fresh.

The great news is that as you make this simple method of planning the next day before you leave the office the night before and taking on the hardest thing first, you will find that procrastination disappears, your productivity soars, and your energy and self confidence are noticeably increased.

Next time I will tell you about the wonderful Martha Ringer — a powerful coach I have met recently and the life-changing, practical training that has enabled me to create some exciting and positive changes in my business and my life.

Keep smiling!

 

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