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Posts Tagged ‘publicity’
Monday, December 12th, 2011
We have been hearing a lot lately about Facebook. What it means to individuals as well as businesses. Most of us understand basically what Facebook is. It is a way to stay connected with family and friends and to keep current on events in their lives. That is correct. What a lot of us don’t understand is how it will actually help businesses just by staying connected with friends.
In nearly every aspect in our lives we depend on the references or opinions of others that we do trust in order to make informed and responsible decisions. This can be something as simple as where to eat to what companies we will trust our personal information on the internet.
That information is what drives the search engines to small businesses. It’s like the old saying “what goes around, comes around.”
For instance, you are chatting with a family member on Facebook. You may be telling them that you need a new roof replaced. They may have used a company from your area that they were very impressed with themselves. They give you the name, but they don’t have any other information. After you get off Facebook, because you trust that family member, you are going to do a search for that particular company, right? Right. That is just one way Facebooking and Search Engines can work together.
Social Media marketing is only going to grow. Make sure your business stays on track by using social media sites to build your business. Start a fan page. It’s just like word of mouth, but it will be word of friends and family. The family and friends of fans of your page will look at your page. Because they trust their family and friends, they will like your page as well. Your audience will only grow. And getting bigger means more sales for your business.
Tags: advertising, Branding, business, facebook, publicity, search, search engine optimization, small business, Social Media
Posted in Social Media | 3 Comments »
Sunday, December 11th, 2011
Did you know there are an estimated 21.5 million small businesses in the United States? Those same small businesses contribute 44% of all business in the United States. This is phenomenal. One would think it would be less than that simply because of the large corporations. It just goes to show you that small businesses are favored among the citizens of the United States.
It would be nice if banks would favor small businesses over large corporations when it comes to lending money. The recent economic crisis has made it harder for small businesses to operate when the credit card companies have lowered limits on some without notifying them.
A lot of small businesses operate by using a credit card to pay off all expenses at the end of each month. Some credit card companies have lowered limits, which is causing some small businesses’ credit scores to go down. This in spite of having payments on time. This has caused a snowball effect. Now their credit score is lowered and they can’t get banks to help with any lending issues they have in order to purchase new equipment and the like.
This is a direct result of why some businesses go out of business. They can’t get any cooperation. Since small businesses represent 44% of all business, then maybe shoppers can try to be a little more loyal to their local businesses.
It used to be that everyone shopped locally, which in turn kept dollars in the local market. Now, with a lot of things being shipped from overseas, the local dollars don’t stay locally much.
Try to keep your customers by offering a little extra for the holiday season. It gets awfully tiring having to shop for gifts so why not offer free drinks and/or a place to sit and rest? This way, they are in your store and while they are resting their tired feet, they are looking over your merchandise. They may very well see something they want and will get it there before traveling on.
All it takes is a little customer service and going out of your way for the customers. Don’t be a scrooge, take your customers back from the big corporations. You will be surprised at how well this works. Then, you might not need to speak with a lender.
Tags: business, publicity, small business
Posted in Small Business Finance | 3 Comments »
Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
It looks as if Facebook has gotten its hands slapped. The Federal Trade Commission announced on Tuesday that a settlement has been reached in regards to Facebook’s privacy practices.
Facebook will now have to conduct privacy audits every two years for the next 20 years. This is a result of the mishandling of Facebook users’ private information back in December 2009. Facebook had made some changes to its privacy notices and did not give user’s a choice if they wanted their information used or not. Facebook was sharing user information with outside developers. This infuriated many users and complaints were filed.
Only the audits are required at the moment, no fines or fees. But, if it happens again, Facebook will be fined $16,000 a day for each time it happens. Also, Facebook will now have to make sure there is a link for the user to use in order to confirm any changes to their profile. It looks as if Facebook better be careful in the future.
Facebook is wildly popular around the world with an estimated 800 million users. You can’t go anywhere anymore without someone asking “are you on Facebook?” Even businesses are jumping on the bandwagon with Facebook pages for their business.
With so many users, it will remain to be seen if everyone will be happy with the stepped up security.
Tags: facebook, publicity, Reputation Management, Social Media, social networking
Posted in Social Media | 3 Comments »
Friday, March 26th, 2010
Online review sites have both a good and a bad reputation. Consumers tend to like them because they’re allowed to air their views in public and potentially ruin a company’s reputation. Business owners tend not to like them because they allow anyone and everyone a chance to speak untruths without checks or balances.
Both sides of this argument are blessed with solid points as well as some misguided fears.
On the pro side, online review sites do offer small businesses additional exposure. Before you hit me, consider that publicity is what it is. Negative publicity is only negative if people believe it and most people are smart enough to see through thinly veiled veneers.
However, review sites often don’t allow small business owners a chance to respond to allegations and that can often hurt. One popular review site has started allowing business owners a chance to respond to allegations after being pummeled with its own negative reviews and backlash from the business community.
While one-side reviews with no chance to respond are a bad thing, keep in mind that as a business owner you still have the upper hand. You can always build more websites and conduct Internet marketing campaigns to act of positive reputation enhancements. You don’t have to let the bad apples spoil the pudding.
Tags: online review sites, publicity, Reputation Management
Posted in Reputation Management | No Comments »
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Free publicity – does it exist? Sponsor a local event and you will receive free publicity. But sponsorships cost so is it really free? We talk a lot about online marketing but for small businesses targeting a local marketing, off-site marketing can prove to be invaluable – and if it’s free, more so.
Can you get free publicity off-line. There are several channels that are worth exploring although everything really does have a cost, even if it’s only nickels:
Yourself – have t-shirts printed with your logo and web address. These days there are kits that enable you to do it in your own home. Be smart – wear you shirt when dropping the kids off to school (or picking them up) and to casual social functions.
Your Car – you can do the same with your car – just not the t-shirt. A printed sign in the back window is quick and easy to produce with a color printer.
Business Cards – business cards are so inexpensive these days you can buy them for a fraction of a cent each. The key to business cards is placement. Don’t just scatter them everywhere, be selective and ask business that provide complementary services in your niche – offer to host there cards in return.
Simple, inexpensive, yet it helps to spread the word about your business. Does it work? I had to replace a window last week – who did I think of? Someone I see everyday wearing a shirt with a business logo – over time, it imprints on the brain. So yes – it certainly can work.
Tags: advertising, marketing, publicity
Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Sunday, November 1st, 2009
If you are planning to do any public relations online then you’ll have to get a little creative and think outside the box on how to approach it. There’s more to online PR than sending a press release out to the distribution websites and waiting for a phone call. You’ve got to be a bit more aggressive and get your feet moving.
Certainly you want to send out press releases. I’m not saying don’t do that. But there are other ways to get the publicity you seek. Three sources of online publicity that you don’t want to overlook are:
- Bloggers
- Podcasters
- Videocasters
Bloggers will often interview or highlight a business professional with a particular expertise. But you don’t necessarily need a press release to approach a blogger. Often, just a short, brief e-mail explaining your pitch is enough. If the blogger likes it then you’ll get a mention.
With podcasters, if you’ll scour the podcast directories you may find a podcast show within your niche. There are online radio stations now that program shows by the hour or a particular time slot. See if you can find one that deals with your topic and pitch the radio show host the same way you would a blogger.
If you scan YouTube, Hulu, and other video websites for video shows within your niche you can often find video shows within your niche just like podcasts. A short e-mail to the video show host or producer may often produce some publicity for you as well.
Don’t hold back. Be relentless in your pursuit of online publicity and don’t be afraid to pitch people you’d least expect. Just be polite and courteous and professional.
Tags: bloggers, online PR, podcasting, public relations, publicity, videos
Posted in PR for Small Business | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Everyone wants recognition. And if you do business online and are looking for public relations from bloggers and marketers, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach them. Actually, there are several right ways and several wrong ways.
SEOmoz recently wrote a funny post about an e-mail proposal that missed the mark. And it was really so elementary that I’m surprised the person looking for marketing help didn’t step up and admit his wrong square in the face. So what the big sin? Simply this: A mass e-mail where all the recipients could be seen by each other.
Huge No-No!
The No. 1 cardinal rule for e-mail proposals is this – make them personal and individualized.
If you are going to approach any number of people and ask for a quote or estimate or publicity of some kind, any kind of assistance or partnership, don’t send out an impersonal mass e-mail. That’s just plain tacky. Find out who the contact person is, by name and title, and address your e-mail to that individual. Also, send each person a separate e-mail. And don’t expect people to jump through hoops for status or money. That’s not what business is about. It’s about relationships so build good ones right from the start.
Tags: e-mail RFP, publicity, relationships
Posted in PR for Small Business | 2 Comments »
Sunday, July 12th, 2009
Entrepreneur Magazine is always very helpful. I like the tips they offer for small businesses and big businesses alike. But these 10 tips for great public relations are absolutely essential for any business to keep in mind. Here they are in summary:
- Know your market.
- Identify the product benefits relevant to your market
- Establish your product as unique.
- Source and use testimonials.
- Target the media used by your target market.
- Prepare your press release to be used as is.
- Sell your release.
- Follow up.
- Keep in contact.
- Use a photograph.
Some of these are self explanatory. Some of them will require you to read the article to get the full grasp of it. And all of them were right on the money, essential elements in effective public relations. But I want to discuss one particular item just briefly. No. 5.
Target the media used by your target market.
Whether you are advertising or sending out press releases, this is absolutely essential. There is no sense in starting a relationship with an editor or publisher that won’t benefit you. And if your target market isn’t going there then neither should you. I find so many business owners making this mistake. Your just wasting your time. You should really take the time to study the market and learn where your target market hangs out. Then hang out in the same places.
Tags: press releases, public relations, publicity, small business, target marketing
Posted in PR for Small Business | 12 Comments »
Monday, June 15th, 2009
If you run a local business online or have an online presence for a local business – for that matter, if you are a local business at all – then you should work on your relationship with the local press. There are some great opportunities for free publicity just by becoming an expert in a topic that journalists might like to cover.
If you read your local newspapers you’re likely to find stories that touch upon what you do in your business. When you see those stories it’s a great opportunity to send a short note to the editor and offering yourself as a credible expert to call upon when more stories of that nature pop up. Newspapers reporters all have a list of resources to call for certain types of stories and you want your name on that list. But be subtle. You don’t want it to seem like you are begging and you don’t want to be too pushy. You want your initial communication with a news person to be short and respectful:
- Be friendly. Nothing annoys news editors and reporters more than a pushy person looking for free publicity.
- Be helpful. There is no substitute for helpfulness.
- Write a short note about how you liked an article on such-and-such topic. Be positive.
- Be specific about what you liked.
- Offer yourself as a resource in the future, but don’t be too pushy or aggressive.
- Wait. This is one instance where persistence doesn’t pay off. You’ve made your offer now wait for a call. There likely won’t be articles on your topic every day. If you see an article in the future that you could have been consulted on and weren’t, send a short reminder but nothing too pushy.
Being an expert consultant for journalists working on stories is one of the best ways to get free publicity, but you have to finesse your way into it. Being overly aggressive can kill your chances.
Tags: expert sources, journalism, news, publicity
Posted in PR for Small Business | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
The internet gives us a unique opportunity to promote our businesses through blogging, but it also lets us learn from people who have years and years of experience behind them. One of the best things you can do to help your business is simply pay attention to what the best in the field are doing.
Look at the blogs you enjoy reading. Why do you like to read them? What captures your attention? How can you incorporate that into your own blogging for small business?
There`s an interesting post over at ProBlogger this morning that covers how to write sticky posts. I highly recommend checking it out if you are doing your own blogging, or passing it along to your ghostwriter if you hire one to keep your blog running. Here`s an excerpt:
We’ve already established that readers are in a hurry, and that they don’t want to read your whole post. The important thing to realize is that this applies not just to the START of your post, but also to the END. If your reader can glean everything they want without reading right to the end, they will.
Blogging is one of the best things you can do for your small business. Blogs are definitely something that is growing and it won`t be going away anytime soon.
Tags: blogging, publicity, small business
Posted in Blogging for Small Business | No Comments »
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