How to Get a Press Release Noticed…

As a former editor, and journalist, I am sometimes too keenly aware of how many psuedo-press releases come into the newsroom on any given day – and just how many of them jam the circular file at the end of the day.  Why?  Well, the reasons are many, but your publishing chances will increase if you follow these rules and take a listen to Uniqueness is Power for more advice or contact The Publicity Formula for execution.

1. Stick to What The Editor is Used to – List your name, company name, telephone, fax number, and e-mail address in the top left corner. Not only does this make contacting you easier, it also makes it easy for him to include your contact information in the piece he’s going to publish about you, so his readers can reach you directly. Which is exactly what you want.

2. Write a Strong Opening Yes, you’ll need to get to the “who, what, when, and where” details – but get the editor’s attention first with a great lead. Don’t don’t DON’T lead with – We’ve opened a new office. Or we’ve just hired so and so, aren’t they cool (unless you are targeting an industry pub where people will know who so and so is and respond accordingly) Be inventive. Grab attention. Lead with emotions and feelings – that sells the story to the editor or reporter. Then show how you solve the problem - For example:

When a home theater installation company asked me to write them a press release, they got a great response – and remember when you hear it, this was 14 years ago – but the opening in our first release went like this “Ok, so you just bought the new VCR, TV and stereo and brought it home, intending to turn your living room into the next best thing to the movies. Now you’re sitting in a jumble of cables, and looking at slider buttons and connections which don’t make sense. Or maybe you have it together, but it isn’t at all what you were hoping for. So, what do you do? If you are one of millions of Americans who can’t program your VCR or hook up your stereo you just bought – Appalachian Installations can help.”

That release got picked up in 5 local papers, and there was enough business to be busy for 9 months – and hire 3 more people.

3. Keep It Short and to the Point – Save War and Peace for the library shelves – this shouldn’t be more than one page if possible. In order to publish something editors have to read it. In order to read it, they have to feel it is helpful and, we stress, easy (which also means short)

4. Include Photos Back when I was a journalist, we almost always had picture-led stories. These were stories that ran accompanied with a relevant photo. For example, the Appalachian Installations photo was of a guy sitting amidst all those wires, looking perplexed.

It doesn’t matter what you do – you simply can’t afford to not have a public relations program in place. It is at least worth a try!  Follow these tips or ask for some help - and your exposure should increase.

What is Networking?

Most people feel that networking is the same thing as business development.  Done properly, it is not at all the same.  Networking is a very powerful way to new customers, but it is also much more than that.  It is a way to build relationships, not just a customer base.  Networking is a key to successful small businesses, in my opinion. 

Here are some tips if you are striking out as a networker:

(1) Remember to be yourself; be sure to speak with people like they are people and not sales subjects. You are simply meeting people, learning who they are, what they do, and then looking for ways in which you may be able to “broker synergy” – intro’ing them to someone who can help them, buy from them, or otherwise.

(2) It isn’t about YOU. If you treat networking as a personal showcase, and talk only about you – you’ll be mightily unpopular with your “network.” If, on the other hand, you be sure to split time with those you meet – you can BOTH effect great results.

(3) Networking takes time and faith – no, I’m not talking religious faith – but more belief that it will work – and along with that patience and time.  Rome wasn’t built in a day – neither will your network.  Conservatively – expect 12 months to see real results. Maybe 6-9 if you try hard to meet and help people, always asking first “How can I help this person” before seeing how they can help or assist you?

(4) Never stop networking – keeps eyes and ears open for how you can assist and help others at all times. While on vacation, floating down the river, I met someone I was able to refer a great place to stay to, in the next town they were headed to. You just never know….

(5) Never judge a book by it’s cover – you never know (a) who people are and (b) who they may know. A quick anecdote – when I worked for AT&T a gentleman walked into our small business center and was dressed in overalls badly stained. The two women I worked with asked me to handle him as they figured he was a bad prospect by his appearance. Turned out he owned a huge local company with needs for over 200k in phone systems, and that he’d had to work in the one warehouse that day, to cover for a shift manager who was injured. In addition, Ronnie is still someone I network with almost 20 years later.and

(6) Networking brings out a real chance to better yourself and increase your value to friends, family and others, as you help everyone get ahead and meet each other. It is also a chance to form superb friendships – with people you otherwise likely would not have met.

Cheers and happy networking!
Andy

What’s in A Name

One of the most critical aspects to beginning a business, aside from an excellent business plan, is a name that supports that vision and path. 

So, what’s in a name?

As true as it is that a picture is worth a thousand words, a business name, consisting of 1, 2 or 3 words, or perhaps an acronym, has the potential power of a thousand pictures, if chosen properly. However, it also has the serious opportunity to become lost in the morass of poorly developed names.

So, what are the critical points to consider when choosing a name? A name needs to do certain things for your business. It needs to be able to position, grab attention, convey worth and engage. Such names aren’t easy to come by, and honestly, are why marketing consultants and branding experts are paid well. (LOL!)

Here are the nine things that should be considered when naming your business:

1. Achieves Differentiation from Competition – your name should be different from the competition, as should your messaging. When given the chance to be unique, oftentimes businesses end up imitating the successful leaders, instead of carving their own niche – this is true right up to the name.

2. Reinforces Positioning in Marketplace – a name that simply enters the marketplace without making an impact and bringing forth some sense of the company’s position is not a strong or appropriate name. This is one reason the owner’s last name is often not a strong choice.

3. Engages Customer or Prospect – without this, your name is passed over in the sea of noise, in the massive amount of other companies who are getting some traction with the customer or prospect. The name should be something that causes interest, causes inquiry and causes potential for action.

4. Is unforgettable – or at least, less forgettable. How many times have you seen a great product or company service, and promptly forgotten the name of the company, but recalled what the product or service did? Names need to be chosen that will embed themselves in the collective consciousness, tie themselves to mental signposts in the consumer’s brain and help the consumer remember the name when speaking to friends.

5. Has a Life of It’s Own – A company name needs to carry a self-sustaining message, something that identifies what the company does or provides, without additional messaging or clarity being added.

6. Evokes Deep Well For Graphical Images - this is important in helping develop a logo, and design for websites, etc.

7. Rises Above the Goods and Services You Provide – the name should not be tied into just the things you provide – it should have a greater, more encompassing edge to it – because if it is tied to services or products, and they change, your name might well need to, also.

8. Has What It Takes to Dominate the Category – this comes from the ideas expressed previously, of timelessness, or not needing to change, of speaking to the consumer in an unforgettable way, but it also goes above and beyond that – evoking the power to dominate by placing barriers to entry to others trying to mimic or copy you.

and finally, perhaps the most important issue in today’s time and age of the internet:

9. Url MUST be Available for Registration or Purchase For Web Address- if this is not available, and the name is not under trademark, there is not point in moving forward if you want your company to have a successful future.  Do not settle for something with hyphens or dashes or abbreviations that people will not recall.

One other word to the wise re: Taglines and Catchy Slogans-
Don’t! And if you do, take the slogan, and apply it to three of your top competitors. If it works for them, guess what? It isn’t going to do great things for you. Sometimes there are slogans that play well off the both the company name, the mission, the product, etc – but they are rare – and even less likely – is the idea they will stand up across time.

Happy Naming, folks!

You can contact Andy Greider at 404 516 4204 or at agreider@carrollwhite.com – with questions or to begin a discussion.

Welcome to Our Blog – Thanks for Checking it Out

Ok, so here we go – the focus of this blog is going to be finding ways to figure out how we can save you money each week.  We’re trying for a business booster – saving your bottom line.

During the day, I work as a marketing and business consultant and in the past have owned small businesses.  Currently, I host a radio show called Uniqueness Is Power – and we often feature guests that can help you and your business save money each day, week or month.  Watch here for news on how to save money and even turn some of your current expenses into profits.

 We’ll try to have up on the blog at least once a week, something that will help you improve your business and grow your profits.  Look for a post sometime early this coming week on new technologies, new ideas and new ways to save money in today’s internet driven economies.  We’ll also soon connect to the Networking Toolbox, where you will be privy to the network of trusted professionals I work with each day – this by the end of April.