Social Media - 6/12 - Understanding Marketing

How Can I Get Creative PR Ideas?

September 23, 2009 By John Sternal 2 Comments

Visitor Question:

“Where can I get ideas for press releases and press story ideas? Being creative isn’t really my strength and I know it’s important to be creative for things like PR. Any help you can offer would be great!”

–Jacqueline in Kansas City

Answer:

Hi Jacqueline, you are absolutely right about being creative. It’s pretty darn important when it comes to PR. Getting a reporter’s attention is a lot like dating. You’ve got to get noticed but you also must represent yourself as a trustworthy and reliable person. Combine this with the fact that reporters are getting courted all the time by professional PR people and other small business like yourself, and it can be pretty difficult to get noticed by a reporter – much less have someone actually write about you.

Tip: Check out the book Working with the Media for more great ideas on pitching reporters.

Don’t sweat, though. There are lots of ways you can make a reporter fall in love with you and your story in print, on television or even radio. I’ll stay on the dating theme. When you first get approached by someone, you don’t want them to be too forward, right? That’s a bit of a turnoff. You want someone to get your attention for all the right reasons, not all the wrong reasons. The same is true with reporters. They will be more responsive to your pitches and ideas if you don’t pitch them right away and all the time. Follow their stories and send them emails every now and them commenting on the stories. Share your thoughts. Give wonderful feedback. And even of your targeted reporter is located 5,000 miles away, the Internet makes it easy for you to track their stories.

Tip: Check out The Publicity Handbook to learn proven tactics of getting excellent PR.

But really pay attention to not only their stories but also read the newspaper from cover to cover. Believe it or not, even if you are in an industry like cars you may find great story ideas and angles by reading the food section. How is this possible? Well have you ever heard of tailgating at a football game? Guess what, you’ve just tied together cars and food, giving you a possible story idea to get a car story placed in a food section. Don’t limit yourself. Think freely. Every story you read think about your company and how it may be relevant to what’s going on in the news.

From politics to religion to technology to sports, there’s a good chance you’ll find story angles by reading about what’s going on in the world. The health care situation is in the news about reform. You run a vitamin store. I bet there’s a good chance you can whip up a story talking about how more people are taking vitamins because they can’t afford health insurance. All you have to do is make the connection between what you’re reading in the newspaper or in social media and what your company specializes in.

Lastly, don’t just read the newspaper for three days and then give up. Take 20 minutes out of each day to scan all the headlines of your local or a national paper like the USA Today, Wall Street Journal or New York Times. Would you believe it if I told you I read four newspapers cover to cover each and every day?

Tip: Download The PR Toolkit for more great ways to get PR for your company or draft press releases.

How do you get creative ideas for PR?

Filed Under: Public Relations Tagged With: media pitching, PR toolkit, press release, Public relations, publicity, Small Business, Social Media

How Do Colors Influence Marketing?

September 17, 2009 By John Sternal 1 Comment

You’ve decided to go out on your own and start a small business. You’re going to take that leap of faith and do it the right way with lots of marketing that involves your targeted customers. You’ve got great, creative ideas for integrated campaigns involving printed brochures, post cards and mailings, e-mail, landing pages and social media marketing. Your tag line and copy are all coming together nicely and everything is moving along. You’ve thought of everything, right?

Almost. What are your colors?

When choosing the colors of your business and the ensuing web site, blog, marketing campaigns/materials, don’t just pull out a color wheel and spin it to win it. No, you’ve got to put a little more thought in than that. Believe it or now, there is a big psychology game when it comes to colors, products and buyer behavior. I’ll put it to you another way: It’s no coincidence that most childrens companies and products are loaded with primary colors (because kids can easily relate to those colors).

For those of you developing lots of search engine marketing, colors can even play a huge role in your click-through and web conversion rates.

The folks over at Branding Strategy Insider put together this list of colors and the behavioral qualities associated:

Red: excitement, sex, speed, passion, danger, strength

Yellow: sunshine, happiness, cheer, warmth

Blue: reliability, coolness, belonging (also the most used color)

Green: abundance, cool, nature, growth, fresh

Orange: vibrant, warmth, playfulness

Pink: security, soft, nurture, sweet

Purple: dignity, spirituality, royal

Black: mystery, sophistication, seductive, elegant

White: mild, pure, youthful, clean

Silver: scientific, prestige, cold

Gold: expensive, prestige

So which color is best aligned with your small business targeted customer? Make sure you use lots of red if your company’s products have to deal with love and passion, and purple if it deals with anything to do with religion, for example.

What colors did you end up using for your company or marketing campaign and why?

Filed Under: Marketing & PR Strategies Tagged With: blog, Branding, brochures, e-mail, Landing Pages, mailings, marketing campaign, post cards, search engine marketing, Small Business, Social Media

#smbiz Chat Recap – Personal Branding On Social Media

September 14, 2009 By John Sternal 1 Comment

Here is the recap from the #smbiz Twitter chat on spreading your personal brand across social media networks. Special guest for this chat was Neal Schaffer (@nealschaffer):

@smbiz Tonight’s #smbiz is w special guest @nealschaffer discuss spreading ur personal brand across social media networks

@smbiz Welcome back to #smbiz @nealschaffer ! Can’t wait to have a great discussion on personal branding via social media.

@smbiz There will be no formal structure for tonights #smbiz. We want tonight to be a conversation Q&A to discuss how to use SM for branding.

@smbiz Lets get the convo going by talking generally about your personal brand #smbiz…….

@smbiz Q What is a personal brand and why is it important for #entrepreneur & #smallbusiness? #smbiz

@NealSchaffer Personal branding in social media is important for any professional to both differentiate themselves and showcase their strengths. #smbiz

@SternalPR With so many ppl joining the #entrepreneur world, everyone now has some form of a pers brand for pr #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @SternalPR Yes, it was Reid Hoffman of @LinkedIn who made this same statement, that everyone is an entrepreneur these days. #smbiz

@ValerieSimon @nealschaffer Do small biz owners need to build/utilize their personal brand to succeed using social media? #smbiz

@SternalMrktg Your personal brand showcases you, your talents, your personality #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @MediaCollective Your personal brand is how you differentiate yourself. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @MediaCollective It is important for the #entrepreneur and small business in that it defines how your value is perceived. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer If you are in sales, you will understand that your perceived value can influence the amount of your sale, especially if it is service #smbiz

@NealSchaffer Look at it this way: do you want to be seen as the generic drug or Tylenol? I want to be Tylenol = more perceived value. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @ValerieSimon Small biz owners need to consider how they brand themesleves as part of their social media strategy. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @garyasanchez Yes, reputation is an important part of your personal brand. In the LinkedIn World, for instance, these r your Recomms. #smbiz

@KitBook What if you serve more than one niche? Do you brand yourselve differently for each? #smbiz

@DesignLeap Choose a brand strategy and stick with it. Be consistent in all your social media profiles. #smbiz

@SternalMrktg By sharing your personal brand and not just business brand you also make it easier for ppl to like u and build a relationship w u #smbiz

@MediaCollective Personal brand is the face, spirit, credibility & value of service or product that U put out – differentiator U vs every1 else #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @KitBook “Jack of all trades” is one brand for multiple niches. But sites like Twitter give you the chance to manage multiple brands #smbiz

@garyasanchez I once had an ad agency advocate that brand = (word + emotion). It’s been a convenient way to think about brands #smbiz

@merylevans It sounds like some businesses are shopping around looking for best deal or price. In that case, maybe it’s not the client for you. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @designleap Yes, consistency of brand amongst all social media profiles is critical! Otherwise your brand is diluted! #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @SternalMrktg That is what social networking is all about: people talking with people NOT people talking with companies! #smbiz

@smbiz Q How can you use your personal brand to enhance your #smallbusiness? #smbiz (every1 feel free to answer)

@DIYMKTchat I’ve been focusing on competitive advantage as a focus of personal brand that gives clients a reason to choose you #smbiz

@SternalPR @DIYMKTchat Good point. I think also important to show value & results and equate to ur pers brand attributes. #smbiz

@SternalPR If others tie ur pers brand in with success, it gives you a big leg up on the competition. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer Social media is about creating content and developing relationships with people, like we’re doing right now! #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @DIYMKTchat Exactly! Your personal brand should showcase your competitive advantage for all to see and remember! #smbiz

@smbiz More specifically: Q How can you extend your personal brand across Facebook? #smbiz (specific examples here?)

@NealSchaffer @smbiz Facebook is like any other social networking site. Your personal brand is implemented through your photo, bio, and comments. #smbiz

@DIYMKTchat I’ve been reading this book lately “Creative Competitive Advantage” – AWESOME tool #smbiz http://bit.ly/Rswly

@NealSchaffer In fact I wrote a blog post of why I don’t use Facebook any differently than LinkedIn http://budurl.com/neal58 #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @DIYMKTchat For Personal Branding, I believe “Career Distinction” and “Me 2.0″ are the most famous ones vis a vis social media. #smbiz

@smallbizlady To build your brand on Facebook or Twitter think about exactly who you want to communicate w/ prior to posting think ideal customer #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @SternalPR I don’t really utilize the FB apps. and plug-ins. However, I think a Facebook Fan Page is a must for a brand. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @SternalPR Each social networking site will be slightly different in atmosphere, and thus what you do will be different… #smbiz

@wvpmc @SternalPR think these platforms have distinct cultures – need to handle content, approach differently #smbiz

@merylevans @nealschaffer But I think some brands are too small for a fan page — it doesn’t seem right based on Facebook’s desc of fan vs grp. #smbiz

@SternalPR @nealschaffer True. But eventually it’s all “content”, right? How similar shld content be used to extend same brand? #smbiz

@NealSchaffer So how you implement your brand on each social networking site will also be decided by what functionality each site provides you. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @wvpmc If you are a company I can see you creating a Facebook application. From personal branding I am unclear as to the value? #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @merylevans Anyone can start a Fan Page no matter how small or big you are. Can you elaborate on your point? #smbiz

@SternalPR @nealschaffer Do you work with any web designers that help ppl build a consistent look across multiple platforms? #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @SternalPR Content on each site may be different. On Twitter you want to gain mindshare which means often Tweeting above and (tbc) #smbiz

@MediaCollective @merylevans no brand is too small for a FB page or SM presence, a tree w/ wide spread roots starts as a seed right? Be a seed & grow #smbiz

@DesignLeap There are too many to keep up with, I suggest to pick no more than 3 and really participate as much as you can. #smbiz

@SternalPR @designleap Yeah I tend to agree. Unless you have a staff that can really get good SM penetration. Otherwise its difficult. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @wvpmc YouTube, blogging (WordPress), social bookmarking sites (Digg, Stumbleupon, Delicious), even Flickr. #smbiz

@smbiz Anyone have suggestions of how to use LinkedIn and Twitter together so that your brand is consistent and u play off each other? #smbiz

@SternalPR If you have a LinkedIn Group discussion going you can drive traffic and promote via Twitter, right? What else? #smbiz

@smbiz Any tips on how to use Digg, Reddit, BizSugar together for brand consistency? #smbiz

@SternalPR @nealschaffer Can you offer any specific examples of this (LI/Twitter playing off website, not each other)? #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @merylevans The same goes for Twitter. You have to be come a “channel” in something that will people will want to tune into. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @smbiz For Digg, Reddit, etc., I see them to be very similar to Twitter although it is centered around bookmarks and not ideas. #smbiz

@smbiz What R some different things #smallbusiness #entrepreneur do to build their networks (Twitter, LI, FB)? #smbiz

@DesignLeap If you have a WordPress or TypePad blog, you can have the updates show up in LinkedIn – great way to keep LI updated #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @SternalPR When I create a blog post, I tweet it, update my LI status, and post to relevant LI Groups. The traffic filters in. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @SternalPR Then people’s reactions to the blog post on Twitter and LI become new conversations on each site? Make sense? #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @designleap Yes, LinkedIn offers the WordPress and Blog Link Applications. You can use Blog Link with any blog, even Twitter! #smbiz

@merylevans I do have my blog feeding into several sites and Tweets into several (NOT FB – diff types of users), etc. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @merylevans If your blogging has valuable content and is only 2 to 3 times a week, I don’t think it is overly promoting yourself. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @wvpmc Best tools for lead generation? Depends totally on the product and industry. Social media not the best answer for everyone. #smbiz

@ValerieSimon LinkedIn Group for #smbiz via @SternalMrktg: http://tinyurl.com/mbrzzb Great resource for networking & advice!

@SternalMrktg @merylevans A Fan page or Comany pg on FB is great so you aren’t sharing biz/networking thoughts w personal friends who arent interst #smbiz

@AaronWeiche @smbiz ask contacts to connect on SM, ask others for other good connections, use searches/filters, introduce yourself. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @smbiz For extending branding across sites, your profile information has to be synched up as well. Need to use same terminology. #smbiz

@DesignLeap @nealschaffer, @merylevans I think that your blog should be a hub for everything, which will lead them to your products/services #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @wvpmc Good point, so long as you are a friend. Well, LinkedIn can be very protective of the professional culture they are providing. #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @SternalMrktg Excellent point on Facebook Fan Page! Exactly! Don’t bore your real friends with your branding commentary! #smbiz

@CMM_PR @designleap A blog is an informal way of engaging an audience – it does not replace web content or participating in social networks #smbiz

@wvpmc @nealschaffer @merylevans showcasing other material than your promos feels more like sharing, offering added value #smbiz

@NealSchaffer @wvpmc Agree that it all comes down to providing “value”. Without that your brand is still on the generic shelf at a discount price! #smbiz

@NealSchaffer Feel free to connect with me through my website http://windmillnetworking.com #smbiz

Filed Under: #smbiz, Branding Tagged With: #smbiz, @sternalmrktg, @sternalpr, Branding, entrepreneur, personal branding, Public relations, Small Business, Social Media, Twitter

Data Backup For Small Business

September 13, 2009 By John Sternal Leave a Comment

Virtually every single small business or entrepreneur carries his or her entire life on some computer or laptop. Whether or not this is a smart idea, it’s a fact and one that can’t be denied. But like everything else in life, stuff happens. Computers are prone to crashing. Everything from virus attacks and theft, to natural disasters and hard drive crashes, your entire computer’s contents could very well be gone in a flash. You don’t want to leave your blog, marketing documents, emails or even PR documents to be lost in a computer crash.

I can’t stress enough the importance of a good backup system and I highly recommend you invest in Mozy Online Backup, which has been pointed out by leading technology journalists like Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal and Christopher Null of Yahoo! Also, consider that more use through increased social media, online marketing and email marketing has placed a higher chance that your hard drive will fail, and the cost of recovering a crashed hard drive can exceed $7,500, if even successful at all.

Mozy is very small business-friendly by offering 2 GB of backup for free and reliable plans start at just $4.95. It’s a no brainer for every business.

The technology makes it a safe and reliable way to back up all the critical information, spreadsheets and other data on your computer like press releases and loyalty program information. It is stored in a remote and secure location and is super easy to retrieve in the event of a disaster or crash.

Which data is important to back up? The most critical files to backup and save are ones you created using specific programs. Things like text documents, images, videos, spreadsheets with financial information, and other important files are prime for back up. Many times small business professionals think nothing will ever happen to them. Unfortunately this is a problem that can take place when you least expect it and in the case of natural disasters can sneak up on you with no warning.

Here are some really cool features of Mozy that small businesses will love:

–Backs up documents whether they’re open or closed

–Same technology used by banks to secure data during backup process

–Secures files while in storage, offering peace of mind that private data is safe from hackers

–You schedule the time to back up your files and information and Mozy handles the rest

–Following initial backup, Mozy only backs up files that have been added or changed making subsequent backups extremely fast

This month we stop and pause to remember the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Although that day will always be a time to remember the tremendous loss of life, it was also a day that illustrates just how quickly an event can alter the course of business. Disaster preparedness and business continuity are two words that go hand in hand for every small business and entrepreneur. Mozy offers great protection and data backup and should be a mandatory part of every disaster preparedness plan.

Check out Mozy’s great technology. Small businesses and entrepreneurs that click on this link can get 2 GB of backup for free and plans starting at just $4.95.

Does your disaster plan have a data backup component?

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: blog, email marketing, entrepreneur, loyalty program, marketing, online marketing, press release, Public relations, Small Business, Social Media

12 Ways To Design A Better Logo

September 12, 2009 By John Sternal 2 Comments

Logos are a significant part of the marketing of any small business. Entrepreneurs should understand what to look for when developing a logo either for their business or for any visual brand mark for a marketing campaign being developed. Below are some great tips to keep in mind when developing a logo. You can also get more help and tips to learn how to create a logo for your small business or marketing by clicking on this link.

A logo should do the following:

1) Entice Customers: A logo needs to be inviting so that customers and visitors feel a sense of comfort with the company.

2) Instill Confidence: In today’s commercial landscape it’s always important to gain a competitive advantage. A logo that offers a sense of trust can help you accomplish this.

3) Build Your Reputation: Companies use logos to build upon an established reputation they feel resonates well with customers and visitors. A good logo can go a long way towards enhancing your corporate reputation and complement the social media marketing work you do to establish that reputation.

4) Extend Your Brand: Your brand identity has a specific look and feel to it. A logo that doesn’t match this identity is always counterproductive to extending your brand.

5) Be Powerful: In business, it goes without saying that you must have the look and feel to be a strong company. A company that exudes confidence. The same way people look at other people and feel they’re strong, a visitor can look at your logo and get a similar feeling.

6) Be Memorable: Naturally, it’s important for people to remember you in business. A logo that is memorable helps your company build effective mindshare so that increased future sales are easier to come by.

7) Evoke An Emotional Response: So much of branding is about establishing an emotional response, attachment or behavior among a certain audience. Your logo should also generate an emotional bond by delivering or bringing back positive memories within your visitors.

Identify With Company Attributes: What are the attributes of your company? Are you known for quality? Exclusivity? Affordability? Whatever your brand attributes are, it should come through loud and clear in your logo.

9) Be Simple: Ever hear the phrase Keep It Simple, Silly (KISS)? This law applies to logos as well. Think of the Nike swoosh, or the orange and red shell for Royal Dutch Shell. Sometimes less is more and this is certainly the case with logos.

10) Have Appealing Colors: Speaking of the Royal Dutch Shell logo, think about using vibrant colors, especially if that matches your brand attributes and marketing. Remember, you want to be noticed but also consistent with you branding.

11) Be Functional For Marketing Use: Today logos are used in all kinds of different applications and platforms. Whether it’s for a large roadside billboard, an on-screen Twitter account or even on a ballpoint pen trade show giveaway, make sure your logo is functional for a variety of different marketing and PR uses.

12) Reach Global Audience: Also keep in mind that we now operate in a global economy. It’s good to have specific campaigns that reach certain demographics, but overall your logo should be well respected and received on a global level. At the very least make sure there is nothing about your logo that would offend any specific group of people in any part of the world.

Use this link to take $20 off logo design services when you need to have a logo created for your small business or marketing project. What thinking went into the development of your logo?

Filed Under: Branding, Reviews Tagged With: brand, entrepreneur, logo, marketing, Public relations, reputation, Small Business, Social Media

16 Ways To Spice Up Email Newsletters

September 9, 2009 By John Sternal 1 Comment

Email newsletter campaigns are a forgotten piece of marketing for many small businesses and entrepreneurs, largely because they don’t exactly know how to do them correctly and what goes into it. Here are 16 tips to help you get started with an email newsletter and how you can make sure your recipients will enjoy reading:

1) Get a good email list: It all starts with the right email list. Don’t purchase a list or use someone else’s because you’ll likely upset the majority of your list’s recipients – a major marketing no-no. Instead grow your list organically with proper opt-ins.

2) Make sign-up easy: Don’t ever make your customers jump through hoops to do something. Have a clear and simple way for people to sign up and opt-in for your newsletter, perhaps via a link to your home page or landing page. Simply ask for their name, email, company, and maybe one or two other questions to help you determine their interests.

3) Link to privacy policy: Make it very clear that you are committed to protecting their privacy. They need to feel comfortable that you’ll always have their best interest here.

4) Welcome each new member: Give people a nice, warm welcome when they sign up through an automated email. Get them comfortable with receiving emails from you right off the bat.

5) Stay on top of list: Always keep a tight list. You never know when you’ll have to reference details of your list as time goes by.

6) Unsubscribe when necessary: If someone wants off your list, release them and release them in a timely manner. Again, marketing is not about harassing people.

7) Remind people they opted in: Whenever you send an email or newsletter, remind people up front that they did indeed opt-in and request to receive the information.

Subject line tips: Do research to find out which words are most often used by spammers. You want to make sure and avoid using these words in your subject lines because email spam police on most computers will catch on to these words and refuse to let your email through. But also be sure to include catchy words that grab peoples’ attention.

9) Physical address & phone number: The law now requires that you make it very easy for people to contact you and this includes making available your company’s physical address and telephone number. There is no way around this so do the right thing.

10) Content that attracts: Don’t just fill your newsletter with promotions and sale items. Talk about things that would interest your customers, including other customer success stories, happenings in the industry, trend information, etc.

11) Offer incentives: Include giveaways and other contests as part of your newsletter. Include games inside your newsletter so that people are excited about opening it up each month or however frequent you make your emails.

12) Include as part of your loyalty: Reward people for being a member of your newsletter club. Do cross-promotion opportunities with a larger loyalty program that you have and include special offers for members of your newsletter club.

13) Let customers contribute: Like social media, newsletters are best when customers can also contribute. Make it easy for readers to email you with their own content, photos or stories and include the best ones in future newsletters. Make it their newsletter, not just the company’s newsletter.

14) Hold interesting contests: Create some excitement by holding contests that get all your readers involved and excited. Maybe history games and trivia on the company’s background, for example, would be a great place to have people get involved and learn more about the company. Giveaway items to participants and winners.

15) Tie in with PR efforts: Whenever you have company news that you send out via press release be sure to include in your newsletter. Readers want to know about the hard news as well as all the fun feature stuff, too.

16) Photos and multimedia: Don’t just write until the cows come home. It’s important to include great information but be sure to also include lots of photos so that you can engage with your readers on a visual level, too. Since we’re talking email be sure to post videos or link to your company’s Flickr or YouTube site.

What kind of email newsletter success have you had with your small business?

Filed Under: Email, Newsletters Tagged With: Email, email list, email marketing, email newsletters, entrepreneur, loyalty program, marketing, newsletter, press release, Public relations, rewards program, Small Business, social marketing, Social Media

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