Greetings. Publicity is vital in today's commoditized world. It's not impossible for a competitor to come along and duplicate your product or service. So, it is imperative that you use publicity to set yourself apart from the competition. We'll talk about the value of publicity this time in Think.

Let's get started.

Cordially,

Harry Hoover
harry@hoover-ink.com
Ink Briefs
Bacon's, the media directory people, have a good blog for PR people called ExpertPR. It has news of PR industry and media job changes, articles and a growing list of other solid PR-related blogs.


Do you fear public speaking? Would you like to learn executive presentation skills? Well, my client, Ty Boyd, should be your first and only source. Visit Ty's website to see the open class schedule, or sample Ty through the monthly Zipline e-newsletter that I help produce. Sign up for Zipline.



Do you know about CGM? If building and protecting a brand are part of your duties, consumer generated media (CGM) are something you need to keep an eye on. There's a good paper, Consumer Generated Media 101, from Brandchannel on the subject.



It's random link time again here at Think. Today's random links are for the writer in you. Check out the following:

Writing Resources

Writing Links

Grammar & Writing



About Hoover ink PR

Hoover ink PR helps position businesses that are serious about their success. Then, we craft and deliver bottom line messages that ensure it.

Who are we? We're a marketing communications firm with more than 25 years experience in providing services to financial, high tech, real estate, tourism and consumer products companies.

>From employee relations and media relations to collateral material and e-newsletters, we develop the programs and communication tools that will differentiate you from your competitors. And that's the bottom line.
 
  Grandma Says...
Southern grandmothers have often said, "there are only three times a respectable person's name should be in the paper: when you are born, when you are married, and when you die."

This is the one area in which I part company with my grandmothers. Publicity is more critical today for the success of a business than it has ever been.

Why do I believe it's critical? Let's review what publicity - particularly publicity in business and trade publications - can do for your business.

Provides Neutral Third-party Endorsement. Even though many think the media are biased, consumers still cling to the belief that people who are quoted by the media have something worthwhile to say.

Boosts Your Competitive Advantage. Positive publicity confirms for your customers that they made the smart choice when they elected to use your products or services.

Enables Referrals. Your "smart" customers become evangelists by handing out articles about you to their business contacts.

Shortens Your Sales Cycle. Media coverage often does a better job of explaining what you do than an ad can. So, readers will have a level of knowledge about you before you meet.

Builds Your Marketing Library. Print and web-based articles can become excellent marketing materials that cost little to develop.

Positions You. Publish or perish is the academic motto. Experts from outside the world of academia also know that being quoted by the media can improve their position as industry experts.

Builds Value. For every speaker like Tom Peters earning thousands of dollars for appearances, there are hundreds who are paid a pittance for speaking engagements. Can you guess the difference?

As you can see, there are a wide variety of reasons for you to be publicizing yourself and your business. Just this once, don't listen to Grandma. Go get your name in the paper

  Four Publicity Tips

Write a letter to the editor or an op-ed piece. With this tactic, you showcase your expertise on a topic that ties into your business. You raise awareness of yourself and your business and begin to position yourself as an expert. See this previous edition of Think for more on the topic.

Write and place articles in ezines and online newsletters. Become ubiquitous via articles on the web and build up a searchable database about the expert you are. See my Seven Tips For Submitting Online Articles.

Write and distribute news releases. Now, news releases are not magic bullets, as some self-styled PR Experts would have you believe. But they are an important tool in your publicity arsenal. See my article on writing news releases.

Develop Lists and Indexes. Lists of all kinds are proliferating and people love them. From Mr. Blackwell's Worst Dressed List to CMT's 40 Best Drinking Songs, there's a list for everyone. Read this previous issue of Think about how to develop your own list or index.