In the Indianapolis area, there is something I’ve noticed a lot more of in the last few years: yard signs. Formerly, when you would see a sign on the lawn of your neighbor’s house, it was announcing the house was for sale, the location of an upcoming garage sale, or to show support of a particular local or national political candidate. There are many advantages of using yard signs, including: … [Read more...]
Does PR Work Today?
After working with small businesses and startups for so many years, I’ve seen the frustration that comes from launching a new product or service using a press release to local and national media, only to get frustrated at the lack of interest from reporters, editors and producers. The perception among these small business owners is that the only news the media cares about is large, publicly-traded … [Read more...]
29 Ways to Integrate and Reuse Your Marketing Content
Sometimes, coming up with new content for your website, blog post or other marketing can be downright exhausting. As an outsourced marketing copywriter for my Indianapolis clients, I'm always trying to find ways to re-purpose existing content and marketing tactics in order to save my clients time and resources. So I put together 29 ways that you might reuse your existing marketing … [Read more...]
What PR Consultants want Journalists to Know
As an occasional public relations agent for my clients, I have pitched many press releases in my career -- mostly for small businesses and start-up companies. I've read so many articles from reporters, journalists and editors that are addressed to PR pros such as myself, entitled "What Journalists Want you to Know," "How Not to Pitch the Media," etc. Some of the tips include not sending mass … [Read more...]
What your sales team is begging you to do
If your small business has a sales team, or someone devoted to selling, I'd like to tell you something that will help make their jobs easier, and in turn, will help your company produce more sales. It is not a secret. In fact, companies have been doing this successfully for years. What is it? To answer this, let's ask the sales reps: What is one of the main things that could help make your job … [Read more...]
Are you Scaring Away the Media?
There are some good and bad ways to approach the media with your press release or story ideas. Are you breaking any of the media etiquette rules? If so, you may be scaring away the media (which will get your pitch deleted or ignored). Here are some ways you might be sabotaging your PR efforts: Not using the 5 W's (Who, What, Where, When, Why) is your press release: Following basic … [Read more...]
Where Could you Be…If you Had Worked with Me?
Many of you read my marketing articles faithfully (okay, maybe you skim some of them or just look at the pictures). But how many of you ever really knew what it was that I did for my clients? Well, I am looking to clarify that and do a better job of communicating some of the things that I can do to help you promote your business. Here are some of the activities, products and results I've … [Read more...]
My Visit to Fox 59 and WTTV 4 Indianapolis
What I learned about PR from a TV Segment Producer Yesterday, along with several other PR professionals from PRSA-Indianapolis, I took a tour of Indianapolis' Fox 59 and WTTV 4's state-of-the-art studios on the West side of Indianapolis. During the visit, we heard from the station's segment producer for the morning show, who shared some tips on The Television Pitch. Some of her suggestions were … [Read more...]
Why Consistent Marketing is a Key to Success
Have you ever gone to the gym on a Monday and quit going on Friday because you hadn't seen the results on the scale? You need to give it more time, right? It's the same with our marketing activities. PR: If you get one media placement, you might get more. Or, if you haven't yet landed that front page story, keep on pitching, and someday you will. Email: People save/read my email newsletters … [Read more...]
Incorporating Radio into Your Marketing Mix: Give Radio a Second Look / Listen
There are so many media competing for our attention today when we're in the car -- from XM to audiobooks. Whether you're a guest on a talk show or an advertiser, there are so many opportunities to promote your business through radio. Let's look at a few: Community Radio: Getting on a local radio station is a great idea if you target folks in a certain geographic area, such as the Indianapolis … [Read more...]