« August 2004 | Main | October 2004 »
September 24, 2004
The Most Powerful Word In The Marketer's Toolbox
Want to know the most powerful word in the marketer's toolbox?
Contrary to popular belief, it's not "you" nor is it that off-cited four letter word that starts with fr and ends with ee.
The word is...
"Because"
Haven't heard that before? It's probably because most marketers are clueless when it comes to penetrating the psyche of the buying public.
Here's the way this concept works. You can have the best claims in the world, superior product performance, and the catchiest tagline, but it's all seen as useless hype to the consumer unless you add the word "because."
For example, "new ________ diapers virtually eliminate diaper rash because they have the new stay dry system that locks moisture far away from your baby's skin."
See what just happened - I just made a claim, then I told you why you should believe that claim. With one single word (because) I moved your attitude from skepticism to considering.
I stopped asking for your suspension of disbelief, and replaced it with a reason to believe. Now your thought process begins to consider whether my reason is valid.
Posted at 07:25 PM
Crash Course In Publicity
There's been something that I've wanted to do for over 3 years now that I finally sat down and created.
And you get the benefit, without paying a cent.
It's a 7-day Crash Course In Publicity.
And, I must say, it's pretty good... at least that's what those who've seen it so far have been telling me.
Here's what it contains:
Posted at 04:50 PM
New And Improved - Creating Powerful Press Releases
In addition to creating the Crash Course In Publicity mentioned above, we've been busy lately on other things.
One of the main things has been rewriting one of our best selling training manuals, "Creating Powerful Press Releases: 11 Steps To Creating Press Releases That Get Printed!"
It's not that our buyers have been complaining, or that we've been receiving requests for refunds for the products (in fact, I don't recall ever having a refund request on this product...)
It's just that in my last review of all of our products, I realized that this report wasn't everything I wanted it to be.
It did a great job of talking about the process of writing a release, but it didn't give enough detail on the actual ins and outs of making your press release one that editors will fight over to run!
So, we've spent quite a few hours fleshing out the writing part of the publication, almost doubling the length of the training manual!
Now, it's looking really good!
Posted at 04:36 PM
PR Basics: Editorial Calendars
Most magazines publish editorial calendars. These calendars communicate the topics they plan to address in each issue.
One of the easiest ways to get your company or product covered in a magazine is to tie your pitch to their editorial calendar. For example, if they are writing about your type of product in the July issue, you'll find them much more receptive to your pitch to go into that issue then they will in other months.
Keep in mind, however, that magazines have extraordinarily long lead times, especially trade magazines. It's best to contact them to find out their lead times and specifically when they will be looking for articles for any given issue.
Editorial calendars are often available on the magazine's website, or can be requested by contacting the magazine directly.
Posted at 04:34 PM
September 10, 2004
Using Anniversaries To Generate PR
Three years ago today, September 10, 2001, the business at Michael Worth's http://www.CrewTags.com was humming right along, selling long lasting a very cool looking customizable luggage tags.
Then 9/11 happened.
Only one sale came in the morning of the 11th, and that was the last one Worth would see for a while. For three months, he, his wife and 2-month old daughter lived off of savings. Hundreds of thousands of airline employees, some of Worth's best customers, lost their jobs. It quickly became obvious that tough times were ahead; "My friends were losing their jobs, and I started to wonder if I was going to lose mine as well."
Posted at 02:54 PM
Computer Forensics: Power To The People
Computer forensics hit the media this week with the news that the recent memo, broken by CBS's 60 Minutes, about Bush's National Guard service is now being questioned as a fraud.
Computer forensics are showing that this memo has a low probability of being written in the timeframe claimed, because of a number of elements in the type shown in the document.
But the key isn't the story itself, it's how the questions of fraud were generated and brought to the attention of the media - it was through blogs. A number of bloggers started questioning the authenticity of the documents once they were released, which then raised the story to national attention.
Posted at 02:09 PM
What's That Again? Headlines
Here's a couple of actual headlines and a story that recently caught my interest:
"Tick discovered in Sierra Madre dog" - A headline that's a definite sign you live in a very small town...
"Man shoots self while hunting mushrooms" - Where I come from, you don't need a gun for this, a knife will usually do the job.
"Bologna sandwich spurs truck rollover" - It seems the driver hauling a load of logs rolled the truck while trying to make a sandwich. 80 miles per hour, big Kenworth, making a sandwich, hmmm...
Posted at 12:46 PM
Origin of -30- At The End of Press Releases
I get this question all the time: "What is the origin of "-30-" at the end of some press releases?"
Here's the answer, so stop asking me! :<)
"-30-" is a traditional closing for a press release. It probably started during the Civil War when telegraphers tapped "XXX" at the end of a transmission. XXX is the Roman numeral for 30.
I just type a centered END at the end of mine...
Posted at 12:44 PM
September 03, 2004
Getting Thoughtful: Fire Your Clients
There's a concept that has been going around the business world for several years, called "Fire Your Clients."
Basically, this concept calls for you to, on a regular basis, fire a certain percentage of your clients, leaving a gap which will hopefully be filled with other clients who will help you to move your business to a higher level.
I have been doing this on a regular basis, even during tough times, for eight years now. I can tell you that this is one of the most powerful things you can do to build your business.
It's liberating, in terms of time, money, and most importantly, stress.
But I believe there's much more to this practice than most people have contemplated. Those who step beyond the concept of just dumping a few clients now and then to look at the "whys" behind that move can make some major differences in their business and personal life.
There are two basic principles that make this concept successful:
1. Busy isn't better
Posted at 04:57 PM
What's That Again? Stolen Land
From a police blotter:
"Theft, a 41-year-old male reported that 7 acres of land were stolen from him between 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and 10:15 a.m. Thursday. The complaint estimated the value of the land to be $140,000."
I can just hear that interview now. "Well it was there when I looked out the window yesterday and now it's just... just... gone!"
Posted at 04:55 PM
PR Basics: Off The Record
Movies have popularized the concept of people speaking to the press "off the record."
Technically, off the record means that whatever you say won't be printed.
There are several things you should be aware of before you try to say something off the record.
First, unless the reporter has actually agreed beforehand that something will be off the record whatever you say isn't actually off the record.
Second, just because you say something off the record doesn't mean that the reporter can't bring that subject up with someone else and get them to go on the record about the same information. Do you have any competitors, dissatisfied current or former employees or customers? Someone's going to spill the beans!
Posted at 04:54 PM
Must-Have PR Resources
Here's some resources we recommend that every publicity seeker should have in their library:
Creating Powerful Press Releases: This information-packed
report takes you step-by-step through the process of
developing a powerful press release, plus you can get it
in a special pack that also provides a set of fill-in-the-
blank templates for many of the most frequently-needed
press releases.
Posted at 04:53 PM
