SoloBusiness Marketing

Leverage your publicity that you receive after you come to Creative Connections and learn how to become slightly famous in the media.

Online Media Directory

Using the Power of the Media to Build Your Business and Promote Yourself is our topic by Marcia Reece at Creative Connections on Friday morning, September 5. Visit http://www.meetup.com/Creative-Connections/events/195102332/ for more information. Marcia brings her high-energy and content-rich presentations to audiences around the world. She distinguishes, defines, and solves the mystery of harnessing free media coverage for your business. Her media marketing tips, techniques, and strategies are in demand. Her audiences leave with immediate and easy-to-implement take-away tools, media gathering methods, proven scripts, and insider success drivers. Marcia is the author of The Ultimate Online Media Directory (Aspen Publishing). Visit MarciaReece.com

Congratulations! You’ve done it. You just completed your interview in the news programs or your story was told in print. Especially fabulous are the videos and photos driving interest to your website and to your business. But, now what?

That’s right; now what? Just being interviewed on radio or TV or having an article published about your business will often drive new business for you. Today’s newspaper or magazine is tomorrow’s recycling, but that doesn’t mean that the life of your review is over – far from it, as a matter of fact. It is so important to get in front of people who will buy your services. Don’t just assume that everyone saw the media coverage. You need to tell them. Think about what you can do to create more buyers by letting people (buyers) know about the story on TV, radio, online, or in newspapers or magazines.

That piece still has lots of promotional juice left in it if you know how to squeeze it out. According to Marketing Coach Carol Naff, there are many things you can do with your publicity. Obviously, the rest of the world moved on to the next TV or radio story and edition of whatever periodical has published your piece or review. Use this opportunity to drive traffic to your services.

Tell the world about your media coverage by posting your piece on your website. For video, use You Tube to publish it and post a link on your website. For articles, either post a PDF of the article, or a link to the publisher’s website (assuming it is on their website), or you can post the original copy you submitted along with a mention of when and where it was published.

Email signature. Add a link in your email signature to automatically inform everyone about your publicity. Drive traffic to your website.

Frame it. That’s right; make a nice clean copy of your print coverage on archival paper. Lay it out nicely to fit on a single page, and frame it like a photo. Hang it proudly in your office, home, or reception area. Then your visitors who missed your piece when it was published can see what it looked like. They will be just as impressed (if not more so) than the readers who stumbled over your article in the first place.

Copy it. You can use the layout you created to frame your article or the PDF you made for your website to make copies. Include the banner of the paper or magazine, along with the date, so it is obvious when and where your piece originally appeared in print. Be sure to add your contact information as well, because you never know who might end up with a copy (and they might want to contact you). Use both sides of an 8.5×11″ sheet of paper if needed and make it look nice.

Use the copies in your press kit (which is now growing with the addition of your published pieces). Now that a third-party recognizes your expertise, it is proof that your business deserves recognition.

Mail copies of your article to your clients with a short note and a special offer. For example, you might write: Did you see my review in Sunday’s paper? I’m celebrating my fame with a special two-for-one offer (coupon enclosed).

Copies will come in handy for selling more services, too. Include a copy with your proposal for speaking to demonstrate your expertise. Show copies at meetings to indicate your expertise status.

You might also use it to get back in touch with prospects that haven’t committed to buying your services. Just send the copy with a business card and a short note that says something like: Hi Prospect, Did you happen to see this article in the Business section of the Times on Saturday? I know you are interested in [whatever you wrote about], and thought you might like to see this. I’ll be in touch soon! Best regards, Your Name.

Write and submit articles for publication in other media. Yes, absolutely, once your business is noted in one publication, others might be interested in reprinting it. Be sure to mention the publicity when you distribute an article about your services to online article banks, ezines, and information sites for reprinting. Or submit it to the newsletters of your trade associations or networking organizations. Very often, they are looking for content, and since your business has the endorsement of the publication that published it the first time, it might look mighty good to others.

Send it out as a press release. At the very worst, nothing will happen, but other media could pick it up to use as a filler piece. And there is always the possibility that an editor might be looking for an expert with your background and may call you for an interview. Your local newspaper looks for community members to highlight in the news. Be certain to submit photos and news releases to them.

So whatever you do, don’t just let your published article fade away. Use it again and again to get the most from your work. You’ll raise your credibility and visibility in the eyes of your clients, prospects, and the world. And you’ll have something to remind yourself of how good you can be when you put your mind to it. Visit my blog at carolnaff.me for more ideas to market your business and yourself in a career search.