Talk Shows Rule Daytime TV – Now Learn how To Book Yourself

June 29, 2011 1 Comment

Recently ABC announced that it was canceling its long-running soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live and replacing them with two new one-hour daytime talk shows, The Revolution and The Chew.

All My Children premiered on the ABC Television Network on January 5, 1970, as a half-hour show; seven years later it expanded to an hour. “One Life to Live” debuted on July 15, 1968 and marked its 10,000th episode on August 17, 2007.   But times have changed and now reality-oriented talk shows rule the daytime.

The Revolution will be a weight-loss show co-hosted by “Project Runway” emcee Tim Gunn. The Chew have a food slant and will offer a “rotating cast” of hosts that includes chef Mario Batali, Top Chef’s Carla Hall, chef Michael Symon, nutrition expert Daphne Oz, and entertaining expert Clinton Kelly.

These two shows are just some of the more current offerings to an already crowded daytime lineup which will also include such newcomers as Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Rosie O’Donnell and Fran Dresher.  Add them to such returning old guards such as Dr. Phil, Ellen The Dr. Oz Show, The Gayle King Show, The Talk, The View, Rachel Ray and Martha Stewart and you have a pretty full day of talk.  Chances are not all of these shows will survive and they will all be fighting one another for the elusive ratings.

This time around there is no Oprah in the mix.  For the first time in decades, a new show truly has a chance to jump out of the pack and claim the daytime crown.  So, if you’re an expert in your field, or someone who has written a book or have a service or product that fits one of the shows’ target markets; get ready to start pitching.  The shows don’t start until September, except for a few such as the Revolution, which is scheduled to launch in January.  But by late July producers are setting up their booking schedules.

Don’t make the mistake of blindly pitching every talk show the same way.  Study each show and see what type of segments they run; then tailor your pitch or press release to meet those criteria.  Remember  follow-up calls are important. They’re the only way to know that your press release has actually been read. And, just as important, by following up, you can find out if the press release did its job and generated interest. If the release didn’t do the trick, you can now add the human touch. If the response is no, you can offer other angles, but do it lightly and then exit gracefully. Don’t waste your time trying to convince the media why you are right or trying to make a hard sale. Your objective is to meet their needs and not by pitching a product or a service, but by giving them a good, compelling story.  Work on your PR pitch before you call. Do some pitch practicing, even if it’s just with a friend. Record a call and listen to how you sound. Don’t sound intimidated and certainly don’t try to intimidate. Be upbeat and polite.   Remember study each show and pitch towards their needs.  It might take some time, but if you stick to it, brainstorm and come up with some creative pitches – we’ll see you on the talk shows.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2011

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Traditional plus Social Media: The Beauty Biz Success Secret

June 24, 2011 Leave a comment

According to research conducted by The NPD Group, Inc., a leading market research company, in 2010, total  U.S. prestige beauty generated $8.4 billion, an increase of 4 percent in dollars, compared to $8.19 billion in 2009.

Beauty is a huge market and that figure does not take into consideration all brands and products.  The bottom line is that beauty sells.  As with fashion and entertainment a beauty-oriented company needs to develop a strong brand in order to be truly successful and nothing is more effective for creating a powerful brand and brand awareness than PR and media relations.   Through public relations your product or service is positioned as a news story, not as an ad or a commercial.  Through the media, you are also positioned as an expert in the field, as a beauty guru.  Soon the media starts coming to you to learn the latest beauty or skin care tips and secrets.  You help define beauty and style trends, while positioning both you and your company via the media.

You can then meld a blogging and social media campaign with your traditional media campaign.  For example, if you receive coverage in your local newspaper on your salon, or your new product line, you can take that article and link it on your blog as well as on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg and other social sites.  You have now turned a local article into a national article.  Or conversely, you can tape a very cool, interesting segment and post it on YouTube.  In the beauty world you can be a bit outrageous, so make it fun, make it interesting, give it attitude.  Now using your blog, Facebook, Twitter and other online venues, try and create a buzz around that video.  If you generate enough interest you can then pitch your YouTube phenomena to the mainstream media and garner media coverage in print and TV.  That’s not a slam dunk, and requires work and some creative thinking, but we’ve done it, so it is possible.

The key to a successful beauty PR campaign is to create a compelling story around your product or service.  Make it interesting, stylish, and compelling.  Always keep your target market in mind. Then study the media outlets that reach your target market.  Now develop a number of different stories to pitch to a variety of different media outlets.  Each media source has needs and interests that are specific to it.  The primary secret to launching an effective media relations campaign is to focus on what the various media outlets need, and pitch each outlet accordingly.  For example, beauty trade publications will be interested in a business angle, whereas your local media will respond to a pitch with a local slant and a national TV show is going to be more willing to run with a story that has a strong visual component.  Being in the beauty field offers you strong visuals, so be creative and use them.  Also remember that the ingredients, the look and the packaging itself can offer you a compelling story.  If you use eco-friendly packaging, or if your ingredients are non allergenic, or if you utilize customer recycling initiatives, these can all be angles you can pitch to the media.

More and more, savvy beauty-oriented companies are spending zero on traditional advertising and utilizing a creative mix of traditional public relations combined with a creative blogging and social media campaign to build their business, grow their brand and achieve success in the beauty biz.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2011

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PR: The Play

June 22, 2011 Leave a comment

An office.  Two men are sitting at a table.  One is talking very animatedly.  The other is listening and occasionally taking notes.  

Client:  You don’t understand, this is a story that the media will pay you to pitch them.  Listen, I know PR.  I could probably teach you a few things.

PR Consultant:  I’m not quite sure about the way you want it presented.  I mean the fact that you can change people’s lives is great.  But we need to show the media how you do that.  We need to offer them transformational stories with a strong narrative.

Client:  Just tell them to read my book.

PR Consultant:  You can’t always count on them reading your book.  We need to give them short, concise easy to understand pitches that will offer them a good story.  We need to pitch a story that meets the media’s needs.

Client:  (Irritated) What do you mean they won’t read my book?  Do you know how long it took me to write that book?  Do you know how much time, effort, money, blood, sweat and tears went into creating that book? (Raising his voice)  And now you’re telling me they won’t read my book?

PR Consultant:   Some will, but our job is to get them to talk about your book, to get them to interest the public in buying and reading your book.

Client:  Well that’s your job.  Do it.  And besides, I’m telling you, it’s easy.  As soon as they hear about my book and read it they are all going to be begging me to go on the show or to do interviews with me.  I’m telling you.  This is basically shooting fish in a barrel.  You should be paying me.

PR Consultant:  Believe me no campaign is easy.  What we need are stories that grab the media’s attention.  The way we do that is by pitching them stories that will appeal to their readers, viewers or listeners.  We need to think backwards from their perspective.  Once we meet their needs, we’ll meet yours.

Client: (Starting to lose his patience) I’m telling you; just explain to them that I change lives.  There’s really no one else out there like me.  I can’t believe Oprah went off the air.  She would have begged to have me on

PR Consultant:   What we need are specifics.  We need specific stories that we can pitch to women’s magazines, news publications, talk shows, etc.  That’s what I wanted to go over today, specific stories on how what you do changed the lives of people you’ve worked with.  Their transformational stories are your best stories.  For example, when representing a physician, I’ll focus on patient stories, that way you can see the impact, the transformation and people relate to that.

Client:  You don’t get it, this isn’t about my clients: it’s about me!  I don’t see why you just don’t send them my book and then call them and get me on national TV.  You’re making this much more complicated than it needs to be.  I tell you once they read my book, it’s a done deal.  This is easy; I should have my own TV show by next season, right?

                                                                                                Lights Fade: End Act One

Yep, true story.  He wasn’t a bad guy, he simply didn’t understand the process or the media’s needs.  More importantly, he didn’t want to take the time to learn how the process works, educate himself and pitch towards his strengths.  What I needed were short, concise, transformational stories.  I needed to be able to show the media how he transformed people’s lives.  To him it was obvious.  It was all about him and it was all in his book.  But the story was not about him, it was about how he changed people’s lives.  His client’s stories were his best story.

As to having the media read the book, the trouble is that nine times out of ten the media’s not going to take the time to read it.  They’re going to look at the cover, read the back page and read a press release.  And you have to sell them on the story then and there.  It had a second act and a good ending.  We met again and were able to come up with some specific story ideas that grabbed the media’s interest and his PR campaign was a successful one.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2011

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Media & Medicine: Developing a Medical Practice Utilizing PR

June 13, 2011 Leave a comment

If you’re a physician looking to market your practice or reach out to new patients, keep in mind that physicians, more than those in other professions, can benefit from an effective media campaign. Press coverage reaches their target market, drives patients their way and gives them validation and credibility. The public generally learns about the latest medical breakthroughs, news, or studies via the media.  It is an avenue they trust and trust is the bottom line when it comes to health care.

Physicians that are featured in the media are seen as the experts, whether they are featured in their local newspaper or on the Today show.  Doctors and health care specialists can present themselves as media go-to experts by offering the media relevant and timely stories.

Although marketing a medical practice via print ads or commercials can have some effect, that approach has inherent risks.  No patient wants to feel that he or she is being “sold”. Patients want to see someone they trust, someone they feel is the best in their field.  It is that validation and trust factor that comes with being featured in the media. For example, if a prospective patient reads an article that features a physician in the New York Times or USA Today, or sees a doctor interviewed on CNN or on a network nightly news segment, chances are that physician will be viewed as an expert, as a leader in his or her field who can be trusted.

Public relations is also important because a PR campaign is not just about marketing; it is also about educating the public.  An effective media campaign educates and informs.  Used effectively, media relations can not only build a practice, it can educate and introduce new concepts and perspectives and shape the ideas of a community.  Because of that, it’s important that physicians see and present themselves as educators.

Physicians need to keep in mind that their best media stories are not about themselves, but about their patients.  A transformational patient success story with a strong narrative is what the media is searching for.  If you’re looking to reach more patients, bring a story to the public, or position yourself as an expert in your field, you’re best approach is to make a list of patient’s who have interesting impactful stories they can tell.  You want these stories to illustrate how lives were changed or transformed.

There are a number of different media outlets available including Dr. Oz, CNN, the Today Show, Men’s Health, Shape, the Wall Street Journal and hundreds of other media outlets.  Before presenting a story match the various patient stories to the appropriate media outlets.  For example a story about a ten year old struggling with Autism, would be pitched differently than a story about the latest in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.  Meet with the patients and review the questions that the media could ask them.  Make your patients as comfortable as possible with the process.  Remember, these patients are not only telling their stories, they’re representing you and your practice.  You want them to be articulate and the presentation to be accurate and appropriate.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2011

Filed under doctor pr, Medical PR, physicians, PR, TV, tv interview Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Obama’s “Birther” PR Mistake

April 28, 2011 Leave a comment

Orly Taitz will earn a brief footnote in history as the “Birther” movement leader.  She was at the forefront of a movement of Birthers who doubt that the president’s birth place was the United States. She famously took the issue to a California court to find out if Obama was U.S. citizen and to hold a special presidential election if he wasn’t.  Since then the movement and the intensity of volume has increased.  Donald Trump took up the issue and found yet another way to get the mainstream media to interview him.

This red herring would serve as the comic relief in a play.  Trouble is that all of the players have taken it seriously and it went from a side note to a major plot point.  It is understandable that those in the Obama camp would think enough is enough; they’re going to release the long-form of the birth certificate and put an end to this foolishness.  The flaw in that logic is that there is absolutely no logic behind the Birther movement and it is not a movement in search of logic or facts.

If there was video that showed President Obama being born and that video was released to the media, it wouldn’t matter a bit.  The Birther movement revolves around accusations and diversions and you do not (and more importantly you cannot) battle that type of attack, at least via the media, with facts.  This is akin to a religious cult; you are not going to weaken their faith with something as cumbersome as reality.  This is also a politically motivated buzz.  It is a dangerous game.  Push it too far and the American middle ground is going to tire of the noise and relegate Birthers to the status of reality stars.  America loves to watch and listen to reality stars, but no one takes them seriously.

Obama’s strategic PR mistake was that he in fact did begin to take them too seriously.  He then took them on with proof and details.  A losing game: not unlike trying to put out fire with gasoline.  He hurled the long-form birth certificate at them.  He went at them with facts.  Wrong move.  It now looks as though he feels he needs to prove himself, or defend his voracity.  It would get annoying as hell to hear those charges made day after day and listen to the silence of the Republican leadership, but that’s politics.  Hey the longer his rivals focus on his birth certificate the less the focus is on high gas prices and a struggling economy.   My advice would be to hold course and let them wail.  That’s not a bad trade off.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2011

Filed under Media, Politics, Public Relations, traditional media, TV Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PR Success Connection

March 18, 2011 Leave a comment

Launching a public relations campaign can be confronting.  Many people are uncomfortable and resist the mere thought of launching a PR campaign.   As one client explained to me he didn’t want to do interviews, he didn’t want to be a star; he simply wanted his business to be successful. I understood exactly what he meant.  His focus was on his business, on the bottom line, and being featured in a newspaper or on a TV segment didn’t mean much to him, unless it affected the bottom line.  But there was also something else going on.  He was shy and embarrassed and being interviewed, or sitting in front of a TV camera scared the heck out of him.  If you feel that way, ask yourself what you’re willing to do to be successful. Are you willing to utilize the most powerful marketing tool available? Are you willing to take risks, utilize the magic of the media, and give your business a real chance for success?

If your response is yes, remember very few people are naturals when it comes to the media.  It’s a skill and one that can be learned.  I generally suggest that people take at least a couple of hours of media training before launching a campaign.  It helps you focus, helps you relax and shows you how to tell your story in the most comfortable organic way possible.  It also teaches you how to meet the media’s needs as well as your own,  Our trainer is Ann Convery, she has prepared clients for interviews in a wide range of media outlets from Oprah and 6o Minutes to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.  Her specialty is helping you refine and condense your story.  She teaches people how to present themselves as experts in their field in a relaxed effective manner.  Her foucs is on showing you how to present yourself not as a celebrity, but as an authority

Effective media placement isn’t about wanting to be a star or wanting to appear on the media – it’s about success. It truly is about the bottom line.  It’s about establishing yourself as an expert in your field and zooming beyond your competition. But media relations is also a cumulative process.  One interview does not a PR campaign make.  But done effectively and consistently, media relations is a creative, effective, relatively inexpensive, and dynamic way to achieve success. Remember your goal is not to position yourself as a “star” or an entertainer, but as a trusted expert in your field.  You are establishing yourself as an invaluable resource for the media. If the PR process is uncomfortable for you, try thinking of it this way, you probably don’t like to pay the bills, or do the books, or purchase supplies, but you do all those things because it’s part of doing business.  All those processes are a part of your bottom line. PR should be at the top of that list, because unlike those other tasks, PR can generate cash flow, bring you clients and build your brand.  It should be an integral part of your business equation. You do it because you want to be successful.  You do it so your business can grow and prosper.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2011


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John Jacobson & the Double Dream Hands YouTube/ Social Media Phenomena

March 16, 2011 Leave a comment

The video has touched a chord with children and adults worldwide and John receives emails from all parts of the globe praising the song and choreography. John recently walked into a classroom in Mali, Africa, whereupon recognizing him, the children spontaneously burst into Double Dream Hands.  On January 26, 2011, John was featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The episode celebrated Ellen’s birthday and as a present, her staff joined John in performing the Double Dream Hands dance.  Upcoming television appearances include a VH1 special on viral videos to air on March 20.  The video has now spawned an industry.

A Double Dream Hands iPhone application is now available for purchase at Apple’s iTunes store. Fans can upload a picture of themselves (or a picture of their friends, parents, grandparents, favourite celebrities, etc.) doing the DDH dance, wearing John’s famous yellow polo and sporting blond hair!

The popularity of Double Dream Hands has given John a broader voice and he is proud to present his new book Double Dreams: Living a Life of Glee, Harmony and, Oh Yes… Jazz Hands!, which will be available at the end of May on Amazon.com and in bookstores. The book is a collection of heart-warming stories about kids, music, and dance.

John’s family fitness DVD Double Dream Hands: Songs for Fun and Fitness will be available in May. The DVD features a 30-minute workout for the whole family. The childhood obesity epidemic in America has long been a concern of John’s and he hopes to help alleviate the problem with Double Dream Hands: Songs for Fun and Fitness.

For many years, John has been collaborating with the Hal Leonard Corporation, the world’s largest music print publisher.  John has been a freelance music teacher, writer, composer, and choreographer for over 25 years.  He is a passionate advocate of arts education, child fitness, and community service.  John is also the founder and volunteer president of America Sings! Inc., a non-profit organization that encourages young performers to use their time and talents for community service.  Hal Leonard has published John Jacobson’s Music Express Magazine for 11 years.  The magazine, published six times a year, has over 10,000 subscribers.  It contains original songs, dance choreographies, and lesson plans for music teachers.  Double Dream Hands began as a choreography video from the Music Express magazine site.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2011

Filed under Marketing, Media, social media, Talk Shows, TV, youtube Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Secrets To Pitching The Media

September 30, 2010 1 Comment

When pitching your story to the media, remember to focus on their needs.  Always keep in mind that it’s not you, your book, your expertise, or your profession, that’s going to grab the media’s interest – it’s the STORY that you can create from these materials.  So how do you find the story, below are some sure-fire tips, suggestions and public relations secrets to use.  Make sure and review these before making your pitch.

When pitching your story to the media, remember to focus on their needs.  Always keep in mind that it’s not you, your book, your expertise, or your profession, that’s going to grab the media’s interest – it’s the STORY that you can create from these materials.  So how do you find the story?  Below are some sure-fire tips, suggestions and public relations secrets to use.  Make sure and review these before making your pitch.  Also keep the particular media outlet you’re going to in mind.  Don’t pitch a hard business angle to a woman’s publication that focuses on human interest angles and, conversely, don’t pitch a beauty story to a financial publication (unless it’s a story on the business of beauty).  With that in mind, review the following and come up with the perfect pitch for you, your product and your company.

1.  Tie your story to the calendar:  Valentines Day, Spring Cleaning (taxes, teeth, house care, skincare, mental health,) summer dieting, getting in shape, Memorial Day, Summer (heat stroke, swimming, sunburn, health hazards, air conditioners, summer colds) Labor Day, back to school anxiety, flu, Fall fashions, children’s ergonomic health, Mom’s and back to school, Halloween, teeth, safety, family, Thanksgiving, over-eating, dieting, anorexia, anxiety, family stress,  winterize your skin, dieting for the holidays, holiday safety, de-stressing while planning your holiday, fashion and skincare for the holidays, New Year’s, resolutions, colds, flu.  You get the picture.

2.  Call the local TV assignment desk before 9:00 a.m. and offer yourself as an expert who can comment on a breaking news story you read about in the paper that morning.

3.  Check the websites for tidbits about reporters, producers, or the show.  Use that information when you’re creating your pitch.

4.  Follow a reporter you like and when you pitch, mention that you read his/her stories when making your pitch.  Don’t just sell, create a mutually beneficial relationship.

5.  Watch shows you want to pitch for three weeks.  Watch it, target a producer.  Don’t just pitch your story, but the entire segment you would be in – with other experts, patients, etc.  Pitch controversy, relationships, personal triumph or makeovers.

Remember your job is to give the media a compelling story.  Don’t try to sell, or push. Work with the editors or producers you’re pitching.  Become their ally.  Let them know that you’re on their side.  Together you can come up with an interesting story that meets both their needs and yours.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2010

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Filed under advertising, business, Business Strategy, Marketing, Media, news, PR, PR Campaign, Public Relations, TV Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Demonstrating Your Value to Your Prospects

August 20, 2010 Leave a comment

You know what your company’s value is.  You understand why your products or service are so important to your target market.  You understand what makes you unique, what separates you from the others in your field.  You can explain exactly what makes you and your company so amazing.  The sad truth is that your customers don’t really care about your bio, how great you are, how long you’ve been around, etc.  What your clients and customers care about is what you can do for them; how you can make their life easier, how you can save them time, money, help grow their business.  What they want to know is how they’ll be better off by buying your product, or using your service, or working with your company.

It’s important to know what your prospective client’s needs are and how you can meet them.  Focus on how you can solve their problems not on singing the praises of your company.  This sounds easy, but it can be tricky.  The confusing part is that your prospects aren’t always exactly sure what they want.  Often if you don’t ask, they won’t tell you.  If you misjudge their needs you might give a great pitch but it will fall on deaf ears.  Your job is to determine what your prospects needs and wants are and then illustrate how you can meet those.  As I mentioned, this can be a bit of a mind field.  If you’re giving a one-on-one pitch, you have the luxury of asking specific questions, but in your marketing, advertising or public relations efforts, you need to make sure you are addressing the specific needs of your target market.  Often a company can address several needs or issues, and different clients will be looking for solutions to different individual needs.

Each business meets different needs.  There are times when a business is meeting needs that the business owner is not even aware of.  For example you might think you’re selling someone a car as a means of transportation.  In fact transportation could just be an afterthought, what some clients are buying is style, or comfort, or security.  Let’s take my business for example.  Our focus is PR, media relations, blogging and social media.   Clients come to us for various reasons.

Through a PR campaign, they want to:

1. Reach their target market via the press and the media.

2. Sell more products.

3. Land more clients and/or business opportunities.

4. Position themselves via the media in front of investors

5. Introduce a new product or service to the marketplace.

6. Establish themselves as experts in their field.

7. Establish themselves as a professional at the top of their field.

8. Gain credibility and validation by being featured in the news.

9. Save marketing and advertising dollars via a PR campaign.

Those are the main reasons clients come to us, but each client has his or her main reason.  One might be focused on building sales, another might be looking to entice investors, and still another might be looking strictly to position herself as an expert in her field.  For some clients the bottom line is the primary issue, for others it’s the credibility and validation factors.  These are all values, but what is valuable to one client, might not be that important to another.  We’ve worked with clients who can’t possibly take more clients for months.  That is not their concern.  But they do want to be viewed as the best in their field and being featured in top tier media can accomplish that aim.  We work with others who want to build their business, sell more products, and land more clients.  Those are their primary goals and that is the value we offer to them.

So, make a list of the value that you offer your clients.  Make this a stretching exercise.  Move a bit beyond your comfort zone.  Are there emotional values you offer that you’ve never considered?  Once you’ve developed your list, take a look at your marketing, PR and advertising efforts.  Does your marketing address your accomplishments or your client’s needs? Once you answer that question, you’ll know what changes you need to make.  Focus on your clients, and you’ll never go wrong.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2010

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When “They” Become the Enemy: The Danger of Perception Creating Reality

August 19, 2010 Leave a comment

How we frame a story often defines reality.  Every day, via the traditional media, blogs and social media, perception creates reality.  When it comes to marketing films or merchandise this can be amusing, interesting, entertaining and downright annoying, but when it comes to defining a people or a group, it becomes insidious and dangerous.

Generally during tough economic times, people look for reasons and, often, for scapegoats, but, too often, instead of searching for the real causes and explanations, people will search for quick fixes, for easy places to put their anger.

Life is always easier if problems are caused by “them”.  This need to define a group and then lay blame is a dangerous, knee-jerk reaction that all humans seem to share.  If we can pinpoint an enemy and blame them for our ills, life seems so much easier.  Everything makes sense; life becomes black and white.  We don’t have to mess with those irritating shades of gray.  More importantly we don’t have to look at the fact that we might be part of the problem.  America seems to be caught in this type of mindset.  From the furor over whether a Mosque should be built close to where the World Trade Centers stood, there are now calls over national TV for no more Mosques to be built anywhere in the U.S.  It is as though by limiting freedom of religion we strengthen our basic freedoms.  On another front, there are calls by others to nullify the 14th Amendment.  These types of approaches are attempts to define “them”, pinpoint the enemy and demonize all Muslims and illegal aliens.

According to section 1 of the 14th Amendment   “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States….”  That seems like a well thought out section.  There is wisdom there.  It has served us well since 1868.

Perhaps if we can pull away from the 24/7 non-stop spin cycle where rancor, and sensationalism is the order of the day, we can remember that each person is an individual and should be judged on his or her merits.  Perhaps away from the vitriol found in much of the media and blogs we can remember the basic tenants that this country was based on.  Another part of the 14the Amendment states: “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”  That seems worth contemplating.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2010

Filed under Media, news, obama, Politics, TV Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Six Ways to Market Your Business on A Shoestring

August 3, 2010 Leave a comment

Very few businesses thrive or even survive without marketing.  But it can be an expensive process. There are several options that businesses can utilize that won’t break the bank. Start with the simple stuff.

1) Business cards can be a quick way to introduce your business and pass the information on.  Use your cards wisely, don’t just put your basic information on it.  Come up with a line or two that you can put on the card that explains who you are.  Use it as a way to promote yourself and your business.  Then get the cards out there.  Come up with a gameplan to get your cards in as many hands as possible.  See if there are places where you can have your cards displayed, or boards they can be added to.

2) Network. Join civic and business groups.  Do some homework and find networking groups in your area that you can join.  These are places where you can pass out your business card, but more importantly, these can be great places to make contacts.  If the people you meet at the groups can’t utilize your services or products, they very well may know others who can.  Also develop your verbal business card.

3) Find a way to deliver your pitch in less than a minute.  Ann Convery (www.anncovery.com) is the expert at this.  Utilizing her Speak Your Business in 30 Seconds or Less technique you can develop much more than an elevator pitch; she helps businesses craft their verbal brand.  Once you’ve developed this you have a powerful and effective way to describe your business and give prospects a call to action.

4) Once you developed your 30 second verbal brand, build on that and come up with stories and pitches that you can send to the media.  When pitching the media, position yourself as a resource instead of a sales force. This is particularly important to keep in mind when calling producers or editors to follow up on a PR pitch. When defining your media message, be specific. Sharpen your story. You may have numerous talents, you may have several stories to tell, but don’t try to tell them all at once. You don’t want a one-note campaign, but you do have to play each note individually. If you slam all of the piano keys down at once, you don’t get music, you get noise. What you’re looking for is melody, music. You can tell your various stories, but don’t try to give them to the media all at once, tell them sequentially.  Come up with five or six different topics or hooks that you can comfortably and expertly address. Now put them in order. Prioritize them. Don’t pitch all of our stories to the media at the same time. You want to be targeted and succinct in you media pitches. An effective public relations campaign can be your strongest marketing and branding tool

5) Offer your services as a speaker.  Offer to speak on your topic for free. Your objective is not to make money from the speeches themselves, but to make contacts, establish yourself as an expert and have prospects find you via your speaking engagements.

6) Create an attractive, functional website to drive prospects to.  Make sure and have your URL on your card.  Consider creating a blog and position yourself as an expert in your field.  Go on various social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and post your blogs.  Also post information that would be of help to your clients and prospective clients.

Bonus tip) Post and traditional media coverage that you land on your site, your blog and on the various social media sites.  This is one way you can maximize your media coverage and turn a local story global.

There are countless other ways to market your business.  But these are some good tried and true ways.  Start here and start to build your business.  After awhile review your marketing mix and see what’s working the best for you. Soon you’ll find the right fit for your ultimate marketing campaign.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2010

Filed under Authors, Branding, business, Marketing, Media, PR, PR Campaign, Public Relations, social media, TV Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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