Is Traditional PR Still Relevant?

May 11, 2012 Leave a comment

According to a study done by PR newswire “ In both the US and Canada, pitches through a social network resulted in coverage approximately 70% of the time. In contrast, the standard pitch to a US or Canadian journalist rarely leads to coverage, with 66% pegging the success rate at 0-20%.”

Needless to say social media has forever changed the way PR works.  Whereas the traditional media still offers the best validation and credibility, that sort of seal of approval and trust factor is becoming its primary function.  Sure, if you land a segment on the Today Show or an article in USA Today, you are still going to get a huge boost, but overall the landscape has changed dramatically.  It used to be you could launch a very effective traditional PR campaign without landing any of the major media coverage.  Trade, local and regional media could and did carry a campaign.  But just as the music world has been turned on its head, so has the world of traditional media.  There are fewer outlets and there is a smaller audience.

So, does this mean that traditional PR is dead.  No not by a long shot, but the game board has changed dramatically.  Traditional PR is still vitally important, but to be truly effective it needs to be augmented by different forms of outreach.  This is no longer the time to only reach out to writers, editors and producers. 

Social media has become as important as traditional media, but each has a different function and must be addressed in a different manner.  Neither one on its own is as powerful as the combination of the two.  Social media offers a conversational style of communication with a connection to your audience.  This generally requires greater transparency.  It is a different type of communication and can lead to stronger and deeper personal relationships.

Conversational style—PR people used to interact primarily with industry journalists. “Pitching” and “spinning” were terms often used (not always with a positive connotation) to describe much of that interaction. Those days are fading, which is welcome news to many PR practitioners as well as their audiences. Greater availability of information requires greater transparency, but also leads to richer conversations.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Cwinters. “Media Free Agency.” Photo. Return on Reputation. 25 Oct 2010. 11 May 2012. <http://www.returnonreputation.com/2010/10/25/media-free-agency/>

 

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Ann Convery’s Total Money Makeover Mastermind is Today, Wednesday, at 2:00pm PDT—-There is one Seat Left! Train’s leaving the Station! Don’t let the train leave without you!

May 9, 2012 Leave a comment

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How To Decide Which Marketing Approach Is Best For You

May 8, 2012 Leave a comment

Marketing can be tricky. How, where, when and to whom you market all depends on the specific needs of your business.  The media mix that works for a physician will probably differ from the approach that will work for a coffee house.  But then again, maybe not, maybe the same marketing mix will perfectly fit both and it’s only the approach and implementation that needs to shift.

Before you decide on and implement marketing, advertising, public relations or a social media campaign, do some soul searching and figure out what marketing approach is going to most effectively serve you and your company.  Each company’s needs are different, which is why your approach needs to be individualized and tailored to your specific business.

When I launched my company I focused primarily in traditional public relations, that approach is still the most effective way to do if you want to reach your target market and gain the legalization and credibility that being featured in the media affords you.  Appearing on a TV show or in a magazine or newspaper can separate you from the competition, establish you as a news story and present you as an expert in your field.

That is one approach, but there are several others that sometimes work on their own and other times work in conjunction with a PR campaign.  A short marketing list would include:

  • Traditional advertising (including print ads and commercials)
  • Online advertising (including ads, banners, pop ups, etc.)
  • Direct marketing (including flyers, mailers, etc.).
  • Traditional public relations (including print, TV and radio)
  • Social media (including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, GooglePlus, etc).
  • Email marketing
  • Seminars
  • Workshops
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Cold Calling
  • Article Marketing
  • Digital Media Apps
  • Mobile Advertising

That covers a pretty good marketing spectrum.  Chances are if you are doing some type of marketing outreach (which you definitely need to be) you’re utilizing one of the approaches listed above.   But again the question remains, how do you know when to use which type of marketing approach?  It took me a while to learn that this generally needed to be my first step when working with clients.   First we needed to define the objectives.  What did the client want to achieve with his or her marketing campaign?   Once we have that defined, we then decide on which approach or which combination of approaches are best suited to meet those objectives.  We developed a questionnaire to help clients define their needs, objectives and target markets, once we have that information, we then use that as a guide to help develop their most effective marketing plan and approach.  It could be one approach or a combination.  Or it could be an orchestrated sequential shifting from one approach to another.  It all depends.  Each business has its own specific needs.  Before you jump into a marketing direction take some time to define your objectives, your needs and your most effective marketing approach.  In the long run, you’ll be glad you did.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Petronzio, Matt. “47 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed.” Photo. Mashable. 05 May 2012. 07 May 2012. <http://mashable.com/2012/05/05/digital-media-resources-39/>

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Cold Calling in Reverse: A Unique Approach to Signing Clients & Selling Products

May 4, 2012 1 Comment

You know what it’s like, you have your list (which you’ve either put together on your own- spending a lot of your time, or you’ve purchased one, spending a lot of your money) and you’ve practiced your pitch.  Now it’s time to pick up the phone and start making the calls.  Off you go trolling for clients, hoping to turn a cold call into a warm prospect into a paying client or customer.  It’s not easy.  It’s actually one of the toughest parts of business.  Keeping the pipeline filled with warm prospects is never an easy task, and cold calling is only one approach.  What if there was a way to get prospective clients to call or email you?  A dream?  Nope, it’s possible.

Media relations is a unique form of marketing. Unlike advertising or direct marketing, with public relations you can’t pick and choose specific outlets and dates that your story or segment will run – that is the challenge of PR. Yet, on the other hand, when a news story does run on you or your business, you are positioned in a unique and powerful way. A feature in a magazine or newspaper or a segment on TV or radio positions you as an expert and positions your company or product as a news story. That type of coverage offers you validation and credibility that no amount of advertising can buy. With PR you reach your target market and build your brand via the media.

Now combine traditional public relations with a social media approach. The lines between traditional PR and social media are blurring.  Land a story in a traditional magazine or newspaper and chances are that media outlet will have an online presence.  With that one move you’re suddenly edging closer to the social media world.  All you need to do is tweet the link or post it on Facebook and there you go, a traditional media campaign has now melded with a social media campaign. On the other hand, an interesting social media campaign can grab the attention of a magazine, newspaper or TV show and a social media phenomenon can become a mainstream news story.  It’s a two way highway and one that if worked well, can be an amazingly effective approach.

Marketing-wise, social media is opening new worlds of possibilities.  By combining your social media strategy with a traditional PR campaign you can create a powerful two-pronged approach which results in more followers, more buzz, more customers and more business. Also social media is a great example of how people can create conversion through conversation. It is also an avenue that can be used to transform public relations into personal relationships in order to build and grow a brand and a business.

The best part of this blended approach to marketing is that instead of you making cold calls to interest prospects, suddenly the phone rings and emails show up from prospects wanting to talk to you.  That’s always a nice conversation.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

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Alice Cooper, Pat Benatar PR- & You

May 3, 2012 Leave a comment

I began in the media world as a freelance writer.  My focus was on music, primarily rock.  I learned how the PR and marketing machines worked, but also learned how working with their teams, rock acts formed their own brands and created their own legends.  For example, two of the rock stars I interviewed, Alice Cooper and Pat Benatar and Kate took very different paths and approaches, but both created an image and a brand that defined them, and made them quite a bit of money.

Alice (Vincent Damon Furnier) had perhaps the most fun of any rock star with his mage, paving the way for KISS and a plethora of shock rock bands.  The band was the house band at the Whiskey on the Sunset Strip and became the band to walk out on (something I had to admit to Alice that I had done myself).  As the image and act grew, he added guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, boa constrictors, and baby dolls to his act, drawing on a number of  influences from horror films, and vaudeville acts, to the more theatrical Broadway musicals.  He pioneered an over-the-top, theatrical and uber violent brand of heavy metal created to shock and rock.  In person, Alice is a fun, funny amiable guy, who talks about his alter ego with a wink and a smile.

Not as over the top as Alice, Benatar created her own alter ego.  Initially Benatar’s focus was on classical and Broadway theatrical styles. Rock did not seem to be in the cards.  Inspired by Liza Millelli she quit her job as a bank teller and decided to give a singing career a stab.  Yet, Out of that Pat Benatar the rock sex goddess was born, which lead to two multi platinum albums and decades of success.  Again this was a case of creating a brand, an image and turning that brand into a career and an amazingly successful business.

You might think you have nothing in common with Alice Copper or Pat Benatar, but (surprise) you’re wrong.  Chances are you’re not launching a new rock act (then again maybe you are), but the basic gameplan of creating a brand and an image is the same whether you’re an entertainer, an entrepreneur, a physician, an attorney, a jeweler, or the owner of a new social media site.  You want to establish your brand.  You want to create that message, story and image that is specifically you and that separates you from the competition.  Your brand and story can be loud and carnival like or extremely subtle and sophisticated.  It depends on you and your company.   You’re image probably won’t have much to do with spandex, guillotines, or over the top make up.  Then again, if it does – use it!

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

 Ochs, Michael. “Alice Cooper.” Photo. Rolling Stone. 02 May 2012. <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/alice-cooper>

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The following is a guest blog by Ann Convery. Ann is offering an amazing free telecall tomorrow:

April 30, 2012 Leave a comment

Don’t Talk About The Features Of Your Service — They Scare Away Your Prospects

By Ann Convery

So this is the deal…. let me tell you about Joanne. She’s one of the smartest people I know when it comes to grabbing people’s attention. She was a business strategist and a good copywriter, and she knew her stuff backwards and forwards. If she got into a private discussion with you she’d solve your problems like that. But when she got in front of a prospect, and there was a whiff of a sale in the air, (little laugh) she started babbling, and it was driving her nuts. She was watching people walk away. And she was at the point of abandoning her business, in fact her husband was pushing her to let it go, and find a job. And here=s how we turned it around for Joanne and this is the same thing that will turn it around for you.

Because Joanne was a great coach, she was a great teacher. And I know a lot of you are good teachers. And teachers tend to stay teach way before they should – like, talk about how great the features of their service or programs are to people they’ve just met.

And Joanne was scared of being salesy, so she retreated into her comfort zone, teaching. She’d say, I’m not only an MBA, I’m a certified NLP practitioner, so when I coach with people I’m able to get into what’s blocking them immediately, and remove the blocks so they go much faster. In fact we do that on the first session. And because I do laser-coaching on unconscious blocks, , my clients get a global vision of their business in the first session, blah blah blah blah blah blah… these are features.

Here Joanne was telling everyone she met how much she could give them, and there is nothing that turns off a prospect faster than features. And the biggest mistake people make is that they use adjectives to make their features sound really cool. Too many adjectives — can actually kill a sale. Joanne ended up several times in tears in the ladies’ room at networking events.

And she realized that all her emails were stuffed with features, which is why she had such a poor open rate. So we actually put a sign on her desk and in her purse that said “No Features.” The only thing she talked about was results. She said, “Clients come to me when their backs are against the wall. Like Tom. By the time he called me, they’d turned off his light bill and he hadn’t had a client in three months. 60 days later, he had 4 new clients, 6 good prospects, and his monthly income had gone from 0 to 16,000.”

She realized what most of us just don’t realize about features—and it sounds stupid, but they’re an addiction, and they’re dangerous. They’re so comfortable, especially for teachers. And they’re like a huge brick wall between you and the clients who really want to work with you. Why are they so dangerous? They’re dangerous because block feeling. 

When you talk about features, you’re asking your clients to think. And they do. But they don’t feel. And if your audience doesn’t feel, nothing happens. No sale happens, no signing happens. Nothing moves. And that’s why it’s so mysterious, that’s why it’s so painful, and that’s why you can’t put your finger on it. People keep asking you – “What do you do?” How do you do that?

And so you tell them. And it’s like handing chocolate to a chocoholic; the addiction kicks in.

“Ooooh, this feels so good, I’m talking about my best features. I’m talking about those degrees I worked so hard to get.” And they disappear. Your audience disappears. Features are such an innocent, tragic mistake that can keep you from thousands of dollars that are just outside your door, they’re waiting. And you’re turning them off.

And it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to suffer and neither does your income. Just take the features out of your conversation, and out of most of your copy. And talk about your results instead.

Copyright © Ann Convery 2012

 
 

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How PR Can Further Your Career in the Arts

April 27, 2012 Leave a comment

If you’re an artist, whether a singer, author, actor, painter, sculptor, or director your goal is to share your vision and build a bridge between the public and your art.  But there is more that PR can do for you than simply build your customer, client or fan base.  For example we’ve worked clients where the media coverage not only helped build their brand; it connected them with influencers in their field resulting in:

  • Writers who were offered publishing contracts.
  • Singers who were offered record deals.
  • Film directors who were offered distribution deals.
  • Fine artists who were offered gallery representation.
  • Artists who were offered assignments.
  • Actors who were offered parts on film or TV.

The magical part about media relations is that once you start landing media coverage, you never know who is going to read your article, listen to the radio interview or watch you on the TV segment.  Yes you’ll reach your target market, but you’ll also come to the attention of decision makers in your field.  People who normally wouldn’t answer an unsolicited call, could suddenly be the ones picking up the phone to call you.

When you are ready to launch a campaign, whether is be traditional public relations or a melding of media relations and social media, you want to decide what your ultimate objectives are.  What are your primary goals, your endgame?  For a public relations campaign to be truly effective, the media exposure needs to lead you somewhere. Which means before you launch you want to come up with a game plan; in essence you want a PR and business roadmap that will keep you on track towards your goals and objectives.  So define your objectives, but also give some time to reviewing how you want to position yourself.  How do you want the decision makers in your particular field to view you?

Remember you’re building an image through the stories you are telling.  What do you want that image to be?  How do you want to be perceived?  Do you want to be seen as an edgy artist or one who speaks more to the masses?  What type of attitude do you want to emote?  What images and photos will be the most appropriate?   How will the stories and media pitches you send out help create this image, this story of you?

How you’re going to present yourself is as important as where you’re going to present yourself.  Give thought to both.  Once you’ve defined your objectives and goals, you can create a PR plan and approach tailor made to help you achieve those goals.  But always keep in mind the media doesn’t only reach your clients or fans; it reaches the decision makers in your industry.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

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What PR Can Do That The Law Can’t – And Why That Matters To You

April 23, 2012 Leave a comment

Perhaps one of the most striking examples of how public relations, specifically media relations, differs from any other form of marketing is the way it can bring stories that the legal system has hit roadblocks to light.  PR can bring these stories to the public, and through media exposure enact change.  I can think of several cases that were floundering or caught in legal gridlock for one reason or another that were brought to public attention by the media, at which point the legal gears began to turn.  The media sheds light on a story that is shrouded in darkness and that light is often what leads to justice being done.  Those stories are often brought to the attention of the media by PR consultants.  Our company has represented clients locally, nationally and internationally where our focus was on bringing media attention to cases that, for one reason or another, were not being properly addressed through the legal system.  These are situations where PR can effect change when the legal system has hit a roadblock.

Not that your media needs or PR stories are going to be as serious as the one’s I’m referring to here.  But you see the basic point.  It’s the media coverage that gives those stories legitimacy, credibility.  PR brings them out of the shadows into the light of day and to the attention of the public.   In much the same way, media coverage can confer the credibility of being featured in the news to your story, service or product.  You are not presented as an ad or a commercial, but as the news.  That alone separates you from your competition.

Once you have the legitimacy of being featured in the news, you can take your media coverage and by using social media tools magnify and amplify your press coverage.  The combination of traditional media and social media makes for an incredibly powerful marketing tool.

Once you start to garner press coverage, you never know who is going to see, hear or read about you and that can result in totally surprising and unanticipated results. Always start a campaign with certain objectives in mind. Know your target market and outline your objectives.  Your gameplan will outline your primary focus.  But because of the powerful nature of the media, you never know what opportunities might arise.  I have witnessed some amazing results that neither I nor my clients envisioned. I have seen companies and careers built in record time, have had clients offered their own radio and TV shows after having been seen on the media. I’ve had clients offered positions in other companies, larger companies have offered buy-outs or mergers, and one client was offered complete financing on a new business venture after appearing on one talk show.

The bottom line is that media relations is an amazingly effective tool; it can effect social change and bring legal issues to light, but it can also brand your product, or company, build your business and substantially grow your customer base.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Faur, Peter. “Upset by the Reputation of PR? Get Over it.” Photo. Peter Faur. 14 Sept 2011. 23 Apr 2012. <http://peterfaur.com/2011/09/14/upset-by-the-reputation-of-pr-get-over-it#axzz1stciOT2O>

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PR Secret: A Good Story Will Get you in the Media Today

April 20, 2012 Leave a comment

With all of the new theories, programs, classes and seminars and master mind groups on how new media and social media are changing the world of PR, one thing remains constant, to be successful in the PR world, you have to have a story – good, compelling story with a strong narrative. All of the newest sites, gadgets, bells and whistles will get you nowhere, if you don’t have that in place.  Not that long ago, when the dot.com explosion firmly set on its head, the fact that AOL was set to swallow up Time Warner, was a story.  It actually should have been placed more in the realm of fiction, or better yet science fiction, but it sure as heck was a story; and one that received non-stop media coverage.  But if your company’s not about to gobble up Facebook, or Google, or Apple, how are you going to interest the media?  Some imagination and creativity on your part are in order.  You need the newest PR secret, which is also the oldest; you need a compelling story!

For example, if you’ve started a new website for your business, a press release announcing that your new site has been launched might get your company some ink in certain trade publications, you have a shot at garnering some online mentions on Yahoo and Google, but is that really what you want?  If you’re intent on launching an effective media relations campaign, you need to offer the media more than the fact you’ve created a new site.   What makes your site unique, special, different, or cutting edge?  What problems does it solve?  What questions does it answer?  How does it make a person’s life easier, happier, or more effective? 

This is no longer a one-story-fits-all world, and it’s imperative that a company develop press releases, hooks and ideas that will compel an editor, writer or producer to want to do a story. Think of the media less as a unified country than a segmented group of islands, each with its own interests, philosophy and needs.

What interests the Wall Street Journal will not necessarily interest USA Today, 60 Minutes, People, Vogue or your local media outlets.  The job of an effective media campaign is to interest each one of those venues.  Depending on  the campaign, the name of the game is to reach either a specifically targeted group or the largest number of consumers.  Each objective has its own strategy, but regardless of the strategy or objective, every campaign comes down to one main component; a good hook.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Snow, Shane. “8 Hot Media Trends You Need to Know.” Photo. Mashable. 19 Apr 2012. 20 Apr. 2012. <http://mashable.com/2012/04/19/hot-media-trends/>

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PR Secrets for Your Online Business

April 18, 2012 Leave a comment

Apart from Facebook and a few other IPO notables, dot.com IPOs no longer command the attention they did in the wild west of the late 1990s, and youthful billionaires, although still newsworthy, are no longer the big stories they were even two years ago.  These stories will continue to garner press, but they are not enough for a company to build a media presence around. The days of easy media are lost to the end of the 20th Century.  Already the 21st Century is a more demanding, more media-savvy time.

When dot.coms were still the rage, many internet companies turned to celebrities, hoping that by partnering with Whoopi Goldberg or Cindy Crawford, or some professional sports star, some of the stars’ fame and sheen would rub off on their online business. These companies were aware that the media love celebrities; and it is a star’s fame often that drives the media like moths to the proverbial flame.

But soon, even the celebrity factor began to wear thin; amazingly enough William Shatner survived as an online spokesperson, but overall internet companies found themselves faced with the same question that brick-and-mortar companies have faced for years: after the initial fireworks have cleared, how does a company consistently develop engaging and credible stories that will interest the media?

This is where public relations, specifically media relations and media placement come into the picture. When it comes to marketing a dot.com business, e-commerce site or internet product, a company must now broaden its scope to include an effective, story-driven media campaign. Unlike advertising, effective media relations can validate and legitimize a company – and for a fraction of what a comprehensive ad campaign costs.

This is not to say that when marketing an online business advertising and public relations are mutually exclusive. The two have different tasks to perform and one reinforces the other. Both can be vital to a successful overall campaign.  But in the 3.0 world of marketing it’s a mix of social media marketing and traditional PR that offers the most successful form of marketing.

During the dot.com heyday, many e-commerce companies did advertising overkill which cost-wise had a tendency to kill their business; most ignored or under-utilized the immense power and effectiveness of a well-targeted media relations campaign. Many figured that the more money they threw into an ad campaign, the more successful they’d be.  Few did their homework, thinking out of the box, and developing unique, compelling hooks and distinctive story ideas.

Meanwhile, the media began suffering from a bad case of dot-com burnout, which continues to this day.  It’s no longer enough to simply send out press releases announcing that a new site has been launched. Every day, thousands of press releases and pitches flood the email, snail mail, phone and fax lines (yes there still are some of those) of every media outlet in the country.

If a company wants to be noticed, or heard above this deafening roar, it better to know what each particular media outlet wants, understand each particular outlet’s demographics, and know how each editor or producer likes to be pitched.   Marketing has come full circle.  Once again it is all about the story.  Successful public relations comes down to having a credible, effective, engaging and instructional story to tell.  And that’s good news.  It means that the smallest, most cash strapped company has a chance to shine.  It simply needs to be creative.  When it comes to PR and pitching the media, remember, your story is your fortune.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2012

Craig. “Advantages of Having an Online Business.” Photo. U2. NET. 29 Sept. 2010 18 Apr 2012. <http://www.uk2.net/blog/advantages-of-having-an-online-business/>

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