The Flipside by Alternative Strategies

Dealing With The Press Doesn't Have To Be Depressing

You're reading this because you want to increase the public's awareness of you or your business (or both!). Well, that means you have you're going to have walk through the media gauntlet at some point.

The word "media" sounds so big and large and daunting that it's no wonder that many people ball up in fear at the thought of having to deal with reporters.

It doesn't help that "the media" likes to present the image of journalists, writers and bloggers as hard-bitten,cynical types always looking for bad news in their relentless pursuit of "the truth" (or a Pulitzer).

Well, most stereotypes have a basis in fact, but while the media is a collective entity, it's best to assume that each media person is a real human who wants the same things we all do.

With a few simple rules, you can be shmoozing with any media person and make them happy to work with you.

1. Give them a good pitch.
Why aren't you getting the press you want? Chances are, you're not giving the press what they want.

Yes, you might be the greatest person in the world or have a great product, but unless you can supply media people with a hook or an angle that makes them want to -- better, HAVE TO -- cover your story, you're out of luck.

The media loves stories about things that are new, as well as trend pieces, so if your product is new or can be pitched as part of a larger trend, you have a good chance of getting a placement.

2. When you contact them, be aware they're busy.
Journalists are usually on deadline so when you make contact, ask nicely if they have time to talk. If they say they're busy, ask when a better time to contact them would be.

Media types are curious folks so there's a good possibility that they will give you a few seconds to do the pitch so be prepared to distill it down to a few short memorable sentences they can easily grasp.

3. Make it as easy as possible for them to do the story.
It may be easier for you to do an interview by phone, but that doesn't work for TV so show up at the studio.

Providing photos free of charge can help make your story conducive to a magazine editor dealing with a slashed photo budget.

Providing suggested questions to a radio interviewer will help him ask the most relevant questions.

4. Be flexible.
Sometimes an interview that is scheduled has to be postponed for breaking news. Yes, it's frustrating, but being flexible and willing to bend will work to your benefit -- even if it just guilts the reporter into a longer, better story about you.

To be honest, the media has its choice of topics it can cover and you need it more than it needs you so don't get on your high horse.

5. Don't expect to control the final story.
Although you can help influence a story, ultimately, the final story rests in the hands of the media.

So that means you should only say things on the record that won't make you cringe afterwards. The old phrase, "this is off the record" is supposed to work in theory, but it is no guarantee. The only way it truly works is if you say it before the beginning of the interview (and pretty much guarantees you little PR).

Now you can ask for approval of the story, but you probably won't get it. However, there is nothing wrong with asking if you can check parts for factual accuracy. A good journalist will ask to do this anyway.

You may see the story in your head how you would like it to be, but the journalist probably has a formula in mind. They may take your suggestions or pretend to listen. They might even agree only to do something completely different.

Yes, a completely positive article would be ideal, but, chances are, unless you write the story yourself, it won't be exactly as you envision it. Unless the article is completely inaccurate or libelous, it's best to take the view that any publicity is good publicity.

Logo And Branding: Vision Matters

Many times when we see a logo we assume it is branding.

In fact, the logo does take a major role in branding because it is the first component that captures the public eye. However, branding is an attitude that transforms your action from inside out.

Today, we are living in a fast-paced world where everything has to be done at lightning speed. The logo or ad is what sells; therefore, let’s push it to the public as fast as we can.

There is nothing wrong to this statement, but it’s important to ask is this question: “What does the logo or ad reflect about the company?”

Successful branding requires a clear vision, and it’s important that vision is what drives and motivates your company.

Your staff must believe they are part of the company and taking this mentality to the public.

In addition, potential customers should be able to clearly see your goal and what differentiates you from your competitor.

That’s why branding is so important: It is the foundation that your company builds from. Once your company has the right mindset, delivering your message to public in a consistent way is the most powerful tool to gain public recognition.

When packaging a brand, the logo is your spokesperson so it needs to speak for your company’s strength and purpose, as well as being eye catching and professional, so that the value of your company is reflected.

A well-created logo can take your business to the next level, but it is the right attitude -- branding – that ultimately gives you the success and the greatest impact.

Marketing: The Value of Spending

Let’s try a little experiment.  Stop what you are doing and write down three things that you think your company could be doing to increase profits.  Stop and Do it!

1)
2)
3)

Now let me ask you about the short list you made.  Did they include beefing up sales efforts? What about doing some television advertisements? Billboards? Mailers? Flyers? Public Relations? Or were you vague and answered, “Customer retention” or “Getting more clients.”

No matter what you said, your answers will invariably be tied to marketing and the process of spreading the word about your company.  The American Marketing Association defines marketing as:

“The activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” 

So please, if you know of any other system for attracting people to your product or service feel free to share now.

If we can agree upon the fact that marketing is the system created to inform potential consumers of your offerings, then it would only seem logical that every business would want to inform as many potential consumers as possible. 

Yet, here lies the problem, as budgetary restraints and the word “value” constantly hamper businesses willingness to spend money on marketing. In current economic times marketing budgets are the number one line item being extracted.  This includes print materials, advertising, and sales departments.

This phenomenon is hard to explain, as ultimately is seems exactly backwards from what businesses should be doing when needing to attract customers more than ever before.

Shutting down marketing efforts is like shutting down the assembly line machinery that fuels the factory. It doesn’t take a Historian on the industrial revolution to tell you that if the assembly shuts down, so will the factory.  Among those that agree are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

Gates said “If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on Public Relations.”  Buffet said “When others are fearful, it is time to be greedy.” 

If you no longer have a means to attract customers than you have no new customers, and you must always remember that without customers you no longer have a business.

Undoubtedly, marketing methods can be expensive and not every approach is right for everyone.  There is no limit to the reaches and creativity of marketing, and just because something may be expensive or cost money does not mean that it is not a good investment.

Get creative and explore new ways to reach your potential customers and explore new marketing methods and tools.  You will need to spend some money, but with some research, some dedication, and the right marketing tools, you will always get your value.

10 Forgotten Tips for Successful Business Networking

There are many ways people choose to network. No one way is better than another. The best networkers are those who know exactly what to do during networking events. There are some networking skills that are easily learned and will help you get the most out of your networking investment. Put these tips to use and you’ll be amazed at your results:

1. Be genuine.

At its root, networking is about building relationships with others. Like any relationship, that means trust and authenticity. Don’t try to oversell who you are or what you do. If your networking turns into new business, they will find out first-hand what you’re all about.

2. Practice your elevator speech.

Everyone should have a 60-second blurb to describe who they are and what they do. It should also highlight what makes your company unique. Practice is a surefire way to make sure you cover all of your bases when you make that first introduction.

3. Ask for a list of attendees.

You’ll be surprised how many networking events will allow you to access an RSVP list prior to the event. Knowing who is going to be at the event will help you to fine-tune your elevator speech and pinpoint the people you want to meet at the event.

4. Limit conversations to 5 to 10 minutes.

Unless you’re going to a networking event specifically to connect with one person for an extended conversation, you need to be sure to circulate throughout the event. Limiting face time ensures you’ll be able to make your rounds and make the most introductions possible.

5. Ask open-ended questions.

It sounds like a no-brainer, but many networkers forget the value of open-ended questions. They allow you to show genuine understanding and interest in the other person. Open-ended questions can also provide new insight you weren’t expecting.

6. Know what you’re looking for and how others can help you.

When you’re asked, “How may I help you?” be sure you’re prepared to give an answer. Be aware of what your needs are and prepared to reflect those in your response.

7. Become a powerful resource.

Use networking to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. Offering your professional advice and input during discussions will help you achieve this and make you the first person people go to when they need help.

8. Call those you meet who offer the prospect of mutually-beneficial relationships.

The easiest way to miss an opportunity is by forgetting to follow-up with a new contact. Stay fresh in their minds; remind them of what you discussed and how working together will benefit both parties.

9. Follow through quickly with referrals.

When people give you referrals, they are also putting their reputation on the line. Be sure you do the appropriate follow-through to show others that you made good use of their referrals and appreciate their help.

10. Try different ways of networking.

Move beyond the traditional networking events and look at some new opportunities. Websites like LinkedIn.com and Networkology.com offer great alternatives to social events and can be done from the comfort of your favorite recliner, with the potential for the same great outcome.

Networking is a great tool for supporting and growing your business. Beyond the advice and insight you can receive and give, it is a breeding ground for business opportunities. By applying these simple tips to your own networking efforts, you’ll be amazed with the results!

Blogging for Business

Creating and maintaining a blog can lead to profitable means to your business, by giving away things for free. Namely information. Ideally you can share some valuable insight through your expertise and networks to your audience, who will want to know and learn more from your valuable information. A few easy ways to blog and share some of your expertise:

Top +10 List
By simply providing a list of up to 10 (non competing) sites about a specific subject, your audience who trust your expertise will be thankful you have provided them with other expert opinions, and you only have to produce a short list of sources you all ready review.

Bookmarks
By simply connecting a bookmark service site (such as Delicious or Digg) any pertinent articles you review can be shown on your blog, further helping your audience gain knowledge easily, positioning you as an expert by simply referring your sources, while building your blog content effortlessly. It only takes a few simple clicks of the mouse to add to your list.

Case studies / Featured Client (with testimonials)
It is a good idea to occasionally showcase a successful (award winning) project or a prominent client, providing an overview of the project(s) at hand, your solutions, and the outcome. By incorporating some client testimonial into the post, you will have a readily available endorsement and a "soft" advertisement for your services.

Multiple Writers
The more professional opinions you can share, the greater your wealth of knowledge. It is ideally best to only post 2-3 times per week, so splitting up this between multiple writers or departments, and you may only have to blog once a month. By providing more information from your best resources (your staff) you will quickly position yourself as an industry expert, and greatly increase your chances of retaining more viewers.

Your blog could also generate revenue through affiliate marketing, or even ads if you are in the right business.There are several ways to generate subtle revenue streams. A few ways to generate revenue from blogs:

Reviews
By setting up an affiliate program, you subtly get a commission from the sale of a particular item. The beauty is that this sales process is hidden. It is not in the form of a banner ad, but simply a link. Provide a book review as a blog post, provide the direct link to sites such as Amazon, and receive commission on that sale. You are helping your customers and yourself at the same time. Personal trainers think ….supplement and equipment reviews. Restaurant Bar owners think beverages. Consulting firms think books, online sites. Affiliate marketing is the #1 income producer on the web today.

Ads
This is where web 2.0 comes into play. They are not annoying banner ads, yet custom messages toa specific demographic or group. Facebook and Google charge big fees to post ads on business pages because they can guarantee your message is reaching the right audience. Get these visitors to your bog, and pay to host ads that would be beneficial to your captive audience.Think travel agencies are just making their money from booking fees, not anymore. They are not paying to advertise. Advertises are paying them. And this is done as service. often on their blogs, by providing further information on destination, not an annoying unwarranted ad.

I have heard many times that that today's blog is the equivalent rush to create home pages in the late 90's when the world wide web was just catching on. Now we are fully immersed in web 2.0, where the user is the creator, and are soon to be into web 3.0. Make sure you are staying abreast of the latest technologies and trends, and be sure to stay ahead in the marketplace.

Pay-by-Performance vs. Retainer: Which is Right for You?

Typically, the standard procedure at public relations agencies is that the new business team secures a client which will either sign as a retainer client or a project-based client.

A retainer client is an account that signs a contract for the agency to conduct public relations, community relations, analyst relations, etc. for extended period of time and they will pay the agency each month the retainer amount.

A project-based client typically gets signed when there is an event or product launch for the particular company and they only want the support of a PR agency for that specific need and nothing more. Sometimes the project-based client is so impressed with the agency that they become a retainer client once the project is completed.

Alternative Strategies takes a different approach and offers their clients another alternative to public relations. Pay-by-performance, a trend that is becoming increasingly popular through PR agencies across the county, is a service we offer to clients so that they only pay the agency when we secure them media coverage.

How it works is that we create a PR plan that outlines each of the media outlets we plan to reach out to, which the client approves so that we’re not securing them coverage and asking them to pay for a media outlet that they don’t actually want coverage in. After we have the approved media list we move forward in securing the client great coverage.

The client will get invoiced only after their coverage comes out. For example, if we know that one of our clients will be featured in the August issue of Riviera and it’s May, they obviously won’t get charged until August when the issue comes out.

This is a great option for companies who are looking to get their names out there, but may not want to financially commit to paying a PR agency every month.

However, there are great benefits to signing as a retainer client at Alternative Strategies as well. Retainer clients have the support from Alternative Strategies in many more areas than just media relations. Whether the client needs community relations, internal communications, or design support, it can all be offered within the cost of a monthly retainer.

Additionally, the retainer clients have the ability to have multiple TV segments, print and online coverage as well as radio guest spots as no additional charge, where as pay-by-performance clients would be charged for each piece of coverage.

When deciding what type of public relations support is right for your company, take a look at a few things: are you interested in strictly media relations or outreach that goes beyond the media, financially what do you want to commit to, and how often do you want to receive coverage?

If you’re still not sure, contact us! We can help you find the right public relations support for your company.

Going The Extra Mile: The Benefits Of Over Delivering

When the going gets tough, your clients start panicking about the money they are spending. That is why going the extra mile for them pays off in the end.

And I’m not just talking about revenue. Your clients want to know that every penny they spend on you is being spent wisely. Taking the time to over deliver once and a while will be a pleasant surprise for them, and leave you with a long lasting working relationship.

One reason why over delivering is so important is because it makes you stand out to your client. Doing something out of the standard scope of services will make you stand out and show the client that you care about them as a partner and not just a stream of revenue.

It also shows you care about the success of their business.

Over delivering also helps you get referrals.

You may not have to be the least expensive service provider out there as long as you come highly recommended. Over servicing your client on the occasion will help your business achieve the reputation as someone who doesn’t over promise and under deliver.

Keep in mind that it is important to choose when you over deliver. Doing it too often may leave your client expecting things from you all the time and when you don’t, it will leave them disappointed instead of pleasantly surprised. In the end it always helps to service each client well. After all, someone who goes above and beyond is what people look for in a business partner.

Good Web Sites Are By Design

These days, you need a Web site. But you don’t need a bad one.

So when you’re building it, make it the best it can be by focusing on the five most important elements of Web site design.

1.Navigation

Making your site easy to navigate is the top priority. The average web user only stays at a page for about three seconds, so if you want to keep them on it, you better make sure it’s clear and clean. You can organize your menus by using a drop down menu and a clearly marked site map will help as well.

2.Copywriting

So you’ve finally collected or written all the Web site content, but is it appropriate? Does it make sense? We all have strengths, but if you’re not a strong writer, seek a professional copywriter to look through your text. Their talents will make your site look and read professionally.

3.Fix The Size

Don’t you hate when the size of the Web site changes in your browser? Personally, I like how my setting is and it is not a good idea to have a Web site that resizes your current browser. Trust me, it will throw people off and no matter how great your site is, people can find one doesn’t mess with their own setting.

4.Loading Time

How do you balance between Web site design and functionality? It is a never-ending battle. Ultimately, you have to see your site from the user’s eye -- especially your homepage, since this is the first thing the users see. If you do have a loading icon, you can make it fun or have some message across the screen to keep users interested.

5. The All-Important Browser
Not all browsers are alike so when you build your Web site make sure it is compatible with other browsers like Internet Explorer and Firefox. Even if you have a stylish Website, if it doesn’t work on Firefox, it has failed its purpose. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice the look and feel in exchange for a most user-friendly Web site.