The Flipside by Alternative Strategies

Heat Up Your Cold Calling

By Erin Goss

Nearly all companies want more clients, but what do you do when your well of referrals and contacts has dried up?

Sure, hunting for new clients through cold calls can be a daunting task, but it needn’t be. With a few simple tips you can be well on your way to turning your dream prospective clients into real ones.

Ideas for prospective clients can literally come from anywhere. Let everyday life be your inspiration. Take notice of the businesses and people around you, on TV, in the newspaper, or at local events. Anyone that your business can be of value to is a prospective client.

When contacting prospective clients use creativity and provide a layout of specific benefits that your company can supply.

Remember, creativity is what is going to initially catch your potential client’s attention. Mediocrity makes for a poor first impression.

Make sure to thoroughly research the client beforehand and use that information to emphasize commonalities between your business and theirs. It doesn’t hurt to show that you know what you are doing either by playing up your previous successes. Prove that your business is the perfect match for their needs.

These days, sales cycles are taking longer than ever due to the lagging economy, and consequently it is important to be proactive in your client search. With the ease of technology it is tempting to rely upon the convenience of e-mail but often the old fashioned sales tactics are most effective.

The phone is your friend! Strike up a conversation outside of virtual reality and see where it takes you. Also don’t be afraid to send a friendly promotional card.

Last but not least: If you really want to see your efforts pay off, remember to follow up! Follow ups solidify your interest in working a client and are often what makes or breaks a new business relationship.

Unfortunately, it is inevitable that people are sometimes going to decline your offer, but don’t let disappointment hold you back. Consider a “no” as signal to move on towards other opportunities.

Finding New Clients Through Social Media And The Internet

By Michelle Lew

In an era which a good majority sits behind computers with endless information at the ends of their fingertips, finding new clients has shifted from actual word-of-mouth or driving around town to social media and internet searches.

Yes, technology has changed the way a lot of business works. If you don’t have a Web site, your company is outdated. If you don’t show up in a Google search, you’re most likely going to get overlooked.

Thanks to review sites such as Yelp!, CitySearch and Merchantcircle the internet can be helpful in finding new clients.

First, it helps to have an idea of either the neighborhood or industry you’d like your client to be in. Then you’ll be able to look through main listings of local businesses and then go to their personal sites or do Google searches of their company. You can choose whether or not you like their mission, company and services through their site and then add them to your list (or not).

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be a big help for finding new companies. Social media is a free way for new companies to get started and old companies to connect to different customers.

Facebook is no longer just for college-aged people. Everyone (and some of their mothers) is on Facebook and that opens the door to finding clients. Twitter is a very open medium where contacting others or retweeting a post can bring attention to your company. This is an easy way to make potential clients aware of your services.

Even if you personally are not following the potential client, the word of mouth through Twitter is outstanding because retweets and mentions by other tweeters can lead you to undiscovered gems!

From the potential clients you have found through your Internet research, you can then begin your outreach efforts to secure new clients.

Attracting New Attention To Old Clients

By Michelle Lew

Sure, maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but what if you taught a new dog old tricks?

Getting attention for old clients might seem like a difficult task, but with some out-of-the-box thinking and these tips you should be set to go.

Find new media outlets

Blogs and online media are showing up everywhere. Depending on how long they’ve been around, it’s a good chance they have not written a piece about your client.

These new dogs are not familiar with the tricks you already have. This way you can to pitch any services that your client has because they’ve never heard of them.

Also, look for publications that you have not outreached to before. Although print is allegedly a dying media, it is still worth sending a pitch over to see what happens.

In addition, don’t ignore the places you’ve been. They might have changed editors and that means your old client might be new to them.

Develop a new strategy

Think of this as a small re-brand, a mini make-over for your client.

With trends changing so rapidly, your client should be tweaking their services or their message to accommodate the changing times.

Frequently brainstorm with your team how you can help your clients out, even the smallest things help or start the wheel turning in a co-worker.

Think about current events, trends, new services offered and pitch your idea to media to get coverage.

Also, introducing old clients to new media is never a bad idea. Twitter and Facebook are always options to raise awareness and can be used to your advantage when needed.

Remind them & create nostalgia
 
For the older contacts, simply reminding them of your client might help. Humans were programmed very strangely and sometimes creating nostalgia about a client can help.

Maybe your target audience has some emotional ties to your client and a little tug on a heartstring is what is needed for them to write a story. Or perhaps they have previously written something for your client and you could use this to your advantage and pitch a follow up story.

A professor once told me, “Keep it simple, sometimes less is better.”

If it seems like there’s nothing you can do to help out an old client, start fresh and think back to the basics. If that doesn’t work, there are always interns around with new and improved ideas you can ask for help!

How To Get Results From Social Media

By Erin Goss

So you’ve got a Facebook and a Twitter page for your company… what now?

That seems to be the big question these days. Companies know that they need to jump on the social media bandwagon, but once they’ve got their pages set up they struggle to figure out how to turn tweets into real results.

Don’t worry! We can help with these simple tips.

Be passionate! First off, businesses need to realize that in order to get readers and increase brand awareness they need to make their pages interesting! Too often businesses post boring news messages without any personal flair. One of the greatest benefits of social media is the ability to humanize a company by allowing it a voice and the opportunity to communicate with followers. So don’t be afraid to show off your business’ personality!

Take Advice. What is the point of communicating with clients if you don’t use that information to improve your company? That’s right, there’s none. Take comments seriously, recognize what your business is doing right but also take into account criticisms. Just note that any critiques should not be taken personally. If you have ever looked at Yelp you know that some people have way too much time on their hands…

Get Creative! Think outside the box. The businesses that have been most successful using social media have come up with creative incentives for people to follow their pages.

Exclusive giveaways via Twitter or Facebook are a great way to get people checking your site constantly. For example, Jet Blue recently started tweeting about special deals for $9 flights that are available to followers until the seats run out. The only stipulation is that the customer proves their twitter allegiance by providing the specific code that went out with the promotional tweet.

Set Goals. Don’t just aimlessly post on your social media sites. First decide what you are hoping to accomplish, and gear your social media towards achieving that goal.

For instance, are you trying to increase brand awareness, or perhaps drive more traffic to your website? Focus the use of your social media on a goal and you will be more likely successful in your social media endeavors.

 

 

Promoting A Business That Is Hard To Promote

Yes, PR people like to put a positive spin on things, but, honestly, some businesses are easier to promote than others.

However, the businesses that aren't the easy sells can make a good PR person rise to new heights.

There are three examples of clients I've had who may have not been the easiest sells, but I was able to promote them by using my creativity.

1. Client: A dog kennel based in a less populated city. To be fair, dog kennels are a hard sell to the media. Nobody says, "Why don't we have enough dog kennel stories?"

However, I felt strongly in the client and wanted to do right by them. One day, the client mentioned that customers from a nearby casino had boarded their dog there. I immediately got a brainstorm and suggested a partnership with the casino declaring my client it's official doggie concierge.

To their credit, the casino jumped at the idea. After some work creating a press release, we  sent it out and managed to secure placements in tourism publications, pet-oriented media outlets and even a TV segment.

It was a selling point to future clients.

2. Client: A fitness trainer in a crowded field. The media like good fitness trainers, but some, like my client, can be a difficult sell because he didn't follow trends and the media is all about trends.

We spent some time working on pitches, but the real success came when we decided to create a halftime workout for football games that would burn enough calories to allow viewers an extra beer or chicken wing.

This was the hook that allowed my client to stick out from the pack. As a result, we secured a segment with a top cable news station.

3. Client: A neighborhood bar that wasn't divey enough to be trendy and wasn't glamorous enough to be surrounded by paparazzi. The bar was cool, but that wasn't enough to inspire much media love.

How do you promote a great neighborhood bar? For us, we capitalized on the bartenders' sense of humor by promoting a segment of bizarre hangover cures used around the world.

Within ten minutes of sending out the release, we had booked a segment.

The moral of this story is that while some clients aren't easy sells, a little creativity can get their message across and you'll feel better about your success than the easy sells.

Being Too Social With Social Media

By Jennifer Hoskote

In the words of the legendary Forrest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid does.”

The phrase can be adapted to numerous life situations…consistently locking your keys in the car, not cleaning up after your dog then walking outside barefoot, or leaving your I.D. at home when you go to Las Vegas.

But it especially applies to social media. You’d be surprised at how many seemingly intelligent people hurt their careers by posting something on Twitter or Facebook that could negatively influence themselves or their company or client’s image.

It’s a slippery slope because most people see social media as a channel to express themselves and their personal views on a wide array of topics – everything from their opinion of the proposed health care bill to not “getting” the season premiere of “Lost.”

This is all fine, but begs the question: “How much personal expression is too much?”

You’d think it would be common knowledge not to call out of work sick then post on Facebook “Pool party at my place, free booze!”

Apparently not.

Comments like this might help your personal image as a party animal, but it will hurt your trustworthiness and damage your credibility with clients.

It’s even worse if your Facebook or Twitter accounts are connected to your company because it threatens their gain for potential clients and your own job.

Let’s be honest: No one cares about what you had for lunch or that your morning coffee burned your tongue. Well, most people don’t.

But the benefits of social media can be quickly ruined with nonsensical posts that beg for attention for the wrong reasons – such as that photo of yourself doing a body shot off your boss’ wife.

You’re more likely to gain followers and friends with similar interests and values; make those known, and not how wasted you got this past weekend.
That being said: Even companies can get a little too social with their social media by inundating people with product and/or service emails that properly belong in the junk folder.

Keeping your client/customer base interested may be difficult at times, but creativity and controlled humor go a long way…all the way to the bank.

Whether it’s for personal or business use, knowing your audience is the first rule of thumb. This doesn’t mean completely limiting yourself, but having a firm grasp of what your message is and conveying it in an appropriate manner are vital to maintaining a successful relationship with your public.

Facebook Vs. Twitter: The Great Debate

As the social marketing trend continues to grow, so does the number of social media options available for your business.

When it comes to down to it though, the undisputed leaders on the social media marketing forefront are Facebook and Twitter.

So which of the two big social media sites is more beneficial for business? To some degree it depends on the kind of business you are trying to promote.

Due to its “fan page” feature, Facebook lends itself best to consumer brands. Facebook is an excellent way to encourage brand enthusiasts to support products such as the latest iPod or trendy clothing brand.

Since Facebook is primarily used for socializing, it is common for users to follow what their friends have been up to. In the process of searching wall posts and photos, the users inevitably notice which fan pages their friends have joined or if they have posted links to a particular brand page.

Don’t underestimate the power of  word of mouth generated by your fan’s actions – the term “Facebook stalking” hasn’t come from nowhere. Promoting your business on Facebook fan pages allows for organic growth and cultivates buzz within a community of people with like-minded interests.

For those companies though that are trying to reach the general public, Facebook is extremely dynamic in its promotion options as far as the page display goes. Facebook allows for videos, photos and messages at any length to be posted.

However, for companies that aren’t necessarily targeted to consumers – such as business-to-business companies, Facebook is relatively ineffective.

Twitter on the other hand is superior as far as publicizing news goes. Although the messages are restricted to under 140 characters, Twitter can serve as a constant and immediate source of information from your company to your clients.

Twitter uses quick, concise postings on a relatively simple page set up, resulting in an easy to read design for followers. For technology or business to business based companies Twitter most likely will be a more efficient use of your social media marketing efforts for this reason. Twitter can also be a great tool for communication in particular industries where the site is highly utilized.

While both Facebook and Twitter are great ways to target clients based on the type of company you are working with, each site does have its disadvantages. Facebook restricts accounts from having more than 5000 “friends” and also prevents accounts from acquiring friends too quickly, so if you plan to have an extremely large amount of followers your business may be better suited to Twitter where there is no follower restriction.

However, Twitter’s status as a lasting social media outlet is still in question. Reports have shown that the site loses 60 percent of new users within the first month.

Either way, social media marketing is the way to go and both Facebook and Twitter can help your company increase awareness and generate word of mouth in different ways.

How To Handle Online Criticism -- On Yelp And Elsewhere

In the last few years, social media sites like Yelp have been the best PR for some local businesses who discovered the positive effects of word-of-mouth reviews on the internet.

It makes sense: All the best paid PR in the world still doesn’t beat unbiased positive remarks from customers.

But for some business owners, there is a downside of review sites like Yelp. If you get a ton of reviews, not every one is going to be glowing.

Some can be downright mean or, worse, inaccurate.

However, there are some things a business owner can do to emphasize the positive and downplay and even eliminate the negative.

1. Register
Even if you detest review sites, it’s still worth opening a business owner account on Yelp. Citysearch, and any other website on which your customers are talking about you. Registering generally allows you to correct inaccuratcies, receive alerts when you are reviewed, and respond to your critics.

2. Participate
Participating on a review site by commenting on your favorite restaurants is a good way to build goodwill among the more active members of the sites. Don’t just praise your own place, recommend other good businesses. Also, let the other members know you are committed to running a good business and that you welcome any feedback. When people associate a business with a name or a face, they are more willing to give it some slack.

3. Don’t Fake It
Some businesses try to improve their Yelp standings by having their friends and family sign up and write reviews praising the place. Problem is, regulars can see right through it. For one thing, the fakers don’t bother to review anything else or upload a photo so it sticks out like a sore thumb.

4. Breathe
Just because you can respond doesn’t mean you should. Anything you say-in a private message, a personal e-mail, or even a voicemail-could end up on the Web. If there’s no way to respond to a review without being angry, profane, or aggressive, don’t do it at all.

5. Be Gracious
Apologize for what the customer didn’t like, and offer to make it right. When Lauren Hart, owner of the Root hair salon in Phoenix received a two-star review from a woman who didn’t like her hair cut, she wrote, “I am so sorry that you are unhappy with my work,” and then offered to pay for a cut at a competing salon. The woman wrote an equally gracious response and upgraded the Root to four stars.

6. Complain
If you can’t be nice to the reviewer, try complaining to Yelp directly. The site removes reviews in cases where there is a conflict of interest (for instance if the review has been written by a competitor). Other grounds for removal include hearsay, hate speech, and attacks that are unrelated to the customer experience.

7. Avoid The Courts
The Communications Decency Act protects websites from being held responsible for the actions of their users. And although defamation lawsuits against Yelpers have, in rare cases, succeeded in getting reviews taken down, suing tends to attract the ire of other Yelp users. If you decide to sue, be ready for more attacks.

How To Stand Out At Your Event

By Nate Bergeron

It's one thing to go out to be seen, but the key is being remembered. If you want potential clients or even potential partners (business and personal) to want to stay connected, here are some great tips.

Create an Overall Strategy

The reasons you host an event are to connect with current and prospective customers. You will also have an opportunity to learn about new products and services and connect with other businesses and organizations. You need to set measurable goals for the show before you even sign up. Why am I here? Am I promoting a particular product or new service? Am I trying to develop into a new target market? Come prepared!

Send Advance Pre-show Announcements

Don't wait until the show to contact your customers or prospective customers. Develop marketing communications that include your participation and event information. Such messages, whether via e-mail newsletters or direct mail, can easily be created with little expense.

Press Releases and the Media

Events are an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with media personnel to present story ideas, introduce your company, executives or spokespeople, and to establish relationships. Optimizing your marketing communications in advance will benefit you for a successful event.

Wear a Red Dress to a Black Tie Event

Create a way to stand out amongst the crowd. Design your event to stand out, have a consistent theme with your products and have bright, noticeable colors. Have creative giveaways, specific to your target audience.  The brands that stand out most are the ones that are wandering the halls, and taking a more proactive approach to marketing. Bring lots of hand-outs and business cards. Go meet people! You never know who will show up.

Build Relationships

Instead of pushing your product or service, ask questions.  You learn a great deal about the customer by learning about them personally. This can lead to a long relationship, rather than a one-time deal.

Follow Up

Start following up with your new leads within 3-4 days. This will determine your return on investment for a successful event.

Plan, prepare and then follow up. This is the equation for success.

PR Resolutions For 2010

Since 2009 is almost a memory and 2010 is almost upon us, now is the time to get your resolutions ready.

And while you may be vowing to lose weight or stop smoking, you may also want to consider some resolutions that will help you with PR.

1. Resolve to stand out from the crowd.

The key to good PR is stickiness and the goal of any campaign, be it through PR, marketing or advertising is making sure there is something that resonates with people.

Many people who hire an agency for PR will second guess what the agency is suggesting because it sounds weird or bizarre. Well, sometimes you have to do things in order to stick out from the competition.

That might mean a fun publicity stunt, taking advantage of a current news story to promote your product or even doing a soft-sell promotion that lets people know you have interests other than your business.

Whatever it is, don't be afraid to be different.

2. Resolve to use social media wisely.

Social media is here to stay and it's making people more savvy of their customer base.

However, as social media grows, people are figuring out how to use it. Frankly, successful social media is counter intuitive to the usual PR model.

Have a Facebook page set up to promote your business? Well, you are more likely to develop fans and keep customers happy if you focus more on providing information than plugs. Also, use social media as a way to connect with customers (even the unhappy ones).

Take Yelp for instance. If someone posts a bad review there, take time to connect with them and ask how you can make the next experience better. Many business owners take bad reviews as a personal attack when they are actually an opportunity to improve.

3. Resolve to take advantage of the opportunities that happen.

You may have this idea of getting on Oprah and hold out hopes of starting at the top.

The truth is, you're better off thinking of PR as incremental. Sometimes, starting off at a smaller blog or news site can help you create a body of press clippings that impress a larger outlet. Plus it helps you build up experience with the media.

When considering a media opportunity, it's important to decide quickly whether it's right for you, but make sure you decide, because there's no guarantee the opportunity will come up again.