Art Marketing Advice Goes Viral
April 29, 2008 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Preparing and promoting your online media room just got easier for artists thanks to art marketing advice from Coach Alyson B. Stanfield.
I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artists No-Excuse Guide to Self Promotion is a quick read full of practical ideas and action steps.
I contacted Alyson to discuss a presentation to graphic artists and was delighted to discover she shared my interest in and appreciation for online media kits. In her chapter, “Be a Media Magnet,” Alyson suggests adding a dedicated media kit to your website. Her must-have items align with mine (news release, bio, contact information as basics) and she outlines a specific treatment for high resolution images, perfect for artists.
Alyson walks the talk, providing a media room of her own and more importantly, including a clear self-promotion letter as part of her book review request. What I liked about Alyson’s package:
- She included a bookmark with my copy of the book
- The cover letter with the book gave me specific promotional options to consider
- A “REVIEW COPY” label clearly marked the book
- The tone of the letter was upbeat, conversational and friendly
- The book was well-organized and easy to read
- The stories were believable
- The testimonials were true
- A thank you to two coaches (creative writing coach Cynthia Morris and life coach Rachelle Disbennett Lee) made the book of special interest to me
Throughout I’d Rather Be in the Studio! Alyson challenges artists to move from the background to the foreground, keep art as a primary focus, and create a workable promotion plan. She also cautions: “no whining!” an admonition I love. Unlike many inspirational gurus Alyson also adds specific steps (applicable to real life) to make going from obscurity to familiarity a distinct possibility.
It occurs to me that this volume could work for any profession, particularly one that involves creativity. One thing’s for sure: the artists I know will hear about this work. Given an occasion, I may even buy their copy!
Online Media Rooms: 15 Considerations in Favor of Implementing an OMR for your firm
April 24, 2008 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
An online media room works 24-7. While you sleep, it’s garnering attention from latitudes and longitudes not even on your radar. As you play, your online media room presents ideas to customers, prospects, and yes, media types. During the time that you meet with others, your online media room presents your story over and over to anyone who looks, listens or otherwise stumbles on the site. The good news and the bad news: the online media room works 24-7.
If you have a plan to present your company to the world, an online media room can serve you well. Consider these 15 aspects of an online media room:
- An online media room informs; your company’s current press releases, for example can be easily displayed. Each of your five critical audiences – stakeholders, customers, employees, your community or the general public and, of course, the media, can be served with an online media room.
- The online media room provides a natural Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program so your site rises in search engine rankings. Studies show organic SEO like this is favorably regarded.
- The online media room provides additional frequently updated content, another search engine attraction factor, for your website.
- An online media room smoothes the way for a reporter, making it easier for them to do their job because they can access information at their convenience.
- The online media room offers different story ideas to tweak interest; this can serve as a story generator, providing angles that might not have otherwise been considered.
- An online media room shows you’re on the cutting edge, conscious of your firm’s online perception, a leader in your industry; it might place you ahead of your competition.
- An online media room offers your version of a story, so you direct the news.
- Online media rooms begin the viral marketing story so that you connect with the world. Digg this, for example, at the top of a press release lets readers more easily share information.
- Online media rooms provide consistently updated information which means ongoing opportunities to connect with potential reporters, bloggers, or interested stakeholders.
- An online media room collects key information placing background, general facts and current news in one place. This is convenient for media as well as other users.
- Online media rooms represent a transparent way of accessing media and can give reporters and publishers access to the inner workings of your company.
- An online media room requires planning of strategies and messaging for effectiveness; the benefits derived from attention to these themes spread to other communication methods within a company.
- Online media rooms can link to previous coverage, company history, or meaningful accomplishments and thereby provide a more complete picture of your firm.
- Online media rooms let a company show its character by providing an overview equivalent to putting the best foot forward.
- An online media room partners you with technology in a way that lets you tell your story in your way to a variety of audiences on the web.
If you maintain an online media room on your website, tell us why. Do your reasons differ from the ones listed here? If you’ve not yet committed to an online media room, when do you plan to start?
5 ways to build Customer Loyalty
April 22, 2008 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
ProfitMeister guest post by Heather Johnson
Heather Johnson is a freelance business, finance and economics writer, as well as a regular contributor at Business Credit Cards, a site for business credit card and best business credit card offers.
Many companies deny the truth that about 80 percent of your business comes from the same 20 percent of their customers. But if you are aware of this crucial fact then you’re ahead in the game and it’s important you keep this in mind at all times. If you can retain a solid customer base you’ll have a better shot at being a success. Here are some tips to consider when you try to build customer loyalty:
- Reach out to your customers. It’s important to make your customers feel respected. Keep in touch with your customers through mailings, e-mails or simple holiday greetings. If you communicate with you customer base at a rate that doesn’t annoy them, then you more likely to keep your customers coming back for more.
- Customer service is crucial. The way a customer feels when his experience is completed with your company is the most important thing in building customer loyalty. If you train your staff to deal with customers in a thorough, respectful manner then you’re on the right road. Fellow customers talk to each other and if your customer service is poor it will spread through the grapevine very quickly.
- Train your employees properly. If your own staff is unprepared to meet the challenge of dealing with customers then that will be evident immediately to your customers. Many employees groan when training sessions roll around but it’s crucial that you take the time to thoroughly train your employees. This will shine through when they deal with customers.
- Create incentives for your customers to keep coming back. If you’re offering services that your customers will need more of, it’s a good idea to make it worth your customer’s while to come back to you. If it’s a sandwich shop that you’re operating, make customer’s tenth sandwich free. Customers will be more apt to go to a company that has these types of offers because everyone wants to get something for free.
- Be reliable. If you’ve said a product will be shipped to a customer by Monday then make sure it happens. Keeping a customer waiting will foster bad blood and leave them less likely to return to you. If something happens that slows down an intended process then explain the issue to your customer and refund them or offer a rebate to compensate for the delay.
Heather welcomes comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com .
Lauding the Simple, Under-rated, Under-appreciated Fact Sheet
April 17, 2008 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Thanks to Marie Longserre, CEO, I had the opportunity to discuss the Online Media Room in a presentation at the Santa Fe Business Incubator yesterday. SFBO is home to more than 20 diverse businesses ranging from high tech to green, sole proprietors companies with several employees. One thing the group has in common: a desire to learn, to grow, to explore new opportunities.
As I told participants, the OMR doesn’t need to be difficult or mysterious but organization and presentation of collateral information deserves careful consideration. Because none of the firms had an OMR, I discussed the “starter” online media room which includes a fact sheet, a bio and a current press release. The simple fact sheet is frequently overlooked as a meaningful tool.
Fact sheets make it easy for a reporter to find information. Members of the media like fact sheets because of their brevity and succinctness. Here’s what to include:
- List your information in bullet points or make it easy to follow.
- List your entity (corporation, partnership, non-profit 501 C3).
- Use simple language.
- Define technical terms exclusive to the industry.
- List products, order terms, payment options.
- List affiliations or meaningful alliances.
- List contact information including after-hours contact information; if a reporter is working on a deadline, this may be crucial to getting coverage.
- Brand the fact sheet with your logo and the look of your company.
Here are two examples of a Fact Sheet from companies with products:
- Download a one page pdf of Perennial Toys’ Fact Sheet
- Download a one page pdf of Cervantes Products’ Fact Sheet
I’ve also included a fact sheet from a service provider:
- Download a one page pdf Fact Sheet from Original Impulse.
Now, get started on your own fact sheet; I’m happy to publish your example if you send it my way. (Email maryellen at profitmeister dot com) Good luck!
Out of Commission: Online Media Room Mistakes to Avoid
April 14, 2008 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Mistake #2: Limited content
Online Media Rooms may be an idea whose time has come although even big companies lack solid information and smaller organizations have little media information at all. To test this theory, I looked at the top five public companies headquartered in New Mexico. Since I reviewed public companies and these companies have a reporting/compliance requirement, it’s hardly surprising that each company offered a minimal news view in the form of standard press releases.
The specifics:
1. Thornburg Mortgage Inc. – a media center offers a variety of information from press releases to industry experts along with an image library, press kit and a connection to related information at Investor Relations.
2. PNM Resources Inc. – the PNM site offered less information than Thornburg. A catalog of press releases listed information by headline, in descending order by year, and included a daunting 25 options for 2007. Each item could be viewed online or downloaded in pdf format. No experts were cited; no images were offered for download. Questions for the investor relations department must be submitted through a spam filter after giving both name and email address. On the PNM website, additional news releases were categorized and the community page offered numerous resources from speaker bureaus to gourmet cooking classes. Phone and email addresses for community relations contacts exist under the heading speakers bureau or education contacts.
3. First State Bancorporation Inc. – First State Bank markets itself as friendly and fun. This site was neither. The investor relations site, while complete, offered no real media information. The New Mexico First State Bank site was a conglomeration of log-in requirements for personal or business banking.
4. Trinity Capital Corp. – Once again, the financial institution erred on the side of conservative. Aside from the news releases which related directly to earnings announcements, no real media room existed. However, the site gave simple answers and quick explanations for each feature and navigated more easily than many of its financial counterparts.
5. Bowlin Travel Centers – The fifth largest public company headquartered in New Mexico offers no news and no media room at first glance. Recent press releases are listed under investor information. In a sharp contrast to PNM, for example, there are two press releases for 2007. This site offers the documents in both pdf and text format; the corporate info section provides the story (history) of Bowlin. Beyond that, there is little information.
Maybe I’ve been unfair in the choice of targets. These public companies have the additional challenge of bureaucracy and regulation in adapting to new media. To my knowledge, none of these five companies has a blog or is making big strides in social media. They illustrate the problem: social media is basically a conversation. Unfortunately, companies who have generally talked at customers find it difficult to talk with them.
I understand that non-traditional media is definitely not for every company; however, my online media room merely positions, not dictates, a company for more interaction. In other words, it’s a step in the right direction. What do you think? Could your company benefit from this kind of a step?
Three reasons NOT to Build an Online Media Room
April 9, 2008 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Online Media Rooms, while not standard fare for websites are hot topics. It’s fashionable to have such an item. Trendy. Cutting edge. So why is it that some of the best and brightest of companies don’t add a media room immediately?
- Online Media Rooms are trouble in the form of ongoing updates.
The OMR needs frequent revision to be worthwhile. Visitors click there first expecting to view the latest information. That means consistent updates. And, if a company depends on a webmaster (especially a contracted one versus an employee) to provide services, problems occur. Anticipating delays and concerns in this arena, some companies choose to ignore it. - Online Media Rooms require planning.
When confronted with a deadline most entrepreneurs scramble to pull together the information that showcases their company, its founder, and/or history and what’s news. In several instances, small business owners have hesitated to present an online media room because of lack of foundational documents. (Sign up for my ProfitMeister newsletter and get the Special Report: “Replace Scared with Prepared – 15 ways to check your communications systems.”) - Online Media Rooms force an inside-out perspective.
The answers to questions like “What’s new? Who cares? Why?” cause one to think about target audience, then rethink a product or service from the perspective of that audience. In sales, it’s getting on the customer’s side of the desk. For example, who is my audience? Customers? Prospects? In the case of a non-profit, it may be volunteers, funders, or the community at large? (NOTE: Reporters, producers, bloggers and others are part of the greater constituency.)Other than not wanting to go to the trouble of updating, planning and reviewing your strategies, what’s your reason to hold off building an OMR?
Out of Commission: Online Media Rooms Mistakes to Avoid
April 4, 2008 by Mary Ellen · Leave a Comment
Mistake #1: Non-existent information
The web makes finding information a cinch. Got an appointment with a stranger? Google them. Want to know more about a company? Go online. Everyday research involves the web and it’s for everyone.
In my grandparents’ day, the newspaper ruled. Research consisted of trudging to the library, parking in a non-too-comfortable chair and staring at microfiche for hours. We don’t take time for that today. Instant gratification: 29,200 results for microfish in less than .15 seconds.
So what happens when someone goes to your web site? Do they get the real picture? Can they tell what’s happening in your firm? Does a story emerge? If a reporter wanted to write about your company, does your website provide compelling information? Could the reporter contact you for comment? (Is company contact info on everything?)
For the most part, entrepreneurs haven’t considered providing the media with information. Why? For years, the media was a sought-after connection and media gatekeepers did most of the work to position your company in front of them. Not anymore.
Today’s overworked, underpaid reporter is online and likely on deadline. If they find your site, they then decide to call or not. Trouble is, we seldom think about using the web to effectively toot our own horn. Isn’t that what social media is for? Do you make time for Facebook or Linkedin or Squidoo or any of the other hundreds of social media places that now exist? Dig a little deeper.
The web is your window to the world, your online storefront. Transparency is expected and required. You no longer must hire a public relations representative or a full service agency to pitch your story to the media. Traditional media – radio, television, newspapers and magazines – are no longer the only game in town. Now there are bloggers who talk about your products and services. Reporters blog and can be readily accessible in conversations on those blogs. Professionals command an audience in communities like expertclick.com, selfgrowth.com, or others.
It’s rare these days that a company doesn’t have a website. It’s common, however, for a site to be little more than a glorified brochure. Because your reputation is too important to be left to chance, you must allocate time and information to your online media room. Customers want to know about your product, its special uses, its successes and yes, its failures. Make it easy for them. Reporters, who reach those customers with a variety of media want your information or compelling story. Make it easy for them. The biggest mistake you make is mistake #1: non-existent information. Provide the pieces that set you apart from the average firm and put them in an Online Media Room.
What can you do now to begin?
EXHIB-IT! Hosts Online Media Room Seminar
April 1, 2008 by Mary Ellen · 1 Comment
We had a fun time at the Online Media Room Seminar this morning. Co-collaborator Mary Schmidt and I presented some doable options for a group of small business owners. Of course, it’s April Fool’s Day, and being “nobody’s fools,” Mary and I handed out M&Ms (get it – M & M for our initials) to keep participants involved.
EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts did their part to contribute to an outstanding event. Here’s how the company over-delivered:
- The seminar, hosted in EXHIB-IT’s new showroom gave attendees an opportunity to see product of all types on display.
- Food and drink were provided to seminar participants. While that’s not a requirement, it’s an option making the event extra-nice. Kudos to EXHIB-IT! for going the extra mile.
- The event was open to EXHIB-IT! customers and was advertised to them in special e-mail blasts. NOTE: One of the ways in which your business can out-deliver the competition is in information that makes a difference. EXHIB-IT! offers an ongoing series of seminars on topics of interest to their audience.
- EXHIB-IT employees were accessible to customers before and after the presentation. Again, a sense of welcoming was part of the event.
Some of the participant comments:
“Great info – how to keep it simple yet effective.” Jason, Comcast/Nugaonline.com
“Content is very practical. Great knowledge of area I do business in.” Yashoda Naidoo, President Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café
“Very ‘do-able’ ideas and affordable to increase exposure and profitability.” Del Reanne Lucas, President, Lucas Productions dba Albuquerque Home & Lifestyle Show
“Mary Ellen made me feel like updating my website myself is possible. I don’t need to be technical to grow my business online.” Kristen Garcia, Owner, Kiki’s Krumbs
And, from Audrey Anderson, EXHIBIT Marketing Director:
“Mary Ellen offers very valuable and current information in an easy to
understand presentation that is motivating and empowering.”
Look for more information about Online Media Rooms during the month of April right here on the ProfitMeister blog. And please tell me: what are you doing to create your own Online Media Room?
