Is Your Media Based On Demographics? If So, Re-Think Your PR Marketing Strategy.

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The old way to identify a pr marketing strategy or media profile was to check the TV programs, or the radio station and place your ad accordingly to the age, and type of people you wanted to reach. That is what the media rep would tell you. This was also true for print media. But now you need to re-think how you buy media.

If your pr marketing strategy, or media plan is based on the old school of demographics, then you are probably wastingdemographic study money. Today, the new media of social networking, as well as the more sophisticated means of identifying demographics for traditional media has changed, and for the better. Let’s say your pr marketing strategy is to reach the average male/female in the mid 20″s to late 30’s. You would probably think that MTV is the best deal. What if you had a client that wanted to reach an older demographic (over 40-45), would you consider MTV, probably not. But think again. MTV actually has only 36% of its audience is in the 18-34 age category.

Here is another example of how we “used to think”. Let’s look at ESPN. Usually a heavy male and football station, but times have changed so has the demographics. No longer it is a male dominated station. Over 24% of women watch ESPN.

Want to hear another wild statistic. How about the AARP.org web site? What are your first thoughts when you see the letters AARP? Old, grey hairs, and probably in an assisted living complex, right? You would probably create a pr marketing strategy of 55+ targeted at this audience. Not true anymore. Over 46% of the AARP site visitors are under 55 years of age.

It is getting more difficult to find and target your media when you use the old school of thinking. Internet media is more focused on specific demos, and actually reach the people you want. And it is monitored easier. You can find more of these facts and a lot of great information in an article called “Time to give up on demographics”. Well written, and makes a lot of sense.

Do your research and check out other media sources for the latest ways of making sure that your pr marketing strategy is on target.

It is best you start thinking of habits, rather than age, or gender. Buying habits or viewing habits will be a good pr marketing strategy not the old school of buying media.

How To Write A Marketing Plan

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WHERE DO YOU START?

If you have never written a marketing plan, then you can use this as a basis to begin. I urge you to work with a professional marketing individual to help implement the marketing plan if you do not have anyone in your company with the knowledge and experience.

I talked about creating a pr marketing strategy in a recent blog for a company, and that you should first have a marketing plan in place in order to begin your marketing strategy. Many PR Clients think if they just put together a simple plan, or a strategy, they will succeed. This is a crapshoot. You might get by for a short time, but without a definite marketing plan, it is possible to fail. Some of the reasons will be evident when you see what it takes to write a solid marketing plan.

If you think that marketing is selling or advertising, then you are wrong! Marketing concentrates on customers and what they need (or want). Customers are the essence of marketing – they are the source of sales and profits. Now that this is said, let’s move onto the writing.

The marketing plan should be for your company, not a copy or extraction of other plans and fit it into your company. You need to do your own research. These are a few of the things you need to know before writing the marketing plan.

• List who are your competitors

• Do you know your potential customers (create a profile of your customer base. Whether you are a B2B business, or retail, a profile should be identified.

• Describe your product(s) or services that are offered

• Know your actual costs and what will it take to get this to market. To do this list your entire overhead and other operating costs to know what profit margins you need to survive and grow.

Once you have gathered this critical information you still need to do more research. For example, you need do the following:

• analysis of your current market
• your business objectives
• key strategies
• steps to achieving your objectives
• proposed budget
• timing

After you have all these facts, you can now begin to do an outline of the marketing plan. Then you can start doing the writing.

As you can see, if you have not written a plan, it takes a lot of serious research and objectivity. I highly recommend hiring a marketing professional to guide you along so the plan is something that is designed to help your company grow, rather than adding information you “think is best” and might not point your company in the right direction. If you need help, call George Carson at Carson Marketing, Inc. He will get you going and prepare you in handling your next level of growth.

Do You Know How To Create A Publicity Plan?

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If you are a pr client, or an ad agency, or even a publicity person, these tips can help you organize yourself to create a solid publicity plan. Although these may seem basic, they are the key essentials for any publicity plan.

For PR Clients, you need to have your key personnel in the marketing and sales departments become part of this process. For all pr agency staff, take notes; maybe even compare a recent pr plan you had prepared to compare it to this checklist.

First, you need to:  SET GOALS and OBJECTIVES.

Sounds easy, but this is the core to most failures of a publicity campaign. For example the goals and objectives should be something that can be achieved with a good plan, rather than a “wish list”. If you are a food company, or a retail store, it would be to “increase traffic and sales”. Other goals and objectives could be to “generate awareness to the brand(s), or to the name”.  Write at least three of the goals and objectives that are most needed at your company, or for your pr client.

Keep in mind that the publicity campaign should be part of your overall marketing plan. You need to work with marketing in order to see how your publicity plan can fit with the marketing initiatives.

When writing the publicity plan you should include these OBJECTIVES:

• Target Audience (identify them, even B2B companies have a target audience)

• Tactics (what are the means of media, such as TV, radio, newspapers, internet social networks, etc) Some of the best pr tactics to use are News Releases, Media Press Kits, Articles, News Conference, etc. It is very important that one person be the main contact at the company. This assigned individual needs to be available, and be knowledgeable of the products, or services you are promoting in the campaign.

• Timing (when are you planning to implement the publicity campaign) if this is about a special event or specific launch of a new product, then timing is critical and you need to plan well in advance.

• Measurement (have a process to measure the results) you can monitor the publicity campaign throughout the duration of the campaign. For example, how many interviews have been conducted? How many stories, or releases have been published, or placed in the different media–broadcast, print, Internet.

Each of these areas can be detailed and explained further. But my goal and objective for this blog is to get you started in the right direction. You can build upon these parts as needed. If you are a pr client or a publicity person that needs help in creating a publicity campaign, then give Carson Marketing a call. We can help your publicity campaign reach the goals and objectives set forth.

Submitting Press Releases is not a Publicity Campaign

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“Do a press release on the expansion of our company, and another on the new products we offer”. If this is what you think is a pr marketing strategy then get ready”to-fail”.

The reason to do press releases is to enhance an already existing publicity campaign. Just as a pr client would not produce one item or two and think they will sell millions and become rich…with very few exceptions, this isn’t how to run a business. Neither is it right to have a pr marketing strategy be a once or twice a season of submitting press releases.

If you want to get noticed, or be along the same playing field (in pr terms I mean) withmedia room your competitors, then you need a solid pr marketing strategy. To create a pr marketing strategy you should include a lot of press releases, a press kit to be distributed at trade shows, promotional programs (these could be charity related, community projects, sponsorship of events, etc), articles for publication, get into the social media network, start blogging about your company, and many other campaign elements.

It seems that pr clients think of sending a press release to keep costs down, when in reality it can cost you more because the release may or may not get published, or posted online at Yahoo News, then what do you do? Send another press release? Yes, but it should be part of your overall pr marketing strategy. Follow up with related articles for submission, comparisons to show how your new product changes what was to how it makes things better, or more profitable. Getting your company name in front of potential customers is another part of a good pr marketing strategy. Again, it is only part of the overall campaign. Try contacting other related businesses, ask if they would participate with your company by creating an event, or develop an awareness campaign by co-sponsoring an existing event. These can be local, regional, or national, all depending on your objective that is in your Marketing Plan. What? You don’t have a marketing plan. Then maybe you need to get it all together now, while the year is still new and help your company survive with a smart marketing plan. Need help? Give me a call, at 949-477-9400. I’ll make sure you have the campaign to get your company to the next level, and be successful this year.

Write a Press Release for the Media Not Your Company

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It is now a new year, yet I see pr clients, manufacturers, and companies still submitting press releases that are written for them, not for the media.

It is not rocket science, but it does take a flare and talent to write a press release that the media will publish. A few common mistakes when writing a press release: Headlines are too long and do not say what the news is about, it doesn’t announce the main objective of the release; another point, the body of the releases usually are written as if it is a newsletter, or boasting how great the company is and forgets to address the issue at hand. Then the poorly written release doesn’t tell you whom to contact, instead directs you to their site, or gives a general phone number to call.writing press releases

A good release should have a strong headline, announce in the first sentence what you want the reader to know. Remember, each publication has readers; it is up to the editors, reporters to have interesting articles and information that keeps readers subscribing. This is true of any newspaper or magazine, or online media news. Knowing this, you should identify the audience of the publication you are submitting the release, and then fine-tune the information to fit that readers profile. Speak to them, not at them.

If you are a PR Client that tells their PR Agency, or your internal publicity writer how to create the press release, then you are doing more harm than good for your company. PR Clients need to let the professionals do their job. The president or CEO of a company should check the releases for accuracy, but not dictate how to write the release.

Many web sites are available to teach the basics of writing releases. If you Google the words “write press releases” a list of sites will appear. This is a good place to start. Some other free sites that offer information are New Venture Publishing, PR Web, and a Publicity Insider and many others.

Now it’s time to start the year in the right direction of writing and submitting good press releases. If you are in need of some help with your publicity campaign, or need writing help, give us a call. We will make you look and sound great!

Your Marketing Plan needs a Marketing Strategy

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When a PR Client asks us to develop a marketing plan, we begin by understanding their core business.

That may sound obvious, but in the life of B2B clients, and B2 Consumers, it is the main ingredient that is put aside as to say, “we know what we do”. Not always, because as amarketing strategy company matures, or reaches different levels in its lifecycle, they tend to go into new directions. This can be a good thing, but unless you know where your core business is, how can a pr client, or any company develop a solid marketing strategy?

There are two main components, according to Michael Porter’s book, Competitive Advantage, they are:

• How your enterprise will address the competitive marketplace

• How will you implement and support your day to day operations

These are simple in terms, but can go much deeper. We dig deep into the marketing strategy to make sure it has a solid foundation before implementing. When creating a marketing strategy, you need to consider many factors. These can vary from the common sense, to more complex. Here are a few to consider:

If your market is very active, you need to make sure that you support your offerings, that is if your company is strong in the industry

On the other hand, if you are weak in your industry, you need to build on strengthening the position by developing offerings that will gradually build a solid position

Establish an effective marketing and sales effort if the market is weak. Now you need to choose a strategy after identifying these. Some may include: A Cost Leadership Strategy, A Differentiation Strategy, and finally a Focus Strategy. To go deeper and explain these I would need a lot more writing and this would be a long article. I prefer you either read Mr. Porter’s book, or call Carson Marketing, Inc. Either way, you will learn a lot about how to establish a solid marketing Plan that includes solid marketing Strategies in order to reach the next level in your business.

Where to send your Press Releases

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If you are a pr client, then take notes, this can help you get press releases published. If you are a small pr agency, make sure you know these tips.

It seems when pr clients have press releases they feel the “world” wants to know all aboutpress release distribution it and cannot understand why it hasn’t been published. To get press releases published, you should first start in your own local backyard. This means contact your local media. Local newspapers, radio shows, TV reporters, and even online eMagazines. When you do this, it will help build your company name among the media. Even local papers, and other local media get the attention of national press. So start in this manner and then follow these steps.

To find the types of local media in your area, there are many sources you can use. Since we are in the age of Internet, this should be your first place to research. It is best to Google, or Yahoo the industry you or your pr client is in. I’ll give you a few places to look, such as:

Media Post. This lists all the media in the US

NewsLin.org provides a list of countries for media sources

ABYZ News Links, this also is a directory of countries

I need to mention that you or your pr client must have a web site. Why? In today’s fast moving world, a company’s web sites are a source for media, reporters to verify information, or to collect additional information about a company. After the press release is professionally written, now where do you submit it? Begin with the local media– newspapers, magazines in your area.

Then use the online sources. Some of these are: PRWeb.com. This site allows free distribution of releases. Another Free online site is Free-Press-Release.com. Many other excellent online sources exist. But start small and build your own media list that is specific to your industry.

Remember to post these press releases on your pr client’s web site. Having a “newsroom” is what reporters; editors look for when visiting a company site. If you need more help or tips for press release distribution, call us at CarsonPR. We can get you noticed!

Email Marketing. It creates your business reputation.

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Are you aware that each email a company sends to prospects or clients builds their reputation, good or bad? Did you know that email marketing could create positive or negative publicity?

Publicity is everywhere! I keep telling my pr clients and all publicity people that sending emails builds a company’s brand and image. If you typically send unsolicited emails to new prospects, make sure these are opt-in names. If you are constantly being sent notifications of spamming, then your reputation goes south. Even poorly written emails can establish a good or negative campaign faster than the publicity campaign you budgeted for the year.

Why is it then pr clients are constantly overlooking this aspect in their company? Because we all feel that email is not a real “business” practice and view it as a one-to-one friendly way of communicating with others. In reality, it is the most powerful tool we use daily. It is this tool that builds a company’s reputation, or destroys it. Just like blogging has become recognized as a powerful marketing tool, so is email. Yet we are more concerned what a blogger, or blog article says about a company or its products.  Not realizing that we may not speak as openly in an email, our style of writing, how we say things all add up to building the reputation.

Another viewpoint of email reputation can be found in an article at the iMedia Connection site. The article titled “Mind Your Email Reputation” has a different perspective on this subject that supports what I am saying. And if you still don’t feel your email reputation has nay affect, or effect, ask people outside of your company to read a few of the business emails. Better yet, follow up with a phone call to those B2B clients who haven’t responded, or ask your competitors what they think your reputation is. Sure, you may not get a true answer from a competitor, but why not ask them and or others in your industry.

Start building a solid email reputation by establishing guidelines that everyone in the company follows. From how the “subject” line is written to how you sign your name, each part will play an important role in your company’s reputation. Give us a call if you want an outside objective critique of how your emails are helping your reputation. Ask for George Carson when you call. He can be reached at Carson Marketing, Inc., 949-477-9400.

Understanding Web 2.0, part two

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This is a second part to the Understanding Web 2.0 series.

You may not always agree with the different perspectives, or the tips given about how to better make use of Web 2.0, but at least I feel this is giving your mind the opportunity to see a different side.

Make sure you review the first series so that you know what we are talking about.social media networks The social media, Web 2.0 as commonly referred to needs to have pr clients, pr agencies and all marketing experts “change their mindsets” on how to improve their marketing. Let’s jump forward to a few more of the 12 steps by Larry Weber.

4. Target behavior. Traditionally, marketers did this by demographics. This is still the practice, because we have been taught that media is bought in that manner. The new marketing changes this pr marketing strategy. The web actually can map the behavior more closely. You can track a visitor’s behavior by the amount of time they spend on a page. Social Web will do much more and provide a lot of informative details about the visitor. Customers are more open on these sites, letting you know what they like, how often they visit a place, or purchase the kinds of items they want. The old strategy was too much a one-to-one targeting. Now we need to see the behavior, know that the individual visits four or five different types of sites. These factors paint a better behavior picture and opens up a new marketing strategy.

I am not going in any specific order that Mr. Weber wrote, so if you want to view all the 12 steps now, you can do so by clicking here.

5. Invert your strategy. For all those pr marketing strategy people, and marketing strategy people, listen to this. Traditionally you worked from the top down. Now it is to be from the bottom up. Companies should test ideas and products, and let the strategy bubble up from there, rather than trickling down from top management. For example, using Social Web you can test quickly, and learn from those results. You can ask questions as to what the customer would pay, where to find the product, etc. This should be part of an overall marketing strategy, such as in the automotive or soft drink industry that relies heavily on traditional marketing strategies. Using Social Web can open your marketing eyes and help build a strong pr marketing strategy.

I’ll point out more of the 12 steps in another blog. So for now, do your homework. Start thinking non-traditionally and get into the social network. When you want results and are not sure how to building a solid pr marketing strategy, give George Carson a call. Carson Marketing can make things happen for you.

Mainstream Media Embraces Bloggers

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It may have taken more time for the mainstream media to learn that blogging and the people behind the words are here to stay. The impact this social group has is proven its staying power this week when the LA Times article titled “Newspapers, bloggers now engage on same page”. Even though this is in a Publicity Orange County section of the paper, it is nationwide.

Why has this old form of communication (newspapers) changed their outlook? My guess, they see the writing on the blogblogging and media wall. Whether it is local orange county media, or local publicity in orange county, newspaper editors, reporters all over are noticing their shrinking market. They also see that these amateurs are getting a lot more reading attention than their own bylines. But let’s not get too crazy with the papers embracing the bloggers. It is all attached to a financial reason.

If you read the LA Times article, you will see the story addresses the Washington Post has added a sponsored blog roll to its website, a directory of links to blogs that specialize in travel, technology and health, plus more. So as you see, it just took time for these money hungry papers to discover how they can get more revenue from their shrinking profits doing dailies, weeklies. To prove this point, the article mentions Caroline Little, chief executive at Washington Post Newsweek Interactive. She said most ad buyers don’t want to take the time to buy space on dozens of blog sites, and since their staff stories are not plentiful, they turned to blog rolls. This just means they don’t loose the dollars to other competitive bloggers, etc.

This proves again, if your pr marketing strategy, or pr agency isn’t including a blog site for your company, then it is time to re-think how to communicate. No, it doesn’t mean you stop your normal means of pr communicating that is now working, just means to enhance it with a blog program. Blogging is not a side job, nor a part-time assignment. To get noticed, you need to keep this activity daily. You need to have the RSS feeds, and all the optimization to your blog site in order to get noticed, ranked high and compete. Get into a blogging campaign now. Contact Carson Marketing, call George Carson for help. He can get your company noticed in the right places. Or if you wait, he may just be helping your competitors who will pass your by.