September 2009

World Internet Summit in London, UK, from November 12-15!                                    "You must go after your wish. As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning." Barbara Sher, Author                       "If you are even thinking of starting up a new business, you MUST read the DIY Business Planning Manual.   It will clearly explain and give you the know-how to successfully start up a business or repair an older one. This is the most thorough and well-organised business plan I have ever seen; it is an essential tool for new business owners.   If you plan to succeed, buy this e-manual now! The money you spend will come back to you a thousand-fold in profits and success." Karen Campbell, Importer, Sunshine Coast Australia                         How Did One Website Owner Increase Sales By Up To 300%?   Simply by adding audio! Now you, too, can quickly and easily add audio to your website too with Audio Wiz.

Here in Queensland, Australia, Spring has sprung and the weather is certainly warming up. And with the freshness and renewed energy that Spring always gives me, I've got lots of plans for new products and resources to help you grow your business.

In this month's newsletter we look at the difference between Advertising, Publicity and PR, and what's best for you, plus there's some freebies for you.

I'm getting ready to head off to London in a few days so lookout for some UK snaps in next month's newsletter.

Enjoy!

 

Grab Your Freebies Here:  

I've got a couple of freebies especially for you this month.
 

Multi-Tasking Sucks! The High-Achiever's Guide To Squeezing The Most Out Of Every Second

This is my latest e-book, packed full with tips, tools and resources that will help you increase productivity and efficiency in your business.

Now this is brand new ... if you saw me being interviewed on Steven Essa's webinar earlier this year then you may have received a copy recently, but other than that this isn't even on my website yet.

And because you're already on my list, you don't even need to opt-in to access it. Click on the image below to download your copy of Multi-Tasking Sucks! now:

 

Article Marketing and Copywriting Resources

My good friend and Chief Word Wizard at Heart Harmony, Ingrid Cliff, was interviewed recently by Bernadette Schwerdt from the Australian School of Copywriting. In this interview, Ingrid shared her honest and expert opinion on Article Marketing.

And ... I've twisted Ingrid's arm and convinced her to share the recording of that interview with you. Then she went one step further ... Ingrid would also like to give you access to some of her other resources on:

• 7 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Starting My Copywriting Business
• Duplicate Content - The Facts
• 7 Secrets of Compelling Copy & Powerful Words
• The Art, Energy & Science of Web Writing
   

Now you can't usually access this page, so please DO NOT share it with anyone else. This is a secret page that was set up only for Ingrid's customers (and you).

Go here now to grab an mp3 copy of Ingrid's interview, along with all the other promised goodies.

 

 

Feature Article:

PR, Publicity And Marketing ... What's The Difference And What's Best For Me?

What’s the difference between PR, Publicity, Advertising/Promotions and Marketing? This is one question that I’m often asked.

PR (Public Relations) is generally developing and maintaining relationships with your public – your public image. This area can incorporate a range of activities allowing you to show the public not only your products and services, but also your company’s values. PR includes your publicity and branding, along with things like the amount of support you give your community or the charities you support.

In a very general sense, advertising and promotions are the way you let potential customers know what you sell. Depending on your business you may choose to advertise via brochures, direct mail, signs, TV advertisements, newspaper/magazine advertisements, word-of-mouth advertising, networking events and various forms of online advertising. In most cases, a variety of advertising methods will work hand-in-hand with each other and you will find that what works best for one product/service may be totally wrong for another of your products/services, hence you may need separate advertising plans. Promotional activities can also form part of your Public Relations.

Publicity is when you and/or your business gain exposure, often via media outlets, and can be negative or positive. This is one area that most businesses generally don’t have much control over, however with a plan in place it is possible to encourage positive publicity. For example, when you have something newsworthy to share with the public, send a media release to relevant newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations.

If you don’t have anything newsworthy, create something! Sponsor a local event, give a free talk – there are many things you can do and something you do for free that will help the community is often favoured by the press. A new product/service in itself is not newsworthy – there are new products or services every day. An exception would be if you point out a problem a lot of people have – particularly something that’s getting a lot of recent media attention – and then show how your product/service can solve that problem.

When you send a media release, make sure you don’t use it to advertise. That’s not what this is about. You are writing a press release to show that specific media outlet (the newspaper or TV show) how your information can benefit others.

If you are lucky enough to get publicity, remember that the purpose of this is not to increase sales. That may well happen and should be seen as a bonus. Your publicity should be part of your overall PR and marketing campaign, to let people know who you are and what you do. Hopefully the article/segment will provide your contact details, which then gives you the opportunity to promote your business once people contact you.

The term marketing is used to cover the broader range of areas we’ve been discussing – public relations, advertising/promotions, publicity – as well as your market research. That is, knowing who your customers are, what they want (this is not always what they need!) and how you can provide that. Things such as competitor research also come under this category as you need to know what your competitors are offering and how they offer it in order to determine whether your own business may be viable.

Market research is a comprehensive area of its own that I won’t go into detail with here, however it forms a part of your overall marketing, as do your pricing strategies.

The following excerpt from the book Promoting Issues and Ideas: a guide to public relations for non-profit organizations by M Booth and Associates, Inc. – The Foundation Center, sums up the differences by describing:

"... if the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying 'Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday', that's advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that's promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor's flower bed, that's publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that's public relations."

What’s Best for You?

I firmly believe that every business needs a Marketing Plan, even if it's just notes on pieces of paper. Sure, you can just jump in feet first (or head first!) and hope you get great results, however you’ll see greater results – and a better controlled budget – if you plan your activities in advance.

As far as which methods work best between PR, publicity, advertising and promotions – all of them. Each business will have its own unique requirements, dependant on your overall goals, values and budget, but most businesses will find that a balanced mix of strategies from each of these areas will provide a good overall marketing strategy.

There are some great templates available to help you create a detailed Marketing Plan, but even just a pen and paper and some solid research and notes will be a good start. After completing your market research, break your plan into the sub-sections of Public Relations, Advertising/Promotions and Publicity. To simplify matters even further, I incorporate my Publicity into my Public Relations.

Once you have a basic plan you can evaluate your various options and how they fit with your budget. You may choose to begin by focusing on those areas that will gain you the most positive exposure for the least amount of money, or perhaps most of your financial budget will be spent in one highly targeted area, in which case you then have other free or low-cost options to follow up with.

Even with a Marketing Plan in place you will find that you are presented with opportunities that you hadn’t considered. By knowing your overall strategy and having an idea of what works for your business and what doesn’t, you’ll quickly be able to decide whether the new opportunity fits in with your goals or not.

As with any type of plan, things will change and you will no doubt be adjusting your Marketing Plan regularly. That’s fine. Nothing is set in stone – it’s just meant to guide you. Just like a map, you can take the occasional detour or find that two roads lead to the same destination, but just like a map, use your plan as a general guide to where you ultimately want to be.
 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed this month's newsletter. Remember, if there’s a particular topic you’d like to know more about, please email me and let me know. 

I hope you have a brilliant month.