On the right track...

I've been feeling a little off lately. Sales at the station have flattened, mostly because I've been trying to deal with personal issues. I find I never sell well when I'm feeling desperate on the inside. No matter how much I get out and play the "fake it till you make it" game. So I've been feeling somewhat like one of those little smiley guys on the forums - beating my head up against the wall.

It will turn, it always does.

Meanwhile, something I read at Marketing Roadmaps, perked me up considerably. The first part is about the blog I cited last week, but the part that jumped out at me was:

"The best social media marketing people won't be PR people. Or marketing people. They will have a skill set that blends both disciplines. Whether you are at an agency or in a company, start developing this -- in yourself, in your teams.

Stop worrying about whether PR or marketing is going to win. The answer is neither. And both."

This captures the essence of the message that I have been trying to communicate. It is what I have envisioned for Easy Results with Radio, when I began to tighten my focus to the three areas of radio advertising, podcast advertising and publicity as I explained in my interview with Kelly McCausey on WAHM Talk Radio this week.

Though I didn't describe it as such, I really do see this project of mine as a synergy between public relations and marketing.

It is so nice to see it confirmed by someone else. I needed that.

Sending out a press release? Do it right!

Even though I'm in radio advertising now, I remain a member of a PR newsgroup, because "you never know" and because I remain entranced with Public Relations as part of the marketing process. As I was reading today, I came across a post that led to the blog to the editor of Wired Magazine.

The upshot is that the editor is ticked off at all the spam he is getting from so-called professional PR people who do not do their research and pitch inappropriately. He's published the email addresses of all those who have done so in a month. It's nuts how long that list is. I'm not saying he was right in publishing the list, but I do feel his frustration at getting unsolicited and unwanted emails from people who really ought to know better.

It's a valuable lesson for those in small business who are submitting their own press releases and hoping to get coverage. You must take the time to build a list of your own and develop relationships with the editors and reporters that you are pitching to.

I don't mean you have to personally go through and make contact with each person you are going to pitch to and make friends with each one before you can start your PR campaign. That would be nuts and would prevent anyone from ever getting to the part about sending it to the targeted publications that are most likely to net coverage.

However, you should at least go through any list that you have not personally compiled (whether it's been provided for you or come with software or you've bought a list) and check the websites to make sure the address is still legitimate. Poke around for a few moments and make sure they are the right target market for your news.

Yes, it's time consuming. There is no arguing that. It's why I gave up distribution long before I gave up writing press releases. I personally could not charge the prices it would have taken to cover the time it takes to create a good distribution list to my target market of small and home based business, so I stopped offering distribution. It's part of the reasons PR Firms charge big bucks, because of the time spent researching, cultivating and developing working contacts for their clients. (Technically, I have not stopped providing press release writing and tweaking - but I don't do it as a full time component of my business anymore...but I digress.)

However, no matter how time consuming it is to develop the distribution list initially. It's worth it's weight in gold to be communicating with people who actually want to read about your business news. You have a much better chance of getting featured when you follow the rules and take the time to do the job right.

Building your list can be done slowly. It doesn't have to be done all at once and suck up all of your available time prior to sending out your first release. Start small and add to your list with each subsequent release.

Rejection brings clarity to my mission statement

I was in a negotiation today, hoping to secure a client as a test for a podcast experiment. However, it just wasn’t quite the right fit. The potential clients’ interests were more in guerilla marketing techniques rather than paid opportunities. I personally believe that guerilla tactics should be mixed with sound and deliberate paid advertising.

I got the feeling I lost the sale because I wasn't clear in clarifying my intentions with this potential client. I have a feeling he thought I was just after the sale. I was after the sale, but not for alltogether selfish reasons. Yes, I'd make a commission - but I'd make nothing if the experiment failed. I think that's as much of a guarantee as anyone should be expected to make.

Anyway, it really got me to thinking about what I want to accomplish through this business.

I want to make sales, for sure. But I'm not going to knowingly steer anyone in the wrong direction. I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all brand of marketing. No one method is superior in all ways for all markets.

It's a natural assumption that as someone who sells advertising, I’m not of the mindset that paid advertising is something to avoid. On the other hand, I do generally advise caution and study before jumping into something new.

Advertising is something you need to learn how to harness. Advertising exists because good advertising works, and when backed by a great product – it’s a winning combination for a successful business.

My main focus is not on what works in general, but on what will work for your particular situation. In most situations, both paid advertising and guerilla tactics should be combined for the best return on investment.

Publicity, for example, is an outstanding guerilla tactic. However, I don’t believe it should be attempted as the sole marketing technique employed.

Whether you mix your publicity up with direct mail or email marketing or any other paid form of advertising – you should always have a mix of complimentary marketing methods in play at any given time.

In order for there to be a return of investment there has to be an investment. Whether it’s in the form of pay-per-click or affiliate commissions or any of the multitudes of advertising choices available, there is usually some form of advertising investment that is inherent to the running of a successful business.

Quality outsourcing is another key to a successful business. I think that is an essential to outsource and automate appropriate tasks so that you can concentrate on providing top quality goods and customer service. In the end, that is what creates returning customers.

I believe that bringing new customers in should only be the beginning of your marketing efforts. Treat prospective customers well, but treat your paying customers like gold. Because they are!

Across the board you will find this to be true – satisfied customers hold the biggest impact on our bottom lines.

Satisfied customers are the absolutely best guerilla tactic in the world. Most marketers would agree that testimonials make the best advertising copy!

Marketing is a circular process that can be largely automated so that you can largely set it and forget it. Not only that, if you can commit to planning for a year at a time, you can save up to 40% in some of your marketing costs.

Stay tuned to this blog for more on:

Money Saving Marketing Techniques

Using Audio Advertising to boost your market share

Creativity and the Captive Audience

Increasing your publicity returns with advertising

Outsourcing and the Bottom Line