Down To The Wire

When you want to win and woo new clients with national publicity -- and don't have an enormous budget to distribute your message -- turn to the news wires. But first, be sure you're telling a story that's worth printing.

The best publicity draws on one of a handful of tried-and-true themes. Newsworthy stories have something that hits you as a reader and makes you more interested than "just the facts." Think about how your company's story might work as part of one (or more) of the following story themes.

David vs. Goliath

You were small, the odds against you were great, but you took on the big guys and you won! Everybody loves an underdog, and if you can play this card, you might stir up more attention than you ever thought possible. An Orange County-based company, ProtectConnect (www.protectconnect.com), is using this strategy to publicize its buzzworthy invention -- a modular system of safety-first electrical outlets and switches. The wiring device industry they're taking on is dominated by just a handful of huge corporations, but the attention they're getting as a startup for their patented product has prompted more than $1.5 million in orders -- before the company even opens its doors for business.

First, fastest, brightest

If you've really got a story that's unique -- you're the first, or the biggest, or the strongest, or the loudest -- then you have a certifiably newsworthy story. RoseTel System Inc. (www.rosetelsystem.com), a Los Angeles-based manufacturer of the world's first streaming, real-time video delivered through plain old telephone lines, scored a touchdown with this angle in January 2003, when their system helped the city of San Diego maintain surveillance, security and order during the Super Bowl. The story became especially significant because on the day of the big game, the Internet, which would have carried other forms of video, was crippled by a global virus. RoseTel was able to honestly state that their video communication system was the first and only one in the world that could have performed so affordably and so well that day -- and as a result, their story was picked up around the country from one simple wire release.

Rags to riches

Stories about the GWOG (Guy Working Out of Garage) who strikes it rich are still unusual. Steve Jobs of Apple may be one of the best examples of a rags-to-riches story, but there are countless examples of this. Jack Daley, president of the Triarch Group, a San Diego-based consulting firm that works with tech-driven companies to systematize their approach to innovation, delights in telling a rags-to-riches story from his own experience. His client, the company that eventually became Network Solutions (still the biggest registrar for domain names on the Internet) was started with a cash advance on a credit card and eventually grew into a multimillion-dollar monster. Now that's a story.

Free advice

Remember the ad campaign in the 1970s that urged you to write away to a major petroleum company for free booklets on auto maintenance, safety and repair? (Hint: The booklets were yellow, and the logo is still red. Looks a bit like ... a seashell.) School children across America learned to write "business letters" by carefully printing "Dear Sir" requests to that company, and even 30 years later, people remember the company's generosity with a warm, fuzzy feeling. You can't beat free advice for building trust.

Did you know?

You can assert all you want. But numbers make it real. Research -- real, proprietary research, carried out by you, with numbers that you own --can be a great way to get attention. San Diego-based Metabolife Inc. just wrapped up a year-long research initiative that resulted in mentions and stories in several national publications. What did they do? They got numbers, and they used them. Did you know that 47 percent of people say everyone is out of shape at their high school reunion? Metabolife did the studies, found the numbers, then turned the statistics into a great opportunity for publicity.

The wires

Once you've got a newsworthy story, how do you get the word out? One option is to hit the news wire services yourself. Both the PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) and Business Newswire (www.businessnewswire.com) are membership-based services that require you to join in order to distribute your releases. Prices for releases can range from as little as $125 for a statewide distribution to $600 for national, or several thousand dollars for an international release. For this price, which is much less than postage, your brief release will cross the country or the globe, passing in front of the eyes of thousands of editors in tens of thousands of media outlets.

There are also services that will take on the task of distribution for you, especially if you're a small firm or don't have a dedicated staff to make contact, handle releases, or do follow up. One such service, E-releases (www.ereleases.com), for example, will do as little or as much as you want to help you get the word out. They'll even write your release for you, for a nominal fee, shaping your story in ways they know are likely to garner the most attention. They'll also distribute for around $350, and send you links showing you where your story was run online (a great deal that saves you hundreds of dollars, because it includes a national distribution via PR Newswire).

Finally, no public relations expert would ever say there isn't at least some element of chance involved in what stories get picked up and which ones don't. It's best to take a "water drip" approach. Every little bit makes a difference, even if you can't see them for each droplet. Still, after a while, water will wear away a stone, and your story can break through the clutter in the same way.

Henry DeVries is a marketing coach and writer specializing in lead generation for professional service firms. An adjunct marketing professor at UCSD since 1984, he is the author of "Self Marketing Secrets" and the recently published "Client Seduction." Visit http://www.newclientmarketing.com or e-mail questions to henry@newclientmarketing.com.

© 2005 Henry DeVries, All rights reserved. You are free to use this material in whole or in part in pint, on a web site or in an email newsletter, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.

The attribution should read:

"By Henry DeVries of the New Client Marketing Institute. Please visit Henry's web site at http://www.newclientmarketing.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses."

____________________

Advertisement: Honest Riches - Click Here!

Advertisement: Lost AdWords - Click Here!

Advertisement: Get $1 Million A Month In Google Pay-Per-Click Ads Free! - Click Here!

Advertisement: Who Loves Money? - Click Here!

Advertisement: SEO Elite, the GrandDaddy of SEO Software - Click Here!

---

Is A Marketing Plan The Same Thing As A Communications Plan?

How does a marketing plan relate to an organization's communications plan? What are the differences? Is the marketing plan just one aspect of the communications plan? Should... Read More

Free Publicity for Restaurants

One of the best ways to get a restaurant free publicity is by taking advantage of events and seizing the opportunity. For example, February 5th is Television... Read More

How to Use Direct Response Post Card Decks as a Valuable Market Research Tool

Market research specialists have discovered a new tool which enables them to quickly identify target market cells, measure buyer acceptance, test new product or service concepts quickly... Read More

How To Get Celebrities To Endorse YOUR Product

How would you like celebrities to endorse your product?Perhaps that sounds crazy. Well, here's the info...But before anything else - let me stress that when I say... Read More

How To Successfully Launch A New Business Activity

I often talk with business owners who tell me how excited they are about a new product or service they are offering ...or a new business they... Read More

How Testimonials Can Put You in the Spotlight

If you need evidence that a testimonial or referral can help you, let me tell you a personal story:My friend Dave raved about his boss all the... Read More

The Use of Bar Code SMS in Mobile Marketing, Advertising, CRM

Anybody that frequents shopping malls are familiar with the bar coding systems used by retailers to ease the line at the pay points. No more long lines... Read More

Don?t Put All Of Your Eggs Into One Basket

I vaguely remember a particular story from my childhood. It had something to do with transporting eggs to market. The main character, a little girl who thought... Read More

Marketing And Patience

"Get your positioning and your programs implemented properly, and the numbers will come. But you've got to have some patience." ? Jack Trout with Steve Rivkin"The New... Read More

Newsletters - A Great Way to Build Business Relationships

This is an excellent way to grow your business using your mailing list (which I trust you are constantly building). However, you have to accept that there... Read More

Breaking The Voice Mail Barrier

Even if you never place a cold call, you still have to reach people by phone. That customer who was so interested last month never called you... Read More

Survival Strategies

1. Do the moneymaking things first.For an entrepreneur, generating income is the most important job. Without income, your business will cease to exist.2. Develop a sales and... Read More

Assumption Based Marketing Vs. Fact Based Marketing

One of the most common mistakes in marketing is making decisions based on assumptions rather than fact. You think of an idea for a marketing piece and... Read More

10 Packaging Tips That Will Make Consumers Buy Your Product

The customer is king/queen. We have all heard this mantra. It's up to you, the supplier, to prove it so. With these ten tips you will be... Read More

Where to Look for New Donors for Your Fundraising Letter Appeals

Have you ever studied your best donors and wished you could clone them all? Maybe you can, with a bit of creative thinking.1. Friends of current supportersThe... Read More

The Great Direct Marketing Conundrum

Many a home business owner has spent sleepless nights thinking of ways to turn his venture into a higher profit-making unit and build it to be his... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 1

In the following 'special report,' I will reveal some very powerful marketing strategies and psychological motivators that can easily help you make more profits from your business,... Read More

How to Magnetize Your Business

Do you ever wonder how some businesses always seem to be doing so much business? And how they seem to do all that business without really trying... Read More

Competitive Research and Google

It all started out with an email message: "I am starting a new one of a kind company ... at least I think I'm one of a... Read More

Fundraising Letters Should Raise Donors, Not Donations, When Mailed to Strangers

Are you willing to spend $1.25 to raise $1? To lose money to make money? You should be. Most donor acquisition mailings never pay for themselves. They... Read More

Increase Sales With Travel Incentives

Today's business environment has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, it can be a tough task to make a sale. Just being aggressive doesn't cut it... Read More

Tips For Developing An Effective Questionnaire

Developing the questionnaire is undoubtedly the most important part of conducting a survey. The quality of the questions will determine the quality of the results and the... Read More

Wealth Knowledge & Power ? Lost Secrets From Ancient Masters

Behold! He with the light cometh!He shall light thy darkest night, illuminate thy muddled confusion, and he shall uncover all that hides from thou. He who holds... Read More

Have You Tried Cause Marketing?

To help promote your small business or professional practice, consider tearing a page out of the corporate marketing playbook. For years big companies have partnered with nonprofits... Read More

Why Target the Matures

The "Matures" are the generations that came along between 1909 and 1945. Born to and tempered by economic uncertainty, older Matures were nurtured by the New Deal... Read More

Mortgage Marketing to Realtors ? Creating a Memorable Positioning Statement

Mortgage marketing to Realtors involves having a crystal clear position that establishes credibility, so that you can develop a consistent dialogue with prospects and guide them... Read More