Make It Exclusive

One way to up the odds of securing exposure in a specific media outlet is to offer that outlet an exclusive story agreement. What this means is that if they agree to run your story, interview you, or whatever the publicity vehicle might be, you in exchange offer the media outlet exclusive rights to your story, and to no other media company. This may seem like a complicated undertaking, but it is not. For instance, if you want to have your story, news, or photo opportunity featured in print then get started by making a list of the five most important publications that you would like the story to be featured in, in order of importance. Starting at number one, your first choice, contact each publication and pitch your story and offer them an exclusive to the story if they feature it in their publication. Alternately, send out a formal press release or pitch letter to your top five choices first. And, then follow up with telephone calls contacting each starting once again with your first choice. Ask if they received your proposal for an exclusive story and if they are prepared to act on the proposal. Exclusives work, especially after you secure a few good media personnel contacts who like to have exclusive access to your news because you have built a reputation for supplying great stories and news that talks directly to their target audience.

Excerpted from 'The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide'

Package Yourself

You better believe that a book is judged by its cover and like it or not so are people. Packaging yourself is all about how you dress, the length and style of your hair, body language, and how you speak and handle yourself in conversation. Marketing is not selling, it isin fact persuasion and perceptions. We perceive that a doctor must be dressed in a white lab coat, a banker in suitable business attire, a mechanic in gray oil-stained coveralls, and that a boxer with a black eye must not be very good at the sport (though her opponent might have two black eyes). Hence, you have to package yourself appropriately for the situation and for what you sell. Without question I am talking stereotypes, but like them or not, most stereotypes are so well ingrained into our minds and culture that no matter how hard you try to change them, you'll be fighting an uphill and ultimately a losing battle. Given this and the fact that much of sales is based on compromise, then isn't it better to fit into what people perceive and sell, rather then buck the trend and place an obstacle in the way of the sale before you even get a chance to sell? The answer is yes. I am not saying that perceived stereotypes are right, but from a practical standpoint if you want to sell then go with the flow. If people expect you to be wearing a suit then wear one; if they expect that you hair will be a certain style, then try to meet their expectations. Corporations spend billions of dollars annually on product packaging research simply because they know that the packaging has a great impact on consumers and how they regard those products. So why not take advantage of this fact and package yourself as what people perceive to be 'normal' for what you do and sell? You'll probably sell more because of it. Blue jeans might be more comfortable, but appropriate business attire will likely put a lot more money in the bank and make for a more comfortable living and retirement tomorrow.

Excerpted from 'The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide'

Tips On Using Civic Marketing

'Civic Marketing'- the kind practiced by people like Ben & Jerry- is one of the newest business buzzwords. But even the smallest businesses can use community out-reach as a low-cost, high-impact marketing tool. Here's some information about it:

* The benefits of civic marketing are plentiful. It raises community awareness of your business, build customer and employee loyalty, helps you stand out from your competitors, and positions you as a community leader.

* Select your causes carefully. Look for ones truly meaningful to your community, your industry, or your target market.

* Depending on your situation, you can donate money, time, or resources. Some business owners encourage their employees to volunteer at the charity or cause of their choise. Others may establish scholarships for high school or college students.

* Whatever your involvement, don't forget to use public relations campaigns, promotional signs, or in-store displays to let the community know what you're up to.

By Entrepreneur Magazine's Rieva Lesonsky. Excerpted from The Great big Book of Business Lists by Entreprenrur Press.

Write Letters To The Editor

In addition to writing and sending out a press release, you might also want to consider writing letters to the editor as many newspapers, magazines, and trade journals print them on a regular basis. This can be a great way to get exposure for your small business, products, or services, but once again your letter must be far more than simply an advertisement promoting what you do or sell. Try to tie your letter into a local hot topic, or you might position yourself as someone with expert information or even inside information in regards to a particular subject or topic. The great thing about letters to the editor, besides the fact they can provide you with all sorts of free advertising, is that often the letter will be talked about for many days or weeks in the same publication via letters written by readers with supportive or opposing views of your original letter. Writing letters to the editor is a great way to secure some free publicity, just make sure not to be too controversial and risk alienating potential or, worse, current customers. Additionally, your letter will also stand a better chance of being published if it is in direct response to a recent article the publication featured. For example, if controversy was brewing over a proposed new bridge being built over a waterway and you owned a water taxi service then perhaps the gist of your letter would be why we don't need a new bridge, signed by you followed by the name of your business.

Excerpted from 'The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide'

Take Advantage of Free Community Notice Boards

Entrepreneurs on a tight advertising budget should regard community notice boards as a free and very valuable source for advertising your products and services. Design a business flier complete with a description of your product or service, what it will do for people (benefits), how they can contact you, and most importantly a call for action. Or simply put, why they should contact you right away to tak advantage of your product or service offer immediately. Photocopy the fliers for pennies each at your local copy center and always stock a supply of the fliers and thumbtacks in your car so you can make a weekly run posting the fliers on every community notice board in your area. These boards are typically found in buildings and areas of your local community:

*Supermarkets
*Convenience stores
*Public libraries
*Community colleges, universities, and high schools
*Coin laundries and dry cleaners
*Automotive service stations
*Community centers
*Fitness centers
*Public markets
*Sports complexes
*Churches and club or association buildings

Once your advertising fliers are printed, community notice board advertising is free, so why not put it to work for your business? Be sure to use a telephone tear-away system on the bottom of the fliers so interested parties can take the number and call once at home or the office.

Excerpted from 'The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide'

Three Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

1. A pinch of this, a pinch of that. This mistake is often made by entrepreneurs with big appetites and small budgets. They want to try a little bit of everything advertising in multiple magazines and newspapers, online ads on a variety of sites, and a list of special events- but with limited budgets, they end up with a tiny presence in each. To maximize results from your marketing program, narrow your media choices and consistently run larger ads with enough frequency to get noticed.

2. Tossing out the rule book. If you think most rules were made to be broken, you may want to think again. Sometimes thinking outside the box can produce surprisingly positive results, but generally not at the expense of tried-and-true rules for effective marketing. Thanks to the billions of dollars businesses invest in advertising every year, all aspects of it have been studied.

3. Focusing only on what's happening inside your business. Some entrepreneurs get so inner-focused that they lose sight of all else, while others are constantly listening, looking, and learning fromt he changing marketing environment outside their own comnapnies. Entrepreneurs who are too inner-focused often become complacent.

By Kim T. Gordon. Excerpted from 'The Great big Book of Business Lists by Entrepreneur Press.

Join Associations

Many business owners are hesitant to join industry and business associations for two reasons: the cost to join and the time commitment required to participate in association events. Both can be valid objections providing you have taken the time to fully research and understand the association and decided that membership has little or no value to your particular situation and business. Create a list and check it against what the association offers members in terms of exposure and services. At the top of your list should be the question 'Can I recoup membership cost and get paid for the time I spend at association functions and events?' Almost 100 percent of the time the answer to this question will be yes. The key is to mine the value of membership, which can include member discounts on products and services, alliances, advertising opportunities, and education opportunities through seminar and workshop series. Remember business and industry associations must provide value and benefits to their members in order to secure and retain them. Most associations provide great opportunities, but the rest is up to you. Profiting through membership requiresx a plan and participation to realize the value and benefits of membership to the fullest extent. The checklist represents a few opportunities that can be created or exploited in terms of joining business and industry associations. Use this checklist for two reasons. One, identify areas in business that are your current weaknesses and that could be improved with help and adivce from other small-business owners. And two, use the checklist as a yardstick to measure each association that you are considering joining. The associations that meet your needs will be a highter priority than those that do not.

Web Resources

www.marketingsource.com/associations: Online directory listing more than 35,000 business associations.

www.uschamber.com: The United States Chamber of Commerce




Excerpted from the 'The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide'