You are here: Home / Public Relations

Public Relations

AimFire Marketing’s Holiday Resource Guide

November 19, 2010 By Susan Young 1 Comment
Here are a few vendors for corporate gifts and services this holiday season (Note: I meet many wonderful vendors throughout the year, so if you are in need of other options, let me know and I’ll see what I can find for you):

Hand-Addressed Holiday Cards for Your Business? Check.
Hand-Addressed Holiday Cards for Your Business? Check.
  • Holiday Card Addressing Service: Janet Falkenberg at ExecuStrive will hand-address 100 of your business holiday cards to clients and colleagues for just $60. Think of how much time that saves! Just sign and give her the list and stamps and she’ll even mail and deliver them for you! Personalized holiday cards also available for purchase. Contact her at (317) 440-0255 for more details.
  • Half-Off Embroidery Set-up Charge on Embroidered Gift Items: I’m working with Nancy Gates of Embroidery Designz to order some AimFire Marketing logo shirts for my family and clients this year. For a limited time, contact Nancy to get 50% off your logo setup charge. Check out her catalog for selection of embroidered items, with many items under $20. Order ASAP for holiday delivery. Other Friends of mine offering Embroidery: Becky Brown of Countryside Promotions and Tom Albert of EmbroidMe.

A Silly Bracelet in the Shape of Your Logo? Check.
A Silly Bracelet in the Shape of Your Logo? Check.
  • Silly Rubber Bracelets in the Shape of Your Logo? My friend and promotional product provider, Bruce Steinman of ImagePros can make it happen. Whether you personalize a fleece blanket, mug, pen, notebook or stress reliever, ImagePros will work with you to find the best corporate gift that fits your company image and budget. Contact him at (317) 489-6530 or visit his website. He can also help you with digital promotions for all of your social media campaigns. Another colleague in the promo products industry: Susan Fryer of Wolf Run Marketing.
  • Your Logo on a Spatula – Support the Indiana Entrepreneurs that created The Sportula – and get your logo on a heavy-duty grilling spatula. Turnaround time is 30 days on any pieces under 1000, and minimum order is 50 pieces. Call Marc Roth at 866-369-1552 or visit their website. They sell Nascar, collegiate (I’m still waiting on the University of Illinois) and other enthusiast ones too.
  • Print Your Own Company Cookbook or Write that First Book: Tracy Winters of Winters Publishing is your self-publishing resource. Whether your team wants to put together a company cookbook (or as a fundraiser for an organization), whether you’ve been waiting to publish your first professional book to help you gain more credibility or get speaking opporunities, or have always wanted to write a children’s book, Winters Publishing can help. Call them at (812) 663-4948. Also check out their online bookstore and see upcoming releases.

Company Vehicle Wrapped? Check.
Company Vehicle Wrapped? Check.
  • Wrap Your Car: No, not to give as a gift, but to promote your business, silly! The folks at TKO Graphics can wrap your vehicle fleet or just your family car with your business name and logo. With billboard ads costing several thousand per month, why not promote your business while you drive and gain brand awareness wherever you go?
  • A Taste of Indiana: Do you always give a food or goodie gift basket to clients? Why not go local? Talk to Mark Kolbus of A Taste of Indiana for affordable, yummy creations. Custom packaging and items with your logo also available. Call him at (800) 289-2758 or visit their website.

Do you have another good resource for my Holiday Resource Guide? Want to add your business’ special (Indianapolis Market Only)? Add a comment to my blog post and I’ll consider it. Thanks and happy shopping!

Filed Under: Book Publicity, Branding, Business, Indianapolis Marketing, Indianapolis advertisting, Marketing, Promotional Products, Seasonal Marketing, Tradeshow Marketing Tagged With: , , ,

Are you Scaring Away the Media?

October 26, 2010 By Susan Young Leave a Comment
Are you scaring reporters or producers with your PR practices?

Do your PR tactics send reporters running?

There are some good and bad ways to approach the media with your press release or story ideas. Are you breaking any of the media etiquette rules? If so, you  may be scaring away the media (which will get your pitch deleted or ignored). Here are some ways you might be sabotaging your PR efforts:

  1. Not using the 5 W’s (Who, What, Where, When, Why) is your press release: Following basic journalistic principles, include the most important information upfront, in your opening paragraph (typically the 5 W’s), so that the reporter/producer knows the overview of the story before getting into the details.
  2. Including Too Much Information in your Release or Pitch: Reporters and producers don’t have time to read an entire history on your company or sort through pages of brochures. Stick to the main story/segment idea, try to keep the release to one page if possible, and the pitch to a paragraph or two. Use bullet points to summarize main concepts in your press release.
  3. Including too much technical jargon: Try to use the simplest terms possible when describing your story idea or writing your release for distribution. The reporter/producer may not be familiar with all of the technical terms of your industry, so it’s best to speak in a more common language.
  4. Sending your release or media via an email attachment: Sending attachments via email to reporters/producers is a sure-fire way for your email to get put in the spam folder. Always cut/paste your release or story idea text directly into your email. If you would like to include photos, videos or other media, mention that these are available and offer to send them if they are interested.
  5. Sending out mass pitches: It’s okay to send the same pitch and press release to each media outlet. However, sending a generic email where you CC: or BCC: several reporters shows that you haven’t taken the time to personalize the pitch to that publication. Why not read a little bit about the reporter’s/producer’s beat and the stories he/she has covered in the past, and address them in a personal email, with a suggestion for how they might consider using the story. Your pitch is more likely to get considered this way.
  6. Hounding the reporter with follow-ups: Although you do need to follow up with the reporter after sending your pitch, don’t call or leave multiple messages for the reporter or producer if you don’t hear from them. One follow-up phone call or email should suffice to ensure that they received the information, and if they are able, they will most likely get back to you with their interest.
  7. Pitching via Social Media: Most editors, reporters and producers use social media as a way to communicate their stories and share information related to the subject matter they cover. It’s not the best way to pitch a story idea. So unless the reporter specifically requests you to tweet out a story idea, stick to email.
  8. Pitching the Wrong Audience: This mistake relates to the mass pitching mistake listed in #5. Be sure to research your targeted publications or media outlets to ensure that they are a good fit for your story idea before pitching.  If they haven’t covered stories like yours in the past, or if you don’t think their audience would be interested in your story, don’t pitch that media outlet.

These are just a few mistakes I’ve seen that scare away the media. Reporters, editors, producers or PR practitioners: What others would you add?

Filed Under: Pitching the Media, Public Relations, Public Relations Ideas, Social Media Marketing, Twitter Tagged With: , , ,

AimFire Marketing Celebrates Five Years in Business

June 29, 2010 By Susan Young Leave a Comment
This month I’m celebrating my 5th year in business. It doesn’t seem like five years ago that I quit my corporate marketing job and ventured out on my own as a new entrepreneur. Who know that five years later I would have a business and two young children. And who knew that I would have the fortune to have worked with so many wonderful clients (you know who you are!) For that, I am very thankful. This post is for you.
 
Random things I’ve learned from my clients:  
I have enjoyed learning about your various businesses and look forward to serving many more of you and helping you build the businesses of your dreams. Thanks again for the learning, fun, friendship and memories.

Filed Under: Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations, Website Development

Where Could you Be…If you Had Worked with Me?

June 29, 2010 By Susan Young Leave a Comment
Many of you read my marketing articles faithfully (okay, maybe you skim some of them or just look at the pictures). But how many of you ever really knew what it was that I did for my clients?
 
Well, I am looking to clarify that and do a better job of communicating some of the things that I can do to help you promote your business. Here are some of the activities, products and results I’ve acheived for my Indianapolis area marketing clients thus far:

Marketing Plans: Complete with competitive info, key messaging and recommendations on where to market your business cost-effectively to reach your target audience.

Professionally Designed & Written Websites: Starting with the sales strategy behind it and engaging the visitor with the design and copy.

Top Rankings on Google: Because if you build it, they will not come unless your website is optimized organically for search engines. :)

Local and National Media Coverage: From trade publications to profile stories in the IBJ and Indianpaolis Star, to features in the Chicago Tribune and Wall Street Journal, to interviews or features on Inside Indiana Business, Fox morning shows, evening news shows and ABC Evening News.

Brochures, eNewsletters, Blogs, Case Studies, Direct Mail, Social Media posts and even Books. I write on my clients’ behalf, whether that is a blog post, a sales letter or an advertising headline.

How can I help you with your marketing initiatives?

Filed Under: Blogging, Branding, Marketing Plans, Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Search Engine Optimization, Website Development

My Visit to Fox 59 and WTTV 4 Indianapolis

March 19, 2010 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

What I learned about PR from a TV Segment Producer 

Yesterday, along with several other PR professionals from PRSA-Indianapolis, I took a tour of Indianapolis’ Fox 59 and WTTV 4‘s state-of-the-art studios on the West side of Indianapolis. During the visit, we heard from the station’s segment producer for the morning show, who shared some tips on The Television Pitch. Some of her suggestions were right in tune with some of the tips I have featured in previous blog posts, such as following news trends and relating your business to the news of today. Some other tips were:

  • Think Over the Top: such as “Live Cheetah in Studio” as the subject line. What will not only get the attention of the producer, but make entertaining TV?
  • Think Visual: What props or demonstrations could you bring to relate to your topic and show while you’re appearing on the show? No one wants to see a talking head — they’ll change the channel.
  • Don’t make it an Info-Mercial: When you’re on the air, don’t make it sound like a sales pitch and mention your company on the air five times.
  • Be camera-ready: No one likes to see an interview subject freeze up when the cameras are rolling, so practice and feel comfortable with your talking points before you go live on-air.
  • What’s in it for the Viewer? Can you offer a giveaway or other promotion for viewers watching the show?
  • Consider re-enacting an event: For events, can you do a re-enactment or use video from a previous year?
  • Deliver what you promise: If you promise to bring materials (or a live cheetah) to the set and you don’t deliver, you’ll not only make for less compelling TV, you’ll disappoint the producers and risk hurting the relationship for future PR opportunities.

If you’re interested in PR for your business, I can help.

Filed Under: Public Relations

Why Consistent Marketing is a Key to Success

January 2, 2010 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

Have you ever gone to the gym on a Monday and quit going on Friday because you hadn’t seen the results on the scale? You need to give it more time, right? It’s the same with our marketing activities.
 
PR: If you get one media placement, you might get more. Or, if you haven’t yet landed that front page story, keep on pitching, and someday you will.
 
Email: People save/read my email newsletters for months and even years sometimes, but may not call me unless they have a specific need. But sending them communication anyway keeps my name top-of-mind when they do have a need.
 
Web:  Links stay online for a long time. The efforts you make now / articles you post on your blog or website now may result in a great web lead months later from a web keyword search. So keep adding content and keeping things fresh.
 
Ads:  The more exposure your brand/name gets in the marketplace, and the more repetition, the more awareness you’ll get and the more likely you’ll get a response.
 
These were just a few ideas. The bottom line is that the more you do in the way of marketing, the more lasting impact you’ll have for your business. Just because you think one tactic doesn’t work, keep on marketing. You never know what will be in store for you in the future.

Filed Under: Advertising, Email Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Website Development

Incorporating Radio into Your Marketing Mix: Give Radio a Second Look / Listen

June 30, 2009 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

There are so many media competing for our attention today when we’re in the car — from XM to audiobooks. Whether you’re a guest on a talk show or an advertiser, there are so many opportunities to promote your business through radio. Let’s look at a few:
 
Community Radio: Getting on a local radio station is a great idea if you target folks in a certain geographic area, such as the Indianapolis metro area. There are also community radio stations popping up all over which serve smaller markets, such as the one in my town, Radio Brownsburg. Often times the advertising affordability and publicity opportunities are much greater for community radio stations when compared to the larger stations. Something worth checking out.
 
Internet Radio: Many community and local radio stations also broadcast online at no cost. This means that your marketing dollars are reaching an unlimited number of listeners (as long as they have computer speakers).

Many people ask: How do you get publicity on radio stations?

There are a variety of methods to try. First off, you need to study and listen to the format of the station you have in mind. If you know what type of format they have, you can better pitch an idea to them. If they have a dedicated segment for news, send an email or call the station and ask for the news director, and type or explain your newsworthy story idea or press release. Remember the station’s audience and ask yourself, “Why would they find this interesting or newsworthy?”
 
Other ideas for radio publicity: You can also try offering the station something to give away on the air, which is related to your business (or host an event at your location). Or sponsor a particular segment, and you’ll get your name mentioned before and/or after the segment. Finally, you could call-in or offer to be an expert guest on a segment that relates to their particular topic. To do this, you need to send info in advance which explains what you’ll discuss and why you’re the expert.
 
As you can see, radio can be a very smart marketing investment as long as you keep your audience and your message in mind.

Filed Under: Advertising, Broadcast Advertising, Marketing-Mix, Public Relations, Radio Publicity

Marketing in a Tough Economy: Strategies for successfully Marketing your Business on a Limited Budget

November 9, 2008 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

So the economy is in a little bit of a slump. Customers don’t seem to be buying. What’s a company to do? Here are some low-cost marketing options to try that will hopefully keep you going during these tough times:

  • Increase your advertising: Sounds counter-intuitive, but with less competition out there, now’s the time when your message is more likely to be heard, as people cut their budgets in reaction to decreased or slower sales. If you’re the one reaching those prospects, and your brand is top of mind, they will turn to you when they are in need of a product/service, rather than one of your competitors. Put a little extra dough in your marketing budget and you may see your sales lift off.
  • Offer discounts and coupons: Retailers especially will be using coupons to entice buyers to open their wallets this holiday season. Why not do the same by offering special deals to your customers? Give them a little push to get them in the door and shoppping.
  • Focus on the web and Internet marketing: Maybe now is the time to spend some effort online rather than using traditional or more expensive media such as television or print ads. Optimize your website. Add valuable content. Send out an eNewsletter. Start an inexpensive pay-per-click campaign. All of these options are cost-effective ways to reach your target audience on a dime.
  • Partner / Co-Op marketing/advertising: Find a similar business to team up with and split the costs and offer a joint product/service/solution to the same audience. You can even benefit from using their mailing or customer list, therefore reaching a broader audience than before.
  • Try Public Relations: Although this takes some effort and time (and cost if you outsource it to a professional), and is not a guaranteed way to reach customers, PR can be a cost-effective way to get your message out there and encourage people to buy from you. It also presents your message in an unbiased way since it’s coming from a trusted media source such as a newspaper reporter, rather than from a paid advertisement. 

These are just a few ideas. If you are really strapped for funds and can’t invest in any of the above, I suggest you spend some time developing your marketing plan/strategy, and when the dust settles and you’re able to move forward, you’ll already know what to do.

Best of luck, and let me know how I can help.

Filed Under: Advertising, Budget Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing-Mix, Public Relations, Search Engine Optimization

10 Ways to Get Publicity Now!

August 25, 2008 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

Many of you have expressed a need to gain publicity for your company, but aren’t sure where to start, or how to get the attention of the media. Well, here are ten ideas for publicity which are sure to get your brain churning…

1. Capitalize on a trend or event. Think Texas Hold ‘Em poker, Hurricane Katrina or airport security threats. If the media is already talking about it, and you can somehow relate your company or product/service to the subject, create a story idea around it.

2. Hold a contest. The more unusual the better. Don’t just offer a prize giveaway. Relate it to your product or service. For instance, a hair salon could offer a contest to find the “Worst  hairstyle in town” and ask that entrants submit photos of their worst hairstyles. Offer the winner the opportunity to receive a free hair makeover.  

3. Host a seminar (online or offline). This works particularly well for business media, who are always looking for interesting business events to promote for their monthly calendars. Make sure you describe your event as educational, not promotional.

4. Donate to a cause. If your company has donated a significant amount of money to a nonprofit or is a major sponsor of a charitable event (such as a walk/run or charity ball), media will often mention your name as a sponsor.

5. Leverage client successes (case studies). This works particularly well in trade publications. Talk about your clients’ problem and how your product/service provided a solution to that problem. Many publications actively seek case studies as regular feature stories.

6. Partner with a successful organization. This doesn’t always work, but if you have received the endorsement or have partnered with a large or well-known organization, leverage that relationship by announcing the partnership.

7. Offer a hard-to-beat promotion or sale. Going out of business or relocating and need to get rid of inventory? Mention the sale to the media and you may just get a plug. Try to position the sale around another news story, such as the company’s relocation or expansion.

8. Do something unusual. Think Halloween stores that send employees out in the street in costumes to promote the opening of their seasonal stores. In a small town where something unusual would help you to stand out, you’ll be even more likely to gain coverage. 

9. Educate. Conduct a survey for your industry and offer the results to a reporter. Write an educational article and offer the publication permission to print the article. Many trade publications thrive on contributed articles.

10. Announce a major milestone or innovation. Made it to your 10th year or even better — 50th year in business? Host a celebration or simply announce it to the media. Offer to have them interview your very first client or one that has been with you that long. Or if you have sold your one millionth tennis shoe or some other significant milestone, that in itself can be newsworthy.

The sky is the limit when it comes to ideas for promoting your business through publicity. All it takes is a little creativity and soon you’ll be standing out from the crowd.

Filed Under: Marketing-Mix, Public Relations, Public Relations Ideas

Integrating your Marketing Tactics to improve the Effectiveness of Your Marketing Communications

August 1, 2008 By Susan Young Leave a Comment

I often receive requests only for a particular service that I offer, such as PR or SEO. As I talk to business owners and begin to learn about their sales and marketing strategies and goals, we discover that often choosing just one approach and running with it may not prove as effective. Why?

For one, every marketing, advertising, PR or Internet tactic impacts and is also impacted by another tactic or aspect of the business, such as your:

  • Sales team, messages and strategies
  • Target markets or industry segments 
  • Website 
  • Exhibition at tradeshows or events 
  • Advertising 
  • Direct mail or email marketing
  • Identity and branding 
  • Product packaging or introductions

For true effectiveness, all of these items cannot operate independently of one another because they’re all inter-connected parts of your overall sales and business strategy. So it’s important to look at them together before you make any major decisions.

If you have separate teams or firms working on various parts of your marketing strategy, be sure to keep everyone in the loop and/or hold regular meetings to make sure everyone’s on the same page. This will help align the goals of each tactic with your company’s overall goals.

When you integrate tactics (such as focusing your PR efforts, advertising and direct marketing dollars on a particular audience who may be attending your upcoming tradeshow), you may increase their effectiveness and thus your investment in them.

It may also help to develop an annual marketing plan which incorporates all of the important elements, complete with schedules, budgets, audiences and more, and make sure everyone signs off on it.

Let me know how I can help as you determine which marketing approaches work best for you.

Filed Under: Advertising, Email Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing-Mix, Public Relations, Search Engine Optimization
« Older Posts
AimFire Marketing is an Indianapolis marketing, public relations, website development, search engine optimization and social media marketing agency.