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by
Leslie McKerns
McKerns
Development
 When
it comes to promoting your business, there are two stars: advertising and
publicity.
Which star sparkles brightest in marketing's celestial atmosphere? When it
comes to building a business, the brightest star is publicity. Here's why
publicity dazzles and outshines the rest.
1. Publicity is about
getting buzz and press that you do not pay for, including mention in
magazines, webzines, blogs, newspapers, trade and financial papers.
Advertising is not a product of a publicist. A publicist does not place
stories requiring advertising.
2. A Publicist generates
non-fee based recognition, which means that you are not asked to
exchange advertising dollars for editorial space. The result of
publicity is attention, visibility, market share, recognition and
branding.
3. Publicity is
gained through the hiring and activities of (you guessed it), a
publicist. Think that publicists are only for stars? Think again.
4. Publicity is a
powerful tool for promoting your business. Therefore, a publicist is
most assuredly for business owners. The reason for that is simple.
People pay more attention to what others say about you than what you say
about yourself. We are social beings, and want to trust those with whom
we associate.
5. Publicity is the
most effective, non-fee based activity a company can pursue. There is no
other single activity that can produce such dramatic results, such as an
85% increase in recognition in less than a six month period.
6. A Publicist is
adept at establishing core messages and fundamental corporate goals, and
introducing them to the media and the public through high interest
stories and press releases about products, people, services and
benefits. The reason you read your favorite magazine, newspaper, blog or
online news site is that you expect to find something there that is of
use to you in your life -- it educates, informs, is relevant, useful for
your needs, astonishes or entertains you. The reason you hire a
publicist is to promote your business in a way that fulfills these
expectations.
7. A Publicist knows
how to format and engage interest through press releases and pitches for
highly interesting feature stories that will be written in magazines and
newspapers. The press release is your ticket to the formal affair called
press. As with any ticket, there are rules of engagement, and the press
release is bound by the rules of who, what, when, where and why (as in
why should I care?).
8. A Publicist
understands the reason and purpose of the press release. Press releases
are a precursor to feature stories, because press releases are the
vehicles used to build credibility and understanding of who you are,
what relevant issues your company brings out, what your company stands
for and what products or services you offer that might benefit others.
9. A Publicist understands
what makes a story newsworthy. This is called the Rules of Three -- what
makes a story newsworthy from your perspective, what makes a story
newsworthy from the reader's perspective and what makes a story
interesting and newsworthy from the publication's perspective.
If you want to promote a book,
get an agent. If you want to promote a business, get a publicist.
Publicity builds business -- it is the brightest star in marketing's sky.
Leslie
McKerns, publicist and PR expert for small business,
is owner of McKerns
Development, a Florida based PR, marketing and strategic business
development firm. For testimonials, samples and five unique service
packages to fit the
growth needs of small business owners go to
http://www.freewebs/mckernsdevelopment/
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