by
Carolyn
Moncel
Mondave
Communications
Have
you ever heard the saying, "One person's trash is another person's
treasure?" Well, that statement is a true one, but never more so than
in the realm of media relations where so many small-business owners find
it so difficult to garner media coverage for themselves or their
companies. Allow me to illustrate my point below in an actual incident
that happened to one of my clients and the lessons we learned from this
experience.
One day a new client approached me about getting media coverage for her
company. She had tried writing and submitting press releases on her own
but with little luck and decided that it was time to contact a media
relations company. We made an appointment to meet and we discussed her
business and brainstormed about ways in which to secure coverage in a
creative and affordable way. During that meeting and subsequent other
ones, I became very familiar with her business and learned why she was so
successful. But it was in a casual conversation, which had little to do
with her business, that I learned about the information that would allow
me to secure news coverage for my new client.
This particular client is a visual arts designer and runs a very
successful business in the Midwest, but her one true passion since
childhood is gymnastics. She participated in the sport as a child. She
still follows the sport on television and even incorporates the sport into
the name of her company. I learned that she liked to have people take
photographs of her performing handstands near historic structures, and
that she had done this all around the country.
It was through that conversation that I learned that she even had a photo
taken of her performing a handstand just outside of the World Trade Center
several years ago. I asked her why she hadn't shared this information with
me earlier and she said, "It was such a little thing that I really
didn't think it was very important."
In reality, it was that little-known fact that sealed the deal for local
newspaper coverage. When I spoke with the reporter, I was able to
strategically mention this "little" fact to the reporter and
explain that I could supply the actual photo. It mattered less to the
reporter that this client was a self-published author and ran a successful
business. While all of that information was great, it was the World Trade
Center photo that peaked the reporter's interest. In the end, instead of
receiving a small blurb in the newspaper, which was what we really
expected, she in turn got a front-page story complete with her photo and
references to both her business and her love for gymnastics. Plus, this
was a very affordable decision because the client could never have
afforded an advertisement the size of that article generated.
The point that I'm trying to make is this. Sometimes small-business owners
need to depend on the services of communication companies in order to
secure media coverage. But whether you are dealing with a big agency or a
boutique agency or a freelancer, it's always important to share every
detail because sometimes it's the little details, which can make or break
a story.
Carolyn
Davenport-Moncel is president and founder of Mondave Communications, a
global marketing and communications firm based in Chicago and Paris, and
a subsidiary of MotionTemps, LLC. Contact her at carolyn@motiontemps.com
or by phone in the United States at 877.815.0167 or 011.331.4997.9059 in
France. Visit her website at www.motiontemps.com.
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