Carson and Company

Get the most from all your media

It’s time to tear down all those walls in the office that keep departments separate. For example, let the IT people, or web people work with the publicity staff. If you source out any of these to a pr firm, or agency then have a meeting where they can discuss their projects and objectives and what plans are set for the future.

Let’s start with your company’s existing web site.

Maybe it is an eCommerce site, or an informative site to explain your services and products. Even if it is a B2B site, you need to break down the walls in your office (figuratively that is) as well as those in your mindset. The site needs to improve sales and visibility. Publicity can help if given the chance. Not all pr clients and professional publicity people can relate or understand how to make this work. Why, because everyone is caught up in doing business as usual, or old school thinking. The saying " don’t fix it if it isn’t broken" does not apply here.

I am trying to get you to think out of the box. There is a simple test to do for analyzing your web sites home page. Jamie Roche wrote an article telling people how to improve their home page visibly. After reading this you may say, well I don’t have an eCommerce site; we sell to distributors, or dealers, etc. You’re missing the point if you think like that.

It’s time to have this meeting I discussed with the PR department and IT department. Need help in trying to find how PR can make things happen for the web site? If you need help, then it’s time to bring in an outside pro. We can discuss this with you and show how to make things happen. I’m only a call away, or an email away. Just click on the Contac Us on the left of this page. And we’ll be right over.

See Also

• Making all your efforts work together
  Publicity and web marketing can bring results

Staying ahead of the competition

It is an on-going struggle to keep a business profitable. For that reason alone, you need to make sure you have a plan that includes all the marketing tools and publicity programs available. Whether you are a publicity agency, a pr client, or a marketing company, you need to implement some of these suggestions:

• Keep in touch with clients. Sounds simple. How many times this year have you contacted a client just to see how things are? One suggestion is to draft a letter that can be sent to all customers. Ask if your company can be of further service, or if they have any questions about a recent order you sent to them. This can be generic, but the intro and the addressee should be personalized.

• Flyers or Postcards. Another excellent way to stay in touch. Use flyers or postcards to let your prospects and existing clients know about any new products or services you are offering. Unlike a letter that is more formal, these get read faster and can generate more immediate responses.

• Internet marketing. Use email to keep them informed. You can convert a postcard or create a flyer that can be sent as an email. Don’t forget about your web site. Make sure it is informative. What, you don’t have a site! And if you do, when was the last time it was updated? Keeping content fresh is important in today’s web marketing.

These are just a few ideas that should help you get back on track. Communication is important. This is another reason why a publicity campaign should be part of your overall media mix.

See Also

• Learn how to make publicity work for you
  Use all the communication tools

Publicity is Everywhere Series

I’ve mentioned Multi-Tasking earlier, but now I am going to tell you that unless pr clients and their public relations agencies are aware of the craze, you might fall behind in your market.

Let’s review the latest area of multi-tasking. Ever watch a teen at a computer? If not, this is a typical teen. They are very much into the "Social Networking" scene. Just like we refer to the peer-to-peer, which is the technology that you receive an email from a business colleague or friend asking to join a "network", teens are into social networking. For example, many business people are probably involved in networks such as Plaxo, Soflow, or Linkin.

Teens have the ability to multitask while at the computer. They can be answering and speaking to someone in a "chat", while downloading music, and talking on their cell phone. This is nothing unusual to them.

Now that you know this, as a pr client, or as a marketing publicity company, you should focus on this networking of teens. Make sure that social networking is part of your business-marketing plan. Obliviously, your company, or product needs to be something that would appeal to teens. This still works with adults, when you discover their networking patterns.

Since 1995, social networks have grown from the original site of Classmates.com to a wide array of sites that add up to over 200 social networks today. Even Google launched one in 2004 called orkut. And recently in March, Yahoo made the move of its own network called Yahoo 360. So don’t think this is going to fade out next year. Just like blogging was thought to be a short-lived fad, it has grown into a major marketing tool for businesses.

See Also

• Social networking
  Multitasking mix with publicity