30 Days to Online PR and Marketing Success

Gail Z. Martin

30 Days to Online PR & Marketing Success

This book is dedicated to heroic small business owners who gain new skills every day to promote their companies and better serve their clients~~~

It takes a village to create a book. Thanks first of all to my husband, Larry, and my three children, Kyrie, Chandler, and Cody. They graciously support my writing, and cope with the travel required by speaking engagements based on the books. Thanks also to the amazing crew at Career Press for excellent editing and production. And of course, thanks also to my agent, John Willig, and to Randy Peyser at AuthorOneStop, who helped to make the connection.

Author’s Note

A word about the way this book works: If you read 30 Days to Social Media Success or other books in this series, you may find the first six chapters to be familiar. That’s because they lay the groundwork for the rest of the advice in the book. If you’re a new reader, these chapters are essential to get the maximum value from the book. If you’re a returning reader, feel free to review these chapters so that the information is fresh in your mind; you’ll need it going forward.

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Though the author and editors have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy, fitness, applicability, or completeness of the contents of this book, and specifically disclaim any implied warranties, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the editor nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, direct, indirect, punitive, consequential, or other damages arising directly or indirectly from any mentioned product, service, or Website, or from the use of this material, which is provided “as is.” Nothing in this book should be construed as a guarantee of results or earnings. Your results depend on many factors, including your effort and skill. No warranty is made by either the author or the publisher for the performance, effectiveness, or applicability of any sites listed or linked to in this book. The Websites cited in the book and all associated trademarks are the property of their rightful owners. Neither the author nor the publisher control the content on any third-party sites mentioned in the book, and no warranty or guarantee of results is made regarding the products or services offered by third-party sites mentioned in the book. All brand names are the property of their rightful owners.

Foreword

There is some really good news today for small businesses and solo professionals: online marketing and public relations (PR) have changed the way the promotion game is played, and it’s leveled the playing field for small organizations. Just think, before the advent of the Internet, even local marketing required a fairly large budget for postage, printing, and advertising. And forget about trying to compete with bigger companies, because it was nearly impossible for a small, local company to extend its reach beyond its immediate community.

Thanks to the Internet, small businesses and organizations now have access to tools and resources that not only let them look as professional as the “big guys,” but are easy to use and, even more important for small businesses, incredibly affordable. The Internet has made do-it-yourself, template-driven tools, such as Constant Contact’s e-mail marketing, social media marketing, event marketing, and online survey tools, possible. These tools give small businesses the power to not only build strong relationships with current customers but also drive those oh-so-important word-of-mouth recommendations that bring new customers to the table. Furthermore, the Internet has opened global markets for local companies and enabled entrepreneurs to reach larger markets than ever before.

Engaging the customer to build relationships remains at the heart of good online marketing for two simple reasons. First, consumers like to do business with people they’ve gotten to know. Second, we’re a recommendation-based society, and today, getting recommendations from friends, friends of friends, and total strangers is as easy as the click of a button via social networks and ratings/review sites. Online marketing tools make it easy for companies to engage with customers, build relationships, promote their brand, increase their visibility, and position themselves for success.

Here at Constant Contact, we work with more than 450,000 small businesses and organizations, so if there is one thing we know, it’s what small businesses need. I can tell you that Gail Martin has her finger on the small-business pulse. I love 30 Days to Online Marketing and PR Success, because it clearly articulates what small businesses need to know to grasp essential Internet marketing ideas and quickly put them into action. It shows you how to incorporate techniques such as e-mail marketing with other tools, such as social media marketing, mobile advertising, online PR, and search engine optimization, to help your organization succeed. If you want a step-by-step guide to getting started with online marketing, this is the book for you.

– Nancie FreitasChief Marketing OfficerConstant Contact, Inc.

1 Why Most PR and Marketing Fails

Marketing horror stories. You’ve probably heard them. You may have one yourself. These are the stories about how someone tried a marketing technique, sent out a press release, or ran an ad, and “it didn’t work.”

I’ve heard plenty of these stories. And as with most urban legends, there’s usually more to the story than meets the eye. If you’re reading this book, you’re a coach, consultant, speaker, author, or owner of a small business, and you want more from your marketing than you’re currently getting. You may not be marketing at all because your business is new, or because you’re afraid to fail. Or it may be that your marketing is chugging along with mediocre returns or muddled measurement.

Take heart. Marketing isn’t mysterious, and once you understand how the pieces fit together, you’ll be in a better position to market your own company or to oversee someone to handle marketing for you. Let’s start by looking at the seven most common reasons that marketing plans fail.

1. No planning. Many marketing efforts fail because there is no link between the marketing actions and the bottom-line business plan goals that drive revenue. Decision makers get caught up with a vivid, creative idea that isn’t accountable to the bottom line, or because they take a “great deal” offered by a salesperson for a media buy. Marketing without a plan is a disaster waiting to happen.

2. Inappropriate actions. If there is no plan, then marketing actions may conflict with each other. It’s unlikely that scatter-shot actions will support a business plan goal. Disappointing results come about because of a “ready, fire, aim” approach where actions aren’t anchored to business objectives and target audiences. Attempts to copy what a successful competitor is doing without understanding why (or whether) the action is working for them is also a dangerous approach.

3. Lack of clarity about the target market. Blasting out marketing without a clear target is wasteful and unsuccessful. You can’t hit a target if you haven’t identified it. There is a “sweet spot” of potential customers who could become your ideal clients. You’ll need to get to know them to win them.

4. Lack of clear goals. Not only do your marketing actions need to be linked to specific business goals, but each marketing action should be measurable. Build in measurability up front so expectations are clear.

5. Unreasonable expectations. Many people become disillusioned with marketing because they don’t understand the benchmarks for successful programs. For example, most direct mail professionals are thrilled to get a 1-percent response rate. One percent! Yet many small businesses send out a postcard mailing and quit in disgust, expecting a response of 20 percent, 30 percent or more. It’s important to have realistic expectations so you recognize success when you see it.

6. Unclear on how marketing works. For many people, marketing is a lot like a DVD player. They don’t know (and don’t care) how it works. Your odds of creating successful marketing are slim without some knowledge of how the pieces function and the process required to pull the pieces together. On the Internet, new tools are emerging almost daily. Understanding what makes marketing tick is essential whether you’re doing it yourself or delegating it to someone else.

7. Lack of patience. Did you know that marketing research shows that it takes between seven to 30 “touches” to make a sale? Customers won’t buy until they have an urgent need. Until then, all you can do is create name recognition and a good reputation. That’s the value of the Rule of 30. Marketing has a lot in common with farming. You wouldn’t plant seeds one day and go out the next and dig them up in disgust because full grown plants hadn’t sprouted overnight. Seeds take time to sprout. Marketing seeds also take time to grow.

Putting the 30 Day Guide to Use

Marketing success begins with RESULTS. The RESULTS approach stands for:

Recommit to marketing.

Expect success.

Seek partners.

Understand your audience.

Look for win-win scenarios.

Take strategic action.

Stay visible.

In the next 30 days, you can see your social media marketing go from zero to zoom by applying the RESULTS formula.

Recommit to set aside at least 30 minutes each day to developing your social media marketing strategy for the next 30 days. (Thirty minutes is a minimum. Once you get started, you’ll want to spend an hour, so block out the time now.)

Expect success by throwing yourself whole-heartedly into this 30-day commitment. If the little voice in the back of your head keeps saying, “This is ridiculous. This isn’t going to work,” you are programming yourself for failure. Program yourself for success by writing down 30 things you would like to achieve from your online marketing and PR strategy. Some ideas include:

– Reach new ideal prospects who may not know about your product/service and give them an incentive to learn more.

– Gain visibility in local, regional, national and professional media.

– Position your company as the expert and leader in its field.

Considering these three examples, come up with your own list of 30 Success Expectations and keep them handy to check back on.

Seek partners. Success in the online world is just as dependent on partnership and collaboration as in the “real” world. These partners might be trusted vendors on whom you rely for your online marketing tools, ecommerce applications, or PR distribution. They might also be companies in non-competing fields that serve the same customer base with whom you can create products and joint ventures.

Understand your audience in more profitable detail than ever before with the exercises in Chapter 3. Make a list of 30 things you wished you knew about your best customers – and create 30 questions you can use for quizzes, surveys and online discussions.

Look for win-win scenarios. When you select among online PR opportunities, be sure the sites you pick are frequently used by reporters, bloggers, and others in the media.

Take strategic action by putting what you learn in this book to work for you. Be sure to do the exercises at the end of each chapter. Complete all 30 chapter exercises in the next 30 days and watch your online marketing and PR soar!

Stay visible by keeping your name in the press through online PR. Create a list of 30 upcoming events, newsworthy items or announcements you could promote with online PR.

Most people put off doing marketing because they think it’s too difficult or too time-consuming. By using the principles in this book, you’ll do more in 30 minutes a day for 30 days than most business owners do all year. That’s the “Get Results” secret weapon – strategic, consistent effort in pursuit of clear, measurable results.

Results ReminderPlanning + Effort + Consistency = ResultsThe Rule of 30

How many times are your messages “touching” prospects prior to making the sale? How close is that number to 30?

30

Exercises

1. Describe your primary target audience in detail: age, gender, education, location, income, key concerns, hobbies, aspirations, etc.

2. Justify why this is your primary audience. Now identify your secondary audience and explain why it’s in second place. Look at your answers. Are they consistent with your ideal customer? With your current customers? How are they alike and different?

2 The Most Powerful Online PR and Marketing Tool: The Business Plan

If the idea of creating a business plan makes your eyes glaze over, don’t worry. This chapter isn’t about the kind of detailed business plan you’d need to get a loan from a bank or money from a venture capitalist. In fact, the kind of business plan I’m going to show you just might be the most dynamic document you’ve ever created, and it is likely to be the most profitable.

If you’ve already written a business plan, dust it off and take a look at it. If it’s more than two years old, its shelf life has expired. Why? Consumer expectations are constantly changing in response to economic conditions, new technology, and lifestyle shifts. So be prepared to make some changes in your approach to assure that it’s up to date.

If you’ve never written a business plan, you’re about to find out how to make it your most powerful marketing tool. Pull out a pad of paper and a pen and let’s get started.

Define Success in Your Own Terms

Start off by defining what you mean by “success” for the next 12 months. Success can mean different things to different people. Your definition should be what will satisfy you, and it’s likely to evolve through time. But unless you know what your success target is for the immediate future, you won’t know when you’ve hit the mark.

Here are some ways to define business success for any given year:

– Profit.

– Market share.

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