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“Accept the recession or get aggressive” seminar

What if the phone doesn’t ring and customers don’t come through the door?  Flick off the lights and fold or get aggressive?

 

“Accept the recession or get aggressive” is a two hour seminar which outlines new proactive ways of winning new business. The workshop is set for Wednesday, March 25, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and will be held at 25 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 200, Braintree. 

 

The objective and informational panel presentation will feature Ken Cheo, a seasoned sales consultant and director of Winfree Business Advisors based in Braintree, Mass.; Sean Lobdell, CEO of the new media and marketing firm Stainless Communications, Inc. based in Lynn, Mass.; and Steve Dubin, President of PR Works, a direct response public relations firm based in Kingston, Mass.

 

Topics to be discussed include how to find the right customers; how to duplicate your best customers; how to generate warm leads; and when to fire bad clients.  Additionally, the panel will outline step-by-step ways to combine a consistent marketing strategy with effective sales tactics.

 

“Participants should walk away from this workshop with a new perspective on the today’s sales and marketing landscape,” noted Ken Cheo.  He added, “This will open eyes and provide specific and immediate suggestions to transform the business development process.”

 

The fee for the event is $20 per person and the entire proceeds will be donated directly to the Marshfield Boys & Girls Club.  A complimentary Continental breakfast will be served.  Reservations are required and can be made by contacting Ken Cheo, (781) 930-3220 or kcheo@winfree.org

 

 

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Repurposing your press releases

Joe D'Eramo
Joe D'Eramo

(Editor’s note – Thanks to Joe D’Eramo who gave us permission to REPURPOSE this article.)

So, you want to get some publicity for your company’s latest product, new hire, move, whatever the topic. You put out a press release with the ultimate goal of getting some type of coverage. And while that type of free media is great, there are a number of other uses for a press release.

For starters, besides sending the release to media outlets, there are any number of free press release submission sites out there. For example, prfree.com. Submitting your release on these sites with a link back to your Web site can improve your place in the search engine rankings.

Speaking of rankings, by all means your press releases should go on your Web site’s news room. If you don’t have a newsroom, you should have one. It’s a great place to store press releases and any coverage you might get.

One more thing about press releases on your own Web site. Since releases are generally on a topic for which you want your company to be known, it’s a great opportunity to load up on keywords. That means the press release you send out to the media doesn’t necessarily have to be verbatim from the one you post on your site. You can load that one up with extra keywords and keyword phrases to improve your search engine rankings.

If you’re writing your press releases in a tone and format where a newspaper could easily run it verbatim, it’s quite easy to repurpose the news release for some other use. For example, a bylined article. All it takes is changing the format slightly—take the “For Immediate Release” dateline and boiler plate and you have the making of a short article suitable for a company newsletter or e-zine.

For companies that have their own blogs, news releases can also quite easily be converted to blog material. There are also dozens of free submission sites for articles. Again, if you link the article back to your company Web site, you have another vehicle for boosting your search engine rankings.

Ironically, you don’t have to repurpose the news release altogether to give it even more power. A press release makes an invaluable collateral piece, particularly if it’s informative in nature. It’s often a nice leave-behind piece for your sales force. You can even use it as a quasi company newsletter for your employees and your clients.

In fact, sending press releases to clients and employees is one underutilized way to get the full benefit of a press release. Employees certainly appreciate being kept in the loop. You’d be surprised how few companies keep their employees abreast of breaking news.

As for clients, it’s a perfect way to stay in touch in between newsletters, if you have one of those. It can almost act as a substitute for one if you don’t. A press release can remind your client base of not only of what you’re doing, but new or other services you offer that they might not know about.

Ideally, a press release gets you in the press. Repurposing your press release for other media gives you the most bang for your press release buck.

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Seven Deadly Business Clichés That Need to be Stopped

A green light to drawing traffic to your Web site

(Note: Larry Rice, Director of Business Development, for Rodman & Rodman, P.C. authored this topic. We thought PR Pointer readers would enjoy it.)

OK, it is January.  This is when we rid ourselves of old baggage and begin again. What is that phrase – “Out with the old and in with the new?”

Well I am going to focus on getting rid of the old this month.  Specifically, I would like to propose my list of seven business clichés that need to get kicked to the curb. If you see any that you use, don’t feel guilty. I use nearly all of these phrases myself. But it needs to be stopped, for a variety of reasons:

They sound pretentious; They don’t really mean anything; They no longer mean what they were originally intended to mean; and They’re annoying as hell.

I won’t bother putting these in some sort of order or ranking. Take them for what they are:  Overused clichés that need to take a two decade vacation, or longer.

#1 “Solution” – Everything everyone does these days is a solution, but is it really?  When someone provides you a solution, does it end up being the correct answer? That is what I think a solution is; it is an answer. Time for ‘solution’ to go.

#2 “Re-invented” – You cannot re-invent anything. See, I am already annoyed. Only one person or group gets to invent something. Everyone else is either changing that invention or improving it.

#3 “Just my 2 cents” – This one simply needs to be adjusted for inflation. We should at least be up to a buck and a quarter by now.

#4 “Organic growth” – Am I the only one who gets visions of unsightly molds when they hear this cliché used? I get so distracted by the visual I don’t hear a single thing said after that phrase is uttered. We cannot have that. Good bye.

#5 “At the end of the day” – This one has British roots I believe, but so does the English language so I am not blaming anyone from the United Kingdom for this one. All I know is that at the end of the day, you go home and that is what one should focus on – Heading home to your reason for working and building a business in the first place: Your family.

#6 “Thinking outside of the box” – I am sure someone knows the etymology of this phrase, and I admit I use this phrase a lot, but I am going to stop. Largely because I think there is a better word we should use more: Creativity. Just saying the word beckons more open thinking to me. Boxes? They should be recycled – end of story.

#7 “Throw him under the bus” – Last but not least is this classic.  You can thank me later – but some day you are going to be talking with someone important to your business that has actually had a loved one hit by a bus. You will be so thankful that “THUTB” was out of your cliché repertoire when you do.

So there they are. You have your own I am sure.  Think about the phrases you say a lot, maybe too much. Then find a new way of saying it.  If you catch me using these, confront me. I’ll appreciate it I assure you.

Footnote:
Larry Rice, Director of Business Development, for Rodman & Rodman. The company was founded in 1961, Rodman & Rodman, P.C. provides accounting, tax and business services to small and medium-sized companies throughout New England.  With a focus on strategic planning, Rodman & Rodman goes beyond traditional accounting services and takes a proactive approach when serving clients to increase, preserve and sustain clients’ financial net worth.  For more details, please see www.Rodmancpa.com.

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PR Works meets with TV star Christopher Lowell at DirectBuy national convention in San Francisco.

Joe D'Eramo (left) and Steve Dubin (right) with Christopher Lowell.
PR Works Joe D'Eramo (left) and Steve Dubin (right) with Christopher Lowell.

DATELINE: KINGSTON, MA…

PR Works founder Steve Dubin (Kingston, Mass. resident) and account manager Joe D’Eramo (Plymouth resident) recently met with TV star Christopher Lowell at the national convention for their mutual client DirectBuy.  The convention was held in San Francisco and attended by more than 1,500 DirectBuy staff members.

Lowell, a decorator and television personality, is the host of It’s Christopher Lowell! and the Christopher Lowell Show for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2000.

Christopher Lowell has become a household name and has appeared appearing on The Hollywood Squares. DirectBuy provides members access to twelve room settings created by Christopher Lowell.  Lowell will host an upcoming series on Fine Living Channel called Work That Room with Christopher Lowell.

PR Works met with Lowell to discuss a variety of public relations initiatives to expand awareness of DirectBuy. PR Works develops visibility programs for the more than 160 DirectBuy stores that are located in the United States and Canada.

Held from November 22 to 25 at the San Francisco Marriott, DirectBuy’s conference, appropriately titled the Brilliance by the Bay, brought DirectBuy center owners, staff and vendors from across the U.S. and Canada. Besides awards banquets, keynote speakers, the conference provided a team-building opportunity.

“DirectBuy executives and staff are energized to create new business opportunities and continue to grow their brand,” noted Dubin. He added, “The conference underscored the unique niche that DirectBuy can offer to consumers – buying at manufacturers’ price can save an enormous amount of money and should be a fun, positive experience.”

As the leading members-only showroom and home design center, DirectBuy offers manufacturer-direct pricing on products ranging from light fixtures to televisions to kitchen cabinets, all from more than 700 manufacturers and their authorized suppliers. DirectBuy also offers design services to its members, as well as a listing of local contractors who offer installation services to DirectBuy members, many times at a discounted rate.

PR Works offering The Works

For 18 years, PR Works has been providing a wide expanse of public relations services including strategic PR planning, news releases, feature story development, media placement, media coaching, newsletters, case studies, grand opening management, product and service launch management, press tours, and press conference management.  In addition to public relations, PR Works provides complete marketing services such as brochure development, advertising campaigns, direct mail, and telemarketing.

Visit the new website at www.prworkzone.com.  For FREE brochures entitled “How to Talk to the Press”, “Making Newsletters Noteworthy”, and “Seminars Lead to Motivated Prospects”, please contact Steve Dubin at (781) 582-1061, sdubin@prworkzone.com, 51 Lot Phillips Road, Kingston, MA.

PR Works meets with TV star Christopher Lowell at DirectBuy national convention in San Francisco.Read More

It is that THANKING TIME OF YEAR.

 

In taking an ever so brief pause, here are THANKFUL thoughts:

Thanks for editors who return our calls.

Thanks for editors who don’t require us to call.

Thanks for coverage that is included online and can be repurposed.

Thanks for clients who respond to emails.

Thanks for online news sites that spider so well.

Thanks for online press lists that get us direct to the right editor.

Thanks for flights that take off on time. And land early.

Thanks for fast speed Internet connections at Panera Bread.

Thanks for networking groups that deliver new opportunities.

Thanks for BRIEF teleconference calls.

Thanks for recognition when deserved, criticism when needed.

Thanks for colleagues, clients and encounters that make us laugh.

Thanks for our families who tolerate our hours, moods and distractions.  

 

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PR Works becomes a Constant Contact Business Partner and offers full e-Newsletter services

E-newsletter service is now only a click away. PR Works, a public relations and marketing firm based in Kingston, Mass. and serving clients throughout the U.S., has become a Constant Contact Business Partner and offers full e-Newsletters, including writing, design and dissemination.

As a business partner, PR Works has the capability to create and manage Constant Contact email campaigns for clients, which in turn enables their clients to very inexpensively and consistently stay in front of their existing customer base and network. In this way, PR Works’ clients are better able to solidify their customer relationships while potentially generating new business leads.

Utilizing Constant Contact’s marketing tools, PR Works is able to develop, design and disseminate e-newsletters, surveys and other promotional materials via email to recipients who have opted-in to a client’s Constant Contact mailing list. After an email has been delivered, PR Works is able to see how many recipients opened, clicked and forwarded the email by generating a Constant Contact campaign report. Constant Contact subscriber reports enable the company to track new and removed contacts and more. Constant Contact, which has a strict “no SPAM” policy, maintains all email lists, automatically adding and removing recipients who opt-in and out of email subscription.

According to Steve Dubin, president of PR Works, “A business’ existing customer base and network is a valuable commodity. Staying in front of clients online helps keep that bond intact by virtue of regular interaction. As a Constant Contact business partner, we take the marketing chore of creating, distributing and tracking e-newsletters and other materials off our clients’ plates so they can concentrate on what they do best.”

He continued, “We have the capability to analyze results from each mailing which helps us to determine what works for each client. Then we factor it into strategic development of their PR campaign.”

Short, informational e-newsletters that provide tips or inform customers of news or events enable PR Works clients to circumvent the postage, printing, graphic design and mailhouse service cost of traditionally printed newsletters. PR Works assists with the strategy, development and consistent production of e-newsletters and other promotional materials on their clients’ behalf.

The company provides Constant Contact capability to clients who are on retainer and also to those opting for a la carte public relations and marketing services.

For more information, contact PR Works at 781-582-1061 or visit www.prworkzone.com.

PR Works offering The Works

PR Works Public Relations agency offers a wide expanse of public relations services including strategic PR planning, news releases, feature story development, media placement, media coaching, newsletters, case studies, grand opening management, product and service launch management, press tours, and press conference management. In addition to public relations, PR Works provides complete marketing services such as brochure development, e-mail campaigns, advertising campaigns, direct mail, and telemarketing.

PR Works is headquartered in Kingston, MA. For more information, visit www.prworkzone.com or contact (781) 582-1061.

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Blog on and cash in on the traffic

In a previous blog, we talked about blogging as a means to generating traffic on your Web site. Here’s a little more detailed explanation as to why.

Blogs provide you with the opportunity to showcase your expertise in a more casual, less salesy forum. With a little research on the keywords that people are searching for in your area of expertise, you can create keyword-heavy blogs that can generate search engine traffic.

Besides helping more people find your site via the search engines, a blog, if written well and with useful content, can make those visitors stick around your site a bit longer. Perhaps even visit again on their own if the blog information is useful and updated on a regular basis.

So, you’re probably saying, who’s got time to run a business and blog. The answer is that you can probably repurpose existing information.  It is likely that you already have an abundance of material you could convert into a short 150 to 300-word blog. Press releases, E-newsletters, announcements, some Web content, brochure content and ads can all be repurposed into blog content. Just remember that blogs on a business site should be there to inform. If you can achieve that goal, the sales will come.

PR Works helps clients maintain a consistent page one online search presence with a variety of efforts, including planning and posting blog entries.  Contact us if we can help you with basic blogging and tackling.

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Your Web site: A 24/7/365 PR Agent…if you use it right.

The Web can be your full-time, round the clock PR agent. If you’re not driving traffic to that site, it’s the proverbial tree falling with nobody to hear it: you’re not making any noise.

There are many affordable ways to drive traffic to your Web site, such as:

  • Blogs – A great place for keyword rich content on your areas of expertise to drive search engine traffic to your site.
  • Ezine or e-newsletters – whether it’s weekly, monthly or even quarterly, by sending out an e-newsletter to existing or potential customers with a link back to your Web site, you can get a substantial amount of traffic.
  • News room – create a newsroom on your Web site to post your press releases. Again, keyword rich content about your area of expertise can only help draw traffic.
  • Press release online distribution sites – PR Web and other online distribution sites give you the opportunity to link back to your site. Because sites like this have so many sites linked to it, your press releases do very well in the search engines.
  • Article sites – just like online distribution sites, article sites give you a chance to post articles and link back to your site. Just like blogs, you can include keyword heavy content to improve your search engine rankings.
  • Reciprocal links – by having other Web sites post a link to your site on their Web site, you can increase traffic to your site and improve your search engine rankings.
  • E-mail signatures – always use an e-mail signature that includes your Web site. You’d be surprised how much traffic this can draw from the curious people you correspond with.

The difference between having a Web site and a Web presence is traffic. Unfortunately, many businesses think that just by building a Web site, the people will come. That only happens in the movies. If you want them to come to your Web site, you’ve got to make it easy for visitors to get there. By following some or all of the above steps, you can be the designated driver.

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Refuse to Participate in the Recession

 

You can either let the economy define your business or you can create your own path!

Consider FREE news coverage as one of your first opportunities.  But what is news?  How do you package it?  Who do you send it to?

Let’s start with what are the hot buttons for real news that will generate real coverage. What is a feature story in the Local Daily Tribune worth? The Nearby Big City Business Journal?  The Weekly Chronicle?  Thousands or more.

This “editor approved” information is said to have 10 times the impact of traditional, paid advertising.  Public relations helps “position” your company as the “top of the mind” choice and “innovator” in your field.  This brand name recognition and expert position will pave the way for new and expanded business.

In effect, the media blows your horn for you and, if well orchestrated, you can name the tune.

  • Milestones
    Example – 1,000th giddy customers, 2,000 handshakes

  • Anniversary
    Example – # of years in business

  • Gold Standard Student
    Example – Work with the local high school to recognize exceptional students and give them recognition.

  • Community involvement
    Example – Take a bow when donating either money or services.

  • New key staff or additional training or promotion
    Example – Announce a new manager, seminar attendance, new title.

  • New technologies
    Example – Announce new software breakthrough, etc.

  • Trends
    Example – How is this impacting modern day life.

  • Human interest
    Example – Unusual stories of hope, inspiration, humor.

  • Useful tips
    Example – How can someone better use your service/product.

  • Special day or event
    Example – Create your own celebration day.

Your local daily newspaper may print the article this week. Your community weekly may run it next week.  The regional business journal may not have space for it until next month.  Yet, the cumulative effect is “time released” visibility. 

News releases are often the catalyst for bigger, feature stories.

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