Writing a business book is on your to-do list, keep these points in mind to ensure you get the most out of it.
The other day an old friend messaged me on Facebook. They were looking for 150 presentation boxes (bear with me). The boxes had to be this wide, this deep and this high. And white. And preferably glossy.
Um…I thought. Why is this old friend asking me about presentation boxes?
I just replied, “Nice to hear from you, I have no idea. Won’t Google tell you everything you need to know about presentation box suppliers?”
Yes, Google will
I spent a hell of a lot of time on the phone. I was publicising major events, calling journalists all day and pitching stories about my clients. I could make 30 calls in a day if I was working on a large scale publicity campaign.
But I began to lose my voice and was worried I’d lose my livelihood with it.
I’m always looking for the break-through commentary my clients can use to become voices of authority. I was talking to a client I am mentoring this week, who made a surprising comment about their market.
Surprising opinions require further investigation!
Limelight Moments are exceptional events or activities that can be leveraged to help you stand out from the crowd.
As a publicist, I’m always looking for the Limelight Moments in a business. Not sure what a Limelight Moment is?
Yesterday I met a small business owner in the health industry who spoke about her father’s business style. Then today an executive talked to me over coffee about their dad, who owned businesses in the UK. I started thinking about the limitations or standards we give ourselves because of how we saw dad or mum doing business.
This message is for anyone who’s under the radar but knows they deserve more attention. There are so many new channels for sharing our business messages and telling our stories.
One recent Monday I was having a cup of tea with a business journalist. He knows my business pretty well. He remarked, “You can only work with clients you believe in don’t you?” He was right. I have to value what my clients are doing and saying. I’ve never found a way to back something or someone I don’t personally believe in.
Yesterday I received a generic email from someone I know. I’ve used his services but am not needing them anymore. I was about to unsubscribe to his emails. Then I thought to myself, this guy knows my business quite well and I know his. We’ll probably both be in business for many years to come. He sends me a friendly update, what’s my problem with that? I get to hear what his business is doing and this is a chance to say hi and wish him all the best.
I’m not unsubscribing.
This week a business owner told me they were putting on a marketing assistant. I’m hearing this quite a lot lately. In fact, I’ve heard it so often this year I’m going to call it a trend.
Don’t get me wrong I have no trouble with a business getting its marketing sorted. My problem is with business owners not taking personal responsibility for being the public voice of the business. Are you about to let a marketing assistant become the voice of the business?
Are you AWOL in your own business?
I had a call from a business owner who feels left behind by her competitors. Here’s what she said; “They’re out there getting attention instead of us and what they’re saying isn’t even very good.” Ouch. It’s as if there’s a party on, and you haven’t been invited.
Last week I overheard someone say publicity and media coverage were to be feared by the intelligent business owner; because media need to simplify you.Their view of you needs to be two dimensional; indeed –they might ignore the very things you uniquely bring to your business.
It seems everyone you talk to is writing a business book (or thinking about it).
First, some credentials. I’ve seen a lot of business books; and publicised many. I’ve run media campaigns for self-published books as well as books published by traditional publishers.
Why are you thinking about writing a business book?
Do you keep a close eye on the competition? Or do you go boldly where nobody’s been before? Are your clients looking for the same product and price from you that they can get elsewhere or are they looking for an Industry Original?
The first time I watched the new Tourism Australia ad, three words immediately came to mind; ‘the gentle wow.’ Gentle and wow aren’t usually playmates but together they described the feelings I had right then. What a treat, to receive a gentle wow.
Pssssst – wanna buy a used media list? Have you ever noticed people treating lists of media contacts like gold – or should I say, like copper?
How long do you think you have to catch someone’s attention during a phone pitch?
Most people may not know the TED series of events began all the way back in 1984. But it’s only since 2006 that we’ve had online access to the TED talks.
Forget Event Publicity 101. Let’s do Event Publicity 1001 and see if we can’t fast-track event publicists with a few things I’ve learned in more than 20 years of event publicity. People don’t seem to understand how event publicity works best. They don’t get how much the publicist needs to know about the people involved to get a great campaign up. It’s not a one-size-fits-all occasion – no matter how big and well-known your event is. And don’t presume media will dig through your program, guest list or ambassadors list; Google names and come up with story angles. No way. If you’re a publicist or event organiser – that’s your job.