What Are You Doing At Strange Hours?

August 19, 2008

It’s 4:45 a.m. on a Tuesday, and I just put three loads of laundry into the
washing machine. You may think I’m nuts, but this way I get it over with right away.

I’m usually up early. It allows me to get a lot of copywriting done
before my phone starts ringing. Plus, I can deal with East Coast media issues happening in their time.

What are you doing early in the morning or late at night?

If you are spending many, unnecessary hours in front of the TV or sleeping,
you may want to rethink your schedule.

Just by reducing the amount of time you spend on the couch or in “snoozeville,” you could grow your business by thousands of dollars!

Think about it. By adding one hour of writing, reading, learning, marketing,
or strategic planning to your day, you get an additional 20 hours per month - about 240 hours per year!

That’s a total of 10 whole days! (And how much is that to you in $ per hour?)

That’s a lot of extra time that can give you the competitive edge you need in today’s economy.

It’s Worth it to Change Your Patterns

So the next time you decide to crash in front of some meaningless television program, or hit the “snooze” button one more time, take a moment to think.

By making simple changes to your regular pattern (and being a little more
disciplined), you can get a lot more accomplished.

And ultimately, this will mean you can spend less time stressing about your business and more time enjoying higher profits and success!

If you’d like more tips to help you boost sales with publicity and online copywriting, please contact me below or visit www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to help you out!

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Enter Awards for Great Publicity-Part 2

August 14, 2008

On Tuesday, I told you a little bit about entering awards to help boost publicity. Now, if you are not a good writer, you may want to have a different team member or freelancer work on the application for you.

 

Do You Have the Time? 

While many award-applications request very little information, others can require essays, business-growth statistics, photos, interviews, videos, and more. It can take some time to review requirements, gather appropriate data, write responses, and prepare the actual entry.

 

Prepare in Advance 

To make it easier, you may want to add the award-entry deadlines to your yearly calendar. This way, you can set time aside in advance to prepare a great entry and improve your chances of winning.

 

Now, you may avoid award entries due to the time and resources necessary for the applications. But you are missing out on a great opportunity – especially if you own a relatively unknown company.

 

Not only is the potential publicity worth thousands in advertising dollars, but you simply can’t purchase the third-party recognition. Don’t forget that if you win, you can entice new customers with your award credibility in your marketing materials and website copy!

 

If you’d like more information on copywriting or PR, feel free to comment below or visit www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to hear from you! 

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Enter Awards for Great Publicity

August 12, 2008

One way to build credibility and awareness for your small business is to enter awards. And while some take longer than others to apply, it can be well worth the effort.

If you win or become a finalist, you can promote this news to potential customers and mention the award in your marketing efforts. It gives you third-party credibility that you simply can’t buy.

To start, look for awards specific to your industry. Then, review awards catering to small businesses as a whole.

You’ll also want to look at unique awards related to customer service, marketing, human resources, and other areas where your team excels.

Here are a few examples:

The American Business Awards (The Stevie Awards)

The Ernst & Young Awards

Winning Workplaces Best Boss Award

Human Resources Executive of the Year

Conduct some online searches for awards specific to your business, industry, products, and services. There are hundres of possibilities available!

I’ll give you some time to find some appropriate awards. Then, please check back on Thursday for more award-entry prep tip.

In the meantime, feel free to contact me with your copywriting and PR questions below or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help!

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Are Reporters Responding to You?

August 7, 2008

 

If you are contacting reporters and mailing media packets on a regular basis without getting responses, are you:

 

  1. Sending information all about your company’s products and services rather than offering valuable information to each media member?  

  2. Focusing on features and not benefits?  

  3. Bothering reporters with repetitive phone calls, e-mails and mailings?  

  4. Sending hundreds of packets without targeting each media venue and reporter?  

  5. Spending a lot of time and money?

 

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you need to stop and revise your strategy.

 

Before you contact any media members, it’s important for you to know what they focus on and how you can provide them with unique and interesting information.

 

For example, you can:

 

-        Prepare information that offers benefits specifically for their audience.

 

-        Offer yourself as an expert resource for future stories.

 

-        Give them an exclusive case study specific to their readers.

 

-        Write a press release that focuses on the benefits of your products and services and more!

 

These are just a few ideas, and there are many ways to capture media attention. It’s a matter of always asking “What’s in it for them?”

 

By targeting a unique pitch to a specific media member’s needs, you’ll establish yourself as a valuable resource and get more press mentions.

 

But if you continue to focus on simple selling your products and services alone, you’ll be waiting a long time for your phone to ring!

For help with your media relations and copywriting, feel free to write to me below or contact me at www.rembrandtwrites.com. Thanks!

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Get Outside Input to Boost Sales

August 5, 2008

When was the last time you shared an article, publicity piece, website copy, or marketing document with a co-worker, expert or associate? If your business is in a rut, it may be time to get an outside opinion.

 

It’s easy to get “too close” to your business and marketing messages and miss some major mistakes that may be costing you sales.

 

Perhaps your website has broken links?

Maybe there is a grammatical issue on your press release or brochure?

 

By having the appropriate outsiders review your information they can help you see your materials with “fresh eyes.”

 

With this in mind, share your pertinent materials with people who will provide honest answers and valuable input. Then, ask them appropriate questions such as the following:

 

  1. What is the overall message you receive from this piece?
  2. How does it make you feel?
  3. After reading it, do you know what you are supposed to do next?
  4. Is it interesting? If not, where did you lose interest?
  5. Did you see any blatant errors?
  6. Did all of the links work?
  7. Is there anything we can add or subtract from this piece to make it stronger?
  8. What suggestions do you have for improving this website, brochure, etc?
  9. Do you have any other comments you would like to provide about this piece?

In return for their time, perhaps you can offer a free e-report, special discount or other thank-you gift?

 

And once you have the responses, review them carefully. Then, make the pertinent changes as soon as possible. You may be surprised to see that your piece has blatant errors that you have overlooked for months!

 

Now, this may seem time consuming, but it is well worth it. By having others regularly review your work, you can present a stronger message and more professional appearance. And this will help boost credibility and sales for first-time visitors, media members and potential new customers.

 

For more information and assistance with your copywriting, feel free to write to me below or visit www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help! Thanks.

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Hot Air and PR - The Story Continues

July 31, 2008

On Tuesday, I started to share my hot air balloon story and left off with the balloon heading into the trees below…

We were going down and it seemed like we would touch the rooftops. Dogs barked and neighbors came out to wave at us from below.

Soon, we were floating just a few hundred feet above the valley floor covered with wild foliage. It seemed like we were getting way too close to the ground!

But I had complete confidence in the pilot. He was waiting for a specific wind path. He was patient and knew exactly what he was doing. Suddenly, he blasted the balloon with hot air.

A Happy Ending

Soon, we were floating up in the right direction and away from the trees. And just moments later, we landed right on our target with a smooth touchdown.

The chase truck was right there, and we climbed out of the basket. It was an exhilarating experience!

Relating to PR

So how does this experience relate to PR?

At first, you can be very excited about promoting your products and services. You prepare what you are going to say and who you are going to contact.

Then, you do the work, and the media clippings start to come in. Reporters and editors want to talk to you, and you give them exactly what they want. You get into the balloon basket and start to soar.

But if you are not careful, and “keep your head in the clouds,” you can get caught by surprise and see your publicity efforts deflate fast.

Perhaps your competitors come out with a new product and steal your media buzz? Maybe you stop working hard and let press opportunities pass by?

When was the last time you boosted your PR with a blast of air?

The point is that you need to constantly work on your publicity efforts and hone your interview and media-relations skills. This way, you will know what to do in crisis situations and be aware of what is going on in your industry at all times.

It can be difficult to be “up” all the time in the fast-paced, and often less than positive, media world.

But if you prepare your PR plan, focus on your goals and constantly work towards achieving them, you will experience the exhilaration of a fantastic media ride that can help your business boost sales, awareness and credibility fast!

If you’d like help you with your PR and copywriting, please visit www.rembrandtwrites.com.

And if you’d like to take a fantastic, hot air balloon ride with customer-focused, experienced experts, please check out http://www.californiadreamin.com/!

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Are You Full of Hot Air? How It Can Help your PR

July 29, 2008

Recently, I went on my first hot air balloon ride. It was a lifelong dream, and I was really looking forward to the peace and tranquility of floating through the air without thinking about work.

But I couldn’t help but make an analogy between the flight and the world of PR.

The Beginning

It was very exciting as the balloons were pulled out of the trucks, and the baskets were lowered to the ground. Everything was planned out. Workers placed huge tarps on the ground so that the balloons would not get damaged.

Then, fans circulated air into the balloon while the massive piece of material was pulled into place. And at just the right time, a huge shot of hot air blasted into the balloon. I jumped with the unexpected sound. And in just minutes, the huge balloon towered above us.

Taking Action

It was time to climb into the small basket only big enough for three people. I grabbed the metal bar and hung on. My heart raced. And before I could get nervous, we were in the air…floating away from the parking lot.

The view was amazing. The ocean glistened in the setting sun, and we soared above the clouds. It seemed like we would go on forever, and I forgot all about work and life issues.

The Winds of Change

But then, the wind took us in a different path. We started to go down, down, down. It made me wake up and realize that we were in a tiny little basket at the whim of nature!

To find out what happens on my exciting adventure, and how you can use this story to help with your PR efforts, tune in on Thursday… Thanks!

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Get New Customers with PR

July 24, 2008

If you want to obtain new customers, and keep them, you can use public relations to your advantage in three ways:

1. Build credibility.

By having your business mentioned in a major media venue, you obtain third-party credibility you simply cannot purchase via advertising methods.

Not only does a media mention help build awareness in front of your target market, you can also use this press clipping in your marketing efforts.

2. Promote successes.

If your customers have an impressive “before and after story” from using your products and services, be sure to get permission and tell the media their stories.

Not only do reporters love to hear exclusive stories about real people with real results, but this kind of publicity also help your customers get some media attention for their own marketing uses. It’s a win-win situation.

3. Write about your customers.

If you are preparing an original article to post on your site and share with the media, consider including a quote from a potential customer, sponsor or investor. 

This will allow you to develop a relationship and enhance the possibility of working together on future projects. Plus, it will give the potential clients some free publicity for their businesses. 

And if you decide to take this approach, be sure that your article offers important information and expertise without being a sales piece. You’ll get a lot more coverage and media respect for both you and your customers if you provide valuable content editors can use and share with their audiences.

Save Money and Get New Customers with PR
By using the media to build awareness for your business, you can increase credibility and build relationships with potential and current customers without spending a lot of money. 

Have questions? Please contact me below or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I provide a lot of free information via my newsletter and various blogs and would love to help you out!

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Are You Thinking?

July 22, 2008

During the more relaxed moments you have this summer, it’s the perfect time to do nothing but think. Seriously, when was the last time you stopped and thought about your current activities and future dreams?

Are you just doing your daily routine and activities or are you working with a purpose
towards specific goals?

In today’s stressful economic times, it can be easy to focus on paying bills, establishing new business and completing other daily tasks without really accomplishing anything.

If you just take a few minutes each day to think about what you are doing, where you want to go and how you are going to get there, you can work smarter and reach your goals faster.

As far as your PR efforts go, it’s a great time to get ready for upcoming activities and holiday campaigns. Ask yourself these questions:

- What do you want to achieve with your publicity activities?

Decide which magazines, newspapers, television shows, and radio programs you want to contact within the next six months and how you’d like them to cover your business.

- How are you going to reach these media venues?

To get some good story ideas to pitch, read current news and review upcoming
events and holidays. Then, figure out how your products and unique services fit
into these items. Why will media members care about what you have to say?
 

- What are your deadlines? 

Now, write down all the things you need to finish by certain dates. Perhaps you need to create a media kit, prepare sample packages, have photos taken, or prepare for a big tradeshow. The point is to schedule your activities so you know what needs to be accomplished each day.

By taking a few minutes just to stop and think, you will be able to focus on priorities, meet deadlines with less stress and simply avoid “running around in circles.”

And this applies to both your business and personal life…so during your free time, give yourself a few minutes to just think. You may be surprised at how this simple effort will help you actually get more done and make positive changes in all areas of your life! 

 

For additional help with your PR and online copywriting needs, or for free tips and information, please visit www.rembrandtwrites.com. Thanks!

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3 Quick Copy Tips to Boost Website Sales

July 17, 2008

 

When was the last time you reviewed your website? If it has been a few weeks, take a few minutes to read it over.

 

What are first-time visitors seeing when they click on your site?

 

If you want to boost sales, here are three, quick online copywriting tips to keep in mind:

 

1. Do you provide benefits right away?

Does your home page talk all about what you do, how long you’ve been in business and your credentials? That’s great, but your customers want to know what you can do for them – in seconds.

You may want to move your “company” information to the “about” or “bio” section of your website.

 

Then, you can use the home page to let visitors know they are in the right place and that your products and services can help solve their particular problems.

 

2. Are your verbs active?

Is your online copy written in the present tense or are you talking about things that happened in the past?

 

You can instantly add energy to your site by replacing all of your passive verbs (we worked with this client, we helped XYZ when they needed to raise funds, etc.) with verbs that describe a current action (get help now, take advantage of our 25% discount today, raise funds fast, etc.).

 

3. Do visitors know what to do?

When potential customers take the time to read your website copy, do they know what to do in order to contact you?

 

Each page should have a specific and easy call-to-action. Whether it’s registering for your newsletter, calling your sales department or actually purchasing a product online, be sure that website visitors know what they need to do to take action.

 

These are just three quick copy changes you can make to easily boost sales and conversion rates.

 

For your free copy of my new e-tipsheet, “20 Quick Online Copywriting Tips to Help Boost Website Sales in Minutes,” sign up for my free, monthly newsletter at www.rembrandtwrites.com. You’ll get valuable tips and information you can use to help boost sales and awareness fast!

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