Archive | August, 2018

How to Inject Your Ideas into a Breaking News Story And Generate Tons of Media Coverage

There’s a book out with the above title, and I highly recommend you grab a copy. It’s only available as a digital download and it’s less than 6 bucks at Amazon. I’ll try to summarize here it in my own words, but this is no substitute for getting the book, reading it and above all using it to generate free publicity for you and your business.

News breaks every second of every day, providing you with literally endless opportunities to get your business free publicity. And I don’t have to tell you that publicity is worth far, far more than advertising, and yet it costs you NOTHING.

If you’re in the U.S., does the Donald Trump presidential campaign ring any bells for you?

Look at it from a reporter’s point of view – they already have the who, what, when and where – what they need is the “why,” and that’s where you come in. Journalists need original content, and they need it fast. And if you play your cards right, you can be as high as the second paragraph of that breaking news story. Jut think of what that can mean in terms of free exposure!

What is essential is SPEED. You’ve got to hit when the story is hot to have a shot at getting the publicity. Wait even a day and it may be too late.

Always use your good judgment. Your business is NOT a great fit for the majority of news stories, so be discriminate and only go with those that you can honestly, truly relate to your business.

Now then, how do you find news to “jack?” Keep your eyes and ears open, because you never know when the perfect story is going to slap you across the face. Monitor keywords, phrases and trending word clouds. Track journalists in your field and monitor media outlets. And perhaps the best tip of all – follow Twitter hashtags, since this will often be the very first reporting of any story.

When you hear of a story that’s a good fit for your business, immediately formulate your strategy. This is happening in real time and so you’ve got to act in real time, as in NOW and not tomorrow. Speed is crucial to your success in hijacking the news.

Ask yourself – how are you and / or your business related to the breaking news? What’s your angle or hook? Why should the media care?

When you’ve got your take on what’s happening – or your angle or hook – here are possible moves you can make next:

• Blog about your take on the news
• Tweet it using an established hashtag (this is not the time to start a new hashtag)
• Send a real-time media alert (press release)
• Talk about it in a speech, or make a video and post it online
• Hold a live or a virtual news conference
• Directly contact individual journalists who might be interested

Now if you’re thinking this article is just the tip of what you need to know, you’re right. It’s enough to get you started, but by all means grab the book so you can fill in the blanks.

And think about this: Linking yourself to one news story can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars of free publicity, creating a boon for your business and perhaps even making you a mini-celebrity in the process.

As marketers we’re always trying to get into our customers minds so we know what they’re thinking. Once you know what they’re thinking, you can begin the conversation there and then move it in the direction you want it to go.

But what if their line of thought totally bypasses any chance of purchasing your product? For example, if you sell alarm systems, it’s a sure bet that most of your prospects think a break-in or robbery will never happen to them. Therefore, it becomes imperative that you change their thinking to match your own – that YES, a robbery CAN happen to them at any time, and THEN WHAT WILL THEY DO?

A security company called BGS in Bucharest, Romania, came up with what might be the perfect solution. They covered apartment doors with life-sized posters that create the illusion that the door is open and the place has been devastated by robbers.

The posters are put on with a special glue so that they’re easy to remove. And on the doorknob another sticker is left which reads, “Make sure this never happens – BGS” and their website’s url.

Result? The posters impacted both the actual apartment dwellers and their neighbors. Some people left the poster on their door for weeks, and the advertising campaign become the talk of the neighborhood. More importantly, people who never would have considered a security system began contacting the company.

http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/41378/BGS-Security-Fake-Robbery

Now here’s your food for thought: How can you show your prospects what they will lose if they don’t purchase your product? What visuals can you offer that will stop them in their tracks and make them totally reconsider their position?

Here is one possible answer that could work in MANY niches… let’s say you sell a gardening membership. What if you show a photo of two front yards, side by side. One yard is a real show stopper, bursting with huge, healthy flowers with a very pretty, smug looking home owner relaxing on the porch with a cool drink.

The other yard is total devastation. You can see an effort has been made, but most of the plants are either sick or dead. And of course you have that homeowner looking sad, dejected, frustrated, over wrought – take your pick. Walking by on the sidewalk is a couple of women who are pointing and snickering at the pathetic garden.

You might even have a handsome man stopping to admire the flowers in the nice garden – a possible beau for the lady on the porch?

This is a visual that will say more than a thousand page sales letter. And you can use this concept in almost any niche.

For example, your niche is weight loss and you have a set of before and after shots of two people. Maybe the before shots have a calendar on the wall of January 1^st, and they’re both standing on scales looking concerned, unhappy, distressed, horrified, whatever.

Then you have a second set. Same people, same scales. The calendar now says March 15^th (or some such.) The person on the left looks the same or heavier, and is even unhappier than before. The person on the right – well, you can fill in the blanks – lighter, healthier, happier, etc.

Your goal is to make your prospects experience in their minds and feel in their bodies what it is like to be without your product. And once you can do that, you’re halfway to making the sale.

Satisfy a desire in your prospect and you’ve got a customer. Satisfy 2 or 3 desires and you’ve got a customer for life. Below I’ve made a list of what you might call universal desires that you can add into your marketing to sell more products and services, easily.

You’ll notice they tend to overlap in places – that’s natural since you can’t truly separate one from the next. No doubt I’ve missed a few, but these are the big ones that cause people to reach into their pockets and gladly, happily and sometimes giddily hand you their credit cards.

How to use these: Take a look at the product you’re about to promote, and ask yourself which of these desires it fulfills. Then compose your marketing message accordingly.

For example, a wrinkle cream helps your prospect to have an attractive appearance. It can also help in attracting others, possibly leading to romance. You could even make a case for popularity and certainly for self-confidence. But it’s best to focus on the main benefit, with a light sprinkling of the lesser benefits. This creates a stronger marketing message and a clearer voice in your advertising.

Universal Desires of Your Prospects:

Money and Savings – This can actually mean several things: Freedom, independence, security or power

Attractive Appearance – People want to look thinner, younger, more beautiful, healthy, radiant, etc.

Attract Others – Be noticed, alluring and exciting to others

Power and Status – Feel special, noticed, respected and appreciated

Comfort and Tranquility – The extras in life, also the feeling of peace

Time – The desire to get more done and accomplish more, both in work and leisure

Praise, Acceptance and Appreciation – Desire for others to love us

Popularity and Social Contact – Wanting friends, family, people who know you and still like you anyway

Sex and Romance – Physical and emotional needs fulfilled

Leisure – Freedom to do things purely for the enjoyment

Self-confidence – Positive belief in oneself

Enjoyment or Pleasure – Happiness, satisfaction

Success – Feeling of accomplishment, attainment of status

Health and Physical Exercise – Desire to feel strong, healthy, energetic and unstoppable

Eating, Food Satisfaction – Self-indulgence, security and warmth of a satisfied palette and a full stomach

Security in old age – The absence of fear that we’ll die alone, cold and broke

Incorporate the fulfillment of one or more of these desired into your product and service, and the marketing thereof, and you will surely sell more of it while helping people gain what they truly want most.