1. Notify your potential customers and regulars of special events your business has sponsored or taken part in or you have attended as a business owner; perhaps seminars or conferences for example. Make a point of discussing those designed to help the local community. Such as charity drives, fund raisers, fairs, luncheons, award ceremonies, etc. Be sure to recount any positive mention of your business in the local newspapers. Above all, never underestimate the importance of cultivating good will in the community.
2. Keep the public informed about any joint ventures with other businesses, particularly if the business is local, as they are probably familiar with it. This will increase interest in your company. Don't make the mistake of concealing information on mergers or major financial deals, because this will only arouse suspicions even if your actions are perfectly innocent.
3. Share useful information with your customers and potential customers. This is an effective and inexpensive way to gain their trust and begin a relationship with them. Everyone likes a helping hand now and then. It could be a heads up on where to locate a hard to find product, a few suggestions for running your own business, even a special column with advice on how to perform a difficult task associated with your company's line of business.
4. Stress to your customers and potential customers alike that you consider it of primary importance to provide excellent customer service. Highlight steps you have taken to improve this part of your business.
5. Encourage your employees to be friendly and open with customers and potential customers as well. Letting people see that you cultivate a harmonious working environment will impress them, and they will be pleased to have the opportunity to interact with your employees and get to know them on a more personal basis.
6. Share milestones and accomplishments with your customers. If your business is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its opening or it's first $10,000 sold, whatever the occasion, always let your customers be a part of these events. It will help create a feeling of warmth and familiarity that will make you and your business seem like part of their family.
7. Don't be afraid to boast about successful changes your business has instituted or recently discovered innovations relating to your product. Perhaps you or one of your employees has taken a look at the product you promote from an entirely new angle and re-invented it, or maybe you have decided to make use of some new technologies available to improve your business, etc.
8. Make sure the public is aware of improvements you have made in your product. Regardless of how small a change may seem, it's always worthwhile letting the public know that you are working to make your product better for them.
9. Especially if you own a website, share your company's history with potential customers and customers alike. Tell them how you got started in the business, show them that you have endured the same struggles and doubts they are undergoing, yet managed to come out on top. Let them know that it is possible to succeed with your own business, and that even though you have "made it" you still have the same financial worries, the same concerns, etc, that everyone else does.

Say you have a new brand you need to promote and raise top of mind awareness quickly. But you've a budget that is hopelessly pathetic. Plus the fact that your boss is breathing down your neck. What can you do? If you have been developing good relationships with the media, this is the time it would come in handy. If you haven't, you should start, quickly.
The thing to remember is that you need to have open and honest communication with the media. This is because you can only control your end of the message. You can't control what the reporters will write about your brand. The report can make or break your brand, so remember to do your homework first before jumping into the frenzy. Know who you want to reach. Pitch your stories to the right media. Be sure to make your releases newsworthy. Provide good story ideas and angles in your press kits and releases. Always be ready and available to field questions from the media. Relevance and timeliness are important factors to consider. Know your surroundings and what your competitors are up to. Plan your news releases to coincide when an event that will add to your visibility. Say if you're launching an environmental friendly car, you pitch the story to the media to tie in with World Environment Day for example.

An editorial gets you through the clutter of advertisement. It is more believable than an ad and it gives your brand more credibility. You'll get your eyeballs and it's more cost effective than buying ad space. Although you don't have much control over how the article could turn out, a positive story could at least get your boss off your back and get your brand off on a good footing.

 

Suddenly your bagel and jam doesn't taste so good. His second article this month? What does he have that you don't?

Before you start thinking he has rude pictures of the editor's wife that he uses for bribery and leverage, think again. Chances are he knows two things that you don't. Exactly how he can focus a story on his services that's interesting and engaging - and exactly who his market is.

The publicity game is one you too can play successfully, once you learn its rules and quirks. So, let's start turning you into a media guru. Where to begin?

Your target audience is the most important element of the entire media relations process.

• Who are you trying to get to and what's your desired outcome from this target audience?
• What do you want them to do as a result of knowing more about you or your business?

Asking yourself these questions will define your core messages as far as media are concerned.

Which are primary and which are secondary audiences for you in this publicity drive? How will you prioritize your efforts accordingly, given available time and resources? And most importantly, how do you reach these people via publicity?

Despite much discussion on the "paperless world", the printed page and daily newspaper are apparently not dead yet. Print media continues to be an important conduit to reach your audience. Newspapers or trade magazines will often be your starting point or foundation within your publicity campaign.

Take this initial exercise to kick-start your media strategy and planning:

• Put yourself in their shoes and think about what that audience wants and what you have to meet that need. Get very specific about how you are solving problems that they have. Remind yourself not to fall into the trap of thinking that they'll want what you like or are selling.
• Identify what they read or watch on a daily, weekly or monthly basis as their preferred way of receiving information. This is the way you start compiling your media database for ongoing use. Keep this database current and updated on your computer files, containing correct names and titles, media name, email, phone, fax and your comments.

It's important that you're not just taking a "scattershot" approach with some vague aim of reaching people out there somewhere for the heck of it. For one thing it's a costly exercise to be that random in your marketing! And presumably you want results that are on strategy.

Do your research up front - the more customized your communications are, the more effective the outcome. Yes, it takes more time, good old-fashioned hard work always does! But your improved results will justify the hours spent.

In targeting potential clients via media, tailor your material and language accordingly - just as you would for a friend, business meeting or an individual client. It must be relevant and accessible.

Does this target group easily understand it? Is the language you're using going to persuade and win over this audience?

Or have you lost them already as you plunge on enthusiastically? Have you suddenly adopted some formal, alienating tone that you wouldn't hear yourself use in conversation or normal business communications?

All-important is avoiding your business or industry's jargon. It might mean something to you (or seem so totally self-evident that even a child should know names, concepts and acronyms by now).

But if an intelligent outsider can't grasp it quickly - or if you assume people know more than they do, then you're wasting your time.

And being patronizing, whether unwittingly or otherwise.

If you're excessively wordy or highbrow, you run the risk of squandering the opportunity. Unless you're writing for a formidably brainy audience, exercise your intellect instead through "translating" for them so they don't have to do the hard work.

People in our information-overload age have a shorter attention span than ever before and time has become a scarce commodity.

In marketing terms, you're trying to win "hearts and minds". So don't use obscure or long words - distill your messages down to a crisp, direct style that rapidly connects with people. Save your fiction writing for your novel and you'll be saving your $$$$$ from the increased sales generated by your media exposure!