My company provides Spinal Cord Injuries with an exercise based therapy program. We are an exercise based program that works on our clients weaknesses in trying to reach the goal of being more independent. While some of our clients goals are to walk again other clients have the goal of just being able to feed themselves again, thus being more independent. Our program is giving our clients the chance and the opportunity to try and reach these goals through exercise.
I am trying to come up with a slogan or a tagline to use with our marketing. We provide an alternative to therapy that is only offered a few places in the country and we are going to try and go national. We are located in Boston MA.
My company (an architectural/engineering firm) has doubled in size in 3 years, reached the over 1k employee mark, completed 2 acquisitions with cash, hasn’t drawn on credit, is designing the only 3 auto plants in the US, over 50% of our work is in the renewable energy market (although our clients are very confidential and won’t let us talk about the projects specifically), our 3 yr old China office is now our 3rd largest – soon to be our 2nd. Our HQ is in the rust belt. It’s our 60th anniversary. I have to believe that in this economy this is newsworthy on a national level. I’m just not sure what the best way is to go about finding the angle or the hook and I’m quite certain reporters at that level don’t want a weak pitch, or have the time to figure out how to stitch this all together. I feel the quotes from PR firms to make this happen are unreasonable. Any suggestions on how to flush the story out and make something happen?
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Jay’s Answer: Many PR people earn their salary by developing relationships with the media resulting in pitches that are heard. You’ve no doubt been quoted a higher fee to access the ears of a select group of reporters/editors who are deluged with pitches. A great PR person would also help you spin your story for specific reporter needs.
If you want to go at it alone, you have a few options:
A press release. The release would focus on a hook. For example, 60-year anniversary, 3 recessions, and still going strong.
Leveraging your vertical reporter connections. Ask them for who they are connected with nationally.
Leveraging your clients’ connections. If one of your clients is doing something PR-worthy, offer to write a press release for them, featuring how your relationship has made it happen.
Here are some companies that offer pay-for-performance PR:
Jon Gillespie-Brown is a United Kingdom-born entrepreneur, business mentor and author (So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur) who now lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. A lifelong entrepreneur, he has established and grown more than a half dozen businesses, and remains the active CEO of two of those companies – Nalpeiron, Inc. – the leader in hosted software licensing solutions that maximize revenue for developers and publishers and Digital Ventures, a band of entrepreneurs and angel investors that mentors, advises and provides seed investment to emerging companies. Furthering his commitment to help the next generation of entrepreneurs, Jon is donating all profits from the book to the Grameen Foundation, a non-profit that provides micro-loans to disadvantaged entrepreneurs around the globe.
I am helping to compile a fundraising plan for a local community foundation.
Target Market include:
High net worth donors
Investment and Financial Community
Business as founding investors
Need fundraising ideas and well as other ideas for specific target markets.
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Jay’s Answer: No matter who you’re targeting, the basics are still: identifying who they are and why they should care about your organization. Your target market is more than high net worth people – it’s people who have donated before. One approach is to look at other organization’s donor lists and begin to get to know your prospects.
High net worth people are regularly approached for donations, so your marketing materials has to clearly articulate where your past funds have gone to benefit the community, and what specifically you need from the community to achieve your next specific goals.
I started this group of women..and now have mixed feelings on the name and would like to change it.. I want a group for networking and socializing. How could i cater to both. Can you help me with a name and ideas
What don’t you like about it? The group ranges in age from 24 to 55. And after 2 meetings I feel it no longer fits in to what i want to do.
Is this group social or for business reasons? The group’s members are all different there is from stay at home moms to lawyers to important public figures i am trying to recruit. The problem is that i started this group to meet new people and let them know about our family business (real estate) and all that we offer. So it would be a networking group. But at the same time you have people that don’t want to network and just have some time off at a social group. So i am trying to cater to different types social /networking. Yes chiks clique i think is fine for socializing in a younger crowd, I am looking for a name that will fit every ones age and interest.
What will the members have in common, besides being a group of women? Some what to let others know about what they do (sales) to get more clients. And others just want time off from their children and busy lives
Why would someone want to join your group? Networking and time with other women
What other types of names are you thinking of? I was thinking something like bizwomen but it does not work for me. Because of the ones that want nothing to do with work.
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Jay’s Answer: I think that the purpose of a social group is much different from a business networking group. A social group exists to talk about life, hobbies, etc. A networking group exists to help people sell their products/services. There can be overlap in the two groups, but the “energy” will be quite different.
I have invented and developed a unique landscape product that gets people (who know about it) excited. In fact one of the head buyers of a major box store has moved to the USA and is actively trying to get the product into the market there and Europe.
Sounds good? Yes, but I am worried that it may be a product that seems good, but really is only a little bit good. There seems to be mixed feelings about the product on a business level. Are businesses scared of NEW and UNIQUE products? Can a “little bit good” product be marketed correctly to get fantastic sales, or am I being impatient? The product has only been in stores for one full season and we are about to move into the second.
I have successfully got the product into some large Box format stores, however product is selling a little slowly. We have done very little marketing and our market is also very small. 4 million people in my country.
The product also requires awareness as the actual product is a mold and the final result is the PRODUCT of the mold. In other words, what they see on the shelf does not reflect what they will ACTUALLY receive or build. The shelf product can seem dreary and “non exciting” until they see some finished product which looks fantastic.
It has never been seen before and product awareness is low as far as I can see and our retail outlets aren’t as proactive as we would like them to be due to the fact that they have a million other product lines and seem like they really couldn’t care less about how much of my product they sell.
The question is, how do I get to the consumer through the retailer? Is there something I can offer the retailer or do I need to get to the consumer myself? I have been thinking about TV advertising, however the cost is very scary. I do believe it may assist though.
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Jay’s Answer: Pretend you’re selling the product yourself.
How would you get people excited about it? Would you create online videos showing the results, how to use it, etc? Would you have a contest of “most improved” or “best use” of your product? Would you offer free classes for using it? Would you contact local garden clubs to teach them the ins-and-outs of your product? Would you try to get it featured on a gardening show?
Now realize that you’re basically selling it yourself, just that the retailers are doing the order fulfillment for you.
John Ogden manages marketing, sales and business operations for Olson Ogden Wines. Ogden was an early employee of America Online in Dulles, VA and worked in a variety of business development, sales, marketing and management positions for the company during its critical growth period. After America Online, Ogden worked with entrepreneurial companies to develop their business development, brand and sales strategies. Ogden’s career includes work in the public sector as a legislative aide in the United States Senate and a staff assistant for the United States Senate Financial Committee.
What are the best ways to raise awareness about my Christian magazine? I don’t yet have the capital to really get into radio, TV and billboards like I want to, but I do want to promote my mag to a lot of readers in my circulation areas. I need some brilliant ideas on how to do this on an extreme budget. Now I understand that I have to spend some money, so I’m not unrealistic, but the point is I need some very cheap, yet effective ways to create a buzz.
P.S. I have been trying the email awareness thing, but in this world of spam, annoying email blasts and the like, I don’t think that email carries nearly the “productivity” (can’t think of a better word right now) rate it used to.
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Jay’s Answer: If you’re looking for a buzz, then identify Christian trend-setters in your community. Can you get an interview/cover shot? Then, follow up with a press release announcing the special interview for (potentially) local media coverage – specifically targeting the demographic.
The point is instead of trying to “push” your magazine to people who don’t know they want it, try to “pull” your demographic to you based on having what/who they’re looking for.
I have 7 years of commercial insurance ’service’ experience and have recently gone into a ’sales’ role with a fairly new agency. I am doing a lot of cold calling and relationship building, in order to write business. It is a slow process, but one that I do not mind.
Do you know of techniques or certain ways that this can be more successful for me? I am willing to be creative in order to be remembered by potential clients.
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Jay’s Answer: Throw parties at your place of business. Invite 1/2 existing clients and 1/2 prospective clients. Make it clear that the party itself is a networking opportunity for your attendees and won’t be sales presentation. This gives you multiple opportunities to connect:
* You’ll see past clients, and thank them for their past business. Their invitations would be a chance to ask about changes in their life that would require reviewing their policies.
* You’ll have prospective clients visit your office, and talk with people. Have nametags, and have past clients put the # of years they’ve been with you on their name tags. Prospects will see who / how many of their peers use you for a long time.
* By creating a networking event, you help your clients’ business.
