Marketing on the Cheap: Write? Right!!
We all know the value of writing articles for promoting your website or online store. However, writing articles to promote your old-fashioned, traditional brick and mortar business has been around forever. Contact your local newspapers, and chances are, depending on what business you are in, they may be interested in giving you your own column. Most small or medium-sized media markets will have at least one daily serving the communities and probably at least one weekly newspaper. Offer to supply a weekly or even a monthly column for free. They are always looking for editorial content and "free" is always attractive. Be careful about a daily commitment, this can get overly demanding in a hurry. It may be a little more difficult to approach the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times, but in major media markets there are any number of regional weeklies that can be approached. Other considerations may be regional or even national trade publications, Chamber of Commerce newsletter or other professional associations and organizations you may belong to. If you can't get the column for free, don't be afraid to pay for it. But make sure the layout is designed to look as much as possible like a regular story or editorial content. The paper will probably require that you put some sort of disclaimer on your column like the word "advertising", but this is not a big deal. Have a professional photo taken and include it in you articles whenever possible. Don't use your high school photo or one that is touched up to make you look totally different than you actually do. You are trying to build recognition and credibility. After your column has run for some time, you will be surprised how many people will easily recognize you. People like to do business with people they know. Okay, so now you have own column; make good use of it. Give it value. Do not make it a blatant advertisement and/or sales pitch. In fact, except in extremely rare occasions you probably don't want to sell anything directly in your column at all. You want to write real content, stories that are either of real value or entertaining. I had a friend once that owned a restaurant. He paid to have his own column in our local newspaper. He never once wrote a story about his own restaurant. Instead he wrote about his world travels, famous chefs, and the wonderful restaurants he had enjoyed. Another approach you may want to consider is a "How To" column. I once supplied a weekly column for an art gallery/picture-framing studio. We wrote a series of how to buy and frame your own artwork. Check you local newspaper and you will no doubt see examples. If you are writing the column for the newspaper and not paying for it, make sure you retain editorial control and copyright to the work. If you are paying for insertion, ask your ad representative or ad agency for samples. As you travel around, pick up the local newspapers in the area you are visiting and see what others are doing. If you don't have the time or the feel you are not capable of writhing your own column, check with an ad agency. You should be able to find one that provides this service. If you belong to a professional association, check with them and see if they supply "ghost" stories. I have worked with accountants, stockbrokers, lawyers and others using ghost stories. I will suggest that if you are not writing the story yourself, you may want avoid the by line that says "by" and use "furnished by" or "supplied by" or something of that nature. The last thing you want to do is get caught taking credit for writing something someone else wrote. If you pay a copywriter for original copy, this is not as likely to happen. But if you use ghost stories from an association, you are more then likely not going to have exclusivity. Someone in another publication may be running the same story. When you start this project, think long term. It takes a commitment. It will take some time to build readership. You are establishing yourself as an expert in your field to people that don't know you. This will not happen overnight. I mentioned retaining editorial control and copyright. After you have created a number of columns and/or stories, you may want to consider putting them all together in a book. Keep this in mind in the early stages. If you are working with a ghostwriter or ad agency, make sure they understand your intentions so proper preparations can be made and taken into consideration from the very beginning. If your traditional non-web based business does have a web site, and it should have, make sure you prepare your writings for distribution on the net as well. Once you start writing you can use the materials in any number of different ways. So?go write something! To learn more about writing to promote your business visit http://sbmag.org/writing No permission is needed to reproduce an unedited copy of this article as long the About The Author tag is left in tact and hot links included. We do request that we be informed of where it is posted so reciprocal links can be considered. Email floyd@sbmag.org. Floyd Snyder is the founder and former owner of Executive Advertising, Camera Ready Art and Strictly Business Magazine. Currently he is the owner of Strictly Business Magazine at http://www.sbmag.org, http://www.FrameHouseGallery.com, http://www.EducationResourcesNetwork.com/ and http://www.TraderAide.com.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Marketing on the Cheap: Write? Right!!
We all know the value of writing articles for promoting your website or online store. However, writing articles to promote your old-fashioned, traditional brick and mortar business has been around forever.
Survival Strategies
1. Do the moneymaking things first.
Web Site Marketing: 10 Little Known Upsell Strategies That Will Magnify Your Profits
What is Upselling?
Business Cards That do the Business
A business card makes a statement about who you are and what
your business is about. It needs to convey the quality of
your business and an insight into your personality.
I have been handed business cards and the first thought to
go through my mind was - "Cheap" A tacky design - low
quality paper - doesn't feel good in the hand and looks
cheap to the eye. That then becomes my overall impression of
the business.
Deciphering Marketing Lingo: Whats the Difference between a USP, Single Message and a Tagline?
Maybe you've heard these different marketing terms, maybe you haven't. Either way, let me help to clarify the difference between them, because you should have all three if you want to market successfully. And knowing what they are may be your first step to accomplishing all three for your business.
The Path To Your Prospects Wallet Begins At His Heart
You want your prospect to make the decision to buy your product or service. So you show him what you have to offer in your sales letter, web page, ad or commercial. You lay out the facts, and he comes to a rational decision based on them. Right?
Six Ways to Boost Response on Your Surveys and Gain More Useful Information
So... you spend time and effort putting together a survey, so you can
have real information about what your customers and prospects are
actually looking for. And you send the survey to your in-house list--but
the flood of responses you're expecting is only a trickle.
Consistent Marketing Provides Big Rewards
Being inconsistent when it comes to marketing your business can be a recipe for disaster. Nothing is more irritating to a potential customer than inconsistency.
How To Achieve Success With Your Own Money Making Newsletter
Writing and publishing a successful newsletter is perhaps the most competitive of all the different areas of mail order and direct marketing. You can still publish newsletter through regular mail. With Internet's help, you can publish your newsletter online. You can reach hundreds of subcribers without costing any postage - it is called eZine publishing.
Give It Away Now - The More You Share, the More You Sell!
Give away your knowledge, and you'll make money. How does this work? Isn't this counter-intuitive? Let's think about this.
Top Ten Blunders Exhibitors Make in Expos/Tradeshows
Triple your response from expos by avoiding the top ten blunders at expos.
Turn disappointment into sales success!
A Look at Brochure Printing Services
A brochure can be a wonderful promotional tool for a wide range of professionals, but getting them set up can be daunting. There are many brochure-printing services available that cater to both the amateur and professional. You can find them in a number of ways, including the phone book, the Internet, graphic design and advertising journals, or word of mouth.
Building Credibility for Your Business
Small companies that rely on business-to-business sales often find it difficult to be seen as credible in the eyes of larger companies. If this is true for you, then this assessment might help you determine where you need to focus your attention in order to build your credibility.
Rate each item from 1 to 5. 1 = low/bad. 3 = not good, not bad, just OK. 5 = high/great.
Direct Marketing ? Brand Identity Guru Tips
If your company doesn't have a direct marketing program in place, a direct marketing agency can create one for you. A direct marketing company provides small to very large customizable ranges of business-to-business and business-to-consumer direct marketing options sure to fit your needs. From database creation and maintenance to data analysis and creative program execution, a direct marketing company can take any existing direct marketing program, or a lack of one, and develop a highly efficient direct sales machine for your company.
Copy SoapNet and Make Money
Whether you want to admit it or not, soap operas may hold the key to your home business success. This article includes a few home and small business principles I learned while watching SoapNet.
Top Five Tips for Marketing that Gets Results
When marketing your practice, as well as designing your brochure, website, business card, flier, advertisement, or other marketing effort, I recommend investing the time and effort needed to effectively address the following:
Five Most Common Mistaken Beliefs About Joint Venture Marketing
Apart from being the fastest, easiest, and most profitable strategy for attracting clients and boosting profits in any small business, there are so many other advantages of joint venture marketing for all parties involved. So, why aren't all small business owners implementing joint ventures?
5 Ways to Upgrade Your Existing Marketing Materials for Practically Nothing!
In addition to direct marketing strategies you want to be
sure your existing passive, or indirect, marketing activities
are as effective as possible. When is the last time you took
a good look at your existing marketing activities?
Trade Show Videos Need to be Planned
A few months ago, we attended the recent Austech 2005 Expo. It was a large trade show that showcased over 500 manufacturers selling machines, equipment and systems.
Feature Your Benefits
Sales Copy? eventually every small business owner must consider what needs to be included in order to produce a successful advertisement or piece of marketing material.
|
