Month: October 2011

Image Matters: PR or Advertising?

By Tatyana Gann

From the desk of Tatyana Gann

Nashville TN

Today I will start with a quote, “Publicity is a great purifier because it sets in action the forces of public opinion, and in this country public opinion controls the courses of the nation.”  –Charles Evans Hughes

As a part of my usual weekly routine I make a visit to my local Barnes and Noble bookstore. Last week I was really evaluating my role as a publicist.  The questions I had in my head needed to be answered:

  • Am I alone in this battle to educate small business owners about the value of PR?
  • What is the best way to show them the role of PR?
  • Why do not they see the value while the major brands spend thousands of dollars per month and even millions per year on PR..
  • How can I provide better PR education and coach them to PR success?

So…

I wandered into my favorite aisle  Business Books and stumbled across the book on PR called “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations” by Ronn Torossian

It was a new book release, and I was very glad I found it..I started reading the book and I realized he spoke my language and I saw that my quest to show company the purpose of PR is not insane. We both had same vision: shape, mold minds of people, help them to see how it can increase brand value, establish online presence and increase the cashflow. It keeps companies out of trouble.

I got the book. I love it. It is PR Bible.


The next day I connected with Ronn Torossian on Facebook and Twitter and I loved his passion for PR, his determination to achieve the best results for his clients and building awareness about the impact of PR would have  on the companies future in the next few years.

When it comes to advertising Mr Torossian gives us a clear picture about the advantages of PR over marketing and advertising and how PR can establish the best company image.

By Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5W Public Relations

This is an excerpt from the best-selling new PR book by Torossian, “For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations”

Public Relations’ Advantage Over Marketing & Advertising — Image Is Everything

PR can be an incredible change-making business — and it is enjoying a well-deserved growth stage. Companies and people are beginning to recognize that the old way of building consumer or public equity is changing. IBIS World, a media research firm, says PR spending in 2010 was $9.73 billion and forecasts it will increase to $12.82 billion by 2015. The growth is in part due to PR’s ability to participate in a more nimble and flexible way with the new methods by which people consume media, including social media. That sounds promising until you compare it with ad spending, which even after annual declines in recent years is about $210.5 billion a year in the U.S. The PR business is a tiny piece of the pie compared to advertising — there’s no reason why it can’t continue to grow and take advantage of its agility in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, a lot of what passes for public relations is lacking because it’s ineffective, irrelevant, and intangible. Negative (or alternatively, overly romanticized) public perception of the industry is fueled by pop culture portrayals that are completely unrepresentative of what real PR work entails. Consider, for example, the character Samantha in Sex and the City. No remotely successful PR pro spends half the day shopping and eating lunch and the other half seducing the UPS deliveryman. PR is far from a glamorous profession (though it can entail plenty of drama).

Various reality TV shows have also purported to show how the business works, and they’ve been way off base. It’s among the reasons why I have turned down two reality show offers through the years. All press is most certainly not good press. Disappointing results from badly conceived or lackluster PR campaigns have also made potentially great clients gunshy about hiring PR firms. There’s a concern that PR will be a money-suck with little or no return on investment. The blame for these difficulties can be placed firmly at the feet of an industry that hasn’t always kept up with changes in the world and hasn’t taken seriously its role as an integral part of a business’s success, including business and brand strategies.

Modern PR has to help brands innovate, market, and message well. My goal is to demonstrate that PR is for everyone. It helps entrepreneurs earn more, small brands become household names, Fortune 500 companies preserve and grow their positions, and personalities and politicians maintain and increase their credibility and relevance. And it helps all of the above rapidly increase brand value. If you have a great idea, product, or service, PR can do a lot to cut through the noise and let the world know.

PR is a mix of journalism, psychology, and lawyering — it’s an ever-changing and always interesting landscape. There are many points of view about PR and what it can, can’t, and should do.

Public relations is an amazing business that offers people, brands, personalities, politicians, nonprofits, foundations, hospitals — you name it — an incredible chance to leverage their strengths and shape public opinion. Who better than a seasoned and forward thinking PR person to anticipate, analyze, and interpret public opinion and attitudes? PR’s biggest advantage over marketing and advertising is the seemingly independent third-party recognition and endorsement it provides — an incredible asset in a crowded, distracted, and confused world. Understanding this point is critical because the right publicity has profoundly more credibility than ads and marketing campaigns. The public feels that when an objective third party — a television show, magazine writer, newspaper journalist, blogger, social networker, or radio reporter, for example — features a company or person in a positive light, that entity is authentic and important.

Brands have to pay attention to personalization, interaction, conversation, efficacy, and social responsibility. Image is everything.

“For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations” by Ronn Torossian is an Amazon best-selling Public Relations book and available for purchase here.

You can find the book at my favorite store Barnes and Nobles online or if you visit your local store.

Follow Ronn Torossian On Twitter and get all his cool stories,  updates and tips.

Planning a public relations campaign?

By Tatyana Gann

From the desk of Tatyana Gann

Publicist, Nashville TN

In a recent meeting with a client of mine, we discussed creative, innovative and even non traditional strategies for an upcoming publicity campaign.  It is very exciting to meet and discuss PR plans with company owners who “get it”.  They have passion. They have a desire to expand. They want to be different.

They are willing to adapt to all the changes happening online. When it comes to online publicity strategies, the key is to be flexible and adapt to what are almost always instant changes.

In this lesson, I want to teach you the basic tools which you can implement immediately. You can launch your campaign within 24 hours without having the need to hire a publicist.  However, please do not think you can immediately do it all on your own, especially if you have never launched a campaign before. PR is a very creative way to spread the message. It takes time and patience… It takes determination!

Publicity provides free innovative ways to add more buzz about your company. You must first know what you want to be known for and your ideal market. Only then can you begin to set a publicity plan into action.

When planning a public relations campaign, you must include paid ads and sometimes even paid infomercials… everything should be presented as a package. It is a process that can take up to 9 months to be captured by the target audience. The results also depend upon how quick and creative you can be.

Here are a few simple ways to spread the word about YOU:

Let’s talk about press releases: Announce the launch of your service, product and/or training in your press release. Talk about the benefits of what you have to offer. Show your expertise and how the launch of your business/service/product can impact your ideal, target market. After you write it, submit it to the right online distribution services. This is where a lot of folks get stuck. They do know which services to choose or trust.

The service you choose depends on your budget. I would recommend PRWEB.com, CisionWire.com. The more customized your press release is, the more you are going to pay for distribution. You want to make sure you have a good SEO press release using two to three major keywords within the title, summary, and of course placed throughout the story. Do not forget to link the keywords to the related content you have written such as articles, YouTube videos and your blog.  The services I listed above will offer SEO press releases, which is extremely important that a service provider does this.

What If you have a local business? Well, CISIONWIRE can give you customized packages for local SEO and PR campaigns. Know what your target market is and where it is… then, submit to these publications.

NOW;

You have a traditional way of submitting your story. Let’s talk about creative ways to become a person of influence.  In PR, we influence the actions of others.  We follow very simple rules. We build relationships, we provide awesome content, we build reputations and we show that we are truly genuine.

When it comes to content, we must conduct research to find out what the media is seeking… even if it is just glancing at the latest 3 to 4 magazines on the newsstands or in your local library. Going online will also help to discover the latest trends and which stories are the best to share.

The best way to do this is to define your favorite magazines. Contact the assistant to the editor and ask for guidelines to submit a pitch. Then, after you know what to send, you can connect with editor by building relationships via social media. Relationship Marketing is vital! In her recent book “The New Relationship Marketing”, author Mari Smith discusses the importance of solid content and building a network.  Mari Smith has shown the most effective ways to build solid reputation, become the center of influence and make a difference. I have written a book review on Amazon and very impressed with the quality of the content. It is powerful!!!!

When creating a publicity plan, you must focus on building a network of editors and journalists who have impact and the influence in the media.

Be the leader on your topic, especially popular ones. Write updates, write press releases, and create videos that are related to the hottest changes in your niche.  Identify what people complain about… then write about it. BE the expert who is always there to bring answers. Be personal. Be kind. Be grateful.

Now you know what you want to talk about. You have determined your niche. You know at least 3 topics you want to cover. Now create your presence using simple tools. I recommend services such as Pitchengine.com to create pitches, stories and share video news and Slideshare.net – awesome PR tool that allows to upload your presentations, brand your company and your name.

With Pitchengine, you can customize it, build awareness about your brand, add an unlimited amount of stories, updates and even featured articles, and videos for a small fee (comparing to traditional PR directories). You can even integrate it with your Facebook Fan Page and have a social media newsroom on your Fan page to share stories you have posted in Pitchengine.com.

You can get PR 2. 0 traffic using social media press releases using SEO guidelines to get more traffic. The key to success with Pitchengine is to write an optimized press release to get into search engines. Once you publish them, you can add every story on your blog in the Blogroll or LINKS section. It is a simple trick that can help to get your blog ranked higher.

Another tool I am currently testing is SlideShare.net.  It is an innovative way to generate PR leads, especially if you generate B2B leads. This service can make a difference. I recommend their PRO package for $49, which gives you 70 business leads.

Here is the catch: You must be very specific with Slideshare.net. You must define your topic and go with it… Just one and see what will happen. The beauty of this tool is that it comes with analytics, branding features, and a video channel where you can upload videos and presentations. It is way to capture business leads and get instant notification.

One last little tip I’ll share with you: You can also link your Pitchengine and Slideshare content to create an awesome online authority for you or your business!

Enjoy!

Tatyana Gann

Tatyana Gann is the founder of the Smokin’ Hot PR Ezine and Smokin’ Hot PR Boutique, providing publicity, online PR services and even private VIP consulting. Tatyana Gann is ready to bring you publicity tips, advice and PR services to help you gain more raving fans for your business and create smokin’ hot publicity! She has a simple formula for creating a publicity plan that brings results! Grab your FREE publicity weekly advice at: http://www.smokinhotpr.com/

PR and Branding Lesson From Seth Godin Toy..

By Tatyana Gann

What can we learn from the best selling author Seth Godin?

One Saturday afternoon I found myself in the action figures section of a toy store in Franklin TN, while my boys were looking at their favorite toys when I saw something and I could not believe my eyes, the action figure of the best selling author Seth Godin.

To my surprise, it was the last doll on the shelf, and even though, they had other action figures of many famous people, Seth Godin figure got my attention. The creator got everything right about its design, even his socks. Well, but no purple cow!

Later that day I posted that photo on Facebook, and it got so much attention!  My facebook friends went WILD! One of my friends asked me, “Tatyana,  did they have a purple cow toy too?” Everyone was so anxious to learn if I got the toy and how cool it would be to use it for my training series. Tweeps on Twitter were tweeting my Twitpic Seth Godin photo.

One big lesson I learned that day that Seth Godin has become a marketing legend.  His impact on the marketing world brought fans around the world  and made him the best blogger, the best selling author of books from “The Linchpin”, “The Purple Cow”, ” Tribes”. In public relations branding is vital. His brand is recognized even in a small historical town of Franklin TN.

His style, his unique personality enabled fans to put his products in front of their friends and create more than just a customer base. It is building Seth Godin ‘s fans empire!

Seth Godin earned his amazing publicity on the web by being authentic .  He became known as the guy who speaks about tribes, a purple cow and why you must be a linchpin.  He is a true wizard, a philosopher that everyone respects online.

When I thought about his influence online and even offline I saw the the following:

1. He is unique

2. He stays true to what he thinks and speaks

3. His books tell the brutal truth

4. He knows how to engage into conversations with his audience

5.  He is not AFRAID to be different

6. His offline PR is superb. He reached new customers with an action figure.

7. He is an innovator

8. He is a mindset teacher

9. He teaches how to be human in business relationships

10. He loves to be shocking and controversial.

What do you want to be known for in your business community?

Your business is about YOU, your passions and sometimes being controversial, unique is WHAT people are seeking.

Being  YOU is the best online PR for your business and it will get in the right places. It will bring your the ideal clients you are seeking without forcing your product awareness down your potential customers throat!

One more thing….

Are you ready to get the best publicity for your business, share your story and let your customers put your name in front of each person?

Book our complimentary FREE PR consultation for LIMITED TIME ONLY!

We look forward to serving you!

Tatyana Gann

(c) Copyright 2011  Tatyana Gann. All Rights Reserved.

Featured Article: 7 reasons WHY we should practice silence!

By Tatyana Gann

Don’t you love Fridays? I think it is my favorite time of the week. Not just because it is a weekend  and I can cook delicious weekend treats for my boys, but because it is the time to recharge and be silent. I learned to listen to myself and discover my life purpose through silence, asking my heart for guidance. Do not you love silence? You can hear wind outside and your clock ticking. It is a meditation time. Time for pampering your soul.

I wrote this blog post when it was very late, almost 1 am one Friday night. I was writing in my living room on my comfy coach, enjoying silence and only listening to my crystal clock ticking on the fireplace.  I was thinking about silence today. I thought about importance of silence for our concentration and destressing our crazy busy life that we do create for ourselves. My good friend told me once, “Silence is thinker’s paradise. Silence exists when there is no external noise. The problem is trying to keep the noise out of our head“

We live in the world of rush-rush and do this and do that all day long.  We are such a fast paced society that demands fast results. You might be reading this blog  post while tweeting or checking your Facebook page.  You might be skipping through all the words to get an idea what I write about. However, I really want you to read and pay attention.

Anyway back to the topic on silence. I enjoy  silence. It allows me to write, to think and to connect with myself. It allows me to find answers to my life obstacles and make the right decisions. Silence is the best meditation method because it still allows to express ourselves.

Silence is Empowering.  My favorite quote. “The most profound statements are said in silence”- Lynn Jonhston

How can we recharge  ourselves with silence? I asked myself that question until I really became still.  Silence is inside of you and you can create it even with people rushing, talking and doing other things. It is about leaning how to isolate yourself and connect with yourself for few minutes a day. It is like turning off the switch button for a few minutes and recharging.

Here are my 7 reasons why we should practice silence:

1. Silence allows us to question ourselves about our purpose in life
2. Silence enables us to let go of bad thoughts and put them into a different place in our mind.
3. Silence is the most powerful tool for talking to someone. Silence has its voice. We can send love, healing, positive thoughts when we focus and set the intention to do so.
4. Silence is YOUR best friend. It enables our intuition to work when we need it the most.
5. Silence enables to see the beauty of the things that is around us and what we have: our health, our state of well being and seeing beauty of nature around.
6. Silence allows us to develop gratitude for the opportunity to be who we want to be.
7. Silence allows us to see what elusive and deceptive and the best tool to save our integrity.

That all can be done in 15 minutes a day. You just need to find a spot in your house or even if you are in a busy place where people come and go, find 15 minutes to tell yourself that it is time for YOU.  You can go to a botanical garden or a park. I love nature.  It is a great place to appreciate the beauty, God’s amazing gifts and enjoy ME time. Now…Focus on your breathing. Bring in the most positive moments in your life you have already had and also the magic moments you dream about .

You deserve to relax and leave everything alone for 15 minutes and forget  everythng else exists around you. You do not have to listen to meditation music because listening to silence is the best music your mind and your body can express and listen at the same time.

One more thing, if you are a writer, a business owner, you might have experienced creative blocks.

Have a great weekend!

Tatyana Gann
(c) Copyright 2011  Tatyana Gann. All Rights Reserved.

Announcing My Fall PR Blitz

By Tatyana Gann

I believe  that each of us can live by a simple rule “In everything give thanks!”

That is why I have decided  to introduce my brand new promotion called “Fall PR Blitz “

It is your chance to ask me your two main questions in 30 min complimentary call that can create magic moments in your business using online and offline PR techniques. I usually offer these tips during the private one on one coaching sessions.

Also… if you believe you are ready for PR and want to get started, I put together a simple plan for you.

During the consulting sessions you will discover simple PR techniques that can give more visibility and bring more awareness, but it is about creating a customized PR plan for you for the next 90 days

Here is what you are going to receive in our consulting sessions:

  • Your PR tool kit: the tools and resources you must have to start an effective public relations campaign
  • How to be PR ready:  the exact checklist of all you need regardless if you are in fashion, food, health or financial industry or even MLM profession.
  • Identifying your persona and what you want to be known for in your community and in your niche .(branding for PR campaigns)
  • Your weekly revisions. Yes you will do homework
  • How to build local publicity using SEO and PR strategies plus few social media simple strategies I  use to connect with the right people.
  • Creative promotional methods to reach TOUGH media folks in the top online publications such as Entrepreneur, Fortune and more..
  • The simple ways to reach buyers DIRECTLY with SEO press releases and social media releases
  • Learn how you can immediately find what media is seeking for to share with the world
  • How to put together a successful pitch
  • How to set up online PR newsroom to share your story and establish your brand
  • The list of publications I recommend to my clients to promote your products
  • Types of press releases you must write for your business.

You can book FREE consultation to see if you are qualified to have a PR campaign.

Plus..

Use coupon on all our services and products:

Reserve your spot with  PR consulting services TODAY and get our Fall Blitz 24 hours ONLY 25%

Code: FALLBlITZ

You can apply the same coupon for our press release writing services for the next 24 hours ONLY.

Let us write a professional press release .

Ends Tomorrow Midnight!

Tatyana Gann

How to Choose The Right Niche By Angela Giles

By Tatyana Gann

Today Issue

By Angela Giles

Article: “Your Niche: How To Choose The Perfect One For You”

You have probably heard that term niche thrown all over the internet, on every webinar and event you attend and all the training classes that you devour.

Have you ever really wondered what a niche is?

If you go to a Thesaurus you will see terms thrown around like assignment, avocation, employment, corner, segment, category, and pigeonhole.

So if you are going to build a business, what corner of the market do you want to be a part of?

Here’s your first suggestion to finding a niche that will for you…

You must be passionate about and believe in it!

Did you know that people switch network marketing companies on average every ninety days?   Why?  Simply, because they do not believe in the product that they are selling.

In the home based business industry, you will often find individuals starting a business or fulfilling a niche because their friend told them how great it was or how much money they could make at it.

But the problem lays in the fact that they never did 100% believe in the product or service that they are marketing.  In fact, a person could believe the data about something but NOT actually believe in it.

This could be the case if you find yourself lying in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering if your chosen product or service will actually work.

If you only believe in your product 95 % this may not be the niche for you.   Why?  You may find that you self-sabotage and then your business will ultimately fail.

You must believe 100% in what you are marketing, period.

Suggestion Number Two

You need to be using whatever you are promoting.  There is no getting around this.   When I began a Mary Kay business several years ago, the first thing I learned was that I had to really develop a love for their products and use them religiously.

So I dove head first into the company, learned everything I could, and used all their products!   Guess what?  I rose to a Director level within the first two months.

Suggestion Number three is you must have a long term vision for your business. Can you imagine having a long term vision for something you don’t believe 100% in and aren’t using on a regular basis? It simply won’t work.

There are going to be ups and downs in your journey, so set a long term vision and stick to it.

Along the way, you are going to be living your life surround by clients and people who come into your business in one shape or another.   Imagine yourself and where you want to be 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years from now.

Set a plan and work your plan.

Remember that it is all about you serving your clients and determining what they need.   Their needs will change from time to time as you get to know them.

Adjustments will continue to be made to your niche as you continue to happily serve your clients.

This is a good thing.

The money and the complete fulfillment of self WILL COME as it does when you feel that sense of accomplishment with a job well done.

The original post is found on Angela Giles Blog.

With Love,

Angela Giles

Angela Giles is a social media coach. She is an author of e-book “How To Market On Facebook In 60 Minutes A Day”

To learn more about Angela Giles visit http://www.WhoIsAngelaGiles.com