Local Newspapers not Dying
In online selling and marketing, or traditional bricks and mortar, you can't leave any stone unturned when it comes to positioning your company. Local newspapers appeared to be heading for extinction and so many have neglected them as a way to promote their business.
However, according to Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media, from a small business event she attended, many biz owners are leveraging newspapers to get the word out.
She offered these tips:
- Understand the mind of a reporter
- Value freshness: Always be on the lookout for ways to insert your business into timely issues.
- Speak their language: Sometimes getting coverage is a matter of speaking the same language as the editor whose eye you’re hoping to catch.
- Find reporters on Facebook and Twitter: This is a super important point that I think many SMBs miss out on. It doesn’t matter if the outlet itself is offline or online, the people who write for it are on the Web interacting in social media.
- Know when to get in touch.
These ideas certainly apply to reaching out to bloggers and other social media types. As with most things in life, relationships are what matter. It isn't to say that a relationship is what wins you the business alone, but it allows you the access to discuss ideas and possibilities.
In Lisa's example of speak their language -- you can't do that if you don't listen. And you won't listen if you don't value the person and their relationship to you. It may seem basic, but it is a fact of life often lost on busy execs and small biz owners.
Organic gets a lot of talk these days for all sorts of reasons -- but ultimately it boils down to growing things without pesticides or added hormones and that applies to non-farm work as well -- don't sprinkle your relationships with anything to simply try and make them grow faster or bigger. Take the time to grow things naturally.
You can follow me on Twitter @TJMcCue. I am working on a case study around using email marketing as a means to keep a relationship going with a customer. Lemonade Cleanse To Go has volunteered to be profiled after I did some work on their blog and site structure. The case will center around how Infusionsoft (a sponsor of my Sales Rescue Team work) helps make your email marketing more intelligent.
