7 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting A Social Media Campaign

Starting a social media campaign for your business is like entering into a relationship. For it to succeed over the long term you must be committed to it and have realistic expectations as to what you'll get out of it.

Current statistics show that that 73% of Twitter registrants have posted fewer than 10 messages and one third have posted none at all.

The majority of Facebook fan pages give visitors no incentive to "like" the page. As well, they rarely develop ongoing communication campaigns catered to their fans.

These trends are a clear indication that both people and businesses are participating in social media with either no plan, no goals, or no idea why.

So before you make your first tweet, create a Facebook fan page, or start searching for Linked In connections, ask yourself these questions. The answers may help you better focus your time, resources, and better understand how to include social media into your company's marketing program.

Why do I want to participate in social media?

With social media "experts" declaring that any business not tweeting or without a Facebook fan page is losing business to competitors, many entrepreneurs feel compelled to participate out of fear. This just leads to frustration when time and money is spent on setting up accounts and custom pages, only to not see any measurable results. The fact is that social media is like any other marketing tool and may not be right for every business. Even so, it must still be used effectively, perhaps as part of a bigger campaign, for any benefits to be seen.

Do I have the time and resources?

Unlike conventional marketing such as ads in a newspaper, direct mail, or even a web site, social media requires continuous attention. Depending on your business, this could range from a few minutes a day to over an hour. Do you have the time, desire and patience to make regular and relevant tweets or update your Facebook page? And while you could have a staff member or virtual assistant do this for you, that means allocating resources and money that you may or may not be able to afford, or could better be used elsewhere.

Can I continuously come up with great content?

Unlike a blog where you can post content on your own schedule, making social media work means posting interesting and relevant content on an ongoing basis. Depending on which guru you listen to, this can mean a few tweets a day to more than 10 per hour. Can you keep up this pace? And do you really have enough to say? Even sharing a mix of personal anecdotes, relevant links, retweets, and business information can only go so far before you start getting mentally exhausted - and frustrated.

What are my goals?

Unless you're involved in social media for purely social purposes, it's likely that you are hoping to get some form of financial return out of it. The goals of attracting more clients and more sales is what drives most businesses to social media in the first place. So let's be realistic - from a business perspective, followers, friends, fans and connections are really nothing more than lists. And if the names on those lists are not the kinds of clients you would like to attract, then you may be preaching to the wrong crowd. The best thing to do is decide what your goals are from the start. For many businesses, clients can come from any geographic area or be any demographic, so social media may be ideal. Think about if you're trying to create awareness for your company, product, or just you

What are my alternatives?

Social media is just one of hundreds of ways to reach people. Depending on your goals you may find some old fashioned methods produce better results with less resources. Trade shows, direct mail, email, seminars, networking events, newspaper ads, or publicity stunts can still garner the kinds of result you may be looking for. Many companies have successfully used social media to build word-of-mouth "momentum" that originally started from a conventional marketing campaign. Remember the old spice guy? That campaign started as just a television commercial and went on to become the most successful social media campaign ever.

Do people really care?

The open forum concept of Twitter, Facebook and Linked In groups allows for huge numbers of people to talk about common interests. But let's be honest here. Is your business worthy of discussion? A client of mine who is a self employed dental hygienist was disappointed when her tweets and Facebook postings garnered little response. While they were quality posts, it seemed teeth cleaning was just not a big draw for online discussion. It can be tough to hear, but sometimes the world does not share your passion about your product or service.

How do I measure success?

While many web designers and consultants will point to Google Analytics when asked about return on investment, the fact is that ROI can only be measured in dollars and cents. Your time and resources are worth something, so you must put a value to them and factor that in when developing your social media campaign. If you make $80.00 an hour doing what your core service is, then investing 10 hours in social media will cost you $800.00. If you don't make that money back in a reasonable period of time, then you will have a negative return. Factor in other costs such as a graphic designer or marketing consultant, and your costs will be even higher. Success should be defined by a set of criteria before you begin your campaign - social media or otherwise.

Think of social media as just one tool in your marketing toolbox. And the most effective marketing campaigns come from knowing what tools to use and when to use them, either alone or in combination.

Marc Gordon is a professional speaker and marketing consultant based in Toronto, Ontario. He is also the host of the online video show, http://marctv.net. His firm, Fourword Marketing, specializes in helping businesses create a brand identity and developing effective marketing campaigns. Marc can be reached at (416) 238-7811 or visit http://www.marcgordon.ca.

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10 Essential Questions to Ask When Setting Up Your Social Media Marketing Campaign

The first step in setting up the right social media campaign for your business is to do an audit of all your social media marketing activities up to the present day. Once that is determined, your current state, you'll have a starting point from which to create the right plan and implement the proper strategies for your social media marketing campaign.

When conducting the audit, here are some essential questions to answer so you'll start you social campaign on the right road - eliminate wasted time and money.

1. What is the end result or goal of your social media marketing that you'd like to accomplish? More leads, more followers, more sales, more customer loyalty/confidence, more control over your companies reputation online.

2. What tracking methods will you use to determine if you have the right strategies in place to achieve the goals that you set? These are a few that are free to use and their invaluable... knowem.com, SocialMention.com, HowSociable.com

3. Do you need an in house social media manager (an employee), or is outsourcing the duties a better fit? Are you able to keep a full time employee on payroll which would probably include paying medical benefits, vacation and dealing with sick time...or is it better to find a social media management company and let them handle all the duties.By using a social media management company, you would only pay a set hourly/weekly/monthly fee and also have a custom package designed especially for your business.

4. What do your followers see as far as the sites or pages that you are directing them to from you social media networks? Are your profiles set up to deliver your followers, and potential customers, to a page that will get them to submit their name and email address (squeeze page offering a free eBook or special report) so you can start building a relationship with your list? No matter what site or page you're sending them to, be sure that there is a call to action on that page. If you're just directing them to your home page and hope they'll stick around and find the info they came for, you will be disappointed with your results. The average website surfer will only give your site 8 to 20 seconds to determine if it's what they're looking for.

5. Do all your social media marketing efforts link to each other and do they work in synergy with each other? Are your websites, blogs and social sites setup to interact with each other and work together to create a more viral effect? You have to make it easy for your subscribers to navigate around your site and share things on your site with others that they find valuable, interesting and important.

6. What other experts in your niche can you network with, and how do you find them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc...Are you networking with other people and groups within your niche market that may be already considered experts in the field? If you do, not only will you learn a great deal, but you'll also be able to develop relationships with these experts and therefore raise your own businesses status in the social communities. By aligning yourself with these experts that are already much respected in the social communities and within their niches, you'll gain an almost an instant respect and credibility. When this happens you'll see your subscriber numbers go through the roof because you'll have a great number of your subscribers share your sites and info with others.

7. What tools and software will you use to automate a portion of your social media marketing? There's a lot of programs and software to automate portions of you posting and tweeting with you followers/customers, most have a free option or trial as well as paid versions that will handle a lot more duties. Some of these include... Socialoomph.com, Socialblaster.com, Socialposter.com (submit to up to 250 social and bookmark sites at once!)

These sites provide a great way to give your followers and customers a constant drip of information and keep them in tune with what your company is doing. While this may seem like the ideal way to 'set it & forget it' be aware that the whole point of social networking is to answer and support comments and questions in real time. These automated systems can certainly help, but there is always going to be a need for a 'real person' to monitor the going's on.

8. Is your current social media campaign currently providing valuable information to your followers that is different then your competition? Just as in the early days of email marketing, the key to get people to become subscribers and followers was to give away high quality, valuable information in the beginning and expect nothing back in return. This is the stage of relationship building, and it's one that must NOT be overlooked. People only buy from those they know and trust. It's not only OK to stand out from the crowd...it's imperative! You must give without want in order to receive.

9. Is your website setup to allow interaction amongst your followers? Now a days most all websites have their own blog. Is you website allowing for your followers and subscribers to interact with each other? Having a very interactive site will allow followers or subscribers to build some of the content for you, as well, you'll be able monitor the conversations taking place so you'll know exactly what your subscribers want and need. Once you know the problems they are asking for solutions to, you'll be able to deliver laser targeted information to them.

10. How are you handling the input that is being contributed by your followers? Is there a dedicated person to perform this duty or is it shared? If this task is handled by a number of different people, you may find that there is no consistency when they respond to a comment or question from your subscribers on your site. By having all this monitored by a social media management company, or a single person, you'll be able to gain that consistency...not only in the responses, but also allowing the personality and manner of speaking of the company shine through. This will give your customers a greater sense of trust and confidence in your company.

These are just a handful of relevant questions and some valuable insights you, and/or your social media marketing manager should be answering in order to create a needed starting point, as well as an ever growing, consistent, ongoing social media marketing campaign.

Whether you have a social media manager, or you outsource the duties, there's no denying the time is now to start a social media marketing campaign...because you know that your competition already has.

Ron Richardson is the CEO of http://Social-Media-Management-Experts.com with dedicated, passionate people to handle all your companies' social media marketing needs! A consistent, comprehensive social networking and marketing campaign every day/week/month to dramatically increase a steady flow of website traffic, leads, referrals, better SEO rankings, word-of-mouth, name recognition, reputation management and of course new business. Grab your free copy of 'Social Media Marketing Explained'...Click Here

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Under Fire, PMS-Related Milk Campaign Shut Down Early

A campaign by a milk marketer to address the serious subject of premenstrual syndrome in a humorous fashion — by focusing on how men purportedly suffer from its effects along with women — is being ended early after an outpouring of criticism and comments about the tone of the ads.

The campaign was introduced on July 11 by the California Milk Processor Board and its longtime advertising agency, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco, part of the Omnicom Group. The centerpiece of the campaign, which declares that “milk can help reduce the symptoms of PMS,” was a microsite, or special Web site, that uses the Web address everythingidoiswrong.org and addresses itself to men as “your home for PMS management.”

The content of the microsite includes “pre-approved apologies” from men to the women in their lives with PMS like “I’m sorry for the thing or things I did or didn’t do” as well as features like an “emergency milk locator.”

The microsite was scheduled to be live through the end of August. Instead, it is to be replaced on Thursday morning with another microsite, with the Web address gotdiscussion.org, that is intended to foster conversations about the campaign’s premise and approach as well as provide more information about how drinking milk could help ease the symptoms of PMS.

(The gotdiscussion.org name is meant to echo the theme of the California milk ads since 1993, “Got milk?” The theme is familiar beyond California because the California board licenses it for use by national dairy marketers.)

Computer users who type “everythingidoiswrong.org” into their browsers are to be redirected to “gotdiscussion.org.”

The home page of the new microsite acknowledges that “regrettably, some people found our campaign about milk and PMS to be outrageous and misguided,” adding that others “thought it funny and educational.”

The microsite offers links to articles and comments that both praised and damned the campaign. The negative remarks include “This is an incredibly sexist campaign,” “The campaign probably will appeal to men, as sad as that makes me” and “Wrong: milk ad campaign blames PMS, insults women.”

Those negative remarks represent only a sampling of what has been a flood of complaints about the ads.

In addition to the criticism, there has also been pointed commentary about the campaign. For instance, the humor Web site funnyordie.com posted parodies of the campaign that deemed it misogynistic.

Before the milk campaign was introduced, executives at the California milk board and Goodby, Silverstein acknowledged that it was intended to “get attention” and “ignite some social media discussion and conversation.” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/business/media/campaign-says-got-pms-get-milk.html

But the executives seem taken aback at how quickly the complaints came in — many only a day or two after the campaign began — and how intense, even angry, the critics are.

The reaction to the campaign, and the subsequent changes, are indicative of the pitfalls in the age of social media to producing ads that seek to be noticed by being daring, provocative or shocking.

The ability of consumers to quickly gather on Web sites like Facebook and Twitter and share their opinions with potentially millions of other consumers, as well as the creators of the ad campaigns they dislike, means that it is becoming harder for marketers to walk that fine line between getting noticed and getting berated.

A recent example was the campaign for Groupon that made its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 6, with commercials that seemed to make light of issues like the plight of Tibet. Groupon initially tried to manage the backlash that rapidly developed, but soon found itself forced to withdraw the campaign.

“It certainly wasn’t our intention to offend people,” said Steve James, executive director of the California milk board, based in San Clemente, Calif. “We regret that.”

“No question, with some people we have stepped over the line,” he added. “We certainly misjudged the heat generated by the people who thought we stepped over the line.”

The goal now is “to turn down the heat,” Mr. James said. “There’s no sense in keeping up a Web site that’s like waving a red flag to some people.”

Taking down everythingidoiswrong.org is “not a failure in any way,” he added. “I don’t see it as ending it or pulling the plug.”

“We accomplished what we set out to accomplish,” Mr. James said, citing visits to microsite and conversations about the campaign.

Now the milk board is taking the campaign “to a place to have a more toned-down, more reasoned discussion,” he added.

Jeff Goodby, the co-chairman with Rich Silverstein at Goodby, Silverstein, said he was “surprised” by the firestorm that was produced by the campaign.

“It’s certainly more controversial than we expected it to be,” Mr. Goodby said. “After three days, this thing was off the hook.”

“Rather than to continue the campaign,” he added, “it’s better to have this bigger discussion, which will get more readership.”

Ending the campaign before it was to end does not concern Mr. Goodby because, he said, “we think it’s served its purpose.”

The intent was to “bring up a topic in a humorous way,” he added, and “in no way was this done cynically” – that is, designed to provoke consumers deliberately in a way that would generate publicity for the product.

The response “shows the power of social media as much as anything I’ve worked on,” Mr. Goodby said. “It’s a real tribute to the power of the Internet.”

Goodby, Silverstein and the milk board introduced a similar campaign in 2005 that was meant to humorously present men as suffering when the women in their lives had PMS. That campaign also drew complaints that it was sexist and offensive, but it continued through its planned run.

“It was a different world in 2005,” Mr. Goodby said.

View the original article here

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Tips For a Creating an Engaging Social Media Marketing Campaign

If you've poked around any one of the vast number of social networks, then you have probably found that there is an online community for just about every interest. Whether you are looking for communities to engage your personal interests or places where you can help boost your social media marketing impact, you're bound to find several niche communities that interest you.

If you would like to make the most of your social media marketing and online presence, then it's not just important to find the communities that will best reward your social media marketing efforts, but it is also crucial that you learn the unique dynamics of each community. Your college alumni Facebook group will not operate along the same conventions as a forum where skiers gather to exchange information and tips, so it is important to learn the rules if you want to make any headway with a social media marketing campaign.

Joining online communities can be a great way to enhance your online brand and cultivate a great, engaging image through a well-crafted social media marketing campaign. Whether you're looking to increase your personal presence online or your goal is to improve your business' online activity, niche online communities remain a great opportunity for effective social media marketing.

It's important to first find where your audience is, but that's just the first step. Growing an online presence is an activity that takes time because you first must discover how your audience communicates. Are they active on Facebook? Do they read Twitter updates? Do they have a Ning group? Finding the online areas where your target hangs out is the only way you can effectively communicate with them as part of a social media marketing campaign.

But once you find those communities, a little more preparation is required before you launch a social network marketing campaign. If you simply sign up for an account and then deliver your sales pitch, you'll be ignored at best, and criticized at worst. These groups value community, and they value people who positively contribute to their community.

Experience has shown that a company rep or a marketer can become an accepted community member if they contribute regularly. If that person takes time to develop real relationships and takes time to offer advice to community members, then he or she will reap the benefits of being a trusted group member.

That's the new blueprint for developing online relationships with consumers that matter. And while that may sound like a lot of work, it's not that difficult. In fact, many who have embarked on this social media marketing strategy have found that engaging with their target audience is one of the most enjoyable parts of their day. And it's also a great way to get tips, news and opinions that would have otherwise been missed.

So what are the specific social media marketing strategies you need to implement when participating in social communities? Here are the most important.

Pay Attention to the Rules - Nearly every social media site has rules. They're usually listed on a page before or immediately after a new account is registered. Most of us either skim these or ignore them completely. But we really shouldn't. If you're the head of a social media marketing team with a new social media marketing campaign, you should print out or send the rules to all members, so they'll know what is and isn't acceptable.

What rules are important? One example is some online community forums allow links in your signature (the short blurb that appears with every post you make), and some won't. Make sure you are aware of the community's rules before posting a link to your site in an online forum.

Study the Community First - When you join an online community, it's best not to simply dive right in and start posting, but rather sit back and observe how things operate. Think of it as your chance to play anthropologist. Finding out what people are discussing and how they discuss it will give you a better idea of how you approach that particular online community.

And depending on the type of community, you will be able to learn how people use and comment on your product or service. It's a great resource for an unfiltered view into how people really think about your brand or business.

Obey the Rules and Norms - So you've read the rules and regulations, and you're abiding by them. That's great. But every community also has several unwritten rules. Unwritten rules could include what's considered acceptable when it comes to linking to company sites as part of a social media marketing campaign. Other rules could refer to the terms and language used on a site. Some online communities are just going to be more casual than others. You can make sure you're hitting the right tone in your social media marketing efforts by figuring out the vocabulary acceptable on the site before you begin posting.

Learn the Community Hierarchy - Most online communities have some kind of leader, whether it's an official administrator or just an unofficial group organizer. By watching for a bit, you'll be able to figure out which people are prominent presences and which people are just an occasional commenter.

Remember, administrators often have the power to kick people out of the community, so knowing the right way to approach them is imperative to your social media marketing campaign.

Don't Directly Market - Online communities that are thriving and successful (that is, any online community that's worth joining as a part of a social media marketing campaign) will not want direct marketing. People gather in online communities because they want to share their interests, opinions, ideas and knowledge. If you invade a place with a clunky social media marketing spiel, then you'll likely find yourself ostracized.

But if you offer value-if you offer your own ideas and opinions about a range of topics, then you'll be valued yourself. When you establish trust with online community members you will able to increase your presence and your brand's presence with savvy social media marketing campaign.

Wendy Suto is CEO and President of Search Circus, an ethical and certified SEO firm based in Cleveland Ohio that specializes in search engine optimization and marketing, business blogging, link building tips and social media marketing for small to large businesses throughout the U.S.

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How to Build a Hub For Your Inbound Internet Marketing Campaign - Blogging and Social Media

The transition occurring today in the marketplace from an outbound, old media marketing strategy to an inbound, new media approach presents an interesting, challenging, and even profitable environment for business owners willing to incorporate and even embrace current transition. The shift from old to new, outbound, even intrusive marketing to an inbound, customer/client driven methodology appears to be profound and lasting. The current economic trend is challenging, and that's putting it mildly. Yet even the most experienced entrepreneurs and Internet marketing specialists are grappling with the right strategy, the right combination of tools, necessary to survive this downturn. In order to survive, businesses must adapt, rethink, and redesign their current approach to advertising and marketing. As a result of our current economic challenges, businesses are finding it increasingly important, imperative, to develop and strengthen relationships, not only with prospective customers, but with their established customer base as well. Engaging in a relationship building strategy with customers they have already done business with at some point in the past is one of the most effective methods for improving a business's overall profitability, while decreasing advertising costs. It is the established customer/client base, combined with a successful relationship building campaign that includes a number of tools and marketing platforms, that will ultimately lead to not only survival in the current economy but prosperity...in spite of it!

The emergence of the weblog (web log) or blog, blogging in today's parlance, revolutionized the way individuals communicate on the Internet. Significantly, what was once considered to be solely a social communication vehicle, almost a means to "gossip" on the web, quickly became the darling of the Internet for individuals and businesses alike. Today, everyone from the neighborhood grandmother talking about her most recent trip back east to see the grandchildren, to The Ford Motor Company and Skittles are blogging and the reasons are myriad. Blogging allows a connection between participants unlike anything I have witnessed in marketing to date.

In my 54 years I have weathered several recessions, a number of presidents, including a resignation and an assassination, and a couple of attempted ones, the Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King marketing masterpiece, the "New Coke" marketing debacle, the ultimate political spin of the Clinton Presidency, and the annual marketing bonanza also known as the Super Bowl. However, I have never witnessed anything like the emergence of the "blogosphere."

The blogosphere? Well, if we use Technorati's definition "The blogosphere is the collective community of all blogs." How many? As of Technorati's August 2008 report on the state of the blogosphere there were 133 million blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002, with 1.5 million per week being added per week since then. Surely Technorati's numbers have changed vastly in the last year but the fact is no one really knows how many blogs exist. There is however one undeniable fact, the blog is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.

The face of the average blogger is a difficult one to perceive. The numbers grow and the demographics shift but the average blogger is male, over 25 years old, 50% of all bloggers are over 35 years of age, married, college educated, with an average yearly income of over $50,000, and 48% live in North America. Four out of every five people blogging, known as bloggers, identify themselves as personal bloggers. Interestingly, there is a great amount of overlap between bloggers, professional, corporate, and personal, with many designating themselves as two out of the three or all three. Almost half of all bloggers noted that they have had or continue to have multiple blogs, 60% of all bloggers having two or more years of blogging experience, with the average tenure being three years. Female bloggers make up 34% of active bloggers, males make up 73% of all bloggers in Asia, and the youngest blogging population seems to be in Europe, with half of all respondents being between the age of 18 and 34 years of age.

With the emergence of social media, and the realization of the power social media marketing offers, including the mini-blog phenomena Twitter and facebook, the blog has maintained its pivotal role as the "hub spot" from which an increasing numbers of companies, from the mom and pop corner store to Fortune 100 corporations, are building inbound, Internet marketing campaigns. The blog offers the ideal platform for relationship building. Connecting with prospective clients, as well the current customer/client base in a way no other medium offers, the combination of the blog and various Web 2.0 platforms is both organic and dynamic. Blogging is a crucial component in any "new media," inbound marketing strategy. Added to the blogging hub, the social media or Web 2.0 campaign offers an innovative and forward thinking approach to prospective customer and established customer relationship building never before offered in this way by a marketing strategy.

So, what happened to the website? Internet marketing has experienced a transition, a revolution of sorts, from the traditional website to the fresh and organic approach of the blog. The blog should be an integral part of any online marketing strategy. Blogging not only provides useful content for a business's target audience, it also builds relationships and strengthens the connection between current customers and businesses engaged in this useful marketing strategy. The business blog has virtually, and literally, replaced the conventional website as many company's primary customer/client communication vehicle, and rightly so. The combination of other media, along with the blog, as in the case of social media marketing mentioned above, offers an inbound marketing strategy, cost-effective and profitable, short and long-term.

The question every business owner today must ask: "How do I develop a marketing strategy that will allow me weather the current economic storm?" The fact is many of the traditional marketing strategies, also referred to as outbound or old media advertising strategies have been replaced by inbound, new media marketing methods, with impressive and lasting results. The cost of new media marketing is substantially less than most traditional, outbound methods engaged in by traditional brick and mortar businesses today (e.g., television, radio, newspaper, etc.). Given the current economic climate, this certainly seems counter-intuitive. During a time when businesses large and small are struggling to stay afloat, it would seem prudent to engage in any strategy that promises to increase traffic while decreasing the cost of doing business. Additionally, the reduction in the cost of doing business associated with an inbound, new media marketing strategy is generally accompanied by an increase in revenue and an improved and strengthened customer/business connection. The benefits of the new media, inbound strategy are derived solely due to the blog as the central component, the linchpin or hub, driving the entire program and making the entire business more profitable and even prosperous, regardless of the current economy...or perhaps because of it.

The transition from traditional, outbound, old media marketing to an innovative, inbound, new media strategy is the focus of The Ultimate Internet Image, a new venture created to serve traditional brick and mortar businesses and Internet marketers alike. The Ultimate Internet Image focuses on an inbound marketing strategy while realizing that there is still power and usefulness in some outbound marketing media platforms. The UII marketing strategy creates a synergy, a synthesis of the old media with the new media in order to create a marketing plan designed specifically for the individual client, not a cookie-cutter, one size fits all approach so commonly seen online.

The Ultimate Internet Image has offices in Maine, Florida, New York, Minnesota, Ohio, and Illinois, with more opening every week. We welcome you to explore the ultimate opportunity, as a client or as a director and owner. Contact information is available at The Ultimate Internet Image's blog, listed below.

We invite you to discover what it means to offer The Ultimate Internet Image!

http://www.UltimateInternetImage.com Join us!

John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.

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Media Planning And Buying For An Effective Advertising Campaign

This article will explore the principles behind media planning. After all the research and strategizing has been carried out by a business the next stage they have to face is to start promoting what they are offering to their potential new customers.

Certainly the most important weapon in any company's bid to reach those new customers is a well-conceived advertising campaign. It is therefore essential that they spend time planning it.

When it comes to producing a well conceived media advertising planning strategy there are certain things that need to be looked at.

Today there are a number of different ways in which a business can get their message across to their customers. They could if they want use the television, newspapers, magazines as well as the radio.

Plus they may want to consider see what ways they can advertise their business on the internet. However which ever media advertising method they decide to do they will also need to be aware of their budget constraints.

In order to plan their advertising campaigns correctly there are 3 questions that any good media planner should be asking themselves.

1. What is the right mix of media to use for the campaign?

2. Which of any of the media available could offer them direct access to the customers that they are targeting?

3. How often should their advertisements be shown and when should they be shown.

Once they are able to provide answers to these questions then the media planners can start to look at the budget that they have and how to utilize it fully.

It is the job of the media planner who often works as part of an advertising agency or even for a specialty firm to device the right media planning strategy. The job of the media planner is to work closely with the people within the business in order to devise a plan and strategy that will bring that all important customer to the businesses door.

Unfortunately when it comes to devising the perfect media planning strategy for a business the best thing that any media planner can do is first learn about it. It is important that they spend time with their client learning as much as they can before they actually devise a strategy to bring the customers flocking to the company's door. Once the media planner has devised the plan which they feel will work best for the company they then pass on what they want to happen to a media buyer, which could be someone else or the same person.

Go to Media Planning [http://www.imediaplanning.com] for more about a media planner's role and how to plan, buy media placement and analyze post media buy results.

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7 Tips in Dealing with the Media, To Create Your Own PR Campaign

What does public relations (PR) have to do with your and your business? It deserves to be more than just an afterthought. It should be an integral part of your business and has quite a bit to do with how your prospective customers perceive you and your products. Also, it is a way for you to practice your messaging in order to see which messages or concepts resonate with the media and ultimately with your customers.

Over the last 19 months, I have been quoted or featured by 20 different news organizations in such publications as The Washington Post, MSNBC, AP (Associated Press ), Spirit (the In-flight Magazine for Southwest Airlines), Better Homes and Gardens, Monster.com, Shutterbug Magazine Radio, and The Washington Business Journal. Many of these publications are national in scope and have increased my recognition and the ability to attract more business.

How did I get access to these media organizations? First I was able to sign up with an on-line publicity firm called PR Leads. PR Leads allows me to pitch the media when they need help completing a story with information in my area of expertise. However, this only gets me half way to getting quoted. I have learned that having a consistent message that resonates with my media contacts is the other half of the equation. I have a consistent message albeit one for my photography and one for my professional speaking.

During this time, I have responded to 112 queries in the following categories ... work/life balance, creativity, presentation skills and photography. The reason I chose these categories is simple. I work with people and organizations to increase their communication power through my unique photography angle. I do this through my creative keynotes (work/life balance, creativity and photography) and through my powerful presentations skills.

Out of the 112 queries, I was able to garner 34 responses for a 30% response rate (nearly 1 in 3). A good first step to a query is getting a response of any kind. It's much like a positive phone call might elicit a prospective customer to ask you what you do. Sometimes the media contacts have plenty of information from other sources. Other times I find out that my expertise or my angle isn't quite right for the story. Also, many of the pitches to the media are often to freelancers. These freelancers in turn pitch their stories to their media contacts. This adds another layer as to whether or not you will get quoted by a news organization. All of the potential rejection keeps me trying harder. The results speak for themselves.

Out of my 34 positive responses, I have been able to achieve nearly a 60% quote rate in newspapers, magazines, and on the radio, or 20 total quotes in 19 months. To put it another way, for every query I do answer, I have approximately an 18% chance that it will result in a quote in a regional or national media outlet. This is a fairly good response rate compared with the average direct mail response rate of one to two percent. I have found that there are some tips and techniques in dealing with the media.

Seven Media Tips & Techniques

Respond Quickly - The adage that 'the early bird gets the worm' is very true here. Sometimes I don't have the opportunity to respond to an appropriate query as soon as I would like and I find the response rate goes down as a result. It's gotten to the point that if I am not able to respond to a query within 24 hours, I usually don't respond. However, I do save the media contact for future reference.

Be Personable - writers and reporters like to talk to somebody that makes it easy for them to do business (or at least quote in an article). Reach out and attempt to make a genuine connection.

Make It About Them - reporters are on deadline most of the time, so have the attitude of helping them first. Do your best to provide them with as much information as possible. Suggest a time to talk on the phone and be prompt. If they don't call you back, call them - all in the spirit of helpfulness. I will usually say, "I know you're probably on deadline, but I wanted to call back and help you finish your article."

Get to the Point (Briefly) - let them know why you are responding and tell them how you can help with a few tips. It's good if you can include a few references right from your website since it makes working with you easier. This should take a maximum of 5-10 minutes per query. Also, group paragraphs into 2-3 sentences maximum for easier reading and always save your responses. You can use these to answer similar queries.

Reduce Their Risk - reporters like dealing with people who have been quoted by other reporters. It reduces risk and this is important in the media. Always reference your past performance with respect to the media. I have a section on my website called Press Room, [http://www.staashpress.com/Press%20Room/inthenews.html] . While it can be challenging to get your initial momentum with the press, keep trying. You will have to go through a few obscure publications to make it into the more recognizable ones.

Follow up - Reporters are writing many articles at one time, so you need to follow up. You want to make sure that they send you a copy of the newspaper, magazine or web link. Put these on your web site for it's an integral part of your business and helps to increase your expertise.

Add to Your Database - after you have dealt with the reporters, add them to your database and keep them informed on your expertise areas when appropriate. This is one of the best ways to get additional quotes in other magazines. Keep thinking of your reporter contacts as your customers. Again, make sure you save your responses to reuse or to use as fodder for your newsletter, articles or books.

My investment during the time I have been using PR Leads has been $1,584 or approximately $80 per instance of being quoted. The bottom line is that for $80 per lead with the kind of national exposure I am receiving is more than worth it! This modest investment is a fraction of what medium to large PR Agencies charge their customers for similar results. In the past, I had paid more for one month of PR at a larger firm than what I have paid for PR Leads over the entire time (19 months) I have been using them!

Also, the great thing about responding to queries is that it helps me generate lots of writing, understand local and national trends and develops a connection with my customers right away, as in "Mark's been quoted in The Washington Post." Can I make a clear connection to getting quoted in a magazine like Better Homes and Gardens and additional business opportunities? I believe it's a little harder to show a direct connection with PR (public relations). It's more of a subjective relationship.

I do believe that PR has added to my momentum much like a pebble is thrown into a pond making larger and larger circles. These larger and larger circles are access to regional and national media. Eventually I believe that I will be able to reach a wider audience. Why? Because reporters and other members of the media like to work with people that have already been quoted. Reporters also like to work with people that can help them attract readership (in the case of magazines) and sell more copies. It is my desire to make it onto national media like television on a regular basis with my speaking and photography. PR like PR Leads has and will continue to lay the foundation to make this happen.

Once I get more national exposure, I have the systems set up to take advantage of the opportunities presented. This means that my web site is professional, I can receive and respond to enquires, and I have an automated shopping cart so customers can purchase my products. Louis Pasteur defines luck as "when opportunity and preparation meet." I am constantly preparing and believe that the 'lucky' opportunity will present itself eventually. A recent example of how luck has played a part in my business is with my recent book.

Specific PR to Business Examples

I just released my third book, Snap: the ultimate guide to digital photography for the consumer . Being able to state in my biography, "Mark is frequently quoted in the media by such organizations as the Associated Press (AP), MSNBC and Spirit (Southwest Airlines In-Flight Magazine)," has added to my expertise. It has also allowed me to attract more customers. If you would like to see how I used PR on the back cover of my latest book, please go to a two-page PDF at http://www.staashpress.com/pdf%20files/Snap143e.TOC.pdf .

PR is a long-term strategy. I needed 18 out of the 19 months to get quoted by the Associated Press (AP) and MSNBC and used this exposure for Snap . If I would have 'cut and run,' then I would have missed out on key media that I have been using to help promote and sell my latest book, Snap . Plus this has had a positive effect on speaking at two association conferences. Within days of announcing my digital photography book, the National Speakers Association asked me to present at their Annual University. The NSA Annual University attracts 300 of the top speakers in the United States and will allow me to further establish my expertise of simple yet powerful communications using a unique photography angle.

One week later, I got a web query from another association about speaking to key members on photography. I was able to show the conference decision-maker my recent book and pointed out my expertise as is written on the back cover. She was very impressed with the amount of information contained in the book, the quality of the printing, the cover and back cover design and yes, where I have been quoted. This entire package eased her 'risk' and helped make her decision to hire me that much easier. I can definitely say that PR is a very important part of the packaging, both for my book and for my business. I highly recommend PR Leads to anyone who is looking for a great way to get media exposure for an incredible value.

Some people wonder if they can afford public relations. I wonder how they can live without it. While you need to determine your appropriate PR spending level in relation to your revenue and expected outcome, I believe that working with a media resource outlet like PR leads has boosted my expertise and subsequently my business opportunities in the marketplace. I will continue to make PR a key part of my business strategy. Also, I have found seven key benefits to PR from my perspective.

Seven Key Benefits to a Public Relations (PR) Campaign

1. PR is an important component to my business packaging.

2. PR helps me to write more material.

3. PR helps me to spot trends.

4. PR is a long-term strategy.

5. PR helps me to establish my expertise in the marketplace.

6. PR helps me to fine-tune my messages.

7. PR helps me to provide more value to my customers.

Mark Sincevich works with people and organizations to increase their communication power through a unique photography angle. He accomplishes this through his creative keynotes, meeting facilitations and powerful presentation skills programs. He is the founder and Chief Perspective Officer of Staash Press and the creator of the Staash Perspective System (SPS). The SPS teaches that simplicity leads to more powerful communication. Mark is also the executive director of the Digital Photography Institute. He can be contacted at 301-654-3010 or http://www.staashpress.com .

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Media Relations Campaign Can Put a Small Business in the National Spotlight

A targeted media relations campaign can put a small business in the national spotlight. Here's how.

Begin with an analysis of the client's objectives in terms of publicity, marketing, forming new business partnerships, potential acquisition, and investment in the company. Once the objectives are clearly defined, develop a strategic game plan and the tactics you will use to implement that plan. Your plan should include:


Aggressive and targeted media relations campaign.

Publicity through news releases and press conferences announcing milestone achievements.

Nominating the client for awards.

Implementing a Web 2.0 strategy to boost the company's visibility online.

Accomplishing this requires developing a good working relationship with the news media, particularly the trade press. You need to establish trust and reliability; i.e., tone down the hyperbole and deliver on your promises. Once you have achieved legitimacy with the trade media, strive to land profiles about the company itself or its key personnel.

You also need to track your results, producing hard data whenever possible, so you can evaluate the success of the program and demonstrate to the client that he got a worthwhile return on his PR investment.

Results Highlight Success

Here's a case study that demonstrates how this approach works in the real world: M Ship Co., a San Diego-based maritime design and technology firm, had patented technology with an outsized impact on the performance of commercial, military and recreational boats and ships. However, despite its influence on ship design, the company had an undersized reputation, receiving almost no recognition for its revolutionary technology.

The goal of the public relations program was to gain traction with important target audiences through the news media. The program began with an analysis of the client's objectives, which included landing further military and civilian contracts, possible acquisition by a large defense industry firm, partnerships with top-tier boat builders, or an infusion of private equity.

Then we developed and implemented a strategy and specific tactics:


Map out media milestones and secure coverage around the launch and testing of the company's new vessel.

Build buzz with local and trade media, then leverage that coverage with bigger media targets.

Increase the quantity of media coverage and ensure the company is credited as the inventor of the technology.

Shift media attention beyond the technology to the company and its potential.

Place the "business story" to reach potential investors, partners or acquirers.

Pursue industry and media awards.

Implement a Web 2.0 strategy.

Complete a "score sheet" of metrics verifying the success of the program.

The results exceeded our expectations, and we were able to prove this to the client by quantifying the successes:


Expanded coverage in trade and local media.

Nationally, stories appeared in Popular Science, Forbes, Time, Maxim and on the Discovery Channel.

Articles shifted focus from the technology to the company itself, with a profile of the company founder appearing on the front page of the hometown newspaper's business section.

The company won Time magazine's Coolest Inventions for 2006 award, as well as CONNECT's Most Innovative Product, resulting in widespread media coverage.

The story was a top pick on Digg.com, achieving an estimated 5 million viewings.

Military personnel published an article about the company's new vessel in Wikipedia.

Media coverage increased 100% in frequency and 19% for story length; articles with photos increased 73%.

Coverage in general readership and business publications spiked 50%.

The company was mentioned within the top three paragraphs in 39% of all stories after initiating the media relations campaign, compared to 20% previously.

Because of the broad media coverage, the ship builder was contacted by a major defense industry contractor about acquisition, as well as by shipbuilders from the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia about partnerships. A boat builder contracted with the company to build a line of boats based on the company's revolutionary hull design.

The company was approached by several venture capital firms and is currently in discussions with several groups about private equity investment.

These documented results and metrics confirmed the success of the strategic media relations program. You can achieve similar results by following these proven guidelines.

Jon Schmid is a founding partner of San Diego-based Cook & Schmid Public Relations. His prior experience includes more than a decade of work as a professional journalist at a number of publications, including the Chicago Sun-Times, one of the nation's largest metropolitan daily newspapers. As a journalist, Jon was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

In 2007, Cook & Schmid received the Silver Anvil Award, the public relations industry's highest honor, for its work promoting the San Diego Rescue Mission. The firm also received a national Bronze Anvil Award of Merit in the category of Business to Business Media Relations for the M Ship Co. project described above.

Cook & Schmid - http://www.cookandschmid.com
M Ship Co. - http://www.mshipco.com

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The Beating Heart of an Effective Social Media Campaign

So you put a new business plan together for 2010. Whether your enterprise is big or small - and regardless of industry - you almost certainly discussed Social Media.

It's the most talked about and misunderstood business activity around. It's also one of the few business initiatives that companies are still spending on - for good reason. It can lower the cost of doing business and improve outcomes. A recent Web 2.0 survey by the legendary management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found that two-thirds of respondents reported "measurable" benefits from the use of Web 2.0 technologies.

>> Lower communication and travel costs

>> More effective marketing

>> Higher customer satisfaction

Those Web 2.0 technologies include blogging, video, wikis and RSS feeds, among others.

Wait a minute, you might be saying at this point, where are the references to Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn and YouTube? And what the devil are wikis and RSS feeds?

Don't even worry about wikis and RSS feeds at this stage of the game. It's blogging that we will concentrate on in this article, because blogging is the centerpiece of sensible Social Media campaigns.

It's all fine and well to have business accounts with Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn and MySpace, but what information do you feed to them? What can you really do with a 140-character Twitter message if you don't have a link that takes readers somewhere meaningful to them and profitable for you?

Granted, other Social Media sites give you plenty of space to tout your business, but who are you going to bet on? The first big Social Media site was MySpace. It is now in fast decline, losing members at a torrid pace. Twitter, YouTube and Facebook were hardly a mention a few years ago and are now Social Media's 800-pound gorillas. But what about a few years from now? Will they suffer the same fate as MySpace, as social networkers migrate on to swankier new sites?

That's very likely, which is why you don't want to make those sites the flagship of your Social Media outreach. If you build a major reservoir of content about your company on Facebook, how do you transfer all that data over to the hot, new, emerging Social Media site? That's a problem. That's a hassle. And we all try to minimize business problems and hassles.

Do this instead: Create a company blog integrated into your website, and use that as the centerpiece of your Social Media campaign. It has lots of advantages. As Patrick Schwerdtfeger points out in his excellent book Webify Your Business, search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo favor blogs.

Here's why. Search engines hunt for three primary things when assessing the value of a website:

>> The quantity of unique, relevant content

>> The newness or freshness of that content

>> The link structure surrounding the website

Blogs cater to all three of these metrics. Bottom line: As you consistently add relevant content to your blog and, hence, your website, it will climb up the search-engine rankings. That means more people searching for information about your products, services or industry will find your website, blog and company.

Now that you're creating blog content, use the dozens of Social Media sites that exist to blast that content out to the world. Yes, that's right, I said dozens. Most people are familiar with the big five sites but have never heard of Social Media sites such as Yammer, Vox, Shout'em, LiveJournal, Jaiku, Plurk, Bebo and many others.

To give you some idea, I send my blog posts to more than 30 Social Media sites.

Right about now you're probably freaking at the thought of managing a constellation of Social Media sites. Set down the valium. It's not as difficult as it sounds. Registering for all these sites can eat up an entire day. But you can population those sites in one fell swoop by using a site like Ping.fm. Ping allows you to post and send a message one time through its interface - then Ping automatically posts your message on the dozens of Social Media sites where you've opened accounts.

And, yes, all of these sites are free.

So, for example, if you own a jewelry store you might write a blog article that explains how lay people can tell the difference between a diamond and a cubic zirconia. Because sites like Twitter and Shout'em restrict messages to 140 characters, you might compose a Social Media message that says: "A diamond is a woman's best friend and a CZ her worst enemy. Here's how to tell the difference http://tinyurl.com/yk4bv2t."

Peak the reader's interest with an enticing teaser, then give them the link to your blog article to learn what you have to teach. Your blog's URL is likely to eat up many of those precious 140 characters, so use TinyURL or Bit.ly and other similar sites to shrink it down to size. Ping automatically shortens your URL to economize on space.

Although using Ping or similar web services solves the issue of having to deal with too many Social Media sites on a one-by-one basis, the bigger issue is blogging. Many businesspeople find themselves at a loss for subject matter. If you run a frozen yogurt shop then, yeah, you're probably not going to find enough topics to write a year's worth of blog posts, let alone keep the blog running strong for the next five or 10 years.

Lesson one, blogging and Social Media are not for every business. If you cannot create oodles of content about your business, industry and related matters you won't be able to sustain let alone interest people in your blog.

Lesson two, you probably have more to write about than you think. Make your blog personal. Write about yourself. Write about your customers. Write about your employees. Remember, a blog posting can run from just a few paragraphs to thousands of words. Just make sure it's interesting, educational or engaging so readers subscribe and stick with your blog.

Lesson three, blogging and Social Media are long-term commitments. Don't even expect to start seeing results for at least six months, though a year is more realistic. Over the course of years the blog really starts to do some heavy lifting for your business because the content has been piling up and the search engines are directing people to your site with increased frequency. Then again, if you don't have the stamina or discipline to write two or three blog posts a week for the rest of your business career you better have the budget to pay someone to do the work for you.

No, it doesn't take a full-time person to blog and manage your Social Media sites. Yes, you could easily employ two full-time people if you worked all the available internet channels and best practices. You don't have to do it all to get results. Just do it and do it consistently.

There are a million things to know about blogging and its intersection with the Social Media world. That goes way beyond the scope of this article, which is why I recommend you get a copy of the aforementioned book Webify Your Business and follow blogging hotshots like Denise Wakeman, who has a free five-part video course on business blogging, and Darren Rowse of ProBlogger, whose articles include one titled Blogging Tips for Beginners. To learn lots about Social Media visit Mashable often and check out its guides to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.

You'll be surprised how quickly expertise is assimilated and you're blogging and working the Social Media channels.

As Denise Wakeman is fond of saying, Blog on!

Mike Consol is president of MikeConsol.com, which provides business writing seminars, Web 2.0 strategies and media training. Consol spent 17 years with American City Business Journals, the nation's largest publisher of metropolitan business journals with 40 weekly newspapers across the United States.

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