 | Major Communications |  |
| Major Communications | |
Big Business Publicity on a Shoe String Budget,
by Mark Joyner, CEO, Aesop.Com
"The Genie is out of the bottle." That's what people keep saying
about the Internet.
I personally think the Genie has barely popped out his head. That
is, we've only scratched the surface in terms of the potential of
the net. However, you can't deny that the generally conservative
business world has finally, and officially, jumped on the band
wagon. *That* particular Genie is out of the bottle and dancing
around on the table with a lamp shade on his head.
If there is one thing I've learned from the 1999 Christmas Season
advertising blitz - it's that there is a new Sheriff in the Internet
town and his name is "Big Business".
I could easily sit back and pine for the days when Microsoft was too
wrapped up in selling software to care about the Internet. The days
when the executives of major retail companies brushed off the net as
a passing fad. The days when the little guy still had a chance.
I say this to myself every now and then...
Then I come to my senses.
I have to laugh about the irony of the situation. Here I am, one who
considers himself an expert in psychological warfare, falling for a
simple psychological trick. Sometimes the enemy will tell you that
"resistance is futile" just to sap your will. And most of the time
it works.
The big companies are saying, "Fear me, little entrepreneur! I have
a big advertising budget. Didn't you see my snazzy ads on TV? Didn't
you hear my commercial on the radio? Where would *you* get the money
for such an awesome media blitz? Abandon all hope!"
I'm not afraid, though. Actually, I'm * laughing* at those companies
spending millions on advertising. Why?
Well, I can get close to the same level of publicity for practically
nothing. All I have to do is come up with something that is newsworthy,
write a press release, and send it out to a targeted list of media
contacts.
As they say in that expensive TV commercial for Office Depot: "Badda
Bing. Badda Boom". I can't even begin to calculate the dollar value
of free advertising I've received for my various businesses using
this technique.
Various sites I've managed have appeared in countless newspapers,
magazines, and TV shows. I've been invited hundreds of times to
appear as a radio guest. Heck, every now and then a friend will
write to me and say, "Hey Mark, I just read the write up about you
guys in _____. Great work!" Then I have to somehow get him to let
me know exactly what it is he's talking about, so I can go see it
myself. I am quite literally surprised by new media exposure all
the time.
The impact this has had on my overall credibility and market position
is immeasurable.
Now, anyone reading this who has actually submitted a press release
will probably cringe at my simplification of this process.
It's actually much harder than I've expressed here, and your chances
of your story getting picked up are just better than zero if you
don't know what you're doing.
So, how is it done? The traditional route is to send a press release
to a list of appropriate media contacts. To do this, you will need
three things:
1. A properly written press release.
2. A list of appropriate media contacts.
3. A means for sending your release to the list
(usually via fax, email, or postal mail)....
...Stay tuned for Part II where I will give you a step by step
action plan for writing and sending an effective press release.
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Article by Mark Joyner, CEO of Aesop Marketing Corporation and
creator of 1001 Killer Internet Marketing Tactics - a *must have*
tool for anyone serious about doing business on the Internet. Do
yourself a favor and check this one out today.
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