Your Parents Love You, But Who Else?

Susan Harrow, www.prsecrets.com

“Publicity markets your services more effectively than advertising … or your parents,” points out Susan Harrow, media coach and author of Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul. Harrow says,

Your parents love you. They think you are the best thing that ever walked this earth. And they’re right. They’re also biased. And everyone knows that. So when they say great things about you to anyone who will listen, those people’s eyes tend to get that opaque and uninterested glaze. A similar thing happens when an audience reads or sees advertisements. Even when someone is looking for a specific product or service, they know that anyone who has the money can buy space to plug their products.

When a journalist writes a story about you or your business, you are already one step ahead of those people who choose advertising. Why? You have literally and symbolically passed through a gatekeeper—the editor or producer who has judged that you have something of value for his audience.

People perceive a journalist or producer as an unbiased source of information. The person who is included in an article or is on a radio or TV show has passed through a journalist’s or producer’s screen. We credit the media with knowing a good story when they see one. You can’t buy the kind of prestige that puts you on the front page of a major newspaper.

Putting on a show, or being part of someone else’s, is a time-honored way of attracting customer attention. Participating in a trade show, or co-sponsoring a fundraiser, can put you in direct contact with potential clients, and bring you an audience you couldn’t afford to reach alone. But look out for the cost! Renting a booth, setting up a display, and distributing literature to hundreds of people can be extremely expensive. Before committing to a live event like this, evaluate the cost per head of each likely prospect you expect the event to generate, and see if you couldn’t beat that price by using some other marketing method.

If you want to try producing your own live event, such as a seminar or reception, figure out how much it might cost you to put on the event and fill the room; then see if the expected business will be worth the expense. Publicizing events like this can require a substantial outlay for paid mailings and advertising. Look to see what the result might be if you spent the same amount of time and money on generating business through other strategies.

Hosting a virtual event, such as a webinar, teleseminar, or online contest, can be inexpensive to produce. But you still have to publicize it in order to get people to participate. If you don’t already have a substantial prospect list or social network you can invite, you may find it no easier or cheaper to find prospects for your promotional event than it is to find paying clients.