"A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice. " - Bill Cosby
I am certain that you are a capable speaker and an outstanding business person. You probably have a tremendous amount of experience and know exactly which direction you want to take to get to the next level.
Or maybe not.
If you aren't feeling well - you visit the doctor.
If you need legal advice - you go see an attorney.
If you have to file your taxes - you call your accountant.
You would never perform surgery on yourself, write your own will or file your own taxes. It is possible that you are an expert in one of these fields, but even then, you would probably have a colleague look it over or weigh in with their own professional opinion.
We would never consider trying to cross the line and perform expert services on or for ourselves. Why then, as a business professional, do we insist on creating our own business cards? Why would you try to get more speaking engagements by picking up a phone and cold calling out of a phone book? You are surely a technological genius, but do you really want to spend your time creating your own website?
You can be an expert in the field of engineering or a brain surgeon and have no idea how to market yourself or your company to the right audience with the best materials at the correct time. Leave it to the professionals that know how. That is what we are here for. We want to help you accomplish your goals without creating extra stress for yourself and others.
While nothing in this life is certain, if you give us the right tools and a little time, we can give you a big push in the right direction. Now go back to NASA and finish working with the other rocket scientists. Leave all the details to us.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
When Michael Hart speaks
"Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture." Allen Ginsberg
The media can be very fickle. Whether newspapers, magazines, radio or television, what they consider newsworthy today is outdated tomorrow. Much of this is due to the rapid news cycle world we live in. However, in the case of business related news, this cycle spins much slower because business news is rarely breaking.
But the key point to learn before we start is this:
Unlike breaking news where the shelf life might be days, even hours, business news can be pertinent for day's even weeks. However a story that gets no "legs" today may very well be a hot subject tomorrow. This happens for a variety of reasons ranging from a slow news day to changes in the industry that affect the local story. Sometimes a reporter may just have a bad day or simply not need the story.
There are stories that a reporter might decline one week and show up at your office in hopes of getting the full story the next week. This same reporter might have declined the same story just a week before. However, things change and you can become a hot source overnight.
Press releases are not magic. They rarely do all the heavy lifting. You will have to contact the reporters/producers you send it to. Some PR folk will tell you to fax blast your release or put it up on a dozen news wires. Of course if you send 1000 releases across the country you cannot possibly contact everyone. BIG HOWEVER - You might want to consider focusing on local or regional exposure, not creating a national media campaign.
Remember that it shouldn't be about getting tons of press releases into the market with the hopes you get some coverage. You should specialize in getting publicity that can be converted into measurable profit gains. Let the guru's teach you how to get publicity that strokes your ego.
Regardless of how many PR pros you talk to - press releases are not an exact science. There is some flexibility and despite what they say - creativity. There are however several absolutes.
By studying and following the format you will greatly increase the chances your releases will get you the attention you desire.
If you want to know more about press releases or marketing, please check out:
http://michaelhartspeaks.com/Home_Page.html
When Michael Hart speaks you should be listening. But only if you want to grow your business.
The media can be very fickle. Whether newspapers, magazines, radio or television, what they consider newsworthy today is outdated tomorrow. Much of this is due to the rapid news cycle world we live in. However, in the case of business related news, this cycle spins much slower because business news is rarely breaking.
But the key point to learn before we start is this:
Unlike breaking news where the shelf life might be days, even hours, business news can be pertinent for day's even weeks. However a story that gets no "legs" today may very well be a hot subject tomorrow. This happens for a variety of reasons ranging from a slow news day to changes in the industry that affect the local story. Sometimes a reporter may just have a bad day or simply not need the story.
There are stories that a reporter might decline one week and show up at your office in hopes of getting the full story the next week. This same reporter might have declined the same story just a week before. However, things change and you can become a hot source overnight.
Press releases are not magic. They rarely do all the heavy lifting. You will have to contact the reporters/producers you send it to. Some PR folk will tell you to fax blast your release or put it up on a dozen news wires. Of course if you send 1000 releases across the country you cannot possibly contact everyone. BIG HOWEVER - You might want to consider focusing on local or regional exposure, not creating a national media campaign.
Remember that it shouldn't be about getting tons of press releases into the market with the hopes you get some coverage. You should specialize in getting publicity that can be converted into measurable profit gains. Let the guru's teach you how to get publicity that strokes your ego.
Regardless of how many PR pros you talk to - press releases are not an exact science. There is some flexibility and despite what they say - creativity. There are however several absolutes.
By studying and following the format you will greatly increase the chances your releases will get you the attention you desire.
If you want to know more about press releases or marketing, please check out:
http://michaelhartspeaks.com/Home_Page.html
When Michael Hart speaks you should be listening. But only if you want to grow your business.
Monday, July 14, 2008
"A picture is worth a thousand words." Proverb
You are your brand and creating the right brand for yourself is everything. Have you ever gotten a card that was so amazing that you kept it? You showed it off to other people and both of you oohed and ahhed together? Do you still have it?
Do people show off your business card?
The single image presented in your logo is supposed to be worth a thousand words. Is your image good enough to make it into someone's hand? Memory? The name of your company and your logo should not only represent who you are, but what you do. You only have a few seconds to create that image that you hope people will not only take with them but remember. Just do it.
Consider how difficult it is to get noticed by a potential customer. Now consider how much more challenging you are making the process when you design you mail outs yourself. You only have a few seconds to get their attention. There is a fleeting moment to go from the administrative assistant's hand to the trash or the meeting planner's desk. Do you want to risk it? If you are going to spend money to print and mail materials, don't you want them to represent you the best way possible?
There are places where you can save money and cutting corners can sometimes be an option, but never with your design work. Always invest in an excellent graphic designer because ultimately you are investing in your own future.
Do people show off your business card?
The single image presented in your logo is supposed to be worth a thousand words. Is your image good enough to make it into someone's hand? Memory? The name of your company and your logo should not only represent who you are, but what you do. You only have a few seconds to create that image that you hope people will not only take with them but remember. Just do it.
Consider how difficult it is to get noticed by a potential customer. Now consider how much more challenging you are making the process when you design you mail outs yourself. You only have a few seconds to get their attention. There is a fleeting moment to go from the administrative assistant's hand to the trash or the meeting planner's desk. Do you want to risk it? If you are going to spend money to print and mail materials, don't you want them to represent you the best way possible?
There are places where you can save money and cutting corners can sometimes be an option, but never with your design work. Always invest in an excellent graphic designer because ultimately you are investing in your own future.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Does Your Marketing Need A Flip Flop?
This was originally posted by Jane Atkinson on April 21, 2008
http://speakerlauncher.com/blog/index.php
Quite often I’ll Google speaker websites to check out the competition for my clients. In today’s competitive climate, it shocks me to see that many speakers still start out their home page saying things like ‘John Doe is the best speaker you’ve ever heard. Hire John for your next meeting’.
Yeah right!
As the economy tightens, do you think that John Doe is the type of speaker that client’s desire? I have my doubts. The marketing flip flip is about putting the outcomes to the client first, and the speaker (as the solution to their problem) second.
Unless you are a celebrity or best selling author, your website should probably not be about you.
It should be about the service and solution that you offer. The exception to this would be speakers like The Passing Zone. They are jugglers and are mostly hired at meetings to entertain. They might also be better known than the average speaker, due to a stint on America’s Got Talent last year.http://www.PassingZone.com
Take a speaker like Toni Newman for instance.She’s an innovation expert. Her website is about innovation first, Toni second.http://www.toninewman.com - check it out you’ll see what I mean.
Here are a few questions to help you evaluate your marketing:
1. When arriving at your website, does the client know what you will do for them (outcomes) within the first 30 seconds?
2. Is the first 1/3 of your home page about them and their needs rather than you?
3. Are you positioned as an expert and a problem solver? Or as a ’speaker’?
If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions consider doing a marketing flip flop to switch the order of your home page copy to be more client and outcome oriented.
It won’t take you too long to do this, and I believe it will have an impact. Try it, and write me back to let me know how it goes.
Happy marketing!
http://speakerlauncher.com/blog/index.php
Quite often I’ll Google speaker websites to check out the competition for my clients. In today’s competitive climate, it shocks me to see that many speakers still start out their home page saying things like ‘John Doe is the best speaker you’ve ever heard. Hire John for your next meeting’.
Yeah right!
As the economy tightens, do you think that John Doe is the type of speaker that client’s desire? I have my doubts. The marketing flip flip is about putting the outcomes to the client first, and the speaker (as the solution to their problem) second.
Unless you are a celebrity or best selling author, your website should probably not be about you.
It should be about the service and solution that you offer. The exception to this would be speakers like The Passing Zone. They are jugglers and are mostly hired at meetings to entertain. They might also be better known than the average speaker, due to a stint on America’s Got Talent last year.http://www.PassingZone.com
Take a speaker like Toni Newman for instance.She’s an innovation expert. Her website is about innovation first, Toni second.http://www.toninewman.com - check it out you’ll see what I mean.
Here are a few questions to help you evaluate your marketing:
1. When arriving at your website, does the client know what you will do for them (outcomes) within the first 30 seconds?
2. Is the first 1/3 of your home page about them and their needs rather than you?
3. Are you positioned as an expert and a problem solver? Or as a ’speaker’?
If you answered ‘no’ to any of these questions consider doing a marketing flip flop to switch the order of your home page copy to be more client and outcome oriented.
It won’t take you too long to do this, and I believe it will have an impact. Try it, and write me back to let me know how it goes.
Happy marketing!
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