25 Jan A No-Fail Plan for Growing Your Business

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A No-Fail Plan for Growing Your Business

Did you start the new year with a list of resolutions to grow your company, reach new customers and hit new sales goals, then sideline your plans within a few weeks?  Maybe your strategies didn’t yield the ROI you had in mind so you abandoned ship. But, what if your plan didn’t fail at all? What if it never had a chance to get off the ground? If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. Many companies start a campaign but don’t see it through. There’s a reason why they’re called campaigns – because they require creative energy, an action plan and an accountability system to ensure they move and stay in the right direction. If it sounds overwhelming, take it step-by-step, and follow these tips.

Define Your Audience

Determine your audience. Who do you want to receive your message? There are so many groups to target so you’ll want to be specific. Once you determine your audience, you’ll want to reach them in the magazines, newspapers or online publications they read or social media outlets they use. You may be asking how to get an article published or get the attention of the media. This is where we come in.

 Earn Your Media Coverage

What makes your company newsworthy? Have you recently launched an initiative to help others in your community? What about a compelling story of someone in your organization who significantly impacts lives? Philanthropic endeavors and feel good stories are not only great for employee morale but are also great story ideas to pitch to local media. We encourage our own clients to engage in a community activity every month. It pays off. In December, we paired a campaign to get kids moving during the holiday with a sneaker drive. As a result, three television stations featured the nonprofit in an on air segment and on their websites. In total, our client’s marketing and public relations efforts resulted in 10 media placements, which included stories on the 6 p.m. news, an audience reach of 12.4 million people and a total ad value of $24,500!

We shared these newsworthy stories on our client’s social media. In one month, Facebook page views increased by 366 percent and post engagements jumped by 355 percent.

 Get the Coverage You Deserve

If you’ve identified a good story, we don’t recommend reaching out to journalists on your own. It’s best to hire a public relations agency that knows the media, has or can make immediate connections with journalists and understands their needs. When hiring an agency, look for a group with a strong media team—with people who have been in the media and understand what makes a good story. Their storytelling abilities and knowledge on how to differentiate you from your competitors can make a major difference when it comes to ROI. One story in a major media publication can be worth its weight in gold. We recently secured an article for one of our clients in a high profile tech publication with more than 38-million unique visitors per month. As a result, sales jumped from double digits to triple digits for several weeks and have since remained strong.

Secure Those Speaking Engagements

Do you want to be viewed as an expert in your field? Sell books? Earn paid speaking positions? Then, the key is research, research, research. Research conferences, groups, events that interest you and may serve as a platform for your message. Then, connect with those organizations for speaking engagements. This is a time-consuming process at first and not for the faint of heart. Be diligent, resilient and willing to travel at your cost and speak for free long before you expect to make any money. The result is that you begin earning a credible reputation and it won’t be long before these groups are paying you to speak at their events.

Get That Introduction

Introductions are priceless. There’s no limit on their value – an introduction may have helped you land your last job, earn that promotion, meet a coveted client that you just could not get in front of without the help of someone else. Want to reach influential members within your national organization but don’t know how or attend a trade show as a VIP to reach important prospects? Connections and introductions are an important role a public relations firm plays in the growth of a business. We recently connected a client with a target audience that can be very tough to access. The connection paid off – and it’s still paying off as they are now able to attend various trade shows in the industry as a VIP.

We Want to Be Part of Your 2017 Success Story

If your company is focusing only on sales, and not public relations and marketing, you may be leaving money on the table. Resolve to pick up the phone and hear how we can help you position your company for growth in 2017. National Strategies Public Relations can be reached at (813) 865-3093 and http://nationalstrategiespublicrelations.com/.

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