Your Media Moment & Beyond! Expert Tips for DIY Publicity

Blogging for the Long Haul

                                                       

I love writing this blog but there's no question, it's a commitment.  After nearly two years, my business is going in a different direction and I sometimes struggle to post regularly and keep my content fresh. 

Still, I can't tell you how many times someone I've met online or at a networking event will later mention my media background and suggest how we might work together, all because they've checked out my blog and online presence.

I notice some people have replaced the "work" of writing a business blog with social media interaction which is a different way to show your expertise, promote your interests and engage with friends, family, clients and prospects.

I have my blog posts feed to my accounts on the various major social media sites, but I don't do additional tweeting, direct posts to Facebook, etc.  I see the value but who has the time?  I'm thinking of moving toward video blogging this fall, since online video marketing is my focus now.

Here's a round-up of some expert ideas about blogs and blogging -

About a year ago, Brian Clark of CopyBlogger wrote about the topic.  It's still a good read - Since When Are Blogs Not Social Media?

Here's an article from Denise Wakeman about how to get more juice out of your blog entries - http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-simple-ways-to-repurpose-your-blog-posts-for-more-exposure/    (I got my start as a blogger with her Blog Squad program)

And not to leave out my Web TV friends - Social Media expert Shama Kabani of Shama.TV recently talked about How Many Times Should You Blog?  

Ever find an interesting blog and then realize the author hasn't posted for two years?  Does that affect your opinion of their business?  Have you yourself stopped blogging?  Why?   If you blog regularly for business, how has the growth of other social media outlets affected you? 

Leave a comment.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. 

Photo credit: iStockPhoto.com
 

Social Media Blur

A longtime friend and mentor who's a marketing consultant recently told me he is opting out of the Social Media whirl.   He said he made the choice for both personal and professional reasons which he didn't want to go into.  His decision got me thinking. 

Miley Cyrus quit Twitter last fall to, "get a personal life."  Country singer Blake Shelton recently told a radio interviewer he'd tried to quit Twitter but couldn't!  I understand he's tweeting to build his fan base and promote his music, effective uses of the platform.  But he was quoted as saying it was the first thing he thought about when he woke up each morning.  Wow.  To me, Twitter is way too small a thing to be the center of your LIFE.

An interesting article in the March Vanity Fair Ringside at the Web Fight talks about finding the Internet's "Next Big Thing."   As we've seen before, online platforms that seem essential to some people today will likely be gone or vastly changed tomorrow.  Yet we'll all have this information we volunteered in profiles, musings, videos, wall writings, etc. digitally floating around somewhere. 

I wonder how many of us, at some future point, will consciously and deliberately drop off the social media radar?  Why?  And how will what we've chosen to make public affect us down the road? 

What are your thoughts and ideas about the value, uses and abuses of social media? Please leave a comment.

Make an Impression with Birthday Wishes

Boomer Biz Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter sent me a link to this YouTube video to wish me a Happy Birthday on Facebook yesterday.  Great social media marketing idea for keeping in touch.  Find a video of an iconic band or singer, for any generation, especially if they're performing a birthday song, and send the link.   Thoughtful, fun and and easy to do.

Happy Mummers' Day

                                                         
            

The Mummers Day Parade on New Year's Day is a unique Philadelphia experience. A tradition since 1901, it's billed as the country's oldest folk parade and it's quite a spectacle - a kitschy, Americana kind of event. Thousands of ordinary folks, decked out in sequins and feathers take part.  One TV channel in Philly airs the parade and it takes most of the day. The signature move is the Mummers Strut and in Philly we say, the Mummers "strut UP Broad Street." 

Here's a good montage of what it's like from 2009.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPc3zxq

The parade was a big part of my childhood, because my grandfather was a founding member and played the banjo in the Uptown String Band.  No music in the world sounds like Mummer's music. Here's a link to his String Band playing the classic 4 Leaf Clover:

http://uptownstringband.com/music/4leaf.MP3

No girls were allowed in the parade when I was little, but I had my moment.  My family always spent the day bundled up and sitting in folding chairs along the parade route.  Each year, as Uptown came by, the Captain, Bob Runkel, wearing a huge plumed back piece and glittering from his sequined head to his golden slippers, would sweep me up in his arms and strut up the street.  It was big magic.

For me, January First could never be anything but Mummers' Day.

Happy New Year!

Photo Credit: Stock.xchng/ba1969

Deck the Halls

                                                     

This post is more personal than professional, though I did get some business insight out of the experience.

My husband and I put up our Christmas decorations this weekend.  We normally do it on the weekend after Thanksgiving, but had to postpone it because I injured my knee on Black Friday.  (No, I wasn't scrambling for all those sale items.  I had walked 5 miles on Thanksgiving, instead of my usual 5K, and my knee didn't like it one bit.)

I enjoy getting out the holiday decorations.  We've had most of the pieces many years.  Some are even from my childhood home. We generally set them up the same way each season.  I feel like I'm welcoming back old friends, yet after a year packed away, they look fresh again.  

This year we did something different.  Even after  waiting a week, my knee still isn't entirely right so I didn't want to risk too many trips up and down the steps from our storage room to the rest of the house. We decided to scale back.  We didn't automatically unpack them all and put out every single item. Instead, we picked and chose carefully. We began putting our cherished choices in new places and new arrangements.

We had a marvelous afternoon. It was a good exercise in creativity as we looked at our possessions and surroundings in a new light. We placed candles, trees, pillows, dishes, baubles and bangles, stockings and garlands in various spots.  We moved them around and grouped them in different ways until they looked right to us.  Along the way, we discovered new themes, new color combinations and new proportions. In the end, we really liked how it turned out.   

The lesson I took away is this: Whether in your life or in your business, no matter how pleasing and comfortable the tried and true seems, ask yourself which traditions (in business, it's probably old systems and routines) still serve you well, which could use some changes and updates and which you should just let go.  

Next year we may go back to our original decorating scheme, stick with the one we invented this year or (I expect) once again do something completely new with our old collections.  And in all things, we'll embrace the opportunity to adapt and change and improvise. 

Photo credit: stock.xchng/polson

What Would Oprah Do?

                                                                

     

Anyone who cares has heard the news that Oprah is ending her network TV talk show in 2011.  It will certainly be a long good bye, but she won't be gone forever.  It's reported she'll move to her own cable network, a joint venture with Discovery Communications, called the Oprah Winfrey Network or OWN.   (I love the play on words. Reminds me of the song,"God Bless the Child Who's Got his Own.")

Oprah has been a trailblazer in her medium.  Some blame her for the start of the tabloid, ambush journalism TV talk shows in the 80's.  In the early 90's, she shifted her show to a more uplifting, inspiring path and her audience grew.   Not everyone loves her style, but her fan base is loyal and huge.... and best of all, they BUY what she likes, uses and recommends.  She has the Midas Touch for advertisers.

Oprah became a marketing machine.  Books she featured flew off store shelves.  She developed into a multimedia star acting in and producing films, starting her own magazine and creating a satellite radio network.  Getting on Oprah (the TV show) or into O (her magazine) became the ultimate dream for many publicity seekers.  A  cottage industry of PR consultants, training programs and books sprang up to show people how to get on Oprah.

It seems to me Oprah's move away from traditional TV signifies two things:

• the audience for network TV is eroding and she sees growth and innovation on cable.
• owning every aspect of your business including the distribution arm gives you more power and control (not that Oprah lacks either one right now, but more is good, right?)

So what lessons can we mere mortals take from this high level move?   Here are my thoughts. Even at the top of your game, keep your eyes open for new opportunities and ways to capitalize on changes in your industry.  Strive to become a multimedia star in your field, even if you are just the biggest fish in your own little pond.  

While it's great to get your expertise featured in traditional print and on radio and TV, today you don't have to wait for them to tell your story.  You can do it yourself online.  The tools and technology available there can help you reach a global audience and there are new communications avenues opening up everyday at very low cost.   New Media makes it easier than ever to follow Oprah's example. OWN the products and services you create, spread the word yourself AND deliver them yourself to expand your business both horizontally and vertically.

Maybe you won't ever have the influence of Oprah, but you can still make a name for yourself and profit.  Start now and before Oprah says her big good bye, you could be sitting atop your own multimedia empire.

Photo Credit: stock.xchng/holger

Talk the Talk

When you call to pitch a story, make sure you do it quickly.  (I bet you've heard that before - I feel like I write it in every post.)   But there's more to landing the story than making a fast pitch.

You also need to make your pitch clear, concise and right to the point.  Why?   Number one, it's just good communications. The second reason is because the reporter/producer/assignment editor is evaluating what you'll be like in an interview. 

If you can't get to the point on a phone call or voice mail message, if you ramble and go off on tangents, that makes us question whether you'll be able to be direct and focused on the show. 

If your voice sounds hesitant or tentative, or you mumble and stumble through the pitch, we're concerned about whether you'll be dynamic and energized enough to deliver the goods, once you're on the air.  

Radio folks don't want to book someone who may freeze up and say nothing.  That's called "dead air" and it's one of the worst mistakes around.  During your pitch, pick up on what the reporter asks right away.  Don't pause too long to reflect or think through your most perfect response.  Don't let them hear a hint of dead air, even on the telephone.

TV people have the same concerns and more.  Like radio producers, they want to hear your energy and expertise in your voice.  They also want a sense of how you'll look and act on camera.  This is where a website with a good newsroom or media page comes into play.  It's great to be able to direct them to your online media kit which includes your photo, bio, audio or video clips, other show credits and articles. 

If they want to book you, they'll likely do an internet search to see what's out there in your name and find any audio and video you have posted online.  Make sure what they find works in your favor as an expert in your field.

For another reason producers may say No, keep reading...

Dealing with Disappointment

Sooner or later, media people will disappoint you.   For example, they'll bump your story or interview for breaking news, cancel your story before the taping date arrives or even on the day they're scheduled to interview you, fail to show up!   After they've taped your story, they may fail to air it on the date or time they said they would, air it in a way you didn't expect or discuss or they may even decide not to air it at all.   They may not mention your company, your website or misspell your name.

While I'd like to think, this doesn't happen a lot, it does happen.  For tips on what to do, keep reading.

The Power of Dreams

                                    

Some people see dreaming as a waste of time.  They'll tell you to face "reality," but time and time again, we see how a dream can change the world.

More than forty years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream and although it's been a great struggle and a long time coming, tomorrow's inauguration of the 44th President of the United States shows how a dream can become the new reality.

Author Napoleon Hill wrote - Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.

If you have a dream to touch more people with your message, product or service through media publicity, don't let naysayers and other obstacles cause you to give up.   Instead, take action.  Find someone, even put together a team of someone's, to help you realize your dreams.

I hope today and tomorrow inspire you to DREAM BIG and make your media moment happen.

Promises to Keep

Tis the Season for Resolutions. 

This is the time of year when many of us write out our personal and professional goals.  I generally stick to mine, but find they often take longer than I expect. And there's something about looking at last year's list and seeing how far I've come that always makes me smile.

Two ezines I enjoy offered some easy resolution ideas this week.

Soundbite Coach Lorri Allen ,in her Media Savvy etips, suggests writing a simple list of one action you'll take each month to get media coverage in 2009.  Her example "In January, I resolve to create a media contact sheet.  In February, I resolve to introduce myself as an expert resource..." and so on.   Why not put together a list of your own?

Author Barbara Winter ,of Joyfully Jobless, writes about those annual man-on-the-street TV interviews where people tell their resolutions.  Studies show many people say they want to lose weight, quit smoking, stop drinking, etc., but their resolve only lasts a few weeks. 

Her theory is it's because people make resolutions NOT to do something in the next year, rather than to DO something so their positive motivation for change fades quickly.

She thought one woman got it right who said "I'm going to walk more and smoke less."

She'll use a positive action to potentially minimize a negative one. 

It's not the usual "smart" goal-setting formula - specific, measurable, action-able, relevant, timely - but if you generally break these promises to yourself, it might do the trick. 

Try a resolution that says "In 2009, I going to (positive action) MORE and (negative action) LESS."  

Let me know how it works for you.