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Success Through Strategy!

Strategy Matters delivers news, tips and strategies for effective communications through traditional and social media. 

Upcoming Presentations: 
Yes You Can! Measure Marketing Impact

Even in an era where no- and low-cost marketing options abound, it pays to know what's working and what's not. At Strategic Communications, we use a combination of both process (media placement) and outcome (inquiries, leads, sales) metrics to measure results.
  • Process measures are easier to get at. We can track media placements through both online search - Google Alerts, etc. - as well as through organic search results to client websites. 
  • But outcome measures are, ultimately, what's most important. Here, we can track inquiries and leads received, but tracking actual sales, or other business results can be more challenging in terms of identifying a 1:1 correlation between a PR effort and sales results, for instance.
It's not a perfect science, but we can make some credible assumptions. For instance, if a client has historically generated 50 new leads a month, and we find that monthly leads climb to 100 a month after the implementation of a campaign (with no other potential intervening variables), we can surmise that there has been some positive impact. 

At the same time, though, we want to manage client expectations, so we need them to know that there is a wide range of variables--in addition to marketing--that could impact their success. They include:
  • The strength of their product or service
  • Competition
  • Seasonality
  • Type of product
  • The purchase process of potential customers
    • Short process or long process
    • One-, two- or three-step process
    • Simple offer vs. complex offer
  • The responsiveness of their customer service staff to inquiries or orders received
All of these factors impact the ability to generate sales and customers. Yet, these factors can be controlled for to some extent. They represent challenges, but not absolute impediments. So, whether you're a marketing executive or a small business owner, don't be intimidated by the seemingly tangential connection between your marketing efforts and the bottom line. The connection is very real and can be measured!

How do you measure your marketing results?
5 Tips for Getting the Media Coverage You're Looking For
 
There are a lot of people, and businesses, out there hoping to get "free" media exposure. Many struggle, though, to attract attention from the reporters, editors and producers who serve as intermediaries between them and the audiences they hope to reach through PR/media relations. We frequently hear people say things like: "I can't understand why the media won't run a story on my..." 

There may be a number of reasons. 
Here are five:

1) What you're pitching to them really isn't news. The news media isn't in business to provide you with "free advertising." Particularly in these tough times, media outlets are looking for more - not less - advertising revenue. Your pitch needs to be newsworthyor it simply won't be run.

2) You're pitching to the wrong outlet - or wrong individual. Today email news release services are widespread and they can be great to get your message out quickly, inexpensively and broadly. It's the "broadly" that can create problems. The less "tuned in" your message is to a particular media outlet, the less likely it is to be "picked up."

3) You don't know how to pitch. Whether crafting a news release, sending a quick email pitch or simply picking up the phone to contact a journalist, your focus needs to be on their needs, not yours. It's no different than when creating advertising messages - or any communication messages for that matter. What's in it for them?

4) You're too pushy or demanding. Pitching means suggesting a story, not requesting or demanding one. This is a subtle, but very important, distinction. Being too pushy also involves attempting to exercise too much editorial control. Don't say: "Here's what I'd like you to say/include." Don't ask to: "review what you plan to use before it's run."

5) Your timing is off. Sometimes while you may have a great idea, it's just not the right time. This may be because some other bigger news makes your information less timely or relevant, or it may be because another similar piece was recently run.

The bottom line is that news coverage doesn't just happen because you send out a news release. To pitch effectively you need to:
  • Identify specific media outlets with audiences who need/want to know what you have to say.
  • Target specific editors whose job it is to cover your beat.
  • Focus on newsworthiness not self-promotion.
  • Make the editor's job easy by being accessible, forthcoming and on target.
There's much  more to it of course. But these key steps will give you a good start toward your goal of seeing your news in the media. Need assistance in getting the word out through the media? 


Recommended Reading:

Featured White Paper



PR-or publicity-can be a great way to raise awareness and increase preference for your products or services. But, there are a number of common mistakes that businesses make when seeking to gain exposure. This white paper offers important tips and guidance to help you avoid those mistakes.

Volume: 8 - Issue: 3
 March 2016
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In This Issue
We're In the News! 




Putting the "Strategic" Into Strategic Content Marketing

Collaborative Storytelling

How Small Companies Can Share in Community Success

Research Matters
Some recent news and  research you may be interested in--we were!