by IMC | Sep 20, 2012 | Blog, Media Training
Being interviewed by the media can be a homerun for your business. If the story turns out to be positive or at least present your point of view, your credibiity is increased because it is a third party talking. There is a whole branch of communications totally focused on media relations, that is, securing interviews for clients with media. Yes, media attention is that important.
However, the experience can turn out to be negative for those who aren’t aware of the dynamics of the process. In this piece I will present just the first part of what you have to know.
The media are a business. Successful members of the media are trained to develop rapport with those they interview. Often that’s perceived, especially if you are nervous or feeling needy, as friendship. The reality is that the business of the media is a competitive one. Each interviewer is digging for the most marketable story, one which will be attract a lot of visitors, shares, likes, and tweets. That means you have to be aware of what the interviewer is really searching for and that answer you give is both sincere and positions you in the best light. That might mean rehearsing or being coached by a media trainer. The art of giving a great interview is to be in full control but not coming across as coached or overly cautious.
Research the interviewer. In order to manage the interview you have to understand the usual tactics of the interviewer. You find that out by analzing their previous work. Also, you might want to discuss those tactics with an expert on media. No chief executive officer appears on “60 Minutes” without being briefed on every possible kind of questioning that could take place.
Research yourself. There may be aspects of your professional life or business that you view as negatives but assume are unknown to the public. When it comes to dealing with the media, you can’t go on that assumption. To do a comprehensive job of putting together their story, the interviewers probably did some prior investigating digging into public documents as well as talking with sources who will likely remain anonymous. Be prepared on how to position that possibly damaging information if it comes up.
In future posts we at Image Marketing Consultants will present other tips on how to manage your media interview so that it turns out to be a plus for your brand and your business.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, provides complimentary consultations on Media Relations, Marketing, Partnership, Special Events, and Social Media kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Sep 16, 2012 | Blog, Marketing Mix
There are many reasons why we pay so much attention to political campaigns. One, of course, is that our future is at stake. But for those of us in business, what politicians do and don’t do presents in-the-trenches marketing lessons for us. Campaign after campaign, here are the best practices of the winners:
They are in it all the way. There’s no faking it. Voters can smell that a mile away. In THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, Edith Zimmerman reports that a observer of Joe Kennedy III’s campaign for Congress says that the candidate doesn’t seem to be having fun. If that’s true, that his heart isn’t in it, even the Kennedy msytique won’t pull in the votes.
In our own businesses, whether it’s baking gourmet cupcakes or teaching teenagers to drive, the law of consumer attraction demands passion. Anything less intense pushes consumers away.
They listen. Usually they start up the conversation with a question. In Manhattan, the former mayor Ed Koch used to ask, “How am I doing?”
We are always seeking feedback. That’s what social media, special events, and giving interviews to the HARTFORD COURANT are all about. More than promoting ourselves, we are inviting people in.
They are ready to move onto a Plan B, all the way to Z. Planning is just that: Planning. When we get out on the field and play the game there are plenty of surprises. All they know is what they’re doing isn’t working. So they experiment to find what might work. It could be Plan B, Plan C, or Plan D.
A client hired us to showcase the new model car in a Boston Hotel. The car didn’t fit into the elevator. It was Plan E which finally worked.
Until election day, we should all be taking advantage of the lessons the next winners and losers are teaching us.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, provides complimentary consultations for Marketing, Partnerships, Public Relations, Special Events, and Social Media, kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Sep 13, 2012 | Blog, Marketing Mix
Opportunities come through people. So, who hasn’t been networking since the economy caved in 2008?
However, more and more of those networking have been telling us at Image Marketing Consultants that their efforts haven’t been converting to outcomes such as more sales, media mentions, offers to partner, and attendance at special events. A major reason for that is that the dynamics of networking have been changing.
To begin with, there’s a glut. The influx of businesspeople eager to network has weighed down social media systems, trade association memberships, and even the lists of volunteers at prestigious organizations. That means that you now have to do your homework before you invest in outreach. Figure out how much the group could be helpful to you and what you have to do to be noticed by them as equally useful. Since you have to put more in, you will likely be approaching fewer in number.
Secondly, more professionals are hungry. That could be for more business, more media coverage, and/or more good ideas. The burden is on you to demonstrate to them what you have to trade to help them get what they need. Don’t enter until you have something to trade. There is now only one way in. That’s from a position of strength.
Third, just about everyone is connection-weary. Social media networks foist people on us who will drain us if we allow that. Therefore, caution is the new response to overtures of networking. High emotional intelligence (EI) dictates what we think before we reach out and when we do we are brief, that is too the point, and offer something the other party needs in return for their attention. The something has to be the right something. Therefore, research what could be useful
In short, networking has become all business.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, provides complimentary consultations for Marketing, Partnering, Special Events, Public Relations, and Social Media kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Sep 11, 2012 | Blog, Branding, Tactics
The quickest way to stumbling and falling for a small business is to set out to be the “next” whatever. That might range from the next Panera to the next LinkedIn.
In the tough world of afternoon television we see that dangerous tactic being played out in shows which position themselves to be the “next Oprah.” Katie Couric’s debut of “Katie” yesterday might have fallen into that trap. The reviews aren’t good.
The reality is that those great brands like “Oprah” took years to build. That happened through continual experimentation. It wasn’t born one day. It was through trying and failing, trying again and failing and learning from the experimentation that it developed its uniqueness and became stronger and stronger.
Effective marketing, whether you’re a bakery in West Hartford, Connecticut or Apple Computer in California, has always been about developing that special connection between your business and all your constituencies out there, be they customers/clients, employees, the media, and vendors. That’s where the focus is, not imitating models.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, provides complimentary consultations for marketing including advertising, public relations, partnerships, social media, and special events kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Sep 6, 2012 | Blog, Marketing Mix, Media Relations, Short Form, Tactics
Your special event might be as simple as a meatloaf dinner to raise funds for your church or your nonprofit which provides tutoring to at-risk children. The odds are that you can enhance the outcomes of that event by tweeting the activity. Those tweets would chronicle what goes on from the time folks are parking their cars to when volunteers are cleaning up in the kitchen. Regarding the latter, there are few bonding experiences more central to sharing and healing than being in the kitchen together. Call that “sink therapy.”
At the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama’s speech was judged as a homerun, partly on the basis of how many tweets-per-minute. Because there were way more tweets for her address than for Ann Romney’s the media and political watchers gave her the higher grade.
The beauty of tweeting is that it can be done right from a smartphone. Simultaneously, of course, you can also live-blog the event. Because blogging is long form versus the short form of tweets, you probably want to do that from a laptop or tablet.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, provides complimentary consultations for Social Media, Marketing including Advertising, Partnerships, Public Relations, and Special Events kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
Being interviewed by the media can be a homerun for your business. If the story turns out to be positive or at least present your point of view, your credibiity is increased because it is a third party talking. There is a whole branch of communications totally focused on media relations, that is, securing interviews for clients with media. Yes, media attention is that important.
