Fast Marketing Minute

If you want to catch someone’s attention, use curiosity as a copywriting technique, especially for blog titles and email subject lines. Ask questions. “Do you want to lose 5 pounds this month?”  Or “The 3 best exercises to get 6-pack abs. Hint: It’s not crunches.”

You can also get negative – in a good way to get attention. Headlines including “greatest,” “best,” and “biggest” are overused. Instead, try using negative words. “The 10 worst things for your back.” “Why you shouldn’t shop on Amazon.” Or “7 things your babysitter does when you’re not home.” Well, that sounds a little creepy. In any case, negatives will help you break through the noise.

If you’re looking for ways to get more attention for your business or brand, ask me about setting up a strategic working session. The best way to reach me is by email at [email protected]. Talk Tomorrow!

Have you noticed certain people seem to have a special aura about them? They have an unmistakable impression of confidence, poise and self-awareness, and what’s more, it’s infectious.

You may think that Executive Presence is a trait that you’re either born with…or born without. I think you can cultivate an Executive Presence with practice.

Here’s How.

Learn the rules of engagement.

Always speak with intention, and from a place of deep, unwavering confidence. Keep your messages brief and to the point, but not so that they’re cryptic or incomplete.

Develop grace under fire.

The corporate world changes daily – sometimes hourly. Just when one problem is solved, another one comes up. Reacting to each new challenge is exhausting. The key is to stay calm and respond – rather than react. To practice being graceful under fire.

Polish your reputation.

Does your reputation help or hurt your personal brand? Everything others see or hear about you reflects your reputation, and tells a story about who you are. Polish your brand by taking control of the narrative. Remember: you’ve only got one brand, so protect it like gold.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. Connect with me on LinkedIn (at) Robin Samora. Let me know how we met, and let’s get to know each other. Talk tomorrow!

 

 

Looking for a marketing consultant to help grow your business? How do you choose the right person? Ideally you want someone who has a proven track record and is committed to your success.

Here are a few questions. Come up with a list of your own to make sure there’s a good fit.

What experience do you have?

A marketing consultant typically has experience in complementary industries. Advertising, sales, PR, publicity, email marketing, blogging, writing, networking and referral strategies. Combined, all skills will help solve your company’s most important marketing challenges.

How can you help my business? Can you help me?

One of the main jobs (and believe me there are many) of a marketing consultant is to create customized programs to increase sales, credibility, and visibility, online and offline. By improving your personal and professional branding at every stage of your company’s growth, you’re able to meet professional and lifestyle goals.

How do you measure success?

Measuring results is key to your success. If you hire someone to help with branding, results will be measured differently than if you hire an expert to help with email marketing. What’s important is that he or she is accountable to you and you know what that accountability is.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. If you need a marketing plan to grow your business, email me at [email protected]. I’d love to help you. Talk tomorrow!

I just bought a book by Jason McDonald; Marketing: Ultimate Almanac of Free Marketing Tools 2019. The reason I picked it up was that it had two keywords that piqued my interest. Marketing and free. Now you know, I love those words.

In the content marketing section, there were two tools that caught my eye:

The first was GROUP HIGH.

If you’re looking to find blogger’s contact information, emails, research blog posts, or identify influencers this is a great site. When I last checked, there was a 7-day free trial – a freemium, then it goes to premium. I haven’t signed up for the trial yet, but from a quick look at the video and dashboard, it looks like you can save a ton of time, money and resources.

The second was IGHOME.

On IGHOME you can set up a customized web page and pull content from news sources, industry publications, blogs, and more. It also works to pre-curate content – the first step in creating your editorial calendar. On the home page, enter your keywords; In my case, “What are common marketing questions”? This was a great experiment because it provided marketing questions people want answers to, and can work as an idea generator.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. Want marketing insight that’s a quick read? Sign up for weekly articles on my blog, Robin’s Rainmakers at RobinSamora.com/blog. You’ll get practical information with a purpose. Talk tomorrow!

Newsjacking is a PR technique that aligns a brand with what’s going on in the news or a current event to generate media attention and boost the brand's exposure. David Meerman Scott coined the phrase and it’s fairly simple to do, once you get the hang of it. The most important think you need to know, is that with newsjacking, you have to jump in early on the curve, while news is breaking because interest dies fast, and once news is old, no one cares, and you lose your opportunity to make a splash.

Start small and local. Say you test water and there’s a scare in your town, contact the press and be a resource. What should people know? Is it dangerous? What steps should be taken? Newsjacking is really a technique, that you can master into an art.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. Do you want to get more press? Let me help you.  Contact me at RobinSamora.com and let’s get your press party started!  Talk tomorrow!

One way to get more free publicity is when you repurpose blogs into industry articles or customize them for LinkedIn, Medium, even Google My Business with a different title. Switch up the copy in at least three spots: the beginning, middle and end. You can also use excerpts from your blog for social media posts, guest blogs, sound bites, branded quotes and special reports. This is your ‘owned’ content, so use it to the max. You’ll build credibility plus expert status, and Google loves that.

When you build a digital library with your “owned” content, you’ve got content that is exclusively yours. So share it. You don’t have to invest in content syndication yet, but remember that the more places you have your content, with a call to action and a link back to your site, the better opportunity for prospects and customers to find you – whatever your business.

Your content – what’s in your head – makes you an expert. Your thoughts on paper, online, on video, even here on Alexa. Repurpose for sure, but back up what you repurpose – and keep up the great work.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. If you’re ready for a jolt of marketing energy and PR power for your business, let’s connect on LinkedIn @RobinSamora. Just mention Fast Marketing Minute so I know who you are. Talk tomorrow!

Is there a particular journalist that you’d like to connect with? Create a Top 10 list of reporters you want to meet and set up a Google Alert system. That means anytime your journalist gets mentioned online, you should get notified. Why is this important? You have an inside track to what’s going on!

Now that you have this intel, make it a point to reach out to your contacts by email and establish a connection. Respond to their online comments. Send congratulatory notes for award-winning stories. Offer ideas or suggestions that they can use. Mention an article, blog or book they’ve written and share your thoughts. It’s OK to be controversial; it spices up the conversation. I don’t know one writer who doesn’t like to discuss his/her work, including me. Connect the dots of opportunity. Voilà, you could be their next resource. Just don’t be a stalker. OK?

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute and I love helping businesses and brand, up-level their sales and visibility. If you’re looking for a speaker for your next event, or to do private training, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you. I’m at [email protected]. Talk tomorrow!

Want to be recognized as a credible expert? Be a resource to the media. It takes time and trust to build a relationship with the press, but it’s worth it. Follow the rules and offer interesting content, insider tips and news leads that aren’t always about you. Reporters are under tight deadlines and appreciate having a list of go-to sources. Be available 24/7 for a comment or interview, give your cell phone number, and never ask to see a story before it’s published – unless they offer for a fact check.

So, how do you become a resource? Craft a brand and brand personality that stands out. Promote your expertise. Create compelling, consistent content. Be an influencer or thought leader in your industry. Speak in front of your target audience. Be active on social media and share articles, videos, posts that align with your message. Contribute in a way that gets attention. And of course, have a website that tells the world what you do – and the problems you solve and what you believe in.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. I’m a new marketing expert on WiseHER.com, a platform that helps entrepreneurs with advice.  You can check me out there or reach me at RobinSamora.com. Talk tomorrow!

So, you pitched the media and the editor says no. Big deal. Don’t cry. If you’re in sales, and we all are in some way, no often means “not now.” Don’t get flustered. Stay calm and keep writing. If your pitch is well crafted, it typically goes in a folder to be checked out later. Maybe the timing is off or someone is on paternity leave. You never know what’s going on in the office. Also, a major story might have come in and bumped you last minute, or there was a change in the direction of the story. This happens all the time, in magazines, newspapers, TV and it’s definitely happened to me and my clients.

Here's my advice. Reboot your mindset and think of the journalist’s or editor’s folder as your personal waiting room for media attention. Check back later to get a pulse.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. If you’re looking for new marketing ideas and an action plan to grow your business and brand, let’s have a conversation. I’m at [email protected]. It’s my treat! Talk tomorrow!

In order for you get press, free publicity, or be seen, heard and remembered, you have to decide what media -- journals, magazines and industry publications you (or your company) would like to be featured in. That includes blogs too.  Google is a great tool for researching and I’m sure you have your own resources too.

After you’ve done your research, the next step is to send a short and concise pitch with several story ideas to the editor’s ‘name,’ not ‘dear editor.’ Feel free to reach out on social media too.  Please, just don’t blast the entire staff you find listed.

If there’s an editorial calendar, a listing of what’s coming up, be sure to check that out first to see what content ideas they have planned. You always want to stay 3 – 6 months ahead of what’s going on now and not pitch a topic they just covered. When you take the time to do your homework, it shows you know the protocol, and it will impress an editor. And an impressed editor will typically remember you.

I’m Robin Samora, host of Fast Marketing Minute. Check out my blog, Robin’s Rainmakers for more tips and articles on how to pitch the press. It’s at RobinSamora.com/blog. Subscribe to my weekly tips for marketing and PR insight. Talk tomorrow!