One thing I swore I’d never do is teach. Blame it on my stint working as a preschool teacher. There’s just something about getting in front of a group of people (potty trained or otherwise) and claiming to be the expert that never appealed to me. Until I became the Marketing Eggspert. And basically, that’s what I’m doing. Standing up and saying “I’m the expert. Listen to me.”

And so lately, I have gotten into teaching seminars. I’ve done this online over the past few years, but never in person until recently. I was fortunate enough to participate with Microsoft Office Live and Kirtsy’s Hands on Small Business events, where I got a taste of in-person teaching.

Teaching a seminar or course is a great way to show your stuff, to establish yourself as an expert.

How you can teach a course:

1. Decide what you want to teach. It should be something you know intimately, and that provides others benefits. For me, it was using internet marketing to grow a business.

2. Find a venue. It may be the local university or community college (I went through Continuing Education). It might be the library or small business resource center. Ask your Chamber of Commerce if you don’t know where to start.

3. Introduce yourself. Send a brief email introducing yourself, mentioning your experience (again, briefly) and your interest in teaching a seminar on X. Ask if this is of interest.

4. Follow up. If you don’t hear back in a week, call the contact. They’re busy. Follow up to see if it’s possible to work with this venue to offer a course. It may be next semester before they can fit you in.

5. Start planning. Once you get your course set up, plan your seminar with a syllabus or outline. Market it. Reach out to the Chamber and any business organizations (the venue may also have a database of contacts they can tell), and invite them to your course.  Promote it up through the date. Facebook has a good tool called Eventbrite that you can use to get people to register.

FAQs

Should I charge for the course?

• This may depend on the venue. Most non-profit and government agencies (read: universities) won’t let you charge or promote yourself. You may just do it out of the goodness of your heart and then follow up with participants via email after. Your students will be impressed with you and will be more inclined to buy whatever it is you’re selling.

How long should my course be?

• Don’t keep participants longer than their attention spans can handle. I suggest 2 to 3 hours, with breaks. Provide refreshments to keep people happy.

What time of day should my seminar be?

• I held mine in the morning and had about 10 students. Many people expressed a wish that it was in the evening after work. Determine who your audience is and what their availability is. Or do 2 classes.

First you need to find a blogger that is passionate about your product. Or who can be. I hadn’t used True Lemon before working with them, but once I tried the product, I recognized it as unique to its industry, and I knew that other women would be excited about a zero calorie citrus product. So that made it easy. Search for your company name and see who is talking about you. You may have a brand evangelist you don’t even know about who would make a good candidate.

Next, find a conference that is a good fit for you. For True Lemon, a conference full of women and moms was ideal. It was a bonus that they all blog (more opportunity for them to spread the word). It may be a trade show or a technical conference, depending on your product and customer profile.

Now you’ll need to work out a package. If the blogger approached you about a sponsorship, she may have packages worked out in terms of what she will provide you. For True Lemon, I:

• Blogged about them using links before, during and after the conference
• Gave away samples
• Gave away bigger prizes
• Wore their shirt
• Took video interviewing people on their perception of the product
• Held a giveaway for non attendees on my blog at the same time

If you have samples, a conference is a great place to let them try it. If your product is bigger or more expensive, invest in some sort of promotional items that don’t suck and ask your blogger to distribute them. Contests are a great way to generate a buzz.

If you feel the need to draw up a contract, do so. Usually this is a pretty informal situation.

After the conference get a report back from the blogger on the feedback she received. Make plans and tweak what you did this time for the next conference. Find a way to measure results. How many people entered the contest? Did she bring new followers to your Twitter or Facebook account? More web traffic? Did she get business cards that you can use to send info to?

What about cost? We can’t afford to sponsor a blogger. The truth is: you can’t afford not to (I say that a lot, don’t I?). Think of it like this: if your company were to exhibit at the conference, you would spend probably $20,000 on a booth, marketing and display collateral and travel expenses. You can retain the services of a blogger for far less and probably get better results.

What do you think? Would you consider sponsoring a blogger as a new marketing tool?

Regular readers know that I talk about how to write a press release and what to do with it next. Press releases are still an important part to any PR and marketing campaign, but make sure you have a strategy as to what you want them to do. Here are some tips:

• Make a list of topics you can write about so that you have releases coming out monthly or more frequently.
• Spread them through Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites.
• Write your release in terms of how it benefits your consumers.
• Write a headline that makes people want to read more.

For more great tips, as well as detailed instructions on how to write a press release, take my How to Write Killer Press Releases ecourse for just $20.

Work with what you’ve got: followers

When looking at your Following list (which you should do several times a week if you’re heavy on Twitter), look at each person who recently followed you. Scan their profile and their tweets and determine if it’s a good fit. If their Twitter stream consists of them posting their own link over and over again, I move on. If they seem to be engaging in dialogue with others, even if it doesn’t relate completely to my field, I’ll follow back. But if I see the words MLM, make money fast, I just added 455 followers…I run for the border.

I judge a book by its cover. I do. And on Twitter, if your profile page has you pointing at me or holding up lots of money, I’m not interested in what you’re selling.

Finding new contacts

Once you’ve gone through your Following list, you’ll want to add others to follow. Use the Twitter search bar and search for keywords you’re interested in. This might be your industry (for me, marketing, PR, social media, etc) or a hobby you’re interested in. Or your location. Find the people that are talking about these keywords and follow them. Feel free to jump into a conversation that interests you. That’s what Twitter is for.

Grow your list

For me, Twitter is about expanding my reach to an ever-increasing audience. That means a relevant audience. The more people I can help with my marketing wisdom, the better I feel. And hey, if it turns into sales or speaking engagements, so much the better. Work to grow your list smartly. Don’t just add people just because you can, because this won’t get you anywhere.

Let’s get started. Here’s your first lesson. Repeat after me:

I will not sell my product/service at a conference.

Say it again. Go ahead, I’m waiting.

Conferences and networking meetings are designed to expose you to a lot of people. You’re surrounded by hundreds of other people and lots of noise so you get about 60 seconds to make any kind of impression. Take a business card and make a note of how you can build that relationship.

Some relationships will bear fruit. Others won’t. I have contacts I met last year that are only now coming into fruition.

The key is to go into networking with the attitude that you want to find new people to pay attention to. You can then go home and connect on Twitter, Facebook, their blog, Whrrl, etc. As you see fit, leave comments and send notes to the people you met. Keep the fire burning. When the time is right, you’ll find a way to work together.

Am I being harsh? Does this bother you that I’m telling you to spend hundreds of dollars to attend a convention only to not come away with ROI? Think about how you’d feel if you met someone and 30 seconds in, they’re pitching their product. You’d be turned off. But take that same person, let him hand you his card and walk away. Curious, you follow him on all the channels. Turns out you’re both into baseball. There’s a conversation starter. You talk through Twitter for months when suddenly you need what he has. He’s the one you’ll go to, right?

Now you get it.

So if you’re networking with the mindset of getting something out of it, shift your thinking. You’ll reap even more benefits if you do.

His charge is pretty nominal, at least in the early months of the year: he charges his fee based on what day of the year it is (Jan 1 is $1 while December 31 is $365).

He is sold out for the rest of this year.

Now I think this guy is damn smart. He took an idea and ran with it. He didn’t need talent to wear shirts, though he did need smarts to figure out people would pay for this.  He created a niche where there was nothing before. Those businesses that now advertise with him didn’t think to themselves last year, boy, we really need to find a guy to wear our shirts around town. But now that he’s here, the need has arisen.

So how can YOU create a need where there’s not one right now?

• Think smart. Don’t think like everyone else. Look for solutions in what you do every day. This guy puts on a shirt every day. And he probably didn’t like paying for them. And he wanted money. Throw that in a pot, stir it for a while, and voila. An idea.
• Look at the solutions that are already out there and find better solutions. Ebooks are a better solution for books for people who are on the go. A cell phone is a better solution for communicating than a walkie talkie.
• Get out. I get my best ideas away from my desk. Walking. Doing yoga. Driving. Eating. Find inspiration where you wouldn’t normally look for it.
• Make a list of any and all your ideas. None are dumb. Simmer them a while, show them to your friends, and see where it gets you.

And yes I just realized this was a How-To Tuesday post published on a Thursday. Oops!

Anyone who does PR for a brand knows that getting the attention of the media is like trying to get President Obama’s attention. Reporters and editors all seem too busy to care about our stories, intriguing though they may be. Sure, they are bombarded with pitches and press releases daily, but how do you cut through the crap and rise to the top of that stack?

One trick of the trade I’ve discovered is Twitter. When I’m researching contacts at publications, blogs and websites, I look to see if an editor or the company has a Twitter account. Then, a week after I send the email pitch (carefully crafted, of course), I send a tweet as a followup.

Most journalists don’t seem to mind being contacted via Twitter. After all, it’s not exactly a private channel. For a recent client of mine, ioSafe, who makes external hard drives, 90% of the media placement I got was as a result of following up on Twitter.

Some of the writers hadn’t received my emails (thanks, CAN-SPAM Act!). Others had forgotten about it and were glad to be reminded of it. I found the immediacy of the interaction on Twitter to be gratifying. After all, it’s harder to ignore a tweet than it is an email.

I’ve also pitched directly through Twitter. I’ll send a quick note saying I think XYZ product is a good fit for their website/magazine/blog, and are they interested in learning more? I include a link so they can easily click it and decide if they want more information. If they do, we exchange emails and the process is set in motion.

My final words of advice are: target, target, target. Even though Twitter provides a new channel for public relations, it’s still essential to do your homework and understand the channel you’re pitching. Read the articles or blog posts. Read the editor’s bio to see if he even writes product reviews. Pretend you’re going to be quizzed on the company and be that prepared. The editor you’re reaching out to will be that much more likely to take you up on your pitch, and hey, who knows? Maybe you’ll actually develop a relationship with that media contact!

You probably have a Facebook Profile for you, the person. But do you have a Page for your business? Creating a Facebook Page for your business can be great for SEO and can help new people find your business on Facebook.

FYI: A Page isn’t as interactive as a Profile, meaning your fans may not comment as much as they do on your Profile, but it’s a great way to post news, updates, photos and links on your business in one easy place. Many people prefer to get their info from Facebook rather than websites these days, so it’s important to speak their language.

Let’s get started.

1. Log into Facebook. Easy enough.

2. At the bottom of the page, click the Advertising link. You’ll see several choices on this page. Click “Pages.” From there, click “Create Page.”

3. Fill in your info. The more information you fill in, the better your Page will be. Once you fill out what is required, click the Info tab and edit to add your website(s) and information about your company.

4. Fatten up your Page. That’s basically it. But it’s a good idea to add photos if you have products or something people can see. As time goes on, you can add links to your press releases and products, start discussions with fans, add videos…whatever you want.

How to Add Fans

The tricky thing about Pages is you can’t Friend someone the way you can from your Profile. So my suggestion is to go through your Profile Friends and invite those you think would benefit from being a fan of your business’ Page to become a fan. If your Friends aren’t business-related, consider adding friends that are business related to your profile (start by searching for your contacts and clients) so that you can easily convert them over to your business’ page. It’ll take a while but then you’ll see a snowball effect when it comes to fans!

Publish info about your Page on your Profile so people know it exists!

Don’t neglect!

You may not think about your Page as often as you do your Facebook Profile, but update it several times a week. Give people a reason to visit it.

Sometimes I spend a lot of effort in getting visits to my site. Other times? Not so much. But with a little effort you can start a snowball effect and get more traffic to your site without doing much. First, though, roll up your sleeves. It’s time to work.

Step 1: Look at your site. The first step to getting traffic is making sure your site is a friendly place to be. Is it easy to navigate? Understandable? Do people have to scroll down to read all of your copy (that’s a bad thing). Make your web copy concise and to the point. Not a writer? Call Egg and we’ll write it for you.

Step 2: Do you have SEO? If you don’t know what SEO is, find out. Your site needs to be rich in keywords that people are searching for. This article, for example, would have good SEO ranking for the term “generating traffic to your website” or “how to get traffic on my website.” Use these keywords in the copy and behind the scenes in the metatags and descriptions (Again, if you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, contact me so I can help).

Step 3: Start promoting. The sky’s the limit when it comes to places you can promote your website. Remember to do it in a non-pushy way. As in don’t force people to go to your website. Find a natural reason a contact on Facebook or Twitter would want to go. Try this.

@lostinmarketing i heard your confusion about email marketing. check my blog. it’s got good articles on how to do email marketing successfully. http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing

You want to provide value. Here are some places you can promote your website:

• Facebook: Post an occasional link on your wall. Include RSS to your blog.
• Twitter: Have your website in your profile and find a way to suggest it usefully as in the above example.
• Blog: Blogs and websites are great cross-promoters. On your blog, include your website in the Blogroll. On your website include link to blog.
• Article marketing: On article directories like AssociatedContent.com, you can submit articles in your field. Include a link in the About the Author section.
• Other blogs: Post relevant comments on other people’s blogs. Your link will be included.
• Press releases: Any time you put out a press release, it should include multiple links to your site.
• Email: Your web address should be in your signature so that every person who gets an email from you gets your website.

And remember, the more contacts you have, the more people will visit your site. Work to increase your Twitter and Facebook contacts and maintain the relationships so that people have a reason to click the link to your site!

Blah blah blah. Excuses. In fact, you don’t even have to be the one to write the ebook. If you’re not a writer, hire a ghostwriter (college kids are pretty prolific) to write an ebook on a topic in your industry.

Why write an ebook?

1. It shows you know your stuff. If you’re in, say, marketing, and you write an ebook on email marketing, people get that you know all there is to know on the topic.
2. People need solutions. People spend hours every week searching for answers to their problems. If you can write an ebook that provides that solution, so much the better for you.
3. People spend money with people they trust. After reading your ebook, people trust you. Out of all the marketing people in the world, many trust me simply because I’m the one they read. Once they trust you, they will buy from you and stay loyal customers.

What do I write about?

No matter what industry you’re an expert in, you can probably make a list of problems people come to you about. For me, it’s how to generate publicity and SEO with press releases. For you, it may be understanding the difference between a regular and synthetic oil change. Or how to save money at the grocery store. Just think about those conversations you have over and over again with people, and think about the advice you churn out again and again. There’s your topic.

You may have several ebook topics, so write them down and save them for later.

Do I charge for my ebook?

This is a question of some debate. I currently charge for my ebooks, but many people give them away in order to get email addresses for their newsletter database. I say if you have a short ebook, just a few pages long, give it away. Anything longer, sell it. But remember: you have to promote it (something I’m actually not very good at). People won’t buy it if they don’t know about your ebooks.

Once you’ve written (or had written) your ebook, play it up! Use it in your bio (Susan Payton has written several ebooks on marketing…) and make sure your website has a clear link to where they can access the ebooks.

From here, maybe you’ll get the writing bug and start churning out print books too!

Do you write ebooks? If so, share a link to them with us!

Despite me being the Marketing Eggspert,  I have yet to find my niche. Susan’s book gave me some great practical advice I want to share with you about finding your niche.

Now as you know (or maybe you don’t), becoming what Susan calls a Nichepreneur has many  benefits:

• People want an expert.
• More specialization=higher fees
• Nichepreneurs control their own destinies

But how do you find a niche to master? Here’s Susan’s advice:

1. Explore a growth industry.
2. Check where you can best use your past experience.
3. Decide what you’re passionate about.
4. Use Susan’s secret principle to find where your best opportunity to be an expert lies (not giving that away; buy the book to learn the secret principle).
5. Identify the needs, trends, and challenges of the industry you’ve chosen.
6. Figure out what solutions you can implement.
7. Figure out what groups can help market your services or products.

Her book has so much more good stuff in it, so I definitely recommend you buy your own copy.

My first recommendation is to subscribe to the blogs you like via RSS. This saves you the hassle of having to remember to check a blog every few days for new content. It automatically comes to you. You can get blog posts a few different ways:

• Via email (my favorite)
• Added to your Google or Yahoo home page
• Through an RSS reader like RSSOwl or FeedDemon

Now, I’ll tell you. I have many blogs added to my Google page but I never visit it. When I open a Firefox page I have a direction and purpose so I don’t linger on my home page of Google. The way that works best for me is email. So every morning I check my email and scan the posts of the day on my favorite blogs. If they’re of interest, if I want to comment, or if I want to share them on Twitter, I click the link to the actual post. Otherwise, I delete it. It takes just a few minutes.

PS If you’re not already subscribed to my RSS, why don’t you practice your newfound skill by doing so now? Just look in the upper right hand corner for the Subscribe box!

If you blog or write articles to establish yourself as an expert in your field, you may find it hard to continually come up with interesting topics. Believe me, I know. I’ve written dozens of articles on marketing, identity theft, coin collecting, entrepreneurship, cars, roofing, etc. It’s hard to stay creative!

What I do to get inspired is see what others are saying on the topic. That might mean searching Twitter or Google for a keyword or phrase  to see what’s out there. I read a lot of blogs and websites. Then whenever I get an idea, even if I’m not in writing mode, I add it to my Outlook Tasks. That way the next time I’m scheduled to sit down and write, I have a list of topics readily available.

Another way you can come up with new topics is to think about your clients or potential clients and their needs. What do they need to know about your field? What solutions do you provide that you could write about? For me, people ask about press releases a lot, so I’ve got several blog posts about press releases (as well as ebooks and seminars).

Not sure what they want to know? Survey them. Ask them the topics they would like to have you write about.

Which reminds me: what do YOU want me to blog about?

1. Visit Google Alerts.

2. Enter what you want to search for. Here are some ideas:

• Your company name
• Your name
• industry keywords (internet marketing, social media marketing, public relations for me)

3. Select “comprehensive” to get blogs, news, and websites.

4. Decide how often you want alerts. You can get them as they come if time is of the essence, or once a day or week if you prefer.

5. Assuming you have a Google account, choose the email address you want the alerts sent to.

6. Click “create alert.”

It can’t get simpler. I use Google Alerts to find the publicity I help generate for clients, as well as to see what’s happening in their industries. For example, my client ioSafe makes external hard drives, so I have alerts for major tech blogs talking about hard drives so I can check out the competition.  I also use it to see where I, Susan, am showing up. Often it’s an article or blog post I wrote that others are pulling from.

As you can see, Google Alerts is a great tool to help you manage your PR for free.

I love, love, love social media. And I love even more those smart people who come up with smarter apps every day. Whenever I think I’m using the best, latest, greatest Twitter app,  another takes its place. So today’s focus: HootSuite.

First let me say that for someone who works on marketing day in and out, I sure am swayed by cute packaging. Curse me. HootSuite has an adorable little owl as their mascot, which was the first thing that got my attention.

After that I thought, “Gaah, another Twitter platform? Don’t I have enough of these?”

And then I visited the site. And tweeted my entire experience. I was in love with an owl.

My favorite feature by far is the Hootlet. You just drag it into your toolbar and whenever you’re on a page you want to tweet about, you just click the owl. Oh. My. God. So great. In case those directions were too hard for you, here’s the video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHxUm7atb0o&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

So since this is how-to Tuesday, let me give you a few how-to tips. You are smart enough to set up your own account on HootSuite, so let’s skip that.

Setting up Columns

If you’re an avid Twitter user, you know that it can be overwhelming to pay attention to a stream of thousands of people you’re following. HootSuite’s columns work a lot like TweetDeck or Seesmic’s. You name them and add people to them. So for instance, I have a column for Social Media and follow people like Chris Brogan that are saying smart things about social media (and I regurgitate it to you on my blog). You can have as many as you want, but the feature I don’t like very much is having to know the name of someone to add. I liked TweetDeck’s former capability of scrolling through my list and checking off people to add to a column.

Using Stats

Another feature that makes HootSuite unique is its Stats. You can see how many people click on a link you tweet and where they come from. Very handy. Just click “Stats” in your account and select your profile to view.

Profiles

Speaking of profiles, HootSuite lets you manage multiple! I’m actually not working with multiple Twitter accounts right now, so I haven’t tried it out, but it seems pretty straightforward. Just remember to select which account you’re tweeting from.

There’s really nothing else to teach you. It’s just that dead simple. Check out HootSuite and let me know what you think!

PS If you’re listening, HootSuite, please add Facebook interaction to your platform!

Step 1: Make a list

Make a list of all the attributes of your ideal client. Make her/him into a character, if that helps. If it’s important to understanding your target, describe the kind of clothes she wears, what she enjoys doing, what she eats, where she lives. Also how old she is and how much money she makes are key. If you sell high end jewelry, you are probably not selling to broke college kids.

Step 2: Look at where she shops

Now that you have the first list, make another list of where that person would shop. Banana Republic or Wal-Mart? Macy’s or Target? This can give you an idea of how your audience makes its shopping decisions. A Wal-Mart shopper is probably swayed more by price than brand loyalty, while Banana Republic shoppers are likely to stay loyal to the brand.

I know it may be difficult to come up with some of this information, but don’t be afraid to generalize or assume, if you have nothing in the way of research.

Step 3: Do some research

Visit Google Ad Planner to get statistics to help you if you’re looking to promote online (and of course you are!). I’ve written about this resource before, so go back and study it. It will help you search for the websites that your demographic (based on age, income, education, and/or geography) visit the most. This can help you decide what websites you need to have a presence on.

It’s important to know how your target audience likes to be marketed to. If the results show up that your demographic is heavily into Facebook, then it’s a no brainer that you need to be on there. It doesn’t matter if you’re not into Facebook: if you want to sell, you have to speak your customers’ language.

You can also research those companies you listed in step 2 and see what their websites and ad campaigns look like. If they’re motivated by sales, that needs to be part of your marketing strategy. If they are brand oriented, you need to work on building your brand so that customers become evangelists.

Need help figuring out your target audience? Let’s brainstorm together.

It’s important to get organized after the event. I know, I know, I’ve had business cards scattered all over my desk and not done anything with them for a week after an event. But it’ll help you in the long run.

Step 1. Organize your contacts. Sort your new business cards into different piles:

• Potential client
• Same industry
• Good to know

Anyone who you even touched on business with (as in you providing them with it) goes in the potential client pile. If they work in your industry, put them in the same industry pile. And for everyone else, including those people you’re not quite sure how they might be able to help you, keep in mind that they can refer business to you even if they don’t need it. Put them in the third pile.

Step 2. Send a handwritten note. For each person you meet, send a handwritten card or note saying it was nice to meet them. Include something that lets them know you’re paying attention, like a reference back to your conversation or a comment about their website. Send the very next day after you meet them.

Note: While handwritten notes stand out more than email, I do make an exception sometimes, especially if the contact is web savvy (and they contact me first via email or social media). Depending on how casual the relationship is, you can also send a note on Twitter or Facebook once you find and connect with them there.

Step 3. Connect online. As I just mentioned, Twitter and Facebook are a great way to keep up with your new contacts, and if you’re active in the social media space, it’s a great way for your new contacts to see what you’re up to. Send a note with your friend request reminding them where you met.

Step 4. Add contacts to your database. However you manage your contacts, be it in Outlook or your email program (PLEASE don’t tell me it’s a Rolodex), add your contacts with notes. If you send out an email newsletter, add them to the list.

Step 5. Checking in. Decide on a schedule to check in with contacts. Maybe it’s once a month for warm leads, every other month for everyone else. Just drop a line in whatever method of communication they like best (more and more, this ends up being social media) and just see how they’re doing. Often this can remind them of what products or services you provide and be a good source of sales.

You might need to move contacts from one category to another as you develop your relationships with them. The more you reach out, the more sales you’ll get!

For some reason, this seems to be the hardest part for people. On today’s How to Tuesday, I want to help you decide on a topic for your release.

Why is it so hard to toot your own horn?

I guess when you’re in a business, it’s hard for you to see it from above. You may not recognize your achievements as such. You may not think that promoting an employee is newsworthy. That’s where this post comes in handy (as does this one, which gives you lots of ideas to start with).

1. Review your last 6 months. Go back through old emails, documents, et cetera, to refresh your mind about what your company has done. You’ve likely forgotten some good press release fodder.

2. Make a list. As you come across items like securing a new client, adding a new product, or donating to a charity, write it down.

3. Talk to employees. Get another perspective on press release ideas. Your sales department may be pretty proud of exceeding its sales goals. That’s a great release to show your company’s success. Or R & D might want to share its recent discovery that will cut costs by 35%.

4. Look to the future. Don’t only focus on the past. You can write a press release before something happens, such as announcing plans for expansion, or the start of an important project.

5. Map out your releases. Decide how often you want to put out a release, and assign dates to each topic. If you’ve followed these steps, you probably have enough releases for several months. Put them in your calendar so you can remember what you decided to write your release on.

6. Don’t be afraid to change. If some major news happens out of the blue, don’t be afraid to bump a scheduled release in favor of the more exciting news. You can always add to your list and change it around.

1. Research. First you need to decide on the publications you think would be a good target for your press release or product. What do your customers read? What industry are you trying to target? First make a list of these magazines, newspapers, blogs, and websites.

2. What section? Knowing the media source alone isn’t enough. If you notice, every magazine has different sections. Many have product review sections as well as news and others, so decide which is the best fit. Also don’t overlook product placement. Gardening publications have articles on gardens, so if you have a hose or garden product, you might be able to get it placed in the photo with attribution in the back of the magazine.

3. Now, who do I contact? Search the website (even if it’s a newspaper or magazine) for the editor over the section you decided on. Editors are better than journalists for your efforts, because they’re the decision makers. If you can’t find the editor, use the journalist who writes the section. Make sure to spell the contact’s name correctly and get their email and phone number. You can easily do this in a spreadsheet.

Tips

• Keep your lists updated. If you have an old list, make sure the contacts are still with the publication.
• Spend time reading each one. There’s nothing worse than pitching a publication that’s a bad fit because you didn’t do your homework!
• Don’t bug. Send a preliminary email and follow up by email or phone a week later. Don’t bombard your contact.
• Take good notes. If an editor asks not to be contacted, make a note.
• For the contacts who reply, put them in a special file, like in your Outlook, with notes on their friendliness. Makes it that much easier next go ’round.

]]> http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/reaching-media-contacts/feed/ 3 http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/how-to-tuesday-using-tweetdeck-to-organize-twitter-contacts/ http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/how-to-tuesday-using-tweetdeck-to-organize-twitter-contacts/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:16:47 +0000 Susan Payton http://www.sparkplugging.com/marketing/?p=1114 In realizing that my more tactical, hands-on blog posts get more traffic, I have decided to start How-To Tuesdays. Each Tuesday, I’ll cover specific steps on how to do something that relates to marketing, social media or PR. Feel free to chime in! I’m here to help you, so what can I teach you? Leave me a comment and I’ll do it.

This week I want to talk about TweetDeck, an amazing Twitter tool.

A lot of newbies to Twitter are overwhelmed with the stream of updates coming at them on their page. They don’t realize there are applications that help make it easier to sort different groups of Tweeple. There are many of these, but the one I really like is TweetDeck.

Why do I like it?

I have over 2,000 people I’m following (don’t worry; you’ll get there), and that is a lot of noise. I need a way to separate people out.

• Some people I’ve met in person and like to keep up with.
• Some people I identify as leaders in social media or marketing, and want to know what they’re saying.
• Some people I don’t really connect with (yet) and are less important to focus on.
• Sometimes I like to do a search on something like “marketing” to see what people are saying.

TweetDeck lets me separate all these groups out.

Ready to try it? It’s free, so what have you got to lose?

1. Visit http://tweetdeck.com/beta/ and download the free program.

2. Once you have it set up, decide how you want to group people. It might be Business and Personal, or you could do a search for a topic you’re interested in. If you do this, any tweet that contains that word will appear in that column.

The toolbar at the top of your TweetDeck is pretty easy to follow. It lets you:

• Send a tweet
• View all friends
• Reply to someone
• Send a direct message
• View favorites
• Create a group
• Search for a word or phrase
• Use TwitScoop to see what words people are talking about the most
• Share a video with 12seconds.tv
• Get stock updates with stocktwits
• Update your Facebook page at the same time as Twitter

I really like the ability to post something to Twitter and Facebook. Before TweetDeck had this function, I used a Facebook application to update my Tweets to Facebook. Problem was, whenever I replied to someone, it would post my half of the conversation, so no one in Facebook knew what I was talking about!

There is also a nice shorten URL field, so you don’t waste your 140 characters with a long URL. You can’t do this on Twitter’s page.

Try it for a week and let me know what you think.