So you’ve started your own home-based business. Now you want the people to know. You plan on invading the social media – of course, this is very important as you are going to find useful the connections that you will be able to make by creating a strong Internet presence. Indeed, what the Internet can do for a small business can be huge.

However, the Internet is only good for marketing yourself to the unseen world out there. What about those people whom you encounter everyday? A colleague (if you haven’t quit your day job), perhaps, or a colleague’s friend who happens to be an acquaintance of yours and one who happens to be a very promising sales prospect? The best way to let the people you come face to face with remember you is to give them a business card.

You may have just started up and you think you need to be careful with your expenses to be able to make the most of your small capital. So you think of getting those free business cards on the Internet in the hope of saving a little amount. You think being a thrift spender by getting those free cards at this stage is the wisest thing to do. But is it really?

Remember that your business card is the first impression of your business that people will be getting. And usually, first impressions last. A free business card is something that looks exactly like thousands of other free credit cards out there. So how is it supposed to make people remember you? When you give out cards, make sure you’re giving people the right idea about you and your business as well. Are you really just one of the crowd? Can you really not offer any unique? Are your products or services really just as good as what other businessmen are capable of? Can you really not offer something that is above what the rest can do?

Remember again that whatever type of business you’re in, you will probably have competition. And you can’t just let yourself be one of them. You have to stand out and be known for all the things that are only true with you and you alone. This is the only way you can make people believe that out of the thousands of businessmen who offer the same thing you do, they should come to you because you have something that the others don’t.

The same is true for your business cards which are usually your potential customers’ first encounter with your business. If you want to be not just remembered but visited, online or off, you have to offer something that is unique to you. Sure, you may have to spend a little, but the rewards will be more than enough.

An impressive business card need not cost you much. There are many websites that offer cheap business card printing. but great, unique designs that you can choose from. You should always be able to choose because it’s your way of telling people who you are and what your business can do for them. Order business cards online to make even greater savings without compromising your business image.

All professionals will need a bio at some point in their career. Make sure it’s a good one that gives your experience and achievements the attention and pizazz they deserve. Here are some things that you should include in a comprehensive bio, whether it’s a short or long bio. Keep in mind that any of these items can be shortened or expanded upon, depending on the length needed for the bio itself.

Current Position

List what your current position is along with the company. Make sure you expand on the responsibilities of the position also. List certain sales levels or budgets that you are accountable for. Also, if it’s pertinent to the industry that you’re in, list the number of employees reporting to you. Only include information that would bring credibility to the bio.

Highlights of Experience

You will need to include your experience so you might include your overall experience within a certain industry or your overall experience in a particular field and beyond that you want to include any results that you have achieved especially if you’re a person in sales and you need to include sales information, include some of the percentage increases that you’ve seen with companies that you worked with or even dollar figures of how much you’ve managed.

Educational History

Use your judgment on whether to include your education or not. When the institution was prestigious or specifically related to the field that you are currently in, it is always a good idea to include your education. Some people feel uncomfortable listing their education if it isn’t from a specific type of institution or if it isn’t pertinent to their current position. Again, use your intuition on whether to include your educational history or not.

Achievements

Include honors and awards that you’ve received and achieved during your career. If you’re in a field like broadcast or advertising, this is important. Some fields such as finance don’t have such an emphasis on these types of achievements. If you’ve been named to a top list by a magazine or other publication, be sure to highlight the fact in your bio.

Add Some Pep!

Sometimes people like to have spiffy comments in their bio. For example, some bios might say you’re the ‘queen’ or ‘king’ of something. Others may have pithy titles that they’ve created. Explaining an achievement that you’ve accomplished with some sizzle is also a great idea. Depending on the industry, you may want to include a personal tidbit or two. For example if you’re in the pet fashion industry, you might want to include what pets you have, their breeds, and names.

Always write a bio that is the correct length for its purpose. A bio for a press kit can be up to a page while a bio for a book or website needs to be much shorter- especially if it’s included on the outside cover, for example. To make things easier, start out with a lengthy bio and create shorter versions, as they are needed for other purposes.

Lauren L. Darr is the President and Founder of DIY Mmarketing Communications, a brand of Lauren Originals, Inc. She has over 20 years experience in working with companies large and small on their marketing efforts. Her passion is working with small businesses and entrepreneurs to create successful marketing campaigns. You can get a FREE report by Lauren, “The Top 3 Pitfalls of Marketing and How to Avoid Them” at http://www.diymarketingcommunications.com.

Without a doubt, publicity has emerged as a more powerful alternative to advertising. Evidence suggests that an increasing number of physicians turn away from advertising and embrace publicity as a more cost-effective marketing tool. In an effort to set themselves apart from the competition, some business-savvy medical practitioners strive to generate meaningful and positive media coverage and build a positive image. However, competition for media attention continues to grow, both locally and nationally.

If you are a medical professional, trying to gain more exposure and grow your practice, you need to understand every critical aspect of the publicity process. It is crucial to your success. What you have to do is determine what is newsworthy, learn how to communicate story angles to the press, give winning interviews or write expert articles and tipsheets. This will allow you to rise above your competition and position yourself as a leading authority in your field.

I hope a few basic suggestions below will put you on the right track and help you initiate the process that will impact your reputation, image and earnings.

1. First and foremost, you need to clearly define your

Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

What sets you apart? What makes you special? Is there anything about your background, education, professional affiliations or charitable activities that is worthy of attention? Don’t be afraid to ask your patients what they like about your services. You have to come up with a phrase or a few brief sentences that describe all the benefits you provide or capture the most unique and compelling aspects of your service. Your job is to differentiate your medical practice from other practices in a positive way. So, let the brainstorming session begin!

2. Write articles and tipsheets to create credibility.

Providing educational articles to local newspapers or magazines, read by your prospective patients, is a good way to increase awareness and create name recognition.

3. Embrace Internet as a powerful marketing tool.

In this day and age, you cannot ignore the power of the internet. What you should do is start blogging, create YouTube videos, post optimized press releases on your website to maximize search engine positioning. There are quite a few smart strategies you can use to spread the word around in Cyberspace. Tap into your creative potential and see what you can come up with.

4. Offer yourself as a source.

You may invite the editors to call you for an interview whenever a hot healthcare-related topic hits the news. It is a wise idea to put together a medical practice portfolio. It should include a black and white press photo, your curriculum vitae, a copy of any recent by-line article and a list of areas you specialize in. If you wish, you can even include a list of lectures you are willing to conduct for community groups. Such a portfolio is good for contacting both the media and community organizations.

Always remember, getting into the media takes patience, perseverance and professionalism. If you integrate my suggestions into your marketing plan, eventually you will reap the benefits of your efforts. Good luck with your endeavors!

Angela Kambarian is a marketing consultant and copywriter, creating powerful results-driven marketing communication materials for different companies, organizations and entrepreneurs. In addition, she creates creative marketing strategies that increase profits for her clients and set them apart from the competition.
With over a decade of business experience and a master’s degree in Communications and Public Relations, she will find ways to turn your marketing materials into sales-generating tools.

The world of business is a complex one at best. There are many things that owners need to look at doing to make sure that the business runs in a successful manner. Public relations are a very important part of this for many businesses. Learning about what this involves is a very important part of the process that needs to be done for this to work well.

To start with people need to understand what this is. In simple words this is the way that a business or other type of group communicates with the public. It provides a business the communication that they need to build positive relationships which can help build the business up to a higher level. It is not the same as advertising at all as it utilizes a totally different technique of getting the message that wants to be relayed out.

Many different concepts can be used to get these messages out to the public. One of the most common ones is that of speaking at conferences or seminars. Since the inception of the internet we have seen that this is also being done via podcasts. Other choices are via the press but by working right along with them as opposed to the way things are done with advertising. No matter which option you go with they all can be worthwhile if they are done in the right way.

For example we have seen many examples of this through banks and other financial institutions across the country. These have been viewed by millions of people by means of the televisions that are in our homes. Other areas are also highly visible in this way and we could list numerous ones if we wanted.

One of the keys to doing a successful public relations campaign is to know what the target is that you are aiming for. This can make a lot of difference when it comes to choosing an appropriate method to use for your campaign. After all, the goal is to make it attractive to these people. The target can be a certain age, sex, or many other things, but understanding what this is can be one of the biggest keys to your success.

Shareholders and others that have a vested interest in the business or organization are also another form of target that you want to ensure remain happy with what is being said. These people can terminate relationships if they are not happy with what they see, so this may mean that more than one campaign may be in order when it comes to your PR plan. You would not be happy losing these people as they are assets that may never be able to be replaced, not to mention that when business ties are severed they are often unable to be brought back.

Having two separate campaigns may be the thing that you need to do if faced with this type of thing. This can allow you to be able to make both sides of the coin happy and will not put your ventures at g risk. A winning idea that should be considered if this sounds like you at all.

There are a lot of firms that offer public relations services for people. Taking some time to look at a Miami public relations firm can be a good way to start. A lot of the time they can be found on the internet as well which makes things very easy. Looking at reviews that may have been stated by prior clients is a great help for those that are thinking of making such a decision.

There is nothing magical about Public Relations. It just seems that way. Once you know a few tricks of the trade, you, too, will be able to attract the spotlight.

Create News. Journalists cannot possibly collect all the news they need to fill the space they have. They depend on PR professionals and people in the community for as much as 70% of the stories they report on a daily basis. Journalists appreciate your help as much as you appreciate the coverage they can give you.

Find A Hook. Journalists keep their writing clear and interesting by developing fresh angles for their stories. You need to learn to think like a journalist. Look at your facts. Is there some way to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack? What do you do that nobody else does? Once you’ve figured this out, develop your story.

The Agatha Christie Twist. Mystery writers are always stumbling upon new facts. These new facts are often offered up with an interesting twist. This piques the reader’s interest. It’s not enough to know your facts. You must be prepared to present them in a new way that speaks to your intended audience.

Who, What When, Why, and Where. These are the questions you need to answer in your press release. Does your product or service have news value? Is there something about it that will be helpful or entertaining to an editors’ audience? Is your angle so unique that a national magazine might be interested?

Editors are always looking for a good story. Is yours of local or national interest? Once you answer this question you can go to the library and consult various professional directories o determine who the right contact people are at the publications you wish to target. I suggest the Bacon series. You’ll also be able to find out how various editors want material submitted there.

Your press release should be no more than three pages double spaced. Find the angle that works for the audience you want to target. Customize the release for different publications if the angle changes. Write concisely and to the point. What you are writing should appear to be news.

Form and Style. There are many good books to refer to for form and style. Buy one for reference or consult on at your local library. Use powerful headlines and sub-headlines to deliver your message. Use a reverse pyramid — lead with your most important information. Maintain credibility and avoid puffery. Proofread to ensure correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. Be concise. The best press releases get right to the point. If editors want more information, they will contact you. So make sure you have a contact person who is available to field media responses.

Reporters are Your Friends. Be their friends, too. Being a friend does not mean hounding them to do what you want them to do. It means understanding their needs and making an effort to help them with those needs while you address your own. It means being considerate of their deadlines and the demands on their time.

Get Editorial Calendars. Ever wonder how certain issues of a magazine or newspaper cover topics of special interest? Editors develop calendars months in advance that specify what will be dealt with when. Get copies of editorial calendars. This will put you in a better position to pitch reporters with well-timed stories. You’ll be delighted with their responsiveness!

Build Relationships. Journalists are people. They have feelings. Respect theirs and they’ll respect yours. Ask them for help if what you’re doing is not working. They’ll give you constructive suggestions. And when they’ve helped you on the road to success, let them know you appreciate their interest and assistance.

PR is a specialized field. It may take years to develop the contacts you need to get the publicity you want. If you don’t have years, you may want to get professional help. Don’t mind waiting? Then, stick with the suggestions above. A well-written press release in the hands of the right media can deliver incredible results.

Carol Dunitz, Ph.D. is president of The Last Word LLC, a communication and creative services company. She is a professional speaker and author of ‘Louder Than Thunder,’ a parable about listening and interpersonal communication. Dunitz is the playwright, lyricist and composer of ‘Bernhardt on Broadway,’ a musical about Sarah Bernhardt. She can be reached at 312.523.4774, cdunitz@lastword.com or http://www.DrCarolDunitz.com

This article is for people who know they have an interview coming up. The article is explains what to when and when to wear it so that you create the best interview possible. Every interview is about the audience and that is who you have to dress for.

From time to time people clients call me about an interview that is coming up. They want to check in and refresh their skills. When we meet, I got over some actual interview with them, reminding them to focus on the purpose. Sometimes we have to work to find their purpose in the upcoming interview. Then we cover the media skill basics and what they are going to wear. I’ll share with you what we cover.

Radio: I always get a client who says, ” the interview is on the east coast and I am on west coast time, so I’ll be doing that interview in my pajamas!” Doing radio interview often only involved the telephone. So you can just wear whatever you want. Because they can not see you, many people think what you are wearing does not matter. We all have outfits we like to wear that make us feel smart and at the top of our games. That’s what you should wear on a radio interview. It will give you extra confidence. Wearing PJ”s or just your robe, gives your voice a super relaxed sound that goes along with a person who does not care. In media the person who does not care comes across in a negative manner. You’ll miss the audience you are trying to target.

TV: Look at the flavor of the show and remember it’s always better to be over dressed than underdressed. You need to look like what you say you are. Creative people have a greater capacity to wear colorful and whimsical things. If you are in a conservative industry or deal with money, even if you personally are not conservation, you must fit into the idea of what people expect. When you look too different from what people expect they cannot focus on your message. A doctor dressed like a Goth queen with tattoos, piercing and black nail paint is not going to be well received. Remember that your goal is to get your message to the viewers. Do not do anything that will stop the message from flowing.

Radio and Magazines: You want to hope their will bring their own photographer. They craft the picture so make sure hair and makeup is done in case they shoot pictures of you. Wear what you want to be seen in on the front page. Media Training pays off.

Dr. Wright is the creator of the Instant Radio Star program, designed to teach you how to get into the media anytime you want to. http://wrightplacetv.com/instant-radio-star

Why do you need to submit PR? If your company has launched a new product, how do you inform your customers? The best way is to do it through press release. You have signed a nice deal with one of the reputable clients or you have hired an established marketing executive for promoting your business. This is your story; let other people know about it in details.

If you have a story and you find that it is newsworthy, all you have to do is to submit PR about the event. Online press submission is the most effective way to tell the media about your company and all that is happening inside the company. This is beneficial for the company. More and more people will come to know about your business. But before you submit the PR, you should remember a few basic things. The first question will be if the story that is published is newsworthy or not? The incident or event that is described in the PR should be interesting enough to grab the attention of the readers.

If it is a current event, then this will generate enough interest among the readers. Moreover if you judge the newsworthiness of your story impartially, can you say that it is sufficiently interesting or worthy of a PR? Preparation is the key to everything. The same is true for PR. If you want to write a good press release, you should think of a good story, the time when it took place and the people involved in that story. Can your story actually benefit people? Think of a good angle before you submit press release.

When you write the press release, you should follow a format. The correct format will include a title or a headline. When you write the headline or a title, you should remember that the media will not be interested in bringing traffic to your site. They do not care whether or not you earn money from your efforts. All they are interested in is the story.

Think of an accurate title which will actually reflect the story. The sub-title or the sub-header will be equally important. This is given so that the readers have a better understanding of the news article. The sub-header gives you the unique opportunity to flesh out the angle. The article should have a company boiler plate which will contain useful information about your company. This is actually a short description of your company. You will have to provide contact information at the end. After you have written the press release, you need to find a distribution channel which will responsible for press release distribution.

Submitinme.com offers effective Press Release Distribution and affordable PR writing services. They have recently launched a Unique free Press release directory where you can distribute your press releases for free.

Because our company is known to the media as a resource, we continually receive calls from print and electronic media looking for story ideas. These calls usually come when the media is on a deadline and need something – now! In those situations, the appropriate client has to be ready to move in a flash, which means he or she has to be prepared and ready to go. Although media placement usually takes some time, there are also those instances that a press release immediately hits the jackpot. We have emailed a press release on a client at 9 a.m. and have had that client doing a live TV interview at noon that same day. You have to be ready. Remember; don’t unleash the power of the media until you’re prepared to control it. Public relations can be tricky because you have to be both patient and prepared. If you’re not prepared to do an interview, it could turn out to be a dismal experience. You can end up feeling depressed and embarrassed, the media will feel cheated, and you will have wasted an incredible opportunity.

So prepare. Review the image you want to convey – small town and friendly, authoritative, professional, humorous, avant-garde, formal and business-like – whatever. But make sure that your image matches your personality. If you are basically shy and retiring, don’t try to come off like a rock star. It ain’t gonna work. You may have to learn to project more and become a bit more forceful with your responses, but those are simply tools you learn to utilize when needed. Keep your voice modulated. Be dynamic, but not frenzied. Your mission here is not to alter your personality, but to enhance it. Have both your information and your delivery ready to go. That way, when the media does respond, you’ll be ready.

Copyright © Anthony Mora 2009

Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based public relations company that has placed clients in: Time, Newsweek, 60 Minutes, CNN, USA Today, Oprah, The New York Times, Vogue, and other media. Anthony has been featured in: USA Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, CNN, Fox News, and other media outlets.

There are many different things that you can do to make your business known. One of those things you can do is to regularly write press releases. This is a great way to market your business. There are several keys that you can learn about writing these releases or having somebody else write a release to the press promoting your business. Keep reading to uncover 6 priceless ways to make money with this type of marketing.

1. Create a release that result in new leads wanting more information from you. To get new leads, it’s important to write these releases for your business on a regular basis. The more times you write one and submit them to various newspapers, the more you increase the chances of getting higher sales. So, keep writing your own release for free publicity for your business.

2. In the one you write create a checklist of information items to include in your releases including your website address. Check off each item after writing your release to the press to ensure that your release is powerful and memorable.

3. When people e-mail you for more information, after they write to you, give them something else free considered very valuable for them.

4. In your written release, encourage people to live their dreams now.

5. The best way to get one of the releases published is by providing something free for the community or that benefits the community somehow.

6. Any way you can get a press release published results in making you money because it directs traffic to you and/or your business.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed a brand new free guide. Download it free here: Internet Marketing

Do you want to learn how to use articles like this to drive targeted traffic to your site? Click here: Article Writing Guide

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Sean Mize teaches coaches, consultants, and small business owners how to package their knowledge and sell it in high priced coaching, consulting, and online class packages, and is an expert at using articles like this to drive traffic to his website, and has taught hundreds of clients his secrets. Sean says, “If you have an existing marketable service or skill that you can teach others, I can teach you to package it into a high-priced class or coaching program, guaranteed.”

Right now the media is a blaze with stories on personal finance. The today show now has a special segment hosted by Jean Chatzky just to satisfy the public’s hunger for information on personal finance. Jean Chatzky is not only educating the viewers of the Today show she is promoting her business at the same time. Suzy Orman is excellent at promoting herself and educating people on personal finances at the same time.

What separates Jean Chatzky and Suzy Orman from the pack is there ability to position their selves as experts while promoting their services at the same time. Suzy Orman is always quick to mention her book and Chatzky is always quick to mention her website. This is an extremely effective form of marketing! Grant it P.B.S is not going to let you do a thirty minute sales pitch like there willing to do for Orman, but ask yourself who will let you do a press release?

Small to mid sized papers in your town and financial blogs will let you do a press release that’s who. A simple press release that explains how your clients made money in this economy by investing in fixed investments would be a good subject. A little know fact outside the life insurance industry is people were paid divides who held policies with a fixed rate of return.

The format of a press release is simple. Put your logo in the center of the page. On the right top side of the release make sure for immediate release is clearly displayed. On the left side of the page make sure you have your name, phone, e-mail and website displayed. Below your personal information display the title of your release in all capital letters and large font. I suggest you use 15 point font. Below your head line but a sub headline the subhead line should be in 13 point font. The body of the press release should only be four paragraphs. At the bottom make sure you put a short bio on how you can save people from being financially devastated.

Make sure you do not submit your press release only to small and mid size papers. Submit your press release to financial blogs as well. Right now loan modification programs are hot. People who have loan modification blogs are getting 500 plus hits a day. By putting your press release on one of these blogs you are getting tons of exposure to a target market for free.

Let me recap. The end result is to have people contact you. The reason there going to contact you is you are a safe money expert. Not only are you a safe money expert, you are a trusted expert because the client got their information from a news paper or a blog they trusted. Use the approach Chatzky and Orman use. That’s is educate your clients while promoting your services. Never forget the fact that your knowledge can save families.

Mike Dowdy has been responsible for a number of enterprise-wide online marketing programs for companies like Cari.net, Aplus.net, Matrix Direct and many other internet and direct marketing based companies. His Methods include search engine marketing,blogging in addition to campaign work in online advertising and advising on e-mail marketing.He teaches agents how to generate leads so they can live the life of their dreams. Go to http://www.life-leadz.com for your free report on how to generate your own leads.