One of most misunderstood and most underutilized promotional tools available to small businesses is FREE PUBLICITY.

Every business, no matter how large or small, can effectively use free publicity to enhance its image, increase sales and profits, generate sales leads, expand distribution, and promote customer goodwill. All of these benefits can be gained for nothing more than a small investment ot time, paper, envelopes, and postage. And...with addition of new e-mail based media release services...even paper, envelopes and postage can be eliminated.

Most new businesses start out on proverbial shoestring budget. There never seems to be enough money available to do needed advertising.

Professional marketing assistance seems like an unaffordable dream, and there is always "one more piece of equipment" that needs to be purchased.

Add in other concerns, and it's no surprise that marketing and promotion end up last on long list of perceived needs. They should be among first!

A well-executed and on-going publicity program can dramatically improve your chances of success in marketplace. Whatever you want to achieve promotionally...you'll accomplish it faster and less expensively with a knowledge of publicity game. You can generate high volumes of traffic to your web site, increase direct sales, generate qualified sales leads, shorten your selling cycle, enhance your image, and boost your cash flow, with free publicity!

Free publicty is perfect promotional tool for start-up companies. Why? Because it's cheap...and it's available.

While I can't make an expert publicist out of you in one short article, I will give you basic tools you need to get started with your own publicity program and a resource list to enable you to expand your success and build your knowledge base. Let's get started...

WHAT IS PUBLICITY?

Publicity is NEWS. News about your company, its products or services, its personnel, etc. Anything that has a legitimate news angle will probably find a number of editors eager to publish it for you...free.

Why are editors willing to do this? It's their job! Editors are charged with responsibility of filling up page after page of space (or, in case of radio or television, minutes of time) with information that is timely and useful to their readers or listening/viewing audience. Theirs is a formidable task, performed under constant pressure of deadlines. Your news release helps editors do their job.

It's important, however, to differentiate a legitimate news story from what should be paid advertising.

To acomplish this, editors typically ask themselves two questions when reading your press release:

• Who cares?

• Who already knows?

If answer to first question is "a large number of my readers or listeners", and answer to second question is "very few", then your release stands an excellent chance of publication.

Remembering old axiom of "Nothing is older than yesterdays news", it also becomes obvious that your news release must be timely. In other words, news must be new.

THE TOOLS OF PUBLICITY...

The principle tools of publicity are:

• News Release

• Press Kit

• Press Conference

• Feature Story

• Letters to Editor

• Media Lists/Selection

The news release is most useful (and most used) form of communicating news to media. When coupled with a well-selected media list, simple news release is a very powerful tool that you can start using today.

THE NEWS RELEASE...

Your release (news story) should typed, double-spaced, with wide margins on one side of 81/2" x 11" plain white paper (or letterhead). Never hand-write a news release.

Keep it simple. Follow standard news story format of Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How, and you can't go wrong. Use simple sentences (seven words or less). Use short paragraphs (seven sentences or less).

Use as many simple single-syllable words as possible. Remember, you're trying to convey news...not impress William F. Buckley. Omit superlatives. Words such as best, greatest, finest, unique, one-of-a-kind, and highest quality don't belong in news releases.

No matter what you sell--products, services, or causes--one of key ingredients to your success will be attention you give your sales lead follow-up system.

Notice that I used word system to describe your follow-up program. It's an important conceptual word. If you do not have a well planned, step-by-step system for lead follow-up you are leaving a lot of profits sitting on table.

It is widely accepted that it takes a minimum of five attempts to close a sale (any sale) before customer has enough information and confidence to buy from you. If your idea of follow-up is to bounce one autoresponder message back to your on-line inquiry and expect cash register to ring, you are in for a shocking surprise.

You have heard often, and will continue to hear, that internet marketing is based on building of relationships with your potential customers. It's true! Indeed, this is one of true Power Principles of internet marketing. One of great benefits of internet is ease and cost-effectiveness of relationship building.

We must understand that our potential customer is inundated with competing advertising messages from various media--television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, point- of-purchase, direct mail--and now internet.

All of these marketing methods attempt to build a relationship with its audience in order to make advertising message credible and believable. Credibility and believability lead naturally to sales.

The one media that stands head and shoulders above competition is internet. No other vehicle provides opportunity to connect with your audience in such a timely and intimate way. Using combination of web sites and email you have graphical power of television and intimate targeting of direct mail--without associated high costs. It's a powerful combination.

If you really want to 'Reach Out And Touch Someone', way to do it is with real Killer Application of internet e-mail.

The two most powerful e-mail tools for effective client follow-up are:

• Your own e-mail newsletter, ezine, discussion list, etc.
• A programmed system of timed e-mail follow-up messages.

I can't say enough about what a regular newsletter or ezine will do for your bottom line. By communicating useful information to your clients and prospects on a regular basis you are building a strong bonding relationship with them. Over time, they will begin to see you as a partner in their success. The trust and friendship you have built through your newsletter will translate to added business and increased profits for you.