Stretch Your Marketing Budget

By Lisa GollerBrand, Marketing, Public Relations (PR)

Want to market your company without spending money? You can make your marketing efforts more flexible by approaching the media to share your story with a broad audience.

The media sector is insatiable, always hungry for good stories. So, using the media is the marketing equivalent of doing downward dog, energizing and strengthening your brand awareness.

Here are seven free ways to raise your brand’s profile, and find and keep customers:

  • Tell your story in one sentence: Focus on the conflict and mention it early in your phone call or email. The media wants to know who you help and how.
  • Be unusual: Editors and journalists are desperate to tell stories about what’s abnormal. How could your company capture their attention?
  • Choose the right reporter: Study the news and become familiar with reporters’ work before you try to sell your story to them. Follow them on Twitter.
  • Write like a reporter: Make your story easy for the media to use. Write a punchy headline. Make the rest of the press release conversational so a television anchor could read it right on the air. Get to the point in plain, simple language.
  • Provide proof: To solidify a story, reporters need evidence, so make sure to include supported facts and numbers in your press release or pitch letter.
  • Wait for a slow news day: Statutory holidays are the slowest news times of the year. When reporters are scrambling to find a story, your odds of getting covered go up.
  • Use social media: Every time you publish a press release, share it across your social media channels. The secret is to provide value to your readers rather than sound like a commercial.

Using these tips will help you save money, extend your brand reach and increase your marketing agility. Namaste.

How have you marketed your business without spending a lot of money?

Lisa Goller
Lisa Goller helps businesses tell their story. As a Toronto-based Strategic Freelance Writer & Editor, she helps executives and entrepreneurs stand out, look good and save time. Learn more at lisagoller.com

 

Related articles:
Grow Your Small Business (Without Breaking the Bank)
99 Ways to Score a Marketing Touchdown
Stand Out: Strategic Publicity Practices
Sources:
Crilly, Jeff. “Marketing Without Money.” Toastmaster. October 2011.
Payton, Susan. “5 tips to make your press releases stand out.” Ragan.com, Jaune 9, 2014.
Silfwer, Lisah. “How to pitch TV news reporters.” Ragan.com. March 3, 2014.
Top 10 Public Relations Mistakes. BusinessWeek.
Turner, Steve. “So You Want Better Media Coverage?” SmartBiz.com