Getting published offline or featured online isn’t as tough as you think; what can be the challenge is knowing what to do with that PR once you get it! PR by itself isn’t inherently useful, it is critical to have a plan for distributing your feature or article in a meaningful way both online and offline. Very rarely will your phone start ringing off the hook with a single feature, instead it is a valuable opportunity for you to let your prospects and clients know that you’ve been showcased. Here are 3 proven ways to turn PR into prospects, projects and profits!
PR Tip #1 To Reinforce Your Value and Talent with Clients and Prospects
ONLINE: Send a link of your featured work or article to your contact list with a short note sharing your excitement. Your list should include current clients, past clients, and prospects you haven’t yet gotten on board. (For more ideas on prospecting, see Melissa’s Favorite Resources.)
OFFLINE: Request a hi-res PDF of the feature that you can email to your contact list, at the same time get a printed piece (either your local printer or often there are specific services available through the publisher to provide a truly professional mailer) and mail it by postal service to reinforce your value. REMEMBER these days everyone’s email box is overflowing but our postal boxes are getting emptier so you have a better chance of standing out though it will cost you in printing and postage.
PR Tip #2 As a Prospecting Tool
ONLINE: Send a link of your feature or article to the groups you belong to as either a wall post, or better as part of a discussion you create. You’ll also want to share this in updates on your online profiles more than once.
OFFLINE: Armed with a list of new prospects, either from a list service, or that you have compiled from networking events, home shows, show houses, or other offline avenues, mail your feature with a note and a limited time special offer on your services.
PR Tip #3 Vendor Collaboration
ONLINE: Ask selected vendors you do business with who both retail and work with the trade if they would provide a link to your feature on their site. They act as a referral for your talents and you, of course, reinforce the value of the vendor as a recommended designer resource.
OFFLINE: Provide your favorite vendors with copies of your feature or article to be available to their customers and clients. This reinforces your value as a talent they do business with and recommend and reciprocally references that vendor as a quality designer resource.
Getting PR is only half of the marketing equation. Unless you create a plan using the tips here, it will just be pretty decoration on your wall or a warm fuzzy feeling. Make PR work for you by knowing how to spread the word of your talent and value to new and old clients, prospects, and vendors.
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