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Branding: US Post Office: The Beginning of the End

December 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When I was a kid, every comedian had a standard joke about the post office and the punch line was that a letter sent 27 years ago arrived today. The post office used to be massively inefficient.

Now, the USPS is a model of efficiency. Mail can reach its destination the very next day.

Most days.

Netflix built its business model on the reliability of the post office delivery. Did you ever have to wait more than a day to get a movie from Netflix? Thank the post office.

But now, because of budget calculations, the post office has announced that they will no longer be able to offer next-day service for first-class mail. This is a horrible business mistake and a horrendous branding mistake that will lead to a crisis communications quagmire.

What business consultant would tell its client that is losing its market share to make the service worse?

How can providing less service help bring about more business?

It can’t.

It can lead only to more customer dissatisfaction, which will lead to customer defection. Then the comedians will step in like vultures descending on a carcass.

I, for one, loved the efficiency of the post office – and my very friendly counter people. Now, I think I’ll be forced – by the post office – to pay my bills via e-banking, which is extremely reliable.

My 42 cents may not amount to a hill of beans, but added to the millions of people who already pay bills with e-banking, it will be the bean that broke the camel’s back.

I see a death spiral for the post office – and a fortune to be made by crisis communications managers and branding experts.

Filed Under: branding, Marketing Misc.

Play Ball! It’s Opening Day

April 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I’ve always loved Opening Day for baseball because when you look at the standings, everyone is even. Each team is in first place. Each team has the whole world open to them.

Dan gets caught up in baseball.

Same with you. Treat Opening Day as a time to start over.

1 Reevaluate your website. Is it up to snuff? Check out the free resources at http://www.websitereviewslive.com. You might want to get in touch with my webmaster after you review his materials.

2. Reevaluate your PR and marketing plans. Are they getting results? If not, it is time to start over. Email me and we’ll set up a complimentary coaching session to see if I can help you. This offer applies only to present and former clients of PR LEADS and I *will* try to sell you on group coaching or individual coaching.

3. Reevaluate your profiles on Facebook, Linked In and Twitter. Do they represent what you are selling now? 

Go ahead. Dust off those cobwebs. You just might find some new money buried beneath them!

Filed Under: article marketing, book marketing, commentary, Marketing, Marketing Misc., publicity, Uncategorized

Marketing tips from George Washington

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
George Washington

George Washington

In honor of George Washington’s birthday, here are marketing tips from the father of our country.

1.    Always tell the truth. Nothing hurts your credibility with reporters or prospects or customers more than shading the truth. Look at Tiger Woods and Toyota. ‘Nuff said.
2.    Eat the cherries, but don’t chop down the cherry tree. In other words, enjoy the fruits of your labors and always keep your main business well tuned for these tough times. If that means you need to get coaching and consulting help in marketing, PR and business growth, call me and I’ll explain how we can work together.
3.    Watch out for splinters. Those wooden teeth have got to hurt.

Filed Under: article marketing, book marketing, commentary, Marketing, Marketing Misc., press releases, public relations, Uncategorized

My first video conference: Don’t let this happen to you!

July 1, 2009 By 1 Comment

Three years ago, Terry Brock spoke at an NSA meeting and showed us how easy it was to do video on the web. I was so taken with it, I went out and bought a new Sony laptop that had a video camera built in.

 

I have yet to use it.

So when I participated as a guest expert today on Nick Vaidya’s seminar series for 8020strategy.com , I got my first real taste of what it means to be on camera.

Here are some pointers;
1. Decide what you want to look like. I was wearing a coache’s shirt. Nick was wearing a jacket and tie. Guess who looked more professional.
2. What’s in your background. Nick had a green screen. I had some pictures on my wall and a guitar. They just happened to be there. What kind of impression are you trying to create. I’ll probably bond with a guitar player who will become a big client. <g>
3. My head kept going in and out of frame. This is going to take some practice!
4. My eyes kept going left, right, up, down — and boy do I have bushy eyebrows! Now I know how Richard Nixon felt during the debates with JFK. It’s easy to be shifty eyed. It’s hard not to.
5. Don’t touch your face. No matter what you do, it looks disgusting. Thankfully, this will be edited.
6. I have a "good side." At least that’s what I discovered after the interview ended. My eyebrow doesn’t flare as much from the left side. Good to know for the future.
7. On the screen, I can see myself and I can see Nick. It is very disconcerting to see myself. It’s like looking in the mirror.
8. By the way, when I say mirror, it is a mirror. Everything is flopped to the other side. If you think you need to move to the right, you really need to move to the left!

Nick tells me that people hate to read so the next big thing on the web will be video. Right now we have YouTube, which he calls the Model T. We’ll have the video equivalent of Corvettes, BMWs, Jaguars and Kias before you know it.

Be prepared!

Filed Under: Marketing, Marketing Misc., presentation tips, Social Networking, speaking, Uncategorized

How to Buy a Media List That Gets You, Your Products, and Your Services in Front of the Right People

May 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Reporters are dying to quote entrepreneurs, small business owners and consultants just like you. The trouble is, they don’t know you exist!

 

If only you can get your hands on a great media contact list, then you can get your name and credentials in front of reporters.  This way they will contact you when they are writing a story that would be perfect for you.

 

So how can you get your hands on a great media list that’s filled with information about reporter’s who want to quote you in their articles?

 

Many companies sell names of reporters. Like everything else on the Internet, they vary by quality, features and services.

 

Before you buy a media list, be sure to ask questions like the ones below.

 

10 Questions You Must Ask When Buying a Media List So You Get the Most Bang (Publicity) for Your Buck

 

 

  1. When was the list updated? Reporters change jobs quite frequently. And many newspapers and magazines are laying off people. So you want to make sure the list is updated on a daily or weekly basis. Otherwise, you’ll waste time, money and energy sending messages to people who don’t work there!

 

  1. What contact information is included in the list? You’ll want a list that has name, title, email, phone and snail mail address. Yes, snail mail. This way  you can send books or product samples. You’ll want email for sending pitches, press releases and press kits. You’ll want the phone number to pitch by phone. Of course, you will have much of this information on your website, but you’ll want to have every means available to contact reporters in the format they most desire. Reporters can be very, very picky!

 

  1. What information is included about the reporter? Most basic lists you’ll find on the Internet will have contact info, but not much else. That’s not enough to do target marketing. You want to know what topic (referred to as a “beat”) the reporter is covering as well. Some of the best companies offer additional insights into the beat. For example, some lists will tell you if reporter A  only covers politics with a conservative slant. That will help you when you fine-tune your pitch to her.

 

  1. Do you get a list that is sorted by the topic the reporter covers? Some list companies will sell you the entire database of each publication. That’s way too broad for most people and will lead to a lot of waste. In other words, it’s not enough to know that Jill writes for Business Week. You want to find the person who covers your topic. Because if Jill doesn’t, she’ll just throw away your message.

 

  1. Does the list contain a reporter’s personal information? Most lists don’t have information such as “like to bowl,” or “wrote a screenplay” or “recovered from cancer.” But if the list has this information, you might gain extra insights into the reporter and you might be able to build rapport faster.

 

  1. Does the list have the publication’s URL? Let’s face it, not everyone knows everything about every publication. Nor is every publication available at your local newsstand or library. However, if you have their URL, you can easily read about the publication, get its view on the world and read articles by that reporter. It’s a great time saver.

 

  1. Does the list have web-only publications, like websites and blogs? These outlets are beginning to play a much bigger role in telling stories to you audience. Don’t overlook the online-only opportunities.

 

  1. Does the list show circulation figures? Since you don’t have all the money in the world to send out books or product samples, or even to call everyone on a good list, you must decide who is important. That’s where the circulation figures come in to play. Start with the biggest and work your way down. If you don’t have the circulation figures, you don’t know who the big boys and girls are.

 

  1. Is the list searchable and sortable? Look for a list that is delivered in a digital form, like a spreadsheet or a word document. That way you can use sorting and searching tools to find the best reporters.

 

  1. What rights do you have to the list? Some companies give you one-time use of the list. They even “seed” the list with fake names so they can tell if you use the list more than once! Look for a company that gives you unlimited use of the list so you can get the most value for your investment.

 

If you follow these tips, you’ll find a list of media contacts than can serve you well at a price you can afford.

 

 

Dan Janal is media relations expert, author and speaker who coaches entrepreneurs, doctors and wellness professionals just like you on how to get publicity and turn it into REAL profits. Now, Dan invites you to go to http://www.bullseyepublicity.com to get a free e-course on how to successfully pitch reporters with media lists. Go to http://www.bullseyepublicity.com

 

Filed Under: free publicity, General Advice, Marketing, Marketing Misc., newpaper articles, press releases, public relations, publicity, radio publicity Tagged With: , ,