After sending out a press release, you’ll want to prepare for your own follow-up calls, incoming questions, and other contact with editors and members of the media. Here are a few commonsense tips to help ready you and the primary press contact you’ve included in your release.

Make a list of talking points and sources for yourself. Include background information on the company.

Consider modifying your outgoing phone greeting to include your name, company name, and a specific message for the press – something like: “If you are a member of the media, and are working on deadline, please let me know and I’ll return your call as soon as possible.”

Some of us feel more comfortable allowing all inquiries to go to voicemail to allow a few minutes of preparation. If that sounds like a good strategy for you, be sure to return any calls promptly, but when you’re composed and ready. Keep in mind, this approach may also frustrate some inquiries, causing you to miss an opportunity.

Before answering any questions, try to ascertain and make note of the reporter’s name and direct contact information, as well as the name of the media outlet or publication. AND, it’s a good idea to ask if the reporter is working on a deadline. Reporters are often pressed for time.

Keep calm and be factual.

Don’t say anything you don’t want recorded or published – even if you preface it with “This is not for publication.”

If it’s not immediately apparent, ask if the reporter is writing a particular story. The reporter may simply be verifying some of the facts found in the press release, or she may be working on a story for which your insight would be helpful.

It’s okay to ask about the focus of the story; ask in which section of the publication or broadcast it will ultimately appear; and, ask when it will run.

It’s typically not okay to ask if you can review the story before it runs.

Have a calendar handy in case the reporter would like to interview you or another person mentioned in your news story – you’ll want to schedule the interview with limited back and forth.

Let’s get good things done. Give us a call or drop us a line. We would love to hear from you.

© Stone’s Throw, Inc. All rights reserved.

For a smaller business, you’re probably not going to invest in a national television ad campaign; you’re going to TARGET your efforts to more likely potential customers. Do you have the tools to do that?

Those tools may fall into three major categories:

This first category: these are the kinds of tools that lay the foundation or help you create a presence for your firm that appeals to your target audiences:

• A revealing logo
• A tagline
• A CRM to track your customer and potential customer contact and contact information
• A website

The second category: these are the kinds of tools that help you reach out to your target audiences:

• Advertising
• Email marketing
• Direct mail
• Press releases

The third category: these are the tools that help you build stronger relationships with clients:

• Trade show or conference participation
• Blog contribution or white papers
• Capabilities materials, like PowerPoint presentations, a quick snapshot of your capabilities, a brochure – all the things that you might send to prospects to help them better understand how you make their lives easier

Do you see any obvious holes in your marketing toolbox? Missing any tools? If you want to reach members of a particular trade organization, have you joined the association? attended functions? sponsored events? taken advantage of member outreach? What tools do you need to support those efforts? You’ll need tools from each category. Once you’ve identified any disconnects in your messaging (see “ Are you avoiding a marketing audit?”) and any missing tools in your marketing toolbox, it’s time to develop a communications strategy. A communications strategy serves as a guidepost to ensure that your messaging stays on track and is exposed to the right audiences in order to help meet your business objectives. Learn more about a simple and fun technique to get started. (See “What am I?”)

Using hashtags helps you reach your target audience. When you use hashtags, think of them as keywords. Your posts become searchable by anyone on that platform. Many people search specific hashtags, so by using hashtags that are of interest to your ideal customer, you increase the chances of being found.

There are no definitive answers when it comes to which hashtags you should use or how you should approach your strategy. Start by searching on the hashtags you’re thinking of using and review the results – or visit the hashtags used by those businesses you follow or admire.

You can also start your own hashtags and organize your branded content under hashtags with your distinct messaging, service area, or brand names. A successful hashtag strategy starts with knowing your audience and taking the time to be familiar with what works on each platform.

Best, Janice

#Hashtags #StonesThrowAway #QuickTip

How do you know where you are and if what you’re doing is in alignment with what you’re trying to achieve? We recommend an audit – not a financial audit – but an audit of your current marketing practices. And I know that some people think that they don’t have marketing practices to audit, but they do. (See “I don’t do marketing”.)

When we’re called into a prospective new client, we typically walk into a scenario in which the firm owner or company leadership sees the need for better marketing and doesn’t know where to start – or restart – or doesn’t have the internal resources to sustain the effort necessary to create forward momentum. The company may even have exhausted its internal team already and cracks in performance are beginning to show, either because the internal resource is crying uncle or opportunities are being missed.

A scenario we encounter less often is when the company owner believes that better marketing will help grow her business and to that end she’s been marketing the firm herself. She doesn’t want to invest more money in marketing, or any money in marketing, but she believes she’s willing to invest her own time in the process.

And, still, another scenario is when the company leadership does not believe that they need to improve their marketing efforts, but internal forces (sales people, business development folks) are demanding some kind of action or support.

In all of these situations, we ask the same questions in order to quickly audit the company’s marketing status. We ask questions that inform our internal assessor and judge. But first we ask them to show us or tell us what they’re currently doing to market the firm. Let’s list what we’re talking about so you know what to put out on the table in front of you.

• Your company name
• Your logo
• Your tagline, if you have one, or often-used “brand” language
• Website
• Social media accounts
• Advertisements
• Email marketing
• Letters and communication to clients and colleagues
• White papers or blog posts
• Capabilities package
• Sales materials
• Videos
• Etc.

All of this should be collected and put out in front of you in some way.

Now, we ask:

What do you do? What markets do you serve? Who is your ideal client or customer? Describe her workstyle, education, type of business or industry, etc.

Why does that client prefer to work with you? What makes your relationship work? As we ask these foundation business questions, we look and read the current marketing materials against the answers. Do the answers to your questions appear in your marketing materials?

Ask further: What feedback have these materials garnered? Do prospective customers respond to any of your marketing tools? How? How are you measuring the success of your marketing materials?

Right away you may be able to see where there’s accord and traction, and see where there’s a disconnect. That should begin to give you insight into your next steps.

This is something that any business can do for itself, whether you’re a solopreneur or run a fully staffed team: audit your marketing. Do this audit and be honest with yourself.

No surprise – communication is key.

We’ve learned and relearned a couple of things. Honest, direct and informed feedback makes for a smoother, more efficient process. A smoother process often breeds mutual respect. And, with mutual respect, all partnerships can succeed.

Here are two-and-a-half tips to help build trust, foster innovation and achieve more in any successful partnership between you and your creative team, whether they’re in-house, an outside agency, or freelance contractors.

Define.

A professional creative team will guide you through the strategy-building process, but whether you’ve hired an agency, a freelance or an independent contractor, you may want to provide your own creative brief as well. A good creative brief or communications strategy will inform and direct the work at hand. It will answer questions about the project, its audiences, its purpose, its timing and its distribution or end use. Be clear and concise with your direction. Don’t just define the project – website content, print advertising, sales education iBook, inbound marketing; be clear about what you’d like the project to do for your company. Feel free to share the successes and shortcomings of previous projects and campaigns.

Trust.

Once you’ve clearly defined your objectives, explained your company’s vision and mission, and provided information about the intended audience’s culture, let your team employ its skills and talent to create on your behalf. When each conceptual draft meets the communications strategy, or answers the creative brief, you’ll know that you’re working with folks who get it; you’ll feel more confident trusting their professional expertise. And, when their insights and ideas gain your respect, you’ll have earned their tireless involvement and steadfast commitment.

Repeat.

Clearly, communication fosters confidence. When we gather good information, ask relevant questions, define where we’re going – together – and then deliver ideas, content and designs that reflect that conversation, we’ve created one of the keystones to a provable, successful partnership. We’ve heard each other, seen evidence of understanding, and trust that it can and will happen again.

Now, that bears repeating.

To help you communicate the details of your next project, contact us by email for a communications strategy worksheet.

“Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Helen Keller

© Stone’s Throw, Inc. All rights reserved.

You’ve received an RFP. Great. Fantastic.

Oh, wait a minute…now what?  While helping clients weigh their options, and determining the value of responding to RFPs ourselves, we’ve come up with a few guidelines that help make this process a bit less stressful.

1. Scan for response deadlines.  Sometimes RFPs offer flexibility.  Don’t allow scheduling conflicts to dictate an instant no thank you response.  Before calling for extensions on deadlines or for alternate arrangements for pre-bid meetings, finish the Go/No Go decision process.

2. Scan for scope.  Do the services requested fall within your company’s core strengths? If the majority of services requested are peripheral to your primary area of expertise, or would have to be outsourced, this contract may only be right for your company if the industry, or particular client, fulfill other business growth objectives.

3. Scan for contract value. If the services requested appear to be out of line with the contract budget, you may not be the only respondent to notice.  If the scope of the contract otherwise appears to be aligned with your company’s core services, feel free to call the RFP contact (often the Contracting Officer) for confirmation of the facts presented. If your understanding is correct, you can choose either to decline or to modify the scope of services or the budget in your proposal. Including a succinct rationale for the revision in your proposal will underscore your professionalism and experience. It may also disqualify your proposal.

4. Scan for client industry, type and location. Do you have set parameters for appropriate clients? Audit current clients for industry, type and location. Edit the resulting list as a guide for business development. Add industries, business types and locations in which you’d like to grow business; delete industries, types and locations that have proven less desirable.

Okay, the RFP captured your interest. Should you respond? Can you respond well?

5. How did this prospective client learn about your company? Compare referrals from a trusted client to contacts made “blindly” through advertising or business directories. One of the comparison points should be the conversion rate (from proposal to signed contract to ongoing client relationship) of other companies contacting you in the same manner. Keep in mind that government agencies and some other organizations are required by law or institutional procedure to request bids from several resources.

6. Does the prospective client’s RFP process match your company’s standard process? How much customizing will the proposal require? What investment will you be required to make to deliver a quality proposal package consistent with your company’s image? (Employee time, resources, expenses, etc.)

From this point, you can either trust your instincts and your understanding of the project and its demands, or, if you’re still not convinced, use a simple rating process to help tip the scales.

Rate the following statements from 1 to 5 based on their accuracy. Award a 1 for statements that are not at all true and a 5 to those that are absolutely spot on.

__ The timing is right.

__ The services requested speak to your company’s core strengths.

__ The budget allows for the smooth and timely completion of all service requirements, advancing the client’s objectives, and providing positive revenue for your company.

__ The potential client requesting the proposal would be a good match with your company’s mission, culture, philosophy, industry focus, defining values, etc.

__ The RFP makes sense. It asks for information in a way that reveals good things about the potential client (intuitive, articulate, complete, industry-savvy, process-oriented, etc.)

__ Your company can follow its standard process for responding.

Once you’ve given each statement a rating, add ’em up.

A total of 24-30 means the RFP in question should likely get a green light. The client and scope of work sound like an excellent match for your company and its services. You should take the next step, which is to read the RFP thoroughly to ensure that the opportunity is as good as it appears at first blush.

A total of 20-23 may mean you need to dig a little deeper. RFPs that score in this middle zone may either require considerably more work to prepare, or require your company to make requests for alterations in budget, scheduling or approach. If alterations are not possible, or if they’d put your proposal at a disadvantage, RFPs with this score may not be a good match.

A total score of under 20 means there are too many red flags. These RFPs may not be worth pursuing unless special issues are at play. If you choose to say no thanks, be sure to decline by letter unless otherwise directed.

Let’s get good things done. Give us a call or drop us a line. We would love to hear from you.

© Stone’s Throw, Inc. All rights reserved.

Do you market? Some business owners see marketing as something to be sidestepped as bourgeois or unflattering: “I don’t want to give the appearance of looking for customers.” Even as they protest, they make clear what amounts to a marketing strategy. How do we come to that conclusion? Marketing is a broad term describing our efforts to make our prospective customers aware of our services or products, and help convince them that we are an unparalleled choice for those services or products. It’s not a prescription for strategy or tactics, which are very specific to each business. For those who want to refrain from the optics associated with crass commercialism, as in our opening example, they may choose to focus on community projects, conferences, open houses, awards, and scholarships, rather than broadcast and billboard advertising. Anything that you use to develop business or sell your wares can be called marketing. Given that description, is it easier to answer the question, do you market? No? Perhaps you get all your business from word of mouth and have a constant stream of assignments and purchase orders from one mega-customer, certainly you aren’t marketing, are you? The truth is, if you’re in business, you’re marketing. The moment you have an interaction with a customer, you’re marketing with the very tenor and quality of your communication. The way you greet each other is marketing. Your business name is marketing. It’s all part of your brand, which is the bedrock foundation of marketing. Knowing that it’s all marketing will empower you to ensure that your marketing (perhaps previously unintentional) is in alignment with your business objectives.