There's an old African proverb:
"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito."
There's a message here for financial planners who want to get free publicity exposure, and use it as a smart marketing tool to grow their practice. Actually, two messages:
--You don't need to be a big name to get big-time, business-building publicity.
--Publicity is a powerful and well-suited way tool for financial planners to get their story out.
In fact publicity, being essentially free, often packs far more punch dollar for dollar than advertising or direct mail for smaller businesses. It raises visibility, enhances credibility, and provides the best shot, for the buck, at lifting a business to the next level of growth.
In the competitive marketplace, publicity is the great equalizer. You win ? and beat out bigger rivals for free media space ? by being smarter, not by spending more. Smaller companies outscore giants in free media coverage every day -- simply by being more resourceful, effective, and proactive in publicity. With advertising or direct mail, the only way to get more exposure is to spend more.
There's another crucial advantage to publicity. Those advertising dollars ? and it's great if you have them ? buy you visibility. But publicity earns you credibility? ? if professional journalists have selected your story to present to their audience, most people believe, your product or service must be good.
Smart businesspeople use that publicity to gain more recognition, credibility, and market share. It opens doors to new business, new financing, new markets ? to any audience that responds favorably, as most people and institutions do, to favorable media coverage.
How do publicity-successful financial planners do it? They just learn how to give media people what they need to create great stories. In publicity the coin of the realm ? the ticket to success -- is good ideas and creativity, not dollars. Any company, regardless of size, can get significant media attention.
Financial planners are full of information that clients need and pay for: How to negotiate taxes and handle finances. How to protect assets. How to start and run a business. The media never stop running stories on these topics ? and all those articles quote experts like you! Look closely at the pages of the major business and personal finance press: sprinkled heavily in there, along with representatives of the industry giants, are scads of quotes from solo and small firm financial planners. Why not you?
Cumulatively, this publicity is a powerful business-building tool. And it's there for the getting. It just takes a little work in mastering the knack of how to press the right buttons that get the media paying attention. Fortunately, media savvy is like any other resource. It can be bought or rented (by hiring a staffer or retaining an agency); it can be taught, learned, and developed internally. Any of these routes is far cheaper than advertising.
For the financial planner, publicity is a lot like that stone David slapped into his slingshot when he took on Goliath. Affordable. Accessible. And, when aimed properly, way more effective than more expensive tools.
ned steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of ned steele To learn more visit ned steele or call 212-243-8383.
monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..Decide once and for all to do something about those... Read More
The toughest thing about writing a news release is getting... Read More
You can have dozens of marvelous ideas to get free... Read More
Really? You mean there are NO perceptions and behaviors peculiar... Read More
NUMBERS, NUMBERS EVERYWHEREYou just placed a terrific story on the... Read More
If you own a franchise and have company vehicles, be... Read More
Like human nature over time, the power of good public... Read More
For financial planners, getting publicity, in the end, isn't about... Read More
If you manage a department, division or subsidiary for a... Read More
Attracting new business: sometimes it happens by luck, sometimes by... Read More
Most small businesses do little to no public relations (PR)... Read More
You are getting a good deal when you accept the... Read More
Think carefully! You're a department, division or subsidiary manager for... Read More
Aren't you tired of hearing how extremely easy it is... Read More
And the best way to mind your own business is... Read More
You are if you stand by while your public relations... Read More
Although it seems less common these days, there are still... Read More
Public Relations (or P.R.) is a wonderful, yet often overlooked... Read More
Public relations is all about credibility and trustworthiness. If you... Read More
It can bite you and waste your public relations budget... Read More
The name of the game is doing our part to... Read More
Although I still believe there is a place for advertising... Read More
And hurt bad if you are a business, non-profit or... Read More
Some people think that publicity is all about paparazzi snapping... Read More
For many of us, the word quality is closely related... Read More
scheduled maid service Mundelein ..As a business, non-profit or association manager, you have a... Read More
Ain't a gonna happen unless business, non-profit and association managers,... Read More
As someone with expertise in media relations, I've been asked... Read More
Lots of theories out there about public relations.Everything from "publicity's... Read More
As the kids say, how cool is this?You're a business,... Read More
There's good news for public relations execs, marketing professionals and... Read More
What is bad PR?Well, if you're a business, non-profit or... Read More
Corporations are willing to pay substantial amounts of money to... Read More
It's not unusual for clients of service providers to insist... Read More
They'd hate to admit it, but the media is pretty... Read More
It doesn't matter how cruel the reality programs get, there... Read More
PR, that is public-relations, leads the way to effective advertising;... Read More
Your boss just stopped by your office. He tells you... Read More
Although repetition is extremely important, there are times when advertising... Read More
Have you ever noticed that in communities without big universities,... Read More
And hurt bad if you are a business, non-profit or... Read More
One portion of your marketing plan that you probably don't... Read More
Are you working as hard as you can in your... Read More
Press releases are one of the most cost-effective ways to... Read More
Sorry about my otaku with this issue (otaku = more... Read More
As the comedian Steve Martin once said, "some people have... Read More
"Advertising is what you pay for. Publicity is what you... Read More
Can you honestly say that your business, non-profit or association's... Read More
I say to business, non-profit and association managers, a key... Read More
Just think about it.If I come to believe that you... Read More
Public Relations |