Promote Your News with Magazine Editorial Calendars
Do you know that many print publications display their editorial calendars online?
This feature is mainly for advertisers who want their ads placed in specific issues, but reading what magazines are planning can be a marketing coup for you.
An editorial calendar details the information, articles, stories, and columns that will appear in each magazine issue. I explain this opportunity in my marketing book
Here’s an example of how to turn these magazine calendars into your free promotion machine.
Gift Shop Magazine is a popular publication for retail store owners. Its Web site includes an editorial calendar. Anyone who’s interested in promoting their products or services to that industry will:
1. Print a copy of the calendar.
2. Review it for opportunities to send releases to the editorial staff via Email and/or sample products via postal mail before an editorial deadline date.
When I saw Gift Shop Magazine’s calendar earlier this year, it included editorial deadline dates, but the current calendar does not. If this is true for the publications you want to contact, call the magazine and ask an advertising staff member for the dates.
This marketing opportunity has helped me receive publicity in many publications. I do exactly what’s outlined above (in the two-step process), placing editorial deadlines on my calendar, and contacting the magazine’s editor with a news story specific to a forthcoming issue.
You’ll find more information about contacting editors on the press release pages.
Is this a marketing option you’ll add to your calendar?
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In Marketing, Less Equals More Revenue
Some large businesses set practical standards that serve as models, and others make mistakes that are so blatant that you wonder how they became industry giants.
The giant I refer to is Home Depot who, last week, announced that they are closing 15 stores throughout the U.S.
From the May 2nd edition of New Jersey’s The Record:
“Some analysts and large investors have worried that as Home Depot got bigger, it would invariably put new stores in direct competition with existing stores…”
Here in the New York metro area (and probably in other U.S. regions), Home Depot is one of many chain stores that have broken two rules we learned in marketing class: don’t locate your business next to competitors, and don’t cannibalize your locations.
I committed the same infraction that Home Depot suffers from today with the same consequences.
One of my adult school classes is extremely popular, and I decided to offer it at numerous schools in the same region. This was a big mistake. I cannibalized my class, resulting in low enrollment numbers at each session.
Now I conduct classes at three schools rather than 10, and the enrollment fills each class because there’s no overlap.
If your marketing plan includes multiple locations, be sure to avoid cannibalization. As we see, the Home Depot approach does not always work.
Technorati Tags: solo business marketing, Home Depot, industry cannibalization, small business marketing
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Can You Offer a Tax Rebate Incentive?
Are businesses in your area offering bonuses for using tax rebate checks at their establishments? They are in my area.
If your business services other businesses, there may not be many promotions open to you (though a savvy marketer might create some type of offer), but if you cater to consumers, a promotion that promises a bonus for purchases may increase your revenue.
You don’t have to be extremely creative with this. First, look at what other firms present. Web site advertising can quickly be implemented, and direct marketing tactics must be decided and launched quickly to grab buyers’ attention as checks are received.
A retail store might offer a bag of goodies to customers who spend $50 or more by a certain date. Those goods can be a mix of slow-selling merchandise which is placed into an attractive tote bag.
I’m my best investment and will fund my retirement account as soon as the check arrives.
Technorati Tags: solo business marketing, tax rebates, small business marketing, business promotions
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Credibility is Key Online and Offline
Many times, before going on stage to present a marketing seminar, attendees walk up to me and say, “I Googled you.”
People who plan to do business with you, or are curious about your background, will first see if they can find information related to you on the Web. They’re looking for two things: presence and credibility.
I approach business the same way, which is why I recently canceled an order received by Email.
The order was fairly large in cost. That alone makes a savvy marketer cautious before proceeding. In the end, I declined the order for five reasons.
1. The company’s name and telephone number isn’t listed anywhere on the Internet. The company could be new, so I looked at other details.
2. Another country was part of the shipping address. It could have been an oversight, but…
3. The method of payment didn’t include the security code.
4. A “throwaway” Email address accompanied the order rather than a business Email address.
5. The comments section of the order asked me to put the package “on the porch.”
Credibility online and offline defines and elevates your market potential, whether you’re on stage or placing an order. People search for “signs of life.” They want validation of your existence and to learn what others think about you. Have you built that type of credibility?
I don’t know if I turned down a good order or a bogus one, but I am satisfied with my decision. Make sure, to the best of your ability, that anyone who’s preparing to do business with you feels the same way.
Related Post: Credibility Increases Marketing Potential
Technorati Tags: small business marketing, how to increase your credibility, solo business marketing, solo entrepreneur
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Shirley George Frazier - Solo Business Expert, Author, College Mentor
When you hire me to speak at your conference, college or special event, attendees will thank you for a great program. Media interviews also welcomed. Call or Email me. 973-279-2799 or shirley@shirleyspeaks.com.
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