Monday, November 1, 2010

Create Competitive Advantage In A Recession

By Annie Jennings

Well fellow business men and women, the recession is not over yet. Let's get in the game big time and reach the clients that are still able to purchase services. How do you reach them? Stay visible in the media. Get lots of media attention from appearing on radio shows. This attention includes getting major TV bookings that give you exposure to being booked as the quoted expert in newspaper and magazines. Oh, and don't forget to get lots of big bookings on the internet media sites as they have strong rankings and this can help your search engine optimization as well.

Target the media that is visible to your target market place. Right now, competition for new business is fierce so you have to prove you are number 1. The media's implied endorsement of you as an expert provides you with a tremendous advantage. No one is throwing money away in business, they are investing in outcomes. What can you bring to their profit table? Show up in the media, showcase yourself as an expert and tell them. Your competitors are using publicity, marketing and promotion to get new clients and you can do this too.

How should you spend your public relations and marketing dollars? For the individual building a career or running a consulting/service oriented business the answer is to become known as an expert in your field, branding yourself as a thought leader and influencer. You want to be known as the person whose voice and opinions matter.

How do you get the kind of publicity you need to out-compete everyone else? Lots of radio appearances, lots of TV appearances, quotes in newspapers and magazines and on news sites. You get to show listeners or readers what you know. Although, be sure to stay cutting edge and understand the challenges of your marketplace so your commentary is both insightful and brilliant. Stay out there in the media and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

Here's how it can work for you. Let's say you wanted to hire someone to help you invest your nest egg. Do you start looking in the yellow pages? No, you ask for referrals and you start to notice the leaders in the investment management firm. One day, you see a financial pro on your cities morning show who looks good, well dresses, good appearance on camera and everything he says seems to resonate with how you feel. Hmmmm. Should you give him a call? Of course, to land on that TV show the expert has to jump through quite a few hoops and pass the media's scrutiny. He must be good or he would not have been invited on the show. Now, the new business is his to loose. If so much is coming through the door and he can't get back to you, well then, you have to keep looking but he did get the shot at your business.

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