How You Can Get Leads With Free Advertising!
"Without promotion something terrible happens....Nothing!!!" These are the famous words of P.T. Barnum of the sideshow and circus fame, indisputably the world's greatest promotion genius of all time.
Barnum spared no mercy planning the promotions he used to market his product to the masses. Free advertising informed the world about his shows and brought him a paying audience. He used the media as his endorsement letter. Those who responded became future leads for products and upcoming events.
His promotions were calculated and choreographed. Picture this. Before opening night he took the circus elephants on a walk through town; had clowns visit hospital wards; ran school contests so children would beg their parents to take them to the show. He employed sampling by offering tours of the big top, and a glimpse of the sideshow participants.
The media ate it up then, and they eat it up now. Barnum's promotions have left an indelible legacy. Every year when the circus opens at Madison Square Garden the media shows up in droves to chronicle that magical elephant parade from the New Jersey through the Holland Tunnel into the sawdust covered bowels of Madison Square Garden.
To those who say a picture is worth a thousand words, I say, the picture plus the words is worth more. Hundreds of thousand's of dollars in free advertising there for the asking and the taking.
Example. How about the lovely lady demonstrating presentation skills in her free, two-page trade journal article she wrote after listening to my tape on How To Make Yourself Media Friendly. Her first call was not to an editor, but to the advertising department to cancel her quarter of a page ad order priced at $3,500. Multiply that by eight issues and calculate how much she saved. Now look at what the self-promotion brought her. The first article attracted two corporate projects at $50,000 each. Her second article landed two retainers billed at $100,000 each.
And that picture of the ominous looking piece of equipment situated behind the smiling owner of a transformer company, well placed above a quarter of a page of story in his local paper’s business section? It snared him several clients who immediately upped his revenue by 10%. And I won dinner because I disputed his ranting that the paper was not a way to reach his niche audience. He didn’t count on syndication. Couched the right way, with benefits rather than features, educating the public rather than self-praise, offering help and compassion for his misunderstood product rather than lashing out at the public's stupidity, the paper jumped at his pitch hook line and sinker. Had he bought the space it would have cost $5,000. The leads he got produced over $500,000.
One of the secrets-of-the-pros is to extend the life of the article by converting it into a direct mail piece. Both my clients meaningfully increased their leads as well as received substantial peripheral business from romancing their database.
Hosting a radio or TV talk show, or appearing as a guest is another way to get your message across. Use the transcript as a direct mail piece or a newsletter. A picture of you on the show with your guest or the host adds to the promo piece. "As Seen On TV," or "As Heard On The Radio," is a great endorsement. Customers and clients love to be associated with a winner.
What’s the "elephant" you can parade in front of the media? What can you provide their audience that is life enhancing or life changing? Do you have a product, talent, idea or business that, with a little effort you could convert into a "media friendly" event? Can you inform, educate, entertain or provide a call to action that would interest an editor or producer?
When planning your "elephant", lead with the all-important benefits, not features. If you present features which is another form of self-gratification, be prepared to hear the media tell you to "TAKE AN AD!" Instead, wow them with "how to" information, secrets, helpful hints, important points. Educate while you entertain. Tell them something they didn't know.
Here’s how you please the media. Here’s what you do make yourself media friendly.
Then approach the media describing how your efforts can benefit their audience. With the right hook and the right twist, the right interest can translate into interesting stories for news segments, radio and TV talk show segments, and Metro or Lifestyle newspaper stories. All bursting with potential leads.
And then list your event or happening in the Calendar section!
How many times have you opened a paper, turned on a TV or listened to a radio talk show and asked yourself, "How did they get on the show?" And how many times did you tell yourself you can be the one telling them something interesting about what you know? You're the one they should be talking to!
And how many times did you wish you had the money to advertise to bring in more leads? Next time, consider making yourself media friendly and doing free advertising to get those leads. The more frequently you present information that educates and entertains, or offer up meaningful ways to give back to those who support you, the more free advertising dollars you can earn for yourself, meaning the more potential you have for increasing your lead generation.
Be your own P.T. Barnum. Don't procrastinate any longer. Prepare, Promote And Prosper!
