M Com Publishing

Marketing 101 Alert

Michele — Tue, 29 May 2012 23:49:13 +0000

Call the marketing police. We ran into a major marketing no-no this week. When you are representing yourself to major corporations, you may want to have a website up. We have been contacting investors regarding the pilot and I happened to receive an email from a marketing company (even funnier) asking for details. The marketing company did not have an active website. Did I mention it was a marketing company?? That is a marketing 101 alert for most business owners, but if you a marketing company you really need to have your ducks in a row. Good grief.

What “Not” to Say to a Publicist

Michele — Tue, 29 May 2012 02:48:12 +0000

At M Communications and M Com Publishing, we hear some funny ones. Most of the time it is great to hear over email, because that way you can keep a straight face. Here are my favorites over the last four years:

1. “I want to be on Oprah.” This usually comes from the client who doesn’t have a website and zero television experience whatsoever. Most national shows (news especially) want to see prior footage. No, your husband taping you with his camcorder catching your eyeball only during a speaking presentation does not count.

2. “I am so scared to be famous.” Trust me … if you utter these exact words, you will not get any PR coverage whatsoever. And, we will not take you on as a client – please see Oprah syndrome above.

3. “Can you send me your media list?”. The response I want to send is, “Are you on crack?”. Most PR pros pay some pretty big bucks for your list and they are not willing just to send them out. Plus, there are a lot of personal relationships involved over time with certain producers. Just don’t ask.

4. “Why am I not on television?” This normally comes from someone who has been on 3 radio shows and 21 other different media outlets (print, online, etc.), but are bummed because they are not on television. Um., be thankful for your results and your new clients as a result of mass coverage.

5. “Where is my R.O.I.?” This comes from the client that does not get a return spot on a major network (bad P.R. karma). A publicist can never guarantee results or R.O.I. And, the ones who are thankful for their coverage tend to get asked to come back. There’s some food for thought.

The Back Up Plan

Michele — Sat, 26 May 2012 06:13:31 +0000

And, I am not talking about getting knocked up. At M Communications and M Com Publishing, we have a stellar team, but you always need to have a back up plan. For example, if you hire someone for a project and you get a day’s notice from an employee that they are leaving for Paris for two weeks, when you have a book going on press in a couple of days and you get a “see ya.” Um. That is where the back up plan comes in. Not only hire a cross-functional team, but have back up for every one of your team members, so every project is always seamless for the client. We always deliver on time and no one is the wiser when there is a hiccup behind the scene. My point? Having quality back up team will make your life much easier. Trust me. And, if someone pulls the Paris maneuver on you … Fire their ass.

Audio Oh No!!

Michele — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:26:11 +0000

Now, we see a lot of speakers at M Communications and M Com Publishing. and know what to do and what not to do. Here is a quick what not to do. If the facility does not have the proper A/V equipment, adjust accordingly and do not do your “standard” presentation. Take the A/V out of it. Meaning, 1. Just speak, 2. Do not attempt to show a video with your iPhone, or 3. attempt to do a powerpoint presentation to 50 people on your laptop. Any questions?

Networking No No’s

Michele — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:09:13 +0000

At M Com Publishing and M Communications, it never fails to amaze me how people network poorly. I know we are out and about all of the time, but sometimes you just want to say, “Really?“. Here are my favorites of the week:

1. Bad Breath Betty. Do I even need to get started on why this is a bad one? Apparently, I do. If you suffer from halitosis there are several things you can do including buying gum, mints, OR even brushing your teeth!

2. Bad Business Card Bertha. Bertha has three different cards with three different and totally unrelated businesses. Bertha also has 9 different methods to contact her. Am I going to solve a mystery to track down Bertha? No, I would rather hire a private investigator. Bertha needs to only promote one business per event, because I honestly do not remember what she does at this point.

3. Bad Speaker Bob. Bad speaker Bob is not necessarily bad on content, but bad on actions. Bad speaker Bob tends to single out people in the audience and critic them without their permission. Bad speaker Bob also tends to alienate everyone in the group, one by one, until everyone is zoning out on their dried chicken sandwich. What do I have to say? Bob’s behavior is bad, bad, bad, and he will probably not be getting any speaking referrals out of this group.

Email Faux Pas

Michele — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:10:38 +0000

At M Communications and M Com Publishing we receive a ton of email. So, if you are randomly sending out non-targeted sales pitches, chances are we are not going to respond. On the flip side, I wanted to address what I consider what is one of the biggest email faux pas ever: the overuse of the reply to all button. Now, with a marketing background from the building industry – I do understand a need to hit a reply to all when you have multiple people involved in the same project. What I do not understand is when it is used in the following situations:

1. The reply to 80 people on a networking group to let everyone know they will not be attending today’s meeting. This normally starts a chain reaction of twenty other people replying to all to say they will not make it.

2. The reply to all when you attended a networking meeting that say’s, “Becky – it was so nice to see you today?” Um. maybe you should just be emailing Becky.

Anyway, try to avoid these email faux pas whenever possible. Most people are already dealing with an overcrowded inbox.

Is your marketing out of date?

Michele — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:19:31 +0000

We were recently at an event which pretty much was a time warp back to the 80′s. Now, the location was remote and I am certain there was not a mall nearby, but with the internet there really isn’t a reason why you should dress like it is 1985. Well, the dated dresses had me thinking about first impressions and I got to thinking about dated marketing materials. Is your marketing out of date? You have one chance to make a first impression and if your materials are dated … well, chances are that is not going to result in new business. Also, look at who your audience is and design appropriately. If you are appealing to teenagers for example- the 80′s theme has recirculated and may work. What do your marketing materials look like?

The Power of Public Relations

Michele — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:55:09 +0000

We get asked quite a bit at M Communications and M Com Publishing what is the exact R.O.I. you can expect on a PR campaign. Here is the deal: we never know. In fact, the results vary all over the board. We will use the following case study as an example. In a one week period we booked 7 spots on Fox news, (and, this is a record for us … I would never advertise this as typical results). Two clients were asked to come back to do recocurring television spots – very cool. One of our client’s had seven calls for new business in the very first plug. One client didn’t receive any results. My point? You never, ever, know, but if you have a compelling message and absolutely kill it during your television spot (translation – the public loved you), you are going to do just fine. One more case study – and I don’t like to use M Com as a case study, but here you go. Better Than Unemployed? has received 7 press mentions, two more interviews are in our future and television media is showing up for the casting call. Translation? This has resulted in over 600 You Tube view, media inquiries, investor inquiries and the Better Than Unemployed? website email almost crashing due to the amount of actor resumes. My point? You never, ever, know – but PR is way worth the investment over an ad.

What’s in a media kit?

Michele — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:02:35 +0000

At M Communications and M Com Publishing we are always asked, “What is in a media kit?” Media kits are great tools – for both the media and for the general public; after all, they are basically an online brochure. Here are the elements to a media kit for both authors and non-authors.

Page 1: Book cover or ccompany brand
Page 2: About your book or about your company
Page 3: Bio page
Page 4: Book stats if this is a book media kit. f this is a business media kit you will want to include a services page.
Page 5: F.A.Q.’s
Page 6: Press release
Page 7: Sample chapter for a book

Do you have one for your book or business? If not, you should.

Back from Belize!

Michele — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:20:35 +0000

We are back and in tthe middle of some production craziness. Check out Better Than Unemployed. For now, just a picture and more to come next week.

Best,

M Com Publishing and M Communications