Getting Published Where it Counts!

August 27, 2015

While direct advertising is a great way to get your company's name in the limelight, there is nothing like getting exposure in magazines or on blogs. While there are many places you can get featured, it is important to get featured where it counts to reach your target audience. Today, I am providing tips that will help you start planning to get published in valuable media.

Know Your Niche.

The best place to start getting press is through media in your niche. If you're a wedding photographer, submit a wedding to a wedding blog or magazine. If you own a golf course, pitch your upcoming, local golf fundraiser to surrounding news outlets. In comparison to submitting to all encompassing publications, recognize your area of specialty and the right publications relative to that industry will raise your press pick-up.

Do Your Research.

Good press can bring traffic to your website, blog and will customer base. However, if you do not make the right pitch than you are making a mistake. Identify the right publications for your company, and make sure you understand each publication and how/what they publish! The easier you make it on the editor and publisher, the more likely you are to get some free press.

TIP: IT IS BETTER TO REACH OUT AND ASK FOR ADVICE (IN PERSON IF POSSIBLE!) FROM THE MEDIUM YOU WANT TO BE FEATURED IN THAN TO BE THE 100TH PERSON CALLING TO PITCH THEIR COMPANY.

What Makes Your Company Distinctive?

Whatever gives you and your company an edge will increase your chances of getting published. Editors and publishers stay hungry for innovative angles and fresh spins. Determining what makes your company unique prior to seeking opportunities to get published will help you outline the best bluepoint for submission.

Patience is a Virtue.

Yes, it is true that some publications will pick-up your work faster than others; however, this isn't necessarily a good thing. Unless you have an upcoming event that you've failed to promote, do not settle! Some media will take longer to post about your company than others, but more times than not it will be worth the wait! Have patience, and reach out to the outlets you deem the best for your business.

TIP: ONCE YOU GET PUBLISHED DON'T BE AFRAID TO BRAG ABOUT IT ON YOUR BLOG AND SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT DON'T FORGET TO THANK THE PUBLISHER WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!

If you want to learn more about how Magnolia Media PR can help you get published where it counts, contact me through the form below.

3 Tips for Planning for the Unplanned

August 13, 2015

If there is one thing that is guaranteed it is that things are constantly changing, even when you least expect it. I have never broken a bone in my body, and this week I clumsily fell and broke a bone in my hand. As the proud new owner of a hot pink cast, coincidentally on the hand I write with, my schedule was thrown out the window and I came to a harsh realization.

For starters, I had to accept a few things: I didn't plan far enough of advance to relish in "relaxation" of recovery, business doesn't stop even when you want to and you can never plan too far in advance. With that being said, I have survived the first few days of my new accessory by doing three things to keep my business running, even when I wanted to take a hiatus. Today, I am sharing those three tips that will help you plan for the unplanned and stick to running your business when life happens!

1 | Get Organized.

Make a list for weekly blog topics in advance, confirm appointments with your clients, schedule Facebook posts, set business hours...do whatever you need to feel in control and confident. As someone who lives by lists, checking off things I have accomplished (large and small!) is big progress when you are balancing everyday life and hectic surprises. Getting organized will keep you in focus of the day-to-day operations of your business by figuring out what's next and preparing for the unknown.

2 | Set Priorities.

Accepting that you are not Superman or woman is hard to do, but something we have to admit to ourselves when we cannot do everything. Create a daily list of priorities for what comes first. This will help you move forward to getting the most important things to completed first! By setting priorities, you are allowing yourself to check off the "must-do's" with the understanding that somethings on your checklist can wait until tomorrow.

3 | Know Your Limits.

If that unplanned moment in life pulls you away from your business for a few days or delays that important email for a couple hours, that is the best you can do! If you jump back into business too soon your work will suffer and your clients/customers will be the first to notice. Allow yourself time to relax, recuperate, and refuel your energy.

What Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Pinterest

August 6, 2015

I think many of you would be surprised by how many businesses do not take advantage of Pinterest. Maybe it's because social media marketing is a constant challenge for small business owners who hardly have time to take a coffee break, let alone post a pin! Pinterest is very important to growing your online presence, building your customer base and driving traffic to your website and blog. However, if you are pinning images without just cause then you are wasting your precious time.

Today, we're going to break down five steps that every entrepreneur should know when it comes to Pinterest for your business. Then, we'll review three big companies and how they have made Pinterest work for their brand and business.

1 | WHAT TO PIN

Organic images of products, employees, workplace culture, event follow-ups, blog photos, infographics and videos are perfect for your account. Re-pin images that are relevant to your business and industry. Remember to keep your personal pins separate for your company pins, or at least create secret boards for personal use.

2 | WHEN TO PIN

3 | CONVERT TO PINTERST FOR BUSINESS

In case you didn't hear, Pinterest now has a "Pinterest for Business" feature. Convert your account to a business account to get discovered by more people interested in your products and/or services. Pinterest has made an ultra-user friendly blog and website just for those of you new to this feature. Click here for more details and FAQ.

4 | FOR YOUR WEBSITE + SOCIAL MEDIA

Be Pin Friendly! Add the "Pin It" or "Follow Me on Pinterest" buttons to each blog post and webpage to make it easier for your audience to find your Pinterest account. Also, when you add organic pins to Pinterest, build in relevant links to your website and/or blog post to increase your clickthrough rate.

5 | BE ORGANIZED

The richer and more organized your Pinterest account content is, the greater opportunity you will have to get noticed and get re-pinned. Separate you Pinterest boards by category and include a short, sweet board description for each board. This will help spread your ideas and is more appealing to your audience's eye.

TIP: Include your company's unique hashtags and other like hashtags on the pin description to increase your pin visibility. Note that hashtags are only clickable in the pin description (not in your profile description)!

BUZZFEED

Uses Pinterest for finding story ideas + trending topics to make their content go viral. Now, Pinterest is BuzzFeed's 2nd largest social media referrer. Read the full success story here.

ETSY

Learned to showcase items for sale in its' marketplace + learned what their customers wanted by monitoring user engagement of pins, re-pins + likes on products. See the case study here.

PETPLAN INSURANCE

Created a Pinterest account to visually showcase its' expertise and convey their brand personality. By pinning the best content for their company, they increased website views to 69% and 97% of those visitors spent more time on their site compared to those from Twitter and Facebook. Read the success story here.

Source: https://business.pinterest.com/en/success-...

Posting with Purpose: Free Social Media Printable!

July 30, 2015

Happy weekend, friends! As this is the sixth (and final!) week of the Posting with Purpose series, I have created a free social media printable just for you! In combination of the strategies outlined over the last five weeks, this printable will help you be accountable when it comes to posting to your social media accounts.

TIP

Print out the free social media document by accessing it here. Write in the day(s) and time(s) you post to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+. At the end of the week, make sure that you completed the following final three items on the checklist:

Respond to all messages and comments. (Interact!)
Shared and liked other posts by your clients, fellow industry partners, media sources, etc. (Engage!)
Use appropriate hashtags related to that specific post, your industry and your company. Remaining consistent with your branding is extra important in this step!