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BY MARY SCHNACK
Many of us often find ourselves signed up for conferences and flying to big events in Washington DC, New York, California, or other places. While we typically think of these as opportunities for wider exposure at the conference itself via networking and seminar presentations, these out-of-town trips also offer chances to increase your visibility on your home turf when you return.
Your local newspapers, business journals, and even industry, chamber of commerce, and association newsletters all might be interested in your report and observations, especially if significant business issues and politics are involved.
Ask, and You Often Will Receive … Free Publicity
For example, Wendy Lopez, chief executive officer of LOPEZGARCIA GROUP, an engineering firm in Dallas, was among 250 women business owners who attended the recent National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) 2004 “public policy” event in Washington, DC. During the event, Lopez and the other women business owners heard briefings on legislative issues of concern and met with their Congressional representatives.
Before Lopez left for DC, Texas publications within her region were contacted to see if they were interested in an article when she returned. The pitch was simple: A local Texas businesswoman would be lobbying Congress on various business issues. Did they want a report about her experience as a fledging lobbyist?
The enthusiastic “Yes!” from the Fort Worth Business Journal resulted in a 750-word commentary about her experiences, the issues that were addressed, and what it meant for local business owners. Central to the paper’s acceptance was the agreement that Lopez would provide substantial content and a discussion of business issues, not simply a travelogue. In this way, she secured exposure in a publication read by business owners and corporate employees in the region in which her company is based.
Similarly, when I was asked to speak in February on personal marketing and branding at the 4 th Annual Office Depot Success Strategies for Businesswomen Conference in Boca Raton, FL, I sent a press release to my local media. The conference was a national one attracting more than 1,000 women from across the country and thus, represented a perfect opportunity to get my name, positioned as an “expert in my field,” in front of local clients and prospects.
Take Advantage of Every Opportunity
Sending such releases can help establish you as a business expert and place your name before journalists who may one day phone you when they need a quick comment or quote from someone in the business community. (If you’ve ever read a newspaper story and seen “man/woman on the street quotes” and wondered why those individuals were contacted, it’s often because the journalist needed to talk to someone immediately and had a phone number handy. A simple press release puts your number at their fingertips.)
Also, don’t overlook your own and others’ newsletters.
Whenever Donald R. Henderson, MD, an assistant clinical professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine, spoke at national conferences for natural foods about colostrum, he would publish his speaking schedule and topics in his own newsletter, securing even more speaking engagements and consulting opportunities.
Business organizations and chambers of commerce frequently publish print and/or online newsletters. Often, they are happy to run articles or small digests about their members because it provides value to their membership and demonstrates the organization’s vitality. Further, it certainly doesn’t hurt that these newsletters are often sent not only to members, but also to corporate sponsors and affiliate organizations, thereby broadening your distribution.
What You Can Do to Increase Visibility
Before your next business trip, take some time to consider how media outreach might work for you:
- Newsworthy content — Think about what you will learn on your trip. Will you find out about technology that you can share with others? Will you uncover business operation tips that others would value as free advice? Will you be bringing back business trends that could give others a heads up? Will you learn political background information you can share with others?
- Overcoming writer’s block — If you have difficulty organizing your thoughts and writing, don’t avoid these opportunities for free publicity. Instead, hire someone to interview you and “ghostwrite” the piece for you. You will still have ultimate control over the content, and you might even increase your odds of getting accepted by the publication.
- Being the interviewee — Sometimes, if the national event is significant enough, the newspaper, newsletter, magazine, or other media outlet may want to do its own story and interview you as part of that bigger piece.
- OpEd pieces — If the event you’re attending will address a current “hot” topic that has media in your area writing pro-and-con pieces, take the opportunity to contact the medias’ print or broadcast editorial boards to ask whether you can deliver your own viewpoint on the topic in an “OpEd” or opinion piece.
- Photos and logos — Be sure to provide photos and a company logo any time you get the go-ahead for publicity; these “extras” will help readers remember you.
Mary Schnack runs Mary Schnack Media Services, Inc. (www.prworks.ms), a public relations and crisis communication firm in Sedona, AZ. She can be contacted at 928-204-9834 (e-mail: mary@prworks.ms).
(This article is reprinted from the Spring 2004 edition of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright 2004 Enterprising Women Inc. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited, except by express permission of the publisher.)
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