Issue #763 Nov. 5, 2013 Publisher: Joan Stewart “Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity” In This Issue 6 Big Benefits of Hashtags Booze & Reporters Don’t Mix Videos Offer Freebies, Discounts Hound Video of the Week This Weekend in the Hound House: Shame throughout Packer Nation today. The only thing worse than the drubbing… Read More
Chamber of Commerce
Publicity galore for Chamber of Commerce ambassadors
You see them everywhere—in your local weekly newspaper, on the nightly news and on sites like Patch.com. They’re your local Chamber of Commerce “ambassadors” who show up at ribbon-cuttings for local businesses, open houses, parades, awards ceremonies, and other events where the chamber must be represented. They’re no dummies. They know that these events typically… Read More
Need a publicist? Ask jobless journalists + 16 other tips
If you want to launch a publicity campaign and you don’t have the time to do it yourself, it’s time to hire a publicist. Looking for unemployed journalists who need work is one of your best tactics. More about that in a minute. But here’s some general advice about how to prepare for your search. Where… Read More
How to avoid choosing the wrong date for your event
When I hosted the teleseminar last week on “50+ Places Online to Promote Your Live & Virtual Events to Reach Your Target Market & Pull Sell-out Crowds,” I mentioned briefly that event planners can use online calendar sites to see which events are competing with theirs on a certain date. It isn’t always possible to… Read More
7 things that can kill your event before it begins
Whether you’re sponsoring a live or virtual event, make sure you’ve covered the bases long before the big day arrives or you’ll be facing poor attendance, empty seats and a boss who’ll want a good explanation. Here are seven problems that can kill your event, despite a more-than-adequate budget and a group of enthusiastic volunteers.… Read More
7 places to stay off the sauce if reporters are present
Journalists and booze don’t mix. Just look at what happened to Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was dumb enough to let an investigative freelancer for Rolling Stone into his inner circle and conduct a tape-recorded interview—over drinks. Never, ever drink while interviewing with a reporter. That’s a lesson in Interviewing 101 and keeping the media… Read More
9 ways chambers of commerce can use social media
Chambers of commerce can use social media to promote activities such as their members’ open houses. (Shutterstock photo) By Joan Stewart Local chambers of commerce are always looking for new ways to add value for their members. That’s why social media sites are perfect for them. Here are nine ways chambers can use these sites: Create a… Read More
Help Texas border town promote itself despite violence nearby
Nancy S. Millar, director of the convention and visitors bureau in McAllen, Texas, writes: “I have a doozy. Our great little city in the southernmost part of Texas is on the border with Mexico, which is having terrible problems now with violence, though we’re fine on this side of the border. But that’s not what… Read More
Membership directories could include social media URLs
If your organization publishes a membership directory, allow members to include URLs for social media sites like Facebook Fan pages, Twitter profiles, YouTube channels and LinkedIn profiles, not just URLs for their websites. That would be a nice value-added feature for chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, health care associations, school groups, etc. and it would distinguish… Read More
Web designer needs marketing ideas—tips, anyone?
Alissa Rothstein of Alissa Rothstein Design Studio in Woodbridge, NJ, writes: “I am a graphic/web designer, and I’m stuck when it comes to marketing. “I’ve tried email blasts to different industries, postcard mailings, and am a member of the Chamber of Commerce which, incidentally, had promised but never provided any leads. “I am not really targeting… Read More