Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on | 0 Comments
Everyone needs some power tools in their DIY PR and marketing tool belt, and mine have proven so useful to me (and everyone I have shared them with) that I was pumped to get a chance to share them with our readers. It's hard to narrow them down but these are my top picks at the moment. I use them almost daily, two of them are free (and the other two are less than ten bucks) and they instantly change and improve your outreach efforts. Read them, try them out this weekend, and high five me virtualy from your desk!
FOTOR
The power of a pitch to the media (or anyone for that matter) or a blog post is multiplied exponentially when they can see what you’re actually talking about. Whether it’s pictures of your products or of yourself and you “in action” sharing your expertise or service, a picture truly speaks a thousand words. But who has the hours it can take to size, resize, and somehow stitch together multiple images into a collage, or include descriptive copy on it? Not this entrepreneur. That’s why I am OB.SESSED. with Fotor. This (FREE!) photo editing tool that you can access online and download to your computer or mobile phone is perfect for anyone, no matter how minimal your design skill is (for instance, my level of design skill is zero). I use Fotor nearly every week for creating images to use in pitches, editing images, posting them in blog posts and even spicing up my presentations. I’ve recommended it to countless small biz owners and they sing its praises as well. Try it, love it and then tweet me a photo collage of your multiple excited faces after realizing how awesome it is!
IMDB PRO
If you’re a small business working on your own DIY marketing and public relations campaign, at some point or another you may want to get your products or offer your services to a celebrity. But where do you find out who their best contact or “handler” information is? Where can you find out what upcoming movies or TV shows are on the horizon so you can reach out to the actors and actresses who star in them? It’s all in IMDB Pro (Internet Movie Database) and I use this trusted resource anytime I need to reach out to a publicist and ask if I can send their client product. It works like a charm and is simple and fascinating to use. If getting some type of celebrity attachment to your brand is important to you, or if you simply want to expand your knowledge of who “matters” in Hollywood (or who will soon – be ahead of the game) IMDB Pro is a tool you definitely want in your tool belt.
PINTEREST FOR…PRESS STORY & BLOG INSPIRATION
Forget recipes – though I love using Pinterest for collecting and discovering them, in terms of business I have another MUST in terms of DIY marketing. Via this online, digital “vision board” I have created a secret board for articles, videos or anything online that spurs an idea for a segment, story or blog post I can create in the future. I simply pin things I read online and save them in this hidden board (why share my secrets) and I know I won’t ever lose them and can come back to the board when I need ideas for press outreach. Even if I find a story that is about something that isn’t necessarily my niche sometimes I like the feel or the story angle so much I “pin it” as it may work if I modify it to fit my own business. Another great way to use Pinterest? Pin stories that editors or reporters you are pitching have done in the past so you have an easy way to check out their tone and past pieces before you create your own pitch intended for them!
GOOD STATIONERY FOR THANK YOU NOTES
Nope, it’s not technical at all and that is the key. We live in a world that is all electronic all day long, which is why there is something super magical and special about sending paper stationery notes. It goes a long way with building relationships with the press, marketing partners, advertisers and anyone else you want to remember your business. If you need a couple suggestions, I say you go the #SmallBizStyle route and check out Effie’s Paper or Mom Bomb.
THE POWER OF GOOGLE DOCS & DRIVE
Okay, so it’s not a secret to some of you, but if you’re not using Google Docs yet to virtually organize your marketing and PR outreach it’s best you get on it ASAP! There’s nothing worse outreach wise than not tracking who you are emailing, following up with, “stalking” and more. You need to have their phone numbers emails, and the status of your contact all in one place, and all accessible from anywhere you are, location wise. Visiting family? Hop into your Google Docs. On vacation but need to check out a media contact’s email? Google Docs. On a business trip but someone needs an email pitch from you? No problem because you can login to your Google Docs and send it to them in seconds. Just imagine all your Microsoft Office documents online. It’s easy to use, it’s fast and again, it’s online which means you no longer need to travel with stacks of papers, you can just travel with access to your Google drive. Cherry on top? It also works from your phone, computer or iPad. Try it, love it, improve your PR and marketing campaign and speed of delivery instantly!
