Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on | 0 Comments
Are you a business owner? Especially one with a brick & mortar storefront (though digital storefronts lend me your ears as well)? Well I have news for you: I'm about to share three small changes you can make in your business that will instantly help the press (and other business-changing contacts) find you and help grow your business. You see, just recently I worked on a hot small business feature story that required me to hunt down entrepreneurs who run storefronts in the New York City area. Not to hard you'd think, right? Well actually...wrong!
While going through the (at times) difficult task of hunting down people to take place in the interview, I observed a pattern of "no no's" that several of these storeowners were a part of that was literally preventing them from being part of this possible business-changing article! To turn lemons into lemonade, I decided to turn those slightly cringe-worthy moments into a checklist we can all benefit from, to ensure if doesn't happen it our own businesses. The truth is, the reporter and I were literally looking for them while they were sleeping, working or doing whatever else and they didn't even know it - which is something that happens regularly to you as a business owner (and you may not even know it as well). What does that mean? You have to be sure that your business, website and employees are all set up in a way that ensures that they're helping the press - and other potential business game-changers - find you and work with you, even when you aren't there to connect with them directly yourself!
Before you say, "Sabina, I have no time to do anymore work than I already have on my list" let me explain: you will not have to add any more actual press outreach or work to your schedule in terms of marketing efforts. You simply have to make the time to go through this checklist and be sure you (and anyone involved with your business) is helping make all three of these things happen!
#1 - You must be very easy to reach:
True story: While working on this small business feature, I passed over more than five businesses because they had no clear way to contact them other than a Contact Us fill-in-the-blank form, and I not only had no time to fill it out, but when I see a form like that I can't help wondering when and if they will ever get it! Don't let people wonder this about you either!
So what does this all mean? It means that when someone is on your website there must be a way to get in touch with you at the very least by direct email and if you're a storefront, by phone. People should be able to find this contact information easily and quickly on your website. A "contact us" form is the fastest way to get a reporter to bypass reaching out to you. Short lead stories often are very short lead. The world of television, newspaper and online editorial coverage doesn't always have time to fill out forms or wait for you to get in touch with them. They need you, and they need you fast, so make it as easy as possible for that to happen!
#2 - Make Sure Your Employees (or Interns) Aren't Press Roadblocks: They Must Be Able to Speak for You When You Aren't Around!
True Story: I called several businesses who were in fact perfect candidates for this feature story, but their employees and interns, well, those integral members of their team were actually impediments to making the stories about them happen! One employee didn't think her boss could be bothered (she was a new mother) with a press story. [Note to reader: after consulting with several new mothers/entrepreneurs I can assure you none of them would have turned down a business feature due to motherhood. They would have made it work]. One employee who answered the phone said her boss was doing inventory in the basement and busy. [Note to reader: One is rarely too busy counting stock to take a press call]. Another employee who answered the phone couldn't recall some very basic business information we needed to know in order to decide to whether or not to include the business in the story. You get the point, but overall that these anecdotes illustrate is a lack of communication with employees about press procedures.
So What Does This All Mean? You don't have to teach your employees or interns a full course in DIY PR to be sure they are prepared for any possible press opportunities that may come up when you least expect them! You do, however, have to be sure they are prepared for these moments. Here are some must-discuss plans of action you can discuss at your next team meeting:
- First rule: Make sure your team members always answer the phone politely and patiently - one never knows who may be on the other end!
- Be sure your team members know the importance of a press call. They should know to hunt you down wherever you may be if you are in the store, or reach out to you immediately if you are out of your office or store.
- Make sure everyone knows how to reach you if and when the press come calling (phone, email) and be sure they have a practiced response to them if you're not around. For example, "Hi Karen, Sabina is out right now but I'm going to get in touch with her right now and I'm sure she'll be able to reach you within the hour. Can I take your contact information as well?" OR..."Hi Sharon, Sabina is working out of the office today but you can reach her directly at THIS NUMBER and THIS EMAIL address."
- Be sure that everyone on your team (from interns to store managers or receptionists) know the skinny on your background, your most important company details, all big events and company news related to your business. If a reporter calls and asks for a bit of information about this or that, you want to be sure the person on the other end can give them as much accurate information as possible!
#3 - Be Sure When an Opportunity That Requires Minimal Energy and Delivers a Big ROI Exists, You're Participating In It.
True Story: If I say to you (and this is entirely hypothetical): The Oprah Winfrey Network is doing a feature on entrepreneurs who are going to participate in "Take Your Daughters to Work Day" (even if they work from home) and you say to me, "I have daughters and a cool work place but I just hadn't thought about doing that before, so I'm not going to do it now", I'm going to be sad. If I say to you, "A major newspaper is doing a feature on what businesses are doing for Small Biz Saturday and profiling stores around the city" and you say to me, "We usually do something for Small Biz Saturday but this year we just haven't gotten around to even putting a sign outside of our store", I'm going to shed tears in my brain for you. These are all illustrations of low energy high result opportunities that I see entrepreneurs miss on a daily basis, because they think it's going to require more time and energy than it actually does in reality. They are also often unaware of how much those opportunities can help them!
So What Does This All Mean? By no means am I asking you to launch a campaign completely unrelated to what you are currently up to at your business. But if there's a great press story staring you in the face that requires minimal input of time or energy, and this story is about something you're already more or less connected to, you need to just complete the circle. You need to go for it. If that means you bring your kids to work so be it! If that means you hang a sign outside your store saying "Support Small Business Saturday" and hand out hot cocoa and cookies, do it if doing it means your business will get priceless media coverage. Think big picture! This isn't simply about the one moment in time the story captures, it's about the massive introduction this story can make between your brand and potential customers and brand ambassadors! The positive impact on your business the minimal effort participating in press stories can have is often way more than a business owner realizes, so when possible, make that effort!
You see? Now that wasn't so bad was it! Yet these three small changes can make your business 300% more ready for press to come to you - even when you're sleeping!
Have you ever decided to make the effort and participate in a press story that led to big buzz for your business? Have you ever had the "press chat" with your employees or interns? Share your experiences in the comments below!
