Home office expert's guide to working from home/home office tips
Working from a home office never felt so cool
Could your homebased business use more media coverage?
Is your business or blog getting the coverage it deserves? Are you reaching the right writers? The article, “How to Get Your Small Business Covered in the Media,” offers some good PR tips that anyone could (and should) implement.
(Almost) free PR
Those of us working naked don’t have large (if any) budgets for publicity. We throw things out there hoping they’ll stick like spaghetti on the wall (a way of checking pasta that I’m not planning to pass along to my sons!). Sometimes an expensive PR plan with no room for failure tanks, while a low-budget, seat-of-the-pants campaign can spread your name all over the Internet. Go figure.
The Small Business Trends article, “Top 10 Publicity Tools for $1 or Less,” offers some information I already know and use, but there are a few tips I hadn’t thought about trying, but will. All but one of the tips (a whopping $1) is free to implement.
Boosting your blog
The article, “6 Tips for Customizing Your Small Business Blog,” is a must-read if you want to improve your blog. Even if you like your blog the way it is—most of us consider them our babies—you’ll discover tips that will make you rethink the way your blog looks and functions.
Where to say it
Before you do anything this morning, check out “5 Things Small Business Owners Should Do Today Online“ by Chris Brogan. Chris is a social media expert who works with large and mid-sized companies to help them improve online business communications. He knows his stuff. His five valuable tips are easy to follow and put into action.
What not to say
I have a friend who says whatever is on her mind. Censoring doesn’t exist in her world. I cringed when she told me recently that she was going to be interviewed by the local newspaper. My advice to her? Think before you speak. Publicist Shannon Cherry knows what to say and when to say it, especially to the media. Her article, “Say what? Watch your mouth when with a journalist,” gives good insight and tips to dealing with reporters to make sure you say what you mean and watch what you say.
Getting publicity seems easy, doesn’t it? You send out an electronic news release, make follow-up calls and then writers and producers call you immediately. Those of us who’ve tried that approach know that it doesn’t work that way. There are very few guarantees in life and getting publicity is one of them. That’s why there are Public relations dynamos like Liz Bradford, president of Bradford Public Relations, Inc., to help those of us working naked as well as major corporations, get exposure.
Liz Bradford
Liz was an anchor anchor/producer/reporter for 12 years before she started her PR firm. Her clients include Ford Motor Company and Krispy Kreme Donuts (yum!) among others. She shares a home office with her account coordinator and this year she decided to rent an outside office for 16 hours a month. Her outside office gives her a place to host potential clients or her consultants (most of them work from home too) for team meetings. Liz, knowing the value of PR, was happy to answer a few questions for all of us working naked:
Lisa: What are the top three PR mistakes small business owners make?
Liz: 1) They don’t budget enough for marketing and PR and can lose momentum once they do start getting media attention. 2) They’re afraid to toot their own horn and don’t do any PR. 3) They get frustrated when they see their competitor getting publicity.
Lisa: What are three things a small business owner can do to get publicity?
Liz: 1) Always be thinking about “story ideas” that would interest newspaper reporters, trade writers, radio station hosts, influential bloggers, TV reporters. 2) Be original and be creative. This is about ways to set yourself apart from your competitors. Blog, Tweet and get a Facebook and/or MySpace page. Social media is very important in today’s media environment where some of the traditional media is losing its audience. 3) Look for small charities in your neighborhood to support and let the local media know about it. Philanthropy goes a long way, especially in this economy where charities are losing donations and need help. I don’t recommend picking a large charity because your news of making a donation will get lost.
Great advice. Time to update my media list.
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