To help support you in your PR efforts, consider the following points next time you pick up the phone to call an editor or other media contact.

• Make sure you are respecting the time of day you call an editor. Avoid Mondays and early mornings. Tuesdays through Thursdays in the late mornings or early afternoons tend to be a fair time across the board. By Friday, no one’s mind is on work as much as it is in the other parts of the week, so save your pitch for another day.
• Always introduce yourself to an editor, even if you have spoken with her many times before. They are very busy people who have countless conversations a day. Politely say who you are without expecting them to ever remember your name – although always hoping they do.
• Before going into your monologue about why you are calling, ask your contact if they have a quick minute to talk. This shows you respect their time and also identifies that you don’t want to take up too much of their time. Make sure you quickly point out that you will make the call fast and that you know they are busy.
• If you have to leave a message, speak clearly and quickly. Identify 1) who you are 2) what the name of your store or brand is 3) why you are calling and 4) how you can be reached.
• Hold off until 36 hours before calling your contact again if you still have not heard from them. Chances are they are busy. If they don’t plan to call you either way, your second (or third) call will let them know you are persistent and professional. Remember to be polite and never point blame on them for not getting in touch with you.
• When speaking, give them enough information that they gain interest in your pitch without them having to feel like they need to dig for the story. Be quick, concise and clear in your delivery. Every word counts. And remember – tell them newsworthy information, not just fluff.
• Return phone calls in a timely fashion. Don’t make them hunt you down like you may have had to hunt  them down because they won’t. The competition is tough for press coverage, so get back to them right away or better yet, answer their call right away.
• Before calling your contact, give them time. If you have already sent them a press release via email, don’t slam them with phone calls within the same week. Let some time register before following up. A week is a fair amount of time between your first outreach and initial follow up.

Of course having good phone etiquiette is just one small part to the entire PR mix. You need to also consider how you deliver your content (press releases, via email, via online services, etc.) and your timeline. Depending on who you are pitching, you should refer to their unique PR calendar so that you know 1) what kind of stories they may be looking for and 2) what day / week / month they are working on for future coverage.  For example, a magazine editor in May is likely already thinking about Fall.

Finally, always remember to kill your PR contact with kindness. Let them throw their weight around – not you. Of course, hopefully they won’t play that role but it’s likely they might… and can get away with is. So smile and toughin’ up. PR isn’t always an easy game, but it’s certainly one worth getting in.

Press

Want press? Of course you do. Have press? I hope so! If not, try and get some. By gaining press, potential consumers will learn about your product and ideally, buy your product. Not everyone who sees you or your product in the press will be a customer, but it can lead to conversations with others that may lead to sales as a result. In addition, one press piece can help encourage another press piece and so on. Press helps you. It’s your friend. It’s a visual aide that you can’t buy but will make people want to buy. And consumers? Whether they like the media or not, they are influenced by it. So if youcan, be a part of it.

Store Displays

What are the trends in your area? What is your target market doing for fun? What does your store do to capture all that and more? Using your store to create  visual stimulation through displays can attract new customers and keep old customers coming back. Make sure you keep your store front windows alive and fresh so that customers can be drawn into your store and more importantly, stay in your store. Capture them and keep them engaged visually. Merchandising is a challenge for some and a passion for others. If it isn’t your thing, get help from someone who is good at it because it can make a difference in your sales! Remember, the visual aides in this scenario are your store and your product – make them want what you have to sell.

Employees

While this isn’t true for all stores, the visual impact of your associates often influence your customers. Now don’t get me wrong - I don’t expect beautiful models working in your stores. But I do think well groomed, well taken care of individuals that represent the product you sell will make a difference. Customers see the associates and like it or not, are visually influenced. If you sell clothes and your associates wear your clothes, this is especially the case. Sell art? Your associates need to capture a sense of knowlege and be open for communication. Sell a service? Your associates should be easy to approach. And yes, looks do make a difference here. Visually, consumers will respond to people in different ways. Are your associates visually complimenting your store? If not, have a chat with all of your associates and see what you can do together to make this visual difference. Uniforms, dress codes, body gestures – this will all impact visual perceptions that WILL be made by customers or potential customers… It’s just the way it is.

Don’t ignore the many layers involved in how consumers shop. Visual impressions surround each of us everyday and ultimately will influence purrchases. Make them work in your favor!

If your store has been fortunate enough to receive any press, whether online, in a local publication, on TV or in a national placement, make sure that you are telling your customers about it! A great way to do this is by using frames to showcase the press you recieved next to the product it highlights. If the press is specific to your store or general assortment of products, highlight this in an area in which your customers will notice. You can also create a brag book of your press that is accessible for  customers to flip through. Not only does this make you look great, but it often gets your customers excited for you, as well. Some customers love the idea that where they shop and what they buy has had some buzz in the press, so this gives you one more reason to brag about your press, also.

In addition, if you are a store carrying a product that has received press on it’s own, seperate from your store, consider sharing these details, as well. Customers respond to all sorts of impressions, including celebrity photos with specific products, so make sure that any press showcasing product sold in your store is shared. For example, if you sell a handbag that was featured in In Style magasine, make sure your customers know this. Not only will it help increase the sell thru of your bag, but it will also make you look like a rock star buyer!

Finally, if you are a wholesaler who is gaining press, let the retailers who carry your product know about it!!! Send them an email update or better yet, send them photo copies or actual copies of the press recieved and encourage them to share this news with their customers. They will appreciate your support as well as it opens up the door for another conversation about placing orders… which is always a good thing!

And if you don’t have press yet? Make sure to review my blog on how to write a press release and start to try and get some! http://retailminded.com/blog/2009/01/gaining-publicity-writing-a-press-release/

Favorite Products

PopATot Avtivity Center – This amazing product was created by a mom of five who searched high and low for something that would allow her to include her little ones in all the things they loved, which includes camping, outside activities, and travel… As well as having her own pair of hands to simply get things done at home while still keeping her little ones happy. The result? The creation of PopATot, an activity center built on a sturdy frame with a canvas body that can fold up and go with her anywhere! As a mom of a 6 month old, I can honestly say this is genuis. I only wish I had knew about it before I bought a big, bulky activity center that sits in the middle of my living room and can’t even get through our standard framed doors. PopATot is our new best friend, though, coming with us to friends houses, neighborhood get togethers, the doggy beach, and so much more. With it’s light weight and easy pack and go carrier, PopATot is a must have in any baby store and definitely in any baby’s home! At only $59.99 retail, this is something you don’t want to dismiss. To see for yourself, visit www.PopATot.com.

Flirt Buttons & More – Need a fun party favor? What about a different gift idea? Or maybe just because?

Fabric Covered Mirrors

Flirt Buttons offer a great assortment of “little” things to make every day fun. They offer monogrammed mirrors, adorable pendants, hair accessories, magnets, and more that are primarialy made with fabric covered details. With super affordable prices, these adorable trinkets are the perfect add on sale at retail, as well as offer an adorable customized approach for wedding showers, baby showers, and anything else custom. The designer, Sharon Britt from Georgia, sells her product on Etsy but also sells to retailers, attends craft fairs, and is open to customized requests. Check out her Etsy shop to learn more, www.flirtbuttons.etsy.com.

Rubber Stamps & More – If you are a small business owner like me, then Rubber Stamps.net is a great go to place for both buiness and personal products! Offering a wide assortment of stamps, address labels, and more, RubberStamps.net helps business owners by making their ”to do” list easier. They offer stamps that notify customers of invoices, late fees, deposit details, addresses, customer logos, and so much more. I have the Retail Minded logo in a rubber stamp that I simply press onto paper for a million different reasons and boom, I’m done. In addition, I use a rubber stamp for my return address that also serves as a notice to where to send payments to. It’s on my ”to do” list to order many more stamps to save me time while also making my work papers look more polished! To see how RubberStamps.net products can help make your busy day easier while also helping your professional outreach look great, too, check out www.RubberStamps.net 

Favorite Services

Owning an independent retail or wholesale business can be tough, not to mention pricey. There is always something to do and very rarely can you take a vacation from your business. Luckily, there are some great team players out there who can help your business by offering valuable services! While I also provide services designed to support independent retailers and wholesalers at Retail Minded, I love that others are offering great service for small business owners, as well. Below are a few of my favorites.

D’Luxe Press and Design – What do you get when you take two young moms in North Carolina with five kids between them, two hubbies, two houses, two pets, and a lot of love for all things baby? D’Luxe Press and Design! This fabulous PR support agency offers their services to those looking to launch their baby based products to the world. They have tons of online blogging experience, media connections, and dedication – making their unique support the perfect partner for those trying to get their baby products some press! You can learn more about their services by visiting www.dluxepressanddesign.com.

Pitch Press – I love what Pitch Press offers to their fashion clients – affordable press that even inlcudes a la carte options! Here I was thinking I was the only one doing a la carte, but it turns out they are, too, and doing it well at that!

Pitch Press

Pitch Press manages media and press placement for fashion clients, offering the opportunity to be placed in trade publications, online outlets, national magazines, and so much more. If you are in fashion and need unique and affordable support to help get your product or brand recognized, check out Pitch Press today! www.pitchpress.com

Favorite Resources

There are so many great options for independent retailers and wholesalers to lean on these days. Among my favorite right now are Twitter and Retailing Together.

Twitter - I would be genuinely surprised if you have not heard of Twitter yet. Even celeberties are tweeting these days in between their already jammed pack papparzazzi schedule. But for the rest of the world, tweeting offers an amazing conncetion between businesses by allowing people, their products, and their services a way to get to know each other. While I can see how it can take up time,  Twitter doesn’t need to be a waste of time. That said, if you just play on it all day, it could easily distract you from getting your  real work done. But using it to connect to new customers, learn new things, and promote your business IS work, afterall. Take the time to learn what all the buzz is about to see if Twitter may work for you! Personally, I prefer it over Facebook and itch to get my Twitter time in each day! www.twitter.com

Retailing Together – Like Retail Minded, Retailing Together supports the independent retailer through a blog as well as a soon to launch retail technology. The website provides support to retailers by educating them on the current marketplace while also offering them links to a variety of resoures. The founder, Eric Busboom, takes a dedicated approach to understanding what is happening within retail and shares his insight with his readers and introduces guest contributors, as well, on a frequent basis. Check out www.retailingtogether.com to see how it may be a great resource for your business needs!

We would love to hear what your favorite  things are! Please comment directly to this blog and let us know!

Gaining publicity does not have to be challenging. Without hiring a PR firm or independent publicist, you can take steps towards gaining some press for your store or wholesale business. While it isn’t entirely difficult to do, it does take dedication of time. And like it or not, who you know can help you gain the press you believe you deserve. But just in case you don’t know anyone that may help these matters, there are still easy steps to get you started in generating your business publicity.

To get started, you need to understand how the basic outreach for publicity works. It’s very simple, actually. The press and media, including magazine publications, newspapers, online networks, news channels, and television shows, need to know who you are. While there are various PR agencies, independent publicists, online publicity sources, and more that you could pay to help you do this, the oldie but goodie way of sending out press releases still works wonders.

Simply put, a press release is a statement prepared for distribution to the media. To help explain this, a press release can also be described as a story that is written to share with the media from a third person point of view that seeks to demonstrate to an editor or reporter newsworthy information of a particular store, service, product, or person. While press releases are often part of a press kit or media pitch, they are more often sent out individually. For most of you, this is an effective way to communicate to the media without investing too much time or too much money. That said, I do encourage some businesses, particularly wholesalers showcasing a new product, to prepare a press kit to communicate with the media when they first launch their product. I definitely do not encourage anyone to dismiss professional PR help if they can afford this or feel that they would benefit from this if PR is not up their alley or they don’t have time for it. If you don’t have the option of outsourcing this support, though, then I definitely encourage you to do it on your own.

Although press releases may seem intimidating to construct, they are actually quite easy and can be considered “cookie cutter” from a format perspective. The information shared within a press release should cover a few basic points as well as include all necessary information that will make the media want to respond to it. The basic points that must be included are referred to as the 5 W’s. They are:

1. Who
2. What
3. When
4. Where
5. Why

When writing your press release, you need to make sure and answer each of the above points within your release. In addition, all critical information should be within the first paragraph. This is simply because by including this information right away, your audience will quickly know if they are interested. The reality is that the media receives a lot of press releases, so your goal should be to capture your audience’s attention as quickly as possible. You want to make your point quick, clear, and concise while also making it exciting and captivating to your audience.