Marketing for Solopreneurs

A Solopreneur's Dream: Free Publicity

I signed up for a free service three weeks ago that's kind of amazing. You might have heard about it. It's called HARO (Help a Reporter Out).

NYC PR expert Peter Shankman started it because " a lot of my friends are reporters and they were calling me all the time for sources." He got tired of going through his contacts all the time, so he thought he would just start e-mailing the requests he gets from journalists looking for people to profile or quote in their stories.

He started it on Facebook, but they cap e-mails at 1,200 and he had to find another venue. Now his list is 20,000+ and growing. Seems there was a need.

The list comes out three times a day and the journalists write for big-name magazines and newspapers all the way down to blogs and websites.

Though some of the requests are aimed at consumers ("Looking for Moms for Makeovers") and can be offbeat ("Brides with Multiple Wedding Dresses" and "Scary Bosses"), many are a good fit for solopreneurs and small biz owners.

Shankman's only rule for responding to a reporter's query?:

You must promise that you will not e-mail a reporter with an off-topic answer that doesn't match what they are looking for. In other words, don't try to wiggle in to get coverage for your business when you don't really have what a reporter needs. Fair enough.

A piece of good news: Recently the format changed so queries (reporters' requests) are now by category, saving even more time when scanning the lists.

Some recent requests/needs:

• networking pro's to offer ways to leverage networking for career advancement
• solos and small biz owners who have outsourced their marketing
• tax experts to advise on late-year tax savings moves for young people
• interior designers with ideas for high-end green/eco-friendly home products
• businesses with user-friendly, well-designed websites for review in column
• biz owners with social media success stories for radio show
• businesses that have switched from PCs to Macs
• real estate agents who have participated in a real estate auction
• massage therapists who have a successful private practice

The list goes on and on.

A couple of things: Some reporters have a specific geographic area they want their sources to come from. But if they say, "no specific geographic region," go for it. And, if someone says they are "pitching a story, that usually means they have not sold the idea to an editor yet, so keep that in mind.

The best way to experience it is to sign up at one of two places, at which time you'll start receiving the e-mailed lists three times a day.

For sources (if you are a business looking for some publicity):

www.helpareporter.com

For reporters/writers/bloggers:

www.helpareporter.com/press

I'm on both because I am a small biz owner and I also am a reporter for a couple of newspapers and a business journal in the Seattle area.

So check HARO out. Any organization with the tagline, "Get Sourced. Get Quoted. Get Famous," can't be all that bad.

Free PR for Small Businesses: Do Awards Really Matter?

A couple weeks ago our marketing firm, Cat’s Eye Group, received an award at a local nonprofit’s annual benefit dinner. We were recognized for our significant contributions to support this organization’s mission to keep kids in school and prepare them for life. Friends, colleagues, clients, elected officials and school district leaders showed up to celebrate the achievements of this amazing organization and to recognize businesses that generously gave to the cause.

What does giving back to the community have to do with marketing your business? Quite a lot, it would seem. In one recent survey, 80% of respondents said they would be more likely to buy a product or service from a company that has supported a cause they care about.

While I certainly do not give with the goal of getting something out of it, as a business, we seem to benefit when we support worthy causes. We expected nothing from our contributions—except the satisfaction of helping at-risk kids. What we got was much more: a plaque to hang on the wall of our business, verbal recognition at the dinner, and our logo displayed in the program, not to mention personal thank-you’s from many of the attendees.

Oh, yes. And our photo was taken for a story in the local newspaper. You can’t get that much exposure with a paid ad! And, besides, people in your community who care about and value giving now see you as someone who cares, too.

What do you think? Do you support any causes in your community? Do you think it helps brand you as a business with a heart?