 It's a great question, and I quickly had an answer for him because it was an
incredibly painful mistake. However, it proved to be an invaluable lesson that
has served me well in the years since. I'm sharing so perhaps you can learn it
the easy way.The lesson: Don't ever stop marketing because you think you've
reached the point where you don't need to. And, secondarily, believe the old
adage that warns, "Don't put all your eggs into one basket."
There's a story, of course.
Years ago, my public relations company connected with a large publishing
house that served many prestigious authors. The first few of its authors we
accepted as clients had such successful campaigns we quickly became the
publicity firm of record for this publisher. I thought we'd tapped the mother
lode! The publisher kept a steady stream of clients flowing to us, and
eventually, they became about 80 percent of our business.
We were so focused on delivering for these authors that we became much less
focused on getting our company name out to prospective new clients. We slowly
stopped marketing. Our newsletters ground to a halt. We didn't waste time
networking. We quit our efforts to get the same publicity for our company that
we get for clients. Why bother? We didn't need new clients.
We had a whole basket full of beautiful, perfect eggs and we were happily
skipping along with it.
And then … it broke.
The publisher ran into some serious problems with its investors, and the
business came crashing down. And guess who almost went with it?
Our eggs were cooked.
Faced with only a few clients and no prospects, we got busy fast and cranked
up the marketing department (me!) again. It took a while to regain the momentum
we'd lost, but thankfully, we had a side business that could help pay the bills
in the interim. Slowly but surely (this was before the age of social media,
which really speeds things up), we built up a new list of prospects and clients
-- only this time from a diverse array of sources.
It was a terrible but powerful experience that demonstrated very clearly: No
matter how great things seem to be going, you never stop marketing. It needs to
be a constant hum because if that hum stops, you know there will be a big
problem ahead.
I stopped marketing because I thought I had all the clients I needed. Over
the years I've seen others make the same mistake but for different reasons. Here
are a few:
[to top of second column] |
One great publicity hit is a really bad reason to stop marketing. I've
talked to people who believed if we could just get them on "The Oprah Winfrey
Show" (before 2011) or "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," that was all they'd need.
They'd be done. Yes, a big national show can give you a tremendous launch, but
you won't keep soaring unless you do something to stay in the public eye. I
guarantee you, there are plenty of people you never heard of who got their "big
break" and then disappeared because they stopped marketing.
Most of us won't get those huge hits -- and that's not a reason to
stop, either. I haven't been on "Oprah," but I often hear from prospective
clients that I or my business was recommended to them by someone I've never met
and don't know. That's what good, sustained marketing does. It may not always
create fireworks, but that doesn't mean it's not working for you.
Yesterday's story is old news. Look for fresh, new ways to stay in
the public eye. The publicity you get today can continue to work
for you online, but eventually, it's going to be old news. We
encourage our clients to post links to their publicity on their
websites; it shows visitors that they have credibility with the
media. But if those visitors see only publicity and testimonials
that are five or 10 years old, they're going to wonder why no one's
been interested in you more recently.
Just as I put all my eggs in one basket by relying on one source
for clients, it's also a mistake to rely on just one marketing tool.
Maximize the reach of the publicity you get in traditional media
by sharing it on social media. Put a blog, or other content you can
renew and refresh, on your website. Write a book. Do speaking
engagements (for free, if necessary). Your audience is likely not
all huddled together in one corner of the world. To reach them, use
a variety of marketing tools.
Whatever it is you're promoting -- your business, your product,
your book, yourself -- keep the momentum going. If you want people
to know you're out there, you have to stay out there.
___
Marsha Friedman is a 23-year veteran of the public relations
industry. She is the CEO of
EMSI Public Relations,
a national firm that provides public relations strategy and
publicity services to businesses, professional firms, entertainers
and authors. Friedman is the author of "Celebritize Yourself," and
she can also be heard weekly on her BlogTalkRadio show, EMSI's "PR
Insider," every Thursday at 3 p.m. EST. Follow her on Twitter:
@marshafriedman.
[Text from file received from
News and Experts] |
