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Create Content
By creating interesting and relevant content you can engage your clients or target market. You also position yourself as a leader or expert in your chosen field. This takes work and needs constant attention. Remember one thing, you do not have to write all the content yourself. Have a staff member write a first draft, then edit and hone it into something that creates the buzz you were looking for.
Call To Action
Content itself is never enough. You should also include a "call to action." Can you give them the impotus to act, so that it is in some way benefiting you? Not every article needs to do so, but it never hurts to try. Offer an incentive to try something new, or join a group, or participate in a forum. Make it fun and provide an incentive.
Social Media Sharing
In today's social media circles, the key to connecting is linkability. Links to other relevant sites may create traffic and improve your exposure in ways that you may not expect. Think blogs, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube and twitter to name the most popular. You need to experiment and find the most relevant and useful way to share.
Get Feedback
How does one know their audience? By asking. If you have a web portal, ask for feedback to help identify who is visiting and who these people are. If it's television, there are many ways to find out the size and demographics of your audience.
Advertise
If you are selling a product or service, how do your clients find you? Word of mouth is fine, but is it enough? Advertising is one way to get quantifiable results. If you were attracting five new clients a month without advertising, and ten more with advertising, would that not convince you to advertise. Remember, advertise in small steps to see and learn where your advertising dollars are best spent. Look for results.
Press Releases
Is you company or your industry under-going change? Are you offering a new or improved product? Is there a crisis happening? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider using press releases as a way to garner attention and reach audiences without spending a single penny. Press releases help the media find you, discuss your issues, tell a story, or get your message out. The media are hungry for new stories. How can you get your name in the news and it's all "good news"? It can be done.
Media Training
Never step in front of the cameras or microphone without some preparation. Whether you're reacting to bad news or good news, media training offers solid messaging techniques that turns the ordinary message into an extraordinary "soundbite". Media training is also there to help you understand what the media want and why.
Video Production
Do not underestimate the power of video production on the web or television. It can take your audience to a location instantly, put your spokesperson in the limelight, and craft a consistant message without pause or glitch. This does not mean everyone with a video-phone should be recording clips for your website. It means hiring an experienced producer to deliver a quality video that you can be proud of and that your audience will respond to.
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