Choosing the right PR agency, or marketing advisor.

PR is one of those areas that are really hard to pin down. Everyone has a different idea about what PR (Public Relations) is. I've seen this before when people think about how to hire a marketing consultant.

Read this story on the Sydney Morning Herald Small Business blog about VIVO Cafe in Sydney. It includes some great tips. The owner spent a fortune with a PR agency, only to get no results after many months. (See photo below of the owner Angela Vithoulkas)

That led to Angela checking other sources and finding a good PR firm. From the article:

She (Angela) began asking her customers for recommendations before settling on a shortlist of agencies whom she interviewed with direct and difficult questions before coming to her decision.

My view...

A good PR firm (like any good advisor) will spend quite a deal of time up front to ascertain your situation, and ask plenty of probing questions to find out what you really need.

And what you need isn't always what you think you want!

Choosing any professional advisor - PR, marketing, legal, accounting... is usually best done as a result of recommendations (referrals) and research you undertake independently.

And by 'independent' I mean doing the work yourself. Not just taking your friends word for it, or believing stereotypical comments. And not immediately trusting what you hear on the grapevine or latest online discussion group. Check it out properly. You owe it to yourself.

Research activities include checking websites for indications of expertise and 'style' of business. Testimonials should be found on websites of reputable providers. You would do well to also read up on the industry (even a little bit) so you have some knowledge of standard terminology and concepts. This is very helpful when asking your potential advisor questions, and listening to their answers.

If you're looking to hire a marketing advisor, you might want to review my straight shooting report on choosing a marketing consultant.

When it comes to buying professional services, be an educated customer.

Below: Angela Vithoulkas, owner of VIVO Cafe

How to Successfully Develop Your New Idea.

Anyone who has had a new business idea - or an innovation they think is worth developing - will know about the range of responses they get from others. Everything from "that wont work"... to "why are you wasting your time"... to "that's fantastic, why hasn't anyone done that before".

In this article at BusinessZone UK, Anne Miller explains how to best manage the development of new ideas. She says...

Another dangerous psychological tendency is that we tend to overestimate both how common our opinions are and how unique our abilities are.

Importantly, Anne highlights the 4 stages of resistance shown by people when presented with new ideas. The first stage is when people act as though they are blind - as if they really can't see your idea.

Anne says this is normal. So we shouldn't be discouraged by it.

This article is worth reading as it gives us some ideas on how to be more independent, and objective, when developing new ideas.

The end result will be that the best ideas will survive - not the ones we are emotionally attached to.

Who Uses the Internet? And why you should care.

Although I talk a lot about using online marketing tactics... not everyone uses the Internet. Latest data from Pew Internet and eMarketer shows that overall 24% of people do not have any internet connection. Who are they? See chart below.

Generally speaking the people with no Internet connection are quite old (over 70 years of age) and those at the low end of the socio-economic spectrum.

This may come as no surprise to many of you. And admittedly, there aren't many businesses who are focused on the over 70's market.

But other data that is worth closer scrutiny includes that 21% of Baby Boomers (people now aged 43-61 years) don't have Internet access. That's 1 in 5 Boomers!

If your market is Baby Boomers then this is important.

* How do you target and market to the 1 in 5 that don't go online?
* Which offline/traditional marketing tactics offer best ROI for this audience?
* Is the offline group worth pursuing if the marketing costs are significantly higher?

It's important to investigate all opportunities to communicate with your target audience. Only then can you make educated decisions about what to do, and what NOT to do.

Want to be a Famous Viral Success Story?

Have you seen or heard of so-called 'viral' videos and email messages? You know, the ones that people forward to their friends and generate huge attention. Ever wondered how can you get the benefits of this 'free' publicity?

(Want to be famous? See the links below for more info on how to do this.)

Well... here's my lowdown on viral marketing.

The viral marketing that seems to get most pass-alongs are the videos or emails that people find genuinely funny, surprising, or topical. People watch them (or read the email) for entertainment. Not because they might learn about your product or service.

I maintain that 'viral' communication is not a sales medium. It cannot directly help you get more customers.

At best, a popular viral video or email can drive traffic to a website. Importantly that traffic is usually in search of more entertainment like they have just witnessed. They are not in the mood to buy what you are selling.

For most businesses smaller than a major national consumer products company (and that is most of us) being famous through a viral email or video is just a pipe dream. It simply doesn't work to generate more business.

Maybe you can achieve fame on a personal level using a provocative, stupid, or dangerous stunt on video - but that isn't what most business owners are looking for.

And, sure... there are rare examples of viral business-to-business video or emails like NetQoS.

But as Tom Pick says, viral campaigns are better suited to generate brand awareness than they do generate leads. And that's if they generate ANY brand awareness at all.

But in the main, viral marketing is controlled by the recipients, not the sender.

To find out more about how to be a famous success with viral marketing see these links:

Marketing Sherpa - How to Go Viral Using Digg (public access for limited time only)

How to be Popular on YouTube (without any talent) free ebook by Kevin Nalts

eMarketer - 3 Hidden Trends for 2008

If you get the impression that I'm not in favour of most medium and smaller companies chasing the delusion of being a viral success story - you'd be exactly right!