When "No News" Isn't Good News

By now, the world has already shifted its nano-second attention span from the fires in the west and the constant rain in the south (though residents around here will be busy drying out for the foreseeable future), to the next big nightly news headline.

While this news passes, we are entertained by far more important things, like giving the new Royal Prince a nickname (I’m voting for Georgie!) and the years’ long quest to increase job growth. Understood.

We focus where our attention is directed.  Always have, always will.

Sometimes, in a marketing perspective, this is downright funny. When the economy was initially plummeting and gas prices were spiking, people were virtually leaping out of thirsty Suburbans and Explorers while still on the interstate. 

The ‘urgent’ need-of-the-moment was to save money on gas. So, these behemoths stacked on car lots like cord wood while cash-strapped consumers signed loans to drive off in a wheezing replacement that ran on Wheat Thins. All to thwart the evils of 15 mpg in favor of say, 20. Get out your calculator. 

At 15K miles a year, if you ‘only’ paid $6,000 difference for your new gas miser, it would take you 6 years to break even. Whatever. I know; we’re all saving the planet, one newly-manufactured car at a time. (A clear conscience doesn’t pay off loans.) 

Yet, as soon as gas prices dipped to a bit over 3 bucks and the news reported the economy was “improving”, mass interest in condo-sized vehicles soared. The back-lot bargain was the frontline hot seller. This mini-frenzy lasted until gas went to $4. Woe unto those with short-term memory damage.

Big lesson: News sells. News shifts focus. News makes headlines – our lifelines to the outside world – “important” and it makes us respond. News can also kill your sales. (Ever seen a Contractor Sting? Ever read a negative review thread online?) And “lack” of news puts you on the perennial backburner.

“News” isn’t confined to getting into broad media anymore (as you’ll see), but that’s a huge help. So we’ll start with that one - -

1. News in the ‘real’ News – This is so easy, but most contractors don’t do it. Have 12 Media releases, in 3 formats (pdf for email attachment, linked to your site, and good old-fashioned document) to send, one per month, to the top media outlets in your area. These are seasonally based, and informative to readership, not blabbing about you. (If you have ANY of our PowerPrograms, you have these releases.)
2. News as Reviews – When you get ‘good’ ratings or comments from customers either verbalized, on Customer Survey Cards, or written as testimonials, put them on your website under Customer Reviews. Ask these customers if they’d include them on local ‘review’ sites. This drives UP your rankings, adds activity, and reduces the impact of the occasional negative. Also, use these in your newsletters in a ‘Spotlight’ section.
3. News Using YOUR Media – Most contractors don’t think they “own” media, but they do. Any customer ‘list’ you have constitutes “reach”. Email, postal mail, and your newsletter position you accordingly. Also, paid advertising can also be “newsworthy” with a company bump that the editors in unpaid media (Item 1) would never allow. This trend, called ‘hybrid’ advertising combines company news and salesmanship. Requires a bigger ad, but gets more readers. This is why our Direct Response ads are always “advertorial” (same thing) and our web marketing is “advisor based” (same thing.) You want your company promo to appear as an editorial and not promotional to get under the “sales” radar.
4. News online – Your website and social media outlets are an even larger, more visible outlet than above. One exception: if you’re not findable OR promoting your site, doesn’t matter. Solution? Use the real ‘news’ in your area and tie it to your site. Can be weather, city news, regional news, building, expansion, employment. Basically you ‘create’ news out of existing news.
   
   Example: Did your school win a state championship? That’s all you need. Offer to buy the team and coaches a smoothie at .  The owner of the smoothie place discounts them for you. You write the news article using the team name and your congratulations. This gets massively searched locally, you post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Smoothie place does exact same thing. Double your fun right there, using news you ‘created’. SEO will like you, too.  Not bad for $100 of blended fruit. 
5. News as the Reminder – News is what you make it. Reminders of ‘customer anniversaries’, of ‘agreement appointments’, of your ‘referral rewards program’ or the endless list including awards, new employees, certifications, job completions, price increases and just about anything you can write a headline for. The reason customers QUIT using you is your indifference to them. They don’t feel connected, so they just leave. If you’re not sending/reaching out to them with advice through newsletters and other programs, you’re on your way to being forgotten.

There’s no shortage of news. Some good, some not, all news. If you’re not pushing your company in front of your prospects with regularly helpful information, someone or something else will. Surely one or more of these 5 ways can become part of your publicity plan today.