Good News Travels Fast

This newsletter is full of opportunities staring you in the face. If you don't believe me, write and tell me so--and by doing that you'd be proving me right.

That would make you a proactive marketer: spotting a marketing opportunity in an everyday activity.

For instance: Something most of us do every day is read the paper, and though they may not seem like business issues at first glance, editorials or news items offer one of those marketing opportunities. How does that merger, government legislation, tax increase, tornado--or whatever--affect your business, your industry, your clients? Take a position on the subject, and write a letter to the editor to tell them. Include your company name in the body of the letter. Readers often give more credence to opinions of business leaders, and it gets your name out there.

Act immediately. After reading the paper, set aside some time to respond. Then go over your response carefully. (It's easy to fire off a letter, but you might regret sending something not fully thought out.)

Your letters may not be used every time, but when one is, it goes a long way to building your image as an expert.

Another marketing opportunity arises when you see an article that might be of interest to one of your clients. Clip and send it to them with a note. Even if they've already seen it, your client will appreciate the gesture. It shows you take them and their business seriously.

That was easy. Now, what about all those items that don't directly relate to you or your existing clients? Some may mean more to you than you think.

Electronic or print, the news media are chock full of marketing information. As you read, watch or listen, be prepared to capture vital information. Pen and paper by your side can't hurt. Every day, companies you should be prospecting appear in the news. Jot down the spokesperson's name and title; if you're lucky the report may even provide a number to call. Companies like putting their people in front of the media (because they can say all the positive things about themselves the media won't). Pick out the companies you are interested in marketing to, and call them.

The news item doesn't have to be a positive story; the negative ones may hold more opportunity. However, don't assume a company facing tough decisions automatically wants you. They may react quite nastily to that assumption.

The person in the news story may not be the right one to discuss your ideas with, but they are an in, so contact them first. When you call, mention where you saw or heard them, make some positive comment on the coverage, then quickly move on to the reason for your call. They will appreciate knowing how their PR is working, and will, no doubt, feel that you're not wasting their time with insubstantial chit chat.

From this point, the call becomes like any other exploratory sales call.

You can't afford to sit on these opportunities. News has a short shelf life. Because of the number of news items we are bombarded with, you should only focus on a couple at a time. Don't worry if you miss some, we are fed a constant stream of potentially useful information, so you'll never run out of targets.

It's hard enough to keep on top of daily events pertinent to your field. It's harder still, when using them for their marketing potential, to stay up to date, and to act quickly. But it's vital, because with marketing, timing is everything.

Opportunities lie on every page and in every broadcast. Your success in using them for marketing depends on their relevancy to your field, and on your ability to act quickly.

Use the news to turn yourself into a proactive marketer.

Keith Thirgood, Creative Director

Capstone Communications Group

Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing

http://www.capstonecomm.com/

Markham, Ontario, Canada 905-472-2330

Subscribe to Thrive-on-line http://list.capstonecomm.com/ma il.cgi?f=list&l=thrive_on_line

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Google News Updated : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:49:19 GMT John McCain, Barack Obama on healthcare - Los Angeles Times Seattle Post Intelligencer John McCain, Barack Obama on healthcare Los Angeles Times - 21 minutes ago How workable are the presidential candidates' health reform plans? Here's a summary of their proposals and a list of online resources for more information. In this economy, don't count on comprehensive health reform Chicago Tribune Fact Check: Would Obama fine businesses that don't offer health care? CNN Political Ticker The New American - The Associated Press - MarketWatch - NJBIZ all 1,686 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:27:40 GMT Conflict Resolution Marked Career of Nobel Laureate Martti Ahtisaari - Voice of America BBC News Conflict Resolution Marked Career of Nobel Laureate Martti Ahtisaari Voice of America - 2 hours ago By Andre de Nesnera Conflict resolution marked the career of former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari who has received this year's Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to secure peace in various regions of the world. Video: Ex-Finland President Wins Nobel Peace Prize AssociatedPress Martti Ahtisaari gets a deserved Nobel Peace Prize for a (failed) plan Times Online The Associated Press - Sydney Morning Herald - TIME - AFP all 1,240 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:23:27 GMT Emptying the Pac-10 notebook - ESPN Los Angeles Times Emptying the Pac-10 notebook ESPN - 1 hour ago USC is a perfect 8-0 vs ASU this decade, last losing to the Sun Devils in 1999. Over the 8 wins, USC has averaged 39.8 PPG. The Trojans are going for their 400th victory at the Coliseum. Trojans sense an opportunity with Arizona State Los Angeles Times USC, ASU to avoid second Pac-10 loss International Herald Tribune AZ Central.com - East Valley Tribune - Arizona Republic - Examiner.com all 266 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:31:02 GMT Two Banks in Midwest Fail - Wall Street Journal WWJ Two Banks in Midwest Fail Wall Street Journal - 35 minutes ago By JEFF BATER WASHINGTON -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday announced the closings of two banks, bringing to 15 the number of federally insured banks that have failed this year. Two banks fold, bringing total to 15 failures this year MarketWatch Regulators shut small banks in Mich., Ill. Forbes Bloomberg - Reuters - Detroit Free Press - WWJ all 37 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:14:00 GMT GOP Alleges Nonprofit Voter Fraud - CBS News Boston Globe GOP Alleges Nonprofit Voter Fraud CBS News - 27 minutes ago (CBS) This week Sen. John McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, went after one of the nation's leading voter registration groups which focuses its efforts minorities and low-income families and now being investigated for voter fraud. McCain Campaign Calls for Investigation of ACORN-Obama Ties Washington Post Voter fraud accusations mar presidential campaign The Associated Press New York Times - AFP - Chicago Tribune - Huffington Post all 1,109 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:21:41 GMT Wall Street, markets continue roller coaster - Bizjournals.com NEWS.com.au Wall Street, markets continue roller coaster Bizjournals.com - 2 hours ago A roller coaster week on Wall Street ended with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 128 points Friday after bouncing back from almost 700 points down in the day. Video: Wild Swings Drive Morning Trading AssociatedPress Worst Week on Wall Street Ends Down ABC News WMBB-TV - Washington Post - WMDT - NEWS.com.au all 2,033 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:29:25 GMT Notes on a Milk Scandal - Wall Street Journal Canada.com Notes on a Milk Scandal Wall Street Journal - 5 hours ago By JOSEPH STERNBERG | FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA It's a question I'd never expected to spend much time thinking about. France pulls tainted Chinese food BBC News Tainted milk prompts new Chinese standards United Press International Voice of America - The Associated Press - Xinhua - RedOrbit all 2,270 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:28:15 GMT RSS Feed Reader Increase Online Traffic

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