Important message to subscribers of this blog

Recently I got some very good advice from someone concerning this blog. He suggested that if I stay with blogger, I'd wind up painting myself into a corner. He suggested I use WordPress instead.

I looked into WordPress and I saw how correct he was.

So, I've switched.

Problem is that I don't think I can transfer the subscribers of this blog over to the WordPress blog.

That means that if you'd like to keep getting this blog in a feed, you'll have to subscribe again.

Yeah, I know. That's just what you need. Another time wasting task to take care of.

I'm sure sorry, but it'll just take a few seconds.

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This will be the last message from this blog.

Thanks for sticking with me. I've got plenty of information to share with you at my new location.

Paul

The Good News and Bad News About Publicity

For a good while now I’ve been talking about publicity and celebrity status. I’m doing this because of the enormous shift that’s taken place in the way people get publicity, recognition and business.

I mentioned in an earlier post that we have switched from being a credential society to a celebrity obsessed society. Like it or not, that’s the way it is. If you refuse to recognize that, your business and your publicity efforts will suffer.

I mentioned how easy it is to become a “celebrity” - whether you’re going to be a celebrity grocer, auto mechanic, dentist, accountant, interior decorator or whatever. Publicity automatically gives you that celebrity status. You don’t have to do anything special to get it. It’s the greatest bonus in the world.

Now for the good news about publicity. If you know how to get and use publicity properly and your competition doesn’t, you win. I don’t care how big your competitor is or how well established they are. You know how to use the most powerful marketing tool in existence - publicity. So you win.

And the bad news. If you don’t know how to get and use publicity and your competition does, you lose. I don’t care how big you are or how well established, you lose.

We are in a true David and Goliath situation right now. I see it lasting for a long, long time. The rules have changed. If you haven’t changed, life is going to be more difficult than it has to be - and it’ll only get worse.

I don’t want to make it sound like publicity is the end all and be all of marketing. But I do want to make it perfectly clear that it is the most powerful marketing tool you have available to you. It’s also the most powerful marketing tool your competiton has available.

The winner is the one who learns how to use publicity correctly - and who puts it to use.

Me, Paris Hilton and Your Publicity Campaigns

I despise Paris Hilton and everything she represents.

That's an emotional response.

I also admire Hilton and her ability to draw the attention of the media better than anyone else on this planet.

That's the reality.

I spoke about emotional response vs. reality earlier in these posts. If you haven't read it, do that right now. It's critical to understanding this whole concept.

You may not like the idea that Paris Hilton attracts the media better than anyone on this planet. You may think it's not right. You may think it points to the ills of current society.

All of that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the reality - she DOES attract the media better than anyone else on this planet - and because of that, she earns $6.5 million a year simply showing up at parties, night clubs, etc.

You don't make $6.5 million - and you're intelligent!

You can crank about "what should be" - and you'll lose. Or you can acknowledge what is - and you'll win. This is how you must plan your publicity campaigns.

More on this next time. I'll have some good news - or maybe some bad news for you. Depends on how you look at it.

In the meantime, if you don't already have my publicity kit, you're wasting publicity opportunities every single day. Go to: www.MillionDollarPublicity.com, join my publicity family and start enjoying the benefits.

See you next time.

The puppy on my desk

I just sent out the latest issue of my publicity ezine. At the end of the issue I mentioned that I have a sick, 8-week-old puppy wrapped in my fleece sweatpants, sitting on my desk like a little ornament.

Within minutes of sending out that issue I started receiving requests to post her photo.

Good idea! Here she is.

Her name is Dagney. Yep, after the main character in Ayn Rand's incredible book, Atlas Shrugged. Dagney has had a rough few weeks of her new life.

We got her in two weeks ago. I've developed an incredibly sharp sense of picking up when things aren't right with dogs. As soon as I saw Dagney, I felt something was wrong. She was acting perfectly normal. Running around, eating, pooping (that's an important one), etc.

I still wasn't happy.

I ran a test for Parvo on her. Eight minutes later it came back posititive.

Parvo is a viral disease in puppies that's fatal over 80% of the time.

Within 10 minutes I had her, her brother and sister at the vet.

Five days later, all three came back to our kennel, all alive and well because we picked up the problem so early.

Then Dagney came down with kennel cough - a fairly routine, cold-like disease in dogs.

So, I gave her her medicine, wrapped her up in my sweat pants and propped her up in front of me while I work on my computer.

I'll keep you posted on how Dagney is doing.

But before I close I want to thank Dr. Richard Orzeck, a veterinarian from upstate New York, who let me know about the 8-minute Parvo test. So far, the tests he sent me have saved the lives of seven puppies. Pretty powerful stuff!

That's it for now. Dagney wants some attention.

The problem with B-to-B

You probably have heard the terms B-to-B (business-to-business) and B-to-C (business-to-consumer). People talk about them like they are very different. Some people say "I'm in a B-to-B business".

Not only is that's wrong, it can be a significant problem for you and your business. It can be costing you a bundle of money.

There is no such thing as B-to-B. ALL businesses are B-to-C. Your customer may be a business owner, but he is still a customer. He may be buying business supplies, printing, telephone equipment - whatever. He is still a customer.

What does this have to do with publicity?

Many people feel they can get publicity in trade journals. They send press releases to specific publications that are read by owners of businesses in that field. For example, they may send press releases about computers to publications read by printers.

Good idea. Trade publications are great sources of publicity.

The problem is that the person sending the press release assumes that the printers understand a lot about the computers because they are business owners.

Big mistake. Yes, they may be business owners, but they own printing businesses, not computer businesses. They probably know very little about computers. They probably know even less about how computers can help their business.

If you send out press releases to trade publications assuming the people reading them are business owners, so they will understand more than a "regular consumer", you'll miss the target, miss publicity opportunities and miss out on profits.

There is no difference whatsoever between businesses and consumers - they are all consumers. Some consumers also own businesses.

Don't fall into that trap. When you write your press releases to trade publications, always visualize the business owners as your customers - which they are.

Next time I'm going to tell you why I despise Paris Hilton - and why I admire her.

My annual Turkey Shoot is done

Thanksgiving is over. Hope yours was as good as mine.

Lots of friends and family. Loads of laughs. Plenty of food. A pile of delicious leftovers.

But the first thing I did on Thanksgiving day was an annual, important event in my life - my annual Turkey Shoot.

Here are the details:

Every one of us has people in our life who try to bring us down. Maybe they ridicule you. Maybe they're negative thinkers. Maybe they remind you of your failures over and over. Maybe they tell you over and over to stop dreaming and start being realistic.

They're turkeys. Being an animal lover, I hate giving such a negative stereotype to an animal that doesn't deserve it, but society has taken over the word and used it to define people who shouldn't be in your life. The whiners. The complainers. The people who come up with endless excuses for their pitiful positions in life. The losers.

They have no place in my life - or yours.

Thus, the Turkey Shoot.

I have a database file of all of my friends, business associates, vendors, etc. Every Thanksgiving morning I go through that file, looking for turkeys. Looking for the people who are trying to hold me back. People who are getting in the way of me moving ahead.

I then press the "delete" button on my computer - and they're out of my life. I make the deletion permanent. All of their contact information is gone with just one button. I don't keep any backups in case I change my mind.

As I'm going through my database, the turkeys jump out at me. They're very obvious.

They're trouble - for you, for me, for our success.

Zap! They're gone.

I don't make any announcement. I told tell the turkeys they're out of my life. They just don't hear from me again.

It's like pulling a thorn out of my foot. I instantly feel better.

Last year I zapped one especially aggravating "friend". The second I pressed that "delete" button, I felt the thorn come out of my foot. My life was noticeably better this past year.

You have to do the same thing. Get rid of the petty, jealous, negative, bitter, angry people in your life. Even though Thanksgiving has just past, you can still have your own Turkey Shoot any time you'd like.

So, get your delete finger ready. Or get your eraser ready. Or whatever you need to permanently get the losers out of your life. Then, next year, let me know how much better this coming year was.

Next time I'll tell you why the whole concept of business-to-business (b-to-b) is not only false, it's dangerous. Of course, I'll tell you how it relates to your publicity campaigns - and how it can be doing damage to them.

The publicity book you've got to read or suffer the consequences

I hope you're having a good Thanksgiving. Dinner is still a little while off for me, so I've got some time to talk with you.

Last time I told you about a publicity book you've got to read. Better yet, keep it in your library and read it every once in a while.

It's about advertising and publicity. It's all about how traditional advertising is increasing in cost and decreasing in response - how the trend has been heading this way for a long time. And it's getting worse.

The title of the book is "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR". It's by Al and Laura Ries.

You won't learn anything about how to get publicity, how to write press releases, etc. That's not the purpose of the book.

The whole premise of the book is that traditional advertising is going to continue to be more costly while being less effective. Business owners who don't learn how to get and use publicity will be at a very strong disadvantage. It's going to take an enormous bank account to be able to pay for enough traditional advertising to keep a business afloat and growing.

Publicity, on the other hand, is free - or at worst very, very inexpensive.

I show my publicity students how to get nationwide publicity campaigns out for about $10.

Get the book. Read it. Learn the lessons it teaches you and then put them into action.

Next, I'm going to tell you about an annual Thanksgiving tradition I have. Been doing it for many, many years.

I call it a turkey shoot.

Now don't get your undies in a bundle. You know how much of an animal lover I am. This has nothing to do with shooting turkeys - or any other animal for that matter.

It's something you should - no must - be doing.

Don't miss it.

Have a wonderful holiday.