In my last post I mentioned building your brand through PR. I thought it would be a good subject to discuss with you. I’ve always believed in practicing what I preach as I’ve been helping clients secure PR, train them how to talk to the media, etc. for nearly the last 15 years.
I spent time doing this for my business as well, but to be honest, it wasn’t until the last couple of years that I really started devoting a lot of my time to it. It’s really not that uncommon, when you have an expertise in something, you often spend more time helping others, than talking about what you do. It happens in the consulting, advertising and PR business all the time.
And it wasn’t until green and LOHAS started becoming more recognizable by companies that I really saw first-hand, the power of PR. Now, I’ve served as a spokesperson, conducted interviews, etc. for years, even before I built my company, but never saw such an explosion of green articles and stories that I could really comment on. So I started submitting articles, speaking, etc. And, was excited to see how quickly I was generating leads from articles on topics that matter most to people—how to reach and understand this green consumer.
The model I followed was really no different than I teach my clients and I decided to document it in my Homestudy Course as well. It really is just about building your brand through one of the oldest and free vehicles that has an automatic, built-in, third-party endorsement. If you’re not already writing articles or even submitting your name as a resource to the press, you may want to consider it.
Take a look at my article at www.greenlodgingnews.com about how to secure PR when there isn’t any news. The ideas can work for most any business looking to target reporters covering green. And by the way, it’s important to realize that many times the reporters may not understand what you are telling them, so use laymen’s terms and avoid being misquoted by re-phrasing the question.
PR is really one of the most cost-effective ways to build your green brand. Just take some time to find the stories that you can be considered the expert. And, don’t forget to really take the time to become a good resource to the press. It will keep them coming back to you for future stories as it relates to green and health issues. Once you know the trends, you’re even more in the drivers’ seat.
I’ll be sharing more about trends and this core green consumer—a $230 billion marketplace—on November 17th on my free teleseminar.
Helping You Understand and Profit From Consumer Health and Green Trends
Colette Chandler
