Public Relations

A Viral Video Drives Customers To Your Grand Opening

Viral Video Generates Business

Viral video can give your business the jump start it needs in this competitive world we live in. It is hard to generate publicity special for a grand opening.  Just telling people that you have a new store or service does not  mean they are moved to become promoters and share the information.

What you want to do is create a video or slide presentation that drives them to your Facebook fan page.  Convert these people into excited fans.   Once they become a fan, you can provide them with your store grand opening activities.  Explain to them why your business is better, more efficient, convert these people into loyal customers.  Tell these people how your business helps the community and encourage them to share the information.

This is free advertising.

Do you realize, that if your family shares your viral video, it can reach hundreds if not thousands of people, in just a couple days.

Have a contest among employees to see on whom can create a video that goes viral.  Set some guidelines about how they represent the company and give an award to the person who gets the most videos.  Just imagine, you have 20 employees working for you and five of them make a video.  You have the potential to communicate thousands of views and you did not do anything but create the contest.

Just recently, a group of entertainer‘s made a friendly wager on who can get the most YouTube video views.  At the end of the video, we are promoting our Facebook fan page.  Hundreds, now moving into the thousands, are seeing these videos, and it only took us a couple hours to do it.

Remember to  promote the viral video on Twitter and LinkedIn. Use all the tools available to you to get the word out about your grand opening.

Here was my submission.  Again, the goal is to draw attention to your business.  Give people a reason to join your Facebook page then once they join start telling them about all the fun and excitement that is happening at your grand opening.

Quick Way To Have Flyers for Grand Opening Made

Inexpensive way to have Grand Opening Flyers Designed

Companies first starting out are always under tight budget constraints and don’t always have the time and personnel to help them with creating flyers or announcements.  Here is a quick and inexpensive way to have flyers, business cards, and posters designed without breaking the bank.

Fiverr.com is a place for people to share things they’re willing to do for $5.00: Funny and bizarre, social marketing, graphics, advertising, technology, business project all can be hired for $5.00.  Imagine you want to have a simple flyer made advertising your grand opening to use on social media networks.  Instead of wasting time doing it yourself, spend $5.00 and have a professional build a poster or flyer for you in 2-3 days.  Most designers will allow one to six revisions to a flyer, but the nice part is that this is throw away marketing material.  This is a once in a life time flyer.  Don’t spend countless hours designing it, have something created that is professional looking and be finished.  Then use it to market your business grand opening and move on.

There will come a time when you will need a professional graphic designer to build custom advertising, but for now the key is creating a flyer and getting the word out to the public that you’re open.

Yelp Now Open

Yelp Now Open and Get Reviews

Did you Yelp “Now Open” and seek reviews encouraging people to talk about your business? People have been watching how your business develops and are anticipating your opening.  Your business is the talk of the business in town, local residents and among family members driving by your business.  Think of how many times you have said to a family member “You know the _____ store on _______ street is now open.”

Shelves stock to compactly, staff is friendly, and there is excitement of the grand opening, so why not encourage people to review your business?  Yelp’s online community can spread the word faster about a business then the 10-foot rented hot air balloon with a sign on it reading “Now Open” that sits on the parkway.

Encourage them to Yelp Now Open

Strategically place signs that say “People love us on Yelp”. Plant the seed in their head when walking out the door.  Place a Yelp sign in the restrooms and say “Hey, if this bathroom is clean, Yelp it to the world.” Keep the grand opening buzz going by providing special offers for people who use Yelp Check-in Offers.

Yelp is a user review and recommendation website and mobile applet that allows users to rate their experience with a business. Exceeding 15 million reviews of business, new business should encourage customers to Yelp about their experience and should monitor its reviews.

Manage your Yelp Image

Customers will be reviewing your business staff, product and service.  Consider them as micro managers who’s criticisms will dictate the longevity of your business. Address Yelp criticisms with employees to correct problems and improve services.  Look upon Yelp as a business tool to help fine-tune your business.  Include Yelp into your Grand Opening plans and take advantage of the free input that will help you build a successful business.

Launching a Successful PR TV campaign

Synopsis: To launch a successful TV PR campaign, you need to think like a TV producer.   Meet their needs and they will meet yours.

A TV-oriented public relations campaign has three primary components, you need to create a compelling visually-oriented story, be able to pitch it effectively and know who to pitch it to.   Most people think they know which story or pitch will work for them, but they’re generally wrong.  The story about why your product or service is so good usually misses the mark because it’s not a story that meets the media’s needs, or connects with your target audience.  You need to think like your customer thinks, more importantly, you need to think like a TV producer.  You have to think backwards.  What does your local TV news program, the Today Show or Oprah need?  Study them.  Make notes.  Now give them a visually-oriented pitch that fills that need.  Think in terms of personal stories, anecdotal stories that others can relate to, and talk in a language that the journalist you’re pitching will understand.  When pitching a TV show, think visually, what can you offer that has a visual component.  What can you come up with that would give them a compelling TV segment?

For example, we represented an acupuncturist who specialized in acupuncture facelifts.  TV producers loved this segment idea.  It wasn’t a surgical procedure, so it wasn’t going to be too graphic, they could interview the acupuncturist, the patient, show a bit of the procedure in process and then show some after shots.   It was visual, different, and had to do with health and beauty and offered them a good hook.  We represented a fitness trainer who stared in a how-to fitness video; the pitch there was summer fitness tips.  She could bring a client with her and show different at-home, quick, and easy exercises.  This proposed segment reached a large target market, was easy to shoot and offered an interesting visual component.

So to launch an effective TV-oriented PR or media relations campaign, keep your message in mind, but think in terms of meeting the media’s needs.  Be concise, be clear, keep it interesting and never ever forget that TV is a visual medium.

www.anthonymora.com

Subscribe to GrandOpeningHelp.com and keep getting tips and ideas on how to have a successful grand opening.

This post was submitted by Anthony Mora.

Recession-Proof PR

Hard economic times are, ironically, the best times to aggressively launch a PR campaign. When times are challenging, often one of the first decisions a business owner will make is put a halt to any and all marketing; where in reality, the most important time to market a service or a business is precisely during those slow periods. The Chinese symbol for danger is also the symbol for opportunity. If you’re smart, you’ll focus on the opportunity aspect. Think about it, when the economy is slow you, more than ever, want to reach your target market and separate yourself from the competition. Most business owners and entrepreneurs react in the typical knee- jerk way by climbing into their shell and waiting for business to improve. So these times offer even greater opportunities; while you competitors are in hiding, get yourself out there. Be creative. Think of ways to use the recession, or economic downturn as a part of your pitch. If you’re targeting the high-end market, focus on the most expensive product or service you offer. Go against the flow and offer the media a different type of story. If you’re targeting consumers that are being impacted by the economic downturn, come up with a unique cost-saving offer or market an unusual product or service. Each business will need a different approach, but keep in mind that doing nothing PR-wise during economic tough times, will result in just that – nothing.

For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

Subscribe to GrandOpeningHelp.com and keep getting tips and ideas on how to have a successful grand opening.

This post was submitted by Anthony Mora.