Not only does it work, but it isn't rocket science. I'm here to tell you that even if you're too small, too hands-on, budget-crunched, cynical -- or whatever -- to hire a high-powered (or even medium-powered) PR firm, you can still get the power of publicity working for you to build your business.

 

And you can do this with only modest (downright cheap, compared to advertising) investment and resources on your part. Because if you can do two things --  two things I am positive you can do -- you can attract media attention like a magnet. And you can use that publicity to: 

The two things you need to do in order to succeed at the publicity game are this: know how to service a client, and know how to get a client. Because it turns out that the whole business of attracting publicity, as intimidating or inaccessible as it may seem to the uninitiated, involves exactly the same skills you use in business every day:

How can I be so sure you can do these things? Simple. You or your firm wouldn't be in business if you didn't do them on a regular basis.

 

I'll repeat my message: if you are good -- excellence is not necessary -- at providing service to your clients and you have even a lick of ability to sign up a new client, you have what it takes to attract publicity for your business.

 

In this monthly column, I'm going to take the mystery out of the publicity game. I'm going to show you how to get more media coverage, and use that publicity as a tool to grow your practice. But first, I want to review briefly why publicity is a good idea.

 

Here's what happens now when one of your competitors is featured or quoted in the local newspaper. Your neighbor thinks, "Wow, that guy must be good. They put him in the newspaper."

 

You think: "Why did they call him? I know that topic much better."

 

Truth is, nothing bestows credibility like media coverage. Think about it. How often have you clipped something from the newspaper or a trade magazine, or jotted down something you heard on a radio or TV talk show? Perhaps you shared it with a colleague or family member, or filed it away for future reference.

 

The point is, that bit of information made an impact on you. It stuck with you, because you saw it in the paper. The writers and editors of a publication you respect and trust -- whether The Wall Street Journal or your local community newspaper -- evaluated that information and its source, determined that it met their publishing standards, and decided it was worthy to pass along to you, their valued customer. When you see something in print, you give it more credence -- because a professional journalist has pre-screened it for you. The information has credibility.

 

And that's just what prospects will do when they hear about you in the media. Even better, they'll call you to learn more, or to inquire about your services. Not everyone who sees your publicity. Not even most of them. But enough to keep your phone ringing, and your business growing, for as long as you keep playing the publicity game.

 

Advertising is great -- when you can afford it. Nothing builds visibility and recognition faster. But publicity gives you credibility, something that money literally cannot buy. Because publicity is free. Unlike advertising, you don't pay a cent (unless you encounter the occasional shady outlet) for visibility in the news and information columns of newspapers, magazines, or TV.
 
You just have to be reasonably -- not exceptionally -- good at what you do. You have to know your stuff, and you have to communicate it effectively. If you're a natural salesperson who loves to pitch to new prospects, so much the better -- but this is by no means essential.

 

This column, month by month, will show you how you can tap into the power of publicity. The operative words are "you can."

 

In this space, I will zero in on the real key to publicity success for accountants and consultants: knowing just how to turn your professional knowledge -- all that you do on the job every day -- into a tool that will have reporters calling you with offers of free publicity. There are scads of books and articles out there that talk about how to get publicity. Many are excellent -- yet they tend to focus on the mechanics of publicity, and the tactical advice they offer tends to be generic -- applying equally well to everyone from toymakers to restaurants to physicians, lawyers, and landscape artists. Here, we're going to cover the basic tactics and tools too -- you need to know them -- but we'll focus like a laser on what accountants and consultants can do to become media magnets.

 

So when the newspaper needs to interview an accountant, the call goes to you.

Return to Public Relations 101

NED STEELE, author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice, works with people in professional services who want to create a business development initiative and build their business. A former newspaper journalist and public relations firm head, he is president of Ned Steele’s MediaImpact. To learn more visit www.mediaimpact.biz, call 212-243-8383, or email him at info@mediaimpact.biz.