FEATURE ARTICLESEXTRA PLANNING AND EFFORT
FEATURE ARTICLESEXTRA PLANNING AND EFFORT
for promotion continues to rise. At the same time, promotional
budgets seem to get tighter. Additionally, the cost of a sales
call continues to rise, sometimes to over $500 per call.
Marketing has to find ways to increase the visibility of
the company and its products while maintaining the efficiency of
their budgets.
A very effective way to add to your credibility, increase
your visibility, and maximize your budgets is to place technical,
applications, and user articles in the press. Through
these articles your products or services receive mention in a
positive, credible manner, making prospects more receptive to
your messages. As a result, you have a very cost-effective
method of telling your story at considerable length. Your
products and your company get extensive third-party endorsement
in the form of editorial coverage, that can't be achieved in any
other manner.
Once the articles are published, you have some the the best
sales literature available--called reprints.
We feel that it is one of the most valuable services we
provide to our clients. We help them work with editors to
introduce new products, support on-going operations, extend the
use of their products, and reach specialized audiences with
tailored messages.
When you develop these feature articles, you actually
become an extension of the publication's editorial staff. You
tell a story about someone who was able to accomplish a certain
task by using your product. In this way, you get valuable
product exposure and endorsement.
The subjects for such feature articles can be found
anywhere. A few years ago a number of firms capitalized on their
products and services being used in the Olympics and during the
elections. Annual sports events and promotions can also provide
valuable feature article opportunities.
You Need Help
To develop such articles, work with your sales staff and
marketing representatives. They should be constantly checking
with customers to make certain that the customer is happy with
the product, and also to locate customers who have achieved
outstanding results or are using the product in a unique
application.
When you want to develop a feature article, define the
audience you want to reach, get all the facts from the customer
and their liaison company, and decide what slant the article
should take.
Just the Facts
Getting the facts requires asking the right questions. If
you're writing a user article--a news article where the user
discusses his or her application of your product--make the user
feel he or she is an important part of the story. Ask them about
their job, how long have they been doing that particular task,
and other work they have done in the past.
Also ask:
* About the company--its position in the industry, its
size, the products it manufactures, and the industries
it serves
* Why they first needed your product/services
* How they came about selecting your product/service over
the competition
* How they use the product
* What they like about the product and what they feel are
its most important features
* Other comments, discussions, and examples they can
provide regarding the products/services
After you've gathered all of the facts, consider what
types of organizations, and what people within those
organizations, will be interested in the material you have
assembled. Once this is determined, study the various magazines
in that industry to decide which ones best reach those
individuals. This will help you tailor the article not only to
the specific audience, but also to the specific publication or
publications.
Before you begin creating your article, prepare an outline.
This will aid you in establishing your priorities. It will also
help you to keep the central theme of the article in mind and
make the transitions between thoughts smoother and easier to
follow.
Solid Lead
A good lead to your article is essential. The lead has to
grab the reader's attention, just as the headline of your ads,
the first portions of your sales literature, and the first part
of your sales presentations do. It should stimulate the reader's
interest and give an indication of how he or she will benefit if
he or she reads the entire article.
The beginning of the article should give some introduction
to the concepts you are presenting, a background on the subject,
and an explanation of the problem or situation. Next, explain
how your product or service provided the solution to the problem.
Finally, close the article with some projection as to what is
going to happen in the future.
Once you've written your first draft of the article, set it
aside. After a few days, reread it as impartially as possible to
make certain it isn't a puff piece for your company, but really
has a message and value for the readers. If it doesn't, start
over.
Once you have determined that it is good and informative,
edit it for length and clarity. Once this is complete, circulate
the article through your technical staff to make certain that all
of the facts are accurate. Finally, send it to the organization
using the product that is being featured and obtain written
approvals from the company to use the article.
Key is Placement
Since you've established you audience at the outset, you
should have no trouble placing you well-written, reader-oriented
article. But don't expect miracles. The article won't appear in
the next week or even the next month. Publications have
editorial calendars and feature schedules, as well as a backlog
of other articles that are just as good as yours. You can expect
to wait three to six months before your article appears.
The editor may hold the article for a special issue of the
magazine that highlights that specific subject area. That means
your product or service will get even greater coverage and
readership.
Just as you compete against other organizations in your
field, publications compete against each other in their markets.
When you offer your technical, application, product feature, or
user article to a specific editor, it should be clearly
understood that you are offering it to that editor and that
editor alone. An editor does not want to go to a lot of trouble
giving you extensive editorial space only to see the article
appear at the same time or (worse yet) before his publication
date. If that occurs, don't expect any cooperation or support
from the editor for your company from then on.
Agency Advantage
A public relations agency will provide a decided advantage
in the development of these articles for many reasons. One
reason is that good writing is the first thing an editor will
look for once he or she decides that the subject matter is of
interest to the readers. He or she doesn't have the time nor the
resources to write all of the articles published every week or
month. If you've chosen the right agency, they will have the
expertise and capabilities to work with your engineers,
designers, and programmers to convey your message in a
professional manner.
There is also the matter of objectivity. Objectivity is
often difficult to attain within your organization because you
are often too close to the subject. The second-party objectivity
provided by an agency will usually result in a more meaningful
article for the editor and the readers, and ultimately for you as
well.
Next is the matter of experience. Your agency works with a
variety of different types of clients and publications all of the
time. They know how and where the article will have the greatest
acceptance and impact.
Finally, there's the matter of efficiency. The agency can
concentrate on one thing...getting your articles developed and
placed. They don't have to worry about product development
problems, customer problems, shipping problems, order problems,
and the myriad of other items that eat away at your day.
Not Free Advertising
Feature articles, no matter what their type, are a lot more
than simply product publicity or "free advertising." By
providing editors with good material for their readers, the
editors learn more about your company and its position in the
industry. You also present your organization and products in a
very positive manner.
With a little bit of extra effort you are going to be able
to educate and inform your prospective customers in a strong,
very believable manner. You'll be providing them with concepts
and facts that will help them improve their business and their
competitive position.
Everyone wins with your feature articles. You get valuable
exposure, publications provide an educational and informational
service to their readers, and the marketplace receives
information they can use in their day-to-day operations.
########
FEATURE ARTICLESEXTRA PLANNING AND EFFORT - To learn more about this author, visit Andy Marken's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
With competition becoming more aggressive, the necessity
for promotion continues to rise. At the same time, promotional
budgets seem to get tighter. Additionally, the cost of a sales
call continues to rise, sometimes to over $500 per call.
Marketing has to find ways to increase the visibility of
the company and its products while maintaining the efficiency of
their budgets.
A very effective way to add to your credibility, increase
your visibility, and maximize your budgets is to place technical,
applications, and user articles in the press. Through
these articles your products or services receive mention in a
positive, credible manner, making prospects more receptive to
your messages. As a result, you have a very cost-effective
method of telling your story at considerable length. Your
products and your company get extensive third-party endorsement
in the form of editorial coverage, that can't be achieved in any
other manner.
Once the articles are published, you have some the the best
sales literature available--called reprints.
We feel that it is one of the most valuable services we
provide to our clients. We help them work with editors to
introduce new products, support on-going operations, extend the
use of their products, and reach specialized audiences with
tailored messages.
When you develop these feature articles, you actually
become an extension of the publication's editorial staff. You
tell a story about someone who was able to accomplish a certain
task by using your product. In this way, you get valuable
product exposure and endorsement.
The subjects for such feature articles can be found
anywhere. A few years ago a number of firms capitalized on their
products and services being used in the Olympics and during the
elections. Annual sports events and promotions can also provide
valuable feature article opportunities.
You Need Help
To develop such articles, work with your sales staff and
marketing representatives. They should be constantly checking
with customers to make certain that the customer is happy with
the product, and also to locate customers who have achieved
outstanding results or are using the product in a unique
application.
When you want to develop a feature article, define the
audience you want to reach, get all the facts from the customer
and their liaison company, and decide what slant the article
should take.
Just the Facts
Getting the facts requires asking the right questions. If
you're writing a user article--a news article where the user
discusses his or her application of your product--make the user
feel he or she is an important part of the story. Ask them about
their job, how long have they been doing that particular task,
and other work they have done in the past.
Also ask:
* About the company--its position in the industry, its
size, the products it manufactures, and the industries
it serves
* Why they first needed your product/services
* How they came about selecting your product/service over
the competition
* How they use the product
* What they like about the product and what they feel are
its most important features
* Other comments, discussions, and examples they can
provide regarding the products/services
After you've gathered all of the facts, consider what
types of organizations, and what people within those
organizations, will be interested in the material you have
assembled. Once this is determined, study the various magazines
in that industry to decide which ones best reach those
individuals. This will help you tailor the article not only to
the specific audience, but also to the specific publication or
publications.
Before you begin creating your article, prepare an outline.
This will aid you in establishing your priorities. It will also
help you to keep the central theme of the article in mind and
make the transitions between thoughts smoother and easier to
follow.
Solid Lead
A good lead to your article is essential. The lead has to
grab the reader's attention, just as the headline of your ads,
the first portions of your sales literature, and the first part
of your sales presentations do. It should stimulate the reader's
interest and give an indication of how he or she will benefit if
he or she reads the entire article.
The beginning of the article should give some introduction
to the concepts you are presenting, a background on the subject,
and an explanation of the problem or situation. Next, explain
how your product or service provided the solution to the problem.
Finally, close the article with some projection as to what is
going to happen in the future.
Once you've written your first draft of the article, set it
aside. After a few days, reread it as impartially as possible to
make certain it isn't a puff piece for your company, but really
has a message and value for the readers. If it doesn't, start
over.
Once you have determined that it is good and informative,
edit it for length and clarity. Once this is complete, circulate
the article through your technical staff to make certain that all
of the facts are accurate. Finally, send it to the organization
using the product that is being featured and obtain written
approvals from the company to use the article.
Key is Placement
Since you've established you audience at the outset, you
should have no trouble placing you well-written, reader-oriented
article. But don't expect miracles. The article won't appear in
the next week or even the next month. Publications have
editorial calendars and feature schedules, as well as a backlog
of other articles that are just as good as yours. You can expect
to wait three to six months before your article appears.
The editor may hold the article for a special issue of the
magazine that highlights that specific subject area. That means
your product or service will get even greater coverage and
readership.
Just as you compete against other organizations in your
field, publications compete against each other in their markets.
When you offer your technical, application, product feature, or
user article to a specific editor, it should be clearly
understood that you are offering it to that editor and that
editor alone. An editor does not want to go to a lot of trouble
giving you extensive editorial space only to see the article
appear at the same time or (worse yet) before his publication
date. If that occurs, don't expect any cooperation or support
from the editor for your company from then on.
Agency Advantage
A public relations agency will provide a decided advantage
in the development of these articles for many reasons. One
reason is that good writing is the first thing an editor will
look for once he or she decides that the subject matter is of
interest to the readers. He or she doesn't have the time nor the
resources to write all of the articles published every week or
month. If you've chosen the right agency, they will have the
expertise and capabilities to work with your engineers,
designers, and programmers to convey your message in a
professional manner.
There is also the matter of objectivity. Objectivity is
often difficult to attain within your organization because you
are often too close to the subject. The second-party objectivity
provided by an agency will usually result in a more meaningful
article for the editor and the readers, and ultimately for you as
well.
Next is the matter of experience. Your agency works with a
variety of different types of clients and publications all of the
time. They know how and where the article will have the greatest
acceptance and impact.
Finally, there's the matter of efficiency. The agency can
concentrate on one thing...getting your articles developed and
placed. They don't have to worry about product development
problems, customer problems, shipping problems, order problems,
and the myriad of other items that eat away at your day.
Not Free Advertising
Feature articles, no matter what their type, are a lot more
than simply product publicity or "free advertising." By
providing editors with good material for their readers, the
editors learn more about your company and its position in the
industry. You also present your organization and products in a
very positive manner.
With a little bit of extra effort you are going to be able
to educate and inform your prospective customers in a strong,
very believable manner. You'll be providing them with concepts
and facts that will help them improve their business and their
competitive position.
Everyone wins with your feature articles. You get valuable
exposure, publications provide an educational and informational
service to their readers, and the marketplace receives
information they can use in their day-to-day operations.
########
FEATURE ARTICLESEXTRA PLANNING AND EFFORT - To learn more about this author, visit Andy Marken's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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