Often clients come to me because they truly want to get the recognition they deserve in the form of publicity online and in the media. This is an important step in building your brand awareness and increasing credibility. At the same time there are often key foundational pieces missing. Pieces that need to be in place before you really start creating publicity buzz. When this is the case, we work together to build a solid marketing foundation and image to prepare for the recognition you deserve.

It’s important to be ready for publicity because publicity is more valuable than paid advertising and it’s more believable. This means that the right publicity can bring you more customers and create immediate trust. It can also be the most cost effective way to build brand and business buzz when you have a clear plan and strategy. BUT, you do need to be ready and I often see people trying to get publicity when it’s just not time yet.

Here are the top five reasons your business might not be ready for publicity.

1)   You haven’t truly defined what success means to you. This could take the form of not knowing what it looks and feels like and it could also mean that you don’t know how to measure success.

2)   You don’t REALLY have a plan. This could mean that you have a loose business plan but you haven’t fully looked at your big picture plan to create the lifestyle of your dreams personally and professionally.

3)   Your website isn’t up to par. This could mean that your site is lacking key information that your business needs to appear credible to the general public and to the media

4)   You haven’t identified “newsworthy” items within your business and are not sure how to leverage them into news

5)   You don’t have publicity plan. This could mean you don’t know how to craft a press release that will be media worthy and/or you don’t know where to start when it comes to submitting your press release both online and offline.

Take a moment to assess your business. Ask yourself:

• What does success TRULY mean to me?
• Do I have big picture plan to support my ideal life (personally and professionally)?
• What could I do to improve my website today so I’m ready for publicity?
• Do I have a publicity plan and/or is that realistic for my business right now?
• Should I consider Marketing Success tools to make my dreams a reality and what do I need to have in place to be READY?