Introduction

PR – Press Releases

Even though local media outlets have lost some of their marketing shine, it still pays to get free press for your business. Local media still touches a wide demographic but mostly older people consume it regularly. There is also a bit of clout that comes from newspaper coverage. Anyone can post on Facebook, not everyone can get in the newspaper. If your organization has something newsworthy, it’s a good idea to put out a press release. You can find templates for press releases all over the Internet. Keep in mind the goal with all marketing is to get someone’s attention. If you write press releases about non newsworthy things or write them in a boring way, you are likely going to be ignored by the press. 

Press Releases are essentially news summaries for media outlets to review and consider. News  organizations will republish press releases and some use it as a starting point for their content  and will schedule an interview with your business. Any organization that might want to send press releases should start and update a list of potential media outlets to send press releases to. Since time is usually of the essence with the news, you will want this ready before you need it. In our small local market, we have lots of turnover in media staffing, so it’s important to periodically update that list. 

Relationships help get press releases covered. If you have provided good news events for outlets in the past, they will be more likely to work with you in the future. If you send pointless press releases regularly, it is more likely that you will get passed over or ignored in the future. Journalists work under demanding deadlines, so you may have to relax your expectations and work with them to get your press release published.

Also, look at other local organizations that might help you push out your press releases. Check with your local chamber of commerce. These organizations regularly share press releases from member businesses.

In the broad realm, a well placed story on a major news outlet or blog can turn someone’s business fortunes quickly. If you earn exposure in a local news source, you usually get three coverages: The story in print/video, an article on their website, and a post on their social media page. Research the writers you want to contact and identify them by looking at their topics and see how you can contact them in a way that is meaningful to them. Consider what social media they use or things they care about. If there are multiple reporters to work with and one of them cares about dogs and our topic is about dogs, focus on that.

A lot of people want to talk to journalists, so make yourself stand out. Approach them via email/social/phone call with a concept for a story they can write about, or something that makes it unique. Be prepared for them, with time to talk, images they can use, or quotes they can pull. 

This blog post is a portion of Attention and Action. The book walks you through the marketing process that Adelsberger Marketing follows with its clients. You can read this book for free as a blog on the Adelsberger Marketing website or purchase on Amazon.com

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Sponsorships and Community Involvement

Sponsorships and Community Involvement

A great way to promote your company and invest in your community is through community sponsorships. These range from sponsoring a nonprofit 5k, supporting your local Chamber of Commerce, or even helping the school system provide needed supplies for teachers.

Why should you spend your company dollars this way? 

1. You are successful because your community purchases from you. Reinvesting with them is a sensible thing to do unless you are a robber baron (industrialists whose business practices were often considered ruthless or unethical). Reinvesting in your community allows the community to survive financially. 

2. It allows you to activate an audience that cares about a topic. If you donate to a nonprofit that a subset of your community cares about, you are likely to build a relationship with that audience and increase word of mouth advertising.

3. It can be a way to help motivate your team. People care about more than just profitability; everyone has a social cause that they care about. If you can involve your team in the donations or at least sell them on the mission of the donation, it can help team morale, retain talent, make your organization an attractive place to work, and give them something to be proud of in their work. It is likely that you will get lots and lots of requests for sponsorship dollars. Consider what you care about to help winnow those requests down. If you are not passionate about music, maybe avoid giving to the orchestra, but if you are passionate about the visual arts, donate there. For example, Adelsberger Marketing works with CASA because my wife and I have been foster parents for years and are passionate about it.

A second way to be involved in the community is to allow your team members to serve on committees or boards. While there might not be a direct financial cost, sharing the brain and hands of your team with organizations that need it is important. Boards are a good way to give back and a nice way to network. Because everyone is there for the same reason, networking is natural in these situations. Networking can lead to new relationships, referrals, and talent acquisition.  

This blog post is a portion of Attention and Action. The book walks you through the marketing process that Adelsberger Marketing follows with its clients. You can read this book for free as a blog on the Adelsberger Marketing website or purchase on Amazon.com

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Good Times at Gerdau

It is a surreal feeling to be standing near what looks like and feels like man made lightning. But that is exactly what you experience in the bowels of the melt shop at the Gerdau Steel Mill in Jackson, Tennessee. Gerdau hired Adelsberger Marketing to come in and create a new library of images and video for use locally and for their corporate office. We had an adventure over two days in safety gear exploring all facets of the mill. (In the height of summer among molten and piping hot steel.)

The Gerdau team did a fantastic job of keeping us safe during the entire excursion, even though Kevin was constantly trying to get in trouble. We were even able to get the drone involved for some of the exterior work. 

We paired our on the ground work with design back in the office and helped develop some advertising options for Gerdau to use in the Jackson area. This is one of our favorite shots that we took just before our camera overheated!

A few years ago Kevin was on a tour of the facility with Leadership Jackson and at that time, he asked for a chance to go in the skycrane. That request was quickly rejected by the tour guide, but 6 years later, Kevin finally made his way into the sky crane!

We really enjoyed working with Gerdau. As an international company, it was fun to work with their corporate marketing department and the local representatives to help document this mill. It’s fun knowing our photo, video, and design could be used here in Jackson, in Florida at Corporate or down in Brazil at the company headquarters.