Inside Small Business » 2007

Building Buzz through PR: What’s Your Hook?

Inside Small Business | July 10th, 2007

Tirza Wibel, Principal BrandBloomSo you launched a new business, revamped an existing company or perhaps created a new product. You want to get the word out about it and build some excitement. Perhaps your plan is to send out a routine press release, hoping that media will “bite” and choose to run your news.But wait – before you start writing the standard boring press release – consider your hook. A hook is the story behind your news – the thing that takes it from being just another business announcement and turns it into a story. A story worthy of media coverage.To find your hook think about your business, your background and your clients. Consider the story behind the news you want to announce and what about your news makes for a good feature. The media looks for stories, not new product announcements, and once you uncover the story behind your news, you’ll be on your way to securing bigger and better media coverage.When you find your hook you’ll want to present it to the media and include your business announcement as part of the bigger story or hook. Send a quick email to relevant media and present your story idea and how your new business relates. Offer yourself as an expert source for other stories on related topics and offer to help connect them with other relevant sources such as some of your clients.Once you move from sending out standard press releases, and take the time to first develop a story idea related to your news, you’ll discover the power of publicity done right.

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Choosing a good IT support consultant

Inside Small Business | July 5th, 2007

David Grenda, Founder, Grenda Computer Consulting

Unfortunately for the busy business owner, computers and technology may be the best example possible of the term “six of one, a half-dozen of the other”. It seems that for any given computing issue or topic, each person you talk to will have a different opinion. And quite often there are multiple options that will address an issue. This doesn’t make things any easier for a business evaluating solutions, especially when the evaluator may be less than comfortable understanding the option being offered.

Additionally, there is perhaps no faster changing discipline than business technology. Consider its necessity to everyone’s business and you can see why qualified IT guidance is as valuable as any other professional service you enlist.

What to look for in a consultant? Here are some key indicators. They should not exclusively represent or sell a particular product line, unless you are in the market for exactly such a product. They should be patient, and answer all your questions in terms you can understand. If you sense they are trying to impress you with techno-speak, steer clear. A good IT consultant will include guarantees their solution will solve the business problem at hand. Someone who will make this offer has enough confidence and experience to know their solutions work.

One of the most frequent situations I encounter is unraveling the problems caused by the well meaning but misinformed friend or relative that “knows a lot about computers”. It’s natural to lean toward someone we trust, but often the project requirements quickly outpace their abilities and you are left with a damaged relationship and a poor solution. Talk to other business owners and get a recommendation on someone they might use. A good IT consultant’s work comes primarily from referral. Everyone needs computer help, and if you are competent the word gets around.

Last, remember that a good consultant is going to become part of your business team, not just fix a printer and go away. They will get to know you and your business and really care about your success. They will answer the phone or return your calls promptly, and remember one conversation to the next. If you’ve ever spent your own valuable hours on hold for tech support, only to encounter uncaring help that doesn’t really solve your problem, you will quickly appreciate what an asset the right IT consultant can be.

www.grenda.com