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Tech Image is in the business of helping our clients gain their unfair share of media coverage. Check out this section to see some of our latest successes. |
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Click Below to See Some Of the Top Placements
Sidebar: Three Ways to Communicate
by Mark D. Lutchen
Book (Excerpt)
Just as a company can have different key messages for different audiences, so too can those messages take different forms, depending on the venue used to deliver them. This article provides a good overview of the differences between using marketing, public relations, and other communications formats such as company meetings to deliver those messages.
Click here for full story.
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Gartner EXP Survey Shows CIOs Are Cautiously Optimistic Regarding Increased IT Spending in 2004
Global Survey Shows How CIOs are Preparing for the Upswing
CIOs look to be cautiously optimistic regarding the prospect of increased IT spending in 2004. Those are the results of a recent survey by Gartner EXP. While there's no sign of a return to the high flying days of 1999, the CIOs say an upturn in business could have a significant impact on spending, releasing a lot of pent-up demand.
[FULL STORY]
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Wi-Fi/Wireless Statistics
More signs that technology is on the rise again. According to research by In-Stat/MDR, wireless hot spots are popping up all over like mushrooms. Soon it seems no matter where you are in the world, you’ll be able to pop in for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a quick review of your e-mail. Check out these stats.
[FULL STORY]
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Partner Corner
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Worldcom Public Relations Group Names New Group Board Chair
Names Asia/Pacific and European Chairs, and Welcomes New Partner
As many of you know, Tech Image is a member of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s largest network of independent public relations agencies. The Group recently announced some new chairs and inducted a new member at its worldwide meeting in Australia, which Tech Image’s Mike Nikolich attended.
[FULL STORY]
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Survey Results
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Last month we asked how important thought leadership is in your PR mix. Half of the respondents said it is a cornerstone of their programs, while the rest participate occasionally. No one said they didn’t do it at all. For those who answered that they should do it more, Tech Image’s award-winning thought leadership program might be just the thing. Contact Dennis Collins at dennis.collins@techimage.com.
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Sales Promotion
Run Loud, Run Deep By Narrowcasting with Marketing & PR Programs
by Sales Acceleration Group
When designing sales promotion programs, often sales and marketing departments speak different languages – or don’t speak at all. And PR isn’t even considered a component of the sales promotion program. That can sink the best intentions of any marketing department.
Companies may want to consider narrowcasting their sales promotion effort to get all three groups - sales, marketing and PR - to run loud and run deep as they submerge themselves into a new market segment. Too often, marketing teams develop what they think are integrated marketing programs, but fail to coordinate with sales and PR teams. And nobody thinks to get a lead-generation team involved until the opportunity has passed. So while sales promotion and PR campaigns may win awards, they still fail to generate leads the sales team needs. That’s deadly in today’s economy, where wait-and-see purchasing attitudes persist.
WDI, a division of Brunswick Corporation, uses media coverage from its PR program to create a buzz that they then leverage through sales promotion efforts on their Web site and in brochures. WDI successfully penetrated the large-enterprise market for integration software in just 90 days through narrowcasting.
Here are four sales promotion best practices your company can use to run loud, run deep:
* Act in Concert– An Aberdeen study found that sales departments ignore up to 80 percent of lead generation and sales collateral developed by companies’ marketing departments. Marketing, PR and sales teams must work hand-in-hand in developing sales promotion tools that reinforce the same message.
* Understand Company’s Mission, Vision and Values– That same study found that sales people spend 40 to 60 hours each month re-creating customer-relevant materials. Eliminate this misdirected energy by designing every stage, tactic, and metric with the goal of closing sales faster.
* Create a Sales-Focused Culture – Sales promotion programs for target markets often lack direction from the sales team on the front end, or follow-through from the lead-generation team. However, by including the sales team early, and then having lead-generation specialists call on only the most profitable prospects identified through awareness campaigns, companies greatly increase the chances for success.
* Fill The Communications Gap – Prospects are hesitant to be the first to try something, so customer testimonials are crucial. Often the best reference is simply a sales promotion reprint of a news article on a customer using your product. PR clips give salespeople one more reason to talk to customers and prospects. This, in turn, creates an expanded PR cycle that pumps up the sales muscle and builds greater rewards through customer wins.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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