Visibility, Credibility and Position
Through Articles and Celebrity Testimonials
By Kathleen
Gage
Date: Saturday 5:46 am
A huge problem for many people who are
working on market visibility
and position is the amount of competition vying for the same market.
An extremely effective strategy for gaining visibility is by writing
articles. This positions you as more of an expert and valuable
resource rather than "just another" vendor or salesperson.
Writing articles is a great way to niche
yourself as an expert in
your field or specific industry. By providing practical information,
you can reach specific audiences. This can create exciting
opportunities for you and your business.
The great thing is you can begin immediately
to utilize the power of
articles. Many people believe you have to wait until an editor
approaches you before you can be published. In today's world of
technology, you can write and article in the morning and by afternoon
reach thousands of folks all over the world.
Not only can you submit articles to various
resources online, you can
also use articles in a press kit, marketing kit and as a service to
your client base. Additionally, you can start you own e-zine (online
newsletter).
A simple search on the Internet of your
area of interest and the word
newsletter in that search will bring up countless places looking for
well-written articles.
If you are a good writer and your information
is valuable, other
people actually help you to reach more people by sending them a copy
of the article or sending a link to your article or e-zine. I have
had numerous experiences where my clients so liked an article they
would duplicate it and send it to their client base. The only thing
I
require when someone does that is they include by byline. (Definition
and example below)
This is a fantastic way to gain an even
greater reach with my
information. The fact that it is sent out by my client to their
clients lends itself to even more credibility.
Another great way to gain massive credibility
is through celebrity
testimonials. Recently, I had the opportunity to write an article
about Hot Rod Hundley. A former NBA All Star player, Hall of Fame
winner and the Voice of the Utah Jazz, Hot Rod Hundley graciously
shared his upbringing, some of his professional experiences and
shared stories about his dentist, Dr. Scott Kiser. The fact that a
well-known figure like Hot Rod, who is considered one of the greats
in the NBA shared his experiences about Dr. Kiser is one of the best
endorsements a dentist can get. To read the full article click
http://www.greatsmilesutah.com/spotlight.htm
Types of articles for promotions and publicity:
-Tips
-How To
-Column
-Interviews
When asked to write an article you absolutely
must make sure to keep
articles at the length requested by the editor. If they ask for 500
words, then give them 500 words. They know exactly what they need and
if you can accommodate them, there is a greater chance you will be
asked to write for them again. They have specific areas in their
publication they must fill and if you give them too much, or too
little, you make their job more difficult. The idea is to make their
job as easy as possible.
Secondly, make sure the articles are well
written. No typos, good
sentence structure, no misspelled words. Although I consider myself
to be a very good writer, with many of my articles I send my
information to my editor to tighten up the information.
Always submit your work by the deadline
given. If possible, get it to
the editor before their deadline. Again, this makes their job easier.
Keep in mind that once something is in
written form, there is no
turning back. You never know how long the life of an article is, nor
do you know how many people might see the article. That is why it may
pay to have your own professional editor.
Study the publication for which you would
like to write. There is no
point to write for a publication that doesn't reach your target
market. Again, this is about gaining exposure within your market.
When I first started writing for publicity, I would write for just
about any publication and often on topics that, although qualified to
write on, were not focused on the area I wanted recognition as an
expert. I soon came to realize that this was a waste of time, money
and energy. Now, being fully focused, I am getting extremely great
results.
I mentioned a byline. Simply put, that
is the section at the end of
the article that tells readers a bit about you. In many cases you
will be allowed to include your contact information such as a phone
number, email address and web address. If given a choice between the
three, I will put the web address over the other items. My website
can provide even more information about my company and the services
I
provide.
Sample Byline
Kathleen Gage is a business advisor, keynote speaker, and trainer
that helps others gain market dominance and visibility within their
market. Call 801.619.1514 or e-Mail
kathleen@t... . Get Gage's FREE 4 day online
marketing course by visiting www.kathleengage.com.
About the author
Kathleen Gage is a an award winning business advisor, keynote
speaker, and trainer that helps others gain dominance and visibility
within their market. She is the 2004 Giant Step Award recipient for
business creativity and success. Call 801.619.1514 or e-Mail
kathleen@t... . Get Gage's FREE marketing
e-zine
by visiting www.kathleengage.com.
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