promotion

9 ways to use QR codes for PR, publicity & marketing

11/9/2010 By Joan 4 Comments

At first glance, it looks like a crossword puzzle that can appear almost as small as a postage stamp.

It’s a QR code, short for quick response. And it can be one of the most valuable tools in your PR arsenal.

QR codes, similar to bar codes that appear on packaged products, are used widely in Japan but are becoming a popular way for marketers to catch the attention of busy consumers. You can find them on everything from the sides of buses to the backs of business cards.

Mobile phones that have bar code scanning applications installed can “read” the code, which can have URLs and other information embedded. Within seconds, a visitor can arrive at your website to learn more about a product or service. The code you see at left should take you to Google.com. Make sure your phone can scan a QR code with its camera, either with an application that you download or via software that’s already installed on your phone.

How to Use QR Codes

Here are nine ways to use QR codes for publicity, PR and marketing:

Lead reporters to your online pressroom.
Point consumers to a press release.
Authors, use it to lead people to reviews for your books.
Speakers, use it at your website or on printed materials to send people who are considering hiring you to a short video demo.
Restaurants, print the code on your menus and let diners read about the specials of the day so they don’t have to wait for the waiter.
Take consumers to a video that demonstrates tips for using your product or service.
Nonprofits, you can use them to send visitors to a donations page.
Save money on expensive printed fliers or paid ads by taking people to a web page where they can find the same information.
Save money on ads in newspapers and magazines by inserting the QR code instead of a lot of text

Don’t Second-guess Your Customers

If you’re thinking, “But our customers won’t use this,” consider that there are more mobile phones on the planet than personal computers. If most of your customers aren’t using QR codes now, they might within six months. The ship is leaving right now. Hop aboard, or let your competitors stand at the helm.

I’ll share more tips on QR codes, including how to get them and use them, during my webinar “60+ Places Offline to Promote Your Product, Service, Cause, Issue or Event to Build the Buzz and Encourage Others to Promote for You.” It’s at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Nov. 23. The first 20 people who register get the free handout “13 Ways to Involve Journalists and Bloggers in Whatever You’re Promoting.” Those first 20 seats will be gone by the end of today.

Let me know about offline tactics you use to promote, and send a photo if you can. I can work the idea into my presentation and create even more publicity for you!

Promote Your Own QR Code Here

Do you use QR codes? If so, how? And what kind of response have you received?

Where can we find your QR code?

Filed Under: Advertising, Authors & Publishers, Business Promotion, Media Kits, Nonprofits, Photos & Graphics, Press Releases/News Releases Tagged With: nonprofit marketing, PR, product marketing, promote events, promotion, qr codes

Definitions of advertising, promotion, publicity and PR

6/16/2010 By Joan 2 Comments

If you work in PR, and you’re trying to explain to somebody what you do, and they look at you with a blank stare, explain it this way:

“If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying ‘Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday,’ that’s advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion. If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity. And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations.”

I can’t remember where that quote originated. But I used it once in my newsletter and receive requests every now and then from readers who remember the quote, but need the exact wording.

If you work in any of these industries, tuck away this saying in a safe place and use it the next time you need something fun for a speech, White Paper, or just to make a client smile.

Does anybody know who first said this? Was it P.T. Barnum?

Filed Under: , PR Consultants/Publicists Tagged With: bt barnum, definition of advertising, PR, promotion, publicity

Sept. 11 deadline looming for O Magazine pitches

9/1/2009 By Joan 2 Comments

omagazinecover2 Sept. 11 is the deadline for pitching your business woman’s success story, or your tips for women, for a special round-up of story ideas that will be presented to O Magazine editors and other top-tier media.

Publicists for PitchRate.com, which connects journalists with people seeking publicity, will take the best 10 to 20 pitches and present them to editors and guest bookers at Good Morning America, Women Entrepreneur magazine, and the Associated Press, among others.

Here’s how you can participate, for free:

1. First, subscribe to their media leads service at http://www.PitchRate.com/PublicityHound

2. After you subscribe, you’ll see a black bar at the top that says “Exclusive Requests.” Click on that and submit your pitch.

3. If the media like what they see, they’ll call you.

Publicists Michalle Tennant and Drew Gerber, graduates of The Publicity Hound Mentor Program who now manage PitchRate, are soliciting pitches only from Publicity Hounds who read this blog and my weekly ezine on publicity tips.

Having problems with your pitch? Email Shannon and he’ll help you.

Filed Under: Business Promotion, Magazine Publicity, Pitching the Media, PR Consultants/Publicists, TV Publicity Tagged With: get on Oprah, Good morning america, o magazine, Oprah, Pitchrate.com, PR, promotion, publicity

Meeting a journalist? 9 magic phrases the media love

7/27/2009 By Joan 2 Comments

One of the best ways to generate publicity from traditional media outlets is to form a relationship with reporters, editors, broadcasters and freelancers.

That’s a critical step that 99 percent of the people miss!

And what a shame. If you know what they’re looking for, how to talk to them, how to help them, and how to stay on their radar screens, you’ll have a huge advantage.

When I worked as a reporter and editor for 22 years, I was able to tell within about 15 seconds if somebody pitching a story idea was genuinely concerned about helping me, or if their Number One goal was to simply generate free publicity.

If you’re meeting reporters face to face, or pitching an idea by phone or email, nine magic phrases can help you build a relationship with them. This video, created with a cool program called Animoto, explains all about the phrases I loved to hear when I was speaking with somebody who was either pitching a story idea to me, or wanted to get to know me better and genuinely help. It also explains one opportunity to meet journalists face to face.

What other phrases do you use when talking to journalists to help build the relationship?