When it comes to newspapers or TV news, people want to hear about stuff that benefits and informs them. When your business or organization gets mentioned in the news, it’s known as earned media. Getting into the news simply boils down to providing the newsroom with information that’s beneficial to their audience.

It used to be as easy as sending the newsroom a press release or making a call to the reporter. Not so much anymore. Newsrooms are in turmoil, and someone looking to get their organization’s name out in public will have to navigate a confusing dynamic.

Since 2008, there’s been a massive shift in the way newspapers and television newsrooms operate. Their profit centers have been eroded by the economy and by the technological shifts in the way people get their news. They are no longer the only game in town since Social Media came to town. Layoffs and cutbacks have sliced and diced news delivery and collection.

For instance, an underpaid weekend shift reporter has an easier time of it reporting on the police blotter than anything else. The news is from an official source, we’re all interested in crime, and there’s no investigation needed.

Back to the 2008 study: it was cited in a New York Times opinion piece by David Bornstein in December 2011 that examines the state of the news and journalism, citing a belief that journalism can change the world by pointing out injustices, or uncovering systemic problems through investigations that no one else is doing.

Solution-focused stories are in short supply, he points out, despite gigantic growth in civic, entreprenurial and social groups. Among these stories are all kinds of potential in uncovering ways people have worked to change the world for the better. They have found problems, and are willing to work on solutions.

Can we hear more about them? Maybe it’s your organization or business that has that information and it simply needs to be connected to a willing reporter.

Bornstein also notes that most journalists and their bosses believe that their business is to ‘expose wrongdoing.’ But there are pitfalls. I’ve seen a few well-meaning but underpaid reporters take some glint of wrongdoing and spin it up so hard in their effort to be investigative that they were unable to print the truth even when they were provided access to it.

I believe in and applaud journalism. But it needs real information and real stories to survive. Those stories may need to come from you.

Yep, SMS messaging can be extremely cost-effective, but your customer must choose to receive your message, and if you send too many or become a nuisance you’ll be opted-out in the blink of an eye.

The difference here is that your audience chooses to get information from you. Rather than interrupting your customer with information they weren’t looking for, opt-in texts go only to people interested in your service or product.

Why go with SMS text message marketing? According to the CTIA, the International Wireless Association, there were 196.9 billion text messages sent in June 2011, up from 33.5 million in 2001. This is a remarkable statistic, since smart phones today allow for email and internet usage in the palm of our hands. Yet text messaging and text message marketing has exploded.

Young professionals under 40 would rather communicate by text message because it’s fast, does not require immediate response, and it’s short; even though they have access to email used by their older peers.

Text message marketing is cost-effective on two fronts: It costs less for wireless users to access texting plans than data plans, and business can send specific, targeted communications to customers via text less than almost any other method, except for email.

So how can you grow your business with text messaging?

1. Set up an automated message with business hours, contact information, and a link to a map and post it on signs or on your website.
2. Create a VIP club with specials and coupons
3. Auto remind clients of an appointment  rather than paying staff to call
4. Create polls, raffles or contests without paper management hassles
5. Raise money through ‘cause’ messaging for political and non-profit groups
6. Drive sales of slow-moving products or services.
7. Introduce promotions or new products, or listings by Realtors
8. Create last-minute notices and offers
9. Deliver specific customer reminders (i.e. ‘your car is ready for pickup,’ ‘your test results are in’)
10. Provide immediate product information as an alternative to QR codes

Lastly, you’ll want to know how to set up a text message marketing plan. There are a number of companies which offer SMS software plans for small business starting around $99 a month for a keyword and 1,000 messages to $1,500 for unlimited messaging with multiple keywords for different campaigns.

The good ones will provide an easy to understand dashboard where you can schedule and approve messages beforehand. If you’re a newbie, you may need guidance from a service provider, like EZAccessPR, so that you can do it on your own in just a couple months.

Find out more about text message marketing below:

Recommended service plans: the most affordable text message plan I’ve found with self-service (or with startup assistance from EZAccessPR (hover box with more info here)

The Small Business Guide to SMS Marketing: an article by the The New York Times

But your actions are public and you can be held accountable for them.

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is writing a book about how online entrepreneurs don’t have to ask permission to do what they want to do. Indeed, the possibilities online for civic engagement, marketing, public relations and raw publicity are driven by an almost complete freedom to say and do what we’d like.

His tentatively titled book, “Without Your Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made — Not Managed,” looks at how the Internet lets anyone become a publisher or a promoter of worthwhile causes. (Let’s note that it’s not yet written, and it’s already being promoted on the internet.)

The key here may be ‘worthwhile’ causes, since we all see a lot of stuff that can be characterized as garbage. Let’s face it, you have freedom of speech, but that freedom comes with responsibility and a large dose of caution.

For instance, a federal judge on November 10, ordered that Twitter hand over information about three account holders under investigation related to WikiLeaks. The order rejected an appeal by the three that their IP addresses should be considered private.

There is no handbook that tells internet users how to behave, which Ohanian infers in his talk at a TED conference.

But the Twitter order reminds us that your activities are going to be judged not solely by online momentum, but by rule of law, which is encroaching on this new communications tool.

Ohanian’s inspirational outline of how ‘you don’t need permission’ is worth watching.

Here’s something simple we’ve put together just to give you an idea of what you can have done as part of your social media, marketing and public relations efforts.

This is a really simple but entertaining ‘calling-card’ video that we can put together for your website, Facebook page, or presentation to illustrate a few words about your business.

[maxbutton id="1"]

For a limited time, we’re offering a free video like this made just for you, when you sign up for one of our monthly service packages to launch your PR machine!

I advise businesses to create an action plan that lays out all of their social media and PR for the next 30 days. It’s a cool system that puts everything on one page, so you know exactly what you’ll be doing on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, and more. There’s room to improvise as you see fit, but it doesn’t let you slide.

You can see a similar one in action for the U.S. Army at this link, with a downloadable version that you can use as a template for yourself.

Problem is, I haven’t bothered to do one for myself for the past two months while I let my personal and business life get in the way. My got-too-busy list included adding some marketing partners, setting up an office in Arizona, moving, packing and unpacking, and lots of travel.

Meantime, my Klout score dipped two points because I got lazy. Don’t know what Klout is? Check out Klout.com, a free website that measures your influence on the internet based on your ability to drive action. “Every time you create content or engage you influence bsp;others,” Klout’s website says. The Klout Score uses data from social networks in order to measure your reach, your impact and how much your voice is amplified.

Klout is just one way to measure your impact online, and if you’re concerned about growing your brand, and marketing your business, this is a convenient way to do it.

By the first of the month, I’ll have a brand new social media plan that’s ready to go. If you’d like one put together for you, along with a system of regular email reminders to give you a poke in the behind to take action, send me an email or give me a call at 800-243-0235, and we’ll get you started.

The Macintosh system changed the way the newspaper was produced and my job as a journalist revolved around instituting that technology. It literally helped me earn a paycheck, and it helped me launch my first PR business. Several incarnations of computers later, as well as clients, jobs and adventures, the iPad helped me juggle several business endeavors in a much more portable way.

Plus, the iPhone is the best cell phone ever created. The latest version is on my list to must-haves, since it will bring new ways to make my life easier.

In honor of Steve Jobs and his contributions to the world, I’m posting the 5 things that Jobs taught me:

1. Love what you do

“People with passion change things for the better,” Jobs is quoted as saying. If you choose your work, it’s easier to get up in the morning, and you’re more likely to bring a successful energy to your work and others around you. They need that passionate energy as much as you do.

2. Make a difference

What is your contribution to mankind? If you want people to pay you something you have to provide value in trade. But make that contribution a value that has some meaning. While not all of us can create something on the scale that Jobs did, our efforts are no less important.

3. Connect the dots

Becoming a smarter person by interacting with the world is something Jobs did well. He operated with a wide angle view. He studied calligraphy because he liked design, and that awareness of design infused every Apple product. Plug into your interests to create a better value because you’re creative interests and the way you apply them are unique.

4. Simplify

If you take what you create, and boil it down to a simple format, then more people can understand what you do and will embrace your idea. That creates value. That creates sales. The iPad has one button, and it works beautifully. My four year old grandson watches movies on it and plays games.

5. Help, don’t sell

Jobs had a great message and he used passion, simplicity, and creativity to tell it. He inspired us with his products by creating possibilities that we didn’t have before. Your customers don’t care about your product, but they do care about solving problems and creating a better life for themselves. Help them reach their dreams, and your sales will follow.

What are the easiest ways to build your business with public relations? Here’s our list of the top 10 things you can do with a solid public relations and social media strategy:

1. Manage your reputation through expert positioning with the media. Start online through Wikipedia
2. Demonstrate your leadership by creating a blog with your expert advice and information. Add a blog to your website, or go to wordpress.org, or blogger.com to start for free
3. Get free publicity through traditional media by becoming a news source with free expert opinion and advice
4. Build loyalty through the regular delivery of information, coupons or specials, or great deals available to your customer base.
5. Showcase your product or service in a way that’s easy to find and understand. Check out the blog by Zappos for a sample
6. Conduct crisis communications (see Johnson & Johnson at work) when misunderstandings arise or rumors start
7. Increase your internet presence by repackaging existing material for online delivery like brochures, commercials, newsletters and presentations
8. Hold events and contests to improve your customer lists and SEO (see what Netflix did with the Netflix Prize)
9. Build your own video commercials with a YouTube channel
10. Send out tweets and blog posts in addition to – or instead of press releases

You can do a lot of it yourself, or if you are too busy running the business, it’s time to get some help. Some professionals need just enough help to get started or to survive a rough patch. If that’s the case, then find a local pro who can increase your market share through public relations. It’s an investment in your business that will pay long term dividends.

EZAccessPR is your on-call public relations team with no contracts or retainers required for when you need help connecting to the media, or scheduling and designing special events.  If you want to roll out an important new product or service, we can create videos or ad campaigns on a small or big budget.

Information is coming so fast and furious that many people are overwhelmed and neglect or refuse to become involved.

Here are some simple steps to consider as you decide how to engage in social media:

Strategize your LinkedIn and Twitter bios.

Often, professionals aren’t sure how to describe themselves in a way that gets quickly to the point and captures what it is their client base is seeking. Rather than saying you’re a “physician specializing in family practice,” try saying you’re a “Devoted physician caring and getting to know families for more than 15 years.”  

Find your target market.

Ask yourself who your main client or customer is, and then you can determine which social media tool they might be more likely to use. If you’re a CPA, then your best bet might be to spend more time on LinkedIn, where business professionals needing your service can be found. If you’re a bed and breakfast or boutique hotel provider, then a Facebook page would be in order, along with your involvement on pages that cater to tourists planning vacations.

Stay involved.

A lot of professionals sign up, add a few photos on their account, and then move on to other things. It’s okay to weed out the social media sites that you aren’t using, but you must have a plan of engagement for those areas where you need to be continually involved. Some social media experts advise that you should engage your audience by being the audience, and asking questions of the people in a group. If you’re on Facebook, for instance, pose a question that will get people talking, just as if you were attending a cocktail party and making small talk with people you don’t know.

Even if you have begun with these elements, you may have found the effort going adrift: let’s fix that. EZAccessPR has an expert professional team to get you started or build with what you have, and position you to leverage new media for a stronger business.

Find us on Thumbtack.com! This is just one example of the places where you can be found on the internet. See our listing at Public relations and social media packages.

Public relations and social media packages

MAXIMUM IMPACT! 3 Part Business Plan Writting Series: Session One

Or, here’s another one from an organization emailing coupons for a dentist:

87% Off — In House One Hour Boost Bleeching! Buy Now! $39!!

[The word bleech takes me back to my childhood, reading cartoons in Mad Magazine, when bleech was a response for something disgusting.]

The consequences of a mistake are deadly. Who wouldn’t be suspect of the above services and move on to the next?

Everyone makes mistakes. It’s because we don’t see what’s in front of us sometimes. The brain can play tricks on you. Science calls this a scotoma. It’s the same reason why  you can look for the mustard in the fridge four times, and not find it, until your spouse peers over your shoulder and says “It’s right there!”

By implementing a systematic method of proofreading it will help to prevent mistakes from happening again and again.

Spellcheck is not enough. Part of your messaging campaign should include a checklist which covers spelling, punctuation, layout and grammar. At the very least, add a proofreader. Even if you work alone, ask a reliable friend or colleague, or two. Put more eyeballs on your marketing materials and fix mistakes – before your message goes out to the public, or current and prospective clients.

In our competitive world, you can’t afford to risk the loss of customers and clients by letting these kinds of screaming – yet correctable —  errors go by. Make an impact for all the right (and correct) reasons.

But she wants to go to the next level, and is opening a new solo business that will need a strategic plan to reach the hearts and minds of her client audience.

If this sounds like something you’d like to do, I’ll tell you what I will tell her. The only difference is between doing it, and not doing anything.

The Leadership Plan

1. She needs a strategic plan. This means sitting down and figuring out where she wants her business, her brand and her good name to be by next year. Then we create goals, and an action plan to get there. (You can learn how to do this yourself in my step-by-step system HERE)

2. She needs a monthly plan. Using the strategic plan, we take one month at a time, and create action steps each week. We use a 30-day, one page planner, broken down into weeks with easily explained tasks. It includes pitching story ideas to the media, Facebook and Twitter accounts with weekly updates guided in advance by a theme (which is dependent on that strategic plan in step 1). Also, if it will benefit, we recommend setting up regular video updates so that your audience can get to know you through conveniently available YouTube videos. This builds trust and reliability because people can see what you are all about.

3. She needs to take a leadership role. No one needs to vote you in or choose you to take a leadership position. This may simply mean speaking up on a subject that is an important one, and making your opinion available to the public. It can also mean helping out with a local issue by giving your time, expertise, or money. Running for office is a choice certainly, but real leaders don’t need this to accomplish what they’re interested in. Just ask Oprah.

I’ve boiled down the elements of building a good reputation here, and sometimes these happen as a result of unplanned events. When that’s the case, it’s because somebody earned a good reputation by doing something that had a benefit, and doing it in a way that was made public. It’s rare that this happens without a plan, and without your intention.  That’s why I believe success is not through luck, or by accident. Your preparation for success is key.