When cutting your business expenses is foolish

Often, the first thing to be cut in hard economic times is the advertising and Public Relations budgets.

Of course some ads continue to run: ads for large auto dealerships, chain furniture stores or national fast food chains run perpetually. They've got the money to stay on the air and keep people aware of their great car prices, deals on sectional couches and Big Macs, just in case we ever want these things.

Some smaller companies, however, pull their TV and newspaper ads and are never heard from again, because of their over-reliance on ads to bring in customers. I know of one company that decided to rely solely on small newspaper ads, and then they pulled the ads. They were gone within six months.

When they couldn’t afford to run ads, what little visibility they had created dried up, because the awareness an ads-only strategy provides is fleeting.

Smarter business owners – the ones who have employed Public Relations and reputation management strategies as well as running ads that back up their PR messages – know that these strategies WORK even when ads stop working. That’s because using PR to build a reputation has LASTING and POSITIVE influences on customers and potential customers.

Long after a TV ad is forgotten, people remember that a company raised $10,000 for a local charity they cared deeply about, or that a group of employees were there with a crew to clean up after a natural disaster, or they recall that local pizza parlor owner who gave free pizzas to their kid's class when they won a spelling bee (and they have the newspaper clippings to prove all three events!)

But when these businesses consider cutting back on reputation-building efforts, they are failing to understand not only the power of ongoing PR, but the nature of the news media.

Newspapers have been cutting back on their reporting staffs for more than a decade now. That fact alone should prove the ongoing value of PR. Why? Because papers have remained the same size, and editors are hungry for content. That means they rely on PR pros to provide them with news-rich and new-worthy content (via news releases, events and news availabilities) more than ever before.

That’s why PR pros like Stephen Abbott, principal of Abbott Public Relations, can be a Godsend to a company lacking the vast sums required for ad campaigns.

Abbott has years of experience in both the public relations field and in the field of news gathering, and can connect these kind of dots for clients.

As a writer skilled in creating content for news media that will appeal to editors, Abbott can create content that can get you noticed – at a time when competitors are foolishly cutting back on BOTH advertising and Public Relations campaigns.

And while it’s understandable that EXPENSIVE Public Relations firms can be a tough pill to swallow during tough times, APR can work with clients to make it affordable to keep building your company’s reputation.

APR can be found online at http://www.abbottpr.com, or by phone at 603.341.0372.

Abbott Media Launches World Politics News MicroBlog

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Contact: Stephen Abbott 603.341.0372; stephen(at)abbott-media.net

Abbott Media Launches World Politics News MicroBlog

Abbott Media, a New England-based company that innovates and inspires micro-businesses that serve others, has launched World Politics News (worldpoliticsnews.blogspot.com) a MicroBlog dedicated to expanding our knowledge of politics around the world.

Each day, World Politics News seeks out links to news stories that inform readers of the vital political and cultural stories that are shaping the world, but are under-reported (and sometimes completely ignored) by American media companies.

The site not only links to stories, in the format pioneered by Matt Drudge, but will feature short MicroStories^TM of up to 250 words or less that encapsulate vital world events and bring them to readers in a smart, efficient and easily understandable way.

Abbott Media founder Stephen Abbott, a former newspaper reporter and public relations consultant, will serve at the project’s administrator and chief editor. He says the project will fill important gaps in American news coverage.

“News media in the United States are dropping the ball by not delivering world news effectively and in a way that informs us about the political currents shaping our world,” he said. “These currents could, as they reach our shores, turn into tidal waves or Tsunamis that effect our quality of life. To be ill-informed about politics in Asia, Europe, Latin America or Africa is to be blind to what’s going to happen to us in the next decade, or even next week.”

Abbott says the project will seek out guest reporters and will accept advertising, grants and donations to fund a full-time staffing operation.

Abbott Media innovates and inspires micro-businesses that serve others in a positive way. Abbott Media is located online at www.abbott-media.net.

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An Introduction to Abbott Public Relations

Abbott Public Relations uses a variety of written communications tools, including social media and the use of news releases, media statements and backgrounders, to convey messages about their clients to the right group of people, called “publics.”

Spreading the good news about you, your cause or your company to people who don’t need to hear it or won’t understand it makes no sense, and is wasteful. But the kind of targeted campaigns used by PR professionals are designed to reach the publics who care, and that is far more effective.

APR works with clients to determine the publics that are necessary to target, and crafts messages and themes most appropriate and effective for each.

APR principal and owner Stephen Abbott is committed to providing PR and reputation management services at reasonable and affordable rates. With APR, even individuals and one-person micro-businesses can afford to effectively and efficiently get the word out about their services and products.

That’s why we offer monthly retainers that are far less than what some major firms charge for ONE news release, and there are attractive discounts for paying quarterly in advance.

APR offers a personal, one-on-one service ethic that is unrivaled in the business and cannot be obtained in larger firms, where clients are often seen as little more than cash cows to be billed by the hour.

Though New England-based, PR services are offered throughout the United States and internationally.

Stephen Abbott brings over a decade of PR and media experience to clients, who range from non-profits to politicians to individuals seeking to increase their visibility and reputation.

He would welcome your call and is eager to help you fulfill your dreams.

APR can be found online at http://www.abbottpr.com, or call 603.341.0372.

Abbott Media: Four "A's" of Being a Great Micropreneur

Entrepreneurship is the way our economy grows, and becoming a "micropreneur" and running a small, one- or two-person business is the way many companies begin.

But how do you know that you are you cut out for a certain business? Before you launch your micro-business, you need to consider many factors. Among them are these five key factors that can help determine whether you can effectively do the job you’re considering:

Aptitude - Are you suited to this job? Do you have what it takes? This is no small matter. If you aren’t a good “fit” for a job, you’ll regret it, probably right away - hopefully. It would be a shame to discover, months or years into a job that you simply aren’t “cut out” for a job. Questions to ask yourself: Do I have the right skills for this job? If not, can I develop them? What are my best skills? Do they match THIS particular job?

Attitude - Are you willing to put your all into the job? Will you feel great about going to work (even if “going” to work means going to a spare bedroom)? If you can’t approach the job with a good attitude, you shouldn’t be doing it. Questions to ask yourself include: Do I feel good about doing this kind of work? Is this a “dream” job? Do I think it can it become a huge success, over time? Can I get up every morning “psyched” about this job?

Ambition - Do you want to achieve something great with this job? That’s an important, but often overlooked, question that few ask when considering a job or a new career. Ambition means more than wanting to dominate your field and be the pre-eminent practitioner of your career - but wanting to do that is a start! Ask yourself: Can I become the best in this field? Will I be able to earn the respect of my peers in this field?

Action Plan - Once you know what kind of business you’re going to pursue, having a plan is really the first step along the journey to success. If you start out without at least a basic roadmap, how will you know where you’re going? What goals can you reach without a plan? The likely answer to that question is “none.” If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. Even a short, one-page “mini” business plan, outlining factors such as your mission statement, your plans for financing, a marketing strategy and short-term goals can help you from veering off-course. Ask yourself: What do I want to be earning in six months, a year, and two years? Who are my customers going to be? How much will I charge for my products and services?

The eBook "37 Instant Businesses" by Abbott ePublishing describes 37 businesses with a great deal of information on each, including: how to set them up, basic target markets, legal and other pitfalls to avoid, estimated income, level of difficulty in setting up each business and other strategies for success. Check out http://sn.im/37inbiz for details. Abbott ePublishing is online at http://www.abbottepub.com.

At Abbott Media, we empower microbusinesses and encourage the micropreneurs who run them to embrace innovation with both new and old media to inform, inspire and serve. Find out more online at http://www.abbott-media.net

PR campaigns help funding, study shows

A study published in PR Week magazine showed that startup companies utilizing PR campaigns are 30 percent more successful in getting funding within one to three motnhs than those that don’t.

The study was condudcted by Chicago’s BIGfrontier Communications Group.

Forty-four percent of the respondents who used PR outreach received funding in the one-to-three-month time period versus 14% of those that did not. The survey also found that 78% of respondents who said PR helped in their funding efforts are planning to use some of their venture capital for additional PR.

“Those entrepreneurs understand that anything they can do to get them an advantage to get limited or finite funding is something they should avail themselves of, especially now,” said Steve Lundin, founder of BIGfrontier. The boutque firm specializes in PR for startups, tech and consumer companies, and law firms.

Overall, though, the survey found that only 18% of the 300 startups surveyed had a PR program in place during the funding process.

This clearly and starkly underlines the importance of an ongoing PR campaign, especially for small start-ups.

Abbott PR prides itself on working with these small companies - even one-person shops - who don't usually have access to "BIG PR FIRMS."

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