Casual Articles - Business

Marketing Strategy - Spell Out Your Unique Value
I attended a “Sales Focus” seminar a few years back in which the speaker asked this key question. “Why, based on all the competitive alternatives available to me, would I want to buy from you?” What a great question.Most of the participants in the room couldn’t come up with anything beyond – “We’ve only got experienced professionals on staff.”; “We use proven methodologies.”; “We’ve got a reputation in the marketplace for delivering value-added services.” or “We’re totally committed to our clients’ success.”To w

. The first or lead paragraph is also critical and should capture the media's immediate attention and summarise what the story is about.

Interviewer: I have read that in the United States media companies trawl the web for stories, so that putting media releases on your website can get attention. Is there any evidence that this happens here & elsewhere?

Thomas Murrell: Yes, this is good for search engine optimisation. Go to overture.com, use their research tool to find out what keywords people are searching for, then pepper these w

Promote Your Business By Writing Reports
One of the best strategies for gaining an edge over your competition and increasing the value of your business to prospects and customers is to write a report. It is also one of the most cost effective ways to promote your business and your expertise.You can write reports on anything relating to your business that will be of benefit to your prospects and customers. For example, you could write a report on how to get the best use of your product, or how your product or service can increase productivity by 35%.Reports don’t have t

You've all heard about personal intelligence or IQ and Emotional Intelligence, EQ. But what about MQ, what I call Media Intelligence?

Managers, leaders and entrepreneurs with a high MQ tend to be on the whole more successful than the general population.

They understand that the media can be a powerful vehicle for increasing awareness of themselves and their organisations.

Think high MQ people and the names Sir Richard Branson, Donald Trump and Dame Anita Roddick come to mind.

But how can you increase your MQ or Media Quotient and how can you have control over your message?

I was recently a guest on an international forum with the theme of MQ and was asked the hard questions about the soft skills required to increase your personal or professional MQ.

This article, part one of three, provides answers to the most common questions people around the world have about increasing their MQ or Media Quotient.

Interviewer: How, as individuals or companies involved in a professional services type of business ... such as communications skills training, can we get media exposure?

Thomas Murrell: The most important aspect is to position yourself as "the go to person" in your area of expertise.

I call this "expert" power - this is where you are the expert in your field. Other forms of power are personal and referential, which comes from your Title and position.

Once you have established yourself as an expert, you then need to engage with the media. The best way to do this is through a stylised piece of writing called a media release. This must be newsworthy and not promotional!

Interviewer: Can you give an example of newsworthy writing?

Thomas Murrell: The most newsworthy stories are those that contain the most conflict, drama, and consequence. Proximity, relevance and prominence are also important news values as is human interest.

So these are the criteria that journalists and editors base their decision making on. If your media release is not newsworthy, the media will not be interested.

But your style of writing and format is also important. A good media release should have a strong headline of no more than five words that summarises the story. The first or lead paragraph is also critical and should capture the media's immediate attention and summarise what the story is about.

Thomas Murrell: Yes, this is good for search engine optimisation. Go to overture.com, use their research tool to find out what keywords people are searching for, then pepper these wo

What Are Electronic Checks?
What are Electronic Checks?Electronic checks or echecks include the following applications: • WEB (Internet based) • ARC (mailed payment check conversion) • POP (check conversion-POS) • RCK (NSF check recovery) • TEL (telephone) • PPD (consumer pre auth recurring one-time debit) These applications are called eChecks because the merchant or biller uses a check as a source document for the consumer’s account information (RCK, POP, ARC) or the consumer is prompted to use their check as a

ave control over your message?