Don’t Ask the Wrong Question

Here’s what usually happens when somebody scores a big publicity hit, either in their local newspaper, or on a major TV show.

They see a big spike in traffic to their website. Then, within a week or two, the traffic slows to a crawl.

That’s when they email me and ask, “How can we keep the buzz going? How can we turn this publicity into even more publicity?”

Before answering, I visit their website. Then I usually conclude, rather quickly, that they’re asking the wrong question. Instead of worrying about how to turn one publicity hit into multiple hits, they should be more concerned about what to do with all that traffic that’s visiting their website. Right now.

The answer? Internet marketing strategies that start capturing people’s email addresses once they land on the website.

Offer them something for free: a report, an ebook, a White Paper, or a list of tips on how to solve the Number One problem your customers or clients face. When people visit my website, I ask for their email address in exchange for a helpful cheat sheet called “89 Reasons to Send a Press Release.”

That intrusive box that bounces down from the top of the screen is largely responsible for my email database that now has more than 30,000 names. It gives me the power, without spamming, of
emailing to a targeted list of people week after week after week, and marketing to them–and often selling to them–until they tell me to stop.

If you’re planning a publicity campaign for yourself or your PR client, don’t start pitching the media until you’ve figured out how to benefit from all that publicity.

I don’t care whether you’re a Fortune 100 company or a stay-at-home mom who sells Tupperware from a one-page website. Traffic at your website is worthless if you can’t hang onto most of it and then dazzle those visitors with your knowledge and expertise so they eventually become customers.

– Joan