Delivered as the Keynote Address to the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce's Sales & Marketing Summit in 2009.

1. High Impact Marketing Marketing Summit 2009

2. What makes marekting High Impact?

5. Out of Control Marketing

6. It’s not crazy or chaotic-it’s about handing over your message to other who will spread the word for you.

7. In Control vs. Out of Control Marketing Traditional advertising, sales and promotion PR, new media marketing, and word-of-mouth – aka Marketing Public Relations

8. What can it do? Building the identity of the organization or product; Increasing the visibility of an established organization or product; Establishing an organization or individual as an expert in a given field; Educating stakeholders on issues critical to the organization; Shaping public opinion about an organization, idea or individual; Maintaining the image of an organization or product – over time or during a crisis; or Stimulating the trial or repeat usage of a product.

9. Why is it powerful? Credibility Implied endorsement of the connector Appears as an objective assessment Low cost

10. The disadvantage You give up control of your message

11. Who gets control? Connectors Media Newspaper Radio TV Magazines Blogs Non-media Connectors Reference groups Experts and opinion leaders Citizen Marketers (McConnell & Huba, 2007)

12. Select connectors by talking to customers What TV, radio shows, newspapers, magazines, journals, and association newsletters do you pay attention to? What are your professional affiliations? What personal interests, such as sports, travel, and hobbies, do you pursue? What is on your must-read list? What media keep you current professionally? Who are your favorite reporters?

13. Dealing with Media Find media that reach your intended audience and do your homework. Discover ways your story can help selected media serve their readers, listeners, viewers better. Create relationships Have an eye for what’s newsworthy. Package and deliver your message in a way that suits each medium. Be there 24-7-365

14. Create a Press Kit Documents illustrating the background of the firm and interesting facts about it, Evidence of previous press coverage, Support materials, including studies and statistics, and Graphics, such as photos and video.

15. Press Release Press releases are the work horses of media based PR. Format them correctly Write them well

16. Pitch Knowing the connector is the key to a good pitch Some things pitch better than others Attention-getting first paragraph An indication that you are familiar with this media outlet and its audience Background information and research that supports your pitch Description of support elements available and suggestions for other sources of information for the story Concluding statement specifying the next step (Beckwith, 2003) One of a kind First ever Atypical community service Trends Unusual applications of products and services Celebrities and quirky experts Tales of the underdog Money, sex, or health issues (Levinson, Frischman, & Lublin, 2002)

17. Select connectors using an outside source Blog Catalog - blog directory, www.blogcatalog.com/directory (Free) Burrelles Luce - on-demand media monitoring, research, distribution, and evaluation services, www.burrellesluce.com Business Wire - news distribution service, www.businesswire.com Cision - on-demand media monitoring, research, distribution, and evaluation services, www.cision.com Marketwire/Media Hub - on-demand media monitoring, research, distribution, and evaluation services, www.marketwire.com Media Contacts Pro - downloadable database, www.mediacontactspro.com Mondo Times - media directory, www.mondotimes.com (Free) News Link - media directory, www.newslink.org (Free) Podcast Zoom - podcast directory, www.podcastzoom.com PR Newswire - news distribution service, www.prnewswire.com PR Web - news distribution service, www.prweb.com Technorati - blog directory, http://technorati.com (Free) USNPL - media directory, www.usnpl.com Vocus - on-demand media monitoring, research, distribution, and evaluation services, www.vocus.com Yahoo Directory: News and Media - media directory, http://dir.yahoo.com/News_and_Media (Free)

18. Media Opportunities Editorials Expert articles Cases Events Interviews

19. Non media vehicles Blogs Social Networking Wikis Micro-blogs Bookmarking Rating and review Co-created content

20. Use non media connectors to go viral. Capture the imagination by being fun or intriguing. All elements of marketing should follow this rule, but it is especially important if you expect objective, non-paid channels to carry the message. The message must be based on an easy-to-use or highly visible product. A product that is complex or difficult to find does not lend itself to word-of-mouth. Target well. The NMCs need to have an interest in the message, have an interested audience, and be able to maintain or enhance their reputation with that audience by delivering the message. Associate with credible sources. A major reason for using marketing public relations is to capitalize on its assumed trustworthiness. The marketer’s job, therefore, is to ensure that all sources are respected--especially for word-of mouth efforts. Combine delivery technologies. The message should be conducive to spreading over a variety of technologies - including the web, email, text messages, and even the human voice - and the connectors must also be able to use a variety of these tools.

21. Blogging for Business Identify your editorial platform and underlying message. Don’t simply talk about yourself. Be prepared to give away what was once considered proprietary information. Identify your buyer personas and make sure your message caters to their needs. Make friends with likeminded bloggers Update regularly Respond to comments to build a community of active readers. Check your tracking and your key words Make sure your homepage is accessible from your blog. (Natalie Raben of Channel V Media)

22. Types of events Trade shows Seminars & Conferences Community/cause related Lectures & speeches Discussion panels Community forums Social events Parties Concerts Balls and dinner dances Auctions or contests Work events Be educational or informative to the intended audience. Never be a disguised sales pitch. Position the organization or someone within it as an expert. Give the members of the audience a reason to remember the firm, its products, and its people.

23. Events Select events carefully. Link the image of the firm and the event. Engage the audience. Create a presence. Have a takeaway. Tell the connectors before the event Tell the connectors during the event. Tell the connectors after the event.

24. Basic Rules for Making MPR Work Use MPR Be aware of what’s newsworthy Share the news Package it properly Get it to the right people Be available Stay engaged Ethics are not optional Follow up!!!

25. MPR Tactical Plan Determine the desired objectives of your efforts. (Objectives) Verify the consumers you wish to influence in order to reach your objectives. (Target Market selection) Decide on the media, groups, and individuals that will be able to reach your target market most effectively. (Connectors) Communicate compelling reasons for consumers in your target market to pursue exchanges with your organization, and give connectors a reason to pass your information onto the consumers within their sphere of influence. (Message) Measure the amount of activity generated by selected connectors and the resulting behavior of your target market relative to your goals. (Measure)