Why Your Press Release Didn't Work

First off, you can't assume that your press release didn't work because you didn't hear from anybody. Many newspapers and magazines will publish your press release without telling you.

Secondly, many radio stations will briefly mention the content of your press release on-air without telling you.

Generally, you are only contacted if there is a problem with your press release, if you are needed for an interview, or if there are some unanswered questions.

With all that said, it still is possible for a press release to simply not work.

Here are some potential reasons:

1) Wasn't newsworthy
Perhaps, your press release did not have national appeal. Maybe it meant something to you, but nothing to others. Next time, make sure your press release is meaningful enough to get used.

2) Was too long
Maybe your press release took up too much space. It may have been considered for placement, but simply wouldn't fit in the space allowed. Next time, keep your press release short - no longer than 1 page.

3) Had too many typos and grammatical errors
Newspapers prefer to copy and paste your press release into their format without having to edit it. If your press release is poorly written and involves too much editing, it's easier for them to just find another press release. Next time, use spellcheck.

4) Not enough consistency
Like anything else, the human brain responds to consistency and branding. If you send a press release out once a year, you are not building your brand amongst journalists and bloggers. Try sending a press release out every 1-2 months, and they will be more likely to recognize you and/or company.

The Rise and Fall of Toyota

How long does it take for the world's most successful auto company to fall? About a week or so.

On January 21, 2010, Japan-based Toyota began experiencing one of the worst public relations crises that the auto industry has seen when they officially recalled over 2 million vehicles including the Camry, Corolla, and RAV4 models.

Apparently, many of the vehicles are having problems with braking.

The bad PR immediately began effecting Toyota's reputation and revenue, as U.S. sales slumped 15.8 percent in the company's poorest January performance in 11 years.

Even worse, only 15,792 units of the Camry were sold in January 2010, down 55 percent from January 2009 and down 24 percent for the current year.

Meanwhile, rivals General Motors and Ford have decided to capitalize on the opportunity. Both have been offering $1,000 incentives to drivers who trade in their Toyotas for a new car.

So what does all this mean?

Well, it means that you can't be number one forever and that no matter how successful you are in business - you will eventually experience a disastrous situation.

It also means that this is a prime opportunity for American auto companies to regain market share, create more jobs, and help rebuild the economy.

However, Toyota is an experienced and intelligent company who is bound to make a recovery from all this. Yes, they screwed up big - but they'll bounce back. They'll have to ride the wave of bad PR for a couple of months, and then work on rebuilding their brand.

Sadly, though, it took only a week for them to fall - but will likely take a few years for them to rise to the top again.

What Does PR Mean To You?

The most common meaning of PR is "Public Relations".

Wikipedia defines public relations as "the practice of managing the flow of information between an organization and the public, gaining an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment for advertising."

However, PR can also mean "Press Release" - which is an official announcement or statement that is distributed to the media in order to supplement or replace an oral presentation. A series of press releases can be very helpful in managing a company's or individual's public relations campaign.

PR can even mean "People Relations" - which is just a different way of describing public relations, with more emphasis on the fact the public consists of actual people that are being related to.

To some, PR just means "Phone Ringing" - whereas a public relations campaign is launched with the goal of increasing phone calls to a sales number where consumers can order products. Or the goal could be to get journalists to call to ask questions and schedule radio and TV interviews.

To others, PR means "Plenty of Requests" - whereas a campaign is launched with the goal of increasing web site traffic and having potential customers inquire via email or through an online form.

To all, however, PR really just means one thing - "Profitable Results". Whether your campaign consists of just press releases being distributed or a combination of other media strategies - the end goal is always to help your company or organization produce more revenue. When done correctly, that's exactly what PR will do.

2010 FraserNet PowerNetworking Conference In Atlanta

There will be two major Black business-related conferences in Atlanta this year. I've already blogged about the upcoming Black Enterprise Conference, but the city will also host the 9th annual Frasernet PowerNetworking Conference.

Held on June 10-12, 2010 at the Mariott Atlanta Marquis, this conference is a must-attend. George Fraser, founder of the conference and best-selling author, has created a unique organization of thousands of African American entrepreneurs and professionals that meet annually at this event to network, brainstorm, and exchange ideas.

There will be educational workshops, power panels, power luncheons, an exhibit fair, a national town hall meeting, and more.

Featured speakers include: Les Brown (worldwide motivational speaker), Marc Morial (president of Urban League), Dr. Randal Pinkett (winner on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice"), Ephren Taylor (youngest Black CEO of a public company), Judge Glenda Hatchett (of the Judge Hatchett Show), Lisa Nicols (best-selling author), and many more.

I've attended this event several times, and was able to network with several key contacts who eventually became clients of mine.

If you are an existing or aspiring business owner, I highly recommend you attend!

For more details or to register, visit:
www.frasernet.com

Apple Introduces The iPad

Apple has struck gold again as they prepare to release the iPad - a very innovative touch-screen "Tablet" that looks like a super-sized iPod Touch.

I have to admit; It looks very, very impressive. I'm a big fan of the iPod and the iPhone, and the iPad seems to be bigger and better.

Not only will it include a dedicated keyboard dock, which holds the iPad upright while providing a full-size (but no-keypad) Apple aluminum keyboard, but the iPad will also work with standard Bluetooth keyboards.

With AT&T as the wireless provider, the iPad will support iPhone apps and, of course, will play music from your iPod.

Along with iPad, Apple will be releasing iWork - software that allows you to create, edit, and present presentations; work on spreadsheets and word-processing documents; and create newsletters and other basic page-layout documents.

Even more, the iPad will compete with Amazon's Kindle and Sony's eReader as it will fully support the iBook e-reading app - enabling users to store and read entire books.

Depending on how much memory you want, the iPad will retail within the very reasonable price range of $499 and $829 - the typical cost of a laptop.

I am truly impressed, and plan to get one as soon as they are released.

2010 Blogging While Brown Conference In Washington, DC

This unique conference for African American bloggers is scheduled for June 18-19, 2010 in Washington, D.C at the historic Henley Park Hotel.

Blogging While Brown promotes intellectual, social, and cultural development of the blogging community by bringing bloggers of color together in one location. The purpose of the conference is to facilitate conversations that lead to collaboration and innovation among bloggers of color.

Last year's conference was held in Chicago and was attended by activists, entrepreneurs, journalists and others interested in expanding digital media content creation and distribution among people of color.

This year is expected to be bigger and better. There will be intensive workshops for beginners and experts.

Early registration is only $99.

For more details, visit:
www.bloggingwhilebrown.com

Automatically Backup Your Computer With Carbonite

I'm always surprised when I hear entrepreneurs say that their computer crashed, and they lost everything. Put simple, you have to back up your computer regularly. If not, you could lose everything - and there may not be anything you can do about it.

I personally use a service called Carbonite that automatically backs up your files and stores them online. If you're like me and hate manually backing up to a CD, flash drive, or hard drive - this service is perfect.

What I like best is that you can access your files remotely, and their cost is super low. For only $54.95 per year, you can back up your entire computer - no matter how much stuff you have. If you create a new file or edit an existing file, it too will automatically get backed up.

Plus, they have a free iPhone app that allows you to see, open, and share your files right from your cell phone.

Even more, it's super simple to install. You don't have to be a network administrator, and you don't need technical skills. It's very easy!

I usually don't endorse products like this, but honestly - I couldn't resist. I highly recommend you use it!

For more details, visit:
www.carbonite.com

Celebrity Voices For GPS Navigators - Now That's Smart!

Creative and unique ideas always make money, and I think Tom Tom has just hit it big.

Tom Tom, if you don't know, is the leading developer and manufacturer of portable GPS car navigation systems. They make about $650 million a year.

Recently, they came up with a great concept: To allow the voice of their GPS devices to be that of well-known celebrities. In other words, instead of hearing that dull computer voice that says "Turn left" or "Take this exit" - you can hear Snoop Dogg or Homer Simpson say it.

The concept is very unique because the voice-overs are very fluent and don't sound robotic at all. In addition, they include ad-libs or improvisations that reflect the celebrity's personality.

As the industry is getting more competitive, Tom Tom made the right move here to differentiate themselves from everybody else. Unfortunately, unless they patented the concept (which I don't think they can) - the competition will jump on the bandwagon and implement the same feature.

Before you know it, celebrities all over the world will be getting paid millions of dollars to do voice overs with GPS device companies. But, hey that's business!

For a demo of how this works, visit:
www.voiceskins.com

Don't Assume; Find Out For Sure

It's a constant bad habit that all entrepreneurs have. Instead of finding out for sure, we make assumptions. We typically do this because of time contraints, but be careful because this is one bad habit that can really hurt you in the long run.

For instance, suppose you are interested in exploring new marketing avenues. You've thought about postcard marketing marketing or search engine advertising, but you haven't moved forward because you don't THINK it will work. The truth is, you'll never know if it works until you find out for sure.

So, why not run a small test to see what happens? Invest $100 and a week's worth of time. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't - but at least now you'll know for sure.

Here's another example. Suppose you assume that all your customers and clients are satisfied with your company's services. You've thought about asking them, but you haven't done so because they SEEM to be happy. The truth is, you don't really know if your clients are happy until you ask them.

So, why not ask them? Send out an email with a brief online survey or questionnaire. Or when speaking with them, ask: "Are you pleased with our services? How can we improve?" Maybe they are happy, maybe they are not. At least now, you'll know for sure and can make enhancements if necessary.

Many times basic assumptions such as these will have you missing out on opportunities that you never knew existed, and losing opportunities that you never knew could be saved.

Free Small Business Tax Workshops, Phone Forums and Webinars

The IRS' small business workshops are designed to help the small business owner understand and fulfill their Federal Tax responsibilities. The workshops are sponsored and presented by IRS partners who are Federal Tax specialists.

Topics vary from a general overview of taxes to more specific topics such as record-keeping and retirement plans.

Although most are free, some workshops have fees associated with them. Any fees charged for a workshop are paid to the sponsoring organization, not the IRS.

If you are unable to attend a workshop in person, they are available on CD and online as webinars.

You can also take advantage of their phone forums, which are free of charge, and can be held either at the local or national level.

For more information and a listing of upcoming workshops in your area, visit:
www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99202,00.html