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Christmas in July: Using PR NOW to Boost Your Holiday RevenueCopyright 2005 Cherry Communications/Be Heard SolutionsIt's the beginning of summer. Time for getting the pool ready, catching some rays, and the lazy, hazy days of barbequing. But what most small business owners, whether online or brick & mortar, fail to do is plan for the holiday media coverage. No not, Independence Day or Labor Day (in the US), but Christmas, Hanukkah and the New Year. It's no secret that the fourth quarter is the biggest and most important quarter for companies marketing to consumers. Holiday shopping can make or break many companies. However, holiday shopping doesn't just happen. It takes hard work through marketing, advertising, and public relations efforts. Unfortunately, many fail to address their PR campaigns until it is too late, missing what is probably the most cost effective way to promote their product or service. While shoppers don't engage the holidays in earnest until Thanksgiving, the fact is that most publications have already put their holiday gift guides and product reviews to bed. December is late. November is not as bad but you've already missed the publishing schedule for most monthly and weekly publications (which are often working one to three to five issues in advance). Many late November and December magazines are chock full of holiday gift guides and product reviews. So early December is too late if you're seeking coverage in magazines. In fact, a trip to the newsstand in early December will provide all the evidence you need. All the December issues of monthly magazines will be stocked and ready for purchase -- some have been there for a week or two. Even the weeklies will already be dated early to mid-December. The key is to send out press releases and press kits for gift guides and holiday stories to your targeted media six months in advance. That means if you want to hit the gift guides for the end-of-year holidays, you need to start your campaign in July. Just remember to keep it simple: send out a one-page press release about your product or service, a pitch letter explaining why it's such a great gift idea, and links to where a reporter can download 300 dpi product photos, if applicable. As you craft the materials, think about where your product or service fits. It may work with a variety of typical holiday gift stories such as: stocking stuffers, gifts for teens, gifts for girls on the go, gifts for the parent-to-be; tech gadget gifts, gifts for the man who has everything, etc. Suggest a good category for your product or service, rather than simply stating, "Here's a product that would make a nice holiday gift," you're making yourself stand out -- and maybe even giving the journalist an idea for a story angle that he or she wouldn't have thought about otherwise. About the author: Shannon Cherry, APR, MA helps businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations to be heard. She’s a marketing communications and public relations expert with more than 15 years experience and the owner of Cherry Communications. Subscribe today for Be Heard! a FREE biweekly ezine and get the FREE special report: "Be the Big Fish: Three No-Cost Publicity Tactics to Help You Be Heard." Go to: http://www.cherrycommunications.com/FreeReport.htm Circulated by Article Emporium
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