Vol. II, Issue 9 – 19 June 2007
Editor & Publisher: Tracey Dooley

As always, thank you for being a CfS subscriber. (You are receiving this newsletter because you requested it.) Please help us grow together and forward this issue to any friends, peers and associates you think would benefit. Thanks!

In this month's success-packed edition:

1. Publisher's Preamble
2. Announcement
3. Sleep Your Way to Success?
4. Special Invitation
5. Engage the ?'Right?' Clients & Watch Your Business Grow
6. About the Word Doctor
7. New Web Service Slashes the Cost of Expert Legal Advice
8. Client Corner
9. How to Send Electronic Press Releases
10. Business-Building Special Offer
11. An Easy Way to Passive Income
12. A Guide to Promoting Your Business
13. Winning Brochures & FREE Photos
14. Business-building Marketplace

The response to last issue?fs competition was fantastic. My thanks go to all those who participated. Sadly, I could allow for just two names to be pulled out of the hat at random. But the good news is, two readers are about to have the media spotlight turned on them. Drum roll, please...

Competition Winners

Congratulations go to Clair Chapman of Integrated Publishing Solutions and Lynn Kingelin of Lynn Kingelin Design Studio. You’ve each won a professional press release writing and distribution package. Click here to read more about your prize here:

http://www.mediaminister.co.uk/cfs/15May2007.htm#comp

Watch out for news on Clair and Lynn over the coming months; I hope this will be the start of both appearing in the media on a regular basis.

What’s Your Hook? In both the ‘Powerhouse Publicity’ MasterClass and my coaching I talk about ‘hooks’. Essentially, a hook is used when you plug into what's going on in the news help make your PR campaigns grab and hold the attention of your readers. It makes press releases more relevant. And of course, as we all know, the biggest hook for the next few weeks is going to be Wimbledon! How do you think you’ll be able to tie in your business and get some coverage on the back of what's going on in the media? Answers in an email, please, and I'll display the best next time!

Why Engaging the Right Clients Is Essential to a Winning Business

Many companies and brands today are seriously out of touch with their customers. Yet these same organisations seem surprised when their customers get upset and jump ship. This month’s feature article looks at the one thing you can do to avoid all this – and make sure you generate more targeted, effective marketing, while staying ahead of the competition.

Talking of clients. Have you ever had any exceptionally great or 'toxic' clients? Join the discussion at my blog:

http://tinyurl.com/clients 

OK, that's my ramble over for this month!

As always, if you have something to share that will greatly benefit CFS readers, be sure to pitch it to me.

Love and success

Tracey

PS Are you taking advantage of your FREE CfS subscriber ad? There are only up to 1-2 free slots per issue. Send yours here. Please make sure you keep it to a maximum of 5 lines, 65 characters per line (including your URL or email address). Copy deadline for the next issue is 9 July.

PPS Please add the following email addresses to your whitelist or address book in your email program so that you always receive your issues:

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Scientists have finally proven what I’ve bleated on about for yonks – that power naps (aim for 30-60 minutes sleep during the day) can boost performance at work. Research also shows that most of our society is sleep deprived, which can have a detrimental effect on your work, life and health. So if you have your own business, or are eager to climb the success ladder in any discipline, don’t daydream; have a good 40 winks, instead. Right, I’m off to give it a try!

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You are cordially invited to participate in this newsletter!

I DO want to hear from you...

I often share subscriber feedback in CfS, so don't be shy! Email me your comments, ideas, constructive criticisms, opinions, tips, musings, wild rants...whatever. Just let me know, and which contact details you are happy for me to publish (you can remain anonymous if you wish). I really do care and listen. So email me at:

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One of the more niggling issues faced in marketing products or services is, “Why aren’t people buying?”

You certainly know, from customers past, that what you’re offering is of immense value. So you’re left frustrated and, depending on the advertising and marketing you’ve done, potentially out of pocket...

Grrr. That’s as frustrating as waiting for a bus for almost one hour, only to watch three turn up at once.

Mmm, if only that applied to clients.  J

But then, to be truly successful in business, you’d have to make sure you are attracting clients on a regular basis.

So what’s stopping you?

Don't Let Toxic Clients Drain You

A lot of my coaching clients simply cast their net too wide. Rather than focusing on a niche or core client base, they are trying to be everything to everyone. This hardly ever consistently works in the service provider’s favour.

One of the reasons is that we’re likely to attract clients who are less than ideal. And if they are less than ideal, chances are they will be draining your energy, productivity and overall enjoyment.

Even though thankfully they’re the exception, I have had my fair share of less-than-perfect clients. They tended to be the ones who quibbled over rates, wanted everything for next to nothing, vowed to know more about my specialty than I did (why oh why did they hire my services, then?!) and were slow to pay. A few burned me, and I was left holding the printers’ bill and my own… One other exacted a heavy toll on my health.

These clearly were not the best clients for me. And I’m sure I wasn’t the best solution for them at the time, either.

What’s the alternative, then?

Finding and marketing to your ideal client. “My ideal what?!”

An ideal client is someone you work with who is positively good for business – and you. They are a joy to work with, and you are the perfect consultant for them.

Think back to your past clients, and the ones with whom you are currently working. Do things seem to ‘click’ into place with these clients? Is the working relationship a smooth one? Do they see and value what it is you do? What characteristics, behaviours, qualities and talents do they share? What services and products do they buy? What is the value of each of these clients?

OK, you’ve just developed a rough prototype of your ideal client!

Let’s go one stage further…

What if you took your ideal client prototype and fine-tuned it a little so that it reflects your perfect client. What would you change in them to make them truly ideal? Here, I suggest building a database or spreadsheet and listing the exact qualities you’ll be looking for. You can add to this over time, and circumstances and your own wants change.

As an example, here is a list of qualities that are shared among the clients I love working with:

• Positive

• Co-operative

•  Understand and value the importance of carefully selected words in all forms of communication

• Forthcoming with all the necessary details

• Clear communicators

• Gladly pay my fees on time

Why not take a few moments right now to jot down the qualities shared by your ideal clients?

The clearer you become about what constitutes the perfect client for you, the more easily you can target and market to the group of people who make up your ideal client base. You’ll be better equipped to communicate your understanding – in all that you do, write or say – of what they’re about. This in turn will make it easier for them to make an informed decision when it comes to buying what you are offering.

Find your ideal client and you’ll not only see more profits being made, you will attract the type of people you love to work with, to boot!

By Tracey "Word Doctor" Dooley, Creative Consultant | PR Guru | Marketing Diva.

(C) 2007 T Dooley, All Rights Reserved

Want to use this article (or any tip in this newsletter) on your website, blog, a message board or in an ezine? Not a problem! But please give credit where it's due. You MUST include the following:

Tracey "Word Doctor?" Dooley of MediaMinister (www.mediaminister.co.uk) is an experienced copywriter, editor and marketer. She has spent almost 14 years crafting compelling copy that successfully sells, informs, educates or entertains. =====>To sign up for her freebie business-building tips, marketing and publicity pointers, visit www.mediaminister.co.uk.

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Tracey "Word Doctor" Dooley is an experienced copywriter and PR/marketing & editorial consultant. She has spent almost 14 years crafting compelling communications copy that successfully sells, informs or entertains. She can remove the hassle of writing, editing and producing all your marketing communications – including general business writing, blog writing/producing, web content, customer retention and sales letters, postcard campaigns, direct mail packages, brochures, ads, PR materials and more. She can ghostwrite your business articles, too.

Just let her know a little about yourself (include things such as who you are, which company you own/work for, the size of your company, your industry, and so on), which service you require, the type of copy you’re interested in (ad copy, direct mail copy, etc.), and she’ll get right back to you.

Get in touch via the online form at www.mediaminister.co.uk/contact.htm or email her your full brief and any supporting documentation.

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Net Lawman has launched a new website ‘expert-legal-advice.co.uk’ that offers blocks of legal ‘advice time’ up to one third less expensive than traditional high street solicitors.

Find out more: www.expert-legal-advice.co.uk

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"Tracey did a fantastic job on the copy for my website. She made sure that she had a thorough understanding of my goals and produced dynamic, fresh copy which definitely sparkled! She also gave me some good marketing ideas, and all this well before the deadline we had agreed. She was incredibly easy to work with throughout the project, and I would recommend her without hesitation.”

– Steven Muir , Director , Coach to Reach.

If you would like to share how MediaMinister or CfS has affected you or your business, please email it to me by filling in the short form here: www.mediaminister.co.uk/contact.htm. As a thank you, your name, business and contact information will be published, so you get f*r*e*e* publicity. ;-)

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Question: “Would you mind answering a quick question for me?  I received an email from XXXXXX (name removed for client confidentiality) earlier this week that they’ve developed a sample media release that members are free to modify and distribute to local media.  My question is, if I was to distribute this via email what do I put in the subject line and covering email?  Do I just say ‘Subject: For immediate release’ and in the email ‘Please find attached a press announcement for immediate release.’ Basically, what’s the code of conduct when sending these things?
 
Not sure if that’s turned out to be a quick question or not so I appreciate your comments.”

– Deanne Earle, Unlike Before, http://www.unlikebefore.com

Answer: Hi Deanne

Great to hear from you!

OK, press releases...

When you send a release via email use the subject line to put in your heading, you can also add the fact that it’s a release, like this: "[news release] MediaMinister launches new service for the busy exec."

Don’t bother putting "For immediate release" – that’s an antiquated tradition that doesn’t mean much. If it’s not for immediate release, you’d say so!

Also, and this is a biggie, do NOT attach any attachment. Instead, simply copy and paste your release into the body of the email. At the top you can state that you have pictures (if true!) and the release available as a PDF or Word document and ask them to get back to you should they want either of these or have any questions. Then put an obvious break in – like a solid line – and then put line release.

Be sure to put the media contact for editors etc.

Hope this helps!

• For specific ideas on tailoring a news release to your business, and how to develop a PR campaign that can help you generate masses of free publicity, for less than the price of dinner, see:

http://freepublicitymadeeasy.mediaminister.co.uk

Got a burning question you want answered? Email it to me and I'll include it in a future issue of Communiqué for Success!

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We’re half way through the year, and as the sun comes out to play on a more regular basis business might well be far from your pressing thoughts.

But in fact right now is the perfect time to take stock of the past 6 months to see where you are in terms of achieving all those great things you promised for your business.

We all know how those New Year’s resolutions can get dropped more quickly than a doomed ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ entrant.

A tailor-made, one-on-one marketing tune-up might just be what you need to help you get a leg up or take the next step in growing your business.

Available in 4 value-for-money convenient packages, from ‘Pay-As-You-Go’ to ‘The Full Marketing Monty’, each one comes with an unconditional money-back guarantee:

Go on – save yourself endless hours, effort and frustration (not to mention plenty of £s) from experiencing the same mistakes that stops you getting ahead, and start discovering the best way to build YOUR business, fast.

Visit: http://tinyurl.com/tuneup

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Join my affiliate programme and you could earn as much as 33% per sale just by recommending them to your clients, colleagues and friends. Easy passive income!

To find out more just go to ==> www.mediaminister.co.uk/affiliate.htm

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What I like about A Guide to Promoting Your Business is that there is no ‘fluff’ – Antonia Chitty just tells it as it is. And with that in mind, this workbook provides an accessible, easy-to-follow blueprint for busy professionals who have a message to spread to the world. As a marketing professional who has helped clients through the PR maze, I can appreciate how overwhelming setting up and running your own PR campaign can be. Not everyone has the resources of a big corporation or extensive marketing experience. Which makes A Guide to Promoting Your Business all the more valuable a resource for the small business-owner or solopreneur. Written in a clear and accessible style, it leads the reader through the key steps to gaining recognition and promoting his or her business.

Full of helpful examples and case studies, as well as exercises, resources and handy tips, both the beginner and the more experienced will benefit from this step-by-step guide.

Extremely practical for any business, regardless of size and position on the ‘PR ladder’.

Order at: www.mediaminister.co.uk/products.htm

Got a tip or resource you'd like to share? Email it to me and I'll include it in a future issue of Communiqué for Success!

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“I feel that I benefited from the TeleMasterClass 'Creating a powerful Brochure for your business.' The subject matter is now clearer to me. I was very happy with the TeleMasterClass... It was among the best... I feel more people would benefit from this.”

Find out why others find this MasterClass so compelling.

Available in audio and as a bound hard copy or PDF notes.

http://winningmarketingbrochures.mediaminister.co.uk

Thanks to Kim Komando at http://www.komando.com for this tip. Here's a site with over 1,000 free fonts. You can have loads of fun and create interesting sales materials with these cool fonts. (Remember, use no more than 2 fonts in your sales materials, and make sure all of your materials match!)

Got a tip or resource you'd like to share? Email it to me and I'll include it in a future issue of Communiqué for Success!

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READING THIS AD? YOURS COULD BE HERE, TOO! To find out more and get on board to reach entrepreneurs, business owners and consultants, just email the Word Doctor using the contact information below.

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Disclaimer: Neither Tracey Dooley nor MediaMinister endorses the accuracy or reliability of any of any third-party advertisements in this e-newsletter. Rest assured, advertisers are carefully selected and sometimes personally known, which can only be a good thing for you! However, I simply can’t (and don’t) investigate the legitimacy, validity or legality of any item advertised. It therefore always makes sense to check each one out using your own diligence.

Feel free to FORWARD COMMUNIQUÉ FOR SUCCESS! in its entirety to anyone you think will find it useful. When doing do please add a note explaining why you're sending it to them, else they might think I've sent it to them without permission – thanks.

Join my email list (your privacy is totally safe)!

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