Build your customer base, and stay in touch with your current customers using an email newsletter.  E-newsletters are an inexpensive yet effective way to harness the Internet.   Sending a newsletter also enables you to reach your customers and prospects in a unique and personalized way, says Hook PR Group Partner James Diehl.

“It’s all about communicating with your customers in today’s marketplace,” Diehl says. “If you build rapport with your customers and earn their trust through the use of your services, you will create a relationship that will last for years.”

Using the power of an e-newsletter really levels the playing field between a small, family-run business and a larger corporation. “You control the information flow and put only what you want your customers to read in front of them on a regular basis,” Diehl says.

Top three ways that Hook PR E-newsletters are good for your business

Learn about your impact on customers with e-newsletter services that give you:

• Measurable results. Unlike many types of advertising, our e-newsletters show you exactly how many people the message has reached. You can view the number of e-mails sent and opened. If you have links on the page, you can view how many people clicked on them.

• A highly targeted campaign. You send information only to those customers who are most likely to respond, with information that appeals to them. You never send anyone  unwanted e-mails – those who want to know more easily sign themselves up.

• A place to showcase your expertise. E-mail newsletters let you demonstrate your knowledge and skill. And because they’re written in your voice — or the voice of your company — customers feel as though you are talking directly to them. They can respond via a link or e-mail address on the page.

Not a writer?  No sweat — That’s our job

To harness the power of this leading marketing tool, our experienced journalists at Hook PR Group design, create and launch your e-newsletter and keep it going.

Our writers are uniquely qualified to develop marketing campaigns with email newsletters your target audience wants to read. With our background as journalists, we deliver your message in clear, concise and convincing terms, showing how your business offers the expertise that your target market is looking for.

Learn more about newsletter writing and setup services offered by Hook PR Group. See samples here in our portfolio.  You can set up a free consultation with one of our marketing professionals — email  editors@hookrgroup.com or call 302-858-5055.

Pick up any newspaper and you’re bound to see them. Sometimes you see just a few, and sometimes dozens of them – news from local businesses about their services, products or employees.

Press releases, when written well and targeted to the right audience, can promote any business effectively. They work for large multi-national firms and your local family-owned landscaping company. They make you more visible in print and on the Web.

The secret to press releases that work

Feature-style news releases are excellent for promoting your business in new and familiar print media. The secret is to focus on your reader. Use a press release campaign to build awareness about your work, by showing how you help with a key need.

Since you can also display the same text on your Web site, you can have us write your news with keyword-rich content that improves your list place in search engines like Google. The right keywords help people searching for help to find your product and business.

Because people search and read when they are looking for information, your press release is invaluable publicity for your business. It’s a powerful tool that should be part of any well-planned campaign.

Tune people in by telling your story

Every small business has a great story to tell. But while you’re running your business, it’s a struggle to craft your message, get it out, and make yourself more visible in the marketplace. At Hook PR Group, we tell the story and position it for your target market. Then, to put it simply, we get your audience hooked.

Regular press releases can be an effective promotional tool. But ordinary news has a limited reach. The talented storytellers at Hook PR Group go beyond traditional methods by crafting feature-style releases ideal for small and medium sized newspapers and news services.

Feature-style news releases go beyond grabbing media exposure for your company’s new products, services and events. This type of news release appeals directly to your buyers and consumers, highlights your expertise, and raises your company’s search engine rankings.

A no-cost way to find out how press releases can work for you

Learn more about the services offered by Hook PR Group. You can set up a free brainstorming session with one of our marketing professionals — email  editors@hookrgroup.com or call 302-858-5055. See how your audience can find you and your news, instead of somebody else’s.

Public Relations, or PR, includes all kinds of strategies to attract positive attention to your business.

Every time you encounter:

• an open house,
• an article,
• a free demonstration,
• a podcast
• a press release
• or a website

– you’re seeing PR at work.

Discover PR ideas that don’t need big budgets

Some PR ideas need almost no money, like offering a free talk at the library, creating a YouTube video, or being the guest for an interview.

Others require a budget for ad placement, air time, or recording services. Done right, you get a return on your investment through new customers the campaign brings in.

You may be bursting with ideas for spreading the word about your work. Or, maybe you’re drawing a complete blank.

How to talk to Hook PR professionals for free

Hook PR Group offers your company a Hook PR Brainstorm. It’s a free 20-minute brainstorming session over the phone, with one of our PR professionals. You can ask us for feedback on your latest idea. Or find out about tactics that best fit your budget.

A Hook PR Brainstorm IS:

• A 20-minute phone call (at a pre-arranged time)
• A quick way to discover a variety of PR options
• Your opportunity to learn about general pricing information
• A time for instant feedback about what’s working or not working for you

A Hook PR brainstorm is NOT:

• An instant price quote (but you can request a quote, which you will receive later)
• A “working session” for a particular campaign
• A crash course in do-it-yourself PR

How much is “No PR” costing your company?

A Hook PR Brainstorm is a no-cost opportunity to find out what it’s like to work with our PR professionals.

When you join in a Hook PR Brainstorm, you are under no obligation to buy Hook PR services.

What have you got to lose? Hook PR Brainstorms will be offered free for a limited time. To reserve your place, contact us at editors@hookprgroup.com

OK, you’re asking, but what’s in it for me as a business person? By offering content that prospects and clients want and need you develop a conversation with them, rise as a trusted source of information and gain their trust

Want to know more? Come back to gather tips and research from practicioners, including some of the best-known movers and shakers in the field. Let’s start a conversation about how Delaware businesses and organizations can rock this revolution! We’ll be waiting for you.

Hook PR Group featured in Chamber of Commerce news

Hook PR Group recently added two storytellers experienced at developing promotional content that allows organizations throughout Delaware to reel in more clients. James Diehl, a longtime Sussex County journalist, and veteran editor Pam George have joined the fullservice communications company, which is based in Georgetown. Hook PR Group helps businesses and nonprofit organizations promote their products or services in new, exciting ways. The group’s core focus is on a concept known as content  marketing, a cost-effective way of promotion that’s ideal for organizations of all sizes.

“We’re talking about simple strategies, such as an online blog, a newsletter or even a feature-style press release that lets a business or nonprofit group tell its customers, ‘We want to provide you with thoughtful  information that is useful to you, the consumer,’” George says.

“At every speech I give, I suggest one of the best ways to create great Web content is for companies to hire a journalist, either full or part time, to create it,” says marketing guru David Meerman Scott,  bestselling author of “The New Rules of Marketing & PR.” “Journalists are great at understanding an audience and developing information that buyers want to consume.”

In addition to Diehl and George, Hook’s talent includes PR consultant Larry Nagengast, bilingual  journalist Patricia V. Rivera and business writer Annette Silva. All are journalists who have worked most or all of their careers in Delaware, making them uniquely-suited to serve the local market in a way no  other marketing company can match.

George is an award-winning writer and editor whose work has appeared in such publications as US Airways Magazine, Fortune, Men’s Health and the Christian Science Monitor. She is also the dining editor of Delaware Today magazine. Diehl worked as a writer and editor at The Daily Times of Salisbury, Md., before serving as managing editor for two separate Sussex County publications. He specializes in in-depth reporting, creative copywriting and public relations.

The company offers free brainstorming sessions, time spent with local business leaders to discuss how to better get their name and their message before the general public. Through its affiliation with Delaware-based BilCom Inc., a translation company, Hook PR Group also offers clients the opportunity to
reach the ever-growing Hispanic population with materials written in Spanish. A menu of services and
special packages are available at www.hookprgroup.com or by calling 302-858-5055.

“Just about every small business has a great story to tell, but they struggle to get their message out, to make their presence felt in the marketplace,” Diehl says. “At Hook PR Group, we tell the story and position it properly.  Then, to put it simply, we get your audience hooked.”

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce newsletter, Vol VI, Issue 12

But there is always a contingent of people whose eyes glaze over and who adopt a bit of a defensive posture. I always hope one of the skeptics will ask a question because they always voice the same general concern: “This all sounds good, David. But how can we actually create all this content you’re talking about: e-books, white papers, blogs and the like? We have a small marketing department and very little budget.”

The answer is quite simple: hire a journalist!

With the consolidation of the newspaper and magazine businesses, journalists have found it difficult to get and keep good jobs. Many experienced people are looking for work. And there are many more people coming out of journalism school than available entry-level jobs.

A journalist skillfully creates interesting stories about how an organization solves customer problems and then delivers those stories in the form of ebooks, white papers, content rich web pages, podcasts, and video. And consumers love it. How refreshing to read, listen to, and watch these products of journalistic expertise instead of the usual product come-ons that typical corporations produce.

Of course, this is a dire situation for many reporters and editors themselves, but a tremendous opportunity for corporate marketing and PR departments that need to find great talent to create effective content. Sure, this is a drastically different job description and some marketing VPs may have trouble getting their arms around this kind of hire. But I’m convinced based on the characteristics, skill sets, and work ethics of the journalists I know as well as the evidence from companies (such as IBM) that have already experimented with hiring journalists into the marketing department, that this approach is the right one.

Journalists themselves will need to think deeply about the opportunities that a corporate assignment might bring to their career. Many journalists have a strong emotional aversion to selling their skills to corporations. While some would rather wait tables than work for “the dark side,” others may find the opportunity refreshing and maybe even an consider the possibility that a corporate stint as an enhancement to their career that would make them more marketable to magazines and newspapers in their future career.

So I ask my marketing and PR friends: Why not just go for it and hire a journalist?

The anecdote illustrates the importance of marketing with an eye on the largest growing buying market in the United States. Delaware’s Hispanic population grew from 15,820 in 1990 to 37,277 in 2000, an increase of 135.6 percent. Their numbers are so great they’ve been compared to the Baby Boomers as a major driving force in the economy and culture.

For businesses, this population growth translates into increased revenues. Companies are scrambling to revamp products and marketing tools to reach what is now the nation’s fastest-growing consumer group.

Market studies indicate that Hispanics show stronger brand loyalty than other population groups. This is particularly true when organizations show appreciation and respect for cultural identity as expressed through language. Even among highly-motivated professional Hispanics who are completely bilingual and operate in English, more bridges are formed and bonds strengthened when companies reach out with well-translated communications in Spanish.

“Building trust and mutual respect is crucial in business transactions,” says Patricia Rivera, founder of the Delaware-based BilCom Group a bilingual communications company founded in 2003. In her April newsletter, The Bilingual View, Rivera reminds clients that simple word-for-word translations can be dangerous in the marketplace.

Consider a well-known example involving the Spanish translation of a major airline’s slogan, Rivera says. “The airline, touting its comfortable seats, urges you to ‘Fly in Leather’; however, the flawed translation of ‘Fly in Leather’ to the literal Spanish ‘Vuela en cuero,’ colloquially means ‘Fly Naked’.” Oops.

Yes, it’s funny. But humor aside, Rivera says translators, editors and reviewers must be meticulous and attentive to detail to avoid these kinds of errors. She asks the rhetorical: “You wouldn’t trust your computer technician to write your promotional marketing material just because he or she is fluent in English, would you?” It follows then, that neither would you trust your company’s translations (and reputation) to someone in your office who speaks some Spanish.

Rivera knows that the translation process is composed of hundreds of small tasks that translators must complete; they must assess the text for subtleties of meaning and accuracy of message. They must compose a compelling message that appeals to clients — just like we do in English, but with extra care, thought and work. That way, you will increase your client base in spite of a sluggish economy. And, your business plan won’t get lost in translation.

Annette C. Silva, who lives in Seaford, Del, is Hook PR Group’s business development
coordinator.

Here are some tips you should know so this full-steam-ahead engine doesn’t pass you by.

1. Know your customers and their informational needs. Some brainstorming and a little research will help you with this important step. You are in the position of being able to inform and guide people with your knowledge.

2. Develop your strategy. Determine the message you want to give and how it will impact your customers and your sales.

3. Craft your message with creativity. Use content marketing methods to add value and relate to your customers’ needs and lifestyles. You will establish credibility and build relationships.

4. Make sure your media player can be embedded, whether it’s audio or video, a Webcast or PowerPoint images. This ensures that your message travels across cyberspace. And don’t forget mobile devices and how to access them.

5. Provide a way for your customers to talk to YOU – for feedback, comments, questions – then use that information to improve your message or your service.

6. Make available both short and long forms of your information. Summarize for those customers who only want to skim the surface and provide a way to skip to their particular topic of interest.

7. Strive to be interesting and to add value. This takes only some research and thought. When you’re an authority on the service you offer, it’s not hard to know how to advise and help people.

8. Know how your new media tools blend with your existing ones, such as e-mail, brochures, news feeds, and even business cards. They should complement one another.

Marlene Taylor, who lives in Knoxville, Tenn., is a business writer and a regular editorial contributor to Hook PR Group.

Worry less about what’s good for your company and more about what’s good for your
customer. Chances are, the former will take care of itself when more attention is paid to the latter.

Marketing strategist and best-selling author David Meerman Scott (www.davidmeermanscott.com) suggests using a simple test offered by MarketingSherpa.com to determine if your company is using an egoless approach, or more of an egocentric one. The test can be telling and it will help you ascertain how well your marketing and sales approach is working ― or, in many cases, not working.

Meerman Scott suggests examining your Web site text or a piece of direct mail by adding the number of times you see the words “we,” “us,” “our” or your company’s name in the literature, then count the number of times you see the words “you,” “your” or the job title of your prospects. If the former is a higher number, you have a copywriting problem and your focus needs to be drastically altered.

Focusing on you is also a common pitfall when discussing press releases. Don’t tell readers how great you are. Instead of tooting your own horn, take time to sit down with your marketing team and analyze what your customers want. They don’t care about your problems or the state of your business; they just want you to focus on them and their needs.

Your marketing is meant to be the beginning of a relationship that makes it easier to sell your products or services. To do that effectively, you need to work at understanding your target audience.

You can never overdo it when it comes to focusing on your customer. They are your lifeline; treat them as such.

James Diehl, who lives in Seaford, Del., is a chief writer for Hook PR Group.

The concept is described as content marketing. It involves researching customers’ challenges and learning how to help them be more productive. It means if you want to sell a product, you need to identify the target markets – and grasp people who need your product.

“Content marketing is all the marketing that’s left,” says Seth Godin, marketing guru and author of Seth’s Meatball Sundae Book Tour. During a 2008 teleseminar with Joe Pulizzi (founder and chief content officer of blog.Junta42), Godin said that the new marketing is about giving your customers the resources to trust you. “They [your customers] become a
fan of yours because you teach them something that makes them feel better about the world.”

Today’s new marketing is an even bigger revolution than the industrial revolution because people only need access to ideas, not access to large amounts of capital.

Here are five key points about content marketing from the seminar, as summarized by Pulizzi:

• Understand that the old way of marketing is talking consistently at customers. New marketing is about connecting with customers.
• Attract the chosen few. Traditional marketing was about the number of hits, calls, etc. you could generate; new marketing is about who’s doing the calling or visiting your Web site. If 12 people are coming to your blog, but they are the right 12 people with large amounts of buying power, that’s what matters.
• Develop great content for your audience. If your product solves their problems, they’ll talk about it and tell others.
• Figure out what information your audience desperately needs (e-books, blog, surveys, white papers, etc.) This is the heart of new marketing.
• Tell an authentic story by living an authentic life (i.e., Howard Schultz, Starbucks’ CEO, really does love coffee). In the new marketing world, you can’t fake it. You have to share your passion.

Pulizzi says the future of marketing is not about tempting customers or conning them into buying more; it’s about communicating a message that says, “Regardless of whether you buy from me or not, you need this information. Enjoy!”

Annette C. Silva, who lives in Seaford, Del., is Hook PR Group’s business development coordinator.