Go Ahead, Marketing-Minded Financial Planners, Call a Reporter.txt

Yes, you can call a reporter.

I've said it before, in dozens of articles and presentations to financial planners looking for free publicity. Hopefully now you’re getting comfortable with the idea. Go on. Pick up the phone. Reporters and newspeople are human beings like the rest of us.

They can, and do, take phone calls.

Just be ready with a couple of useful story ideas – about your topic and expertise, not about you – and chances are they’ll listen.

A great phone opening to use with busy reporters is to always ask first: “Is this a good time to talk?”

Amazingly, many people think reporters don’t want to hear from them. Wrong! Offer information they need, and they’ll welcome your call. (But not at deadline time, which is usually in the afternoon. Call or email by about 1 p.m.)

A cousin to this myth: many also believe it’s the anchor guy or gal they see on the tube each night that decides what stories appear on the evening news. Wrong again!

That person may be the most visible and highly-paid face at the station, but he or she usually has little or nothing to do with the process of deciding what stories get covered and who gets on the air.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

[tags]financial planners publicity, financial planners marketing, marketing, publicity, pr[/tags]

Foolproof Publicity for Marketing-Minded Financial Planners.txt

They'd hate to admit it, but the media is pretty predictable.

There are some stories that will run in newspapers until the saints go marching in. Some of the obvious ones: diet tips, anything having to do with kids or animals, political scandals, celebrity divorces...you could probably find a story about each one of these topics in every single edition of every daily newspaper in the country.

Long ago, newspaper editors realized that these topics attract readers. And, if you got your story published, the same determination was made about your topic. Once a topic is anointed as "news-worthy" by the media, you can keep coming back to it again and again, as long as you have a reasonably new angle.

Think of every PR success as the seed for the next placement. Re-read your article when it appears, and ask yourself, “What could I have elaborated on?” or “What’s going to be happening next in that field?”

For example, say your published story was about municipal bonds. Stay on the lookout for any municipal bond news that arises. Bond failures, new bond issues, appealing rates—all of these could be topics to bring back to a reporter. You may also consider a story about other tax-free return investment vehicles.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

[tags]financial planners publicity, financial planners marketing, marketing, publicity, pr[/tags]

Five Publicity "Buckets" For Marketing-Minded Financial Planners.txt

Maybe you’ve seen another financial planner on TV, and thought, “Hey, I’m just as good as she. Why didn’t the press pick me?”

Well, chances are, as you now know, they picked her for at least two good reasons:

1. She is a proficient – though not necessarily top–financial planner, and


2. She did something, somewhere, to get on their radar screen.

Just as you’re going to learn how to do. If you’ll just keep learning about publicity.

Truth is, you can’t just walk into a TV station or magazine office and announce, “Here I am, expert available!” It’s a little more involved than that.

But it’s not so hard that a smart financial planner can’t figure it out. And implement your own little media plan. And use your publicity to build business. And do it without spending a ton of money on some fancy-pants PR firm.

All you have to do is understand how the game works. How media folks think. How they speak. What they need to put together a story… a story that informs their audience, and that features you.

Truth is, you can sort nearly everything you need to know into five convenient buckets. They are:

• Create your own story.


• Learn the media game.


• Connect with the media.


• Excel in the media.


• Get more out of your publicity.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

[tags]financial planners publicity, financial planners marketing, marketing, publicity, pr[/tags]

Financial Service Companies.txt

The Internet provides a wealth of information on companies that offer financial services to their clients. You just need to enter your query on a regular search engine, and you will be flooded with thousands of websites of companies that offer such services. The problem lies in finding the right site to fit your needs. A solution to this problem is to know exactly what you want so that your search can be narrowed down to the companies that offer the services that you want.

One way of narrowing your search is to be specific in your queries. For example, instead of just typing “banking services,” you can type “personal savings account” or “time deposits” instead. For business accounts, you may type “venture capital” instead of just typing generic words like “lending.” For corporate accounts, it may also be helpful just to type in the words “employee compensation and benefits” rather than typing “salaries and wages.”

Some search engines also provide help in deciphering the right information by giving categories of the financial services that are available online; all you have to do is to click on the link that is usually placed on the home page of the search engine. The usual major categories include banking services, insurance, and mortgages. Under these major categories, you will then be able to find relevant sites that can help you with your needs. If you wish to look for banks that may be able to finance a car or a home loan, you just have to look under the category of mortgages. For services that involve running a business, you may find categories like cash flow management and financial planning under the banking services category. These major categories help in narrowing down the choices that you face because they eliminate other websites that would have appeared in your search if you used vague terms.

When you are flooded with information, finding the information that you need is difficult. This is why it is helpful that when using the Internet to search for financial services, you know what kind of service you want and where to look for it. Being more specific and using tools provided search engines are only a few ways at solving this problem.

Financial Services provides detailed information on Financial Services, Business Financial Services, Financial Service Companies, NCO Financial Services and more. Financial Services is affiliated with Fee Only Financial Planners.

[tags]Financial Service Companies[/tags]

Financial Planners.txt

Planning is the specific process of setting goals and developing ways to reach them. The success or failure of any enterprise or project depends mainly on proper planning. It is rightly said that failing to plan is planning to fail. Financial planning is an integral part of the job of financial planners. It is needed both in terms of long-term and short-term financing. Financial planning in the long-term is concerned with the design of the pattern of financing, and in the short-term it is concerned with forecasting of cash.

Financial planning is the application of planning to the various aspects of the finance function. Basically it involves the formulation of the financial plan which states the quantum of finance required, the pattern of financing and the policies to be pursued for the administration of the financial plan. A business enterprise requires short-term and long-term capital. The total capital required by a concern is termed as capitalization. The short-term capital or the working capital is the capital required to meet the day-to-day obligations or the operating expenses. The long-term capital is required to acquire the fixed assets. Generally, on a conservative ground, a portion of the working capital is also met out of long-term capital.

The capital so required may be collected from different sources. A substantial share is raised from internally generated funds. The remaining part should be raised from outside sources, such as the issue of shares and debentures, or the raising of loans. The pattern of financing is known as capital structure. It should be designed in such a way as to obtain the required amount at the lowest possible cost. Once the required amount is raised, then it is the job of financial planners to see that the funds are allocated in the best possible way to obtain the maximum benefits. Implementing proper control systems can ensure the efficient use of the funds.

Financial Planners provides detailed information on Financial Planners, Certified Financial Planners, Fee Only Financial Planners, Become A Financial Planner and more. Financial Planners is affiliated with Financial Service Companies.

[tags]Financial Planners, Certified Financial Planners, Fee Only Financial Planners, Become A Financial Pl[/tags]

Financial Planners, Want Free Marketing and Publicity The Key is Understanding the Media.txt

The media need you. Need the information and expertise you offer, that is. But they are not encyclopedias. They don’t serve up information. They serve up stories.

That heap of paper that thuds onto your doorstep early each morning – it’s called a newspaper, not an information paper.

And that evening broadcast you watch to catch up on the day’s events? They call it the Evening News, don’t they? Not the Evening Information.

The media take the huge mass and swirl of information out there every day and spin it, by a process that seems magical but isn’t, into what we all call news. Into stories.

Simply put, news is what’s new. It’s what everyone’s talking about today. Whatever that may be. Or, it’s whatever the news media, in their judgment, think we need to know today, so we can all talk about it tomorrow.

First, let’s just get our arms around this key distinction between news and information. It’s critical to getting meaningful publicity.

News and information: two different things.

The media take a raw ingredient – information – and condense, distill, sort, and package it into a product called news. News, whether in print, on TV, or the Internet, is delivered in tidy little packages called stories.

Compared to your financial planning knowledge, news stories are unbelievably short, simple, and – sorry to say—usually shallow. (That’s not as cruel as it sounds: the audience – your prospects – usually don’t need to know huge amounts of information, to decide they may need your services.)

But those stories sure do pack the powerful punch of immediacy, urgency, and relevance to daily life.

Examples:

Information: a financial planner devotes an entire career to mastering the intricate details of investing and managing a 401(k) retirement account.

News: Congress passes a far-reaching retirement savings law. Suddenly, millions of Americans face a deadline to make financial decisions that may affect their quality of life for decades. The financial planner explains the new law succinctly and clearly in an interview aired on the local TV news, and guides viewers through the choices they face. The entire story is two minutes long, just right for the general public. By contrast, when the financial planner speaks on the topic as an expert before an audience of her peers, she will present for an hour.

Information: Dr. Jones is a leading authority on certain rare infectious diseases, lecturing and writing on the subject in the world’s most distinguished medical journals and colloquia.

News: The Governor of Dr. Jones’s state contracts one of those diseases, and uncertainty over his ability to remain in office swirls. Dr. Jones does not treat the Governor, so he cautions that he cannot comment on the specifics of this case. But calmly and objectively, he explains to reporters in lay terms the general facts about this kind of illness, pointing out that 90% of people with it recover promptly with treatment once diagnosed.

Information: broad, deep, and evergreen.

News: narrower, shallower, but timely and topical.

The knowledge within it is no less true, real, or important. It’s just been distilled into bite-sized bits that fit the space in the paper, the time on the show, or the audience’s attention span. Distilling that information into news, and then assembling it into appealing packages called stories, is essentially what the news media do.

So don’t be like one of those characters in an Alfred Hitchcock movie – getting in trouble because you know too much. Instead, learn to slice and dice your topic into many narrower, manageable offerings.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

[tags]financial planners publicity, financial planners marketing, marketing, publicity, pr[/tags]

Financial Planners, Make Sure Reporters Comprehend Your Topic.txt

Don't assume that a reporter understands financial planning. If anything, assume the opposite until proven wrong. See if you can't develop a couple of questions for the reporter that delicately explore their subject-matter knowledge. Freddy Newshound may cover personal finance, but he’s no expert. He may have started on the beat yesterday and not know a T-Bill from a municipal bond.

Fill in any necessary gaps so that the reporter can grasp the significance and context of your story. Making assumptions about a reporter’s knowledge base is risky business.

You can also enhance the reporter's understanding of your topic by avoiding industry jargon. You’d be amazed at how much of it creeps unconsciously into our daily language. Save it for professional peers – except for an elite few trade press reporters, the media will be confused by it.

Near the end of your interview, recap and gently probe to ensure the interviewer has understood your main points. Many of them are adept at making it sound as if they know what’s going on. Sometimes they don’t. Judge too, by the questions they ask, whether they are absorbing your information properly. Trust your instincts – if you fear the reporter may be misunderstanding, act firmly and proactively to set the interview straight. It's better to do this now than when it’s already on the air or in print.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

[tags]financial planners publicity, financial planners marketing, marketing, publicity, pr[/tags]

Financial Planners, Follow These Guidelines to Get Free Publicity.txt

Be a Resource

The media people that are likely to want to speak to financial planners are usually working on stories that will help people: help them get out of debt, make smarter investment decisions, or save for retirement.

They look to financial planners to be a resource for these people.

When you become a resource, the media will come back to you again and again.

A resource on what? On the same subject matter and topics that are the everyday stuff of your business, your practice, your interaction with clients and customers.

How you can help people - that's your story.

You Are NEVER the Story

Unless you’re a Hollywood star or some kind of oddball, to the media you are not a story.

So forget about breaking your way into the media spotlight with “news” about how great or successful you are, how impeccable your credentials are.

The media don’t care. You need more. Your story is your topic – a slice of your subject matter expertise. (For the next 30 days, repeat this aloud to yourself every morning and evening until it is second nature:)

“My story is my topic.”

Your story will focus not on you, but on the needs and problems that drive clients to your door.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

[tags]financial planners publicity, financial planners marketing, marketing, publicity, pr[/tags]

Financial Planners Publicity and Marketing - Live By The Calendar.txt

The media live by the calendar. Your story pitch might miss the mark with them the first time out, solely because it’s out of whack with the seasonal cycle (obvious examples: just try pitching another tax story on April 16, or offering the media your 10 tips on backyard barbecue safety the morning after Labor Day).

But come back when the time’s right, and you just might be golden: Personal finance and the holiday season… Record keeping techniques for tax time... Saving for college at back-to-school time.

In fact, for just about any topic, with a little thought and creativity, you can work your way through the calendar and fill out a whole year’s worth of media stories based on seasonal tie-ins. You probably won’t land every story, but you will increase your results dramatically simply because you are stepping up to the plate – and getting to contact reporters – more often.

Following the seasons is one of the best – and easiest – ways to slice your topic.

Here’s one example. Let’s say our topic – we consult, write, and speak about it for a living – is time management. A yearlong spin through the calendar might start with this:

January: Keeping that New Year’s Resolution to get yourself organized.

March: Don’t let income tax season throw a wrench into your busy life.

June: School’s out! How to remain productive at work when the kids are at home and leisure activities beckon.

September: Fall’s here, time to get serious again! How to make the most out of your time.

December: Holiday season – how to get it all done.

And before you know it, another year has arrived, and now your media plan is to …. start all over again! For two reasons: not every media outlet you’re targeting did the story last year, and (this is the part I love!) many of the reporters who turned you down last year have since left their jobs and moved on. That frees you to call their replacements, who will be hearing your story for the first time.

Creativity exercise:

Try this right now. List the months of the year on a blank sheet of paper. Fill in one of your topics where it is appropriate for a particular month. See if you can find 6, 8, or even 12 reasons a year why the media should do your story.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

[tags]financial planners publicity, financial planners marketing, marketing, publicity, pr[/tags]

Financial Planners Publicity - Don't Wait, Media Folks Want Your Free Publicity.txt

Looking to get your name into a magazine? You need to be thinking ahead--way ahead. Magazines start planning their issues as much as six months before their publication date.

In January, when you are muttering about the expensive heating bill, magazine writers are penning tips about staying cool. In June, while you lie on the beach, they are researching the hot new Christmas toys.

If you call a magazine reporter in March with tax tips for April 15th, they will be more than a little bit annoyed. They finished their tax articles months ago and are working on back-to-school pieces.

When you have a story pegged for a specific date, contact magazine folks as far ahead of time as possible. They will respect your understanding of the magazine game.

Even daily newspapers and weekly magazines work well in advance. Though the facts of their stories may change as their deadline nears, the basic structure of most newspaper articles is established well in advance.

This is especially true of financial and business columnists who are your main target. They often write their pieces weeks or even months in advance.

If you come up with a story that is time-sensitive, don't sit on it. Contact a media person right away. It's hardly ever too early to plant a seed in their mind.

Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102 Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.

[tags]financial planners publicity, financial planners marketing, marketing, publicity, pr[/tags]