Tara Hunt recently wrote an interesting blog post about influencers and it got me thinking about how many businesses approach marketing and publicity. Marketing is a numbers game, but are you looking at the right numbers?
We all want to get the attention of the bloggers who have huge followings, have feature stories written about us in major publications, and be on Oprah’s show. Some people and companies direct all of their efforts toward those goals.
The problem is that everyone is trying to get the attention of the biggest media. That means that it is hard to get their attention and even harder to get them to cover you. However, there are lots of other media that would love to have your story. Would you rather have 1000 people read about you on a few blogs, or 0 people see you on Oprah?
One of the most important points in Tara’s post is to reach out to the people who want to know about you. She sent out a Twitter message offering to send copies of her new book, The Whuffie Factor, to 20 bloggers. The people who responded are people who want to read the book, and are likely to review it. (At least one of them has already posted a review at Amazon.com.) And you never know who will read those reviews, or where they will lead.
There is nothing wrong with having big dreams and aiming high. Sometimes you can hit that grand target. But do not neglect other opportunities that can bring you results faster, and perhaps take you further.
So go ahead and submit your story to Oprah, and hope for the best. But don’t stop there. Contact local media, look for bloggers in your niche, and reach out to your social networks and beyond to spread your message.
