I used to start marketing initiatives with great enthusiasm, only to have them sputter out due to lack of follow through. The Gentle Rain process, coupled with Mark's advice, has ensured that I focus on the most important activities and that the initial enthusiasm doesn't turn into 
—Daniel Berger
Financial Services
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I am most comfortable when there is a game plan or system to follow. Mark's approach, while flexible to accommodate individual needs, leaves no doubt about what must be done at each stage to keep the business development process moving
—Shannon Anthony
Human Resources Consulting
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We used to spend considerable money on appointment setters, but got nothing. Gentle Rain enabled us to control our marketing ourselves. Now, we are 45% ahead of plan, yet only investing 20-30 minutes a day to keep the marketing system running
—James Cassidy
Managing Partner, Human Resources Consulting Firm
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The ideas for what to put in a marketing letter, and even more importantly, what not to put in the letter, has proven to be invaluable. We have increased our response rate by 35%, based on what we learned in the boot
—Vance Sheinfeld
Technology Consulting Firm Practice Leader
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Our firm will never have the global awareness of a McKinsey, but the Gentle Rain process enabled us to become better known to our defined market than any of the brand name firms. That is ultimately more important in our ability to get the projects we
—Michael Scott
Partner, Operations & Supply Chain Consulting Firm
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A very easy to implement, yet sophisticated approach for marketing professional services. Excellent advice on everything from how to turn the screener into an ally to accelerating the sales
—Shannon Anthony
Human Resources Consulting
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If you're selling high-priced (and highly valuable) information, Mark's unique style of writing gets attention, raises curiosity, and compels readers to take
—Bob Bly
Author of
The Copywriter's Handbook
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Gentle Rain PR
How to Build Your Brand & Become a
Recognized Expert In Your Field
Building the Professional Services Brand
Important information for any consultant, business owner, entrepreneur, author, speaker, coach, financial advisor or marketer...who's serious about becoming well known among those who matter...
Dear Friend,
As a former syndicated columnist, author of six books, and founder of Gentle Rain Marketing, I've experienced PR from a variety of perspectives.
As a newspaper columnist, I relied upon experts to give me quotes and ideas for my articles. You can't imagine how many times I sat in front of my keyboard desperately racking my brain for some new idea that I could incorporate into my weekly column. In fact I take a fair amount of credit for launching two well-known consultants largely through repeatedly quoting them in my syndicated column. At its peak it appeared in 74 newspapers with a combined circulation approaching 1,000,000 readers. That's quite a lot of exposure!
The primary reason they got so much visibility from me is because they mastered two of the most important components of effective PR. They suggested ideas that would appeal to my readers, and they consistently stayed in touch. As a result, they were the first people I turned to whenever I needed perspective or a timely quote.
I experienced the power of PR from the other side when I wrote my book Power Prospecting. As you're probably aware, there are tens of thousands of books published each year, and the odds of having yours get shelf space with the major chains (much less still be in print 5 years later) are somewhere between slim and remote.
I was very fortunate to work with a sharp PR person who developed a number of newsworthy ideas for generating media interest. It was through a combination of creativity and perseverance that Power Prospecting achieved distribution in all the major chains and enjoyed substantial sales.
This experience obviously influenced me when I started Gentle Rain Marketing. Back in 1992, we were just one more marketing firm, largely indistinguishable from thousands of similar firms. To break out of the pack I conducted a study of CEOs on what they felt were the most effective methods for getting on their radar screen.
I compiled the results and wrote a simple press release that summarized my findings. Much to my pleasure 35 newspapers, trade and professional publications picked up the release. Needless to say it was a key event that enabled Gentle Rain to gain a level of visibility that it otherwise wouldn't have enjoyed.
Do you need PR?
Although we have a natural bias, it's hard to imagine a business that wouldn't benefit from PR.
The real value of PR is that it can position you and your company as the leader in your field. Since most of our clients sell high value advice or services, this is a matter of great importance. With so many firms seemingly offering identical services, how does a prospective client differentiate one from another?
A lot of it has to do with who is visible in the media. Articles and quotes greatly contribute to the overall perception of competence and quality that prospective clients are looking for.
But... one or two mentions in the press are usually not enough. As with any other marketing strategy, a sustained and consistent effort is crucial if you are serious about becoming one of the recognized experts in your field.
What constitutes an effective PR campaign?
We believe that it's three things.
- Creativity: Can you position your services or products in a way that make people curious and interested? When we first promoted Gentle Rain we used a survey as a lever for getting publicity. If we had blandly announced that a new marketing firm had opened, no one would have cared. Using the survey as a hook got us a lot of press, which in turn led to speaking opportunities and ultimately several consulting assignments. Naturally, surveys are just one of the methods we use to creatively attract the attention of the media for our clients.
- Distribution: An effective PR campaign reaches both wide and deep. Simply just sending the release to a handful of names gleaned from a few publications is not an effective distribution strategy. In our database we have contact information and detailed profiles on over 460,000 writers and journalists. From this comprehensive universe we are able to develop highly focused micro-targeted lists. Effective PR is about developing relationships with the media contacts that can make you famous with their readers, listeners and viewers.
- Consistency: While a single press release can occasionally be highly effective, a far more effective approach is to be communicating with your key media contacts regularly and consistently. In order to do this you need lots of creative ideas for how to position what you offer in ways that make you stand out. The Gentle Rain methodology of consistent messages of relevance and interest is a crucial component for an effective PR strategy.
Key Reasons To Do PR
- You're the proverbial small fish in a big pond. Quite frankly it's difficult to compete with your larger and better-established competition if you just rely on referrals and word-of-mouth. PR gets you featured in the publications that the key decision makers in your industry read, while building your image and brand.
- You offer a GREAT product or service, but... no one knows about you. One great advantage of PR is that it BOTH communicates your message AND builds credibility for you. We instinctively trust what we read in magazines, while we instinctively are skeptical of advertising.
- You're have lots of competitors offering similar (if not the same) services. Although most people don't like to hear this, the fact is that the most successful businesses are very often the ones who are the most effective at promoting their services. Effective PR differentiates you from the competition and makes you memorable in ways that are real and specific.
- Your competition gets all the press. Nothing is more frustrating than to pick up a paper or magazine and see your competitors quoted. It's hard not to immediately react with "That should have been me!" The reality is that these appearances in the media don't simply just happen. They occur as a result of well-orchestrated campaigns to achieve that precise result. The good news is that you can do the same.
Wouldn't YOU like to be the one that gets quoted? Wouldn't YOU like to be the Recognized EXPERT in your field? PR is to vehicle to get you the visibility and recognition you need.
How does the Gentle Rain PR process work?
We start by conducting a detailed analysis of your business and the key principals. The goal here is to identify those Nuggets-Of-Interest that we can promote to the media.
Based on this analysis we develop a PR schedule of communications. At this step we are not only promoting those aspects of your business that will be appealing to the media, but also developing ideas to tie your services into current events, holidays and other promotional opportunities. The key at this stage is to be creative and enhance the brand image we are creating.
We next develop your targeted list of media contacts. Our database consists of over 460,000 journalists, writers and columnists. From this universe we will develop a precise list of individuals representing media on a local, regional and national basis. Our micro-targeted approach dramatically increases the likelihood that the press releases we write for you will get picked-up.
Maintaining visibility. To truly become the recognized expert in your field or build your brand, you need a consistent approach. This is the only way you can get your story heard in a way that it is memorable by those who matter.
Want to Learn More?
To discuss your individual PR goals and how Gentle Rain PR can help you grow your brand and enable you to become one of the recognized experts in your field please call 770-643-8566 or email Mark at mark@gentlerainmarketing.com for a free consultation.
We look forward to speaking with you.
Mark Satterfield
Gentle Rain Marketing Inc
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