This article really was inspiring to me. Emily makes some great points. I like how after each quote she asks you pointed questions that make you think about what you can do to help promote your business.
Studying the art of promotion is interesting and can prove profitable when done well. You owe it to yourself to be constantly on the look out for opportunities to get free public exposure. The very first quote is a real eye opener. Making people feel good, respected and valued will help you win more business. Number 2 also works with number 1, making the customer feel good.
Number 11 is all about the numbers, knowing your numbers makes or breaks your business. The numbers guide you to the bank. Carefully watch what is going on with your business.
I also enjoy number 13 and 14. Failure is only an excuse, as long as you keep moving forward, there is no failure. It is only when you quite trying that you have failed. Every failure can hold a great lesson for you. You need to evaluate your failures to figure out what not to do next time. Learn from the bad to help create a great moment in your life.
Small actions each day move you towards your goals. Concentrate on these small actions each and everyday. Break down the goal into tasks. Then break the tasks into little actions that you can take to complete your task.
Focus on the hardest tasks first. Accomplishing them has always been a big boost for me. Achieving something you find difficult to do is like facing a little fear. Conquer it and you are taking a big step on the journey to your goal.
Inspire your PR and marketing efforts with these smart quotations
Rudyard Kipling wrote, “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”They can inspire, motivate, invigorate … and sometimes they’re just what you need to fuel your next marketing strategy.
Here are 17 quotations to jumpstart your branding and communications efforts:
1. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
How does your business make customers, business partners, followers and readers feel? Do they walk away feeling positive, optimistic and inspired? Strive for these responses in every interaction.
2. “Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart.” – Joe Chernov
Do your customers feel good about themselves after working with you? Although you’re the expert in your field, you can always learn more, and your clients are a fantastic resource. Ask them for feedback regarding your products and services. What do they like about them? What can you improve? What about your website, blog, e-newsletter and social media channels? The more insight you’re able to pull from them, the better you can fine-tune your strategy and the better they’ll feel about working with you.
3. “Whether B2B or B2C, I believe passionately that good marketing essentials are the same. We all are emotional beings looking for relevance, context and connection.” – Beth Comstock
Regardless of your industry, public relations and marketing are all about the people. It’s about connecting with them, sharing information and using your products or services to help them to the best of your ability.
4. “A brand is no longer what we tell the customer it is; it is what the customers tell each other it is.” – Scott Cook
If your customers were to describe your organization to someone else, what would they say? Is their description the way you want your organization to be viewed? They see the images and words you use to brand your business through your website, blog, e-newsletter and social media channels, and create a concept of your organization they’ll use to tell others about you. Create content for your brand with your customers in mind so you stay on point and present a clear picture for them.
5. “Don’t build links. Build relationships.” – Rand Fishkin
Links coming into your website can be fantastic for search engine optimization (SEO). But putting your focus on link-building rather than building relationships with consumers and other organizations will end up hurting you in the long run.
6. “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” – Seth Godin
As Beth Adan recently explained, “A great story has four elements: theme, plot, structure and characters.”
7. “Content is fire, social media is gasoline.” – Ryan Kahn
One of the best ways to spread your content is through social media. Whenever you write a blog post, share it across your channels. Share it more than once, presenting it in different ways to entice followers to check it out and share themselves if they haven’t already. Make sure you follow each social media platform’s best practices to pour the best gasoline possible on your content.
8. “What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself.” – Abraham Lincoln
Does your publicity stink? Think about the message you’re presenting to potential and current customers. How can you sweeten the impression you’re leaving?
9. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” – Will Rogers
When a potential customer visits your website, blog or social media channels, what first impression are you giving them? If they see typos and improper grammar, it’s not a good one. Make sure every piece of content you create benefits your organization’s marketing by making a solid first impression. Share helpful, insightful information, and proofread everything before it goes live.
10. “Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with your marketing.” – Mike Volpe
When’s the last time you tried a new public relations and marketing strategy? Hold a brainstorming session with your team and come up with as many crazy and wild ideas as you can, and pick one or two to try out this next quarter. Then review the results: Were you successful? Can you adjust something to become even more successful next time?
11. “Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed.” – Dan Zarrella
When’s the last time you looked at your analytics? Open your eyes to clearly see where your business is going. At Three Girls Media, we recommend you review your Google and social media analytics every 4-6 weeks. Make note of your page views, click-thrus, engagement, etc., and look for trends that can help you improve your content marketing strategy.
12. “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” – Dale Carnegie
Remember, if you have fun, your customers will too. Put a little personality into your PR and content marketing efforts and enjoy yourself.
13. “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
Keeping a spring in your step can sometimes be hard, but staying positive, optimistic and hopeful amidst failure can make a huge impact on your business.
14. “Success is the sum of small actions, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
What small actions are you taking today to achieve your marketing goals tomorrow? Create a 6- or 12-month strategy, and break it into smaller daily or weekly tasks you can chip away at little by little.
15. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
Successful public relations and marketing take time. Although you want to regularly keep an eye on results, it takes a slow, steady approach for at least 6 months—if not a couple of years—for some strategies to make an impact on the bottom line. It’s worth the investment as long as you stay consistent and keep at it.
16. “All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
What dreams and goals do you want to achieve? Write them down, and then create a plan to get there.
17. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
Instead of looking at a mistake as a failure, change your perspective and approach it as learning another way that won’t work.
What are the quotes that inspire you?
Emily Sidley is the senior director of publicity at Three Girls Media. A version of this article originally appeared on the agency’s blog.