Traffic

Robert Plank: Jill Lublin is an international speaker on the topics of radical influence, publicity, networking, and referrals. She's the author of 3 best selling books, "Get Noticed, Get Referrals," "Guerrilla Publicity," and, "Networking Magic." Her latest book, "Profit of Kindness," comes out soon. She's a master strategist on how to position your business for more profitability, and visibility in the marketplace. Glad to have you here Jill, how are things?

Jill Lublin: I am really doing great, thank you Robert, glad to be here too.

Robert Plank: Cool, so I understand we're talking about publicity and PR, is that right?

Jill Lublin: Well yeah, because the truth is everybody needs it no matter what business they're in.

Robert Plank: Right, and I think that we all fall in this trap, and I think that I fall in this trap, except for the times that I remember to get myself out of it. It's really tempting to kind of be the artist, and I say, "Okay, well I have my skill. Maybe I'm good at making websites, making products, making videos." I think, "Oh, wouldn't it be so great if I just made a website, and everyone just somehow found me? Everyone somehow noticed me, everyone found me and bought from me?" Unfortunately it doesn't work that way, unless you have a secret, unless there's some kind of secret way around that.

Jill Lublin: Well as you say wouldn't it be so great if? Yes, it would be so great if that were the truth. The truth is that every business owner, whatever phase you're in, in business. Starting midway, halfway, 10 years to even 20 years of business, you need publicity to get your word out there. It's really key, and that can be simple things like having ongoing visibility building activities where you're networking, and have a great message. It's really important that people know your name, and have familiarity and trust with name recognition. Whether it's of your product, or your business. Whether you're a brick and mortar, or a consultant or coach. Publicity applies to all.

Robert Plank: Know, like, and trust?

Jill Lublin: Know, like, and trust, that's really what it does. You're building familiarity in the marketplace, you're building credibility, you're building visibility, you're building what I like to call the, "I've heard of him somewhere syndrome." That people know who you are is essential, absolutely.

Robert Plank: When we're talking about publicity, just to make sure that everyone's on the same page and even to make sure that I'm on the same page, what does publicity entail? What are the sub categories or the actions with that?

Jill Lublin: Well a couple things. I have a very broad view of publicity. I wrote the book, "Guerrilla Publicity," so my feeling is publicity happens from the minute you walk out your door. You're doing publicity, so what it entails is having a great message that's consistent, and persistent in the marketplace that people understand and appreciate what you do. Even if they don't appreciate it, they certainly at least understand it and know it. I'm really a big believer in what I like to call, "5 year old language," that making sure that people are talking in 5 year old language, and putting your message in front of people as if it's an ongoing theme so that you're consistent. That's really a key to success is consistency in the marketplace, big key.

Robert Plank: What is this 5 year language? Does that mean that I'm using the same words that I used 5 years ago?

Jill Lublin: No, 5 year old language.

Robert Plank: Okay, so explaining things so that a 5 year old could understand it?

Jill Lublin: Simple. Exactly, being very simple. Keeping things simple, that's a big clue that you're mastering your message. That's really what I'm talking about here is mastering your message so that other people know who you are, and they can repeat it. For you, you can repeat it so that it doesn't matter what's happening that day, what's going on, good bad day, bad day, that really, it's all about getting your message heard, that's really what we're after here.

Robert Plank: In what kind of ways can people get their message heard? I've heard of press released, and podcasts, and blogging, and I guess I could do guest blogging, or post on Facebook or on LinkedIn, what's been working well publicity wise lately?

Jill Lublin: A couple different things. All that you mentioned is really good. Your social media needs to have a great message on it, and again your message is consistent whether you're on social media, whether you're on Instagram, whether you're on LinkedIn, whether you're on Twitter, Facebook, I want your message to be consistent. I think that's really important. Number 2, that press releases still work. Press releases are not dead, they are very much alive. Media is very much alive. If you turn on the TV you can see that. If you listen to the radio you hear that. If you're receiving magazines, which most of us are still. Is their CNN.com? Absolutely. Is there .com's in every news outlet you know of? Absolutely. It's an and, so the news is usually on that news outlet, and the traditional turn on the TV set media outlet. I just want to say... and the truth is whether you're viewing news through your computer, it's all the same. It's still news, it's still a segment, it's still somebody's interviewing you for your business, getting your name out there.

What I love about publicity is that it builds your credibility so that you get more prospects, and more clients. This my friends makes you more money. Simple easy things to do for instance also include getting in your local business journal. There's a wonderful section in their called the, "People section." In the people section, well guess what they need? People.

Robert Plank: People, yep.

Jill Lublin: People just like you, who are listening to this podcast. I want you in the news, particularly on the people section, fabulous way to get your name out there to announce anything. A new coaching program, a new website, a new employee you hired. Maybe you're sitting on a board of directors, you want to announce that. These are great places to do that.

Robert Plank: Awesome, and that makes a lot of sense because I mean, people were still doing things 20 years ago, and events still happened 20 years ago and people still needed a way to get the news 20 years ago. Maybe what we have now is more efficient and crowded, but it sounds like they still need to get at that news.

Jill Lublin: Absolutely. I mean the reality is news is news. One of the things I wan you to do is look to see how you fit into the news. An etiquette expert I work with, she actually wrote a book about college students, and how to have more etiquette. She teaches in corporations, she teaches managers how to have better etiquette, she speaks on the topic. When Donald Trump came on the scene we did a whole story about his lack of etiquette, which of course is relevant for what's happening in the marketplace. We skipped that story of what some of the other things she was doing, and shifted it. I want you to pay attention to what's relevant in the marketplace. How can you be seen and heard in a different way? How do you fit into the news, if that's a possibility at all. How can you make a comment on something going on? Whatever you think. It doesn't almost matter because what you want to do is get into the news so that your voice is heard, so that people start knowing the name of your business, your service, and what you're up to.

Robert Plank: I saw some YouTube clip from years and years ago of a famous marketer named Grant Cardone, and he was on talking about Sarah Palin's daughter years ago. 1 of my coaching clients, he's a doctor, and then there's been some controversy about Hillary Clinton feinting and stuff like that, so he went in and made some internet commentary about that. Whether that leads to being on the news is up to him, depending on how far he wants to push it. I've been seeing that, i've been seeing how people kind of instead of trying to force their own message down the mass medias throat, they just find news worth thing that's happened lately. With politics usually, or some kind of big item, and then try to ride the coat tails of that. Is that right?

Jill Lublin: That's exactly what I'm talking about.

Robert Plank: Awesome, so get yourself listed on local business, figure out how you fit into the news, what else has been working well for you lately?

Jill Lublin: Those are the main things. I mean I teach a publicity crash course and 1 of the things I have my clients do in that course, and we teach it live webinar, live events, and people are writing these announcements that go into the people section for the small business, your small business journal. Boy, that's been working really well. Then people are knowing your name, and that's a beautiful thing.

Robert Plank: If I was going to look into being in a local journal, would I Google search the name of my town local journal people's section? What am I exactly running a search for here?

Jill Lublin: Usually there's 1 related to the town where you live. This is really just for where you live, and for where you work. If you live and work in 2 different counties for instance, they will have it. Take a look, it's called a business journal. This is international, and what they are is a journal related for small business usually. I just think it's a great resource, but there is a particular section called the, "People section," or something like, "Going on." In Marin County they call it, "Movers and shakers." It's a little bit different each... but mostly the people are people on the move. That section is always looking for great news, from people like you who are listening. Just make any announcement of anything that's happened from the past year that you haven't announced, maybe a big conference you're going to, make some news my friends. I'm sure something you've done recently is newsworthy.

Robert Plank: Interesting, so if you Jill Lublin were going to attend an upcoming conference, that's a newsworthy item that you could put in your local business journal?

Jill Lublin: Well, for instance I'm on faculty at something called, "CEO space," which is an international group, which meets in Orlando 5 times a year. After I teach or go, I would be announcing that. For instance I've got a new book coming out called, "The Prophet of Kindness." We just sent out an announcement that says, "Jill Lublin recently announces her new book, Prophet of Kindness, coming out on Career Press January 2017." Now it's coming up, so I can announce... I've got a book contract, I can announce the dates coming out in, and then in January we will be sending out a lovely another announcement that says, "Jill Lublin released the Prophet of Kindness on Career Press." Then the rest of the announcement is your bio. That's a great way to do it, keeps it really simple and easy.

Robert Plank: You mentioned that the book is coming out, you mentioned when the book is out, is there any kind of follow up? Do you keep on posting in later months, or do you need to update the book in order to have an excuse, or even just that the book has been out is good enough reason?

Jill Lublin: That's enough reason. Perhaps who those aren't authors, you have a new coaching program, a new consulting program, those are all great things to announce, absolutely it works.

Robert Plank: Is it possible to post too much, or is it possible to be spammy with this?

Jill Lublin: Well with the announcement strategy I just gave you, no absolutely not. As far as I'm concerned, the posting... I mean listed, I'm fairly out there and I post maybe 2 to 3 times a week. I send out my easing twice a month, I think it's enough. People got a lot to do, and I'm a little bit more of an advocate of less is more these days because I don't want people just skipping over my email. If they only see it every other week or once a month, or if I'm posting things that are valuable... like I did this cool montage, publicity is like a gardening process, you plant your seeds in different times, which is something I really believe. Well, guess what? What's fabulous about this is people respond in different ways, and I believe in giving value, here's how, and like the 80/20 rule, 80% of the time you're really giving value and content. Then maybe 20% of the time you can make an offer, I'll tell them about my publicity course, or I'll invite them to an event, something like that. That's great.

Robert Plank: Awesome, I like how within that you mentioned how you're planting all the seeds, and you don't necessarily see the result of something you do today might take a few months to pay off, it might lead to 1 connection that leads to other things. That's I guess kind of a breakthrough for me lately in the last few months is that I used to... you know, back when like article marketing was a thing. I used to put out articles and think, "Okay well great, I'm seeing all these clicks back to my site." Is that kind of a better mindset to have is that you're doing all these things, and some might pay off and some might not, but you're just counting on those times it pays off but you don't quite know yet what will pay off?

Jill Lublin: Yeah, you know you're doing things to create exposure in the marketplace. The truth is not everything's going to hit right away, or even grant you great results right away. That consistent persistent marketing in the marketplace is what's going to absolutely draw people back to you and create that all important, "I've heard of you somewhere syndrome." They will keep seeing you on social media, on your own easings, and your article marketing, in a quote from the media, that's what we're after. To create that ongoing visibility, building campaign. That includes networking I think at least twice a month. Then people know you and it makes a big difference.

Robert Plank: All right so you say network twice a month, and there are all these other actions to take. Do you have any kind of a routine or a method to the madness? On Monday do you say, "I'm going to knock out these things, on Tuesday knock out these things?" Do you say, "Every week I need to do at least 1 of these." Do you have anything like that?

Jill Lublin: Well every 60 days I send out an announcement, so that's 6 times a year. Then I create the local media list, that's an important... I make sure that I'm speaking 4 to 6 times a month, so that's part of my system. I do have a social media team who logs and creates all of my social media accounts, which is driven by my books. They're out posting at least 3 times a week, and that's what they've been instructed to do. I have team, just because I'm busy speaking, and traveling, and running my publicity courses, and consulting, all of which I totally love. Then I have team who takes my content and puts it out there. I think that's a beautiful thing.

Robert Plank: Awesome, so you focus on the fun stuff that you like to do like the writing, and the speaking, and making the courses. Then your team deals with all the other traffic stuff?

Jill Lublin: Exactly.

Robert Plank: Awesome, so when people are out there and they're doing their best to be visible, and stay relevant, and all of that good stuff, do you see a number 1 mistake happening with everyone trying to improve their publicity?

Jill Lublin: Number 1 mistake is they don't do anything. I mean honestly that would be the number 1 mistake. You must do something, you must take baby steps, get out in your community, but that's really the number 1 mistake, not to do anything. Other than that I'd rather you ready, fire, aim instead of do nothing.

Robert Plank: I mean, makes a lot of sense to me. That was 1 of those things that held me back too was for year and years I thought, "I don't know, what if I mess up? What if I have a typo?" I like your answer and your attitude there, that anything's better than nothing. If the average person isn't doing anything to get their name out there, then if I do something then automatically I win against a lot of people who just aren't even aware.

Jill Lublin: Absolutely. We just want your name to get out there, we want visibility ongoingly. It is key to just keep putting yourself 1 foot in front of the other. It doesn't have to be huge stuff, we don't have to go overwhelm anyone, we just create ongoing simple building campaigns, and what a difference that makes.

Robert Plank: I mean yeah, imagine if someone just took a couple of these steps just once a day, even 10 minutes a day, imagine after a year how many 10 minute chunks times 365 that would add up to.

Jill Lublin: Exactly.

Robert Plank: Cool, we need to do publicity, we need to do a lot of little things, we need to do a lot of things consistently everyday. I understand that along those lines you have some kind of a freebie prepared for everyone today?

Jill Lublin: I do, as my creation of a publicity, more tips for you. What I did was I created a free gift, which is an audio download, of more simple tips that you can use for your publicity, ongoing visibility building, keeping it really simple but value packed. Definitely download that at PublicityCrashCourse.com/FreeGift. If you'd like to talk to me about your own needs, and Robert I think you can put that in the show notes too, right? PublicityCrashCourse.com/FreeGift. If you'd like to talk to me about your own specific needs for publicity, or book publishing, I'm an expert in that too, please feel free to give our office a call at 415-883-5455 and we can support you with consulting, my publicity course, or anything else that would be relevant for you.

Robert Plank: Awesome, so PublicityCrashCourse.com/FreeGift, and can you repeat that phone number one more time to make sure everyone has it?

Jill Lublin: Absolutely, it's 415-883-5455.

Robert Plank: Awesome, we're going to do just like the infomercials, right? They keep repeating the number. The number is on their twice, on the show notes, all that good stuff.

Jill Lublin: Yeah, and there's a good reason for that. You have to be ongoingly consistent.

Robert Plank: Makes a lot of sense to me, and that's the message I've been hearing from you over and over today, that consistency wins. Thanks for being on the show on the show Jill, thanks for telling us about publicity, from getting in a local business journal, fitting into the news, doing all of these social media things a few times a week, networking, and just all the things that are simple to do. You might have heard that they're important, but we need to be doing them because they work, it's how the news media functions now. Thanks for being on the show Jill and sharing the things you had to share with us today.

Jill Lublin: You're welcome, have a great day everyone.