Education

The Power of Media

December 5, 2005 | By: deaneparkes

The most powerful seller of natural health products is the news media. Without great news media products like glucosamine, gingko, St Johns Wort, Echinacea and many others would not have become so popular. Many companies have built their business from one very successful media exposure. I had a retail store just before glucosamine hit the news and had a couple of bottles on the shelf that sold to only a few educated customers. After the media ran it was hard to keep in stock. How often have you come in to work and had customers demanding a product that the day before had little or no interest?

I believe there is a good opportunity for retailers to bring the message of natural product to their local newspaper, radio, TV and magazines. We have so much valuable information to share in our community.

Why is the media so much more powerful than advertising?

Credibility is the main reason. Consumers see media messages as trustworthy. The thought process is ‘it would not be put in print or on the air if it were not true’. Advertising on the other hand is always perceived as biased and to be taken with caution.

Media messages also stand out better among the countless promotions consumers deal with. Advertising often is passed over as consumers do not have the time to even look at an ad however if there is a media article on how you can reduce risk of a specific disease the consumer will read further if it is specific to them.

There are so many opportunities for news worthy stories that relate to your store.

What the media likes to focus on our issues. A few issues to consider are: prescription drug problems as with HRT, Vioxx, Celebrex, etc, toxic pesticides and other sprays, cancer causing cosmetics, plus many other we have solutions for: ADHD, allergies, asthma, arthritis and those are just a few of the ‘A’s. Another is to combat negative press against our products as with the recent Vitamin E ‘scare’ you could counter with science based evidence to balance with positive information.

A key is to stay current with what is in the news. If there is an article on trans fat and how it is causing heart disease you may want to send in an article on alternatives to trans fat and the benefits of healthy essential fats. Keep it newsworthy.

The media also respond well to any local newsworthy events. If you are having a health talk, educational day in the store, charity fund raiser, store expansion, etc make sure you send a press release to all local media. Remember there is no cost when the media run your information.

The ultimate goal for you would to be perceived by the media as ‘the’ natural health expert in your community and ultimately be in the position where the media start coming to you for information on natural health products and services.

Send samples. As an example if you send out a press release on healthier lunch snacks for healthier kids make sure to send samples of the snacks. If they taste good you may find the coverage to be even more positive.

Some media are apples and others are oranges. What works in one medium may not work in another. [From Jay Conrad Levinson – Guerilla Marketing].

1. The power of newspapers is news. Marketing that is newsy gets noticed because news is on the forefront of readers’ minds.
2. The power of magazines is credibility. Readers give the same credibility that they associate with the magazine.
3. The power of radio is intimacy. Usually radio is a one-on-one situation allowing for a close an intimate connection between listener and marketer.
4. The power of television is the ability to demonstrate. No other media lets you show your product or service in use along with the benefits it. offers. TV is still the undisputed heavyweight champ of marketing.
5. The power of the internet is interactivity. You can flag a person’s attention, inform them, answer their questions.

If you find the local media difficult in running your messages then you may want to consider running a regular monthly editorial style ad [advertorial] and/or consider buying radio time to have your own health talk show. Any retailer who has their own talk show does extremely well and becomes an expert in their community very quickly. Look to your suppliers for coop money and experts to interview for your newspaper ‘column’ or talk show.

Sample: Advertorial – should have your picture.

33% of Canadians Suffer From Chronic Pain

New proven remedy guarantees relief 

By Lorna Vanderhaeghe

Tony Gwynn, eight-time National League batting title winner, suffered 20 years of baseball damage to his knees causing pain and lack of mobility. Mary a 62 year-old grandmother of three could hardly climb the stairs in her home and Sarah, mom to a toddler couldn’t open jars anymore or lift her baby due to the pain of their arthritis. That was then – now each of them has found relief from pain and inflammation with a research backed natural anti-inflammatory called Celadrin.

Picture to attract attention

Headline is 90% of why consumer will read*

Use testimonial style – consumer respond very well when they read of someone else receiving benefit.

Solution based

Address an issue

*Avoid headlines with can, might, could, and so on. Be direct with your message.

HOW TO WRITE A PRESS RELEASE [compliments of Shelley Armstrong – Armstrong Communications].

Press releases serve to release poignant or timely information to various members of the media and should contain information that is relevant to current events or issues.

Format

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: These words should appear in the upper left-hand margin, just under your letterhead. You should capitalize every letter.
• Contact Information: Skip a line or two after release statement and list the name, phone, fax and email of the media contact at your organization.
• The title, which should capture the essence of the news that you are announcing, should be centered in capital letters on the next line.
• The first paragraph should lead with a Dateline. This includes the name of the city and province, and the date of release.

Content

• The first paragraph needs to grasp the reader’s attention and should contain relevant information to your message. This paragraph is meant to brief the reader about the event or issue, and be a lead-in for the following paragraphs.
• The main body of your press release is where your message should fully develop. Include a quote from the company spokesperson, or the major figure at your organization. Make sure the person’s credentials are included in that mention too.
• The last paragraph should be a recap and briefly restate your message.

Other Tips

• Make sure the information is newsworthy
• Remember audiences and key messages when writing.
• Write in clear, plain language that people who are unfamiliar with your topic can understand.
• Ask yourself, “How are people going to relate to this and will they be able to connect?”
• Make sure the first 10 words of your release are effective, as they are the most important.
• Deal with the facts.
• Make sure you wait until you have something with enough substance to issue a release.

Start today. Make a list of all media in your community, make a list of a variety of media messages to consider and then make a goal to send out at least one press release each month to the local media. Follow up with a phone call. Remember people work in the media and if you create a strong relationship with them your messages will have even a better chance of being picked up.

Happy sales……