Veteran copywriter David Meerman Scott has an interesting idea: Hire a journalist to handle your marketing and PR. As a journalist-turned-marketer myself, I thought I’d expand on David’s riff:
Journalists as Gold Miners
Journalists gather lots of information. Their challenge is to weed through it and determine what is news and what is fluff. As a marketing copywriter for PRstore, my job is to filter the info you provide about your business and extract the gold nuggets. Successful marketing is about delivering messages that compel your prospects to take action. A journalist-turned-marketer can help uncover those messages.
Journalists as Storytellers
One of the biggest challenge for some entrepreneurs is telling the story. You’ve gotta captivate your potential clients — lure them in. Journalists are master narrators. With a veteran journalist on your marketing team, you can tell your story to clients and entice them to do business with you.
Journalists as Doctors
Small business marketing is full of medical terms. A periodic temperature check is a great way to stay in touch with your customers. A seasoned marketing professional can help you check the pulse of your customers, too. And a well-planned marketing campaign can pump new life into your business. Journalists are experts at diagnosing a situation and can provide valuable medicine as part of your marketing team.