Today, many business people are focused on social media, new media and on-line media. While these efforts are important and necessary for marketing, traditional media outlets are still important and can play a major role in your business success.

So, the question is, “Will you be ready when Oprah or Donny Duetsch from The Big Idea calls?”

You will be if you prepare now. Following are 7 tips for conducting successful media interviews:

1. Define your agenda: decide what you want the audience to do. Buy your services? Attend your event? Support your cause?
2. Know your story: to effectively assert your agenda, you must deliver your message confidently, calmly and concisely. You are the expert on your topic. Stay focused on your agenda during the interview.
3. Develop key talking points with supporting proof points: prepare three key points you wish to make during the interview. Then support each talking point with three points that offer tangible proof including stories, case studies, and other examples.
4. Know the interviewer and the media outlet: before agreeing to an interview, do your due diligence. Research the media outlet and the interviewer. A quick Google search will give you an idea of what to expect and how to best prepare for the interview.
5. Prepare the interviewer: reporters are very busy and anything you can do to help them is greatly appreciated. To this end, provide background information as well as sample questions on your topic. You will often find that they will use these exact questions.
6. Anticipate questions and controversy: Your preparation is not complete without anticipating questions and controversies that could arise in the interview. Create a list of all anticipated questions. Then answer each question. Be sure to include the ones that could be asked – remember; “if you dread it, you’ll probably get it.”
7. Practice, practice, practice: nothing takes the place of practice. It alleviates pre-interview panic and post-interview remorse. To hone message points and to prepare for actual interview questions, even the most polished spokespeople find there is simply no substitute for practicing out loud. Better still, role play with a buddy or coach. Are your answers coming across? Are they concise? Are they believable or do they need more support?

Follow these tips and you will master mainstream media opportunities. And, who would not want to be interviewed on the Today Show?…

Keeping up with current news events is a pastime for many individuals. They like to keep abreast of what is going on in the world and sometimes it enables them to carry on an intelligent dinner conversation. Events that are newsworthy can range from business news to news about the president-elect, Barack Obama. In fact, what makes a story newsworthy is the fact that people are interested and will either read or listen to it.

What types of news events will captivate an audience? It actually depends on who it is presented to and in what manner it is presented. All events have the potential to be newsworthy, but they do have to include certain components to make them interesting to the readers or the viewers of the information.

Stories on a national level typically draw a large crowd of viewers because of their impact on the nation and the effect that they can have on everyone. This does not mean that local events can not also draw as much attention, as long as the material is presented to the correct audience and presented in a way that draws them in.

Does the story carry an impact or is there a conflict involved? Is it relevant? These are some of the qualifications that news professionals use to decide whether a story is indeed newsworthy. The timeliness of a news event is one huge factor. A story about swimming safety in a local newspaper will draw more attention to itself if it is printed during the summer than if it is printed in December.

Local events can be very newsworthy, especially if they make an impact on the audience. To make an impact, a story simply has to have an effect on a large number of viewers or readers. It is all about giving the readers or viewers information that they want to read, whether it is about community events, sporting events or upcoming festivals.

These days, almost everyone is interested in news stories featuring information about the president-elect, Barack Obama, because of the timeliness of the story. But other stories, including community events in small town newspapers can draw just as much attention because of the impact that it has on those who stay in the community. Individuals who make their living reporting news events are in charge of presenting the news in a way that draws the audience in and makes them want to read or view the information. …

What Does Your Company Do? What Core Vision Drives Your Business? What is Your Elevator Pitch? These may sound like elementary questions but surprisingly the answers to these essential questions oftentimes do not match the Mission Statement, Core Values or Stated Objectives of many organizations.

Take the Test

Without referring to your company’s website or literature, answer these questions:

• What is your Mission Statement?
• What is your Organization’s Core Vision?
• What are the Organization’s Core Values?
• If you had 1 minute to sum up what your company does, what would you say?

Take it a Step Further…

Now ask the same questions impromptu in a managers meeting. Then… ask the same questions in an all-staff meeting. You may be very surprised at the responses… but the insight will prove invaluable.

Reality Check

Think about it. If a good percentage of your employees can’t answer the fundamental questions posed above, how can management honestly expect to deliver on the company’s core objectives and values?

What Exactly is a Mission Statement?

Mission Statement’s have been described as a summary of the overall plan of the organization including objectives and values; the definition for the existence of a company; or, the company’s vision translated into written form. “We make jet engines”, “we exist to be the best”, or “we provide excellent service” won’t cut it.

Who Are You?

From an organizational standpoint, you need to be able to answer this question: Who are you? Take a look at some of the power players:

Google: is the world’s largest search engine.

Starbucks: is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world.

Microsoft: is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions.

Walt Disney Company: is the world’s leading producer and supplier of premier family entertainment.

Xerox: is the world’s leading document management technology and services enterprise.

What Do You Do?

Now, answer the subsequent question: What do you do? This is your mission–your purpose, the reason you exist. If you polled your employees by asking them to fill in this blank: “We exist to _____”, the answers would likely be varied. The point is–there is no variance in a Mission Statement. It needs to be clear, concise and accurate on paper, and in reality. Again, take a look at some of the world’s most successful companies:

Google: to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful (by pursuing innovation and pushing the limits of existing technology to provide the fastest, most accurate and easy-to-use search service that can be accessed from anywhere).

Starbucks: to be the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world (by serving the perfect cup of coffee and creating an unparalleled customer and community experience through inspiration and nurture of the human spirit).

Microsoft: to help people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential (by providing software, services and solutions and delivering technology innovations).

Walt Disney Company: to be the world’s leading producer and provider of family entertainment …

Have you embarked to design a company logo for your business yet? Are all of your business cards and brochures drawing a blank? What message do you wish to portray to the world about your business? These are very serious questions that you should be worried about if you wish to establish a brand in your field of industry today.

Perhaps you have a company logo, but it just does not send the proper message, or your business has changed anything, and your existing logo no longer libraries the entire scope of the nature of your company. These are also reasons to set out to design a company logo for your business, whether old or new.

But let's examine this one obvious question more closely; Is having a logo important today? Well, the importance of having an iconic symbol is in the message it symbolically sends to your potential clients. Just think of the famous Burger King symbol – it's simple, yes? But it also pretty much says it all, right? And how many billions of people in the world are familiar with this logo?

You see, setting out to design a company logo means having a symbol which can communicate volumes of information about what your business is all about, to the whole world, within the second it takes to look upon it. As any advertising agent can tell you, this is crucial in establishing a recognizable brand in the world of business. Design a company logo that can speak to the world, and within a second, the world can hear your message. …

Sales letters are the foot-in-the-door your company may need when contacting potential clients or a way to announce a new product or service to existing clients. Here are some tips on writing a sales letter that gets results.

1. Personalize it! Whenever possible, make sure you address the letter to a specific individual within the organization. Nothing says amateur more than "Dear Potential Customer" or "Dear Client". Let the reader know you've done your research and took the time to find out who they are.
2. The opening is the most important part of the letter. Consumers are inundated with direct mail both in their mailboxes and inboxes. Your letter must grab their attention and force them to read on! This is not an easy thing to do. Consider opening your sales letter by offering a free product or service, identifying the problem your company can solve, or suck them in with a story. Do your research and find out what potential customers are looking for and play to that need.
3. Tone. Do not turn people off by speaking over them. Keep it friendly and informal. Sales letters are mean to showcase your company and state the benefits for your clients, not show how smart you are and how many big words you can use. Remember- simple sells.
4. Your middle paragraphs should reinforce your introduction by highlighting what you are here to offer and how you can help.
5. End it with a call to action. How can the reader you've just captured take the next step? Include your business card, website address, phone number, reply card, or order form with the letter. Make contacting you easy and hassle-free.
6. Enclosures. Depending on your level of familiarity with the client, including a brochure, flyer, or work sample can really pay off. However, in many cases the sales letter alone is enough.
7. When to hire professional help. Sales letters are a daunting task for many business owners, and you may decide it's not worth the headache to do alone. Numerous professional writing companies offer this service at a reasonable rate considering its potential return on investment. If you're finding sitting down and writing this letter is overwhelming, it may be time to call in the big guns.