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& DESIGN Home Page Architecture Brand Equity Auto Design Game Room SMALLBIZ Smart Answers Success Stories Today's Tip INVESTING Investing: Europe Annual Reports BW 50 S&P Picks & Pans Stock Screeners Free S&P Stock Report SCOREBOARDS Hot Growth 100 Mutual Funds Info Tech 100 S&P 500 B-SCHOOLS Undergrad Programs MBA Blogs MBA Profiles MBA Rankings Who's Hiring Grads | | AUGUST 22, 2000 SMART ANSWERS A Field Guide to Guerrilla Marketing Some tips on getting product reviews and publicity on a tight budget
Q: My partner and I have created an employee information systems software program for small- to medium-size businesses. How do I get the product reviewed in industry publications? -- Daniel A. Alexander, Resource Management Software A: You can always try sending your software, unsolicited, to industry publications or Web sites that you feel would be interested in reviewing it, but as a small company with what's probably a fairly complex product, you may not have much luck. "They won't take the time with unknown software that is specific to a vertical market," says Christopher R. Charek, CEO of Van Nuys (Calif.)-based software company DS3 Inc. "When they have to configure it and spend more than 20 minutes on it, if nothing jumps out and grabs them immediately, they'll toss it on the pile." If you don't have the budget for a publicist, Charek recommends guerrilla marketing. One technique he has used in the past is to offer a new product to an end-user for free -- which means you install it for the customer and agree to provide support for it while it's for three to six months. If the customer wants to continue using it after that time, you get compensation in an amount that's agreed upon at the start. But meanwhile, you get valuable feedback from a front-line user who will quickly discover the product's shortcomings and allow you to better prepare it for market. And if your product is terrific, you'll get an advocate for it whose credibility as a user at a real company will count in terms of media coverage. "The end user could become [someone] that others may contact about your product," Charek says. "That way, potential users will be discussing their needs and concerns with a colleague, which carries more weight than any discussion with a salesperson of the developer." PLACEMENT BONUS. If your test client agrees, you can hire a freelance publicity agent to interview him or her and write a "success story" press release that will be likely to draw more attention and have more impact with an industry publication than will an unsolicited software package. "A story coming from an end user, rather than from the vendor, always has more strength. Most magazines don't want to be a pawn for the vendors, so they feel better if [a press release] comes from [the point of view of] an end-user," Charek says. You should be able to find a PR writer who will do the interview, write a press release, and submit it to several publications and Web sites for you for $600 to $800, with a bonus if they get placement. Says Charek: "It's probably the quickest, more direct, and least expensive route to getting publicity for your product." If you prefer not to leave the distribution up to the writer, you could use a press service like PR Newswire, BusinessWire, or Bacons, says Ellen Weis, principal at Weis Public Relations in Berkeley, Calif. Or you could invest some time and push the press release yourself, if you're willing to do your own research and choose the publications most likely to be interested in writing about your software. POLITE PITCHES. Check into the relevant publications both in print and online, Weis says, getting to know the editors and software reviewers at each venue by calling or e-mailing them. "Use a polite, friendly, and brief introduction before you get down to your product pitch, and target your writing and distribution to those who will care about your topic. You can't be all things to all editors," Weis says. Building a relationship with specific editors and writers is vital to your success with the media. Offer your services as an expert spokesperson in your respective field, even if the editor or reviewer you contact cannot respond to your press release right away. An editor or writer will return to you when they need information from you, as long as you leave them with a good impression and genuinely offer your assistance in developing or rounding out a news or feature story, Weis says. Good luck. It's a jungle out there. Have a question about running your business? Ask our small-business experts. Send us an E-mail at smartanswers@businessweek.com, or write to Smart Answers, BW Online, 46th Floor, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Please include your real name and phone number in case we need more information; only your initials and city will be printed. Because of the volume of mail, we won't be able to respond to all questions personally.  By Karen E. Klein  | | |
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