Take action and master the media

April 30, 2011 at 08:00 PM
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We just interviewed Suze Orman about her new book, "Money Class." She was named by Forbes as one of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" and as one of Time's "100 Most Influential People." We talked about the new American dream and what people need to do to get and stay on track financially. The interview made the front page news in the Toledo Free Press.

In February, we got our press release picked up by CBS Marketwatch in regards to our radio show celebrating a decade on the airwaves. This was done by using our effective press release process. Interviews and press coverage like this are just waiting for financial professionals — if they follow three easy steps to mastering the media.

1. Create a memorable brand. If the media or an ideal client were looking for help, would they find your company? I used to be called Baker Financial Group. Unfortunately, I was just one of thousands of other financial professionals, so my company name and brand really never made me unique. Once we created The Retirement Guys Network, our brand awareness immediately took off. We started to get noticed. You, too, can achieve this branding success. Take Action: The most important thing to keep in mind is to use a brand name and slogan that stands out and is easily remembered. "Remember when you think retirement, think – The Retirement Guys."

2. Implement a process that dominates the market and compounds the results using a multi-step approach. Americans saw this campaign when we invaded Iraq in the first Gulf War. It was called "Shock and Awe." Watching it live on TV we saw the power of a coordinated effort lead by General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and our United States military in the air, on land and by sea. Take Action: Financial professionals can recreate this campaign to dominate their local market, create quick awareness and show they are the "in demand" ethical advisor to work with. Do this by creating an event, action, mailer, promotion and focus each month.

3. Understand mastering the media takes time. In the first Gulf War, the general stopped too soon. Winning is not an event; it is an ongoing mission that needs to be a regular part of a financial professional's practice. Don't just run one campaign and hope it works. Take Action: Make mastering the media a regular, scheduled part of your practice and it will end up having a compounding effect. Learn what works and what doesn't, but don't give up too soon.

To get additional "hands on" ideas and strategies to make this happen faster, attend our breakout session at this year's Senior Market Advisor Expo. You can do it — you deserve victory.

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