The PM Forum is a 5,000 strong regionally-based members' association, formed in 1996, dedicated to raising the standards of professional services marketing and to enhancing the credibility of marketers working in professional service firms worldwide.

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PM Forum - Toronto

Building Your Profile Through Article Publication

On November 25, 2008 Carl Friesen, Manager of Media Relations for Golder Associates provided a lucid, intelligent and sometimes witty presentation on the do's and don'ts of getting published to the Toronto Chapter of PMForum.

Friesen brings a unique perspective to this topic having been a journalist, media consultant as well as working in-house for a major professional services firm.

Building from the ground up he described the advantages and disadvantages of using articles to build profile. Because getting published offers a high likelihood of delivering results, it is important for the author and media advisor to have a targeted message, select the right publication, accommodate the editor and be patient.

Publishing offers a myriad of vehicles for every niche and specialty. Finding the right one by geography, profession and sector should not be an afterthought if one wants the greatest value for the considerable effort required.

Often professionals are content proud and have a propensity to want to tell the audience how to do something. But are these articles the best use of the professional's time? Not likely in Friesen's view. He favours content which focuses on trends and developments followed by case studies. However case studies are easily seen to be thinly veiled advertizing. To make them effective and believable, they are best written jointly with a client confident enough to reveal their relationship with your firm.

Professionals are usually busy folks and finding the time to write a piece can seem insurmountable. Friesen offered that engaging a competent business writer is often the shortest and most economical approach to actually getting an article written and should be considered to ensure deadlines are met.

The best idea focused on the right target audience intended for the best publication can be derailed by poor editor knowledge and relationship. As Friesen pointed out editors have two speeds; flat out and totally flat out. Learning how publishing works is essential to pitching an idea and seeing the result in print. Starting with a well constructed query and abiding by the editors instructions for length and deadlines is fundamental to success.

Having been successfully published many professions leave the real value on the table. Post the article to your website and send alerts to your contacts to drive traffic to the site. Distribute copies internally and either get publisher reprints or reproduce the piece yourself and make it part of your sales kit. A good article has 'legs' and may be rewritten using the same themes in a different style for another targeted publication.

A word of caution. According to a member of the audience from a law firm, the author owns the words while the publication owns the design and layout. Photocopying the article without written permission is an infringement of copyright. However a reproduction of the content in one's own layout is the least expensive and equally effective way to produce hard copy collateral for your sales kit.

Brian Cope
Director of Marketing and Strategic Services
Promarc Consulting Group Inc.