You may have seen me post before about ‘Building Your Buzz’, so I decided to chat with the woman behind the Buzz we are all looking to generate, Marina Echavarria, founder of Build-A-Buzz.
Build-A-Buzz, a free daily PR newsletter that provides valuable tips and media and celebrity contact information, has become a top resource for small businesses looking for cost effective ways to build their brand. DIY PR has grown over the years as companies cut back due to the economy and newsletters and blogs offering free advice have proliferated on the Internet to meet a growing demand. This is particularly relevant in public relations, one of the services that sees major cuts during recessionary times.
Build-A-Buzz is filling a need in the market for companies that can not afford to hire a PR Agency. We provide practical advice and tips that companies can really use to build their brand. It’s not just fluff and PR industry news. The Daily Buzz newsletter provides information on PR strategy, writing tips, includes links to media resources and even provides direct celebrity contacts via its popular “Celebrity Thursday” feature. Build-A-Buzz also recently debuted its company spotlight feature, Buzz-Worthy, offering a look at some of the best brands in the market — those deserving of buzz.
Marina Echavarria, owner of Realm Media Productions Inc., and a PR veteran with over 20 years experience at top NY agencies, is the founder and creator of Build-A-Buzz. Marina’s desire to help small companies and entrepreneurs was the impetus behind Build-A-Buzz. With over 1000 members and growing, Build-A-Buzz is on a mission to become a one-stop-shop and resource for companies looking to build their brands and gain a foothold in the market through creative, results oriented PR.
Let’s Chat with Marina
M.O.M Katie ~ Build-A-Buzz is a great resource for us ‘preneurs and small businesses, why did you decided to share what you know and for free?
Marina ~ When I started my company Realm Media several years ago, I was constantly approached by small businesses and entrepreneurs looking for affordable PR services. I would take most of them on myself but realized that there are too many companies out there that need help but couldn’t even afford the relatively low retainers that I charge compared to bigger agencies. I saw an opportunity to help these companies by giving them the tools to implement PR programs themselves. I wanted to give something back and also have an outlet for my creativity beyond the PR I was implementing for my clients. I offer it for free because I feel that when you give, you get so much back in good karma. : )
M.O.M Katie ~ Where should companies look to build their buzz? What is the best outlet to build-a-buzz? TV, Print, Social Media?
Marina~ In my experience, the easiest is social media because you can do it on your own but the impact at this point is not that great. Frankly, I haven’t seen big results from Twitter and FB and other social media outlets yet. However, I think it’s because most people don’t know how to use it to their product’s advantage. The key to social media is to be a prolific poster. You have to post several times a day and be consistent with new offers, news, products, etc. in order to see any results. I personally like print as you are able to build credibility while you gain exposure. To have that third-party endorsement from a print publication is very valuable. TV is a tough nut to crack but if you can get on one of the top national morning shows, it’s well worth the effort.
M.O.M Katie ~ How do you find your ‘Buzz-Worthy’ companies to spotlight?
Marina ~ I try to spotlight many of my Buzz members so I ask them to send me a pitch. I’ve also placed queries in HARO and also just scour the internet for great companies. Since there are so many companies out there, I look for those that have unique products and that are trying to be environmentally responsible in some way.
M.O.M Katie ~ What is the one tip to offer a small business that is looking to do their own promotional marketing?
Marina ~The first thing a company should do is put together a press kit so they can have documents ready for media requests. Develop press releases for new products and collections, bios of the founders/owners and company backgrounder. Hi and lo res images are also a must. And one other thing, sign up to get your free Daily Buzz on my site http://www.build-a-buzz.com/. That’s the best tip of all : ).
Thank you so much for your time and your support to small businesses.
Links to follow:
http://www.build-a-buzz.com/
http://www.realmny.com/
Twitter: @marinabuzz
Facebook: Build-A-Buzz
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