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Getting Media
Coverage
There's no quicker way to build your credibility than to appear in the media as a home staging expert. Here I was interviewed live on Global TV Morning News. (As a student, I was so afraid of public speaking I'd actually get strep throat the morning of a class presentation! To avoid being terrified of the huge live TV audience and cameras, I focused on how excited I was for my 11 year old! She joined me in makeup, waited in the "green room" and then joined the producer in the control booth watching how they put a news show together in real time while Mom was at the news anchor desk! How cool is that?) 1. Publicity is worth more to you than advertising. Publicity, or media coverage, is the best advertising that you can't buy, even if you could afford to pay for it! The audience gives more credibility and attention to content than advertising. So, it's important to include publicity as part of your marketing strategy. 2. Become less intimidated by remembering that THEY need YOU. Imagine what would have happened if I hadn't shown up that morning? GlobalTV had promoted that there would be a staging professional on the morning news. They needed me to be there and they needed all the before and after photos I sent them in advance to help fill their newscast. Think of all the local papers and smaller stations that don't have big reporting budgets! They're looking for the content you can provide. 3. Remember the media are there to serve their audience not your business needs. You have a better chance of getting coverage if you present them with a story idea that has a built in "hook" or angle for the audience. Think about yours before writing any press releases, then make sure you send them to the right editors. Getting media coverage is only one of the many subjects I cover in course 4, "The Staging Diva's Sales and Marketing Secrets." If you haven't taken this Staging Diva course, you can order a recording of it right now for only $179. If you've already taken it, now is a great time to review your notes to ensure you get the media coverage you want during this spring real estate season. For more excellent PR tips, visit The Publicity Hound. Student/Graduate Success CornerCongratulations to Cindy Pickering of Sold
With Style Home Staging who took what she learned in The
Staging Diva Training Program and got featured in a local paper
that's delivered to all the upscale gated communities in her area.
Cindy's listing in the Staging
Diva Directory of Home Stagers also nabbed a new project from
a client who owns several investment properties—
with future projects sure to follow. Congratulations to Lisa Allen on selling her own staged home in 4 days at 98% of asking. An excellent success story to use for her new business, Staged Rewards. Congratulations to Bernadette Broderick on her first client.
The local media have begun to cover home staging and Bernadette
writes, "I'm so glad I'm the only home stager in Quebec City, timing
is everything!" Decoration
Premiere Impression is also the first French listing in the
Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers. Congratulations to Dianna Leeder and Mary-Anne
Stevenson of 2
Visions Home Staging who have a builder wanting
them to stage a model home and provide color consultations to their
buyers! Congratulations to Erin Rhindress who is juggling 6 clients in her new business. She's the same graduate who got her first project (a $5000 one!) introducing her company, ELR Designs, at a local networking event. The many low
cost ways of networking and building awareness for your business are
covered in course 4. I used these methods to grow my own staging
company, Six Elements, to
a considerable size in under 2 years, never placing an ad or even printing a
brochure! Staging Diva Students and Graduates, send me your successes so we can celebrate your triumphs and inspire others! S.a.v.e. $25 on the new Color Guide!
Have you been stumped
flipping through a paint swatch book? Are you worried about quickly
coming up with paint recommendations at your next client meeting?
Take the
guesswork out of trying to pick colors during a home staging
consultation. I tell you the process I use to quickly develop a
color palette for home staging that will appeal to homebuyers.
I share specific color names and numbers for you to choose from. These are my favorite Benjamin Moore colors after doing hundreds of houses and seeing what colors work best under different lighting conditions. I explain sheen levels and recommend everything from color for walls, to trim, ceiling, basement floor, even the front door! You can place an advance order for "Staging Diva™ Ultimate Color Guide: the easy way to pick colors for home staging projects" at the pre-release price of $50. When this ebook is available May 1, 2006, the price will be $75. If you order now at the pre-release price, I'll make sure you get your copy of the guide by email when it's ready May 1 and you'll s.a.v.e. $25! Staging Diva In the
Media
In addition to the GlobalTV Morning News feature, I'm featured in March and April issues of the Indianapolis Star, Center of The City Magazine, The Globe & Mail, Home & Decor and appeared on CityTV News at 6. I'm
especially excited by the upcoming story on staging I wrote
for The Official
Pre-Mover Savings Guide. Coldwell Banker
and Century 21 agents will distribute over 1 million copies to
staging-ready homeowners throughout the US beginning this month. An
excellent lead generator for Staging Diva Graduates!
What does Staging Diva media attention mean for you? With more media exposure and more Internet traffic to http://www.sixelements.com/
and http://www.stagingdiva.com/, more people are
educated about what staging can do; which makes your sales job
easier. The value of your Staging Diva training increases
because you can say that an
internationally recognized home staging
expert personally
trained you. Traffic to your profile in The
Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers increases exponentially
without you working to get this added exposure. And, you don't pay
extra for it either! With every media appearance, I get calls from people looking for a home stager in their market. Just this week, I referred 13 projects to Staging Diva Graduates. 98% of the time, the Graduates who actually get work have a page on the Staging Diva Directory and/or their own website. It's rare for someone to hire a stager when they can't see samples of their work. | ||||||||||||
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