How To Get Published
In Trade Journals

Getting a company’s message into print isn’t as hard as it seems – as long as you do your homework and follow the publicity business’s recognized procedures.

Just one article in a trade journal can bring a company hundreds of leads and thousands of dollars in sales. And with more than 6,000 magazines from which to choose, it’s a safe bet there’s at least one that could accommodate a story from your company.

Yet while nearly all business people know the value of placing trade journal stories, they don’t always know how to approach an editor. What’s the best way to pitch an idea? Should you present more than one idea at a time? Is it wise to present the same story to more than one editor? Should you call or write first?

Following are some tips that answer those questions, and more. They can give you an edge in placing an article in the right journal for your company and reaping the rewards of increased recognition.

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Posted by: Bob Bly
April 12, 2007
Issue #97

The 7 Key Differences
Between Business to Business
and Consumer Marketing

When asked if he could write an effective direct mail package on a complex electronic control system, a well-known direct response copywriter replied, “No problem. It doesn’t matter what the product is. You are selling to people. And people are pretty much the same.”

He’s wrong.

Yes, there are similarities. But there are also differences in selling to business and professional buyers vs. the general public. In fact, here are six key factors that set business-to-business marketing apart from consumer marketing:

The business buyer wants to buy. Most consumer advertising offers people products they might enjoy but don’t really need. How many subscription promotions, for example, sell publications that the reader truly could not live without? If we subscribe, we do so for pleasure – not because the information offered is essential to our day-to-day activity.
But in business-to-business marketing, the situation is different. The business buyer wants to buy. Indeed, all business enterprises must routinely buy products and services that help them stay profitable, competitive, and successful. The proof of his is the existence of the purchasing agent, whose sole function is to purchase things.

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