Rembrandt’s Blog

Are You Traveling This Holiday Weekend?

If so, you may want to check out the Detroit Windsor Tunnel and my StartupNation interview with Carolyn Brown, the DWT Executive Vice President, at http://www.startupnation.com/blogs/index.php/author/mrembrandt/.

You see,  The Detroit Windsor Tunnel is one of the great, engineering marvels of the world and is the only “vehicular international subaqueous border crossing in the world.” That means it is the only underwater tunnel crossing borders in the world! How cool is that? (Hey, History Channel’s “Modern Marvels,” are you listening?)

Anyway, recently The Tunnel upgraded their system, and I wanted to get the scoop on their PR and marketing strategies involved in this process. Here’s what Carolyn Brown had to say:

Tell us about the Detroit Windsor Tunnel and your responsibilities.

The Tunnel is approximately one mile long, bordered on each side by a toll and an inspection plaza. It is the second busiest border crossing between the United States and Canada servicing approximately eight million vehicles per year. The majority of Tunnel traffic is local, commerce, recreation, and business originating and terminating in the Southeast Michigan tri-county and Windsor/ Essex area.

I am the Tunnel’s Executive Vice President, and my responsibilities include marketing, commercial and customer service operations, human resources and risk management. We have a staff of approximately 100 employees, U.S. and Canadian, who provide toll, traffic, maintenance, and administrative services for the Tunnel.

What kind of changes has the Detroit Windsor Tunnel gone through recently that you needed to share with your customers?

We  conduct  an ongoing program of maintenance, upgrade and service improvement. Recent projects of note include:

•  The introduction of NEXPRESS Toll launching July 5^th. The NEXPRESS Electronic toll rate will be lower than paying by cash, credit card, or token. Better yet, customers will never have to fumble for change or worry about a lost token;
•  On June 19, 2010, on the U.S. Inspection Plaza, we added new booths and increased the plaza’s capacity by 10;
•  There are now three more NEXUS lanes to permit the expedited clearance of enrolled, low risk travelers;
•  We upgraded the electrical and mechanical systems in 2001-2003; and
•  We replaced the tunnel cover in 1998.  

Those are quite a few changes. How have you marketed and promoted them?

We used banner ads on our website, used newspaper ads and inserts in local media, ran television ads, provided handouts at the toll booths, placed banners on the plaza and sent e-mail blasts to our customers.

Which of these activities worked best for you to reach your marketing and promotional goals, and why?

The e-blasts to our customers worked best because most of our customers have Internet access. The banners on the plaza also worked well because of their high visibility.

What challenges did you face in this marketing process and how did you overcome them?

Our main challenge is that we are marketing two initiatives in fairly close succession. This includes the expansion of the U.S. Inspection Plaza and the launch of electronic tolls. We are working to ensure that both messages are clearly transmitted to our customers.

What advice do you have for small business owners out there who are trying to promote and market a big change in their products and services?

I suggest they use a good ad agency, hire a professional to optimize their website for the search engines, keep their message simple and tailor it to their audience, try to not reinvent the wheel, train their front line employees in customer service, and use a help desk to address customer service issues.

Thanks Carolyn! That’s great advice, and we wish you all the best with your current upgrades. If you’d like to find out more about the Detroit Windsor Tunnel, visit www.dwtunnel.com.

And if you have questions about your promotional and SEO copywriting strategies, please contact me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Have a great holiday weekend!

As a new business owner, it’s easy to rush through publicity efforts in order to concentrate or core business activities and priorities. But before you contact the media or post a press release, ask yourself if the information you’re about to send is really newsworthy.

Will a reporter really care about what you have to say?

If you can’t answer this question accordingly, you need to conduct additional research, rework your story angle or rewrite your announcement. Focus on a specific benefit, current industry trend or unique idea.

Once you rewrite your announcement, have a regular customer or someone in your target market read it. At the very least, have co-workers, friends or family members review the information. Do they think it’s boring?

This work takes extra time and effort, but it can mean the difference between front-page news and the trash bin.

And if you are having trouble finding newsworthy items to share with the press, here are some tips to help.

Five Ideas for Creating Your Own News:

1. Take part in a community event, or create your own.

Give something back and encourage others to do the same. You’ll help others in need while creating a newsworthy event.

2. Create a brief report or “Top 10 List.”

Relate this document to a big trend in your industry that will help others solve a problem. Provide your expertise without asking for anything in return.

 3. Submit an opinion piece.

Write to your local newspaper, and provide your opinion about a published story or current news item. This can help build credibility and awareness for your business when written in a postive manner.

4. Give a presentation.

Speak at a local community college, business group or other organization where your target audience attends.

Provide valuable information without giving a sales pitch, and invite pertinent reporters. You’ll establish yourself as an expert and meet potential new customers while increasing your chances of obtaining media coverage.

5. Find success stories and promote them.

Talk to your customers, and ask them how your products and services have helped them save time and money, increase productivity, meet deadlines, etc.

Media members like unique, “before-and-after” stories, and you can always use these case studies to build credibility and market new customers.

Got News?

Now, please note that some announcements are just that – announcements about winning awards, events, fresh partnerships, new hires, etc. These may not be the most exciting news-items, but they are still important to share with the press. These announcements will help project a fresh, current and credible image for your business.

But before you share this information, be sure to create a list of appropriate press members, event-listing media venues and customers. Not everyone will be interested in this kind of news. And you want to send it to the right people so you don’t waste your time.

These are just a few, key ideas to consider when announcing your news. Hopefully these tips will help you provide valuable information to the press and build positive, company awareness.

 And if you need more help with your SEO copywriting and PR, please let me know here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.

Recently, someone contacted me about sending out press releases. If you are a new entrepreneur, the first thing you probably think of when you hear “PR” is to send out a press release.

And although press releases have their place as media-relationship building tools and announcements, there is a much better way to get some great, press mentions. 

In fact, if you send out a poorly written press release to the wrong people, you can do more harm than good. Reporters receive hundreds of press releases each day, and have no problem instantly deleting or pitching the bad ones.

 What Should You Do?

 Instead, do your research first. Start with a few simple questions:

- Who do you want to talk about your business?

- Who is the appropriate media member to contact?

- What is that person going to care about?

Once you have your talking points together, pick up the phone and introduce yourself to the reporter. Give your story succinctly and with passion.

You have a 50/50 chance – The reporter will want more information or thank you for calling. Either way, you’ve started to build a valuable, media relationship.

Use PR to Your Advantage

In today’s tough economic times, public-relations activities can help your business grow quickly through credible, third-party media mentions and word-of-mouth buzz.

But if you don’t take the time to develop and practice pitching your unique story idea, or hire an experienced expert to do it for you, all of your efforts can be a complete waste of time and money.

Need help with your PR skills, SEO copywriting and marketing to boost sales and credibility? Please contact me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.