What comes first—Building a Press Trail or a Great Brand Message?

For a business to be successful, there must be customers.

For there to be customers, the business must market to their target customers in the exact places that the target customers hang out.

For there to be conversion, the business must be positioned correctly and be able to clearly explain the work they do, who they serve and the value they provide to potential consumers.

For the business to retain customers, they must offer a good product that serves as the best solution to a problem or the desires, wants and needs of a customer.

I'd say those are the BASICS—and the essentials.

Now it's been interesting because lately I've been having numerous conversations lately around business, brand message and visibility.

And the question has come up—to become visible, should a business focus on building a press trail through podcasts, media exposure and speaking?

And the answer is absolutely YES.

But something important MUST come first.

It is not a wise idea to go to the media or focus on brand exposure if the business foundations aren't there.

For example, I had a conversation with a woman who was solely focused on exposure. But there was a problem, she was getting eyes on her business, but she wasn't converting. She was doing a great job inspiring people, but not necessarily giving people a reason for people to pay her.

So here's the questions you should be able to easily answer before you hire a publicist or begin pitching yourself.

1. What do you do?
2. Who do you serve?
3. Why do people invest with you?
4. What's the problem you solve?
5. What are the wants, needs and desires of your target market?
6. What's your story?