Public Awareness Workshop
Presented to
The NAEA Affiliate Presidents Exchange
May 8, 2008
Washington, D.C.
Public Awareness
• What is it?
– Advertising and public relations
• The differences between them
• The similarities
• Cost-effectiveness
Public Awareness (cont.)
• Other cost-effective ways of getting your
message across
– NAEA website material for downloading
– NAEA custom news distribution through
Cision Media Services
• You tell us your story
• We tell it to your universe
Remember:
Writers write about what they know
best, so make sure that they
know you.
Your elevator pitch
• Why it’s important
– For you
– For your business
– For the Enrolled Agent profession
NAEA’s Elevator Pitch
Enrolled agents provide tax preparation, representation,
tax planning and other financial services to millions of
individual and business taxpayers. They are the only
federally licensed tax specialists. EAs adhere to a
code of ethics and professional conduct, and they are
required by IRS to pursue Continuing Professional
Education.
The Enrolled Agent license was created in 1884 by the
U. S. Department of the Treasury, and only EAs are
tested by IRS on their knowledge of tax law and
regulations.
Your Elevator Pitch
•
•
•
•
•
Name and contact information
Who you are
What you do
Why you are the best at what you do
Call to action
How to craft an Elevator Pitch
Hands-on exercise
Working with the media
• What to do when the media calls
• What to do to get the media to call
What to do when the media calls
• The single most important question you
must ask them
• The one question you must never
answer—and how to turn it to your
advantage
What to do when the media calls
Exercise: Role playing
What to do to encourage the
media to call
• Establishing a mutually beneficial
relationship
• Be your own public relations agent, and
get a bigger bang for the buck
– Know how to pitch your own story, to whom
and when
Ten Public Awareness Ideas
In less than 10 minutes
1. Toastmasters
• Practice, practice, practice
• They’re easy to find, and provide the
added benefit of great networking
• If you’ve been a member of Toastmasters
for any length of time, go to a different
meeting now and then to sharpen your
perspective
2. Elevator Pitch
• Get one
• Keep it updated
• Re-craft it from time to time to fit the
situation
• Next time you’re riding in an elevator,
practice it silently to yourself
3. Wear your lapel pin
• It tells the world how hard you work and
what you’ve achieved
• It gives the other person something to ask
you about
4. Let Ad-hold Speak For You
A customized ad for your telephone’s hold
time
– NAEA Member benefit
– You decide what you want to emphasize, and
they’ll write and record it
– Change when you want to
• Put all calls on “Hold” for the length of your
message
5. Make Your Car More Than A
Business Deduction
• Get magnetized signs to attach to the back
and the doors of your car
• Your car becomes a billboard, so park in a
conspicuous place
• Obey the rules of the road scrupulously
6. Got a website?
• Important
– More people use websites than the Yellow Pages
• Use good resources
– Link to NAEA’s website, where appropriate
• Make it easy to read. Keep it simple.
• Evergreen
– Fewer updates needed
• Go for professional, rather than cheap
7. Use the NAEA Website
Resources
• Templates for news releases
• Material for fliers to place in your bills or
place at your local library or post office
• Publications are a good source of topics
– EA Journal
– E@lert
– “Let’s Talk Taxes”
8. Sponsor a Shred Fest
• Make fliers to go to your usual spots
• Make a list of what to throw away and
what to keep and for how long, and mail it
to your client list.
• Send postcard reminders
• If there’s a marquee outside your building,
announce it there and at the site where the
shredder will be.
• Don’t forget to let the media know
9. Always keep your mailing list up
to date
• Cull out old files
• Send out a blast email now and then just
to let people know that you’re there
• Send out an end-of-year tax planning
reminder just before Thanksgiving
• Send a thank-you for a referral and add a
trinket—a key ring or a letter opener with
your name on it. It will be a pleasant
reminder.
10. Your local newspaper is a
wealth of new client opportunities
• The hometown newspaper bias
• Watch for wedding and birth
announcements—share the happiness
and your expertise.
• Send a letter of congratulations and an
offer.
NAEA’s Public Awareness
Initiatives
• Updating the brochure
• Continuation and enlargement of
national public relations agenda
• Identity license plates
• “Close to Home” –a special project
with the National Newspaper
Association
The NAEA National Agenda for
Public Awareness
• TODAY Show
• Oprah & Friends on XM Radio
• Sky Radio
• “Dear Abby”
Identity License Plates
• Initiative from the Public Awareness
Committee
• Different from a vanity plate
– Draws attention to the profession
– Distinguishes the driver
• Rules and regulations for obtaining the
plates vary from state to state
“Close To Home”
• A national initiative with local impact
• Still in the planning stages
• Working through the National Newspaper
Association
– 2,700 publishers
– 150 million readers
• Bringing information to your neighbors in a
usable format
• Showcasing you as the local expert on tax
matters