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