Giving a helping hand can often lead to increased traffic, brand visibility and awareness … and lotsa FREE buzz-buzz-buzz!

Sometimes, you don’t need the traditional press release to generate “buzz.” Here’s an example of how my non-press release approach recently landed me two new business opportunities, one viable lead to pursue, a handful of new professional colleagues to network with and a new writing opportunity for a local periodical with significant readership (great for added reach and exposure) … all without a publicist and without a press release!

So here’s what happened…

I belong to many discussion forums online. For those who are Internet shy or non-web-savvy … a discussion forum online is simply a place on the Internet where you and I and others can actually discuss issues and ask questions. Usually you have to sign up or register with the group before you are allowed to ask questions or share information.

In this specific discussion forum, a woman was asking for advice on how to go about, of all things, firing an Executive Director (ED). She explained she was a member of the board and the board had been dissatisfied with the ED’s performance over the past 18 months and they had agreed to fire her but were not sure how to go about it and how to work with the staff post-firing.

After a couple of hours, I noticed no one in the group had responded to the board member’s post. I had once been the ED for a non-profit association and had worked closely with a board back in the day. I also have extensive internal and external communications experience. So I thought perhaps I could give her some advice, strategy and tips to help her in her ED-firing journey.

I began to compose my response …

The response grew from a few short sentences … to a few bullets and then to a several organized paragraphs. I included tips on how to approach the staff, what to say and what not to say, how and what to communicate to the membership and also gave various talking points in case media calls came in asking about the ED’s departure. Basically, I gave this woman advice I would’ve loved to receive myself had I been in her shoes.

It was not long after sending that email packed with strategy, talking points, tips and advice that the woman wrote back *profusely* thanking me for having taken the time to provide so much insightful and very helpful information. Before long, we were emailing back and forth. A day turned into a week. A week turned into two weeks. She had printed all my emails out to share with the board members, whom she reported had been “very impressed” with the advice I had given.

Not long after this, I was invited to a few meetings to meet with board members directly. I graciously accepted the invitations and made some very good professional connections, two of which have unexpectedly landed me new business. Moreover, a few other board members have visited my web site(s) and have read some of my articles, which they in turn shared with others who would find my writings to be of interest. From those referrals, I was later contacted by the friend of a friend who asked me to author an article for a local communications publication.

All this was made possible from my simply offering to help another human being from the goodness of my heart, with no strings attached.

If you can take anything from this story, it is to complement your press release efforts with *involvement* in professional or personal circles. The key here is that your involvement must be sincere and not used to pitch any story angles or to try to make a sale of any kind. I had no idea that my good deed in helping this woman with her imminent firing plight would have led me to adding six new professional friends to my circle, making new contacts and being presented with new opportunities. That was because my desire to help was sincere and not intended to pitch anything beyond assistance.

Sometimes, online participation in community groups, professional organizations, blogging or posting comments on discussion lists and forums can trickle down some new publicity opportunities your way. Sure, I didn’t end up on the evening news. But generating “buzz” isn’t always about being on CNN. Generating “buzz” is perpetuating your brand and creating excitement about all things YOU.

In the end, I landed two new clients, made new professional contacts (great for networking and for referrals) and will have one of my articles published in a local magazine with more than 5,000 Washington-metro readers. I can’t wait to see what trickles in from the new exposure my article will bring. And I particularly look forward to what my new board friends will be feeding me at next weekend’s BBQ cookout (which the freshly-arrived email sitting in my inbox says they’ve just invited me to) …