Category: Paying It Forward

Advertisement Ideas: Barilla, Chick-Fil-a, Hobby Lobby Oh My!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Barilla, Chick Fila, Hobby Lobby Oh My!

These 3 companies made news recently for all the wrong reasons. They all had employees or CEO’s that made missteps when speaking to the media. They each have apologized for their statements however nothing changes the facts that disparaging remarks were made.  I used to think it doesn’t matter if you get good publicity or bad as long as your name is being spelled right, however I as a public relations specialist I have learned that it is imperative that a company or individual is seen in a positive light at all times. As a publicist it is your job to make sure your company representatives from The CEO to The Janitor understand that they represent the company and what they say has a direct effect on the business.

 To address the comments of Barilla competitor Ronzoni issued this statement in a twitter campaign. BY being proactive and capitalizing on the idea of a boycott of Barilla Ronzoni saw a spike in sales and thus increased their market share.  In many cases controversy will create cash, however one has to be very careful about their initial remarks. As a publicist it is important to brief your client on the right things to say. Often it is coaching your client to put their political views away and when something a bit touchy or uncomfortable comes up they can defuse the situation by saying we are in the business of—– and we strive to be of service to everyone that use our products or services. By utilizing this statement it protects the representatives of the company from making a statement that they have to apologize for making. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Barilla, Chick-Fil-a, Hobby Lobby Oh My!!!

Advertisement Ideas: The Government Is Shutdown But We’re Open For Business!!!

Advertisement Ideas: The Government Is Shutdown But We’re Open For Business!!!!!

So the politicians couldn’t get their heads out of their asses long enough to keep The Federal Government open. This has created quite the stir and buzz around coffee shops like Starbucks and the local barbershop. The chatter across social media such as Twitter and Facebook has been fast and furious with many opinions. As I heard conversations and monitored social media I thought how many businesses would like to have people talking about them? I figured every business could use some for of publicity like The Federal Government, after all it is all about creating a buzz. That is when I came up with the idea of using the shutdown as a theme  in marketing and advertising and thus thought of programs like:

1: While the Government is shutdown enjoy a 10% discount on all products or services.

2:  So your plans to visit the museum and the national parks went astray come spend some time with us and receive special rates. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: The Government Is Shutdown But We’re Open For Business!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Why Advertising Should Be Part Of Your Daily Plan!!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Why Advertising Should Be Part Of Your Daily Plan!!!!

Today’s post was inspired by Kellie Kuecha as she continues to help others understand the importance of branding and advertising

Kellie’s knowledge of branding is amazing, she has helped so many people to achieve success. She is a well sought after speaker and has grown her own enterprise to be recognizable as a leader in the personal development field. Kellie has taught me that advertising is an everyday walk as the key is to reach your desired target audience and create a tribe of followers who will recommend you to others. Kellie further expounds on why advertising should be part of your everyday plan in her Brand Omnipresence Class. Please visit www.kelliekuecha.com to find out more about how she can help you own your world and strengthen your brand.

Since meeting Kellie Kuecha, who taught me  that you are your brand I have branded and rebranded The JDOGG Name. I continue to understand how important advertising and branding is to be a successful business leader. I ask you what is your advertising strategy?

 

 I was in a $1 store the other day that was closing up shop. I was curious as to why they were closing as I never like to see a business fail. The answer I received was we just couldn’t make it. I asked if they had an advertising plan when they began the business. I was amazed when they said no. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised because one of the points I make in my workshops if is if you do not advertise you close.  I am often amazed by those who do not have an advertising/branding strategy and then wonder why they are not flourishing. re-branded The JDOGG name. Most recently I changed my moniker from The Spiritual Emcee Maximizing Your Message to The Positive Broadcaster. I did this to better reflect what I do and that is broadcast a client’s message in print, electronic, and social media.  The reason that advertising should be part of your daily plan is that there are always people seeking the products and services you offer and if you do not advertise they may not find you and go to your competitor. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Why Advertising Should Be Part Of Your Daily Plan!!!!

Advertisement Ideas: WTH ARE YOU THINKING???

Advertisement Ideas: WTH ARE YOU THINKING?

 Today’s blog entry was inspired by a not so nice encounter I had with an ING Representative last week at The Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Baby Love and Family Expo. Most of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that I always make an effort to be of value and service to all I come in contact with. On Saturday 8/10/13 I traveled to The Broward Convention Center for The Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Baby Love and Family Expo to represent my Internet TV Show, The Anything Bucket, which airs on Wednesday at 8:00 PM EDT on www.wrpbitv.com. I was going booth to booth introducing myself and obtaining business cards as I have an awesome opportunity to help business people to maximize their message and increase their brand awareness and potentially increase their revenue. As I was standing next to The ING Booth a family was walking by with young kids and I said hello do you have your college planning taking care of see this gentleman from ING. What occurred next was totally unexpected, the gentleman instead of thanking me got real pompous and arrogant saying he didn’t need my help. He then proceeded to tell me that he ran The ING in Boca Raton, FL.  To which I stated you know Ralph Waldo Emerson said ” Nothing Great Was Ever Accomplished Without Enthusiasm.” His reply again was you don’t understand I run The ING Office in Boca Raton. To which I said can you say arrogant and then wished him Namaste and walked away. As I walked away I began to ask what the heck was this guy thinking?  His arrogance and pompous attitude cost him the opportunity to have me not only as a client but as an advocate for his business. In today’s marketplace it is imperative to understand that one day someone may be sharing a service with you but on another day they can be using your service.  Think about it what would 6 minutes on an Internet TV Show with over 50,000 viewers mean to you with 77% being in the local market, in this case Broward and Palm Beach County. I really felt like telling The ING Guy to go pound sand, however that would not have been to right way to handle him. The lesson here is to realize that everyone you come in contact with can be of service and value to you. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: WTH ARE YOU THINKING???

Advertisement Ideas: How To Increase Your Visibility!!!

Advertisement Ideas: How To Increase Your Visibility!!!

 One of the catch phrases of the last 3 years has been visibility. The question is how do you increase your visibility so you are on the top of the mind of the client that is seeking your product or services? Most small businesses do not have a Nike, Coca Cola, or Budweiser budget and struggle with the concept of getting known. Today I will give you some effective and affordable ways to increase your visibility in the market place.  As you are aware I have been doing marketing and media relations in one form or another since I was an 11-year-old.  MY quest to be visible began with a backyard carnival for The Muscular Dystrophy Association. My biggest challenge was how would I get people to come to this event? The answer was easy promote it everywhere and anywhere I could. I the kit came posters and I was fortunate to find a local printer to print more for me at no cost in return for me handing out his brochures. I took the posters and hung them at the major supermarket, local restaurants, in my school, and around my neighborhood. When the event was run I had many people in attendance and was able to donate $1,000 to The Muscular Dystrophy Association. I was invited to present a check to MDA on The Skipper Chuck Show. The local newspapers ran stories about me. This was the beginning of how I began to help others increase their visibility.

 Over the years I learned that it is important to know that you are your brand. People are doing business with you because they know you, like you, and trust you. The question is how do you create visibility for your brand? There are several ways to create visibility, many include? Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How To Increase Your Visibility!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Taking Advantage Of Opportunities!!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Taking Advantage Of Opportunities!!!

 

 Today’s blog post was inspired by The Pet Shop Boys song Opportunities. As I began to listen to the song I understood that it was talking about collaboration. Collaboration is a an excellent way to maximize your message and also reap the benefits of strengthening your brand and increasing your revenue.  When it comes to advertising sharing the expenses with other businesses makes sense as everyone can get their word out and reap the rewards. Let’s take for example that a FULL PAGE AD in La Bonita Kidz and Teenz, www.labonitakidz.com, costs $500 you can find 4 other businesses to split the costs and each business pays $100 and all 5 of you get maximum exposure with your own message and thus making the advertising affordable.  It is finding ways where everyone benefits that you have the most success.

 It is through team work that you can lift other people and thus lift yourself. Think about it you have a sub shop and down the block is a movie theatre. You visit and meet with The General manager and offer them discount coupons to your sub shop and in return they give you FREE Movie passes to give to your patrons. This creates a great cross promotion where everyone benefits and in return both businesses increase their exposure and their revenue. The idea is to look for great opportunities to create abuzz in the marketplace that will benefit everyone involved. The opportunities are endless when you begin to get creative and proactive. Ask yourself what have I passed up in my advertising and marketing as I made excuses to not take advantage of the opportunity. Think of what could have happened had you invested in an offer to pay $140 + tax to La Bonita Kidz and Teenz for a 1/4 page ad and a write up to appear in the magazine and reach 5000 mothers of middle school and high school aged students. You could have leveraged the write-up to build credibility and create interest in your product or services. When making an advertising decision ask yourself what does a client/customer represent to me? Think how many new customers/clients do you need to justify the investment in advertising?  Make sure the advertising is hitting your target audience, do not get fooled by circulation/distribution numbers. There was a local pre-school who decided to get caught up in numbers and bought an ad for $1000 in a publication that is distributed to 50,000 residents not realizing that 42,000 were being delivered to over 55 years of age communities, not exactly his target audience. When making the decision to promote or advertise make sure that the avenue you choose reaches your target audience. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Taking Advantage Of Opportunities!!!!

Advertisement Ideas: How To Avoid Slow Times?

Advertisement Ideas: How To Avoid Slow Times?

 In business this is the one sign you never want to see. I can not tell you how many times I have heard well times are slow as I am out selling advertising for La Bonita Kidz and Teenz, www.labonitakidz.com. Each time I hear that I ask well what are you willing to do to change that? The answer I usually receive is I am just going to wait and see what happens. My reply is generally good luck with that as I leave the business or end the conversation. As I walk away I think that business won’t be there for long or that person will be joining another company soon. About 80% of the time I am right. A case in point occurred a few weeks ago when a flower shop owner told me they didn’t need to advertise and they never do print. I wished him luck as stated if he changed his mind to connect with me as I can be of service and value to him. I went by the shop yesterday (7/8/13) and guess what there was an eviction notice on the door and the store was closed. The moral here is if you do not advertise you die. If you wait for something to happen chances are you close your door.  If you was to avoid slow times follow the tips listed below as they have helped many businesses who have chosen to work with me to succeed.

 

Advertisement Ideas: Tips To Avoid Slow Times!!!

  

 

1: Eliminate using the term slow by beginning to plan your work and work your plan. If you do not have a strategic marketing plan develop and implement one.  A good tool to use is Heidi Richards Mooney’s book, Quirky Marketing Tips. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How To Avoid Slow Times?

Advertisement Ideas: 30 Days To Jump Start Your Marketing & PR!!!

Advertisement Ideas: 30 Days To Jump Start Your Marketing and PR!!!

 Are you maximizing your message? Are you overwhelmed when you hear Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumbler, Stumble Upon, Vine, LinkedIn? Have you sat down to plan, implement, and evaluate an effective marketing and public relations strategy? I am amazed by the many  entrepreneurs who tell me they do not have a marketing plan. I often respond if you don’t know where you are going how are you going to get there. This entry is designed to be a road map on how you can jump-start your marketing and public relations in 30 days. It is based on a track record of success in obtaining media coverage for those who have chosen to work with me. It piggy backs on the concept of plan your work and work your plan. If you want to attract customers/clients you must have a strategy to do so as the idea of build it and they will come as a strategy is becoming less and less effective.  Every day you open to accept clients/customers you should be doing something to market your business.

Advertisement Ideas: The 30 Day Plan

 Create your message and announce it to your staff. Develop your logo that will be synergistic with your message. Put out a media release to your media contacts and your email list.

     Decide where you are going to promote your message, write and send out media releases.

 Promote across your Social Media platforms. Choose 4-5 to use and see which gives you the most reach. You can do this daily, weekly, every other week, or monthly. The key here is to give content that will be of service and value to your audience.

 Begin to attend networking events and deliver your message then follow-up with the people you spoke to with a special offer.

 Create a you tube channel and start posting videos that are relevant, entertaining, and resonating.

 Research and find media outlets to advertise with. Make sure all ads have a strong call to action. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: 30 Days To Jump Start Your Marketing & PR!!!

Advertisement Ideas:Plan Your Work And Work Your Plan!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Plan Your Work And Work Your Plan!!!

    The Jaycees is an international organization of young men and women aged 18-40 who provide leadership training through community service to its members. I was a member of The Jaycees from 1989-2002 and again from 2003- 2008. I served in many offices including Chapter President, District Director, Regional Director, State Vice President, State Chairman, and State Director of Training. One of the greatest tools that I acquired in The Jaycees was The Chairman’s Planning Guide, which helped to plan, implement, and evaluate the various projects that The Jaycees held. This tool taught me to plan the work and work the plan. It asked questions like the primary purpose of the project, the goals of the project, who was responsible for certain tasks associated with the project, what the budget for the project was, and the time-table for completion. This tool has been used by many to successfully launch   business.  As I reflected back on the days of my involvement with The Jaycees I realized that in all of our plans their was a marketing component. This made me ask the question to you do you have a marketing plan?  I then asked if not how are you reaching your potential clients/customers?

 This is a question all entrepreneurs and marketing professionals must answer. To evaluate this ask where am I marketing, how am I marketing, what returns am I receiving? Many times a business decides to do a print campaign and they try to put everything into their ad and thus it looks to busy and people pass over it. When placing an ad remember a catchy headline a great offer, your contact info. Ask yourself what pain does my product or service take away? Then develop a campaign around that which is consistent with your brand messaging.  In social media and TV and Radio many people try to over power the audience and oversell and thus do not get the anticipated results that they expected. To avoid this remember that facts tell stories sell and use these mediums to engage your audience by having a story that is relevant, entertaining, and resonating.  The most effective way to reach customers is to be where they are. For example if your target demographic is mothers of middle and high school aged students in Broward County you want to check out www.labonitakidz.com and consider being in their Fall Issue with a message as to who you are, what you do, and why people should use your products or services? Continue reading Advertisement Ideas:Plan Your Work And Work Your Plan!!!