Kristin:  What is your business background?

Gabriela: Because of positive thinking and eternal optimism, I have an aptitude for developing strong professional relationships.  Because of my genuine compassion and unwavering persistence, I have acquired professional experience in print and promotional modeling, hosting Hollywood events, and raising funds for charitable organizations such as the Chaka Khan Foundation.

I have also worked as an independent marketing consultant for the corporate, spa, sports, and entertainment industries.  Having interacted with professionals, celebrities and athletes on all levels, I have developed the necessary skills to take on complex projects.  

Kristin:  Gabriela, give us a brief overview of the TEEN LUVE Program, BOTG, and the three VIP Memberships BOTG offers.

Gabriela: A) Teen L.U.V.E-The Teen L.U.V.E Program is a not for profit program, 501(c) (3), created by Beauties on the Go to empower at-risk teens.  We provide our teens with L.U.V.E, which includes Listening (L), Understanding (U), a Vision (V), and Encouragement (E).

B) Beauties on the Go was created to simplify women’s lives and bring out their inner and outer beauty by inspiring and supporting them by providing resources that help in every aspect of living.  Beauties on the Go is a community created by women for women that lead busy lives.

C) Pink, Sepia and Purple are the memberships Beauties on the Go offers. 

The benefits that these membership programs offer are top notch for any female business owner.  Beauties on the Go ensures that all members are supported and remain inspired through the entire program.  Moreover, members receive the support of Beauties on the Go and resources that help toward the advancement of women entrepreneurs; access to targeted business demographics; live/interactive customer relationships, valuable savings on exclusive event invites online, phone conferences, workshops, as well as chances to enter VIP drawings/contests.

Kristin:  What is the hardest thing you’ve learned in business?

Gabriela: The hardest thing I have learned in business is that is an entrepreneur can have many great ideas but that it is best to focus on one strong idea.  Sometimes we put too much on our plates and eat it all because we don’t want to be “wasteful” or we believe that we must follow through, but the entire time we are doing so we are completely overwhelmed.  It’s best to just focus, work smarter; not harder and get better results.

Kristin:  What is your primary goal for 2010?

Gabriela: My primary goal for 2010 is to be very successful with the VIP Business Memberships so that they can help fund and expand the resources of my Teen L.U.V.E Program.

Since I’ve decided to give up a large portion of my client service business because I will be attending business school in the fall, I’ve decided to focus a lot more of my attention on going to events here in New York City and networking with people across all industries.  Since I’ve been networking with people across all industries, I wanted to share a list of the most important things that I have learned to boost in person credibility. 

Follow these tips to build a strong network:

1. Sincerity is a must. Most business people can smell phoniness from a mile away.
2. Determine your goals and objectives. Before attending any networking event – conference, luncheon, holiday party or any other business or social event, make sure it is for the right reason. Some events are for making contacts, while others are for learning a certain trade or industry. If you are a make up artist, I don’t think you would attend the American Bar Association Mid Winter Conference for Surety and Fidelity.
3. Join as many associations and groups to expand your professional circle. Many groups allow prospective members to preview how groups are organized by sitting in a seminar or attending an event.
4. Offer to volunteer in different organizations and events.
5. While networking, ask questions – who, what, where, when and how as opposed to questions that can answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”
6. By joining different groups and associations, your brand becomes transparent and you become a resource to others. It will also help you become an expert within your industry.
7. If you have a certain person that would like to speak to, make sure you have a clear approach. You don’t want to sound like you have no idea what you are talking about when you open the conversation.
8. Have a clear mission of how you can help networking professionals.
9. Respond quickly and efficiently to referrals. Don’t make others look bad by not delivering results that you promised.
10. Don’t try to sell yourself. Networking is about gaining leverage by building relationships with other professionals within your industry.
11. Dress appropriately for the occasion. Most networking events require business attire. Remember, first impressions are the only impressions that count.

In this day and age, networking is a must. It doesn’t matter whether you are looking to expand your business network or looking for a job, networking is critical to a healthy career. The more resources you have, the more leverage and opportunities will be readily available.

For more information on how to network effectively, contact Kristin at km@marquet-communications.com.

For more information on how to develop a strategic social media plan, contact Kristin at km@marquet-communications.com.

Getting in TV is one of the best ways of generating publicity that increases your brand awareness, your creditability as an expert, get more clients, and increases sales.

Yet, it is not easy if you don’t know how to craft a pitch that is tailored perfectly to meet the needs of the show.

Many business owners make the mistake of drafting the same pitch to various TV shows; however, that’s a no-no because no two TV shows are the same. Each pitch has to be tailored to match what the TV producers are looking for.

Furthermore, a TV pitch letter is very different from a press release. A press release generally announces news or a story that is newsworthy and it is specific toward a field. Press releases are generally sent to print publications such as magazines, newspapers, and online publications.

To draft a pitch that brings results, follow these steps:

1. When drafting your pitch, don’t make it salesy. Make it informative and entertaining. Know the TV’s market. Tell the producers how you are going to be able to help their audience. Don’t bore them with how great you are. Watch a couple segments to see what type of topics are covered. Are they looking for health experts? Are they interested in interviewing financial professionals? Does the show only book celebrities?

2. Do research and find out the correct contact person. Log onto the show’s website to see if they suggest any tips for how you can get on the show. Some shows urge you to contact to a producer while others use booking agents. Make sure you get the correct spelling of the producer’s name too.

3. Keep your pitch informative and entertaining. Don’t oversell yourself and your brand. Keep it personal and friendly. Deliver your message clearly and concisely. Keep it to the point.

3. In order to get booked on TV, you need to have the right marketing materials. You need to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Tell the TV producers why they should book you for a segment over someone else. Make yourself valuable.

4. When drafting a pitch, you must have an interesting hook or angle. You have to capture the producers’ attention with whatever you are trying to sell. Consider why people should listen to you over someone else. What can you offer that someone else can’t offer?

5. Tie your pitch into something that is current from the news.

6. Keep each pitch to one page. If you are the President of a financial company and you are interested getting on Bloomberg TV, CNBC, or CNN, your pitch should include a description of your company’s growth strategy and financial performance over the last twelve months as well as your strategy for economic survival in 2009. If you are the owner of a women’s clothing line or the Editor in Chief of a woman’s fashion publication and you are interested in getting on The Early Show to discuss spring and summer fashion trends, tailor your pitch to meet the news of that specific audience – (educated, sophisticated, female oriented).

7. Media etiquette is just as important as the pitch. You should feel comfortable talking with an interviewer in front of the camera. You have to be able to deliver your lines concisely with a flare of your personality.

National TV exposure can bring in huge sales and increase your creditability three-fold.

Essentially, drafting a TV pitch is similar to an audition, the more things you have in place, the more likely the producer will say yes to book you on the show. When you get on TV, most people will view you as an expert, or better a celebrity.

If you need assistance drafting your TV pitch, send an email to km@marquet-communications.com.

You are diligent about submitting articles and press releases to the media but nothing has been published. You ask yourself why, only to find out that you have not been submitting the right information in the right format.

1. Understand that newspapers, magazines and trade journalists are not interested in providing sales content to their readers. They are interested in providing content that is newsworthy and that is going to interest their readers. For instance, if you are located in Atlanta and you are holding a food drive for local shelters during the holidays, most likely larger city newspapers like the LA Times are not going to be interested in the story because it is not local to their readers. However, if you were to pick a nationwide angle – how hunger is rampant in the USA and how local businesses can help feed the hunger in those cities, would probably be more interested in the story. Press releases, email and telephone pitches and query letters are the ways to touch base with the media. If a journalist shuns you, don’t take offense. Most media pros are bombarded with badly written pitches from annoying and self-serving business owners or obnoxious PR people.

2. Be smart and plan strategically. If you have someone on staff that understands PR and how the media works, have them take care of all PR related work. If not, then hire a PR professional to plan your PR strategy, implement and execute all objectives. If you are a clothing retailer looking to segment more affluent markets, in addition to purchasing higher quality brands, you will need to draft a PR plan that demonstrates how you will get into local and national luxury magazines such as W, Vogue, Golf Digest and get involved in more charity events.

3. Don’t try to create a market for your product or service. Find a market that is insatiable and greedy for whatever you are trying to sell. Research, research, and research more. Read trade journals and conduct surveys through online and print questionnaires.

In order to be successful, you should understand everything about your market – buying behaviors, gender, education, income, hobbies, publications read, and household income. Buy a list of names of people who have made purchases that are similar to the products or services that are you selling. If you try to make a market for what you are trying to sell, you will not be successful.

4. Positioning your brand and creating a unique selling proposition are very important when it comes to communicating with your market. Conveying the same message across the board is important as it creates consistency and breeds familiarity within your market. Your market should know what to expect from you every single time they make a purchase, visit your website, and deal with customer service. For instance, your brand should be consistent, just like McDonalds, Nordstrom, and Target. Every single time a customer visits one of these retailers, they know what to expect from the caliber of the product, service and pricing.

Remember patience and cooperation are the keys to getting publicity. Use proper media etiquette and give the media newsworthy content and see your brand go through the roof.

For more information, contact Kristin at km@marquet-communications.com

Tayelor: I am a make-up artist and stylist. I service, Connecticut, New York, and Boston. I offer make-up application for brides, custom eyebrow shaping, eyebrow and eyelash tinting, custom blend foundation, and, powder, make-up bag makeover, and, cosmetic and fashion personal shopping. I currently work specifically with brides, bridesmaids, and with the mother of the bride and groom. I work with my clients to choose the right gown and make-up style that really reflects her core personality.

Kristin: Tayelor, working as a solopreneur is very interesting, especially working as a makeup artist. Why don’t you tell us about how you got involved in that line of work?

Tayelor: My interest of beauty began at home. My mother was the ultimate classic beauty. She was very adamant about skin and body care. She started me on the daily and nightly ritual of, cleansing, toning and moisturizing when I was about 10. And, I would sit and watch her dress for her nights out, watching with fascination as she applied her make-up with precision, which led me to attend Christin Valmy International in NYC to become an aesthetician. There were make-up classes included but, by then I was self taught and freelancing for various cosmetic lines.

Kristin: The female beauty market is saturated. What are you primary markets and how did you select them?

Tayelor: My primary market is brides. I choose to niche my business within the bridal industry because it’s fun, and I absolutely love dress-up! And this, is the ultimate dress-up. Seriously, being apart of making a woman look and feel like the queen she is on the most important, magical day of her life is just joyful.

Kristin: What marketing strategies have been most effective?

Tayelor: Thus far, the most effective strategies have been, word of mouth, social networking, blogging about wedding make-up and fashion trends, and being listed online where brides are seeking services.

Kristin: Being a small business owner is a very difficult, especially in this economy. How are you surviving?

Tayelor: I have a business plan and I follow it. Research the industry of interest, as well as the local and global competition. The next step is to implement the plan. Taking consistent daily action is key. What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs, especially those that are interested in working in the beauty industry? Attend the best school possible, take workshops, read, and continue to hone your craft. The beauty industry is very fast paced as consumers demand and expect artist to be well trained, highly skilled, and, very knowledgeable about not just choosing the best look and colors, consumers want to know about the products being applied to their face. They want to know what ingredients are in the products as well.

Kristin: What is your top goal for 2010?

Tayelor: To become known as the authority on bridal make-up, and, bridal fashion consulting.

Thank you so much for joining me Tayelor and best of luck in 2010.

Tayelor Kennnedy is an experienced skin care expert and make up artist in the Tri State area as well as Boston.   She has written for various magazines and websites on all beauty related areas.  Her areas of expertise are custom blends for brides and bridal parties, eye lash extensions and custom eye brown shaping. For more information, visit www.theeverythingbridalgirl.onsugar.com.  Tayelor can be contacted at tayelorkennedy@yahoo.com.

Ever since the revolution of the Internet, more and more brands are becoming digital. To start playing with the big brands, smaller guys have to learn Internet based PR. They have to learn the right tools and tactics to stay ahead of the curve with the rest of the digital world. To be properly equipped, you are going to need the four following tools in your PR toolkit.

Search Engine Optimization – Optimizing keywords and phrases is the top key to positioning your business as one of the top rankings on Google, Yahoo, and MSN. News content, press releases and images and videos are the primary ways to move up the ranks. Plus, the better your SEO results, the more visibility and credibility your business will get. Moreover, journalists and bloggers will see you and will want to cover feature stories on you and your business.

Social Media is vital to developing a robust PR strategy. Many audiences spend time reading and are influenced by social media. Even though updating twitter, facebook and sending out press releases takes a lot of time, it is worth its weight in gold. You have the ability to connect with potential clients, while positioning yourself as an expert in your industry. Just remember, don’t try try to sell your prospects, just educate them on how you can help better their lives.

Digital – Videos, audios, podcasts,and images could be optimized by using relevant keywords and submitted to websites such as Youtube and Flickr.

The Blog – A blog is one of the most important elements of an online PR strategy. Blogs give businesses the opportunity create and expand niche brands. Blogs are used to publish content and images, almost like a website, but it is an open forum for the business owner and consumers to interact. Blogs that are well optimized are great to generate traffic and help with SEO rankings.

If you need help creating your online PR toolkit, feel free to contact Kristin at km@marquet-communications.com

Content and formatting are both imperative when it comes to a press release. You want to make it easy as possible for prospective media professionals to review and pick up your story.

Follow these points when drafting a press release:

Newsworthy content – the point of releasing a press release is to tell the world your news. It’s not self-serving or a sales pitch. The questions a press release address are: what, when, who, where and why about a person, event, service or an organization.

Use a strong headline. The headline and first sentence should provide the story with the following paragraphs providing strong details. The opening has to grab the attention of your readers.

The essential components of a press release are:

“For Immediate Release”

Contact information – Name, Organization, address, email address, web address

Headline/title – should not be longer than 150 characters. Never use all caps. It’s poor etiquette.

Sub headline – summary of your story in two sentences

Date/city/state (City, State, Date)

Intro paragraph should give an overview of the who, when, what, why, and where

Body paragraphs give a background, quotes, testimonials, and statistics

About the company/person gives background information. Background info is placed right before the end of the press release.

End a press release with ### as it tells the reader that it is the end of the story

Stick to facts when writing a press release. Don’t exaggerate or embellish because it will ultimately ruin your own credibility. Avoid hype and excessive punctuation.

Use active voice, not passive voice.

Essentially, a press release is one of the valuable tools that any small business can use. Keep it short and concise, one page ideally. If you follow the rules above, you will probably see your company’s name in ink.

For more information on drafting your press release, contact Kristin at km@marquet-communications.com.

When your product, service, name, or company is in ink, it can generate great media attention, which is why billions of dollars are spent on PR every year.

When targeting specific publications, you should not send out mass emails with pitches and press releases because it is considered spamming. Each pitch needs to be tailored to meet the audience of the publication.

In email pitches and press releases, make sure the subject line is relevant because you want to make sure the email gets opened. The press release is one of the most cost efficient ways to generating publicity when you have a targeted media list. Keep the press release short and concise. Don’t use flowery and ornate language. Media professionals want news; not to read the greatest piece of literature since Tolstoy. Remember, editors/journalists have no obligation to run your story.

Make sure you press release follows the correct format. Stay tuned for next week’s lesson in formatting a press release.

As I mentioned last week, contact one reporter/journalist at a time. In your pitch, reference an article the journalist/reporter wrote. Recently, I was putting a publicity campaign for one of my new products. I sent out four pitches to four different publications two weeks ago, and landed three feature story interviews.

Make your media contact’s job easier by telling them how your company can help their audience or why your company is relevant to a certain trend. If the contact doesn’t use it right away, they may call on you in the future, when a certain trend becomes popular.

Conduct case studies from clients. Ask your clients how your product or service has helped them. Ask for testimonials. Incorporate case studies and testimonials into your pitch. This will make your release more believable and newsworthy as well as make the journalist’s life easier (we will teach you how to draft a solid pitch in an upcoming lesson).

Never send a pitch or press release as an attachment, unless the journalist or reporter asks for it. Send all text in a plain text email.

Make sure you follow up in a timely manner.

If possible, address the editor by his or her first and last name

Remember, journalists find many of their stories from regular people/businesses, so it is your job to pitch them accordingly. Just don’t make your news self-serving.

For assistance on drafting a news story, contact Kristin at km@marquet-communications.com.

Sharifah: I am a single mother of two and began my online experience as a way to provide for my children. After surviving several crushing disappointments including two failed marriages, being laid off six times, homelessness, the death of a close friend and the struggle to provide childcare for my children while I worked, I was determined to succeed.

Kristin: What are some of the projects you are involved with currently?

Sharifah: I am currently host of “Ask Sharifah Radio” at www.blogtalkradio.com/sharifah and the new television show, “Business Basics” going into production November 2009.

Kristin: How do you keep yourself motivated?  What tricks can you give the readers of this magazine to keep themselves focused?

Sharifah: I keep myself motivated by realizing that there are a lot of business owners who need help and assistance in growing their businesses. Sometimes providing advice can be daunting but when I see the change in the attitudes of my clients, when I recognize the difference I am making it is all worth it.

In order to keep focused understand that what might seem impossible at first in any aspect of a company is done every day on a multitude of different levels. Where there is a will there’s a way. If you need marketing, funding, guidance, employees, it’s out there. You just have to be willing and open enough to go out there and seek whatever may be lacking currently within your business.

Kristin: What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve overcome to date?  How did you handle the struggle or hardship?

Sharifah: The biggest struggle that I’ve experienced is the “Nay Sayers.” People who have told me that I couldn’t do it. People who have told me that I was lazy for working at home regardless of the money I generated. For a long time people who worked for themselves were not taken seriously because it’s not a “real job” unless you have a commute, a boss and your hours are 9-5. I had to prove myself and my success before anybody would begin to take me seriously.

Kristin: How did you start the Ask Sharifah Radio Show?

Sharifah: Ask Sharifah Radio was started as an answer to a cry for help from many business owners. The Internet and online marketing was relatively new to many business owners and I wanted to provide an outlet where business owners are able to learn from the stories, strategies, successes, histories and lives of other business owners. After that it just seemed to take on a life of it’s own.

Kristin: What are your plans over the next 12 to 18 months for the Ask Sharifah Radio Show?

Sharifah: I plan to increase the radio show exposure with the creation of the new television show.

Kristin: Can you us tell a little bit about this new TV show?

Sharifah: The new television show is scheduled to launch January 2010. The show will provide examples and true stories of how business owners are thriving in today’s economy. We will spotlight their techniques and examine how effectively success can be created.