Author Archive
Pitching the Media Correctly
Posted by: | CommentsPart 1 of 7
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned PR professional or a newbie, you’ll need to know how to pitch the media correctly if you want to get publicity, interviews, articles and write ups about your business.
With all the bad pitches and PR spamming, it is time to teach you how to do it the right way. By pitching the media correctly, you will see your name in ink in no time. Trust me, when I first started, I hadn’t a clue as to how to draft a pitch, but now I’ve become a media professional.
- The first and most important things you need to have are patience and persistence. The media gets flooded with millions of pitches per day.
- You must know your story inside out and backwards before you even attempt to build a media list. Get every angel of the story covered by conducting interviews with the people involved, industry professionals, and any other research you can find. Pursue the story as the same way a journalist would.
- Create variations of the story for different media outlets, but don’t embellish. Keep each variation concise and to the point because media professionals do not have a lot of time to review your story, if it is as long as a book.
Interview with Greeting Card and Accessory Designer, Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsPart 2, Interview with Karen Justice
Kristin: What inspired you to write your book “Barracuda in Bunny slippers”?
Karen: I wanted to help other people develop the courage to start over as I had experienced it myself, with building my company with impossible odds. We hear so many platitudes about positive thinking that they simply become annoying. I felt I had insight that could make positive thinking easier for others.
I’m happy to say I have received letters from people who’ve told me that I have helped them have the courage to make their dreams come true and that is very gratifying.
Kristin: Wild Jungle Chick designs are so playful and colorful. Where did this concept come from?
Karen: I evolved into a cartoonist while creating designs for Tigre Lis. My designs involved a cast of animal characters who developed personalities over time. What really caught my attention is that I received two separate letters from two health care workers who worked with Autistic patients and both reported that my characters got patients communicating. They wanted to know what my characters were thinking because they felt my work had a unique ability to communicate feelings.
How to Create a Squeeze Page that gets Strong Results
Posted by: | CommentsThe Internet is saturated with content, sales pitches and products. As a result, you have to make your business standout from the rest of the businesses out there. Squeeze pages are one of the best ways to do this. They are mini web pages with opt in forms to catch the name and email addresses of prospects. They are used to build email subscriber lists.
Your squeeze page should look something like this:
Use a headline (in red size 18 or larger font), a sub-headline (in black size 16 or larger font), followed by 5 to 7 bullets (in black font)
Keep your sales copy concise. The entire objective is to get the prospect to sign up through the opt in form
Use 200 to 300 words on the page
Use headline generator software to help come up with compelling headlines
Use a keyword selector tool to help pick the best keyword search phrases for SEO purposes
Use video to personalize your message. This helps you connect with prospects. (Check out www.marketingmakeovergenerator.com)
Use product or service benefits as bullet points
Use a simple opt in form from www.aweber.com, www.constantcontact.com or www.verticalresponse.com
Interview with Greeting Card and Accessory Designer, Karen Justice, Part 1
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Joining Womenonbusiness.com today is Karen Justice, writer, designer and painter -and an entrepreneur. Her company, Wild Jungle Chick, is becoming one of the largest greeting card retailers online and in Florida.
Kristin: Karen, can you give us a little background on your entrepreneurial journey?
Karen: I left home at seventeen. Being on my own so early was frightening. There was no one to lean on; I was a very nervous, insecure person and I had to be my own support.
My first job didn’t pay much. It was definitely paycheck to paycheck. I was an entry level clerk in a small accounting department. I hated it because the office was part of a packing plant.
I’ve always loved animals and I couldn’t bare the thought of what took place a few buildings away. Sometimes I could hear the animals’ terror. I needed to get out of there, but there aren’t many choices for someone without formal education. I’d pour over newspapers at night looking for some hope. For whatever reason one ad jumped out at me. I took a chance and I applied for a job that I wasn’t even slightly qualified for.
The Marketing Mix Made Easy to Understand and Use
Posted by: | CommentsWhile creating your annual marketing plan, using a combination of elements (4 from the marketing mix) is the key to success.
The marketing mix contains four elements. The combination of the four elements is used to satisfy consumer needs and company goals, stimulate consumer interest, and generate sales.
1. Product/Service – what are you trying to sell?
2. Price – how much will it cost in contrast to competitors in the market?
3. Place and distribution – where will it be sold and how will it be delivered?
4. Promotion - how will you deliver the message to the market – advertising, public relations, direct marketing, or online marketing?
By arranging these four elements in a variety of ways, it will help you determine the highest return on investment. You might have to use a lower price, offer a coupon, and/or give a way a free-gift with the purchase in one market, while pricing the product/service a little higher and using nicer packaging in a sophisticated market.
The key to success is to try various element combinations, because it is unlikely using only one mix will generate the results you want.
A few tips on marketing:
Want that job? You have to leave a good impression after that interview.
Posted by: | CommentsYou finally landed an interview for your dream job. You practiced the interview questions several times in the mirror and with a friend to make sure you have all of your answers down pat. You finally went on the interview and you think you did well. At this point, many times job seekers think the interview process is over, but it’s not.
To make yourself memorable from the hundreds of other applicants, concluding the job interview process involves giving a “thank you” letter to the interviewer. Ideally, the letter should be emailed within 24 hours of the interview. If you decide to write and send the letter through the mail, it should be within three days of the interview.
The intent of the letter is to express your appreciation for the employer’s interest, recap your interest in the position and company, reiterate your qualifications, and mention anything you may have missed in the interview. By doing so, demonstrates professionalism and etiquette.
The letter could be typed or handwritten. It could be emailed or sent via snail mail. Typed letters sent via snail mail are more intimate than emailed thank you letters, but if your communication with a hiring manager has been through email, an emailed thank you letter is appropriate.
8 Skills that Makes Leaders Successful
Posted by: | CommentsThe Only Skills You Need to be a Great Leader
Organizations small, medium, and large need strong minded, smart, and resilient leaders.
Successful leaders have the ability to get others to follow his or her vision. Leaders have clear visions of goals and objectives. Leaders are flexible planners. Leaders are proactive and do not stop until he or she is satisfied with the result. Most importantly, leaders know how to communicate effectively.
However, the most important leadership qualities are:
- Good leaders have integrity and are trustworthy – a leader that control emotions, makes decisions based on logic and fact, and gains the trust of others are the top qualities a successful leader needs
- Good leaders are devoted and committed – successful leaders are devoted to completing whatever needs to be done. He or she will work tirelessly until the result is great
- Good leaders take personal responsibility and award credit where it is due – A good leader will take personal responsibility for when things go badly or for when a project fails as well as award credit to where it is due
Want to expand your professional circle but lack strong networking skills?
Posted by: | CommentsEffective business networking skills are essential to meeting other individuals and building solid and trusting relationships. When professionals have a network they can rely on, it makes connecting with potential clients, partners, and employees easier. Additionally, the more individuals that view you and your business positively, it will help expand your brand.
1. Act genuine and sincere. Build trust in relationships within the people you meet. Most business people can smell a phony person from a mile away, thus it’s important to give a positive and genuine impression every time you meet someone new.
2. Determine what your goals and objectives are. Before attending any networking 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 fashion designer, 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 that is within your industry. Many groups allow prospective members to preview how the group is organized by sitting in a seminar or attending an event.
Business development and marketing; the keys to success for companies
Posted by: | CommentsWhy businesses still need business development in addition to marketing
Today’s workplace is nothing like it used to be with middle to senior level executives not getting large car allowances, company credit cards, and expense accounts upwards to several thousands per month. Employee loyalty is non-existent and with the layoffs and firings. Employees must also take on more responsibility by picking up the work of those that were fired or laid off. Directors of business development and marketing are the first people to go when company revenues start to decline.
Is this the right strategy to saving the company money in the long run? It is the right strategy if and only if the directors are not performing. Business development and marketing are the biggest factors of success for a company. Yet, many senior level executives – CEO, CFO, CMO, COO, believe that business development and marketing are easy tasks they can take on in addition to their own work load. They take on those responsibilities and often fail.
Thus, the key to successful business development has three factors:
1. Good communication skills – getting appointments to see new business
Ever Manage Annoying Employees? Read this to learn how to handle them.
Posted by: | CommentsDealing with difficult people in our personal lives is different then dealing with them in our professional lives, especially when we are the supervisor or manager. Difficult employees or co-workers usually have an excuse for everything; they are late, they leave early, they never get their work completed on time, and if it is completed on time, it is usually sub-par, they ask questions about very trivial things, they harass us and never leave us alone, they do not pay attention to details and get projects mixed up, they are forgetful and they constantly challenge us on ridiculous things.
In addition, the thing that really upset us was they were rude to a customer or client or they embarrassed us at a meeting.
Have you ever worked with a co-worker that had those qualities? I have many times.
There are a few ways to handle problematic employees and co-workers.
Never ignore employees’ comments, concerns or requests – Never ignore them and think the problem is going to go away because it can lead to progressive problems and create more problems in the long run. As managers and supervisors, we need to guide and inspire our employees to perform the best they can. Thus, if there is a problem, confront it before it festers into a large dispute.
