August 25, 2008
Local PR Success, Local Publicity
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Check out this link to a story in today’s Tacoma News Tribune about Alice Cunningham and Olympic Hot Tub Company. This story resulted from a story pitch to CR Roberts that made mention of how Cunningham continues to reinvent how she connects with customers and prospects, even as she celebrates her 31st anniversary of doing business. She recently launched a blog as a means of connecting with a broader demographic, and that gave our team something to talk about that was timely and perhaps even more interesting than the celebration of the business anniversary. CR did a great job telling Alice’s business success story, and there are some good lessons within from which business owners can most definitely profit. Read on!
August 22, 2008
Event Promotion
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Susan Harrow, CEO and founder of PRSecrets.com, is coming to Seattle at my invitation to co-present at the October 17 Publici-Tea™. This will be her first in-person visit to the Emerald City. I’ve reserved a big room at the Mercer Island Community Center for the event, and we have room for 49 lucky guests who will benefit from the bounty of information and new connections to be shared. Now it will be equally convenient for guests from either side of Lake Washington to attend and benefit.
Stay tuned to the blog to learn more about all the wonderful avenues upcoming for you to meet her and learn from her as you build the buzz about your business. I’ll have more to share next week. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend.
August 17, 2008
Event Promotion
2 Comments
I couldn’t have asked for a more fabulous group of buzz seeking business owners at last Friday’s Tacoma Publici-Tea™ Half-Day Workshop. Check out this amazing testimonial I received just moments ago:
Nancy,
What a blessing you are. Your seminar yesterday was exactly what I needed at this time. I have known that our greatest weakness in my business was the lack of effective marketing and publicity. We are currently reconstructing our web site and adding a blog. I will be putting together my photo and a press kit as well as the other tools I learned about yesterday.
Your seminar exceeded my expectations many times over although I knew from Dan Voelpel’ s article it was going to be excellent. You give so much of yourself and I think there is such a need for what you are doing. Getting into business is one thing but staying in business and growing are where many of us need professional guidance such as you provide.
Again, thank you for this opportunity to improve my business as I never thought possible. I look forward to more training, seminars and conferences with you at the helm!
– Sandra Alonzo, Queens Closet, a consignment shop offering everything for the plus sized and full figured woman.
Special thanks to Rachael Costner and Betsy Talbot for contributing powerful content to an information and inspiration packed day. Rachael led 26 guests through a 10 minute sticky note SWOT analysis, and it was eye opening for many. I’ve attended all-day strategic planning sessions in the past, and what I was able to identify for my own business during this 10-minute exercise was pretty darn powerful. If you want to try it yourself, take 2.5 minutes to brainstorm your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Then choose the top three items on each list. With just 2.5 minutes per area, you have to get to the meat of the matter quickly, and your areas of opportunity will come into laser focus. Try it and see for yourself. And get in touch with Rachael to learn about some of the workshops she offers to dig deeper into essential marketing strategy for small business.
Betsy shared blogging basics and energized the guests with inspiration to jump into the blogosphere. She also offers a course called Blogging University that makes it easy for you to jump into the world Live web with a guide. One person had this to say about Blogging University: “It’s nice to learn this stuff from a real human who speaks my language and not a professional geek.” Yes indeed, it is! Click here to learn more about it and register.
Dan Voelpel, business columnist for the Tacoma News Tribune, attended. Always in the hunt for great stories to share in his 3-times a week column, he said he walked away from the event with at least four potential stories to share with his readers. Since I advocate being of service to reporters, I feel especially pleased that Dan got value from his investment of time in the event.
Many thanks to Tobin Ropes, the owner of the Mad Hat Tea Company, for providing specially brewed teas to delight my guests. He read the article in the newspaper and called to extend this most welcome offer. My guests were suitable delighted and refreshed. Lives can change with a good cup of tea as a daily habit, so visit his store and experience the benefits for yourself. Read more about this shop via this story link from the Tacoma Weekly.
Special thanks to Tacoma City Council Member Julie Anderson and her assistant Katie Rose for inviting us to share Publici-Tea™ inspiration in her gracious, lovely and historic home. I couldn’t have asked for a more fabulous venue to inspire my guests to even higher levels of do-it-yourself publicity success.
My next Publici-Tea™ Half-Day Workshops take place September 10 in Portland and September 12 in Bellevue. Why wait a moment longer and register today. Or, send your marketing assistant in your place. Better yet, come together! You’ll be glad that you did.
And, I’ll be hosting a Grande Sized Publici-Tea on Mercer Island on October 17. This one will feature the “How to Get Oprah’s Attention ” expert and best selling author Susan Harrow, CEO of PR Secrets as my special guest. This will be her first ever visit to Seattle, WA. You won’t want to miss this special event, so save the date. More details about this event will be posted to this site very shortly, so stay tuned!
August 14, 2008
Event Promotion, Media Savvy 101
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When your business turns 31 years of age, that’s a big deal. But when you make your anniversary something worthy of celebration for your customers and potential customers, that’s even better.
Did you know that August 15 is National Relaxation Day? It’s true! And this national holiday offers a reason to draw attention to the power and impact that a hot tub can contribute to a more relaxed state of mind. Everything at Olympic Hot Tub Company is on sale, tomorrow through Labor Day in celebration of National Relaxation Day and the company’s 31-year anniversary.
What can you do to celebrate your business anniversary in a way that gives others a reason to celebrate? Can you ride on a special date on the calendar to draw attention to what you offer in the world?
And, if you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to treat yourself and your family to a hot tub so you can relax in the comforts of your own backyard EVERY DAY, there has never been a better time to surrender to relaxation and buy. Visit this site to learn more about everything on sale at Olympic Hot Tub Company. Hot tub bliss is waiting.
Oh, by the way, have you visited the new Hot Tub Bliss blog yet? If you haven’t been yet, check it out! Alice Cunningham continues to find new ways to share her passion for hot tubs with people around the world. The Hot Tub Bliss blog is her latest effort to create hot tub evangelists all over the world. That is taking comfort in the backyard way beyond, and that is also something to celebrate.
August 14, 2008
Event Promotion, PR Success Stories
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Check out this fabulous story in the Tacoma News Tribune about the inspiration behind the Publici-Tea™ Half-Day Workshop and how it is helping others. Tacoma News Tribune Columnist Dan Voelpel and Michele McGehee, publisher of South Sound Woman magazine, will each have places at the table at tomorrow’s Tacoma event, offering guests access to the straight skinny about what they are looking for. I’ve got 25 guests coming, and I can hardly wait.
And, to show you the power of publicity, the owner of the Mad Hat Tea Company saw the article in the paper and called today to offer to be the tea sponsor for tomorrow’s event. Now, my guests will sample glorious teas from a passionate business owner in their own backyard as they savor the Publici-Tea™ inspiration. How cool is that?
August 11, 2008
Event Promotion
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If you’ve been waiting until the last minute to register for the August 15 Publici-Tea™ Half-Day Workshop taking place in Tacoma this Friday, now is the time to get into the game. There are only four spaces left, and registration closes on Wednesday. Claim one of them as your own as we assemble at the lovely and historic Tacoma home of City Council Member Julie Anderson for an inspiring session that will equip you with the tools and confidence to start telling your own story to the local media. Tacoma News Tribune Business Columnist Dan Voelpel has indicated plans to attend, and that means those in attendance will certainly be coming to his attention. For Sound Sound business owners, this is a fabulous get-to-know opportunity. Betsy Talbot will share a “Blogging from Start to Finish” presentation that will have you inspired to launch a blog of your own. SBA Women’s Business Champion Rachael Costner will share her best small business marketing secrets to support your success. And I’ll be leading the session, generously sharing what I know about how to earn free publicity so you and your growing businesses can benefit. Don’t miss out. Register at this link.
August 11, 2008
For Women Only
2 Comments
When I find a great way to bring my clients into the spotlight, I can hardly wait to share. Are you a successful woman business owner who has learned valuable lessons along your journey to success? If so, share your tips, your digital photo, and a brief bio with info@reinvention.com. You just might be featured on this site and invite even more people to learn about how you contribute to the world.
Kristen Marie Schuerlein, founder of Affirmagy, made a submission and earned the ink, thanks to a lead she received from Help a Reporter Out. Here is the link to Kristen’s submission that subsequently got picked up by an online business journal targeted to business women as a bonus, bringing her insights to even wider audiences. Tips from Alice Cunningham, founder of Olympic Hot Tub Company and Jean Thompson, CEO of Seattle Chocolate Company, will be posted any minute now.
What tips can you share to empower others’ success, and when will you make your submission. Action is the key. Make your pitch to info@reinvention.com.
And, if you’d like to make a similar submission to another site that targets women business owners, check out www.bizchicksrule.com for the latest business success tips from Jean Thompson, CEO of Seattle Chocolate Company.
August 10, 2008
Publici-Tea™ Graduate Success Story
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I take great joy in helping others earn the media spotlight. About a year ago, I met Melinda Wade at the Women’s Business Exchange breakfast event at the Washington Athletic Club. I was the morning’s do-it-yourself publicity speaker.
Melinda and I chatted for a few minutes before the program began, and in short order I learned that she was under 40, running a very successful business, and growing it in a smart way. That she was a woman business owner of a boat center seemed remarkable to me. A few months later, Melinda attended a Publici-Tea™ Workshop, and I learned even more about her and her business. Fast forward a few months, and we danced around the idea of officially working together. Then, opportunity struck. I got a call from a retail reporter from the Seattle Post Intelligencer. She was immediately in the hunt for a retail business to profile for the next Saturday’s paper. Did I have a suggestion?
It just so happened that I read that Olympic Boat Centers had recently filed for bankruptcy. Gas prices are at an all time high. Would this reporter be interested to know that a woman owned boat center headquartered in Seattle just recently moved to much bigger spaces and is enjoying booming business in spite of those somewhat dire circumstances? The answer? Yes.
The front page of the Seattle P-I business section yesterday featured a fabulous, confident photo of Melinda Wade looking to the horizon on one of her company’s magnificent boats, along with an equally wonderful story about her path to success. Here is the link to make it easy for you to read all about it.
This is one of those MasterCard moments. Price to attend a Publici-Tea™ Workshop: $297. Value of earning a favorable, front page story in one of the most widely read daily newspapers in the Puget Sound region? Priceless.
Now, I can’t promise every Publici-Tea™ guest the same result because every business is different and has its own story to tell. But I can promise that I’ll take a genuine interest in your business and be on the lookout for opportunities to help you share your story. Melinda Wade is just one of many examples of this commitment taking shape in a pretty compelling and powerful way. Will you be next?
There are still a few seats open for the August 15 Publici-Tea™ in Tacoma. And there are seats remaining for the September 10 event in Portland and the September 12 event in Bellevue. Will one of them have your name on it? Why not register for two and bring your marketing assistant along? If you are the big picture person in your business, bringing along a team member to be accountable for publicity program implementation is a very smart play to support smooth sailing in YOUR business. Register today at this link.
August 8, 2008
Article PR, PR Beyond the Backyard
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You never know how far your articles will travel or the impact they can have on others until you start posting at Biznik and other online avenues such as www.ezinearticles. Just yesterday, I received a compliment from a new content site based in London, England to feature my do-it-yourself publicity articles and insights on their site. My article on Biznik captured interest and invited an opportunity to share my expertise far and wide. How cool is that?
Here is the link so you can see this site and explore the prospect of sharing your own perspectives to add value to this fast growing community.
August 5, 2008
Media Savvy 101
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Donna Frindt attended a Publici-Tea™ a few months ago, and it has really jump started her enthusiasm and action for DIY publicity. Today, she got in touch to alert me to a free service that performs a press release analysis immediately. She tried the service and found that it pointed out some basics that would be easy to overlook if you aren’t a PR pro. Visit this link to take a closer look at Press Release Grader. HubSpot’s Press Release Grader evaluates your press release and provides a marketing effectiveness score. This score is based upon basic factors from public relations experts including the language and content of the release, plus advanced factors from Internet marketing experts such as links and search engine optimization characteristics.
I put a couple of my own press releases through the Press Release Grader, and I learned a thing or two about search engine optimization to guide my future efforts. Even professionals in the business need a good refresher every now and then. I dare you to put your own press release through the Press Release Grader and see what kind of score you earn.
Thanks Donna for sharing a useful tool from which all readers of this blog can benefit.
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Check out this link to a story in today’s Tacoma News Tribune about Alice Cunningham and Olympic Hot Tub Company. This story resulted from a story pitch to CR Roberts that made mention of how Cunningham continues to reinvent how she connects with customers and prospects, even as she celebrates her 31st anniversary of doing business. She recently launched a blog as a means of connecting with a broader demographic, and that gave our team something to talk about that was timely and perhaps even more interesting than the celebration of the business anniversary. CR did a great job telling Alice’s business success story, and there are some good lessons within from which business owners can most definitely profit. Read on!
