Archive for the ‘PR & marketing tips’ Category

When Carlisle/Wortman Associates developed and wrote a technology planning toolkit for Oakland County, we pitched it as a story to the Michigan Township Association’s magazine.  At the time, they weren’t interested.  Two years passed.  This past February, I got an email from Jenn Fiedler, editor of Michigan Townships News.  They’d lost the cover story for the April issue.  Could Carlisle/Wortman provide them with a 3,000-word toolkit summary by March 1?   You bet!  Here’s the result 4/28/10

In the fall of 2009, Royal Oak voters were asked to approve a two-year moratorium on new liquor licenses in the city. The campaign against the moratorium used social media vigorously.  Many of the opponents were established Facebook users. We posted a steady stream of status updates on the subject, sharing links when local media editorials opposed the moratorium.

We ran a Facebook ad that said, “Keep Royal Oak Vibrant.  Who’s trying to keep new businesses out of Royal Oak? Find out why you should vote NO Nov. 3 on the liquor license moratorium.”  The campaign paid for clicks only, and ultimately spent less than $15 for 32 clicks.  But the ad was viewed more than 38,000 times – and that was really all we needed.

The moratorium failed, with 61 percent of the voters opposing it.  Three city commission candidates who opposed the moratorium were elected, while the fourth – the lone moratorium supporter – was defeated.  I believe that, in this off-year election, the liquor license issue drove younger voters to the polls

Before the election, a telephone poll by the city commissioner behind the ballot initiative concluded that voters overwhelmingly supported the moratorium.  So why was the telephone poll wrong?

According to this study, nearly half of adults aged 25-29 years and more than a third of those aged 18-24 lived in households with only wireless telephones.  I think the poll missed those young voters, and they were more likely to opposed the moratorium. 4/28/10

I’ll present a webinar on sponsorships for the Michigan Association of Chamber Professionals on May 5 at 2 p.m.  Chamber execs contact Bob Thomas at MCCP to learn how you can participate.

On May 27, I’ll present “Improve your E-newsletter” at the Michigan Economic Developers association day-long educational conference, “Inside the Economic Development Toolbox.” 4/15/10

Harvey Ovshinsky’s March 27 “How to produce a career in film and video” presentation at Eastern Michigan University was packed with great career tips, lots of motivation and plain old common sense.  If you want to break into a new field, or understand a prospective client or write a better news release, follow Harvey’s advice:  “Embrace your stupidity.”  Call somebody who knows something – a friend of a friend or even a complete stranger – and ask if they’ll give you 10 minutes of wisdom in their specialty.  People love to talk about themselves and their work.  Ten minutes will turn into 20 and you’ll have a fresh perspective and maybe even a referral to the next best person to interview. 3/31/10

Throughout my career I’ve put together many a sponsorship package.  At the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, I bundled all the organization’s events into annual sponsorship packages, minimizing the number of times we had to hold out our hand while helping our members match their interests to our opportunities.  Through it all, my goal was always to deliver the most bang for the buck as we could.  This article on American Express’s Open Forum gives the buyer’s perspective on sponsorships, echoing many of my principles. 3/31/10

I am amazed daily at the free tools you can find on the Internet.  Here’s a website that enables you to make simple, animated films.  Thanks to Eddie Tadlock at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids for this tip.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  You cannot underestimate the value of the knowledge and skill that you get from a trained graphic designer.  When you’re branding your business, they bring their brains to the table, engaging you in a dialog that draws out the history, hidden agendas and visions and crafts a look and feel that are unique and true.  That said, you CAN buy a new logo through an online process for as little as $250 at websites like Logotournament.com.  You’ll get a vector file from them.  Bear in mind that it’s just the start.  You still have to create the stationery, business cards, collateral materials, packaging, signage and promotional products that it’ll go on.   Thanks to Stephanie Zafarana of Easy Green Shop for the tip.

Here’s one of our latest projects:  A new Web site and e-newsletter for Ken Hebenstreit, Bookseller. We chose the developer because they are specialists in online bookstores.  They have a superior back end, but their design parameters were limited.  Still, we used it to serve our underlying marketing strategy.

Among book sellers, with stores and on the Web, even those named for their founder never feature that person.  That’s natural.  They want to expand and need to be able to delegate to others. We wanted to differentiate Ken from the rest.  In his narrow niche, he will always be a solo act.

Our strategy then was to give the site Ken’s personality, using his photo and writing in a breezy, first-person style. Ken’s product line, first edition fiction, is highly specialized and technical.  People spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on a book.  They have to trust him.

Photographer Robert Stewart took beautifully-lit photos of Ken and his books.  Designer Nancy Cohen took her inspiration from Ken’s lavender shirt to create a colorful palette with purple, orange and green.  (OK, it looks a little like Fed Ex, but only if you think about it.)

We revised Ken’s Constant Contact e-newsletter to match and created new business cards and new signage and sports shirts for book fairs.  2/26/10

Should you be your own PR person? Many small businesses might think that doing their own PR is a good cost-cutting decision; however, the real cost might be to your business’s success. To a degree, you can do it yourself — but amidst all the demands of running your own company, hiring someone else with real experience to take care of your publicity might be the better option.  Here’s the rest of the story from the small business section of the American Express’s Web site. Thanks for Kim Adams for the source.  2/26/10

Early in my career, printed collateral materials ruled.  Big budget projects were full bleed, four color.  We’d agonize over the design, the paper, the copy.  We’d strategize audiences to create materials that spoke to many, or splurge on different versions for difference audiences.  We’d dole them out via mail and at events.  Clients gasped at the cost, but paid it because it was the only way.

Today, any business can have a communications tool that is colorful, infinitely flexible and accessible 24/7.  It speaks to every audience simultaneously.  It is interactive.  And still people flinch when they find out what it costs to create a good Web site.

Maybe because other digital marketing tools, like e-newsletters, are free, we think our Web sites should be cheap.  Indeed, they can be.  But truly – truly – you get what you pay for.

Good Web sites are expensive, but think about it: They are the most important thing in your marketing program.  They centralize your image like nothing else in the past, ever.  So don’t give it to your brother in law, who’ll do it “free.”  As I said last month:  “If you think it’s expensive hiring a professional, wait until you hire an amateur.” 2/26/10