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PSAs + Celebrity Endorsements = Great Video Content

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We work with a lot of non-profits and so we understand how helpful a PSA is for your organization and how much more powerful it is with a celebrity attached to it.  Therefore, you should always be ready to film.  We carry our Kodak Play Touch with us all the time in case an opportunity arises.  If nothing else, a smart phone will always work in a pinch!  Earlier this month, we were on site with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles for their National Women Build event in Long Beach and Holly Robinson Peete was the spokesperson. So, as we were interviewing her for a long form video about the event, we seized the opportunity to capture a short video with her talking about why she supports Habitat for Humanity.  A little bit of editing later and voila, a PSA!

And P.S. Holly is awesome – we had some fun on Vine that day – you can watch it here.


New Client Video: Habitat for Humanity’s National Women Build Week 2013

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We are huge fans of digital content and we have been armed with small video cameras at client events for years.  Here’s one we just completed for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles to highlight the 2013 National Women Build event held in Long Beach on May 9th.  If you like it, please feel free to share it. If you love it, please feel free to hire us!


Digital Content is the Future of P.R.

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director

Time for ACTION!

For years I have been advising businesses to stop begging media to write about them and instead focus on a digital content strategy.  Please understand the media is an important piece of the P.R. puzzle, it’s just not the only one.   Today there are fewer opportunities for traditional media coverage and an infinite number of opportunities for you to talk directly to your customers.

In a digital world, that is increasingly more interactive and user driven every day, digital content is the best way to reach your customers.  Your website is critical and should be updated constantly, daily if possible.  Include a photo gallery, a blog and news section that is in your control (unless you can afford to employ an agency to do this for you.)  A combination of videos and photos that tell your story is a powerful way to attract new visitors to your website.  Create content that is useful for your customers and can be shared easily.   Be sure you have analytics for your site and are evaluating them on a regular basis.   Google Analytics is an excellent resource and free.

The two most important things to remember are 1) your customers will tell you what they want; and 2) your analytics will tell you how they want it.  Be sure you’re listening to both.

Do you currently have a digital content strategy?  What tips do you have for other businesses that may be dipping their toes into digital marketing?

This blog also appears on The Redondo Beach Patch.


Creative Fundraising – Poker Anyone?

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BCFpicI have represented non-profits for almost a decade so I appreciate how difficult fundraising can be, especially in this economy.   Although there are many ways to support an organization that don’t involve fundraising, such as advocacy and volunteering, funding is the most critical need.  For this reason, and because I am a self-proclaimed marketing dork, I love celebrating creative fundraising and the folks who make it happen.

Meet the Beach Cities Friends.  This organization was started in 2002 by a group of friends here in the South Bay, who had a desire to give back to the community.  They began volunteering, raising money and advocating for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles.  Their fundraising started simple – dinner parties in their home that educated friends about the organization and asking them to get involved – and it has grown to include annual events that raise enough to sponsor homes. Since 2002, Beach Cities Friends has raised over $800,000 to help build and renovate nine homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity in greater Los Angeles, with the most recent home being completed in 2011 in Lawndale.

I have had the privilege of working and building alongside the great people from Beach Cities Friends for many years and they have inspired me to give back as well.

This Saturday, Beach Cities Friends will host its 2nd Annual Texas Hold Em Tournament and it’s open to the public.  The fundraising event takes place at The Lakes in El Segundo, Saturday, February 2nd from 6:30 pm to 11pm.  The buy-in is $200 and all profits will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles.   You can register online or at the door.  For more details visit the website here.

And what L.A. charity event would be complete without Celebrities?  Kate Linder (Young & The Restless), Glynn Turman (House of Lies), Ted Lange (The Love Boat) and Jim Pickens, Jr. (Grey’s Anatomy) have all registered to play. I just wonder if these famous faces have good poker faces.

Do you have a creative way of supporting a local organization or fundraising? If so, please share your great ideas with the rest of us geeky do-gooders!

This blog also appears on the Redondo Beach Patch 

 


Basic Anatomy of a Blog Post

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This past month our clients have been very interested in discussing ways to reach more customers in the coming year.  As a firm believer that a blog is the heartbeat of a company, this topic has come up repeatedly. So, I came up with a document to help them understand what goes into a blog post.  This is very basic and I am sure there are many among us who have much more to add, but hopefully this is helpful for anyone struggling to start a blog or keep a blog current.

Title - Catchy titles appeal to us as marketers, but keywords make the difference for getting found in search. Consider the topic and what the target reader would type into Google to find this helpful information.

Tell a Story - Include a beginning/middle/ending – did a customer have a problem that you solved? Explain how.  But please…

Be Concise - Shorter is better.  Online readers have short attention spans so make sure they know it’s not a long read from the moment they arrive.  If your topic requires a lot of information, please consider making it a series.

Body Should be Easy to Navigate - Easy to read is key!  When possible, use bullet points, bold words you want to catch the reader’s eye, etc.

Include Visuals - Seeing is sharing!  Always try to include visuals such as photos, videos, info graphics, logos, etc.  Even a stick figure will do.

Include a Call to Action - What would you like the reader to do?  Visit your website or share this post?  Make sure you make it easy for them to do this.

Related Posts - Always, always, always try to keep a new visitor on the blog.  We include 3 related posts below all blogs to invite them to keep reading about the topic that helped them arrive there.

I hope these basics help you get motivated to post a blog today!  I’d love you to post a comment here if nothing else. Thank you and Happy New Year!

Related Posts:

3 Not-so-Easy Goals for 2013

Business Workout: 30 Minutes a Day/3 Days a Week

What Small Businesses can Learn from Shark Tank 

 


Signing Off for Now

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Four years ago, I made a cold call to Starfish PR looking for a public relations job closer to home and serving clients who do good work. That call has turned into so many relationships, experiences, skills and opportunities that I am beyond thankful for. One of which is the chance to work for Habitat for Humanity of Greater L.A., Starfish PR’s longtime client and an organization whose mission I have always strongly identified with.

Angela is a great teacher and motivator. Over the years, I have learned so much from her and all of our amazing clients. Since it is my last day, I thought it would be fitting to share a few of these lessons here in this post.

  • Don’t be afraid to make cold calls and go after what you want.
  • Be positive, jump in and always hold on to your belief that things will work out (thanks Angela)!
  • Value all of your relationships (thanks APM)!
  • Be nice and work hard (thanks Noelle)!
  • Focus on what’s right with people rather than what’s wrong with them (thanks Coach Cathy)!
  • Know when to let go and let your work out into the universe (thanks Jess)!
  • Never stifle your personal style or creativity (thanks VO)!
  • It takes special people and organizations to create waves of change (thanks Rose, Glenn, DRN and IHADLA)!

Working at Starfish PR has been a great chapter in my life and I have found my time in this position to be educational, rewarding and just plain fun! Until next time…..Ali


3 Not-So-Easy Goals for 2013

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Every year at this time I reflect on the goals I set the year before and begin to think about my goals for the coming year.  I know I am not alone; just about every blog you read this time of year is filled with 2013 projections and goal-setting advice, including making your goals attainable (or easy to achieve.)  How’s that working for you so far? For me, not so much.

Perhaps doing the opposite will actually prove successful this year.  I propose we set some goals that may not be so easy to achieve and some that won’t directly benefit us at all.   Here are 3 not-so-easy goals to consider for the coming year.

  1. Tackle something you’ve been avoiding.  Is there something you’ve been avoiding or struggling with that you’d finally like to cross off your list?  Whether it’s opening a business, starting a blog, firing a client or losing 10 pounds, it’s time to make a plan and get it done.  Give yourself a real deadline and enlist an outsider who will keep you on task and accountable.  A monetary penalty may be what motivates you, but figure that out and go for it. It will feel so good to accomplish this and then you’ll have a great topic for a blog post. Win-win.
  2. Do something that is totally out of your comfort zone.  This one is going to be tough but it will be so awesome when you do you it!  What scares you most?  Hate how you sound on video or afraid of public speaking?  Stop worrying and just do it.  Find a mentor who can help you practice until you get it right.
  3. Help someone else achieve a goal.  Sounds good right? We all want to help others and it ultimately makes us feel good too.  Be the impetus for someone else to set a goal or coach someone on his or her journey.  I suggest saving this goal for last, as your reward for conquering numbers 1 and 2.

What other not-so-easy or scary goals would you add to this list?

This blog also appears on the Redondo Beach Patch>>


Old School Manners Meets New School Marketing

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How often does a company you buy from do something remarkable?  Has your hair stylist, dog groomer, dry cleaner, sushi chef or dog sitter ever sent you a hand-written thank you note?  I am guessing not, or at the very least, not very often.

Today, I received a thank you note from the most unlikely source and it blew my mind.  It was sent by a woman, named Deb (@Debng on Twitter), who is the Director of Community for New Media Expo, a conference I will be attending in January.  In her own writing, Deb told me how glad they are that I registered and will be attending this year.  She also offered to help with any questions or feedback I may have about the show.  Deb understands what community is all about.

As a marketing geek, I couldn’t wait to shout this to the world and as an attendee I feel valued.

I met Deb briefly, about 2 years ago, and we are connected in social networks, but I knew this was bigger than me.  She is making a big effort, a human effort, to reach out to attendees and I for one am very impressed.   If you have ever attended a conference you understand how much a registration can cost. Receiving a thank you note doesn’t reduce the cost of registration, travel, lodging and meals, but it does add value and make me more excited about the event. (Not to mention it provides a great blog topic for me today.)

Somewhere along the line, Deb realized that a little effort on her part might make a difference to her customers.  Isn’t that what customer service is all about?  When is the last time you reached out to your customers?  It doesn’t have to be a hand written note (although I think you’d be amazed by the results if you did). You can also send an email that is personal, rather than a generated enewsletter, or slip little thank you notes into bags at the register.   Find your own special way to make sure your customers feel special and who knows….maybe someone will be blogging about you tomorrow.

And I have to mention this…Deb even took the time to address the envelope.  Well played, Deb. Well played.

This blog also appears on the Redondo Beach Patch.


What Small Businesses Can Learn From ‘Shark Tank’

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This blog also appears on the Redondo Beach Patch.

I am a big fan of ABC’s Shark Tank for many reasons. How the “sharks” interact with each other is definitely entertaining, but how they interact with the candidates who are seeking an investment can actually be educational.

Each week, entrepreneurs who believe they’ve come up with the next great thing, visit the Shark Tank and try to convince one of them to invest in their company.  They ask for an amount of money in exchange for a percentage of their company.  One by one the “sharks” ask questions to determine the company’s value and whether or not they want to invest. It’s fascinating to see how each company brands itself—some are fantastic and some are horrible.

Whether or not you’re seeking investors in your business, wouldn’t it be beneficial to look at your company the same way a potential investor would? This could be just the perspective you need to become more profitable.

I’ve compiled a list of concerns often voiced by the “sharks.” Review these to determine if your business passes the Shark Tank test.

  • Money.  It always comes down to money. Do you make any? Have you lost any? Profits and Losses are a huge factor for investors. How does your P&L look?
  • How old is the Company?  How long you’ve been working at your business and how much it’s worth factor into whether or not it’s a good investment.
  • Marketing. Does your packaging and marketing adequately describe your product or service? If not, it may be hurting your sales.
  • A full-time job or a hobby? If you’re not working in your company full-time, it is more of a hobby. Most “sharks” won’t consider investing if you’re not fully committed to making it a success.
  • Does your product or service fill a “need”? Differentiating your company from competitors is a huge advantage. This should be part of your marketing strategy.
  • Are you too close to your brand? Many entrepreneurs refer to a business as their “baby” and this could be detrimental to growth. Step back and have some perspective.
  • Are you accurately valuating your company? Use hard numbers to determine the value of your company; there is no room for guessing. A quick search came up with this online evaluation calculator.

If you haven’t seen Shark Tank yet, it airs Friday nights on ABC. I suggest you set your DVR and have a notebook handy.


Meet our Intern, Crystal Franco!

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Get to know our intern, Crystal, by reading her bio below. She will also be blogging about her life as a “Startern” for us every week!

About Crystal:

Crystal Franco is a tenacious communications student from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Wanting to gain valuable experience in the field of public relations, Crystal applied to numerous public relations company and is thrilled to have landed an internship at Starfish PR.

Crystal is looking forward to learning first-hand what is like to work as a PR specialist. As the first person in her family to go to college, Crystal is motivated to have a successful career in PR or journalism. She is also an animal lover and hopes to one day start her own non-profit organization to help mistreated and abandoned animals.