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!
Tag Archives: public relations
Digital Content is the Future of P.R.
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.
Signing Off for Now
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
Meet our Intern, Crystal Franco!
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.
Bentley Prince Street Introduces Modern Motion™ – The Latest Carpet Collaboration with Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Modern Motion Represents the 9th Series in the Long-Running Design Collaboration
[City of Industry, CA – August 22, 2012] Bentley Prince Street is proud to introduce Modern Motion, the ninth carpet collection designed in collaboration with Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Modern Motion features a lively large-scale pattern of intertwining spheres with an elegant color line and is available in broadloom, carpet tile and area rugs. Modern Motion coordinates beautifully with bestselling product Modern Block™ and is designed to visually enhance corporate, healthcare, hospitality and educational settings.
“It’s been a privilege to collaborate with Robert Stern and his associates all these years,” says Anthony Minite, president. “They understand the marketplace and are successful in identifying the right products to deliver at the right time. For nine years we have been making products that are artfully designed, well received and continue to sell for us.”
Robert A.M. Stern Architects aimed to create a whimsical design that would coordinate with the best-selling colors in Modern Block. Bentley Prince Street’s design team shared their vision and went to work developing the intricate, swirling design that is Modern Motion. This product is made with Antron Lumena® solution dyed cf nylon with TruBlend™ fiber technology and is available in eight standard colorways. Since 2003, Bentley Prince Street and Robert A.M. Stern have been partnering to bring modern elegance and lasting performance to the marketplace. This new product represents a true partnership between the historically informed modernism of Robert Stern and the leadership in design, innovation and sustainability of Bentley Prince Street.
Bentley Prince Street is committed to responsible manufacturing, including providing third party verification for its sustainability programs and progress. Robert A.M. Stern Architects proudly partners with companies that share its commitment to design and to environmentally sustainable materials and practices. Modern Motion comes standard with High PerformancePC backing, which contains a minimum average 10% post-consumer recycled content. As with all Bentley Prince Street products manufactured in its LEED-EB® Silver certified mill, Modern Motion broadloom is certified to the NSF-140 Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard at the Platinum level and carpet tile is certified to the Gold level.
About Bentley Prince Street
Defining style, color, quality and service for over 30 years, Bentley Prince Street manufactures and markets award-winning broadloom, carpet tile and area rugs for commercial interiors across the globe. Bentley Prince Street is committed to sustainable commerce and innovations to integrate style and function with environmental practices. With the industry’s most comprehensive vertical carpet manufacturing facility, the company maintains third-party certification to the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System and the ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System. Based in Los Angeles County, California, Bentley Prince Street operates in a LEED-EB® Silver carpet mill and is the largest commercial carpet manufacturer in California. For more information, please visit www.bentleyprincestreet.com and http://bpscarpet.blogspot.com.
About the Robert A.M. Stern Collection
For more information please visit www.ramsa.com.
# # #
Media Contacts:
Angela Moore
T: 310-429-8868
What to Expect Your First Week as a Startern
It is back to school time, which also means that many college students are starting internships. In fact, I was inspired to write this post because we have a potential intern coming in to interview today!
Starfish PR is a small (but mighty) operation, so we get our own coffee and do our own grunt work. While our interns should not expect to be running the company by the end of the week, they should expect to jump in and do some real PR work!
We love for our interns to share their specific interests and internship goals with us. That way we can identify assignments and upcoming events that will get them excited about the field of PR. Our goal is to inspire our interns, not crush them!
Another important part of the first week, is having our interns become familiar with our clients. We ask them to visit our clients’ websites, blogs, facebook and twitter accounts and take notes, as well as ask questions.
This semester, we will also be providing a list of standard assignments that we would like completed every week. For us, this includes writing a blog post, creating client pinterest pages, etc.
Finally, want to really make a splash as a Startern? Bring a positive attitude and enthusiasm to learn!
We want to know your intern stories! So share them with us – the good, the bad and the ugly!
Bentley Prince Street Looks to Recapture Prominence in Marketplace
Customers Can Expect More Style & Diversity in all Market Segments
[City of Industry, CA – August 17, 2012] Today, Interface, Inc. (Nasdaq: IFSIA) announced that it has completed the previously announced transaction to sell its Bentley Prince Street subsidiary to President Anthony Minite, key members of the company’s management team and Dominus Capital, L.P., a private equity investment firm. Bentley Prince Street customers can expect to see more of the prominent style and performance they have come to value, as well as more product diversity.
According to Minite, “Our loyal customers can be confident that we are not changing who we are, in fact we are going to deliver even more of the products Bentley Prince Street has always been known for. As the rest of the marketplace competes for low cost positioning we will be focused on quality and style designed to outperform in all market segments.”
The company has already taken steps to further invest in new product development and expand its broadloom, carpet tile and area rug business in International markets. The company’s sustainability programs will continue to evolve with a relaunch this coming year, including its highly regarded carbon offset and carpet reclamation programs.
Bentley Prince Street manufactures its award-winning broadloom, carpet tile and area rug products in its Los Angeles-based mill, which is certified Silver LEED for Existing Buildings® by the USGBC. As a truly California Company, Bentley Prince Street will bring jobs and revenue back into the state.
Senator Dr. Ed Hernandez, O.D. commented: “Bentley Prince Street is making all the right moves to strengthen their company and keep it moving forward. One of these moves includes making California their home base, where we have the workforce and infrastructure crucial to any successful business. I am glad to see that Bentley Prince Street will continue creating jobs here in California, jobs that will keep our state moving forward as well.”
The company will continue to take a leadership role in its commitment to sustainability, including being the first manufacturer in California, and one of only three companies in the state, selected to Pilot ISO 50001 by the Department of Energy. Most recently, Bentley Prince Street hosted an alternative transportation week, where over 70% of associates participated, in order to earn enough points to upgrade its LEED-EB certification from Silver to Gold.
Bentley Prince Street actively engages with customers and industry experts on its Designing for Life blog, Facebook and Twitter.
About Bentley Prince Street
Defining style, color, quality and service for over 30 years, Bentley Prince Street manufactures and markets award-winning broadloom, carpet tile and area rugs for commercial interiors across the globe. Bentley Prince Street is committed to sustainable commerce and innovations to integrate style and function with environmental practices. With the industry’s most comprehensive vertical carpet manufacturing facility, the company maintains third-party certification to the ISO 9001:2009 Quality Management System and the ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System. Based in Los Angeles County, California, Bentley Prince Street operates in a LEED-EB® Silver carpet mill and is the largest commercial carpet manufacturer in California. For more information, please visit www.bentleyprincestreet.com and http://bpscarpet.blogspot.com.
# # #
Media Contacts:
Angela Moore
Starfish P.R.
T: 310-429-8868
My Week in Wyoming
This past week I took an amazing family vacation to Wyoming and some of the surrounding states. Wyoming is the least populous state in the country and two thirds of its terrain consists of mountain ranges. These two facts alone made social networking a challenge, but I was happy to hang it up for awhile in order to enjoy Wyoming’s natural beauty, wildlife and occasional roadside watering hole.
There were a few experiences on my trip, however, that I couldn’t resist sharing with the world such as Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, my boyfriend’s first time on a horse and a family rodeo. More often than not, when it came down to sharing a photo or two I found myself using instagram. I think this is because instagram enables everyone to take great photos. Plus, like Twitter, it lets you add a hashtag (#) to your updates, which makes it easier for others to find your photos. Who knows, maybe my instagram photos will inspire someone else to visit this well-preserved, hidden gem of a state! (But, hopefully not too many people!)
Cyclists will Pedal for a Purpose in the Inaugural “Palos Verdes Bike Ride for Habitat for Humanity” on Saturday, April 21st
Sponsored by Terranea Resort with Proceeds benefitting Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA –: Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) is proud to announce the inaugural Palos Verdes Bike Ride for Habitat for Humanity cycling event to be held on Saturday, April 21st along the stunning Palos Verdes peninsula. Ride for Habitat begins and ends at the Terranea Resort with two scenic and challenging course options of 34 or 17 miles. Interested cyclists may register to ride and fundraise online here. The event is sponsored by Terranea Resort and additional sponsors include Palos Verdes Bike Center, McCormicks Ambulance, Trader Joe’s and St. Paul’s Church.
Riders, volunteers and additional sponsors are welcome. Fundraising is optional and the rider who raises the most funds will receive a Grand Prize, a two-night stay at the Terranea Resort.
“This is wonderful way to enjoy the gorgeous Palos Verdes peninsula and help Habitat for Humanity build more homes,” said Erin Rank, president/CEO of HFH GLA. “We are grateful to board member Arnold Ng for conceptualizing this unique fundraiser and helping us bring it to life.
What: Palos Verdes Bike Ride for Habitat for Humanity
Where: Terranea Resort
100 Terranea Way
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
310-265-2800
When: Saturday, April 21, 2012
7:30 am – Advanced Start Time / 8:30 am – Intermediate Start Time
Registration is available online here.
Habitat for Humanity was built on this premise: partnering with volunteers, donors, and people in need of simple, sustainable and affordable homes. L.A. County is still one of the least affordable places to live in and more than half of its residents live below the poverty level. Every six minutes a Habitat for Humanity home is being built or renovated somewhere in the world. The organization provides a hand up, not a hand out for partner homeowners. Since 1990, HFH GLA has built or renovated more than 700 homes locally and worldwide. In addition to fundraising events like the Palos Verdes Bike Ride for Habitat for Humanity, the organization accepts donations to its two ReStores in Gardena and Norwalk. Donations of new and gently used building and home improvement supplies help build more Habitat for Humanity homes.
About Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) strives to eliminate substandard housing through advocacy, education and partnership with families and individuals in need to build simple, sustainable and affordable housing. Since 1990, HFH GLA has built and renovated more than 700 homes locally and worldwide, transforming the lives of hundreds of individuals. HFH GLA is a GuideStar® Valued Partner and has achieved the coveted Charity Navigator 4-Star rating awarded to non-profits for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. For more information, please visit http://www.habitatla.org or call 310-323-4663. Visit our blog at http://buildingagreaterla.blogspot.com.
# # #
Jo-An Turman
HFH GLA
424-246-3175
Are You Making it Easy for People to Talk About You?
Personalized Tweet Zone sign from Lakers build day in L.A.
Here’s a simple and effective tip to help you promote your business or upcoming event.
Create a sign that reminds your customers or guests to update their status about you. Here’s an example of a “Tweet Zone” we helped create for our client Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles. They host up to 25 volunteers on each of their build sites five days a week and you can imagine how many of them have smart phones. They designed this sandwich board that can be updated with an event hashtag very easily. It also serves as a reminder to move away from the building activity and hard hat areas to safely post their status updates.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money on signage, you can install a chalkboard or dry erase board at your location/event or order low cost business cards and pass them out. There are so many ways to get the message out, the most important thing you need to do is ask.
