Because time is precious to everyone, we want you to make every minute you spend promoting your business pay off! It’s a great time to plan for success.

1. The most important step: Set Aside Time for Marketing. Even if you have not yet identified your end results and incremental goals (below), it is vitally important that you set aside time strictly for working on your marketing strategy. We recommend a minimum of two hours per week dedicated only to marketing. Tasks to complete during this time include creating and posting content (pictures, blogs, posts, website updates), networking and following up on leads, and other action items resulting from the work you do in Steps 2 and 3. Later, it will also include reviewing marketing results (see Step 5). If you use a calendar tool like Google Calendar, block out weekly times for marketing work. Block minimum half-hour chunks so that you can complete something significant every time you engage in this work.
2. Identify your end results. What are the specific outcomes you intend for 2012? Most people want increased sales, but you may also need greater brand recognition and more clients. You may want to be known as an “expert” in an area. Focus on one to three overall outcomes, and use these to drive all your actions.
3. Set realistic goals. Within the overall results you want, set realistic goals. Let’s say you have a new product you want to promote. Think of actions you can take to get the word out. Setting up a website is fundamental and not difficult to get started. Getting your product mentioned in 10 magazines within three months might be an unrealistic expectation. If you aren’t sure what you should wish for, a consultation with a marketing professional is perfectly in order. Three Girls Media & Marketing specializes in helping small businesses gain insight, perspective and focus on their end games.
4. Find social media compatibility. Spend some time on the various social sites, and determine which one best matches your business image, goals and audience. Not all are right for every business (Please see our previous blog post about Social Media). Once you identify the top two, focus on them primarily (in addition to your website and blog), as your social media marketing targets.
5. Use helpful Internet tools. There are free Internet tools available to help you gain insight into your market, your strategy, and even your wording. Although they can seem overwhelming to a beginner, tools like Google Analytics are indispensable to the DIY’er. Analytic tools monitor traffic and sales conversion rates, among other data. If you pursue a social media marketing campaign, which we highly recommend, there are Internet helpers like Hootsuite and Sprout Social to manage posts and notifications.
6. Monitor results. Whether you use an analytic tool or devise another system (such as tracking payment sources, or calculating referrals received, etc.) reviewing results on a regular basis enables you to spot trends quickly, so you can make adjustments to your plan. Decide how often you will review the results of your marketing strategy—monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly— so you can fine tune for optimum ROI.
7. Consider other marketing strategies. Not all DIY strategies are sufficient for all goals. In-person networking is one thing only you can do. Many business owners like to maintain their own social media and website activity, but if you are unable or unwilling to devote the time required for that, we advise delegating this task to professionals. Other marketing to do’s best left to marketing professionals include such things as graphic design and business identity creation, press releases, or a sustained marketing program that includes outreach to media professionals or big name advertisers.
8. Be yourself. People generally respond to people, not images or names. Carve out time in your schedule to meet people, to be a resource of information and referrals for others, and to promote other businesses you admire. Being a source of positive energy and support to others is one of the best things you can do to market your business. The main key here is to be valuable to others before expecting or asking that other do business with you.
9. Don’t be afraid to get creative! If you don’t think you are a creative genius, call someone who is! The staff at Three Girls Media & Marketing thrives on finding creative ways for small businesses to meet their goals within their budget. Drop what isn’t working and try something new. If you don’t feel happy about something, find another way to do it, delegate it or stop doing it. If something is bleeding you financially, get rid of it. If you like what a friend is doing, pick their brain over what is working for them and copy it.

We wish you the very best, most fun, creative and financially rewarding year ever! Don’t forget: small businesses are the backbone of our economy. Be a great business, support local businesses and thrive!

Special Offer: Three Girls Media & Marketing Inc. loves working with small and emerging companies to raise their brand awareness and name recognition. We offer a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation. Email info@ThreeGirlsMedia.com to make your appointment today!

Photo Credit: jbj

• Don’t forget strategy. Aimless chatter on sites like Facebook and Twitter is just that: chatter. Know what your goal is with your social media outreach and keep that goal in mind.
• Don’t talk without listening. Tune in to social media channels to find out what’s important to your customers and clients, and then be responsive.
• Don’t get personal. Don’t use your business accounts for personal issues. Keep the two separate to maintain a professional image for your business.
• Don’t forget to spread the word. Make it easy for people to engage with you on social media channels by putting links in an easy-to-see location on your web site. Offer an RSS feed so that people can subscribe to your blog.
• Don’t post unclear messages. Give your posts some context. For example, if you are sharing a link, include a message about why you think your clients might be interested in it.
• Don’t be inconsistent. Abandoning your Facebook page or Twitter account for months at a time will lead to a loss of interest from your customers and potential new audiences. Update consistently to remain relevant.

Don’t get caught behind the curve! We can help with social media consultations and can even help you manage your social media presence, so you can be sure your business is presenting its best face on all fronts. Contact us to find out more!

Press releases require a certain format and protocol (please see our previous post, How to Write an Effective Press Release), and are designed for intermediate readers (a media professional) before the news reaches its final destination (your audience). Here are our insider tips on getting the most out of your well-crafted press release.

1. Design an overall Public Relations Strategy. We have blogged on the importance of designing a comprehensive and focused PR strategy, based on your budget, personal “bandwidth,” and desired outcomes (please see post, Understanding Public Relations). In something as important as an overarching PR strategy — which could also encompass such major elements as designing your logo or developing your brand — we recommend consulting with PR professionals like Three Girls Media & Marketing, to be sure your goals are clear and focused.
2. Determine the purpose of the press release. Once you have identified and mapped out your overall PR strategy, you will easily see where news releases fit in, and what they should say. Do you want to get coverage for your business? Promote a new product? Announce a move, service or special? The purpose of the media release will dictate its contents.
3. Improve your SEO with press releases. Many business owners do not consider a press release as a way to increase traffic to their websites through SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This is a mistake! A properly worded press release sent out on Internet wire services like Marketwire or PRWeb can help tremendously in increasing traffic to your website just through SEO. PR pros like Three Girls Media are specialists in making every word of your press release count towards increasing traffic to your website, and promoting your business.
4. What else to include. As mentioned above, your overall PR strategy will be a multi-faceted approach, using all available tools besides media releases: social media, advertising, writing press pitches (please see post, 9 Strategic Tips to Write a Successful Media Pitch), video blogging, and in-person events and networking. Obviously, that’s a lot to do, and many business owners in this fast-paced world are salesmen, customer service reps, accountants and Girl Fridays! If you are feeling overwhelmed by the scope of incorporating a great PR strategy in your business, don’t give up—GET HELP!

Special Offer: Three Girls Media & Marketing Inc. loves working with small and emerging companies to raise their brand awareness and name recognition. We offer a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation. Email info@ThreeGirlsMedia.com to make your appointment today!

Photo Credit: Tulane Public Relations

1. Know your goals. Be specific in this regard. Do you want publicity for publicity’s sake or do you have an event coming up? Are you just looking to get more foot traffic in the door, or do you have a measurable sales goal in mind?
2. Know your audience. Again, specifics help! You can only reach your audience if you know who you are aiming for.
3. Listen first. This is especially important where social media is concerned. Identify the key power-brokers in your field and follow them on Twitter, keep up with their Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, read their blogs.
4. Offer value. Share articles or provide tips that your audience will find useful. We’re all bombarded by information every day – so make sure what you’re putting out is truly informative.
5. Link. A lot. Linking to other people’s blogs or websites tells people you’ve been listening to them. They’ll be more likely to keep you in mind for stories, sales or referrals in the future.
6. Offer to write a guest blog. Writing for someone else’s blog is an instant way to reach a whole new audience. If you have expertise, share it!
7. Build relationships. This is especially true when working with members of the media. Get to know which reporters cover your business and find out what kinds of stories they are looking for.
8. Make it easy. Keep your website up-to-date and relevant and make sure all of your public outreach reflects your company’s mission in clear, concise language. Reporters (and for that matter, potential clients) should not have to go digging around for information.

Twilert
With Twilert you can be notified by email of Twitter activity for any term (or set of terms) you specify. Similar to Google Alerts, Twilert is especially helpful for keeping track of what’s happening on Twitter without having to spend all day monitoring your feed. The filtering options help keep the results pertinent to your business.

You Send It
You Send It has been a go-to service for years for people who need to exchange large files, like editors and graphic designers, without having to worry about exceeding their server’s file size limit. Free for files of up to 100MB, or choose a “pro” program, for a monthly fee. They’ve also recently expanded their services and now offer cloud-based file sharing, similar to other file-sharing sites like Dropbox and SugarSync.

Animoto
Video accounts for 51 percent of Internet traffic – a number that’s only going to increase in the coming years. It is an essential part of a business company’s media mix, but professional video production can be expensive. If you’re on a shoestring budget, there are a number of easy video editing programs out there. One I like is Animoto, which lets you incorporate photos, video clips and music to easily create videos that you’ll be proud to call your own. Free 30-second videos; prices go up from there.

What are some tools you’ve found to help run your business?

1. Use simpler words when they’ll do the job. Don’t use “inculpate” if you really mean “blame.” The University of Wisconsin’s writing center calls this Inflated Diction. I just call it big words!
2. Drop the prepositional phrases. Instead of “It was the idea of my client,” write “It was my client’s idea.” That makes the sentence clear and easy to understand.
3. Beware of jargon. “We’ll maintain a competitive advantage by focusing on our core competencies and incentivizing performance.” Jargon is often confusing to the reader – and gets in the way of your message.
4. Know your audience. If you are talking to physicists, you can talk about scintillation and refraction, but if your audience is a Kindergarten class, stick to calling the stars “twinkling.”
5. Use the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When and Why. Keeping the 5 W’s in mind gives your writing structure and helps ensure that you don’t leave out important information.
6. Always write with a goal in mind. Are you trying to sell something with copywriting? Do you want to educate your reader? Know your purpose before you start writing.
7. Use tools wisely. Repetition, metaphors and storytelling can be effective tools to help you get your point across – when used in moderation.

Even if you have a never-ending to do list, there are ways to take care of yourself while running a small business at the same time.

Small business owners are busy. Most feel like they have to put 110% into their company to keep from falling behind, and as a result they push their wellbeing to the back burner. Even if you have a never-ending to do list, there are ways to take care of yourself while running a small business at the same time.

Three Girls client Rozenhart Family Chiropractic offers a lot of fabulous healthy living tips on their blog and Facebook page small business owners can utilize. Here are a few highlights from their blog:

At-Work Sitting Tips
Sitting all day isn’t good for your body. What can you do to help?

Here are at-work sitting tips you can incorporate into your workday:

1. 50/10 Rule. Don’t sit for more than 50 minutes. Set a timer and take ten when it rings.
2. Take your lunch break. Get up and go somewhere – even if you bring your food from home.
3. Hold meetings on the move. Meet clients on a hiking trail or outdoors.
4. Put a lumbar pillow in your chair.
5. Stand up and surf. Raise your work station or monitor so you can use your computer while standing.

Read 5 more at-work sitting tips here.

Tips To Create Your Best Workstation!

A common question we hear is “What is the best chair for me at work?”  The reality is that there isn’t a chair that will prevent the damage done to our bodies from being sedentary.  No one chair fits everyone and we should only be sitting an hour (maximum!) before we take a break!  Here are tips you can use to make sure you are not hurting yourself at work.

1. Support your arms.  Use a chair with adjustable armrests.  If this is not possible, move your keyboard into your lap so your arms can rest comfortably in your lap on the keyboard.
2. Make sure your monitor is at eye level. Have a co -worker/spouse look at you from the side and confirm that you are not looking down at your monitor.  This will cause undue stress and strain on your neck.
3. Make sure to drop your shoulders when you are sitting and remember to breathe!  When stress hits, our shoulders become earrings and we  breathe very shallowly.  To reduce the effects of stress on our bodies, we need to be mindful of our breathing at all times.

Read additional tips here.

Excessive Sitting Costs America Billions!
It’s not your work that’s killing you. It’s the sitting. Millions of people working from their home and offices spend way too much time in their chairs. A habit that can lead to more than just a numb bum!

Too much sitting sets you up for a host of physical problems including poor circulation, chronic back and nerve pain, depression, osteoporosis, swollen spinal disks, fatigue and many other health problems. Women should be especially alerted as they are more likely than men to hold jobs requiring them to sit the majority of the time.

You can stand strong against workplace “bummers” with these Health Savers:

1. Be a swinger: Stand with hands on your hips and legs slightly more than shoulder width apart. Rotate hips clockwise in a full range of motion ten times. Reverse it. Second, stand next to your desk. Put all your weight on the right leg and gently swing the left leg in front of and behind you 10X. Repeat with other leg.
2. Don’t Be a Crooked Sitter or Sloucher
3. Invest in an ergonomic chair
4. Go To The Gym- But Stay Off the Stationary Bike

Read more Health Savers here.

Keep an eye out for additional tips & tricks you can incorporate into your busy workday at www.rozenhartchiro.com.

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

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I use a 4-step process when writing professional biographies for clients or myself.

Do you have a professional biography ready to hand out as needed? An easy way to provide additional details about yourself, and fantastic information to include on your website, professional biographies can sometimes be hard to write about yourself for a couple of reasons:

• Sometimes it can be hard to identify your achievements.
• You want to make yourself sound impressive but not conceited.
• A lot of people aren’t sure what the right mixture of personal and professional is.

When I’m writing a professional biography for a client or myself, I use a 4-step process:

1. Make note of the information I want included. Here’s the list of details I start with:
   1. List your post-high school education and include areas of study, colleges or trade schools, dates of graduation or certifications. Include any special classes or on-going education, work-shops etc. that are directly pertinent to your field/line of work.
   2. Make note of your work history with your current company. Include the date you began working and any professional highlights of your career there.
   3. List any awards, recognition, or honors you received in the last 5 years.
   4. List any professional organizations or affiliations you have (networking groups, clubs, trade groups etc.)
   5. List any personal organizations or affiliations you have (volunteer work, community groups etc.)
   6. Write down hobbies you have, sports you play, special talents, places you like to travel to, etc.
   7. Make note of your family including spouse or significant other, children (include ages), and pets.
   8. Any other information about yourself you want to make sure to include.
2. Go through the list and turn the bullet points into sentences. Try to combine items that are related (such as an award you received from one of your professional organizations).
3. Combine the sentences into a few paragraphs that make sense. You don’t need to use everything, but try to include the most interesting and relevant information to what you’re doing now. It’s usually best to put the work-related highlights first and the personal tidbits at the very end.
4. Read through your professional biography a couple of times, and make sure you proofread.

You might also want to have a friend or family member that knows you well read through your professional biography to make sure you didn’t miss anything important or accidentally misrepresent yourself.

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A blog is an excellent way to build your credibility and brand recognition.

At Three Girls, we focus on helping the little guy: small- and medium-sized businesses that need PR the most, but often can afford it the least. While we do offer comprehensive Public Relations campaigns, we understand that not all companies are ready or have the resources to invest in an All-Inclusive campaign, which is why we offer a variety of Al la Carte PR Services to fit the needs of almost any budget.

A blog is an excellent way to build your credibility and brand recognition. Three Girls will research, write and post blogs on your behalf complete with SEO friendly headline, photo, caption and links. We can post a minimum of one time per week or as much as once per day.  If necessary, Three Girls will create a blog template on your behalf using WordPress. Cost: $50 and up per month.

For more information about this Al La Carte PR option, or for other services available, give us a call at 408-871-0377 or send us an email.

Photo Credit: Foxtongue

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