Advertising Agency Blog - Inspired 2 Design, LLC

Networking events are excellent as a marketing tool for your business. Tonight was the Cherokee Chamber’s monthly After Hours Business Networking event hosted by

Goodwill Industries of North Georgia
Location: 9425 Highway 92, Suite 142 in Woodstock

Kudos to David and the entire staff of the career center and the store! They really went all out to welcome all the businesses. The staff was super friendly, and courteous. The set up there is fantastic! They are helping tons of folks get back to work, or get to work, and what they do there is nothing short of amazing.

Do: Host the networking event at your place of business. Make sure the guests pass through your location to get to the food and drinks, but strategically place staff to welcome guests and give them a tour.

Don’t: Keep your best features a secret. From our marketing view, Goodwill Industries is missing out on such opportunity. Most of us just see Goodwill as a place to drop off old stuff, and a thrift store to help out the less fortunate (or to buy your own re-gift). Goodwill as a company needs to step up their marketing and get the word out about what they are really about - especially to local businesses.

Tonight’s co-sponsor:

The Right Wing Tavern
Location: Old Town Woodstock’s historic train depot

Kudos to The Right Wing Tavern for a creative and unique marketing plan for their restaurant. From their logo to their menu items, the restaurant has done a great job at creating a brand and consistently carrying it through.

Do: Create an identity that sets you apart from the rest, and make it the yardstick by which you measure everything you do.

Don’t: Serve fried chicken on the bone at a networking event! People don’t want to eat deep fried food with their fingers, then shake hands with new business associates! In fact, you probably don’t want to have any finger food at an event where folks are shaking hands and passing out business cards. Probably a better choice would have been fork food - and supply the forks! Especially when there are lots of tables for the guests to eat comfortably.  I also heard a few of the ladies say they were on a diet and could only indulge in the watermelon…also finger-lickin’ good. Maybe a better menu would have been green salad, boneless chicken with wing sauce or chicken salad with rolls, and cubed fruit with the cubed cheese (that was on the buffet).

A good environment along with good food can set the stage for a successful networking event. Thanks to the sponsors for tonight’s event. It was great seeing The Accountant: Sandra Ferguson, Todd Nickell of Horizon Background Screening, Tom Johnson of Content Creations, Scott Lavelle from Technical Resource Solutions among others!

Today we heard from Family Dog Central that they’ve been contacted by the Publix Supermarket lifestyle magazine for an interview as an EXPERT in dog care. The article being written is about what to do if your dog ever gets lost. What GREAT publicity! What GREAT FREE publicity. This is just the type of thing we tell our clients to go after, and FDC has done it! Here’s how:
1. WRITE articles. Even if you HATE to write, you have to begin putting your knowledge down on paper and submit your articles to local papers, news and lifestyle magazines, local community advertising magazines and so forth.
2. POST articles on your website, and on article sites online. Find the most reputable and the most popular ones, and include links back to your site in your bio.
3. ISSUE Press Releases! You’d be surprised what is newsworthy about your business. Issue Press Releases every month or at the very least, once per quarter. Find out who to address you release to at the local papers, trade magazines, etc and personalize them.
4. POST your PR on your website, and make the info easy for the media to access and download.

Free publicity is the very best you can have, ESPECIALLY when you’re cited as an expert in your field. This opportunity is fantastic for Family Dog Central, as it adds a level of credibility that no advertising in the world can get, no matter how much you spend.

Become an expert and flaunt it! Make sure when you’re cited as a source in an article that you post that article on your site, and ask - always ask - for a link from electronic news articles back to your website.

Contact Inspired 2 Design for more info on Press Releases, or even article writing. We can help you with either or both!

We’ve gone and broken our own rules again - only one blog post this week, and this is it! Inspired 2 Design always stresses to get at least two new blog posts per week, if you’re serious about blogging. Similar to blogging, we consider Public Relations a huge part of your marketing mix, and wondered how many people are taking advantage of this area for their business. Media coverage is free, and carries a ton of credibility - much more so than advertising itself.

Here’s some tips for developing a press kit:

Start with a two pocket folder -Best choice: a custom design to match your company’s color, includes your logo and slogan, and is professionally printed. Include a business card slot.

Contents:

Business card

Press release

Article reprints, copies of speeches or presentations - past news coverage

Photographs (5×7 glossy) - key people or other appropriate image

Company profile and fact sheets - summarized

Testimonials, case studies, statistics - validate your company

Biographies of key people in your business - profiles, not resumes

Brochure, catalog, newsletter, or other promotional material

Address your package to an actual person at the paper or news source. Include a personal note, and follow up with a phone call to make sure the package was received. If you’d like to develop a press kit for your company, call Inspired 2 Design.