Creating positive buzz – bucksmontmom.com
Here is another “creating positive buzz” post brought to you by Innovate Services PR|Editorial.
We’re sharing how entrepreneurs and small business owners create positive buzz for their products and services; whether they have someone handle all aspects of buzz generation for them or they put their marketing hats on and do it themselves.
This week we interviewed Jessica Cohen, founder of www.bucksmontmom.com.
Why did you start your business and when?
BucksMontMom.com launched in July, 2009. My background is in Advertising and Marketing for magazines, but magazines have just taken a beating since the recession began. In the meantime, the ROI from word-of-mouth referrals had become more and more apparent. Who are the primary household decision-makers? Moms. So the idea of launching a hyper-local online magazine for Moms was akin to the universe opening up right in front of me.
bucksmontmom.com is an eye-catching lifestyle site for moms in suburban Philadelphia. The site provides a friendly, practical environment with continuously updated, relevant information on a variety of topics for women. In addition to its articles and blog, bucksmontmom.com provides the readers with: current local and parenting news, a page of Local Experts as a first resource for moms, a great calendar of regional events, information about area businesses and mompreneurs, an introduction to local charitable organizations and shopping resources for moms. bucksmontmom.com happily recognizes we can remain sophisticated, independent women who are defined not just by our role as mothers but by our many varied interests and activities.
When you started your business what (if any) public relations activities did you incorporate?
I did not incorporate public relations activities when I first launched. I wanted to get a feel for the response to the site first – to see what pieces were well-received and what could be improved. It was not until I added I created a new value-added reason for people to visit the site that I began a public relations campaign in the traditional sense.
What public relations activities do you incorporate today?
I recently put out a press release for a new item on my web page. The majority of PR activities prior to that were generally done through Social Media outlets.
What do you find is the best way for you to “create positive buzz” around you, your business and/or your products?
Networking, networking, networking and referrals that have come through networking! When someone is passionate and authentic about their business it shines through in person in a way that cannot necessarily be achieved by other means. I use Social Media outlets as a way to stay on trend and inform my readers of important items and happenings. I am most proud that the buzz has grown organically because to me it means that the product is both valued and valuable.
Do you think public relations can be successfully done without expertise in that area? Why or why not?
Everyone can write a press release. Yet everyone cannot write a strong press release. A seasoned PR professional can simply write it more effectively than the average individual.
Have you employed the services of a professional PR firm or professional PR virtual assistant? What was the outcome?
Yes, I did, Innovate Services! The press release was picked up by Yahoo News so for me it was a success.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs seeking to “create positive buzz” around their business or products?
Be authentic. Be passionate. Provide great customer service. Care about your customers and their businesses. If you do these things, your reputation will precede you.
Copyright 2010 Innovate Services & Teresa H. Berger
Be a Balanced Entrepreneur: Slow Down and Chill Out
(Reprinted with permission from Andrea Kalli, Certified Internet/Social Marketing Assistant and Coach)
The world is in a permanent hurry. We all rush around as if our lives depended on it. While some people can cope quite happily, even thrive, on living life in the fast lane, many others find they ‘burn out’ easily, which leaves them anxious, tired, and depressed. They feel as if there are never enough hours in the day to meet all the targets they set themselves, without thinking that perhaps they are aiming too high. Feelings of inadequacy rise to the surface because they end each day feeling that they haven’t achieved very much, which leaves them feeling even more anxious.
We live in a 24/7 society that never seems to stop or even slow down. In days gone by, we would go to bed when the sun went down, and wake in the morning as it rose. Without electric light, most everyday chores were impossible, so life was organized around the natural movement of the sun. It ensured that however hard we worked during the day, we had adequate time in which to sleep. We lived life at a slower pace, following the rhythm of nature, because fewer demands and time limits were placed on us. Nowadays, it’s sometimes hard to tell when day turns into night, because we can carry on working at any hour. Some of us work and work, never knowing when to stop, as if we’re afraid that something will go wrong if we do.
When the pace of your life reaches this point, it’s time to do something. Actually, it’s time to do nothing at all. Here are some ways to ensure that you can build some ‘me’ time into your busy life.
First of all, no matter how hard you work, try not to bring your work home with you. When work finishes for the day, leave it at the office or in the factory – as they say, you work to live, not live to work. Similarly, if you work from home, try to make sure your workstation is positioned away from the areas of the home in which you and your family like to relax.
Make sure that, as far as you are able, you can find some time to relax at the end of a working day and, more importantly, at the weekend. If necessary, leave the answer machine switched on over the weekend, turn off the TV, the computer, and your mobile phone, gather up your family, and ask them what they would like to do. Chances are it will be something that you can all do together that will get you working as a team and spending good quality time with each other. You could arrange a picnic at a favorite spot or, if the weather is bad, get out some long-forgotten board games, or get the children involved in crafts and hobbies.
Stand still sometimes. You don’t have to be continually thinking or planning. Don’t feel you have to fill every minute of every day with something ‘constructive’. Just looking at the flowers and trees in your garden, or standing at the edge of the sea, will help to calm your thoughts. At the same time, slow down your breathing – too many of us do not breathe deeply enough. We rush through our breathing in the same way that we rush through the chores of the day.
If it really is difficult to find some ‘me’ time, look at the things you think you must do next week, and see if you can re-prioritize or re-schedule some of them. You may discover a spare hour or two that you can call your own.
We all want to live perfect lives but, in reality, this really isn’t achievable without having to compromise in some way. Instead, remind yourself that life is for living; give yourself time out to relax. You’ll find it much easier to tackle the more difficult aspects of your life.
Andrea Kalli offers a variety of business services, to include: Internet and Social Marketing Strategist/Coach/Assistant, editing for Podcasts/Audio/Video/Teleconferences/Audio Books, and productivity training and support for Microsoft Outlook and Windows SharePoint Services. Her primary area of focus is to work with businesses to achieve greater online presence in building their business and brand.
We’re teaming up to help fill kids back packs…
Every now and then as business owners and citizens we have the opportunity to give back to our communities. I’ve been area manager for my local Moxie Moms chapter for several months now and part of what we do as a group is give back our time or resources to support the community.
I recently found Cradles to Crayons and took a tour of their warehouse. They help Philadelphia area children and families in many aspects. After touring their warehouse, I wanted to find a way to marry Moxie Moms Gives Back program with their needs…and it just so happens that each year they hold a program called “Ready for School” where items are collected to fill back packs (or individuals and businesses can sponsor for $15 which fills 1 back pack).
More information on our Cradles to Crayons co-sponsored drive:
Monday, July 13th and Wednesday, July 15th, my local Moxie Moms chapter will be collecting items at Jules Thin Crust Pizza in Jenkintown for Cradles to Crayons located in Horsham, PA. This co-sponsored drive is to help Cradles to Crayons with their dual mission “to distribute basic essentials to children living in poverty so that they are safe, warm, ready to learn and feel valued, and to set a foundation for lasting change by providing meaningful, tangible volunteer opportunities to thousands of youth and adults each year.”
We will be collecting the following items:
- #2 pencils
- Pencil boxes/cases
- Pencil sharpeners
- Erasers
- Blue and black pens
- Pocket folders
- Composition books
- 24-packs of crayons
- Washable markers
- Colored pencils
- Glue sticks
- Rulers
- Calculators
- Or a child can be sponsored for $15 (fills one back pack)
Cradles to Crayons model “builds partnerships with social service agencies, allowing us to serve as a bridge between communities that have and communities that need. We make it simple for adults and children, individually or with schools, corporations or other organizations, to give of their time, their treasures and their talent to help children in need in their communities.” Moxie Moms (http://www.moxie-moms.com/easternmoco) and Innovate Services (http://www.InnovateServices.com) are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with an organization that provides support to communities and children in need. Moxie Moms goal is to help moms be the best mothers they can be while giving them an outlet for developing friendships, an improved level of fitness and a network of support new moms need. Part of Moxie Moms’ and Innovate Services’ goal is to help support the community however we can, and partnering with Cradles to Crayons to help kids in need goes hand in hand with what we’re all about.
For more information on the Cradles to Crayons “Ready for School” drive and how you can help, please contact Teresa at Teresa@Moxie-Moms.com. Donations can also be mailed to Innovate Services, P.O. Box 1371, Roslyn, PA 19001.
K.I.S.S. Tip – Seeing is Believing, Put Your Goals in Plain Sight for Success
Have you ever found yourself lost in a sea of “to‐dos;” lists of goals for the day, week, month or year; or just gotten burnt out looking at all you want or need to accomplish for the week? We all have. It’s our nature to have long “bucket lists” of things we need to accomplish before we turn in for the night or leave this world. Plus, as business owners, we’re not only managing our lists but those of our clients and team members, if we have a collaborative practice with subcontractors or employees.
- How do we keep what is most important to us in the forefront?
- How do we hone in on our innermost dreams and desires for this business we started 1, 5, 10 or 20 years ago?
- How do we break down our goals into achievable bite‐size pieces of the pie?
Seeing Is Believing
There are numerous ways to keep your goals in the forefront and top‐of‐mind. Many of us are visually driven. If we see something that identifies with our goal, we can potentially see it as more attainable. This is why it is important to keep clear pictures of the goals you have set for yourself this year: in your mind, on your computer, in your office on
paper, or on a big bulletin board. This visual representation does not have to be elaborate nor include your goals for 10 years from now. It’s probably best to keep it to 1, 2 or 3 years, then update as you go. When a goal is achieved, take a look at your visual representation and check that item off your list. Imagine how rewarding it will feel to know you
achieved that goal you set for yourself and see it marked on your visual representation.
Crystal Clear Focus
Who hasn’t heard the phrase, “Your life is what you make it”? And one of my all time favorite quotes is, “Decide who you are and who you want to be; then do everything in your power to be that.” That’s obviously easier said than done. But what we as professionals and business owners need to do is maintain the focus and keep our goals in the forefront. It’s so easy to lose track, take the wrong path or get convinced that what worked for someone else’s business will work for ours. That’s not the answer to achieving true success. Of course, if you find a method, product or practice that someone else implemented in their business and it is simplifying and streamlining yours, by all means don’t reinvent the wheel. Take baby steps to achieving each goal. Take your visual representations and break each one into 5, 7 or even 10 attainable baby steps, then schedule them on your calendar. Make appointments with yourself for each task.
Work ON Your Biz
In our virtual industry, it’s so easy to get bogged down with client work, working IN our businesses rather than ON our businesses. We can easily lose sight of the initial goals we set out to accomplish when we started our businesses. And, over time, our goals and business models will change. We’ll have to update our goal lists whether they’re in our heads, on paper or in electronic form. We’ll have to reevaluate where we want our businesses to be in 3, 5 or 10 years. But that is what makes being a business owner and virtual professional so great. We have the power to set our own goals, to decide who we want to be and who we want to work with. The key is to remain true to ourselves and keep our professional and personal goals in plain sight and not let working IN the business overpower working ON the business.
Copyright 2009 Teresa H. Berger & Innovate Services.
What’s YOUR secret to creating your own economy?
I’m curious. How many of you are feeling affected by the economy right now?
Are you worried about your business? Are you looking for more income streams? Do you want to start a business but are afraid this isn’t the right time? Or are you doing great right now?
For myself, I’m always interested in looking for more ways to take charge of my OWN life and my OWN business. That’s why I was intrigued by Ali Brown’s new free teleclass on Thursday, March 5, called “How to Create Your OWN Strong Economy This Year…
With Online Information Marketing.” Here’s the link to sign up:
http://www.netofficetoolbox.com/app/?af=942196
And don’t forget to share your thoughts and questions below. I’d love to know what you really think about your business and the economy right now.
Innovate Services & Client Media Mentions…
http://www.business-opportunities.biz http://blog.cristinafavreau.com http://www.ivaa.org/pdfs/latestcast.pdf http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog
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