As a new business, have you been frustrated with the PR and Marketing help you can afford?

As a small business, have the traditional PR and Marketing people offered you a tactic that has vision, longevity and a clear path to increasing revenue?

As a medium business that is growing and has a strong future, have you exhausted all possibilities that exist with the web so you can increase revenue?

As a medium business, have you hit a plateau and don’t know how to get to the next level for profits and exposure?

As a large business, are you having problems keeping your employees motivated….have you lost touch with the inner workings of the company…do you need to find a more hands on way of communicating internally?

As a large business, do you continue to market to your next potential customer who may not be your customer for 3-5 years based on their age?

Education and action is the only way to keep a company moving upward.  If you don’t know how to approach the internet as a marketing and communication tool, if you don’t want to rely on someone else in the company to understand and implement successful long term business strategies that include web based techniques, if you have no idea what the internet is capable of for any business, then join us for the Business Smart Tools Conference, www.BusinessSmartTools.com, where you will learn about the tech world from David Pogue, NY Times and CBS news tech corrospondent, you will learn about podcasting from Mike Dunn (Interactive Media, Hearst), blogging from David Parmet (Marketing Begins at Home), search engine marketing from Matt Kain (24/7 Media), online tv and video from Greg Verdino (ROO) and much more.

Register online and join us on Thursday June 13 in Stamford CT!

Just read a blog entry from Eric Weaver of Brand Dialogue, www.branddialogue.com, and he talked about how annoyed he was that he missed many great conferences. Well me too…I agree. Check out his entry listing national and international conferences in the Marketing/Web 2.0 arena. It is very interesting plus it includes the Business Smart Tools Conference, www.BusinessSmartTools.com on June 13.

A nod goes out to MarketWire who sent out a press release on the Business Smart Tools Conference. They made sure that it had their version of SEO (search engine optimization). I have to say that I am very impressed with the pick up based on my past experiences with other wire services. I have this feeling that they are always figuring out ways to enhance their service which is why they are ahead of the game vs. other wire services who are playing catch up…just an observation.

Do PR people and bloggers get along? 

If you were to go to Robert Scoble’s blog (www.scobelizer.wordpress.com), you would say no.  Mr. Scoble is faced with family troubles which he writes about freely in his blog and PR people are pitching him regardless.  Here, PR people are heartless and frankly stupid!

If you were to go to the Syndicate Conference taking place in NYC right now, you would hear Richard Edelman defending his PR position in the world of blogging while he alludes to changes he needs to make within his firm in order to stay current and effective. 

If you were to go to a PRSA meeting (a PR networking/educational group), I think many members would say, “what is a blog….we still don’t get it and we don’t want to!” (sorry to those who do get it, but this is the conversation I hear on a regular basis at the local meetings).

While there seems to be tension between the two entities, I fully believe that PR and blogging belong together and will coexist peacefully once the old regime of PR people is replaced by the new.   

The newer version of PR is one where you are spreading an honest message where you are representing a product, message or service that has a true value to many.  A company can no longer hide behind their messaging, their advertising, and their less than stellar product or service.  The world moves too quickly and word, both good and bad, spreads like wildfire now.  The lies catch up and are catching up faster than ever.  Good news does the same.  A good PR person will follow the path that blogging has forged…a path of information sharing that starts with one person and ends with another…it starts with a passion for a certain subject and ends with information gathering and sharing.

I, being a PR person, have put together a conference, www.BusinessSmartTools.com,  based on this idea that PR, Marketing and frankly business in general have a strong partnership with new media.  I believe that if you call yourself a PR executive, you will not be effective unless you understand this emerging technology.  I am forging ahead with the Business Smart Tools Conference with a strong gut feeling that Creative Concepts will no longer be ahead of the game by using these marketing and communication tools but will be the norm in the not too distant future because at some point everyone will know that you have to spread your message in many different mediums in order to gain new business.

Cinnamon and sugar are used in many ways by themselves but when mixed together, they create a toxic, homey and frankly yummy taste that can’t be matched when they are apart.  Not that PR and blogging are yummy but they can be toxic in a good way and homey in a way that invokes trust in the consumer, the employer, the employee, the board, and the investors. 

PR and Blogging belong together.

There are two new tech tools that make me very happy.  Have you checked out the new Google trends?  It is so interesting and informative.  If you wanted some information on Blogging vs. Podcasting, you could see that most searches within google are going towards podcasting but in another chart they show that there is a close tie in reported news between the two.  How about PR vs. Marketing?  There are clearly more searches and more news items featurng marketing over PR.  How about soccer vs. baseball (my son asked me this one)?  There are more searches for soccer in 2005 but more news items about basketball.  Can’t live without stats…I love this Google trends!!

And another good stat driver?  Performancing stat package for bloggers.  You can see who is coming to visit, how long, what search engine you are showing up in, how peopel are searching for you, and a ton more.  www.Performancing.com  It is worth it especially if you want or have ads on your blog and need the numbers to make the numbers.

In google trends they say that bad days have more searches but good and bad days have equal coverage in the news….I say have a great day!!

What is the Business Smart Tools Conference?  It is a forum available where any business person can learn about this internet “stuff” quickly and easily knowing that what you hear and what you see and what you experience is the now and the future, it is the way to make doing business easier.

The speakers have a world of experience and can educate easily about blogging, podcasting, video online, search marketing and more.  The live demonstrations will include search engines, scheduling resources, online advertising and production resources.

Have you heard of these names?

David Pogue, Mike Dunn, David Parmet, Greg Verdino, Matt Kain, Ron Stevenson, and Reena Jana?

Have you heard of these companies?

Remembrix, Clearlight Pictures, ROO, Ingenio, CiviCom, TVEyes, MultiVu, ZoomInfo, VivaPop, MarketWire and Conversagent?

If not then come to the Business Smart Tools Conference to see the latest for business, www.BusinessSmartTools.com

Well, a smart tool for business is an item or process that can help a company acheive their goals which can be anything from getting new clients, communicating with employees more effectively, creating new products or improving existing services.

We are incredibly lucky in this day and age to have a whole new set of tools that can help us…tools that can relay our messaging, tools that can help us communicate, tools that can help us listen to our customers and speak with vendors…tools that can open doors that may have been closed in the past.

What are these tools?  They come in the form of blogging, podcasts, video on the web, search engine optimization for websites and more!  David Pogue-NY Times, Mike Dunn-Hearst Interactive, David Parmet-Marketing Begins At Home, John Piccone-24/7 Real Media, Greg Verdino-ROO, Ron Stevenson-GE, Reena Jana-BusinessWeek are all experts in their fields and can teach us the ins and outs of utilizing the internet/social media to achieve business goals in a timely and budget sensitive manner!

That is not all!  There are new tech products and services that business’ could use but may not know about.  How can you learn about them…how can you understand them?  The answer:  by experiencing them first hand.  Check this out:  TVEyes (TV, Video and Podcasting search engines), ROO (video and TV on the web), Ingenio (call per click advertising on the web), Dial-A-Note powered by CiviCom (helps you dicate into your phone and then sends you the written version via email the next day), Clearlight Pictures (interactive websites and guided messages), Remembrix (knowledge capturing tool), MultiVu (taking a press release and making it live via podcasts and video), ZoomInfo (a search engine that gives you info on people you could never find on google and yahoo), MarketWire (taking a press release, embedding codes so that the release leads viewers right back to your website)…and more.

Can it get any better than this?  Are you missing out on something spectacular?  Not if you sign up for the Business Smart Tools Conference on June 13th in Stamford.  Go to www.BusinessSmartTools.com for more information and to register.

Sabine at www.CTBizblogs.com has pointed out a new blog from B.L. Ochman, www.EthicsCrisis.com.  It is great all the way around.  This is a blog she has created for her client SRF Global Translations.  In addition to making the website and blog one entity which is truly the way it should be done for any company, B.L. has created an area where readers can post their lapses in ethics and other readers can vote on the story/situation.  Those stories teach us that there are many people out there floundering between right and wrong which is good to know that people make mistakes and good to know what to watch out for as well.  Brilliant! 

Being in promotion mode, I have to think about every which way to get a an idea, a logo, a thought through to a million people and do it five or more times so people can remember what they saw the first time.

Just read an article from a guy who said save your money and put many smaller ads into the paper instead of just one big one (this backs up the idea of getting the point across as many times as possible)

I remember a story that I heard from Eve Ensler of the Vagina Monologues.  For her first ever production in New York City, she hadn’t sold a single ticket and it was 2 days before the big show.  She hardly had any money and she had called everyone she knew to fill the seats to no avail.  With her last pennies (I am sure it took more than pennies but you get the idea), she took out a full page ad in the NY Times…the house was filled on opening night.

A client told me that the only way to get through to really busy people is to fax them.  There are so many emails today that yours can get lost.  After she emailed a potential client for 3 months, once she sent the fax, he called that afternoon.

Of course there is the traditional route of press releases where you can get TV, radio and print coverage…is anyone paying attention…i think so but the bang is not as big as it used to be.

How about a press release on the wire…that works because the releases go out to websites and online newsletters in addition to the traditional editors, so you not only get coverage but your search engine rankings rise because of placement on other websites, blogs and more..a double exposure.

How about blogs…word gets out quickly if you truly have something to say but use the right keywords so interested parties can find you!!

If you have a client lively and passionate about their product or service, line them up for speeches…people love to hook into others who are knowledgeable and excited about what they do and nothing works better than a live show!  That is why networking can be so effective…you are in person and making a connection…you are believable (hopefully).

And what about putting your thoughts/ads/logo out there in unusual places?  Inside subways and trains, airplanes, elevators…any place where people are forced to sit or stand still….that is when the eye can rest on your special message/product or service.

Anymore ideas?  Send them my way so the list can continue.

Happy hunting.

Have you asked yourself any of these questions?

Who wants to learn about social media?

who wants to hear from fellow bloggers?

who wants to learn about podcasting?

what the heck is TV on the internet?

what do i do for better search engine visibility”?

how is journalism changing because of these new media tools?

what are the big companies doing and what direction are they turning?

what should I do with these tools if I am a pr or marketing person?

can I use these tools for better communication within my company?

are there some products or services out there that can make my business life easier?

If you have asked yourself any of these questions, then you belong at the Business Smart Tools Conference, June 13th 2-6, Stamford Marriott.

Go to www.BusinessSmartTools.com for more information and to register!

The plight of newspapers is written about all of the time.  Because the new media/internet is taking over, sales are down..advertisers are going elsewhere…what are they going to do??  I saw one recent article about how newspapers will survive if they make the transition over to web/new media.  Something will have to happen, someone will have to move away from the old and be a little creative to maintain readership. 

I read a story recently about Rupert Murdock.  His Senior level guys were sitting with a consultant talking about this very subject…the future.  The consultant said they needed to blog, podcast…get on the web.  The senior guy said, “oh no, we can’t do that…that is impossible!”  Just then Mr. Murdock walked into the room and said, “we are doing it, nothing is impossible!”  Don’t you love that?

Had a recent go around with a local paper.  The business editor says no to so much that I wonder what she actually says yes to.  She and the paper don’t understand the new media, she especially doesn’t understand it impact (the paper might but I doubt it..they claim to have a blogging section but it is a web page with advertisements last time I checked).  If she writes about a business it must be no futher than Norwalk, CT (they are based in Bridgeport) because they can’t afford to go further South even though the paper distributes to Fairfield County.  If she covers a meeting or conference the attendance fee must be $100 or less because she supports the struggling business organizations despite the subject matter.  She won’t accept a story written by the organization/company, the paper must write it themselves but they can’t write the stories because they have no money to pay reporters.  They will feature stories from around the country to the exclusion of local stories because they can pull them from the wire and save money.

Now, does the Connecticut Post Newspaper sound like a publication full of life and good ideas?  Does it sound like it has a strong future because they are thinking outside the box?  Do you think they are going to make it?  Only time will tell! 

Good luck!!