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.

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.

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!

Ethics is defined in the dictionary as the study of the general nature of morals (the choice between good and bad in human nature) and of the specific moral choices to be made by the individual in his (and her) relationship with others.

In the mission statement for Creative Concepts,LLC, my company, the final line is Ethical behavor is our first value.

So in other words (my words), ethical means choosing to do the right thing, being true to your word both in following through with an action or paying someone the agreed upon amount and/or paying on time. Ethical means that no matter what transpires and no matter who is doing the wrong thing around you, you continue to stay on a virtuous path.

This has come to mind recently. I am planning a “New Media” conference for June. I have asked a superstar of the blogging world to speak. He doesn’t know me, he has never heard of me, he can barely check on me because my website is still under contruction, he can check the google search and see some things, but still he is in CA, I am in CT, he doesn’t know me.

He brought it to my attention that he doesn’t know me and how will he know that I can follow through with my committment to him? It was a valid question. I gave him my response (a mission statement and rough overview of the event which showed my passion and committment for this forum) which he is fine with for now, but no doubt he will be holding his breath until he meets me and I hand over the check.

As sad as his doubts may be in human nature (and he has every reason to feel that way), it is a constant struggle in life to stay true and to find the truth around you. The good news is that an ethical business person always wins over the ones who choose otherwise. Ethics always win in the long run. It may take awhile in some instances, but a person with ethics can be trusted and relied on and in the end of a life, a career, a business, that is all you have: respect for how you have conducted yourself.

Ethical behavior is the first value for Creative Concepts, LLC and for Valorie Luther, Founder of this emerging PR and Marketing firm.

This is my first blog entry for Creative Concepts, a pr and marketing firm specializing in finding the answers for small to medium sized companies who need help with their pr and marketing efforts or for large companies who need a fresh point of view. 

One of the services we provide is a blogging service.  You must be asking how that is possible when this is only my first entry.  Well, I have blogged for quite some time now through www.Entertainingnews.blogspot.com which is focused on event planning and other cool news items in the entertainment world.  We, at Creative Concepts, also have a blogging expert, Sabine Kirstein, www.ctbizblogs.com, who helps each client with the technical aspects of blogging.  In addition to my pr/marketing support and Sabine’s technical support, we have a blog designer who only designs blogs.  This is very important in the corporate arena where branding is being lost on the blogs.  We feel that not only are the words important but the visual is as well.

 For more information about Creative Concepts, please email info@creative-conceptsllc.com (our website is being reworked so check back later for the site that will tell you everything about Creative Concepts, LLC)