Snowed in? Flex your personal branding muscles!

Hooray!

Originally uploaded by Daily Addendum

Snowed in? So am I! I’ve been cooking and shoveling and learning how to customize Facebook Pages for my clients. You know, being snowed in is a great opportunity to take care of some of those online profiles and personal marketing tasks after your bouts of shoveling and snowy walks.

I was gratified to see today that some of my small business clients are using this unanticipated downtime to create Facebook and LinkedIn profiles for themselves. Great move for these professionals! Lots of people are snowed in, so this is also a great time to email your clients and vendors and ask them to write testimonials for you on LinkedIn.

While you’re on the computer, you might want to take a few minutes to complete your Google Profile. That will help Google index you the way you’d prefer. I’d also recommend that you create a YouTube account (with your name and photo), even if you don’t yet have video to share, since so much search processes through YouTube. Fill out the profile with your business and social media URLS and favorite high quality video related to your business or interests.

I loved this picture by Valerie Elston and could not resist blogging it. The grin says it all. A great attitude is all you need to take what could be an irritating situation (tons and tons of snow) and see the magic in it.

How about you? What are you doing in your downtime? Do you like the snow? Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions below.

In marketing, those who hesitate (too much) are lost

“Do or do not… there is no try.”  Yoda

“The universe rewards action.” Mary Byram Jones (my mom)

The past couple of months, I have encountered some odd phenomena among some of the professional organizations with which I am acquainted.

Two prominent local video organizations have no video on the home page of their web sites, and no embedded players to showcase video.  I haven’t been able to find YouTube channels for these organizations.  I find that mystifying.

A podcasting organization does not have a podcast. Why?

A public relations organization does not have a blog. Another has a blog, but no one from the organization’s leadership has posted on it ever (the blog has been up for several months).

A marketing association does not use email to communicate with its members, although email has the highest ROI among all marketing techniques.

An advertising association does not advertise.

And so on.

There is a lesson here for small business owners and nonprofit organizations.  Marketing and social media initiatives should take thought and planning.  But not at the risk of complete stasis.

Everyone associated with these organizations has the skills and talents to produce tremendous content.  And this is the disappointment for me.  I am looking for models.  I want to emulate the best.  I have produced several blogs, and more than 250 videos on YouTube.  None of these are perfect, to understate.  Each one fails in some respect.  But I learn more from my failures than my successes.  With each attempt, I learn more.  I just wish more people would jump in the pool.

My message for small businesses and nonprofit organizations who are reluctant to market themselves, or who wonder if they should try engaging with their audiences with social media, is to remember that your audience tends to be forgiving.  If your content is the best quality level you can achieve (which will always be evident), and you put your heart into it, viewers and readers will overlook the occasional flub, shaky camera, or grammatical error.

Perfectionism can be an organization’s worst enemy.  Don’t let it get in the way of your creating a dynamic and robust online presence for your company or nonprofit organization.

Market your company with online profiles

Fletcher Prince YouTube Channel

Why are online profiles so important for your brand?

One of the tasks we handle at Fletcher Prince is helping individuals and companies craft online profiles and bios that work well for their brand.  As you may know, online profiles appear in a number of social media platforms and online directories: Google Maps, Google Profiles, blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube, for example.  You may have an “About Us” page or biographies of your staff on your company web site.  Each online profile presents different opportunities to market your brand, and requires different approaches.

Online profiles are prime Internet “real estate” to present key messages about your brand, so it’s worthwhile to create good ones.

Basic Ingredients of an Online Profile

• A description of your company, or your personal or professional biography. Think about what people would like to know, and how you are unique among your competitors.
• A link to your web site (include http://) or blog.  Make it interesting and brief.
• At least one high-quality photograph of yourself and/or an image of your company’s logo, in appropriate resolution.  If that image is supposed to be square, as it is in YouTube, Twitter, iTunes, and Facebook, then have a square version of your logo designed for this purpose (we can handle that for you at Fletcher Prince).  It’s a worthwhile investment for your brand recognition.  If you can upload more photos to the profile (as you may do on Google Maps and Yelp, for example) take advantage of that potential by showing off images of your employees, company headquarters, products, or portfolio examples.
• At least one short online video, if permitted.  Some online profiles, such as Google Maps, allow you to post a few videos on your profile.

How to Create Online Profiles People Will Value and Trust

Have you ever read an online profile on Twitter or LinkedIn and thought that it didn’t really tell you what you wanted to know about that person or company?  Were you ever left wondering where the company was located, or what the person actually did for a living?  People do want to know more about you and your company, as they Google you online.  But you have to be discerning about what you include in your online profiles.  This content and approach will vary, according to what you feel your audience will respond to.  A friendly and humorous tone may work for one company, but not another.  One general tip for online profiles is to write from your customer’s perspective.  Think, “If I were my customer, why would I want to read this, and what benefit would it offer me?  What problem will knowing more about this company help solve for me?”

Another tip is to avoid using promotional language, unless it is substantiated by a third party or has some other quantifiable aspect.  For example, it’s more powerful to say “Fletcher Prince is an award-winning marketing communications firm….” rather than “Fletcher Prince is a high-quality marketing communications firm.”  Try to use objective language when describing your company online.  It will help your audience believe and trust your content.

Brevity is the Soul of Wit

As you write online profiles, the first thing to appreciate is that your audience reads and absorbs information in a different way from how they read print information, say a book or newspaper.  People scan online text rapidly, looking for titles, images, bullets, subheads, and bold face text to get a quick overview of the content.  It’s also critical to consider how search engines — such as Google — will index your text to give you the optimized results you want. That means using keywords and links.

Polishing Your Twitter Profile

Fall Properties Twitter Page

Those specific details don’t just help Google index you correctly, they also help prospective customers understand you better.  I feel this is especially important on Twitter bios, which are so brief, they should be heavily keyword-laden for best results.  A nice touch for a Twitter profile is to include a reason to follow the account and a call to action.  For example, here’s an example of a Twitter bio we crafted for Fall Properties.

“Buying or selling a home in Falls Church or Arlington, VA? Follow the experienced realtors at Fall Properties for tips & events. Ph: (703) 536-7001”

What works about this Twitter bio

1. It is written from the customer’s perspective (buying or selling a home?)
2. It’s specific and targeted (Falls Church or Arlington, VA?)
3. It provides a reason to follow the account (experienced realtors providing tips; event announcements)
4. It has a call to action (call the phone number)

Making the Most of YouTube Profiles

I also recommend using white space and other attention-getting treatments, when available.  This is especially important with YouTube profiles.  Not everyone takes advantage of all the space YouTube offers in its profile section, but keep in mind, it’s free, and 25% of all search goes through YouTube.  Check out the Fletcher Prince YouTube Channel to see how we used our online profile on YouTube to link to our web site, as well as our company Facebook Page, blog, and Twitter account.

What works for you?

I would love to know if any of these suggestions have improved your online bios or profiles.  I bet you have all kinds of ideas that have worked well for you.  Please post your own suggestions about what to include (or not include) in online profiles and bios in the comments below.  Thank you for contributing to this discussion!

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If this post helped you today, please leave me a comment.  I would really appreciate that.  Also feel free to share it with friends who you think would benefit from it.

How to prioritize your social media marketing efforts

I am often asked which form of social media is the best choice for small businesses, and how much time should be devoted to using social media for marketing purposes, in a practical way.  Here is my take on the most popular forms of social media today and what they can do for small businesses.

Blogs

Blog Views for Conversations in Public Relations

Of all the social media platforms, blogs are by far the most searchable, and also the most versatile for personal branding purposes.

They are versatile in that every other social media platform — images, video, Facebook and Twitter updates — may be easily integrated into your blog.

But their real power lies in the fact that search engines love blogs, and crawl them frequently, and that blogs are set up to work well with search engines, with their tags, categories, captions, and formatting.

I’m not saying you should stop with blogs when building your personal brand. The blog should be the foundation of what you do, and if you have very little time, the blog should be the priority for your brand-building efforts.

Make sure your blog is well-organized and also that it is set up to take email subscriptions.  We’ve launched several blogs for clients, so please ask your friends at Fletcher Prince to get you started with using blogs to market to your existing and prospective customers.  We can help you set up and design your blog, train you how to use the blogging platform, provide you with SEO tips and blogging best practices, and help you develop an editorial calendar that’s right for your target customers.

Blogging just once a week (on a schedule) will help you build your brand.  It’s well worth the effort.

YouTube

Fletcher Prince YouTube Channel

YouTube video is a powerful personal brand-builder. What is more compelling than than seeing someone speak on video, other than in person? Video builds trust in a person’s expertise, and wins clients!  If part of the value you offer your customer is money-saving, relevant and useful advice, video is the way to go.

Online video is great for consultants of all types who want to provide just enough information to convince the viewer to contact them.  The videos would provide information that the viewer could use, but you’re not giving away the store, and there is also a soft-sell call-to-action.  Used in this way, video is like a visual blog.

Video is also a terrific choice for a service or product is highly visual.  For example, you are a realtor and you are presenting a home for sale.  Or you are a restaurant owner and want to show off the restaurant’s decor.  Video would be a natural choice for visual artists and performing artists.

Honestly, there are few professions I can think of that would not benefit from telling their story on video.  And since 25% of all search is processing through YouTube, it would be crazy not to take advantage of that.

To get started with YouTube video, I recommend that you produce three videos, and upload those onto your channel.  I’ve produced about 250 YouTube videos, so if you would like to me to produce an informative video series for your business, please contact me.  But as I have mentioned in previous posts, don’t wait to create your channel until you have video to upload.  Create your YouTube channel today, or ask us at Fletcher Prince to create a branded channel for you.  We’ve created many YouTube channels!

Facebook

Conversations In Public Relations Facebook Fan Page

I am a big Facebook fan and think it’s great for maintaining already established relationships with contacts, vendors, and clients.  But the wider searchability is not there — yet.  Although it has improved, Facebook content is not getting indexed in search engine results.  What this means for your business is that few people searching for  experts in your industry will find your company mentioned in a Facebook Page when using a search and keywords related to your industry; not in the way they might find you with a well-maintained blog, or properly tagged YouTube video.

However, Facebook Pages are free and easy to maintain.  Begin by creating a Facebook Page and feeding your blog to the page, so that it is automatically updated with fresh content each time you post a new article on your blog.  Weekly updates to your fans should be about right, for most businesses.  Adapt that recommendation, as needed.

If you need help with creating your Facebook Page, the set-up of which can be a little tricky at first if you haven’t done it before, ask your friends at Fletcher Prince to help you.  I’ve helped clients set up branded Facebook Pages (check out Rink Strategic Communications or Fall Properties on Facebook), and the fee is affordable, especially for the time we can save you.

Did you ever wonder why certain Facebook Pages have lots of fans and others don’t?  Well, apart from those with a nationally recognized brand, Facebook Pages work especially well for certain types of brick-and-mortar businesses that are trying to drive a lot of traffic through their doors and are willing to offer frequent (e.g., once a week) special offers, deals, premiums, discounts, and contests.  Think restaurants, hotels, theaters, tourist destinations.  Any business that relies on reviews and customer recommendations would do well to claim a page on Facebook.

Twitter

@FletcherPrince on Twitter

Twitter is a fun and an interesting way to pass a few moments and pick up some new information.  But, in my opinion, the least useful personal brand-builder among the social media choices available to you would be Twitter.

Twitter is just not that searchable, and your carefully crafted microposts can easily get lost in the stream.  It has its uses.  But, my advice would be to maintain a brand presence on Twitter (you can do that with well designed Twitter profile and one or two updates a day) but don’t over-rely on it to build your personal brand.  Put most of your energy and resources behind blogging and video, and contact your friends at Fletcher Prince if you would like us to build a Twitter profile for you that works hard for your business, like the custom-designed one you see here.

Marketing with Photographs and Online Images

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words…

And an online image may be worth 100 more visitors to your web site!  There are several other reasons why you may want to keep a camera handy.

These artfully arranged buttons communicate much about the Fletcher Prince brand

Photos have tremendous communications power. People respond to photos.   They increase the appeal and understanding of your written text.  They allow you to show off your products and accomplishments.  They also build trust in you as a professional and in your organization, by humanizing your company. You can use photos in so many ways — in brochures, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations, and as cutaways in videos.

Sharing photos you take is a great way to foster good will for you and your company. Clients, reporters, bloggers, and membership associations are often quite grateful to have photos they can use in their own articles and newsletters.

Online photos can be very good for your SEO. When you take time to title, describe, and tag photos, all those text terms are searchable by Google.  They will show up in Google under “Images” in searches for your company (or for your name, for example).  And when you link photos you place online to a landing page, these online images can drive traffic to your web site or blog.

You don’t have to be an expert photographer to benefit from using photos to market your company.   The important thing is to take lots of photos and to have fun with it.  Here are some tips for how you can make your photos work for you — and your company or nonprofit organization.

What You Need to Get Started

You’ll need three things to get started with using online photos to market your company or organization.

1. A digital camera.  I have a Canon Power Shot SD780. It is palm-size, easy to use, and takes great photographs and HD video.
2. A computer with an Internet connection.  Any updated computer will do; I love my Apple iMac.
3. A photo sharing site, such as Flickr.  Photo sharing sites such as Flickr and Picasa make it possible to edit photos, and share them on social networking sites and elsewhere online.

Some Ideas for Taking Photos for Your Business or Nonprofit Organization

I believe in taking lots of photos of your staff, clients, and products.  Keep a camera with you, every day, at all times, so you never miss a photo opportunity.  But plan in advance to take photographs, such as these

• Photos of yourself and staff: head shots, group shots, candid shots of them at work.  Let everyone know that you may be taking photos at one staff meeting, for example.
• Don’t forget to take photos of interns, volunteers, students, and vendors.
• Take photos of your clients!  And photos of your employees working with clients.
• Do you sponsor organizations?  Does your company volunteer in the community?  Take photos.
• Pose people outside the company, or enjoying the company’s products or services.
• Of course, you’ll want to take photos of your products or services, or in the case of a nonprofit, photos of people benefiting from the services.
• Exterior of your office or headquarters; company sign.
• Take photos of your marketing collateral, or upload jpgs, such as your brochures, promotional items, postcards, and other items.  Take pictures of your exhibit displays or sponsor tables.
• Your logos, in a variety of sizes and iterations
• Special events, conventions, galas, luncheons, networking events, and award ceremonies.  Is someone from your company making a presentation?  Take photos.

Making the Photos Interesting to View

You will want to take some standard shots, such as head shots and group shots.  But you can also branch out and take some interesting shots that are in line with your brand and corporate culture.  Is your brand fun and informal?  One of my favorite shots of my interns was with all five of them sitting together on a sofa.  Maybe your company is proud of its environmental record.  So, an outdoors shot would be appropriate.

Using Landmarks in Your Photos

If your company is like most small businesses or nonprofit organizations, you probably market within a fixed geographic area, and you may have a lot of pride about where you do business, as do your clients.  Use that element in your marketing!  Do you live in an area with some important landmarks?  For example, if you live in the Washington, DC area, posing some of y

We wanted a different look for the Fletcher Prince Interns

our executives or grouping your employees with the U.S. Capitol in the background and other DC landmarks would make a great photo.  If you were in New York, you could pick other iconic settings.  Try posing in front of historical landmarks or other places that your clients would recognize.

David Hyson "aerial view"

Some of the most interesting shots are those where the person is not looking at the camera.  I took a photo of a group of young interns and staggered them apart, then had some of them look to the left and some of them to the right.  The effect was fun and edgy, and they really liked it.

Different camera angles, such as profile and three quarter views, can be flattering and can lend all kinds of mystery to an image (what is the person looking at?).   Try shooting down on your subject (you can even stand on a chair).   It adds a different kind of energy.

Where to Post Your Photos Online

Using Flickr, you can download smaller versions of your photos to upload to various sites (be sure to rename the file name from a number to a literal term with keywords).  Small and medium size photos work great for online purposes. Save the high-resolution versions for print work, such as brochures and post cards.

Here are some places where you can post your photos online.  In many cases, you can adjust the settings so if the viewer clicks on the photo, it will go to your web site, blog, or other landing page you designate (e.g., http://www….)

• Flickr site.  Be sure to tag and describe each photo.
• Blog.  Each blog entry you write should have at least one image.
• Web site.  Each page should have a photo, don’t you agree? From your online newsroom or About Us web page, be sure that you mention that you have high-resolution photos of staff and link to your Flickr set online.
• On your Facebook Page.
• On your Google Profile.
• On your Yelp Business Profile.
• On your Google Maps account.
• And so many more…

Here’s a tip for online photos you put on your web site: if the person in the photo is looking in one direction (e.g., not directly at the camera), position the photo (flip it, if you have to) so that person appears to be looking at the text or headline (or call  to action) you want the viewer to read.  People naturally follow the gaze of other people, even in photos, so you can use this human tendency to increase communication of your message.  And always try to caption your photos, when you can.

Fletcher Prince Can Help You with Your “Photo Marketing”

Need some help creating your Flickr account?  I can help you create a profile, and upload, categorize, describe and tag photos for optimal search engine results.  Please contact me if I can assist you.

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If you found this article helpful, I would LOVE it if you would leave a comment for me!  Thanks, and happy photographing!

Learn More in this Video

Marketing with A YouTube Channel

Every business and nonprofit organization should have a free YouTube Channel.

In fact, every professional person should have their own free YouTube Channel.

That’s right, I said it!

YouTube Statistics to Consider

Comscore reports that 3.8 billion searches are conducted through YouTube each month.

In the U.S., people watch more than 30 billion videos each month.

Having a presence on YouTube, even if you don’t have any video to share, is a great way to communicate information about your brand, online.

Getting Started with YouTube Channels

You don’t have to have any videos to get started with a YouTube Channel.  Here are some ideas.

Favorite a Few, Related, High-Quality Videos to Put Video Content on Your YouTube Channel

Fall Properties YouTube Channel

You can make a YouTube channel work for you, even if you don’t have video to share.  Recently, I created a branded YouTube channel for a client.  They didn’t have any of their own videos to share.  So, I had the client “favorite” a current public service announcement that was produced by a national professional association, to which the client belonged.  The video PSA is well-produced and presents a message that is in line with the message the client wants to communicate to its customers.  And, at a glance, it looks like video content for my client. Instant credibility!

Design a Branded YouTube Channel for Your Company

Fletcher Prince YouTube Channel

Take time to design a channel that represents your brand.  Name the channel after your company, of course.  You’ll need a square version of your logo.  If it’s a personal channel, or you are an independent professional, you can use the same photo you use for your LinkedIn Profile (and name your channel after youreslf, e.g. MaryFletcherJones)  Change the background colors to coordinate with your logo, or upload a custom-designed background image.

The text content you put in your Channel profile is searchable, and hyperlinks will work as long as you write precede them with “http://.”  So, in addition to your company name, list your web site link, bio and key messages, social media links, and blog link.  Remember, this is a marketing portal for your company, so don’t write too much, and keep the customer in mind.  What can they expect to see on your channel?  Why should they be interested in watching the videos  – what’s in it for them?  For what audience is your channel intended?  Be specific on those points in your channel profile description.

The profile has several sections that won’t apply to a business YouTube channel.  You can “uncheck” all the extraneous channel profile sections, such as age, gender, education, favorite books, and favorite movies.  Fill in the “Interests” section, however, with 10-20 keywords related to your business or industry.  Are you presenting yourself as a subject matter expert?  If so, be sure to identify yourself as a YouTube “Guru” rather than the default “YouTuber” channel.  View my Fletcher Prince YouTube channel as an example.

Create YouTube Video Playlists Featuring High-Ranking Videos Compatible with Your Brand

Create playlists containing five videos (including one of yours, if you have them) that are related to your industry or brand.  This will help drive traffic to your channel and videos.

Associate Your YouTube Channel with Established YouTube Channels Related to Your Business or Industry

Subscribe to the YouTube channels of professional organizations, vendors, and clients that are related to your industry.  Invite them as Friends.  Their YouTube icons will display on your channel.

Some channels have a “channel comments” box.  Make comments on channels featuring related content.  If they display channel comments, your logo and YouTube channel link will show up on their channel page.  It’s free advertising for your channel.

You can also post a video response to a video on a quality channel — for example, the channel of a national professional organization related to your industry — using the YouTube video recording feature (as long as your computer has a video camera feature).  This will increase exposure for your channel.

How to Make the Most Out of Your YouTube Channel When You Have Video to Share

Of course, having video that you produce is the best option for communicating messages about your brand.  In addition to uploading quality, short videos focused on a single topic that is relevant to your customers, there are a number of ways to use YouTube features to promote your brand.

Rink Strategic Communications YouTube Channel

Write an Effective Title for Your Video

Your video title is one of your video’s most searchable features.  It should be literal, short (five to eight words), and contain important keywords.  Don’t get cute or mysterious with YouTube titles.  Also, don’t use punctuation (such as exclamation points, question marks, or quotation marks).  How-to, advice, and demonstration videos get high ratings on YouTube.  So the title, “How to Make a Christmas Wreath” will get more hits than “Making a Christmas Wreath,” for example.  Also try titles such as “5 Tips for”…. or “3 Ways to Save Money on…”  It will also be helpful to check “How To” in video type when uploading your video, since potential customers are looking for how-to videos.

Ask Friends and Viewers for YouTube Video Comments and Ratings

It can be challenging to obtain comments on your video, but comments help increase views and build ranking for your video in search results.  Be sure to ask your friends and coworkers to rate your company’s videos.  In the video and on your YouTube channel, invite viewers to comment on your videos and channel.  You can pose a discussion-provoking question or ask for specific feedback.  However, especially for corporate YouTube channels, be sure hold ALL comments for moderation (there is plenty of SPAM on YouTube).   Approve your comments regularly, and respond with thanks for comments.

Tag Your Videos with Keywords and Proper Names

Here’s a secret known by YouTubers with lots of video views…one of the most important words you can include in your tags is the word “video.”  For example, if you have produced a video about public relations, tag your video “public relations video.”  You can also tag it with public relations.  When you tag your video with the term “(fill-in-the-blank) video,” your video will start to show up in related searches alongside highly viewed videos on the same topic.  Which equates to more views for your video.  Be sure to tag the video with your name, and the name of other people appearing in the video, as well as your company name.  You can also check out the tags of your competitors, and of videos that are related to your topic and that are receiving high numbers of views, and copy those tags (if relevant).  All of those tags are searchable.

Should You Have More Than One YouTube Channel?

Conversations in Public Relations YouTube Channel

The answer is yes, if you are passionate about several topics, or if your organization has widely different aspects.  For example, I have four YouTube channels.  I have one for my business, Fletcher Prince.  I have a personal one, for vacation videos and such (MaryFletcherJones).  I have a channel for my video series, Conversations in Public Relations (PRConversations), and another for my other video series, Living Well with Autism (LivingWellWithAutism).

Your professional YouTube Channel, especially if it is a corporate channel, should feature content you or others produce that is solely related to your company, business or industry.  Be selective about what you favorite!  However, as you will see fabulous videos that are unrelated to your business that you may want to favorite, you may also want to create a personal YouTube channel.  Having a personal channel also makes it easy for you to experiment with many of YouTube’s features and upload your more creative projects, even enter contests!  You will need a separate email address when creating each channel, and you should avoid uploading duplicate videos among your channels.

At Fletcher Prince, we have helped several clients establish a presence on YouTube with custom-designed YouTube channels and video productions.

Please contact us if we can help you with your online video marketing.

Fletcher Prince’s 25 Creative and Affordable Ways to Rock Your Brand in 2010

Fletcher Prince’s 25 Creative and Affordable Ways to Rock Your Brand in 2010

1. What do your customers want?  How are you/your brand perceived?  What can you do better?  It’s restaurant week in the Washington, DC area in January.  Invest $40, take your client to lunch and write it off as research.

2. Check the strength of your branding pulse.  Google your name, then the name of your company.  Look at “Web,” “Images,” Videos,” “Maps,” “News” “YouTube” and “Blogs.”  You should have content on each Google tab.

3. Monitor your brand mentions with daily email Google Alerts and Yahoo Alerts for your name and business name (and clients!).

This is my web site at www.MaryFletcherJones.com

4. Purchase the URL for your name, e.g., I own MaryFletcherJones.com and Mary-Fletcher-Jones.com.  For a few dollars more, build a personal web site.  I recommend it.

5. Connect with your contacts with monthly email newsletters. Email has the highest ROI of all marketing techniques. Sign up for a 60-day Constant Contact free trial through Fletcher Prince and I’ll get you started with free tips: http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?pn=fletcherprince

6. Create a free Facebook Page for your business.  Feed your blog to it.

7. You don’t have a blog? You should have a blog. Nothing is better for your SEO.

8. Send postcards. With a value offer. They’re incredibly cheap and memorable. Funny ones stand out!

9. Host a fun, offbeat, and inexpensive event. Even if they don’t come, they’ll appreciate being invited.  How about a mini-golf invitational or a Mardi Gras gumbo lunch? That’s what I’m doing this year.

Fletcher Prince’s brochure is an inexpensive and effective marketing tool

10. Create a trifold brochure on Vistaprint.  First 25 are free! Easy to mail in a #10 envelope.

11. List your company on LinkedIn. Be sure you have a personal AND a company profile. With a logo.

12. While you’re on the computer, go ahead and post a free business profile on Yelp.

The Fletcher Prince Mobile!

13. Buy car magnets. Will people ask for your business card in parking lots? Yes.

14. Write a column on Examiner.com on your area of expertise.  Let me refer you; I’ll get a commission and you’ll get approved that much quicker. More links for you!

15. Sponsor a contest. You’ve got SWAG, right?  Run a slogan, essay, idea, or photo contest on your blog, web site, email newsletter, or Facebook Page.  Relate it to your brand, keep it short, make it easy!

16. Crow about a business milestone in a press release on free-press-release.com.

17. Take a camera everywhere you go. Create a free Flickr account, upload your photos and tag with quotation marks, e.g., “Mary Fletcher Jones.” Take photos of you, your work, your clients, employees, your office, and POST them online. Ask people to take pictures of you speaking at events, at awards ceremonies, networking events, and talking with clients. Pose with thought leaders, in front of monuments, at landmarks.  You’ll use these in newsletters, blogs, brochures, video, and websites.

18. Ask clients, vendors, employees, and contractors for testimonials on LinkedIn. Can you get them to say it on video, too?

19. Take out a free Craig’s List ad. Try a value offer. Worth it just for the free SEO.

20. Update your email signature with your URL and newsletter sign up link.

21. Create a YouTube channel for your company EVEN IF you have no video.  “Favorite” content-related videos for your channel, and use it as a portal to share links and information about your company.

22. Write a short article about an event or communications-related topic for the PRSA-NCC blog. You’ll need a free WordPress.com account to get started.

Mary Fletcher Jones in PRSA-NCC’s Member Spotlight

23. Are you a member of PRSA-NCC or WWPR?  Ask them to profile you as member of the month in their newsletter.

24. Create a Google Profile with all the links you have created for you and your company.

25. Does your tag line reflect your brand?  Ours is “creative and affordable marketing solutions.”  Everything we say and do for our business revolves around that brand message.  Craft a new tag line in 2010.

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Here’s my list — will you try a few of these ideas this year? Why not post some of your own ideas in the comments?  That would be great!  Need more ideas? Contact me, Mary Fletcher Jones (571) 269-7559 or visit me online at Fletcher Prince.

Hey!  If you liked this post, I’d really appreciate if you’d leave a comment. Thanks!

Your story. On YouTube.

It’s a new year.  I know you have considered using video to tell the story of your company or nonprofit organization.  This should be the year you do it!

You can show videos on your web site, blog, YouTube channel, and in your email newsletter.  Use them at conferences, meetings, and exhibits.

Wondering what kinds of content to produce?  Consider video testimonials from clients to build trust in your company.  Tell the history of your company, organization, or of a specific product.  Show off your headquarters.  Interview staff and display their subject matter expertise.

Fletcher Prince offers creative and affordable options for YouTube video that include

• Consultation, planning, and script review.
• Development of an online video outreach and promotions plan.
• Filming and production of online videos, up to ten minutes in length.
• Incorporation of music, graphics, and logos.
• Distribution of videos on your YouTube, Facebook, DailyMotion, and iTunes channels.

Fees

(1) video $1200

(3) videos 15% discount

(6) videos 20% discount

(12) videos 25% discount

When you contract with us for twelve videos this year, you get three free videos!

We also offer set up of video and podcast channels, as well as logo design, for an addtional fee.

Call (571) 269-7559 to schedule an appointment to talk about your online video needs.

Resolve to take advantage of social media in 2010

Ready to manage your online brand presence?  Are you just getting started with social media?  If you didn’t get as far as you wanted to with social media in 2009, it’s time to ask your friends at Fletcher Prince to help you take advantage of this terrific visibility and engagement opportunity in 2010.  We can save you time and money with expert social media consultation and training.

Our social media consultation for your company or nonprofit organization begins with an analysis of your online identity.

After identifying your challenges and opportunities, we’ll create a customized, actionable social media plan for your company or nonprofit organization.  This may include a social media policy for your employees, if needed.

We’ll show you how to monitor and respond to reviews and and comments about your brand  — reviews and comments that can make or break your company’s reputation.

Next, we’ll work with you to develop branded online profiles for your company on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, Google, Yahoo, and blog platforms.

Finally, we’ll show you how to add articles, updates, images, and video that enhance your brand and engage your target audiences.  And if you prefer, we can create this content for you.

Ready to get started?  Call (571) 269-7559.

Fletcher Prince 2009 Annual Report

David Hyson and Mary Fletcher Jones of Fletcher Prince

As 2009 draws to a close, I would like to report on the activities of our small marketing communications company, Fletcher Prince.  Fletcher Prince, as you may know, is managed by David Hyson and Mary Fletcher Jones, and provides creative and affordable marketing solutions to small businesses and nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and beyond.  Our services include website design, graphic design, photography, video, social media and marketing consultation, public relations, and email marketing.

Fletcher Prince Client Work in 2009

Rink Strategic Communications. Fletcher Prince produced an online video series and podcast for Rink Strategic Communications.  Working with Susan Rink, we also helped her launch her company blog, email newsletter, Facebook Page, YouTube channel, and Twitter account.  It has been a pleasure working with Susan, and we look forward to producing six more videos with her in 2010.

PrimeTime Staffing. Fletcher Prince produced a corporate marketing kit for their existing client, Doris McGhee of PrimeTime Staffing, including a custom-designed pocket folder and inserts.

Fall Properties. Fletcher Prince was retained by the residential real estate firm Fall Properties to deliver social media marketing consultation and email marketing training, an effort that will continue into 2010.

Fletcher Prince Pro Bono Work in 2009

Fletcher Prince completed numerous pro bono projects on behalf of communications organizations.

Social Media for PRSA-NCC. For the first half of 2009, Mary served as Marketing and Public Relations Committee Co-Chair for the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, coordinating the chapter’s social media efforts.  She also created a social media policy for the chapter.  Fletcher Prince re-designed the chapter’s Twitter account to be brand-identifiable, and designed and launched a blog for the chapter.  Mary continues to moderate the blog and train chapter staff on how to write blog posts.  In addition to the blog design, David designed a social media-friendly version of the chapter logo for use on the chapter’s accounts on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and WordPress.  Mary was commissioned by the chapter to produce a video featuring several chapter and board committee members on the value of public relations, a pro bono project. The video was shown at the chapter’s Thoth Awards gala and at the PRSA conference in San Diego, CA.

Meeting Coordination for DC Podcasters Alliance. Mary served as Assistant Organizer for the DC Podcasters Alliance through June, and planned meetings and made presentations on topics related to podcasting.

Conversations in Public Relations Blog and YouTube Videos. As a service to the Washington, DC area professional communications community, Fletcher Prince produced an online video series and podcast, “Conversations in Public Relations,” featuring interviews with local communicators and association leaders.  We produced more than 80 videos on a variety of public relations and advertising topics.

World Water Center YouTube Channel and Videos. Fletcher Prince produced five videos and designed a YouTube channel, pro bono, for the World Water Center, a nonprofit organization.

Fletcher Prince Promotional Efforts in 2009

Our promotional work for our company involves presenting informative content about creative and affordable marketing strategies.

Fletcher Prince YouTube Videos. This year, we produced six informative, how-to YouTube videos that describe various ways of using social media to promote and market a small business or nonprofit organization, including blogging, Twitter, online video, online press rooms, and other topics.

Fletcher Prince Blog. We moved our blog from the WordPress.org platform to the WordPress.com platform.  We lost a couple of years of posts, but the change was worthwhile for the SEO benefits.  We blogged three times a week, on average.

Examiner.com Mary has been writing as the DC Social Media Examiner and the DC Marketing and Public Relations Examiner this year, covering industry-related events and news.

In other 2009 Fletcher Prince news…

• Mary and David received 18 LinkedIn recommendations for their work in 2009.
• Mary was interviewed by Paul Vogelzang and Limor Schafman for Capitol Communicator’s video series featuring local thought leaders in communications.
• David was retained by Deloitte Touche and Florida Education Association to provide graphic design services.
• Fletcher Prince was registered in the Federal Government contract services system.

Thanks for reading.  Please contact us if we can help you with marketing projects in 2010!