EXPOSURE!!! Plain and simple. With services like Constant Contact it is easy to create and maintain a database of media outlets.
Recently we sent out a press release for a client who was holding a special event at her Inn in Spring Lake. She promoted the event (her client) and got some promotion in return. Two for one!
Constant Contact allows you to see who opened the emails sent to them. Several Local Chambers, the Two River Times, Breeze Radio, NJ Family and NJ Monthly are but a few that opened the Press Release. Not that it will be in each of those publications or be on the Radio but it has happened! We at Lone Keep Internet, Inc. have had our FREE Seminars announced on the Radio before as a news item and cost us nothing. Did I mention FREE advertising?
So if you have never sent a Press Release out dust off your writer's pen and start! Or if you need help ask for it here and we will assist you where we can...
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Head Marketing Consultant for Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Blogging! What's it all about?
Ads and commercials it is not!!!! Have you ever been to a blog and all you find are ads for the organization that posts to it? There is no discussion or exchange of ideas. Not even the inner working of the mind of the author! Or scattered semi-workings of minds like mine!!!
Actually I could list the poorly done blogs here. But to what end? You would just get mad at me for wasting your time. But if you have any good or even bad blogs and would like to share them. Please post them here...
In the meantime if you would like to learn how to put blogging to use or meet some other bloggers join me at my Free Blogging Seminar in Asbury Park, NJ. Learn what other bloggers are doing or just stop by for some tea and crackers!
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
Actually I could list the poorly done blogs here. But to what end? You would just get mad at me for wasting your time. But if you have any good or even bad blogs and would like to share them. Please post them here...
In the meantime if you would like to learn how to put blogging to use or meet some other bloggers join me at my Free Blogging Seminar in Asbury Park, NJ. Learn what other bloggers are doing or just stop by for some tea and crackers!
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
Friday, October 15, 2010
What does your Business Card really say about you?
Working on the "What's on your shelf" project I have noticed many things. The most striking observation has probably been that the actually business card says little to nothing about the company or the wielder of the card. No really, it usually says zilch! Some may look pretty, glossy and be double sided but what does that have you do with you?
Some of the most expensive cards are from companies that did not last their first year. While other plain Black and White ones represent companies that have been around for over 22 years (yes like Lone Keep Internet, Inc.) There are even some that try to list everything that a company provides in tiny, tiny print on both sides. Who is going to read all that?
I believe that the cards should be a pointer, an arrow if you will. Once you make a personal contact the business card should serve as a reminder of why the holder should be interested in your company. (Hence, one sided and easy to add notes on the back.) As a pointer they should guide the holder to your website where you can dazzle them with graphics, video and long lists of services (content). But how many really do this?
How many do not have a website listed? Or maybe even the wrong one? Yes, I have found several of these on my shelf. Some don't put their website on their cards because they are not finished or don't work. Both of these are easily fixable. If you want to help your local web designer or graphic artist grow their business just ask why there is no website on the card you just got! If you want you can send me the referral!!!
In the mean time take a look at your business card. What does it say about you?
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Assistant Director for BNI Monmouth County
Charter member of the BNI Shore Money Chapter in Ocean Grove
Some of the most expensive cards are from companies that did not last their first year. While other plain Black and White ones represent companies that have been around for over 22 years (yes like Lone Keep Internet, Inc.) There are even some that try to list everything that a company provides in tiny, tiny print on both sides. Who is going to read all that?
I believe that the cards should be a pointer, an arrow if you will. Once you make a personal contact the business card should serve as a reminder of why the holder should be interested in your company. (Hence, one sided and easy to add notes on the back.) As a pointer they should guide the holder to your website where you can dazzle them with graphics, video and long lists of services (content). But how many really do this?
How many do not have a website listed? Or maybe even the wrong one? Yes, I have found several of these on my shelf. Some don't put their website on their cards because they are not finished or don't work. Both of these are easily fixable. If you want to help your local web designer or graphic artist grow their business just ask why there is no website on the card you just got! If you want you can send me the referral!!!
In the mean time take a look at your business card. What does it say about you?
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Assistant Director for BNI Monmouth County
Charter member of the BNI Shore Money Chapter in Ocean Grove
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Using your 60 Second Commercial as Blog Content
Most of the people I speak with tell me they have nothing to blog about. However most belong to networking groups. These groups let you do a 60 second commercial at the beginning of each meeting as a form of introduction.
These 60 Second introductions usually include who you are looking to meet in the upcoming week or some interesting tidbit to catch the listeners ear. One such example was at my BNI meeting this past Thursday. The Pest Control expert mentioned Bed Bugs as they have been getting a lot of press here in Monmouth County. He mentioned that he was an expert in their removal and used a greener (safer) method to do the job. A method not used by other local pest control companies. When I asked him if he put this info into a blog post or even an email to his current clients his response was typical. "No one wants to hear about it!" Well actually yes they do. It's been all over the papers and even the nightly news! Bed bugs are becoming a problem at the Jersey Shore. Even the local Multiplex theater make the nightly news with their bed bug issue.
So if you have invested the time and effort into a great 60 Second commercial why not use that as a basis for your blog entry. Most networking groups recommend that you have a different one each week. So you have a different blog entry each week. Now that is Working Smarter not Harder!
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Charter member of the Shore Money Chapter of BNI
We meet in Ocean Grove, NJ each Thursday morning.
These 60 Second introductions usually include who you are looking to meet in the upcoming week or some interesting tidbit to catch the listeners ear. One such example was at my BNI meeting this past Thursday. The Pest Control expert mentioned Bed Bugs as they have been getting a lot of press here in Monmouth County. He mentioned that he was an expert in their removal and used a greener (safer) method to do the job. A method not used by other local pest control companies. When I asked him if he put this info into a blog post or even an email to his current clients his response was typical. "No one wants to hear about it!" Well actually yes they do. It's been all over the papers and even the nightly news! Bed bugs are becoming a problem at the Jersey Shore. Even the local Multiplex theater make the nightly news with their bed bug issue.
So if you have invested the time and effort into a great 60 Second commercial why not use that as a basis for your blog entry. Most networking groups recommend that you have a different one each week. So you have a different blog entry each week. Now that is Working Smarter not Harder!
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Charter member of the Shore Money Chapter of BNI
We meet in Ocean Grove, NJ each Thursday morning.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Work Smarter, Not Harder!!!
We all have heard this saying... But how many of us actually put it in practice?
I see a couple of hands up but not a lot. It has been my experience that clients go out of their way to work harder because working smarter requires work! Does that even make sense?
Case in point: Let's call client one of my clients Mr. B. He owns a typical store front establishment in a Jersey Shore town. We publish a monthly newsletter for him on the last day of the preceding month. We start each month with a production sheet of necessary information; like Target publication date, this month's coupon information, title and author of each article, even where the pictures are coming from. As the month progresses I work on my articles and the pictures for the rest of the newsletter. I also remind him of his input that is needed for the monthly edition.
However, each month a couple days before the publication date after all month of "being busy" there is a flurry of activity and the newsletter usually gets out a day or two later. He's glad that the work is done and puts it off for another month. My recommendation to him this month which was the same as the previous months: Work on the monthly repeating articles now so we don't have to rush at the end of the month. His response? You guessed it... "He's too busy"
Our own newsletter the Jersey Shore Community Information Bulletin has been published twice a month for over 14 years. It's work but we have developed a process that works. This is the same process that we are trying to get Mr. B to follow...
If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know?
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
I see a couple of hands up but not a lot. It has been my experience that clients go out of their way to work harder because working smarter requires work! Does that even make sense?
Case in point: Let's call client one of my clients Mr. B. He owns a typical store front establishment in a Jersey Shore town. We publish a monthly newsletter for him on the last day of the preceding month. We start each month with a production sheet of necessary information; like Target publication date, this month's coupon information, title and author of each article, even where the pictures are coming from. As the month progresses I work on my articles and the pictures for the rest of the newsletter. I also remind him of his input that is needed for the monthly edition.
However, each month a couple days before the publication date after all month of "being busy" there is a flurry of activity and the newsletter usually gets out a day or two later. He's glad that the work is done and puts it off for another month. My recommendation to him this month which was the same as the previous months: Work on the monthly repeating articles now so we don't have to rush at the end of the month. His response? You guessed it... "He's too busy"
Our own newsletter the Jersey Shore Community Information Bulletin has been published twice a month for over 14 years. It's work but we have developed a process that works. This is the same process that we are trying to get Mr. B to follow...
If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know?
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
Friday, October 1, 2010
We want information...
How many of you remember the British TV series "The Prisoner"? They wanted Number 6 to give then information but never told him what information they wanted? Very frustrating for our hero Number 6.
How many of my readers get reports on how their website are doing? Not a lot but some. And how many can wade through the reams of pages to get to the "correct" information?
Being able to discern the correct information from these reports in a timely fashion sometimes looks like magic! But that is when experience really comes into play. Zeroing in on the actual problem or keeping track of the important numbers over a period of time does take a lot of finesse.
It starts with getting the right reports. Followed by the ability to find the information necessary to spot either trends or issues that may have been overlooked by others. Sometimes there is just no easy way around it other than taking the time to review the entire report.
Recently I made an offer to some business associates to run a FREE 50+ page report on comparing the optimization of their website to their top 10 competitors along with a lunch meeting were I would go over the report and explain it. Several took me up on the offer and were pleasantly surprised. I did not they to sell them anything. I just explained the results and pointed out a few of the suggestions that they could do themselves to help their websites visibility and ranking in the Search Engines. I guess the others were making too much money with their website already!
If you would like to request a FREE 50+ page Top 10 Optimization Report to help you achieve your goals in 2011 just visit Lone Keep Internet, Inc. and click on the link.
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
How many of my readers get reports on how their website are doing? Not a lot but some. And how many can wade through the reams of pages to get to the "correct" information?
Being able to discern the correct information from these reports in a timely fashion sometimes looks like magic! But that is when experience really comes into play. Zeroing in on the actual problem or keeping track of the important numbers over a period of time does take a lot of finesse.
It starts with getting the right reports. Followed by the ability to find the information necessary to spot either trends or issues that may have been overlooked by others. Sometimes there is just no easy way around it other than taking the time to review the entire report.
Recently I made an offer to some business associates to run a FREE 50+ page report on comparing the optimization of their website to their top 10 competitors along with a lunch meeting were I would go over the report and explain it. Several took me up on the offer and were pleasantly surprised. I did not they to sell them anything. I just explained the results and pointed out a few of the suggestions that they could do themselves to help their websites visibility and ranking in the Search Engines. I guess the others were making too much money with their website already!
If you would like to request a FREE 50+ page Top 10 Optimization Report to help you achieve your goals in 2011 just visit Lone Keep Internet, Inc. and click on the link.
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
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