Tina Haisman Public Relations

David Essel Lets the World Know About Upcoming Life Coach Certification Teleclass

2012-02-02T10:57:00.004-05:00

My client David Essel wanted to let the whole world know that his life coach certification courses are available via teleclass. As a result, we put together a national release and sent it out via PRweb. Check it out!

Here are a few key points about our strategy with this release:

We realized that David's status as a national radio host helps give him credibility as a life coach certification instructor, while at the same time, being a life coach certification instructor gives credibility to his national radio host position, so we tied those two together.

We addressed the benefits of taking a life coach certification course via teleclass and even included links to a couple of youtube videos to support the information.

We used three testimonials from people who have gone through his life coach certification courses.

Of course, since this is an SEO release, we used the most important key words in his headline, summary and lead paragraph -- as well as throughout the body.

We made sure the call to action at the bottom was clear and offered an incentive to those who mentioned the release in their registration.

This all also worked out well, because just two weeks earlier we released information about the new location for his radio show David Essel Alive!. So far so good! Let's see how those registrations come in!

Client Goes National With XM Satellite Radio Release

2012-01-25T21:39:00.000-05:00

My client, David Essel, wanted to "go big" with the news that he was taking his talk radio show, "David Essel Alive!" to a national level on XM radio. So, naturally, we opted for a national news release through PRWeb.

After only one week, the release already has a total of 77,642 total impressions on PRWeb. It also has 1,170 pickup results on Google and has been republished in newspapers such as the Daily Herald, The Houston Chronicle and CBS online. Considering the release has only been live for one week, this is a great number of results.

David had the idea to use a few celebrity names to draw attention from the search engines, and boy was he on target with that! In addition to the more traditional media outlets, we have found links to the release on celebrity fan pages that simply came from putting their names in our release. I hope you'll agree that we did it tactfully, too.

David is also a pro at YouTube videos and did one especially for the release -- an added benefit for anyone wanting to know more about the show.

Click here to see the release and how we optimized it for the search engines. And, P.S. tune in every Saturday from 6-9 p.m. EST (3-6 PST.)

Need a Freelance Writer?

2011-11-10T22:11:00.000-05:00

Tina Haisman public relations is on the lookout for marketing and public relations professionals who need assistance meeting their writing deadlines.

"Throughout my career, I have found freelance writers bring a great value to an already solid public relations or marketing team," Tina said. "I love working with other public relations and marketing professionals who know what they're doing, but just need an extra hand to get the job done."

Tina discovered her love for writing in high school on the staff of her high school newspaper. She also did some writing for her college newspaper.

Tina's very first assignment out of college was to ghostwrite a letter from the Vice President of Caterpillar Track-Type Tractors Division to the employees. Much to her surprise at that early point in her career, Tina's first draft of the letter was met with raving reviews and virtually no changes were requested. Her writing career has taken wings ever since.

Throughout Tina's career, she has had the opportunity to write for clients in many different industries, which has helped her learn how to match the voice of every company she has had the privilege of writing for.

In his recommendation on Tina's LinkedIn profile, KUA Vice President of Corporate Communications Chris Gent said, "Tina's writing is creative, concise and interesting to the reader. As a service provider, I appreciate her dependability and attention to detail. She's very good at what she does, and she's a real professional. We consider her part of our team."

Tina enjoys writing all types of marketing and public relations copy. Contact her for more information on how to make her part of your team.

Bounty Rules at Make-A-Messterpiece

2011-10-28T13:48:00.004-04:00

How's this for marketing? Today we visited Make-A-Messterpiece -- a creative art studio for kids. Their slogan is "Say Yes to the Mess!"

They sell messy packages that include painting, drawing, playing with bubbles, making crafts, learning about science, cooking and more.

Some of the titles of their activity stations are: Kids' Creative Kitchen, Bubble'ology, DrumRoll, Lil' Sprouts and Experimentation Station.

Well, this fun, messy place has found a huge sponsor in Bounty paper towels. What a great idea! Every mess needs to be cleaned up, right? So, why not use the best paper towels on the planet?

You can see from the pictures that the Bounty logo is found all over the place -- especially at the hand-washing stations!

Their website works the Bounty sponsorship in well by telling moms part of the benefit of kids visiting this creative studio is that they will also learn how to clean up after themselves!

On a side note, they use Charmin toilet paper in the bathrooms -- each toilet paper roll has the Charmin logo painted above it on the wall! I didn't feel right taking a picture in a bathroom, so you'll just have to imagine that one!

Anyway, if you want to see more about Make-A-Messterpiece, visit www.makeamessterpiece.com!

Cool stuff!

The Next Generation of Marketing Professionals are on the Way

2011-10-13T10:27:00.000-04:00

This week I had the pleasure of speaking to a couple of marketing classes at my alma mater -- Illinois State University.

My task was simply to share my career path with them in an effort to give them a glimpse of what can happen after graduation.

One of the things we touched on was creativity in your career -- because careers are not necessarily as streamlined as they were before. And, they are not always a straight line to retirement, as they once were.

I told the students about my career plan -- to start in the corporate world and gain experience, credibility and certifications. Then to launch a consulting business after having children that would allow me to be home with my children most of the time. (So far, so good!)

I showed them a few of the most fun projects I've worked on, such as the Million Dollar Coupon and the KUA annual reports. These were great examples of how the digital world is changing the fields of marketing and public relations.

I also shared with them how networking, volunteering and doing internships helped me get to where I am now. Living my dream.

It was such a fun experience, and I was really impressed by the students I spoke with. If anyone needs a few good marketing interns, let me know, and I'll get you in touch with the Marketing Department at ISU.

Professional accomplishments land Tina Haisman in Vidette Hall of Fame

2011-10-03T12:54:00.001-04:00

I accepted one of the greatest honors of my professional career this weekend. I was inducted into the Vidette Hall of Fame with three other outstanding Illinois State University alumni.

I worked at the Daily Vidette, the ISU student newspaper, from the first day of my freshman year until the last day of my senior year.

HOF Inductees Marc Lebovitz, Tina Haisman and Bill Mulvihill
pause for photos with Vidette General Manager Rick Jones.

The Daily Vidette has long been one of the most successful student newspapers in the country. I am grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to be a part of it during my time at ISU.

Among the reasons listed for my induction were the accomplishments I made while at the Vidette, including the fact that I was the first Business Manager to collect over $100,000 in one calendar month.

Several of my professional accomplishments were also mentioned, including my accreditations, certifications, awards and even the infamous Million Dollar Coupon campaign.

To say that I am honored would be an understatement. What a thrill!

For more information on my public relations consulting and writing business, visit www.haisman.com.

Inspiration from a Webinar

2011-07-07T13:47:00.001-04:00

I love feeling inspired and was lucky enough today to participate in a webinar that gave me that satisfaction. I found several action items I'd like to work on for myself and my clients! I know better than to try to tackle all of them at once, but I shouldn't have any trouble picking one to start with!

The webinar was titled 7 Steps for Small Business Success and was facilitated by John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing.

Here are my three favorite action steps!

A strategy to grow your business. Find and describe your IDEAL customer -- not just a good customer -- an IDEAL one. An ideal customer is one that values you, is profitable and refers you. Once you find them, analyze them -- demographics, psychographics, geographics and behavior. Get a crystal clear picture of your ideal customer.

I love that! Why are we looking only for "customers," when we could be looking for the IDEAL customers?

A tactic for differentiating yourself in the marketplace. Copy and paste into Word the first paragraph of your website. Do the same for one of your competitors. Black out all references to both of your business names. Then, read them and see if you can tell them apart. Have your employees and clients read it for you as well. This will show you if you are making yourself stand out online.

What a great tool to get you to spruce up your website copy if it needs it!

A tool for media relations. Identify five or six key journalists in your community or industry, and put them in Google Alerts so you get updates on what they write. Start commenting on their articles, blogs and send them information you have when appropriate.

We all know about building relationships with journalists, but I just loved the simplicity of accomplishing this tactic.

The webinar also listed a few interesting Internet statistics that you can read about in the graphic above. Enjoy!

Tina Haisman now offering Public Relations Coaching

2011-04-18T16:30:00.007-04:00

Are you a small business owner, entrepreneur, overwhelmed public relations professional or non-profit professional who needs guidance on how to get your business noticed by potential clients and the media? Have a limited PR budget, but understand the importance of PR? Can't afford to hire a full-service firm but would like some professional guidance?

Hire a Public Relations Coach!

As your Public Relations Coach, I can help you:

Craft an effective public relations plan
Identify your goals and set achievable objectives
Determine target audiences
Devise effective PR strategies to reach your audiences
Develop powerful public relations messages
Determine the appropriate media to target with your message
Prepare for media interviews
Navigate the social media scene
Teach you how to write a compelling media release

This service combines my 16 years of public relations experience with my Master Life Coach certification to inspire, motivate and empower my clients to achieve public relations success. Contact me to inquire about pricing!

Using Creativity and PR to Sell my Home

2010-09-20T21:42:00.002-04:00

Due to a job relocation, we need to sell our Fort Myers Florida home. After 3 months of letting an agent use traditional marketing methods, I took action on my own.

My husband and I came up with a marketing idea to create dueling top 10 lists of the best features about the home. We thought this would appeal to men and women who tend to look for different things when they buy a home.

I used the PR web advanced release package to distribute a release about the top 10 lists to areas snowbirds come to Florida from: Boston (for Red Sox spring training), Minneapolis (for Twins spring training), Detroit, Chicago and Columbus.

On the day the release went live, more than 30 people viewed our listing on www.realtor.com. That number may seem small to some, but from 0 hits one day to 30 the next was exciting. Those were 30 more people than would have seen the listing otherwise. In addition, the release infiltrated the news feeds on real estate websites worldwide.

I also distributed the release to my Fort Myers media contacts. As a result, an article ran Sunday, September 19, in The Fort Myers News-Press. It appeared on the front page of the real estate section and featured several pictures of the home. The publication of this article also infiltrated the web and populated the news feeds on real estate websites around the globe.

Another tactic I used for this campaign was a blog. I created a blog to tell the stories of the home to help potential buyers see what a lovely, family-oriented home 11471 Persimmon Court is. Check it out: http://11471persimmoncourt.blogspot.com. Each time I write a new blog entry, I post it on Facebook and Twitter.

One exciting aspect of this campaign was that the Florida Association of Realtors wrote an article declaring the dueling top 10 lists a new "marketing tactic" in their newsletter. This was particularly exciting since part of what we were trying to do was create some action, activity and momentum in the real estate world! Perhaps this one little idea will help generate many more!

Two books were instrumental in my inspiration to create this campaign. The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott and A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. If you haven't already read them, get going!

Will keep you posted when the house sells!

Just another day in the media world

2010-03-18T16:18:00.013-04:00

Last week I wrote about how excited I was about being contacted by NBC Nightly News. They were going to write a story about beach restoration projects and present both sides of the issue -- or so I was told. The story did not turn out that way at all, in fact, it landed on the "Fleecing of America" series.

What to do for my client now??? I work with another PR firm in representing the ASBPA, and we decided to take a two-pronged approach. I would write my contact at NBC directly with my disappointment, and the President of ASBPA would write a more public response to the piece.

The link to the story is here. Scroll to the program titled Beachfront Facelifts.

Following is the letter I sent to the producer I worked with...Here is the link for the official ASBPA response.

Dear NBC Producer (Name left off intentionally):

To say that I am disappointed by the Fleecing of America Story about “Beachfront Facelifts” would be an understatement.

When you contacted me, you did not reveal this story was for the “Fleecing of America” series. You presented the story as a balanced article about both sides of the issue – but that is not what we saw on the news last night. (Even though I've been told the interviews conducted with ASBPA representatives were thorough.) Out of a two-minute, 40-second piece, you dedicated only 24 seconds to the pro-beach restoration point of view.

The piece contained opinionated words and phrases such as “lost cause” and “futile” to describe efforts to restore America’s beaches. You aired Orrin Pilkey’s unsubstantiated phrases, such as “ignorant” and “societal madness,” to describe his radical (and extreme minority) view of beach restoration. You accused contractors and homeowners about caring only for the almighty dollar.

It seems to me, this story offered nothing more than a rehash of prior reporting on this subject, rather than facts and figures that might offer viewers a context in which to frame the issue and decide for themselves.

Allowing only 24 seconds for ASBPA to respond did not offer sufficient airtime for facts that support beach nourishment, such as:

• Beaches offer a good return on the federal investment: Every federal dollar spent on beaches brings in more than $300; every dollar spent on a restored beach brings $4-$5 back to taxpayers at all levels of government.

• A healthy beach protects the #1 U.S. industry … tourism. If U.S. beaches aren’t maintained, visitors (and the jobs they bring) will go elsewhere.

• A wide beach provides protection for homes, habitat and infrastructure. Money spent to maintain beaches should significantly reduce the federal money necessary to help communities recover after most coastal storms.

• 50% of our population lives within 50 miles of the coast. That’s where people want to be and that’s where the people’s money needs to be invested.

• Beaches are part of a larger and interdependent coastal environment. Loss of a sandy beach has a ripple effect through the entire coastal ecosystem.

• Coastal management is a crucial part of coastal commerce:

o The navigation that brings in goods.

o The recreation that brings in visitors.

o The habitation that makes communities thrive.

• Beaches attract twice as many visitors as our national parks, yet they receive a fraction of the federal funding spent annually on those parks.

There’s one more point I’d like to make: In the story about the flooding in Fargo, ND, which aired just before the beach story, your correspondent interviewed a woman from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who described how a diversion canal would help reduce flooding in that area in the future. The correspondent then said funding is needed to fix the problem and install the diversion canal.

But where do you think that funding will come from? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is funded by the U.S. government -- by tax dollars. How is protecting riverfront residents from these annual floods viewed with sympathy while protecting beachfront residents from exceptional (and certainly not annual) storm erosion deemed to be "fleecing"?

The Corps is also the agency responsible for carrying out the majority of federal beach nourishment projects to create wider beaches, which serve as coastal levees – a better barrier against coastal flooding.

I am sincerely disappointed in the way this story was handled.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Tina Haisman

ASBPA Media Relations

Workin' in the Media Biz

2010-03-11T19:50:00.002-05:00

I had the distinct pleasure of receiving an email and call from a producer with NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. How exciting for this Fort Myers, Florida-based girl!

The call was about my client, The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA). Nightly News is looking to do a story about the pros and cons of shoreline protection. They did the story many years ago, and are looking to revisit it again.

Shoreline protection is a highly debated topic in the coastal world. The engineers and scientists involved with ASBPA are very proactive concerning protecting America's shorelines, but there are scientists who are against it. I won't go into all of the details here, but you can visit the ASBPA website if you want to learn more.

When I received the email, I immediately began lining up the right people for NBC to talk to -- they were all gathered in Washington, D.C., for a Coastal Summit, so it was easy! While I was working on that, the producer follwed up his email with a call, and I had the pleasure of speaking to him and getting a better idea of what the story was going to be about. After our talk, I finished arranging the people and places for the interviews and emailed him the details.

Although I wasn't in Washington to meet the reporter and oversee the interviews, my cleint, Kate Gooderham, APR, CPRC, was. She and her husband, Ken, are co-executive directors of the ASBPA. Kate and Ken said the interviews went great!

Afterward, I was surprised to recieve thanks from the producer and reporter for helping them get the interviews they needed for the story. It was as if they were truly grateful. It just surprised me, because these are big-time producers and reporters -- they are used to dealing with big-time PR people. I'm just an independent consultant.

Throughout this process, I just thought I was doing my job. How exciting to receive that gratitude! Kate said the reporter even complimented us on the ASBPA website, which is very exciting! We've worked hard to make it a great source of information about the coast!

The other exciting thing about this turn of events is that the ASBPA has had a formal media relations program in place for about a year and a half now. Our program does not target the big news outlets. We target weekly coastal newspapers with the hopes that the bigger outlets will pick up on it -- and it has been working!

It feels so fantastic to see hard work pay off! It just makes you want to keep on going! Well, it sounds like the story will air next Thursday. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Got Passion?

2010-02-19T10:45:00.004-05:00

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing a woman from a non-profit organization yesterday. The interview is part of an annual report I am writing for a client. I won't give too much away, because we don't like to spoil the report before it is revealed in its entirety, but I was so moved by this woman that I had to share.

This woman is on FIRE for her non-profit. It is evident by the words she uses and the passionate way she speaks them. I swear, she had me near tears and ready to whip out my checkbook! All this during an interview for an annual report ... for a utility. Who'd a thunk?

I'll tease you with one quote. She said, "Give me a pencil, and I'll get a child to college." Wow. Powerful stuff. Doesn't that just give you goosebumps? She's not asking for enormous donations of scholarships -- just pencils. This woman totally moved me.

She inspired me so much that she set the tone for the entire report in my eyes. She made my job so much easier just by being passionate about hers.

I couldn't help but think, "What if everyone were that passionate about their job?" Can you imagine what we could do in this world? The mouths we could feed ... the children we could educate ... the diseases we could cure ... the possibilities are endless. The energy that radiates from a person who is that passionate about what they do is powerful.

Now I can't wait to interview the rest of the people!

Top 5 Tips to Craft a Media Release that’s worth a Million Bucks

2010-02-17T20:00:00.004-05:00

Media releases have gained tremendous strength in recent years as search engine optimization has gained steam. Now, just by writing a news release and posting it online, you can drive visitors to your website – IF you do it right!

I learned a lot by writing and distributing the Million Dollar Coupon media release last year, so I thought I’d share a few tidbits about writing SEO releases with you in this column.

1. Write a fantastic, newsworthy release that is rich with key words targeted to your audience. Keep it short – around 500 words.

2. If you can, give your release a unique URL on your website, using key words.

3. Write a short summary to go under your headline – just one or two sentences – using as many of your key words as possible.

4. Include web page links to other pages on your web site – keep it to a maximum of one link for each 100 words in your release.

5. Take advantage of multi-media – add a downloadable photo and/or a short video. This gives journalists all the tools they need to write a story.

Although you can pay hundreds of dollars to have your SEO release distributed, there are many free and inexpensive news release distribution services out there today. You have nothing to lose by trying it!

Local PR Pro Susan Bennett, APR, CPRC told me about www.prlog.org, and a local colleague of mine, Tara Geissinger, co-founded www.onlineprnews.com. Check them out to learn more about how SEO releases can work for you!

Crazy Foreclosure Guy Lands on WINK-TV

2009-08-01T09:19:00.005-04:00

The Crazy Foreclosure Guy landed himself on WINK-TV last night during the 5:30 news. Check out the story here: http://www.winknews.com/news/local/52213527.html. How exciting! It's the best local success we've had with the campaign! We are grateful to WINK News Reporter Christina Hernandez for sharing Tom's story with our community.

The online success of the release has been fantastic! In 11 days we've garnered more than 1,700 full page reads and 137,000 headline impressions through PRWeb. Just type Crazy Foreclosure Guy into Google and see all of the listings that come up!

I just can't say enough about PRWeb for getting the news out to the entire world! We went with the media visibility package, which has MANY benefits, including the ability to upload video and get the story out to all of the top news outlets in the country, including USA Today. We didn't get a "story" out of USA Today, but we did get a mention!

Plus, the analytical reports they deliver after the release goes live are great! How else would you know exactly how much attention your release is getting? Check out their pricing page for more information.

This release is just one of many to come from the Crazy Foreclosure Guy! It was a great way to start getting his name out there. He's got a TON of things on the horizon. I'll keep you posted!

The Crazy Foreclosure Guy

2009-07-25T08:46:00.006-04:00

I have a new client -- The Foreclosure Shoppe a.k.a. The Crazy Foreclosure Guy. His real name is Tom Bruzzesi. He and his girlfriend Gina are doing some really amazing things! When Gina and I spoke on the phone about what she and Tom are trying to do, we connected immediately -- it was personal.

Tom has a connection to the Marines, and so do I, through my family. Tom tried to enlist at age 17, but was rejected due to health concerns from his past. His story is amazing. I won't tell it all here, though, you'll have to read it on his website: www.theforeclosureshoppe.com.

My connection to the marines is my brother-in-law, who gave his life for us during the first Gulf War in 1991. And, my 6-year-old son, who donated all of his birthday gifts to the Marines' Toys for Tots program in honor of his uncle last year.

Since Tom was not able to enlist in the Marines, he found other ways of giving to our military and our country. Now that he runs a successful business, he is giving back, BIG TIME. More to come on that later!

The first release we put out was about a home that he purchased at a foreclosure auction for only $1,000. Seriously, $1,000. I don't know about you, but that's less than my monthly mortgage payment. Then, he sold the house for only$18,000 within a couple of weeks! That's a 1300% profit! Tom plans to hold investment seminars in the future to teach other people how to make money this way!

To get the word out, we put out a SEO PRweb release, which is getting tons of exposure worldwide! In just one week, it has had more than 1,300 full-page reads on PRweb and 101,000 headline impressions! Definitely check it out -- it has a fun video embedded, too!

We are also talking about it locally, and we'll see how that goes! Overall, this release seems to be a great foundation for building up to all of the work that he is doing. It's really helping get his name out there. Stay tuned! More to come!

The Power of Creating Buyer Personas

2009-07-20T07:41:00.005-04:00

Wow! I read in David Meerman Scott's book the New Rules of Marketing & PR that you should create buyer personas for your website and create separate content on the site for those people -- content that will help them solve their problems.

I took this approach with my client, Master Life Coach Lynne Pietrzyk. Her website is www.shiftandwakeup.com.

We started with three primary buyers who might need life coaching -- stay-at-home moms, working moms and step-moms. Although we are just beginning to get content onto the site, we have already been rewarded with the approach.

A couple of people have already apparently Googled something along the lines of "life coach step-mom." Whoa! I think she found herself a niche! As a result, she's already scheduled a life-coaching workshop about step-parenting!

Plus, the timing was perfect with a release we had just sent out on her current book club -- a double whammy!

Her last week was incredible with one lead coming in after another! Much of that had to do with our approach with the website. #1. Create buyer persona's. #2. Create content to help those buyers.

The crazy part of all of this is that we debated what to do about a website, because we do not have a big budget for it. In the past, websites cost thousands of dollars to create. Well, this time around, Lynne decided that something home-made was better than nothing at all. She did it herself using www.godaddy.com.

At this point, we can't wait to add more content! Keep your eye out!

The Public Relations Secret Behind the $1 Million Coupon Phenomenon

2009-07-12T15:55:00.003-04:00

Did that headline make you think I was going to tell you the secret behind the Million Dollar Coupon PR campaign? Well, I'm not!

But Content Marketing Strategist Newt Barrett will. He wrote about it in Friday’s edition of Content Marketing Today.

Visit www.contentmarketingtoday.com to read the article. Then let me know what you think! I hope you learn some hands-on tips that will help you in your job.

I don’t know how you feel, but I’m very excited about the new way of doing PR! I’m feeling re-energized and re-dedicated to my clients and my profession!

2009 PR Professional of the Year

2009-07-08T06:08:00.003-04:00

I received a very big honor yesterday. The Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association named me the 2009 PR Professional of the Year.

I don't think I can put into words what this means to me. For 13 years, I have watched seasoned PR professionals accept this award for their hard work and dedication to the profession. I have always dreamed of being honored in this way someday … I just didn’t realize that day was already here.

I owe much of my professional success to FPRA. When I moved to Florida 13 years ago, I joined the organization and jumped right in – volunteering on different committees and serving in board positions, including President in 2000.

I took very seriously the opportunity to learn from those around me, and I still do! What a gift – a group of 100 local PR professionals dedicated to helping others become better PR professionals! How can one go wrong?

With FPRA, you get out of it what you put into it. There are opportunities abound!

To expand my learning opportunities and networking, I even spent some time serving on the State board of directors. What an incredible experience that is!

The networking from this statewide organization has built my business. I have never advertised. I just continue to do what I do. What I love.

Thank-you to all of the members of FPRA for being so amazing at what you do and for sharing it with the rest of us! Thank you for your vote of confidence!

PHOTO NOTES: I was in good company! Pictured with me are: Laura Puerto, Chapter Member of the Year and Carla Ulakovic, Rising Star of the Year. What an honor!

Major Excitement

2009-07-06T10:17:00.007-04:00

Happy Monday morning! I'm writing to you from Illinois where I am finishing up my family vacation -- my brother got married!

While here I received two VERY exciting emails! One from Marketing Guru Newt Barrett, who said he would like to feature the Million Dollar Coupon on his content marketing blog! I'll be speaking to him later this week, and I'll be sure to post the link when it is published!

The other email was from David Meerman Scott. He is updating his book The New Rules of Marketing and PR and would like to include the Million Dollar Coupon! Major Wow! David is an amazing Marketing and PR expert, and I am honored to be considered as an example for the book!

In case you haven't heard of the book, it is one of the top marketing books in the world, a BusinessWeek bestseller and is published in 24 languages! David says many universities are using it as text! The new edition is expected to come out in early 2010. Wow. How lucky am I?

I am so excited about the new way of doing Marketing and PR. It has totally revved up my excitement about my business! I'm just chomping at the bit for the next adventure! I saw just how effective it is with the Million Dollar Coupon. I was totally wowed by it! If you haven't yet read David's book -- get it now!

The Top 10 Things I Learned from the FPRA Social Media Cafe'

2009-06-30T18:51:00.008-04:00

I attended the FPRA Social Media Cafe' Last Friday and learned some really cool things about social media! I swear I've heard some of these things before, but I guess I just need to keep pounding them into my brain to make them functional!

Here's my Top 10 List! Enjoy!

1. You press releases should have key words that link back to your site – keywords that would come up in a Google search. (Got this one down with the Million Dollar Coupon campaign!)

2. You can search www.twitter.com with a # symbol in front of the word you are looking for.

3. You can use www.Tweetlater.com to schedule your tweets. How cool is that?

4. www.socialmention.com – monitors blogs and sends you alerts.

5. www.StartPR.com – monitors Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and blogs. Try it!

6. Social media clubs are the wave of the future. To find one in your area, visit www.socialmediaclub.org.

7. You should use Twitter to link back to your site. (Whew! Already doing this one!)

8. You can use www.ping.fm and www.posterous.com for cross-posting! Way cool!

9. Online Newsrooms are not just for news releases and media kits -- you should also have video and photos...and links to your blogs, YouTube channel and Twitter and Facebook accounts.

10. Also, online newsrooms should have their own dedicated web address. The most common is www.news.YourCompanyName.com.

There you have it! Hope this helps!

Best Marketing Stunt

2009-06-26T19:15:00.005-04:00

Best Marketing Stunt. That's what Florida Weekly called the Million Dollar Coupon! Wow! What an unexpected surprise! I'm giddy! How fun! Thank you, Florida Weekly editors! I'm so glad I was a part of it! Check out the rest of Florida Weekly's BEST rankings!

Since we're talking about the Million Dollar Coupon, I am honored to say I have signed a new client for a very touching, exciting campaign to be revealed in the near future! This client is truly a gift -- a result of my hard work on the Million Dollar Coupon campaign. How lucky am I? I look forward to helping this new client, who is on a mission to serve others! Stay tuned for more details!

The Website is Live

2009-06-24T09:40:00.005-04:00

Look out world! Here comes Master Life Coach Lynne Pietrzyk! Her website is now live! I am so proud of her -- she did it herself! Check it out: www.shiftandwakeup.com.

It is definitely a work in progress -- we have so much we want to do with the site. But we decided to let it go live with just some basic information and view it as a work in progress. We will be continually updating and improving the online experience for our audiences.

We used what we learned by reading David Meerman Scott's The New Rules of Marketing & PR and created buyer persona's. Lynne has three primary buyer persona's -- the working mom, the stay-at-home mom and the step-mom.

Interestingly enough -- Lynne has been all three of these moms at one point in her life. She is two of the three right now! She can really identify with what all moms are going through.

Each of those moms has a page on Lynne's site. In the future we will add relevant articles to target those moms and let them see how Lynne can help them solve their problems. We hope it will be a place moms can come to receive support and comfort.

We hope you'll check it out! You can also visit her on Facebook at: http://facebook.dj/shiftandwakeup/

Looking forward to FPRA's Social Media Cafe'

2009-06-21T20:32:00.004-04:00

Ever since reading David Meerman Scott's The New Rules of Marketing & PR, I've been dangling my toes deeper into the social media waters.

Obviously, I learned VERY quickly how well it works with the Million Dollar Coupon campaign, but there is SO much more to be learned.

Thanks to FPRA's Southwest Florida Chapter, I'll be attending the Social Media Cafe' Second Course on Friday. It's a day-long social media professional development seminar that costs only $25 for FPRA members and $50 for FPRA non-members. Seriously, you can't go wrong! I won't go into detail about what will be covered, but you can view the schedule here.

The first course was held in May. It was only a half-day -- but what a GREAT half-day it was! I learned so much I could hardly stand it! Can't wait for this Friday!

I'll be sure to post some of what I learn!

Coach Lynne Using Social Media

2009-06-17T09:25:00.003-04:00

I've always said I like working with the "big idea" people. Lucky for me, Master Life Coach Lynne Pietrzyk is one of those people! In order to pump up her life coaching business, she is reaching out and providing free services to connect with potential clients.

One of her main tools is a book club that focuses on David Essel's Slow Down: The Fastest Way to get Everything You Want. This book club allows her to show off her coaching skills while providing a free self-help service to the community.

On the social media side of things, she has her Facebook page up and running, we are finishing up her blog and website, and she's already started an online live radio talk show. Have you ever heard of BlogTalk Radio? I hadn't either until I met this "big idea" woman!

You should check it out. The next program is tonight at 6:30 p.m. It will only last 15 minutes. Log on to www.blogtalkradio.com/Coach-Lynne or call in to (646) 595-3904. Tonight's focus is on summertime! She is going to discuss the excitement parents and children feel about the end of another school year and how the summertime gives parents the opportunity to create new positive habits in their family life. I'll be listening! Will you?

2009-06-12T19:24:00.006-04:00

Wow! The Million Dollar Coupon Man, Rich Ricciani appeared on Neal Cavuto's Our World today on Fox News!

Here's the link to the video: http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=011008&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=5945300&referralPlaylistId=playlist

Between this and the story in the L.A. Times, I'm floored at the excitement behind this man's GREAT idea!

I am honored to have been a part of the campaign!

Many, many thanks to the brilliance of David Meerman Scott. It was through reading his book, The New Rules of Marketing & PR, that I learned how to give this campaign legs! I keep finding new media clips every day!

Let the phones ring!

2009-06-09T05:28:00.002-04:00

The LA Times wrote about the Million Dollar Coupon!!!

Check it out: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-coupon9-2009jun09,0,5552091.story

2 p.m. update.....

Just found out the story landed on the front page of Florida Trend's website: www.floridatrend.com

My client received a call from FOX News in NY! He's doing a live interview tomorrow at 4 p.m.! WAHOO!

The Buzz Goes On!

2009-06-07T07:13:00.007-04:00

The Huffington Post covered the Million Dollar Coupon Story!

View the link!

Happy Sunday!

David Meerman Scott Writes About The Million Dollar Coupon

2009-06-06T08:07:00.000-04:00

Check this out! Marketing and PR guru David Meerman Scott wrote about the Million Dollar Coupon campaign on his blog!

www.webinknow.com!

What an honor! I am so excited!

Many kudos to Rich and Lani for their creative thinking!

Now all we need is a buyer!

The Million Dollar Coupon

2009-06-05T18:15:00.000-04:00

The Million Dollar Coupon

Wow! What a rush! Here's the story!

Fort Myers homeowner Rich Ricciani approached me with a "crazy PR idea" to run a coupon for $1 million dollars off the price of his $7 million home. My first thought was, "Hmmm...I'm not exactly a "crazy PR" kind of a woman. But, I honored his call and went to visit him at his home. Wow. I was impressed.

Mr. Ricciani wanted to create "buzz" for the home on the Internet. This was in lieu of simply reducing the price of the home on the MLS -- that alone simply would not have created the awareness of his home being for sale. He thought it was a unique idea that just might work! I agreed, so off we went to coordinate with the Realtor.

I worked on the PR plan while the Realtor placed the ads. The $1 million coupon ad first ran in our local paper on May 31, and will run this Sunday in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe (because Ft. Myers is the home of the Boston Red Sox Spring Training facility -- many of their fans know the area well).

I sent out the release via the PRweb Media Visibility package and took full advantage of all of their SEO tools based on what I learned from reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott. I also used www.prmatchpoint.com to compile a list of real estate writers in the south and northeastern U.S. I also personally targeted the big news outlets, such as CNN, Fox, NBC and more.

I added the story to www.digg.com and ireport on CNN. I've been tweeting headlines and continue to search for reporters to cover the story.

In 4 days on PRweb, their statistics say the release has been read more than 1,600 times -- around the globe! Headline impressions are over 88,000!

The story appeared front page in our local paper, The Fort Myers News-Press on May 31. It also aired on one of our local television stations, WINK-TV on June 1.

It is populating around the web in real estate blogs galore! Some people love the marketing tactic of a coupon, some hate it and call it a gimmick. Overall, the idea is being received very well! It has been very exciting and energizing!

Just last night we found it on the AOL news page. The homeowner uses AOL and was VERY excited to see it there! (Thanks, PRweb!)

Here are some links for you to check out:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/million_dollar_coupon/real_estate/prweb2447044.htm

http://realestate.aol.com/home-prices/home-selling-incentives?pg=2

http://www.1210gasparilladr.com/ -- this is the site the Realtor created for the listing

www.themilliondollarcoupn.com -- this is the site for the coupon

Will keep you posted!