AND, I save money. Sending a postcard? $.31 plus $.28 postage. Regular greeting card $.62 plus $.44 postage. When is the last time you purchased high quality greeting card for $.62!?!?! I save about $400 every year sending my business and personal holiday cards and gifts through SendOutCards.

So, I am encouraging people to sign up by putting my money where my mouth is. If you are one of the first three people to sign up for the Entrepreneurial Package I'll send you $100! But you have to sign up by July 31, 2010! If you are not one of the first 3 but you sign up by July 31st, I'll send you $50. You will thank me!

Details: The full Entrepreneurial Package for SendOutCards is $457. That includes the ability to include your own handwriting font, your own signature, all the software and 200 credits which will enable you to send 200 postcards right away or 100 greeting cards. The only other cost is a recurring $31 per month to purchase points which is how you purchase the cards. The points will never expire and remain in your account forever. Yes, you can stop that recurring charge if you decide you are no longer interested in using SendOutCards (trust me, you'll use them!).

Why is it called the Entrepreneurial Package? Because you can then resell it to others and make money. Now, I am not into network marketing and I don't do this to make money, I recommend this program because it's easy, fun and productive. I believe it has made a positive impact on my business and I love being able to send thank you cards, birthday cards, anniversary cards with my own message, photos and signature with a few clicks from my desk without going to the store to buy the card, write it out, lick the envelope, apply the stamp and go to the post office. They do all of that. It's really that easy.

Okay, I've said enough. To see what it's all about visit www.SendOutCards.com/Risa and check it out. The system will walk you through the program or you can call me, 845-627-3000 or email me, risa@gmgpr.com.

Recently I came across a video that inspires me and I had to share it as well. You could call her a motivational speaker, you could call her a beacon of light, or you could call her a little girl with moxie. But no matter what you call her, you have to admire and appreciate the sheer self confidence she exudes in this video and if you are smart, you will learn from it! I watch this video several times a week now. It makes me smile and it inspires me with the same self confidence. I hope it does for you as well. And be sure to share it with others.

This is the link to the book that started it all for me: Mindmapping It's an easy read so pick it up if you are so inclined to learn more about the process.

Now there is software to help you create beautiful mindmaps for projects and proposals. The one I use is by Inspiration. It is fairly simple to use and the end product can be exported as a jpg, directly into Word documents, etc. and everyone is always impressed when I include one of these in a pitch, proposal or other document. It simply makes the project easier to comprehend.

Now there are online tools available. While I haven't used any of these yet, I encourage you to take a look at this article and explore some of these tools yourself. I plan to test out the Whiteboard soon! I will post my thoughts shortly.

Have fun!

http://bit.ly/9awr4v

Congratulations to www.twitter.com/MyMagjak, winners of our 100th Tweet Contest! They have won a $100 gift certificate to Morton's The Steakhouse! We'll do more contests throughout the year, so follow us and get tweeting! Don't know how? Call us, we'll get you started! 

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN TRADITIONAL MEDIA AND NEW MEDIA

What You Need To Know To Market Your Business in Today's Environment 

 As part of an on-going series of marketing support workshops, GMG Public Relations, Inc. will host a workshop titled, "Bridging the Gap Between Traditional Media and New Media" on Tuesday, May 11th from 6:00 – 7:30 PM at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Hackensack, New Jersey at The Shops at Riverside. The fee is $25 for those signing up before May 1st and seating is strictly limited; advance reservations are required. The program will include an opportunity to network, insights into merging old and new media, a Q&A section, delicious Morton's food, and free marketing materials.

The speakers are Risa B. Hoag, President of GMG Public Relations, Inc. based in Nanuet, New York and Ann Byne, Creative Director of The Byne Group located in Suffern, New York. The topics to be covered include:  

• Using traditional public relations in today's 'new media' world
• Developing a comprehensive marketing program that melds traditional and new media
• Understanding the importance of branding and its application in today's marketing
• How to capitalize on your company's brand in new and social media
• How to use social media to expand your marketing without spending all day on Twitter!

Prior to founding GMG Public Relations in 1991, Risa was Director of Public Relations with Ernst & Young in White Plains where she had overall responsibility for media placement, writing feature articles and press releases, developing and coordinating special events, market research, and the design and placement of advertising. Risa is a past President of The Westchester Association of Women Business Owners, co-founder of the Partnership for a Better Westchester, past Public Relations Chairperson for the Advertising Club of Westchester, former Vice President of the Nanuet Chamber of Commerce and the Tappan Zee International Trade Association and currently serves as a Trustee on the Board of Beth Am Temple and is a member of the Orange & Rockland Utilities Community Investment Grant Committee. While GMG's primary focus has been traditional PR and marketing support, Risa recently received her Inbound Marketing Certification awarded by Inbound Marketing University. This certification acknowledges her proficiency in inbound marketing principles and best practices including: blogging, search engine optimization, social media, lead conversion, lead nurturing and closed-loop analysis. As a teacher certified by New York State, Risa has presented countless public relations and marketing seminars and workshops to business organizations and area colleges. An accomplished business writer and source, Risa has appeared on numerous radio and television programs and has been quoted and featured in numerous regional and national publications.

Ann Byne is the Creativ e Director and Principal of The Byne Group. As Principal of The Byne Group, she manages an active client list from around the tri-state area and beyond, some of whom are Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profits. Known for their branding, design, communications and strategic analysis, over 5 years ago Ann broadened the Group’s offerings to include 360 degree integrated marketing with on line strategies including web design and social media. Ann was selected as one of 50 owners of Women-Owned Businesses from across the U.S. to receive a full scholarship to an intensive executive development program run by the prestigious Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, underwritten by IBM. This program is committed to providing the tools necessary to move established businesses to the next level. A graduate of Pratt Institute, a Who’s Who of American Women-Owned Businesses and the winner of an enviable list of design awards, Ann was honored in 2007 with the Pinnacle Award for outstanding achievement by a woman-owned business. She formerly chaired Rockland County’s Art in Public Places (AIPP) Committee and has been featured in The Journal News as one of “Five to Watch.”  She shares her expertise by lecturing In addition, she is a board member of Hospice of Rockland and her firm provides pro-bono services to the organization.

To register for this workshop, visit www.gmgpr.com and click on the Seminars link. Direct questions to Risa Hoag at GMG Public Relations, Inc. at 845-627-3000 or risa@gmgpr.com.

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For example, many years ago, we ran a promotion at the IMAX Theatre at Palisades Center where a percentage of ticket sales for the summer went to Special Olympics. Not only was it a great cause to support, we were able to get several articles promoting it and then a wonderful photo of a giant check bring presented to Special Olympics from IMAX was picked up in all the local area papers.On top of that, Special Olympics sent information to all the folks on their mailing list about the promotion encouraging them to visit the IMAX Theatre.

Right now we are working with Morton's The Steakhouse which often works with charitable organizations around the world to raise money for good causes. On April 8th, we will host Scottish Night at the Morton's Steakhouse in White Plains. We are bringing in a well-known Kilt maker from Scotland who will do kilt fittings and we will serve Scottish salmon and other famous Morton's hors d'ouevres, have Scotch tastings and Bloomingdales will offer samples of its new UK line. Folks can get fitted for a custom made Kilt and all the proceeds will go to Children1st, an organization in Scotland that helps children who have suffered from abuse or neglect. The kilt maker and Children1st, as well as all their contacts, are doing emailings for us to their client base. It's a win/win. Morton's gains access to a new audience, people attend and have a taste of Morton's wonderful food and we raise money for a worthy cause.

Try this for your business. It's a great way to feel good and experience a win/win!

By the way, if you would like to attend this really great event, visit the Morton's The Steakhouse website and sign up! I'll see you there!

Traditional PR refers to writing press releases, contacting the media, pitching stories and getting placement. All of that is still going on, so yes traditional PR is relevant. However, the media is now a much wider audience because it doesn't just refer to the local daily paper or the weekly business newspaper. It refers to all the websites and/or blogs that may have an interest in what you are talking about. Plus, contrary to what some would have you believe, traditional media isn't dead; it is perhaps a smaller audience and the newspapers or magazines themselves might be smaller, and some have folded, but many are still very much alive. In fact, whenever I do a traditional ad (and yes I still do them), in the local business weekly, I ALWAYS get calls. Yes, always. Perhaps because my ad is very targeted as is the audience I am speaking to; and that's key. It is critical to know who you are sending your releases to and who the audience is that they are trying to reach.

So regardless of whether you are sending out a traditional press release to traditional media or creating an on-line release, some critical elements remain the same. So let's review....

While it may sound ridiculous to say "be sure to include who what where when and why", you would be amazed at how many releases still leave out some piece of critical information. Editors still tell me that they will receive releases from people (even PR firms) that have an incorrect date (Thursday the 12th, when Thursday is really the 11th), no time, no place listed, no phone number, etc. When your release is completed, just check it, who what where when why. Is everything in there? Ask someone else to proofread it for you who is unfamiliar with the subject matter; often we gloss over things that seem obvious to us, but aren't to a new reader.

Next, be sure to put your critical information in the top paragraph and the last. If the media has little room (which is often the case), they will often reduce the release by taking out the middle.

When sending a release, ask yourself, is this really news? If you are sending a complete "puff" piece, you are likely to turn off the media rather than gaining their interest. Have you included and checked facts? Have you identified a trend? The media loves trends. Are you saying something that will be of interest to the readers of the publication or is it just of interest to you?

Part of the problem with writing traditional press releases as well as the problem with some people using social and new media, is that they think everyone is interested in them. Sorry to say, but truly no one is interested in you and hearing you boast. They want to know how your expertise, award, new product, etc. effects their life. What does it do for them? If you are only talking about yourself, trust me, no one will be listening.

Be sure that your release is informative and somehow enlightens the reader. Regardless of whether you are writing for the weekly business publication or an on-line audience, your information must give them something, before they will think of giving you something (the sale!).

The key with Twitter is to keep Tweeting. Keep putting information out there and people will start to listen. But please note that I said "put information out there." Please don't just talk about yourself! You must Tweet about other things; be a source of information. Retweet people you respect. Share their information. Be seen as a source and a resource. It is critical to success in today's social media world. People are hungry for quick useful info. Be that source and you will be successful because eventually, when people need a service that you offer, you will be top of mind. It is interesting that something as simple as "be helpful" has become a strategy for success!

Here's the details on our 100th Tweet Celebration!

 We're celebrating our 100th Tweet! Someone is going to win a $100 gift certificate to Morton's The Steakhouse! Everyone who follows us, Tweets #gmgpr or retweets us is eligible. One winner will be chosen at random. Contest ends March 31, 2010. Winner announced April 1st (and no, it's not an April Fools joke!) So get tweeting! Don't know how? Call us, we'll get you started!

- if you have had a website for a while you have likely built up some equity with incoming links to your site from other sites on the web; this is the most important factor that Google considers when ranking a site for search results, so redesigning your site and cause links to not function will actually hurt your overall ranking; can you instead work within the design you have and the pages you have to tweak the content, create new pages, add forms and information? The more dynamic your site is (content being added and updated often), the better your ranking will be on Google.

- while you may be bored with the look of your site, it may actually be effective for your target audience; but how do you know? Analytics; make sure you have Google analytics installed on your site. Google analytics (a free service), will provide you with details on who is visiting your site, where they are from, how long they stay, how they found you, what search terms they used, etc. It is a invaluable tool and can help you tweak and update your site to be more effective.

- consider the content on your site; does it say what you think people want to hear about you or does it address the issues that concern your target audience? Too often websites talk about how great the company is who created the site, visitors don't really want to hear how great you think you are; they want to read about how you can solve their problem. If they see their issues pointed out and addressed, they will be interested, stay longer, and call or email for more information. If you talk all about yourself, they will quickly click to the next site on the Google search

So, why am I talking so much about Google search? Because that is the primary source for information these days, for both businesses and consumers. If you need something, what do you do? Go to your yellow pages? Ask a neighbor? Call a vendor for a reference? Nope. You Google-it. And so does everyone else, so it is critically important to try to increase your ability to draw people into your site (in-bound marketing). Your website has to be a magnet. You have to draw people to it.

More on how to do that with social media in the coming days!