Media Profile: Fortune Small Business - Internet Magazine
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We're celebrating a lot over at the Cherry house lately.
Art on Lark, which is Albany's premier art festival, took place less than one block from my house on Saturday. While the girls stayed with the nanny, Matt & I strolled the street festival, enjoying the sights and sounds of our artsy neighborhood. Then we kicked back with a couple of glasses of wine at our favorite local pub, Tess's Lark Tavern. Here's how busy it was at my intersection just around 2 PM.
My niece Bailey's birthday was on Sunday. A basketball star in the making at the mere age of 10, Bailey had her party at the rec center so everyone could have fun. She was especially pleased with the autographed copy of The Golden Compass, with a special note to her by author Phillip Pullman. It was a surprise that Matt got her, since he had dinner with the author a couple of weeks ago.
(By the way, the book has special significance to all of us, since we named Lyra after the heroine in the book!)
Since I mentioned the twins, I need to say they loved Bailey's party. Lyra & Sasha really enjoyed playing ball with the 'big girls.'
I'm also pulling out the marshmallows for the next new 'adventure': Marketing Summer Camp. The survey that you participated in (thank you, by the way), as well as the Happy Holidays teleclass made me realize how much more you wanted to learn about basic, low cost marketing tactics. So I partnered with good friend and SEO Success Master Rebecca Murtagh to offer this special 'camp' experience to cover everything you asked for - and more.
Speaking of the survey, many of you wanted to learn more about creating press kits. This week's feature article will give you the insight to developing your own.
Some of you also said you were confused by all the Web 2.0 and social networking tactics out there. So I'm hosting a FREE teleseminar TONIGHT! Find out more by going to http://www.beheardsolutions.com/registerfreeteleseminar.htm or reading today's recommended resource.
You will be heard!
Shannon
PS: I always welcome feedback. Let me know what you think about the ezine by emailing me at assist@beheardsolutions.com
Free Teleseminar TONIGHT!
Learn Web 2.0 and Social Network Strategies
Web 2.0. Social networking. All these buzz words, but what
do they really mean and (more importantly) how do they fit into your marketing
strategy?
Tonight at 8 PM EDT (5 PM PDT), I'll be interviewing Michele PW, Your $Ka-Ching! Marketing
Strategist, and Mary Pat Kavanagh, Queen of Connections, on exactly what all of
this is and how you can use these strategies to get more leads, contacts,
customers and MONEY.
We're going to learn:
* The psychological reasons why people are using Web 2.0 and social networking in the first place (understand this and you are LIGHT YEARS ahead of what most marketers are doing with it so
you'll be FAR more successful)
* How you can use those psychological triggers to position yourself above your competition (and reap more traffic and sales in the process)
* What are the different social media and Web 2.0 sites and which ones are right for YOUR business
* The best way to position yourself so you will continue to get high quality traffic REGARDLESS of what's happening in the social media landscape
* Time-saving tips so you CAN get the most of your social networking without it sucking all your time.
* And much more!
Every small business needs a press kit. Also known as a media kit, a press kit
is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials of a person, company, or
organization distributed to members of the media to use.
Although you don't
want your press kit to get lost in the shuffle, you also do not need to include
everything you have.
Follow these guidelines and you'll have a press kit
that everyone will notice.
1.) Think Differently - When
putting together a press kit, think of yourself as the receiver. By thinking
differently, you will eventually put the press kit together differently. Don't
put the usual fluff into the press kit. Add only the most important and relevant
information to your target market - in this instance, a journalist who may want
to cover you. Think like a journalist. If a journalist doesn't want to see it,
then don't put it in.
2.) Letter of Introduction - This
is the first thing that will be seen, so make it stand out. Not by colors or fun
designs, but by content. It's where you really catch the attention of the
journalist or lose it. Include a table of contents so they know what they will
be reading.
3.) Facts - By adding a company brochure or
fact sheet, the journalist will find out everything they need to know easily.
Have a few different fact sheets and switch them depending on who is receiving
the press kit.
4.) Contact Info - If you are going
through all the time to put together a press kit, be sure to include contact
information. Remember to include a few ways to reach you or your business - even
at times when your business is closed.
5.) Biographies -
When including biographies, be sure to highlight experience, credentials and
important facts about staff members. Don't exaggerate about yourself or others.
You never know if they will want a follow up interview.
Designed for American Express Small Business
Corporate Card holders. Provides in-depth case studies of small businesses and
their success or failure. Includes techniques and strategies for improving
profit and productivity, updates on related legislation, industry news, and
sections covering technology, advice on business strategies, and franchising
information. Offers related subject matter on health care, employee
compensation and benefit reports
Some Key People and What They Need:
Stacy Cowley, editor - stacy_cowley@fortunemail.com
Stacy is the Editor and seeks information pertaining
to Small Business Owners and their Businesses, including News Events, Trends,
Policies and Products. Contact her via e-mail.
Geoff Lewis, executive editor - geoff_lewis@timeinc.com
Geoff is the Executive Editor and covers service-oriented stories
for Small Business Owners. Contact him via e-mail.
Editor's note: I've done my best to make sure these contacts and their details are accurate. But remember, it's best to check to make sure!
Shannon Cherry, APR, MA is the founder and president of Cherry Communications, which includes the subsidiary Be Heard Solutions. She works with small business owners, nonprofit directors and entrepreneurs to help them to be heard.
For more than 15 years, she's been turning people's thoughts and ideas into clear, concise, compelling stories - the kind that stand above the rest and get noticed.
In addition to her consulting work, Shannon has co-authored two books: Be Your Own Great & Powerful: A Woman's Guide to Living a Real, Big Life and Parenting Beyond Belief, an Amazon best seller for more than eight months. She is also the blogger behind, Startup Spark, one of the top 60 business blogs in the world.
She is also a professional speaker, who has presented internationally on the topics of media, public relations, marketing and parenting.
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I'm also pulling out the marshmallows for the next new 'adventure': 
Every small business needs a press kit. Also known as a media kit, a press kit
is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials of a person, company, or
organization distributed to members of the media to use. 
