It’s About Them

Then the discussion turned to “who”. Who would be doing this blogging, and what would they be blogging about? Certainly the organization could use their blog to communicate all of the reasons why Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley is a great organization, one deserving of a donation. But that was exactly the direction they DIDN’T go, rather they decided to tell the story of those they support, through their special first-person perspective.

Shari is Making Things Happen

From the physical and social challenges that they face, to the assistive technologies they use, GESMV staff Shari and Kevin (both with physical disabilities) provide a unique and moving insight to everyday life in the Miami Valley. I was particularly fascinated with the perspective that Shari provided regarding the experiences that she has had when visiting restaurants, public spaces and retail stores in Dayton. I quickly began realizing after some discussion that some of my favorite hangouts also happen to be less than accessible to folks like Shari and Kevin.

Blog at Blog.GESMV.org

This evening, Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley unveiled 3 new blogs at http://blog.gesmv.org each of them with a unique and special story that they can’t help but share. I congratulate GESMV for using their blog to unleash their personality and spirit and support their efforts to break down human and social barriers, bring a new awareness to the needs of others are share yet another spectacular example of the good works of Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley.

Welcome Shari, Kevin and Kim to the wild and expressive world of blogging! I look forward to reading your contributions.

“RatePoint’s assets and technologies are currently being acquired, and
unfortunately this means that all RatePoint accounts will soon be closed.
Effective February 2, 2012, all RatePoint services, including Reputation
Management, Email Marketing, Surveys, and Product Reviews will be
discontinued. Your ability to access your RatePoint account will end at
this time.”

In December, Constant Contact, an email marketing company that we also are partners with, acquired in a cash sale the email marketing clients and associated assets of Ratepoint, leaving them with just their reputation management services.

RatePoint is a provider of customer reviews, testimonials and online reputation management services for online merchants. Ratepoint also fed the testimonials into Google and other directories that used testimonials to enrich their business listings.

Over the past three years, RatePoint raised a total of $23.5 million in VC funding since the company was launched by the founders of GeoTrust (now Verisign).

As a partner with Ratepoint, Bash Foo will seek to find the best alternative solutions for our clients to serve their online reputation needs. It is truly unfortunate that a company with a slogan like “Reputation is Everything” failed to meet their financial obligations, impacting thousands of small businesses that relied on their services. There was no mention as to what company acquired their liquidated assets

Who is going to use mobile payments?

The age group between 20 and 44 are lion share, and with more than 4% growth in the mobile payments industry every year plastic’s days are now numbered.

Where are people most likely to embrace mobile payments?

1. Groceries at the supermarket
2. Clothes at a retailer
3. Phone bill at a wireless store
4. Coffee at a coffee shop
5. Sofa at a furniture store
6. Taxi ride

So.. If you are in one of the 6 markets above and are looking for new customers in the 20-44 age group segment, beginning to use mobile payments before the rest of the retailers out there would be a good idea.

How can I get this implemented?

There are several ways.. On the high-side ($$$) you can build a mobile app for your business and have them use that to pay you. On the cheap ($) you can leverage the PayPal mobile merchant solution. You can call us for details of these solutions and all of them in-between. (478) 227-4366

Now.. on to the #chartporn…

via: The Digital Wallet and the Future of Payments [INFOGRAPHIC]

Whether your goals are to win an election, raise money for your cause, mobilize activists or advocate for your issue, Bash Foo can help you develop the digital strategy and communications plan to achieve your goals. Recent wins for our team is include successful political campaigns for Bill Beagle for Ohio Senate, and Mike McDermott’s City Council bid.

Not interested in candidates and just want to pass that important levy? We have designed and implemented two successful levies just this year with the Tipp City Streets and Safety levy on May 3rd and a Tipp City Schools renewal levy on November 8th.

How do we do it?

Our team will work with you to plan and execute a strategy that seamlessly integrates technology and online tactics into your political campaign plan to help you reach your campaign goals more effectively and efficiently.

Many politicos fear telling the public anything, however in this world of social media, a careful mix of well planned and timed messaging will help to encourage supporters to go out and vote, donate to your campaign and provide tailored guidance to undecided voters looking for information about your cause or candidate.

When winning matters, Bash Foo is the proven, experienced team you can trust. Contact us today to find out how we can help.

Public/private partnerships are pretty awesome things. This may be one of them.

Google has announced it’s partnership with the economic development folks from Columbus to host an event at the Schuster Center on October 4th that will provide small business owners with a FREE webpage and a FREE Google Places listing.

You may be asking yourself, why would a web design firm advertise how one could obtain a webpage for FREE? Well, because we are cool like that. If you don’t have several hundred/thousand dollars to invest in a professional looking site and you are just looking to get your business online… this is in one word.. perfect.

Google & friends are coming to town to get your business online!

If you don’t have a website or Google Places listing, you’ll find everything you need to get started – web professionals at your side every step of the way. If your business is already online, you’ll find tools and resources to help your business succeed online.

At this event you can:

• Get a free website and Google Places listing
• Get 1:1 advice and tips
• Learn more about online marketing
• Network with your fellow small business owners

Details

The details are super simple. Visit this website to register to attend, and then make sure you are at the Schuster Center on October 4th!

Put a sign-up sheet at your register or reception desk. Ask callers on the phone. If you’re a web-based operation, send a follow-up after an order asking if they’d like to continue to hear from you.

Have your employees and staff ask too. Don’t be shy! Studies have shown that over half of people will provide their email addresses if asked.

Ask people you meet in professional settings.

There’s a lot of networking going on at trade shows, conferences, seminars, and industry events— tell your new contacts about your email newsletter and ask them to subscribe, too!

Use our Online Email Marketing tools to sign people up.

We Partner with Constant Contact and Ratepoint to provide easy-to-use buttons and widgets to help you capture people’s interest in you. You can then them on your website, Facebook page, blog, LinkedIn profile and in your outgoing emails. They’re easy to use. People just click on the link or button and get taken to your quick sign-up page. Their email goes automatically into your Constant Contact or Ratepoint contact database. Couldn’t be easier!

Don’t forget about social media.

People love to share great information. Be sure to use our Social Share bar so your subscribers can forward your newsletter, put it on their Facebook pages, or Tweet it.

Cross-promote yourself with a related business or organization.

Got a good relationship with a business that’s complementary to yours (such as florists and chocolate stores; theaters and neighborhood bistros)? Promote each other in your respective newsletters by being “guest contributors” and writing a newsletter article for their audience, either one time or on an ongoing basis. You’ll also benefit by the perceived endorsement from the other business, making their subscribers more willing to give you a shot.

Promote your email newsletter in all your printed collateral.

Put a simple message on your business cards, brochures, advertisements, sales kits, and direct mail letters. Some ideas:

• “Sign up for our email newsletter for insider information and discounts at [your URL].”
• “Get our monthly newsletters with tips on how to get more business.”
• “Receive our weekly email newsletter for exclusive coupons.”
• “Let’s stay in touch often. Sign up for our email newsletter.”
• “Ask us about our email newsletter.”

Use incentives to get new signups.

Offer a monthly prize drawing or freebie like a guide, discount, or giveaway to entice people to leave their email address. If you have employees, run a contest (with a great motivating prize, of course!) to see who gets the most new names in a certain period of time.

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We love how wildly successful our clients have become using just this technique. Would you like to have your company featured in Forbes or the New York Times, how about on TV on CNBC, NBC, or the Lifetime Channel? Of course, there is always the benefit of driving hundreds more fans to your facebook and web page to constantly receive your news updates.

First things first though.. You have to learn how to write a standards-based press release for your business or organization.

So, what is a press release anyways?

A press release is simply a statement prepared for distribution to the media. Your press release will provide journalists and bloggers information that is useful, accurate and interesting.

All press releases are created using an understandable and “template” formatting for easy reading by the media.

Formatting your press release

Press releases should always be printed on your company letterhead. If you do not have company letterhead, make sure to add your logo in the header of the document. Your branding helps the media to identify your press release quickly. Next, your companies name, web address, location address and phone number should be printed clearly at the top of the page. PRESS RELEASE should be spelled out in all CAPS and centered in bold.

Media Contact

The press release contact person’s name followed by all contact numbers printed clearly underneath. If the press release is for IMMEDIATE RELEASE, say so, on the left margin directly above the title in all caps.

Title

Consider this your headline or title component. It should be centered, and in bold (but not caps). The heading of the press release should capture the journalist in the least amount of words. Don’t be too gimmicky, short, sweet and clear.

Content

The body of the press release begins with the date and city from which the press release originated. The body of the press release is very basic; who, what, where, when and why. The first paragraph of the press release should contain in brief detail what the press release is about. The second paragraph explains, in detail: who cares; why you should care; where one can find it; when it will happen. Also, included in the second ‘informative’ paragraph is generally a quote that gives the release a personal touch. Quotes go a long way with journalists. The third and final paragraph sums up the release with further information on your company along with the company contact information clearly spelled out.

Content Formatting – The content of the press release, beginning with the date and city of origin, should be typed in a clear, standard font with double-spaced paragraphs. If your press release exceeds one page, the second page should indicate ‘Page Two’ in the upper right-hand corner. Journalistic standards also define how a press release should be ended: ###. Three # symbols, centered directly underneath the last line of the release indicate the end.

Your final checklist

• Company Letterhead, Name, Address, Phone Number, Web Address
• PRESS RELEASE in all caps
• Contact Person’s Name and contact info
• Immediate Release or Release Date (all caps)
• HEADLINE or TITLE in BOLD/CAPS
• Date/City followed by;
• Engaging CONTENT Here
• Sum it up; let them know about your business…
• Basic Font, Double Spaced, Page Numbers, and ###

Example Press Release from one of our clients

How Bash Foo fits in…

Bash Foo is able to target media in Ohio, in the region, the US or the World. We hit up print, TV, Radio and bloggers to make sure they have your press release AND how to get hold of you. We then syndicate your message in dozens of social media channels for good measure. Entry level single-state press releases start at $299 without copy-writing services, so write your own.. send it to us and get noticed!