Blog Posts by "Valerie Touchstone"
Practice What You Preach
Posted on Jun 18, 2009 by Valerie Touchstone |
Finally! We have our own blog! For quite some time now, our team has been busy setting up blogs for our clients. We wax eloquently about the Search Engine Optimization value of blogs and how it only “takes a few minutes to add new content to a Web site” with this function. Until no...
Tagged: new blog, search engine optimization, web site design, ad campaign
Thoughts on Social Media
Posted on Jul 6, 2009 by Valerie Touchstone |
The tools in the proverbial communications toolbox just keeping growing. Marketers and business owners have more refined options and in many cases, less expensive choices than ever before in terms of ways to communicate to their intended audiences. The issue in many cases is the actual time to u...
Tagged: marketing plan, communications plan, strategy, web site, website, online ads, internet marketing, marketing research
You Can't Grow Your Business by Shrinking
Posted on Jul 23, 2009 by Valerie Touchstone |
I recently read this blog post by Seth Godin regarding how the idea that you can’t grow your business by shrinking – he really hit the mark with his notation of Tom Peters’ quote “You can’t shrink your way to greatness.” It is, however, a natural instinct for ...
Tagged: business growth, new customers, advertising, promotion, business, marketing
To Blog or Not to Blog? The Benefits of Blogging Can Be Big.
Posted on Aug 31, 2009 by Valerie Touchstone |
I’ve had a lot of people ask me recently if they should blog for their business; others say they want to, but are nervous about what to put on their blog. Reasonable concerns, but when the benefits of blogging are considered, it is really just a matter of learning how to blog – not i...
Tagged: blogs, blogging, web site, better blogging, benefits of blogging, search engine optimization, seo, pr, public relations
Media: Watchdogs turned Lap Dogs
Posted on Sep 11, 2009 by Valerie Touchstone |
I know this post may be controversial, but that is okay. Journalism and the watchdog role it should play is a topic that never fails to get my blood pumping. In fact, I believe the watchdog role is the core of what journalism is – or should be. Since I love news, I have been trying to dete...
Tagged: news, journalism, facebook, twitter, text, blog, blogging, reporting, news stories, watchdog, media
Branding: Important for Small Businesses Not Just Major Companies
Posted on Oct 23, 2009 by Valerie Touchstone |
As a PR and marketing professional, everything I do for clients revolves around branding. Ensuring consistency of visual branding and message in all of a client’s tools – from Web and Internet presence to print ads, billboards, displays and collateral material to more intangible item...
Tagged: branding tifton, branding south georgia, branding, small business branding, marketing tifton, marketing south georgia, marketing, advertising tifton, advertising south georgia, advertising, logos tifton, logos south georgia, logos, ads tifton, ads south georgia, ads, web presence tifton, web presence south georgia, web sites tifton, web sites south georgia, internet presence
Marketing So Great You Can Taste It.
Posted on Feb 11, 2010 by Valerie Touchstone |
We have all been talking about the recent Domino’s Pizza TV ads that discuss, with frankness, the discovery that consumers had a less-than-stellar opinion of their pizza. The idea that the company not only asked customers’ opinions, but then made changes based on that input and (gasp)...
Tagged: dominos, market research, new customers, websites, website, marketing, advertising campaign, ads, social media, blogs
Social Media - Highway to Two-Way Communication
Posted on Mar 26, 2010 by Valerie Touchstone |
Okay…at this point, we should all know the value of authentic, two-way communication. But, just in case there is someone out there who doesn’t understand how this works, here is the basic concept: two-way communication involves listening in equal proportion to yakking. That is it in a...
Tagged: social media, website, web site, marketing, communications, pr, blogs, blogging, facebook, twitter
Customer Service Rules the Day
Posted on Apr 7, 2010 by Valerie Touchstone |
I talk a lot about customer service with clients – it is the foundation of solid marketing. I mean, honestly, the strategy can well thought-out, uber creative and executed flawlessly…but when the customer actually interacts – in person, online or via phone – with the compa...
Tagged: marketing, customer service, advertising, marketing strategy, marketing plans, website, logo, ads
BP + PR = 0
Posted on Jun 9, 2010 by Valerie Touchstone |
It really never ceases to amaze me how often major companies completely train wreck when it comes to PR and crisis management. The list of colossal missteps, gaffes and blunders grows monthly – and includes everything from a fundamental lack of understanding of PR (or unwillingness to list...
Tagged: pr, public relations, crisis communications, marketing, positioning, message, image, advertising, social media