Archive of ‘Business’ category

14 ways to get reporters to notice your pr pitches

By Chanda Temple

Do you know the editors, producers and reporters at your media outlets? You should.

Do you know the editors, producers and reporters at your media outlets? You should.

On a recent Tuesday night inside Birmingham’s Trim Tab Brewing Co., the beer was flowing and so were tips on how to get the media to notice your pitches from pr professionals.

Those doling out the info were Erin Shaw Street, deputy editor for Southern Living magazine; Rachel Lindley, news director for WBHM FM; David Magee, editor of Birmingham Magazine; and Walker Sorrell, associate publisher of Business Alabama. They were Trim Tab to participate in a panel discussion presented by the Alabama Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and the Public Relations Council of Alabama, two organizations focused on giving pr professionals networking opportunities and tools to improve their craft.  (Today’s post is Part 2 of the PRSA/PRCA panel discussion. To see Part 1, go here.)

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Mastering the art of a good handshake

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What does your handshake say about you? Image by Jet via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

By Chanda Temple 

Earlier this year, I met a man running for public offie. I don’t remember his name nor the office he wanted. What I do remember is his handshake. It was clammy and sweaty.

After shaking hands, I couldn’t wait to wipe my hand. It was left kinda wet.

As I walked away, I wondered if the man knew what his handshake said about him. He may have been the best man for the job, but all I could focus on was that handshake.

Though it may seem small, a handshake is a big thing in politics and business.

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Why Javacia Harris Bowser is good for your blog

By Chanda Temple

Javacia Harris Bowser, founder of See Jane Write

Javacia Harris Bowser, founder of See Jane Write

For more than a year, I talked about starting my own blog. But doubt always prevented me from making it a reality. I wondered: Do I have the time to blog? What would I write about? Would people like it?

Every time I found a reason to stay on stop, Javacia Harris Bowser found a reason for me to start. “You can do it. You’ll be good at it,” she said.

Her comments of support came often. But I always put her encouraging words on a shelf, saying, “I’ll get to it some day.” Well, “some day” finally came in early 2014 when I met Javacia at a local coffee shop and decided to take the plunge. After an afternoon of coffee and cake, I walked away, ready to launch http://www.chandatemplewrites.com.

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Seven Oprah Winfrey quotes that will inspire you

By Chanda Temple 

Oprah Winfrey Image from Webmaster Abril via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

During the last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show in May 2011, Oprah Winfrey encouraged the audience to ask themselves: “What’s your passion?” 
Image from Webmaster Abril via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

When Oprah Winfrey ended The Oprah Winfrey Show in May 2011 after a 25-year run, I set the DVR to record the last episode. Once I played back the recording, I sat in awe of her messages and immediately started taking notes. I wanted a written memory of her quotes so that I could read them whenever I felt like it.

The other day, I ran across my notes and thought they’d be a good share for “Throwback Thursday.” Here they are: (more…)

Reconnect, recharge and refresh to meet remaining goals of 2014

By Chanda Temple

Consultants TaShara King and Kimberly Davis

Dr. TaShara Smith-King, left, and Kimberly Davis of Davis + King Consulting help impact people’s lives through motivational messages. They say it’s not too late to tackle the unfinished goals you set on Jan. 1.

Today is July 1, 2014 –  the halfway mark for the year. Are you still pursuing the goals you set on January 1 or have you given up on them? Don’t lose hope. There’s still time to go after what you want.

Kimberly Davis and Dr. TaShara Smith-King of Davis + King Consulting, a Birmingham, Ala.-based company focused on empowering women and young girls through motivational speaking engagements and conferences, have six tips to help get you back on track.

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Motivation Monday: Do single women need a mate to start a business?

By Chanda Temple

Do single women need a husband to start a business? Absolutely not, says small business expert Melinda Emerson. Image by Michigan BD via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

Do single women need a husband to start a business? Absolutely not, says small business expert Melinda Emerson.
Image by Michigan BD via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

I have a friend interested in leaving her full-time job to start her own business. But what’s stopping her is that she’s single. She says she’d prefer to have a husband as a safety net to help with the mortgage and living expenses in case her business fails or is slow to produce income.

When married, she knows she’d love her husband and care for him, but she’d also love the idea of having a mate as a “cushion” in the event her business flops.

My friend’s comments got me thinking: What do single female entrepreneurs think about this? I posed the question to Melinda Emerson, a divorced, Philadelphia mother of one who’s known as “America’s No. 1 Small Business Expert.” 

Melinda, nicknamed the Small Biz Lady, got real in five seconds flat: A husband is not a back-up plan in business.

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Size matters in social media

By Chanda Temple

Build interest in your social media posts by adding properly-sized photos to them. Image by Social Expert via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

Build interest in your social media posts by adding properly-sized photos to them.
Image by Social Expert via Flickr/CreativeCommons.

 

When posting images on social media, size really does matter.

If the images are too small, you’ve lost the battle. If they are too big, you’ve lost the war. The point is to make them just right to keep your followers coming back for more.

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Twitter tips for entrepreneurs and bloggers

By Chanda Temple

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I recently served as a panelist on a social media panel, where I discussed what has worked for me on Twitter. Everyone is different. What works for Sally may not work for Sam. The main thing is to try and see what works for you. Here are some of the tips I shared:

  • Follow people you like and those that feed your passion and interests

If you have quality tweets that teach people something, make them laugh or inspire them, you’ve piqued their interest. They’ll look at your feed. If you have content that makes people want to keep scrolling down your feed, they’ll likely follow you. I figure that if this is what gets others to look at folks’ tweets, then it is also what may get people to look at me.

Tweet about what you enjoy doing and reading.

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What does your business card say about your brand?

 

Sherrod Shackleford, left, and LaVon Lewis founded their branding and marketing company, PDG, in a dorm room, 14 years ago. Today, they are handling accounts for major companies. They are based in Atlanta, Ga.

Sherrod Shackelford, left, and LaVon Lewis founded their branding and marketing company, PDG, in a dorm room at Alabama A&M University, 14 years ago. Today, they are handling accounts for major companies. They are based in Atlanta, Ga. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

By Chanda Temple

Before you hand your business card to Sherrod Shackelford or LaVon Lewis, make sure the card is truly what you want to say about your company.

If not, be ready for their feedback because the two founders of PDG, a branding and marketing firm based in Atlanta, Ga., are not shy about sizing you and your card up and  saying what they like and don’t like about it. 

“I don’t know what you are selling,” one of them told an entrepreneur during a recent branding workshop, where attendees provided their business cards for critiques.

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