What do donuts and camping have in common? Through the end of this month, when you purchase a donut from a participating Florida Krispy Kreme location, you can help send a deserving child to Camp Boggy Creek, Florida’s camp for seriously ill children. http://tiny.cc/z1021
How important are customer referrals to you business? If you’re looking to improve your profits and expand your business, there’s no better way to bring in new customers than to have your current customers refer their friends to you. Not only does a referral show the loyalty of your existing customer, good word of mouth that drives new customers your way is immeasureable and the ultimate goal of any marketing program. It’s also one of the toughest marketing goals to achieve.
So why are you still spending your marketing dollars and time on traditional advertising? Direct mail, newspaper advertising and radio advertising are expensive and their effectiveness is hard to measure. Here’s where the value of social media comes in. You knew I’d get around to talking about this, right?
For example, what is the value of the exposure your brand receives when a potential new customer sees a friend recommend your brand on their Facebook page? I would argue that a friend’s recommendation, or fandom of your company or product on Facebook is like a customer referral times 100. That’s because the reach of social media is not only expanding every minute, it is also reaching audiences that traditional media is no longer able to reach.
Log on. Reach out. Spread the word!
You may be noticing some subtle additions to our home page. In an effort to promote one of our growing specialties, we’re adding links so our visitors can join our e-newsletter list, visit our archives or link quickly to Constant Contact.
We’ve chosen Email Marketing by Constant Contact® and have been working with this industry-leading program for more than a year now. It’s an easy, effective, and highly affordable way to get your message out to your customers, clients or members.
We have created high-impact, professional-quality emails for ourselves and our clients. These have helped all of us to build strong connections with our audiences, leading to referrals, repeat business and loyalty. We offer our clients every conceivable level of assistance with their email marketing program. So far, our full-service approach, in which we design, write, edit and distribute your e-news while you tend to your core operations, has proven most popular. This plan includes maintaining your e-mail list and reporting on opens, click-throughs and other statistics.
Discover how the power of Email Marketing by Constant Contact can help you better connect with your customers, strengthen your relationships with them, and grow your organization.
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There are a lot of marketers out there who claim to be experienced in social media. Here’s the thing, just because you have a Facebook page or a Twitter account does not make you an expert in social media.
If your business or organization is looking for help navigating the social media landscape, you’ll find plenty of marketing consultants or agencies who say they can help you. Here’s a simple way to check out their claims. Take a look at their social media presence. How often do they update their social media sites? What is the quality of their content? Do they have anyone listening to them? Are they engaging with others through social media?
Last year I went searching for a web developer who could assist me in redesigning my blog. I found a few I was interested in working with. Then I took a look at these companies’ or consultants’ own blogs. Many had not made a post in months. One had not posted to their business blog in more than a year. None of them had comments posted. Now why would I want someone to help me with a blog design when they can’t even keep up with their own blog?
Beware of marketers who post to social media sites constantly but don’t seem to be engaging in dialogue with others through this medium. My 11-year-old can post to Twitter every hour on the hour. But it takes a skilled communicator to spark conversations and engage in true grassroots communication in the social media arena.
One of the main reasons I started my own business in 2003 was to find more work-life balance. When I founded Write Result, I opted not to rent an office but to work out of my home. I now employee one other full time employee who works from her home and several part time employees who work from their homes.
I’m not the stereotype home office worker who sits around in her pajamas all day, and neither are the people who work with me. We are all hard working, creative, talented professionals who enjoy the flexibility that comes with not having to report to an office and work within a set period of time each day.
I like the peace and quite of working from home. And while I sometimes miss the interaction of people in the office, I find that without the interruptions my productivity has soared. I get more done in one hour than office workers get done in half a day. That’s because no one is popping by my office to chat and I’m not sitting in meeting after meeting all day long.
The best thing about working from home however, is the balance I’ve found in my life. I don’t have to turn in a vacation request to take my daughter to the dentist. When the kids are out of school for the summer, they are home with me not stuck in a summer day care program. And I work with a dog under my desk. Can’t beat it!
An estimated 40 million American workers now work from home at least part of their workweek.
Improved retention and morale, a better work life balance and increased productivity are just some of the benefits employees who work from home site as the results of telecommuting.
So whether you are starting your own business or re-organizing the way your business currently works, consider allowing your employees to work from home at least part of the week. You’d be surprised at how happy your employees will be and the high quality of work they will achieve.
Media Contact:
Catherine Klasne,
(386) 212-7376
Write Result for Easter Seals
klasne@write-result.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rising Local and National Prevalence Is Central Theme of April’s National Autism Awareness Month
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 31, 2010) – This month, 2,160 children were diagnosed with autism nationwide. Next month, the figure will be about the same, but more people might be thinking and talking about the disorder, thanks to Easter Seals, the leading provider of autism services and a leader in observing National Autism Awareness Month in April.
This is the first time the national observation will take place since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised the autism prevalence rate upward from one in 150 children to one in 110. The change represents a significant jump in autism spectrum disorder diagnoses in the four years that passed between 2002 study results and the 2006 study results, which were made available last year.
Lynn Sinnott, an Easter Seals National spokesperson and CEO of Easter Seals Volusia and Flagler Counties, says the local scenario reflects the reported increase, and her organization serves a growing population of clients with autism spectrum disorders. In fact, the local Easter Seals, with its Autism Center of Excellence, offers families touched by autism a progression of services that is difficult to match anywhere else.
“We’re fortunate to have all of the disciplines under one roof, and we’re able to offer multidisciplinary diagnosis, including with ADOS,” says Dr. John Patrick, a clinical psychologist who serves on Easter Seals’ board of directors and is a consultant to the organization. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule he references is described as the “gold standard” for assessing and diagnosing autism and pervasive developmental disorder for all ages, developmental levels and language skills.
Although autism can be difficult to recognize, it can be described in broad terms. “Autism is generally characterized by three attributes,” Sinnott says, “difficulty with social skills and communication, as well as repetitive behavior. Individuals may also have an overwhelming focus on special interests, like trains or the Civil War.”
After Dr. Patrick signs off on the diagnosis, it’s just the beginning for the family of a child with autism, and Easter Seals can help on multiple levels. “In this situation, they really don’t need to go anywhere else,” he says.
With an array of therapies and evidence-based interventions at hand, the local Easter Seals affiliate is uniquely qualified to offer a personalized plan that addresses the whole child. “In little old Daytona we’re really fortunate to have not only all the disciplines under one roof, but also state-of-the-art programs and treatments that are just not available in other parts of the country. It’s not in every center in every town.”
To learn more about autism in April, check out the current edition of Parents magazine for a four-page section on Easter Seals’ autism services and its new Act for Autism Web site (www.actforautism.com), plus online components at www.parents.com.
About Easter Seals
Easter Seals is the leading non-profit provider of services for individuals with autism, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs. For more than 85 years, we have been offering help and hope to children and adults living with disabilities, and to the families who love them. Through therapy, training, education and support services, Easter Seals creates life-changing solutions so that people with disabilities can live, learn, work and play. Support children and adults with disabilities at www.easterseals-volusiaflagler.org. Also, donate to or participate in the Daytona Walk With Me fundraising event at www.walkwithme.org. The walk is scheduled for May 5 at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach.
# # #
FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools
3750 Olson Drive
Daytona Beach, FL 32124
Phone: (386) 255-6475, Extension 50730
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DAYTONA BEACH (FEB. 23, 2010) – The FUTURES Foundation will introduce a new component to its well-known Bowl-A-Thon this weekend: Wii Bowl for Volusia County Schools. Those who visit Sam’s Club in Daytona Beach and donate $5 can take part in a video-game bowling challenge that benefits the county’s public schools education foundation.
Wii Bowl for Volusia County Schools will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27; Sunday, Feb. 28; and Saturday, March 6 at Sam’s Club, 1175 Beville Road. For a $5 donation, each participant can play one game, plus have a chance to win prizes, including a Wii game system and Sam’s Club gift cards.
Awards will be presented to top bowlers in several categories. Tickets for Wii Bowling are available at Sam’s Club on the days of the event, and Sam’s Club membership is not required to participate. Visit FuturesVolusia.org for more information.
It’s hard to believe that January is already halfway over. Kathy and I already got to attend a highly anticipated Easter Seals event at the Mori Hosseini Center on Daytona State College’s campus, and it proved to be everything we promised in our publicity efforts!
I particularly enjoyed guest speaker Jane Conner-ziser and felt inspired by her to get a little more creative with my computer. If you ever have an opportunity to see a presentation with Jane, I highly recommend it!
Easter Seals’ young clients and their families who were on hand also made the evening especially uplifting. The children and their sisters and brothers were all dressed up and looked beautiful/handsome. Consider this a blog-hug from both of us. (What would that be? A blug? Not a hog, I think.) We are proud to be associated with you. If you’d like to see some photos that
Susan Moor, Vice President – Gift Planning for Easter Seals Volusia and Flagler Counties, took, check out the new Facebook page she’s just set up: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Easter-Seals-Volusia-and-Flagler/195124067611
I promise to get back on the stick this year in keeping the blog updated. I enjoy posting so it won’t be a burden. By the way, in case I haven’t said, have the happiest new year!
