The Power of Peanut Butter

Did you know that every Wednesday in January is Pack a Peanut Butter Sandwich Day for kids? That's right, all this month Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Feeding America is encouraging kids to help fight child hunger and one of the ways to do so is to pack a peanut butter sandwich on Wednesday (using Peter Pan Peanut Butter of course) and donate your lunch money to Feeding America through the Peanut Butter website. Although, finding the donation link is not easy since it is buried deep into the cartoon slide show. Here is a direct link to the giving page.

The campaign made an imPRession on me because while it is a cause-marketing campaign for adults it is directed to children from the cartoon that let's you personalize it by adding your child's name to the messaging. Some other ways kids are encourage to help fight child hunger are (all with parents help):

• Share food - by donating to a local food bank
• Share time - by volunteering at a local food bank
• Tell friends that hungry kids need their help
• Spread the word - Join a social media group like Facebook or Twitter

Peanut Butter and Feeding America are smart in planting the philanthropy seed early. What's the philanthropy seed? By getting your message to the kids now, and by letting them make a difference now they become personally connected to the cause now which will take root and carry over into their adult lives. It's a great way to grow life-long supporters.

New Features on In-Kind Connection

It's for the greater good!

This holiday season I've been busy improving In-Kind Connection. Almost two years ago I founded In-Kind Connection, a complimentary service sponsored by columbus imPRessions connecting non-profits in need of in-kind items to businesses and donors who can help.

In order to provide a better service, I recently updated the layout of the site and today I added a new and improved feature. Now, with the help of Google forms, nonprofits with needs or business with haves can directly submit their request on an on-line form. I'm hoping this addition to the site will make submitting requests easier.

Have a nonprofit need or business have? Try out the new form and I'll get your request on the site and then broadcasted to various social media channels to help spread the word.

Happy New Year!

Sign-up For Commit To Be Fit Eblast: Great New Local Content

Over the last few weeks, we have been busy collecting new content for the 10TV Commit To Be Fit eblast and website. Our goal is to localize the program more and work with Ohio and Columbus-based organizations, academies, doctors, nutritionists and fitness experts.

We are proud to announce that currently we have a handful of new contributors on board with many more to be added to this imPRessive list:

• Ohio Academy of Family Physicians


• American Academy of Pediatrics - Ohio Chapter


• Four local fitness and food bloggers


• Dine Originals


• Farmer's Market Association


• Ohio Nutrition Council


• Danny Arguetty, Nutritionist at Kripalu


• Robin Davis, Dispatch Kitchen


• American Dairy Association Mideast

Register to receive the new and improved Commit To Be Fit eblast here. Just check the Commit To Be Fit Newsletter box.*

With all this new content, you'll be glad you did!

*(You don't need to click User Interest rankings if you don't want to).

Social Media IS Powerful

Think social media is on its way out? Think again.

You may have already seen this video before but if not, check it out.

More social media info at Socialnomics.

Do Break Dancing Babies Make You Want to Drink Evian

Last week Evian Natural Spring Water introduced their break dancing babies and their "Live Young" campaign.

Reviving their brand, Evian decided to go with a playful approach focusing on health, purity and youth, hence the talented, energetic babies. Nothing like a little "Rapper's Delight" to get you moving. Take a look.

Evian is using the Internet and social media marketing for their US campaign. A few of the babies even have their own Facebook pages. Check out the Evian Roller Babies website for more details.

Hilarious, entertaining, but will it make you buy Evian water? I'm not sure about that. But the campaign does work for creating awareness. This is the first time in a long time I paid attention to Evian water. I'm sure this makes Evian happy, but I'm sure they'd be even happier if the campaign moved me to buy their product.

Give to Charity Just By Clicking

Non-profit organizations use cause marketing and the Internet to drum up attention and funding. Today you can help a number of non-profit organizations just by clicking your mouse, literally.

There are so many great cause marketing campaigns on various websites. I thought I'd list a few so you can start giving by clicking:

• Coppertone - Take the Pledge for National Foundation for Cancer. Your click is worth $1.00
• Kraft - Share a Little Comfort for Feeding America. Your click is worth one box of Mac & Cheese
• Intel - Small Things Challenge for KIVA and Save the Children. Your click is worth 25 cents

Do you know of any simple click on-line cause marketing campaigns? Give me the link in comment section and I'll be sure to add it to the list.

I Kin' (and I did) Make My Own Dunkin' Donut

Introducing my newest creation, the Mocha Cappuccino Donut.

Chocolate Cake Stick Donut with Cappuccino Cream, White Icing and Hershey Chocolate Shavings

It's like having your coffee and donut in one taste!

Why am I marketing my donut and why did I make one?  It's because Dunkin' Donuts is looking for a new donut creation and they are asking the public to pitch in.  Now through April 7, 2009 you can enter the "Create Dunkin's Next Donut" contest.  If they pick your donut it will not only be sold in participating stores across the country, it will win you $12,000.  Not bad for creating a virtual viccitelli (that's a donut from Campania, Italy where they drink plenty of cappuccino).  

You can check the gallery of other donuts and enter the contest here.

Appropriately, the winner will be announced on National Donut Day - June 5, 2009.

A fun and smart way to work Internet marketing!

Social Media Map

Someone shared this with me.  I thought it was definitely worth sharing with you.  Amazing to see all the social media avenues that are out there.  For more details visit the maker of the map, Overdrive Interactive, here.

Blog Monitor Testing

We have noticed (and we LOVE it) when we mention a brand or company and immediately see them on our sitemeter.   First of all, it feels like a compliment when someone like Google or Playboy is checking out our blog.  (Maybe they are going to offer us a $ job $ in sunny California because we are such wizards?)  Or maybe they are just monitoring any online comments on their brands. (Maybe)  Speaking of wizardry- such monitoring is like being a fly on the wall in a giant focus group.  A brilliant fly.  What do you hate about my product?  What do you like?  This wall is a great place to learn these things!

So, how about another test... lets see who checks us out from Kraft Foods or Dove Soap.  (Lets try one with a link.  

Stay Tuned.

Email Marketing: Effective & Inexpensive (can be, anyway)

columbus imPRessions often brags about our effective "multi-media" approach to PR & Marketing, and there really is more to this than the fancy lingo.  It's a well-thought out outreach plan targeting different audiences through a combination of traditional media (newspapers, etc), blogs, social networking, marketing pieces, mailings, and e-mail.   We always seem to have success with email campaigns, but have found that there are several secrets to success.  They may seem like obvious guidelines, but they can honestly make or break an email campaign.  

Okay, some will no longer be "secrets" to success.... 

• Short and simple:  Do not include too much info in an e-newsletter.  People receive a lot of emails, so the key is to grab attention and supply readers with an easy call to action (without sounding too gimmicky).
• Not too often:  We recommend keeping it to 1 or 2 emails a month.  Otherwise you will end up blocked, and potential customers will be annoyed by you.  
• Keep collecting emails and segment them.  This will allow you to send targeted emails to corporations, teens, moms, brides, non-profits, etc.    

An email campaign is a great tool, but requires time and energy.  

GOkickball New Site

We've done a number of posts about how important an online presence is, and the GOkickball site is no exception.  In fact, since individual and team registration is only done online, an easy-to-use and engaging site is crucial for this business.  The league's new site just recently went live - check it out and let us know your thoughts.  We like that players will be able to upload their own photos and videos using flicker and youtube.  Also, soon there will be a GOkickball Columbus facebook page... we will post the link and talk more about how we will use this application to create additional awareness and keep players engaged.

Social Media, Is it the New Marketing?

The other day I had lunch with a friend who I haven't seen in quite some time.  It was great catching up and sharing stories about our families and busy lives.  Also, because we are both in marketing, we spent quite a bit of time talking about marketing and social media.

My friend is the marketing director for The Diamond Cellar.  Over the years The Diamond Cellar has relied heavily on traditional media, mostly radio to market their message.  While this has been successful, they are now beginning to look at non-traditional avenues, mostly social media.

The Diamond Cellar is experimenting in Facebook and just recently built a products page.  You can see it here.  While there, why not become a fan, we did.  They are linking their page with the Facebook pages of the product lines they carry in their jewelry store to maximize their exposure.  Smart move!

I told her about Twitter and the benefits it has brought columbus imPRessions.  By burning our feed through twitterfeed, we direct more visitors to our site, and create awareness to our media followers on stories we want to get in the news.  It's almost like having a PR coordinator on staff sending out press releases on our behalf.  I highly recommended it for the Diamond Cellar.

I also talked to her about having a blog.  We strongly feel blogs are important for business. Because of the economy, potential client's are becoming more cautious about signing a contract so quickly.  With this in mind, we always encourage potential clients to visit our blog.  This is where they learn more about us.  Not only professionally but personally as well.  On our blog we share our personality, our styles and our feelings.  Potential clients start to develop a personal relationship with us on-line which makes them more comfortable and confident to do business together.  

I think a blog would be a great opportunity for the Diamond Cellar too.  They could include personal stories from customers, introduce staff, highlight product lines and the designers, use polling to get customer feedback, advertise exclusive promotions, and provide special offers to blog followers.  This would develop deeper customer relationships, give customers an interactive experience and can also serve as great market research.

We both left the lunch charged and ready to tackle the social media world. So charged it prompted this post and the word of mouth marketing for The Diamond Cellar.  The opportunities are endless and we continually learn new things each day.  

Jen, if the Diamond Cellar needs some social media pointers, let me know.  Would love to help and learn of other social media opportunities with you along the way.

Too Good Not To Share

All your favorites in one place.

No need to search when you have All in One Place.  Click here to see what I mean.  

Bet you'll bookmark it just like I did.

Now they need to make one just like this but for all the different nonprofit organizations categorized by genre.

Know Any Brides? ....

Isn't it amazing how so many in the online world "check out" for the holidays... blog hits are down, emails slow, and you hear a lot of "we'll look into that after the 1st of the year."  It is truly wonderful that some take time to focus on non-virtual friends and family, but I also want to make sure none of our readers missed the announcement about... the Sample Sale at La Jeune Mariee this weekend!

So many  engagements happen  between Thanksgiving and New Years (why is that, dudes?) and the 40 - 60% discounts on designer gowns should not be missed by any those new brides to be!  I won't even mention terms like "brides on a budget" or "recessionista",  as so many (including the media) are inundated with these "econonowns." (I clearly just made that one up).  But see our La Jeune Mariee Dispatch mention on Jan. 1 -fashion reporter Kristy Eckert explains this trend and mentions the sale at our favorite Worthington boutique.

Even if you are not a bride, doesn't everyone love to give useful advice when it comes to weddings, or is it just the ladies who are reminiscing their own wedding planning days? Anyway,  hurry and send this link to any brides you know- they'll be so happy you may be invited to be in the wedding party....  http://www.LaJeuneMariee.com/samplesale

Company Profile on Social Avenue

Today our company is featured in the social avenue blog.  Click here to see our interview.  An example of social media at it's best and a really great way to start out the new year!  

Our sincere thanks goes out to Shane Haggerty for the opportunity. Are you looking for a blog to follow?  We recommend and follow social avenue!  Interesting stuff.

2009 NonProfit Marketing Ideas

A new year is here. A time for change, new beginnings, re-organization. New marketing ideas.

It's now more than ever that nonprofits need a strong marketing and PR strategy to stand out above the rest and capture the public's attention. There is a way to do just that and it doesn't have to cost much. You just need to be willing to think beyond the box, dive into social media, and come up with multi-media campaigns that simultaneously attract more individuals for a greater ROI.

Need an example: OK, here's one - a multi-media campaign idea. In our past life we worked for the local chapter of a very well known nonprofit organization. It was summer of '07 and we were preparing for our next fiscal year which would start in September. The regions were struggling to make budget and something was needed to create buzz and excitement in the organization. So Colleen and I put our creativity to work. We needed a call to action with a hook and excitement. During our brainstorming, we realized our chapter would be celebrating its 25th anniversary. We had it - buzz, excitement and a call to action!

A multi-media campaign was born inviting everyone to "become a part of the celebration" giving them a handful of calls to action in which they could do that. The messaging, and branding became the center for every facet of the organization - volunteer, outreach, program, development/fundraising, and of course, marketing and PR. Various targeted and strategic marketing pieces were delivered through Internet, social networking, PR, mailings, email, word of mouth, and events all simultaneously so various groups were hearing the same message but in a variety of ways.

Success! So successful, the chapter continued the campaign after our departure using the exact same strategy, messaging and branding we created. In fact, they are still using the campaign, well past the 25th anniversary mark. However, we would have recommended concluding the campaign when the 25th anniversary truly came to an end in September '08. Continuing something passed its point can be misleading or become tiresome.

All of this is easy, achievable. affordable and fun. Need assistance? columbus imPRessions can help. Just email us at info@columbusimpressions.com.

To Michele the Social Networker (from Colleen)

Just wanted to take a moment to a) apologize for forgetting to post on the columbus imPRessions blog, not that anyone noticed.  and b) point out how amazing Michele (Scumleg as I call her) is at building our network online.  It takes a lot of work and maintenance from our facebook page, to twitter, to keeping this site interesting (besides posts, its music, blog catalogues, looking for Alaskans, etc). 

Anyway, cheers to Michele, I am so grateful to have you as a friend and business partner.  Looking forward to 2009! (In which I will be better about creating interesting posts and other online wizardry)  

1-800 Flowers Brand Expansion

The other night on TV I saw an ad for 1-800 Flowers introducing the newest brand partnership, the one with Martha Stewart.

Who would have ever thought a flower retail shop in New York would grow into not only a worldwide florist, but extend itself into a huge home decor, and gifts mega retailer.

A few year's back 1-800 Flowers included local company Cheryl&Co into their brand collection. Cheryl&Co has been providing delicious cookies and corporate gifts for years.  This made me wonder what the new partnership with Martha Stewart would do to the locally grown company. 

Like Cheryl&Co, Martha also offers cookies.  Could this become competitive between the two brands?  Time will tell but at least for right now 1-800 Flowers is leaning heavy on Martha. The relationship is new, and Martha is huge. So huge she is getting top billing, heavy promotion, even an individual navigation tab on the 1800 flowers web site.  Cheryl and Co. basically has an honorable mention link at the bottom (underneath the fold) of the web page.

Let's hope this will only bring new customers to one of our favorite cookie brands from Columbus and help it grow even bigger.  You can order delicious Cheryl&Co cookies and gift baskets here.  Help keep a local company and brand prosperous!

Money Tight? Feed the Pig.

It's an expensive time of the year on top of a tough economic time.  Feeling frustrated and not sure what to do.  Feed the Pig can help!

We found a great site sponsored by the AICPA (America Institute of Certified Public Accountants) that gives you great tips on saving money, provides financial resources, financial discussions and podcasts.  They even have a site to help tweens with money questions.

"Spokespig" Benjamin guides you through the site making it interactive.  You can also find your inner under saver and learn how you can slightly change your habits and save money.  Add the application to your Facebook (like we did) and keep track of your saving commitment through social networking.

Want a daily reminder text keyword "feed" to 83484 for free reminders to feed the pig.

Sponsored by the Ad Council this campaign is targeted to Americans 25-34 so they can take control of their finances by reducing debt and increasing savings.

Great resource at a time when it's really needed.  Go ahead, check out the site and feed the pig.

Flight of the Conchords wants to know . . Are Your Lyrics Bottomless? Check this out!

Can you rap sync? Flight of the Conchords and HBO are holding a contest. Creating a lip sync to their new video - Hiphopopopotamus vs. Rhymeroceros - and you can win your spot on HBO. Contest ends 1/25/09. Check out the way cool site here for the video and details. 

Great way to use Internet and social networking. Seems to be all the buzz already. Just passing a good thing along! Have fun!