Businesses are built to take advantage of an opportunity or need
at a particular time and place in society's evolution.
at a particular time and place in society's evolution.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Potential Leads
http://anthillonline.com/would-you-like-a-business-brand-or-personal-makeover/
comments on this site, I thought worthwhile investigating include:
Mark Demicoli says:
comments on this site, I thought worthwhile investigating include:
Mark Demicoli says:
Our site http://www.ClickBook.net is easily the world’s free-est and coolest (!) online booking system for small business. We’re one of these cocky startups who think they can just give it away for free! We think we can pull this off and make it real popular cos it’s actually a great product and the laws of attraction will ‘make it so’. Are we completely stupid? We’re all ears!
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I guarantee you will be hard pressed to find a company that will have a better return on this service than ours.
We have recently merged two organizations, a business systems software house, and a labor hire firm.
Both businesses are in startup mode, combined revenues are around $500,000, Gross margin around 60%, both principles own equal share and are passionate about the business.
The skill mix is right, one partner is a successful sales manager, the other a business system expert.
We have employed a sales person, and the resource base in place that allows us to start marketing and selling effectively, and we are starting to pick up the phone and call prospective clients.
We are also in the process of setting up a JV with an overseas interest to market our products into APAC.
We really need to get our marketing message, our look, and our feel right.
Should we get that right, I have no doubt we will be one of the fastest growing companies in the Anthill space.
Furthermore that growth will uncover more opportunities we wish to develop, and we don’t forget those that have helped us get to where we are.
Bruce Lock
MD Automate Solutions.
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Cindy Lenferna says:
We have recently launched a Fashion site http://www.fashioncollaborative.com. Our goal is to unite the Fashion Industry getting them to share ideas and experience to innovate and collaborate to remain competitive in the global market place. Our industry is notorious for being technology luddites and we aim to educate and inspire all to stay in touch with the brilliant technology that is available to help our members develop their personal skills and grow their businesses. We also have a strong desire to coach and mentor young talent by exposing them to existing stars in all areas of the industry - creating career opportunities and exposure.
We would value the opportunity to work with Business/Marketing and PR experts to assist us to improve our web and public brand profile . We are passionate about what we do and want to provide the most professional innovative and dynamic Web 2.0 Fashion site available - the concept of being coached in Personal Branding is very exciting and we are all putting our hands up to be considered.
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Denise Hall says:
http://www.theentrepreneurialmother.com.au
Every entrepreneurial mother needs a little help from time to time, and I’m no different! With the blog and accompanying website, I share my story of how I design and make Life! work for me. The next phase, which is where I am looking for guidance and assistance, is how I work with you/others to design and plan how you/they want to make Life! work for you.
By way of background, I am a businesswoman who has built a successful business, and just as importantly, the life around it. I am a director of aCE talentNET http://www.acetalentnet.com.au; which focuses on performance improvement in a corporate context. As the company is run almost entirely by entrepreneurial mothers, I have collected a host of tried and tested strategies designed to help “working” women maximise their productivity in all aspects of their lives, while at the same time designing and creating a quality life.
“the entrepreneurial mother” is also a registered trademark in Australia.
The scope of what can be done with this brand, if nothing else, has the potential to open up all sorts of opportunities. Again, guidance and assistance with this will also be greatly appreciated.
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VisitVineyards.com is an online publisher in the niche area of wine and food travel, Australia-wide. We have recently launched a consumer benefits package in Victoria; the main challenge seems to be breaking through the clutter and reaching people when and where they are making their travel decisions.
The Wotif brand has clearly captured consumers’ headspace for ‘last minute cheap accommodation’ - we want to capture it in wine and food travel, but we don’t have their budget! So innovative ways of brand building are paramount. Live the brand is my motto, and to a large extent I do, but another challenge is to ensure the brand flows right through the team and across all aspects of our business.
A brand is so much more than a logo - see our website http://www.VisitVineyards.com - and we want to make ours sing and be remembered.
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Dear Anthill
My friend’s problem is that he just does not know what to wear!
He is a CEO of a company Magic Memories employing 60+ people and has arrived in December 2006 owning one suit, two ties (as yet worn once to a black tie do) and three business shirts.
The potential clients are seeing the entire wardrobe within weeks but with a company mantra of Amplifying Visitor Experiences he is torn between Corporate, Casual Friday but not quite Bula Fijian (yet).Although he has turned up to a pitch wearing a personalized Tee Shirt of the clients company- the burning question is what first impression should he take?
He needs direction and grooming into the worlds of Australian Business Fashion to enable him to live the brand – don’t just read this as a midlife crisis wanting free stuff - he needs to become Brand Ambassador of http://www.magicmemoriesgroup.com.
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he Physio Co is a young, dynamic & growing group of physiotherapists. Together we are striving to be the leaders in healthcare for the booming numbers of senior and elderly people - or the ‘likeable oldies’ as we know them!
The Physio Co is growing at a rapid rate. From one person with a vision in 2004 to today’s team of professionals visting 1000’s of clients every week.
The vision for The Physio Co is to be the most recognised, trusted and innovative brand for all senior and elderly Australians - and have a lot of fun along the way!
We know we have the goods to continue our growth as the population rapidly ages and our target market grows. What we need is to establish oursleves as the ‘go to’ brand in our market. A PR and branding makeover will help position The Physio Co for much greater exposure and successes.
There are hundreds of thousands of baby boomer retirees and The Physio Co will help them live life as actively as possible. Who wouldn’t want a young, enthusiastic team of physios helping their Mum, Dad, Grandparents, Aunty or Uncle to stay mobile and get on with having an active life?
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We are a Digital Media Company, specializing in custom made Live Video Applications:
All the Live Flash Media Servers and Applications are ready, what we need now is PR and a makeover of the info, so everybody understand the services, without being to technical, as they are simple to use and have major key points over other services.
The services are:
Video Broadcast Live (Webcast) for 1 to 1000 Viewers.
Video Upresent Live (Webinar) for 1 to 1000 Viewers.
Video Conference for 2 to 5 Participants (unlimited seats)
Video Meeting for 2 to 15 Participants (unlimited seats)
GizmoVideo’s customers span a variety of industries, but share a common need: to communicate and collaborate more effectively across multiple locations. We address this need by offering: easy, simple and fast live video solutions along with an unmatched commitment to customer service.
GizmoVideo makes it easier for customers to view products and for potential clients and investors to view your company. With full access to the latest in web technologies, GizmoVideo is all your company will need for online video broadcasting. But we need to do some PR.
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My website, http://www.celebrante.com.au, is approaching its third birthday and is a leader in its field which is providing a searchable database for those seeking a celebrant. With nearly 500 profiles, we’re one of the largest such sites in the world let alone just here in Australia.
Since we started, competitors have popped up and the competition for keywords is getting fierce with average click costs almost trebling over the last 18 months.
I desperately need help with PR, Hosting, Web Redesign, Overseas Expansion and much, much more.
But most importantly, I need to find a way to free me from the tyranny of AdWords!
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Hi Anthill! We’re a start up on a mission to free up Australia’s time. Our business, ‘Sauce it’ finds, compares and delivers goods and services from the ever expanding consumer market that all too often seems to have forgotten the words ‘customer service’ these days.
From rental property, furniture, personal trainers or even vacuum cleaners we hunt down the best options available based on your needs so you have more spare time to do the things you’d rather be doing, whether it’s running your business more effectively, going zorbing or perhaps even giving salsa dancing a try… mmm Sizzle.
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Using the Media
The Seven Step Seeking Media PR Workout
The media receive story approaches all the time, so before you take any action it’s important to have all your bases covered. Below is a check list for any business planning to target the media. If you can confidently tick all the boxes, you have a better chance of getting media attention.
1. Do you have something that’s newsworthy? The media are always interested in a good story with a ‘newsy’ angle. They are not interested in blatant advertising pitches.
2. Is your media story ready? Once you’ve determined you have a good story, you need to be able to tell it in a way that grabs attention. A professionally written press release is essential.
3. Are all the other pieces in place? You’ve written your press release, including a hard-hitting headline and attention-grabbing lead. But do you have high-resolution images available, or are product review samples available if required? These will help sell your story.
4. Do you know your specific media targets? The more targeted you are with media the better, so you need to have a detailed list of the media you will be sending your story to prepared beforehand. A pet hate of all media is receiving approaches and material on subjects that have no relevance to their publication, show format or area.
5. Are you prepared to comment? Having gone to the trouble of preparing and sending out a press release, you need to be available in case the media want to contact you for more information. Don’t keep them waiting, and have your key messages at your fingertips.
6. Do you have a follow-up plan? Sending a press release and other relevant material is one thing, but you need to spend time following up to get the best results. Unless your story is breaking news, don’t expect the media to come chasing you. You need to chase them.
7. Do you want a one-night stand or long-term relationship? Getting a press release out there and hitting the phones is great, but having a strategic PR plan is important to maximise your media potential. Think about developing regular media stories to build momentum, so you are not seen as just another business trying to grab the spotlight.
The media receive story approaches all the time, so before you take any action it’s important to have all your bases covered. Below is a check list for any business planning to target the media. If you can confidently tick all the boxes, you have a better chance of getting media attention.
1. Do you have something that’s newsworthy? The media are always interested in a good story with a ‘newsy’ angle. They are not interested in blatant advertising pitches.
2. Is your media story ready? Once you’ve determined you have a good story, you need to be able to tell it in a way that grabs attention. A professionally written press release is essential.
3. Are all the other pieces in place? You’ve written your press release, including a hard-hitting headline and attention-grabbing lead. But do you have high-resolution images available, or are product review samples available if required? These will help sell your story.
4. Do you know your specific media targets? The more targeted you are with media the better, so you need to have a detailed list of the media you will be sending your story to prepared beforehand. A pet hate of all media is receiving approaches and material on subjects that have no relevance to their publication, show format or area.
5. Are you prepared to comment? Having gone to the trouble of preparing and sending out a press release, you need to be available in case the media want to contact you for more information. Don’t keep them waiting, and have your key messages at your fingertips.
6. Do you have a follow-up plan? Sending a press release and other relevant material is one thing, but you need to spend time following up to get the best results. Unless your story is breaking news, don’t expect the media to come chasing you. You need to chase them.
7. Do you want a one-night stand or long-term relationship? Getting a press release out there and hitting the phones is great, but having a strategic PR plan is important to maximise your media potential. Think about developing regular media stories to build momentum, so you are not seen as just another business trying to grab the spotlight.
Bar Cards - someone's success story
Distribution is the key. If you can sort that out, then everything else should fall into place. The American market, for example, you don’t want to get wrong. It’s very much about finding the right distributor before getting the market going. In the first half of 2007 we are launching six American cities – L.A., San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Washington DC and another to be decided.
All of the deals to date have been deals. I have not gone into business with anyone else. Over time I certainly want to change that and develop some kind of incentive-based partnership scheme. There’s a lot of trial and error. You might succeed in one market, but another market will be completely different.
Having a suite of different streams to choose from is crucial. When I approach different cities, one of the strategies is to try and secure sponsorship from the various tourism bodies. Some cities are big on bars, but others might be more into culture, or something else.
Every title is intended to go on indefinitely. And therefore every title requires updating and additional marketing support to reinvigorate it. Seventeen titles are a lot of work, especially when they involve different countries and different topics.”
To date there are Bar Secrets decks for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, London, Hong Kong, Edinburgh, Dublin, Barcelona, Ibiza, with launches in China and US scheduled for 2007. Other decks include brunch secrets, daytrip secrets and spa secrets, with more in the works.
from: http://anthillonline.com/start-the-press/
All of the deals to date have been deals. I have not gone into business with anyone else. Over time I certainly want to change that and develop some kind of incentive-based partnership scheme. There’s a lot of trial and error. You might succeed in one market, but another market will be completely different.
Having a suite of different streams to choose from is crucial. When I approach different cities, one of the strategies is to try and secure sponsorship from the various tourism bodies. Some cities are big on bars, but others might be more into culture, or something else.
Every title is intended to go on indefinitely. And therefore every title requires updating and additional marketing support to reinvigorate it. Seventeen titles are a lot of work, especially when they involve different countries and different topics.”
To date there are Bar Secrets decks for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, London, Hong Kong, Edinburgh, Dublin, Barcelona, Ibiza, with launches in China and US scheduled for 2007. Other decks include brunch secrets, daytrip secrets and spa secrets, with more in the works.
from: http://anthillonline.com/start-the-press/
Want to be popular? Get your product banned!
The T-shirts that make you think are the standouts for me. I love the ‘Shoplifter’ T-shirt that howies produced. It was plain white, had a barcode at the top, and all it said was "shoplifter". Every time a kid went into a retail outlet, a mechanism inserted into the sleeve set the alarm off. How much fun would that be, as a kid, rocking in there and causing a bit of havoc? Unfortunately, the ‘Shoplifter’ T was only a limited run and was eventually banned in the UK.
I think one definite advantage of building a business from your passion is gaining access to circles that are normally closed. Being a publisher opens many doors.
If you don’t love what you are doing, that’s very hard to hide. There’s a real battle for a lot of T-shirt labels to be either cool or commercial. I really respect the labels that find a balance. It’s that cool/commercial balance that T is aspiring to attain.
The one thing that I don’t want T to be is cliquey. To like T, you don’t have to be a T-shirt connoisseur. You just have to like T-shirts. Everyone wears T-shirts. There are labels being created every day. And the stories are great. A lot of businesses begin through T-shirt design and then expand.
from : http://anthillonline.com/start-the-press/
I think one definite advantage of building a business from your passion is gaining access to circles that are normally closed. Being a publisher opens many doors.
If you don’t love what you are doing, that’s very hard to hide. There’s a real battle for a lot of T-shirt labels to be either cool or commercial. I really respect the labels that find a balance. It’s that cool/commercial balance that T is aspiring to attain.
The one thing that I don’t want T to be is cliquey. To like T, you don’t have to be a T-shirt connoisseur. You just have to like T-shirts. Everyone wears T-shirts. There are labels being created every day. And the stories are great. A lot of businesses begin through T-shirt design and then expand.
from : http://anthillonline.com/start-the-press/
Advice for Publishing
ABC television business reporter and Fairfax newspaper columnist Alan Kohler knows a thing or two about business media. His independent publishing joint venture, Eureka Report, is a rich online resource for self-managing superannuation investors. With a crack team of financial commentators and a subscriber base of 4,000 and growing, Kohler reflects on the past year’s wild ride.
"If I was to offer advice to someone looking to launch an independent media venture, I’d say: don’t print it. You don’t need to. There are print media business models that work very well, but the costs are still high. My advice would be to structure it online from the beginning, with multimedia. Use the full potential of the internet.”
from: Start the Press - http://anthillonline.com/start-the-press/
"If I was to offer advice to someone looking to launch an independent media venture, I’d say: don’t print it. You don’t need to. There are print media business models that work very well, but the costs are still high. My advice would be to structure it online from the beginning, with multimedia. Use the full potential of the internet.”
from: Start the Press - http://anthillonline.com/start-the-press/
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