About this column:
Brandi Kamenar is the CEO and Creative Director of Icon B. Marketing & Publicity Group, a boutique agency that represents clients in luxury, beauty and talent in St. Petersburg, Tampa and the surrounding area. She is often asked to be a guest speaker for groups of emerging entrepreneurs wondering how to invest in marketing and publicity.I was in New York this week so I couldn’t attend SocialFresh Tampa. But I sent two talented members of my team to hear what some of the top communication experts in the country had to say about the explosion of social media, and how to harness its skyrocketing potential to increase awareness and revenue. Here are some of the biggest take-aways: Create a Community: If you’re only trying to increase your follower count on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, you’re missing the power of social media. You need to create a community, not just an audience, says Brian Simpson. Brian helped brand the …
One of the questions I hear most frequently is, “How can I get my brand known?” If you don’t have a large marketing budget, it can be tough to introduce a product or service to the public or broaden your consumer base. That’s where public relations plays a key role in telling your story. Let’s take a specific example of creating a branding strategy from the ground up to show how effective it can be. Open up the phone book, and you’ll see dozens of listings for attorneys. How do you know which one will best represent you? We began representing Reeder & Nussbaum, P.A., in November. Our goal…
Whether you're an established business leader or an emerging entrepreneur, you have the same goal: to attract new customers, expand your business, and increase your profit. Have you tried to place a print ad, only to find it's too expensive? Have you sent press releases to a newsroom, only to get no response? Have you fiddled with social media, but can't seem to gain new followers? To be successful, you need to focus on four key areas: 1) Establish a budget. Just like every other part of your business, you need to know how much you have to spend on branding and exposure. Here's one …
I remember when I first left Pittsburgh with $814 and a dream of becoming a mover and shaker in the world. It’s hard, especially when you’re first starting out and don’t have a big budget. In my case, I didn’t have a budget, period. The first step feels like the hardest one, and it is to get yourself noticed. The term for that these days is branding. Connecting with your customers and establishing a name for yourself is a make-or-break endeavor for small businesses. Here are three ways to do that: Get on Facebook. If you haven’t joined the social media revolution yet, you’re missing out. …
