Unlock Your Potential with Maximize Your Publicity, LLC!

Did you know January is National Financial Awareness Month?  Or that last week was Creative Frugality Week?  Financial planners, accountants and even banks could use these dates to provide a special PR campaign to generate exposure for them.  They could create a top ten list, post it on their website and send out a release to let the media tell consumers about the free information.  With the unique twist it would catch their eye.

How can you find these dates?  Each month I’ll list a few unusual dates, as well as a number of online sources.  First, what industry are you in - do they have a special date.  For example - if you are a coach the International Personal and Business Coaching Week is the first week of February.  Not only is February 14th Valentines Day, but also Arizona Statehood.

Other February celebrations include - American Heart Month, International Boost Self-Esteem Month, National Cherry Month & National Pet Dental Month.  The second week is Random Actos of Kindness Week, the third week is National Engineers Week and February 28 is Floral Design Day.   

Put on your thinking cap - what can you come up with to create some useful information or event to create publicity?  If you need help, just give the Small Business Public Relations Coach a call!

Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, has an encounter with God in Genesis 16.  She was having difficulty dealing with the family and had run away.  God cared enough for her that in her distress He sent an angel to advise her.  In Genesis 16:13 weread that she named the place El Roi because God saw her. 

Just like Hagar,  God sees us where ever we are, in whatever circumstance.  He has given us the Holy Bible to provide us instruction for our daily lives, as well as the Holy Spirit to comfort us. 

Remember God sees you and He cares.

Smart Marketing for Challenging Times

“I teach techniques to business owners, non-profit administrators and pastors to help them effectively tell their story to reach their target audience and save money. Everyone is trying to stretch their budgets as much as possible,” said Julia-Isabel Davenport, MBA owner of Maximize Your Publicity. “This is a great time to develop new skills that will expand their marketing budgets.”

Maximize Your Publicity, LLC equips businesses, churches and non-profits to effectively create their own publicity. This is done through seminars and workshops, articles, consulting and Business Strategy Lunches. For more information on maximizing your publicity visit www.MaximizeYourPublicity.com or call (623) 572-8201. Davenport is a member of National Speakers Association, Meeting Professionals International and Toastmasters International.

Communicating with current and potential customers is essential to growing your business.  But, you don’t want to be a pest.  Where is the balance?  Providing something of value (that your customers would value, not necessarily what you would value) in a format that is cost effective and delivered in the manner they would desire is the challenge.  Coupons through the mail are traditional, especially for restaurants.  Tips to improve just about anything are sent via email newsletter like constant contact.  Surveys to better understand their needs can be done with survey monkey. 

A hand written thank you note when you receive a client referral will put you on top.  With all the technology available to us, the traditional thank you note has been overlooked and has great value because it stands out so much from the rest of the noise.

Have you asked your clients how to best communicate your new products, services or promotions to them?  Now would be a great time to get their feedback so you can plan your communication strategies for the rest of the year.

How many times have you heard “the devil is in the details” while they express frustration over all the items that need to be done.  While reading Exodus 36 where God directs Moses to build the tabernacle it occurred to me that really God is the master detailer.  God with His infinite wisdom creates structures with great detail and then records those details.

Whether it is design intstructions for building the ark to save humanity or rules for human conduct, which we call the 10 commandments, God’s details are important.  Imagine if Noah had decided to not build the ark to God’s specifications, not only would he have perished, but we wouldn’t be here either. 

When God gave Moses the 10 commandments they were to help people live as a society.  How we need, as a society, to remind ourselves of the details of those commandments.  Our proper relationship to God and to each other is summarized in the 10 commandments found in Exodus 20.

Are you a small business owner or administrator for a church or non-profit?  Are you looking to stretch your marketing budget and be more effective?  If so, you’ll want to attend “Smart Marketing for Challenging Times” on March 2 in Glendale, AZ.

 The two hour session will cover ideas for free social media, entreprenuer survival tips and how to use free publicity.  The seminar is $50 and all attendees receive “How to Maximize Your Publicity” book, a $20 value that features 18 sample press releases for 11 newsworthy angles.

Visit www.maximizeyourpublicity.com today for more information.  Register before February 23.

II Corinthians 5:7 admonishes us to walk by faith and not by sight.  I was reminded of that recently while my husband watched the taped Cardinals football game.  While he sat watching and wondering how it would turn out, I went online and saw that they had won.  Knowing this, it was easier to watch the game, since I knew the end result.  I didn’t know the details, but I knew  the bottom line.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).  Walking in faith requires that we put our total confidence in God, knowing that He is faithful to fulfill His word and His promises to us.  We may not know how He will work out the details, but we know the bottom line - He is faithful not just part of the time, but all the time.

Let’s give Him our burdens, put our trust in Him and hold onto His promises, meditating in them day and night so we can experience success (Joshua 1:8).

In Genesis 15:1 God appears to Abraham in a vision saying that Abraham doesn’t need to be afraid, God will protect him and reward him.  In verse 6 we learn that Abraham’s faith pleased God, he was made righteous because He believed.

What promises has God made you?  God’s word is full of promises that He performed.  He has not changed.  He still is in the business of fulfilling His promises.  Every new day we see is fulfillment of His act of creation.

Believe God’s promises.  Study them, medidate on them, build your faith.  Have the faith of Abraham.

In Genesis 12:1-3 we see God is giving Abraham so life direction.  If Abraham would listen and do what God instructs then God will bless him so that he can be a blessing.  At this point Abraham was still called Abram, and was being given the promise that he would be the father of many nations (which is what Abraham means).

 Galations 3:9 says that Abraham’s blessings are ours.  We need to study all of God’s blessings that He gave Abraham and declare them over our lives. 

How have you been blessed - can you walk, talk, see, hear all those things we take for granted?  How are these gifts a blessing to others?

Be quick to thank God for His blessings and then to bless others with those blessings.  As you open yourself to be a conduit of His blessings He will pour out blessings on you that you can’t contain (Luke 6:38).

I garden for a hobby and am thrilled to see plants emerge from the soil after I plant a seed that looks completely void of life.  How is it that something so shriveled up can produce a plant that flourishes and bears fruit?    One of my garden experiments was to grow garbonzo beans.  Lacking seeds from a nursery I used garbonzo beans that were dried and intended for eating.  To my delight they grew beautifully.

Genesis 8:22 is God’s promise of seed time and harvest.  After the flood He declared that seed time and harvest will continue while the earth remains.  Aren’t we glad that He didn’t say it would only be for a certain person, tribe, local or time frame?  His promises that He gave to those in the Bible are still applicable to us today.

Isaac sowed during famine and reaped a harvest that was 100 fold.  (Genesis 26:12)  Every seed he sowed sprouted and reproduced.  Every one of them.  Not one seed failed him.  What is interesting to me about this story is in the previous verses Isaac had just lied to Abimelech about Rebekah being his sister rather than his wife.  Even after that God still blessed him.  God is no respecter of persons and can bless you as you plant your seed of kindness, friendship, investment or whatever you set your hand to do.