An excellent pubicist can work wonders. But if you don’t see yourself hiring one anytime soon, you can still steal a few of their valuable skills to help you learn how to present yourself in the best light possible. We’ve outlined 4 tools from the Public Relations world that you can use to improve your every day life!

Develop your Brand:

When marketing a company, it is essential to create a strong sense of identity through the process of developing a brand. Create your own “self-brand” to highlight your most outstanding qualities. Take a moment to think about the goals you are aiming to achieve and what type of impression you’d like to set. Brainstorm the characteristics you are most proud of; identify those that you’d like to highlight and those that you’d like to downplay. Begin to allign your actions, words, wardrobe, etc with this new self-brand.

Create a Press Kit:

This might include your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media accounts; along with resumes, business cards, headshots etc. Sift through your social media accounts and be sure that the tone of your pictures and posts are in line with the image you are seeking to present. You never know who might be looking at your accounts so it’s essential that they display you positively!

Learn to Pitch:

The ability to pitch is one of the most valuable skills to have in the Public Relations field. A successful pitch will pique attention and generate a buzz. Use the qualities of a great pitch next time you are networking or interviewing. Speak in a straight-forward and confident manner. Listen carefully and respond to questions quickly and succinctly. Understand your audience – learn about what motivates them and make points that are relevant and interesting to them.

Handle Bad Publicity with Grace:

Every brand will encounter negative publicity at some point. The best in Public Relations understand how to ride out the waves of bad publicity and how to recover once they’ve subsided. If you encounter negative attention, learn to handle it with grace. Hold your head high and know that in time, the buzz will pass. Make sincere apologies wherever necessary. Be sure to learn from your mistakes – evaluate what generated the negative attention and use it as an opportunity for growth.

These are just a few tools that those in Public Relations use to promote their products and clients. Try them out for yourself to help improve your image and advance towards your goals!

Plan Ahead

Planning your event far in advance will help you stick within your budget and avoid impulse buys and unnecessary expenses. Start by determining a budget you feel comfortable with. Then begin to create a road map for your event. Write a list of the different areas you’ll need to allocate your budget towards – such as food, liquor, décor, and invitations. Determine areas that might deserve an extra investment, such as food. Compare prices at multiple stores and websites to find the best deals. With a little planning and time you can often find products online for a fraction of the price you might pay in a local party store.

Pick a Theme

Now that you’ve allocated your expenses, you can let the planning begin! Start by creating a theme. Picking a theme is an inexpensive and simple way to bring fun and life to your next event. The right theme will add virtually nothing to your expenses. Choose a theme that guests can participate in such as a crazy hat party, or a masquerade party. You can also try a more subtle theme by drawing inspiration from a specific color or flavor and incorporating it throughout your event. A theme will give your party flair without adding to your budget.

Drink Up

Ask guests to bring their favorite wine or beer and provide them with one or two signature cocktails rather than a full bar. Signature drinks are inexpensive and easy and can be made in bulk prior to the party. Serve in pitchers or punch bowls and allow guests to help themselves. For a fun twist, tie your cocktail recipes in with your theme. If you’re throwing a valentine’s day party, find a red colored cocktail and label it, “love potion”. Or for an 80′s party, serve a popular drink from that era.

Chow Down

Save tons of money on food cost by skipping the sit down dinner and throwing an extended cocktail party with simple hors d’oeuvres. A great hors d’oeuvres menu doesn’t mean that each recipe has to be time-consuming or difficult. Your menu can consist of five simple hors d’oeuvres. Be creative! Almost any dish can be turned into party fare. Try serving your favorite soup in shot glasses, or your famous macaroni and cheese in bite sized portions.

Set the Mood

Simple modifications to music and lighting cost little to nothing and can change the atmosphere entirely. With the right touches you’ll be able to get your guests in the party mood. Avoid bright over-head lights, which are often unflattering, and stick to floor and table lamps. Put clusters of candles together and decorate candle holders with bright or patterned papers that match your theme. For music, create a unique playlist on your ipod or take advantage of programs like Pandora which will provide excellent mixes at no cost. Always be sure to check that your stereo and speakers are in working order before the party begins.

Try these tips out the next time you’re planning on a budget! And keep in mind that no matter the size of your budget, the best elements of a successful party are good company, laughter, fun, and memories – all of which are free!

Facebook has announced that they are buying Instagram for $1 Billion dollars in cash and stock. “For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote. “Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.”

Here is the official news release from Facebook:

Facebook announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire Instagram, a fun, popular photo-sharing app for mobile devices.

The total consideration for San Francisco-based Instagram is approximately $1 billion in a combination of cash and shares of Facebook. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close later this quarter.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, posted about the transaction on his Timeline:

I’m excited to share the news that we’ve agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.

For years, we’ve focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we’ll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.

We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.

That’s why we’re committed to building and growing Instagram independently. Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people.

We think the fact that Instagram is connected to other services beyond Facebook is an important part of the experience. We plan on keeping features like the ability to post to other social networks, the ability to not share your Instagrams on Facebook if you want, and the ability to have followers and follow people separately from your friends on Facebook.

These and many other features are important parts of the Instagram experience and we understand that. We will try to learn from Instagram’s experience to build similar features into our other products. At the same time, we will try to help Instagram continue to grow by using Facebook’s strong engineering team and infrastructure.

This is an important milestone for Facebook because it’s the first time we’ve ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don’t plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.

We’re looking forward to working with the Instagram team and to all of the great new experiences we’re going to be able to build together.

What do you think of the merge?

Social media platforms with an emphasis on images – such as Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr – are becoming popular with many brands and proving that visual content can make a strong impact on business results.

Here’s an outline of a few of the most popular image-based platforms that have recently emerged and how brands can use them:

Pinterest

Pinterest is a visual pin board that allows users to organize and share images and ideas they find on the web. Pinterest has recently exploded in popularity and it’s unique monthly visitors now tops 11 million, making it the fastest standalone website to surpass the 10 million mark. So, should your brand be using Pinterest? If you are a B2C company whose target audience is women, Pinterest might be right for you. Check out this info-graphic to help you determine whether or not to use Pinterest for your brand: http://columnfivemedia.com/work-items/intuit-infographic-should-your-business-be-on-pinterest/

Tumblr:

Think of Tumblr as a cross between Twitter and WordPress. A micro-blogging platform and social network, users can quickly share snippets of information like text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio. Unlike traditional blogging where posts are usually long and wordy – Tumblr is simple, free-form, and visual.

For brands, Tumblr might be an excellent tool to communicate with your audience. Use it to highlight news articles by linking to online coverage; Share multimedia like logos, pictures, graphics, and info-graphics; Or create an event blog for a grand opening, product launch, community event, etc.

Instagram

Instagram is described as, “a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your photos with friends and family.

Snap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post to Instagram. Share to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr too – It’s photo sharing, reinvented.”

Instagram is not overly promotional, but its a great way to spread awareness and cultivate relationships with your audience.

“Think about the artsy ways you could showcase your work, your staff or your customers with this tool,” writes John Jantsch

Starbucks, Red Bull, General Electric, and Marc Jacobs are among some of the brands that are using Instagram for great marketing.

There are quite a few incidents of a carefully planned marketing scheme ending in disaster. Here are 3 of the most memorable:

The Chicago White Sox and the “Disco Demolition Night.”

In 1979, White Sox fans were asked to bring in vinyl disco records in exchange for 98 cent admission to a double-header. Fans were informed that the records would be collected and blown up in between games. Management expected to bring an additional 5,000 spectators. On the day of the game, 75,000 showed up. The stadium quickly reached capacity and many fans resorted to scaling walls and fences when they were turned away. After the first game,  a box of records was detonated with a bomb. Immediately after, spectators began to riot onto the field, ripping up the bases, destroying the batting cages, and sending the players fleeing. The Sox forfeited the second game and riot police had to come and disperse the crowd.

The Boston Bomb Scare:

In January 2007, Cartoon Network attempted to create a guerilla marketing promotion for Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They created many backpack-sized devices with wires on the back and lights on the front, displaying a moving image. The devices were placed in various spots throughout Boston, as well as other large US Cities. Unfortunately, many people assumed the devices were bombs. The incident caused a War of the Worlds-sized panic, sending the Boston Police’s bomb squad out on full alert. Boat traffic was blocked from Boston Harbor, and the Pentagon had the US Northern Command in Colorado Springs monitoring the threat. CNN quoted Congressman Ed Markey as saying, “It would be hard to dream up a more appalling publicity stunt.” He added, “Whoever thought this up needs to find another job.”

Snapple’s Giant Meltdown:

In 2005, Snapple set out to create the world’s largest frozen juice pop in New York City. The 17.5 ton monstrosity melted too quickly, spilling out of the back of a trailer and flooding streets around Union Square Park with a tidal wave of strawberry-kiwi flavored goop. Citizens were sent running for higher ground. There were a few minor injuries, which exposed the company to potential lawsuits, and while the story created a lot of press, it was almost all bad. MSNBC summed up the story as a “Disaster on a Stick” and said that the scene was “straight out of a disaster film — but much stickier.”

These are just a few of the most infamous disastrous marketing schemes to date. Very recently, we’ve seen a couple of marketing efforts that are surely to make their way to the list.

Mad Men’s March 2012 Return:

The hit television show recently returned for it’s fifth season. Amongst their promotional efforts was a billboard campaign  throughout NYC; it caused quite a bit of controversy. Intentionally or not, their ads depicting that of a main character also had a striking resemblance to one of the “most harrowing news photographs ever taken: that of the “falling man” plunging to his death from the World Trade Center on 9/11″ says Doug Hill of Forbes. While many labeled the campaign as insensitive, “Mad Men” creators insist the comparison is nothing more than a coincidence, saying that “the image of Don Draper tumbling through space has been used since the show began in 2007 to represent a man whose life is in turmoil.”

The Black & Bleu Burger:

A steakhouse in Georgia came under fire from locals after it promoted its new ‘black and bleu’ sandwich as being inspired by Chris Brown’s vicious attack on his former girlfriend, Rihanna.

The owners of the Chops & Hops restaurant in Watkinsville took to the steakhouse’s Facebook page to mock the 2009 assault with a bad-taste joke about domestic violence. The post featured a picture of the blue cheese-smothered steak sandwich on the social networking site, along with the caption: ‘@chrisbrown, @rihanna and us teamed up for a (sic) award winning celebrity sandwich. Put your hands on this Caribbean black and bleu sandwich. ‘Chris Brown won’t beat you up for eating this unless your name starts with a R and ends with A.’

Diners reacted furiously to the post, criticising the chophouse for making light of domestic violence in its reference to the attack, which rocked the 2009 Grammy evening. …Read more here.

Have you seen any other crazy or outrageous marketing tactics used recently? Share in the comments below.

Since being recognized in the top 25, the IMC team has been featured in articles from the Redding Patch, the Suffield Patch, the Southington Patch, and the Record Journal.

If you weren’t able to check out the articles, you can read a quick recap of them below!

The Southington Patch:

The Southington Patch was thrilled to see that Kate, a Southington resident, is finding success in her business endeavors.

The article pointed out that, “when Barack Obama was getting ready to run for President of the United States, Kate Terricciano Sirignano had recently graduated from college.” Just a few years later, “as Obama embarked on his reelection campaign, Terricciano Sirignano is celebrating her agency’s inclusion in the Hartford Business Journal’s list of top 25 advertising and public relations agencies in the Hartford County.”

IMC has grown rapidly and decisively thanks to its founder’s focus and energy and as Kate says, “We may lack years of history, but we more than make up for it in confidence, enthusiasm, and our independent spirit.

Check out the full article here.

The Suffield Patch

Tim, a Suffield Native, was featured in an article by the Suffield Patch. The article recognized him with helping Image Marketing land a spot in the Top 25 list. Tim joined IMC in early 2011 and was one of the first hires made by owner Kate Terricciano Sirignano after years of operating IMC as a solo venture.

Read the rest of the article here.

The Redding Patch

Amanda was also featured recently in an article from her home town of Redding, CT. The Redding   Patch recognized her as an essential component of the growth of Image Marketing Consultants. Amanda graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a degree in Communications and joined the IMC team in 2011.

Read more here.

The Record Journal

The Record Journal interviewed Kate recently for an article featured this past week. They recognized Kate’s success in making the Business Journal’s Top 25 List, saying “Sirignano said she was thrilled to be on the list with agencies that have been around since the 1950s and 1960s. Sirignano’s business was one of the newest to be recognized. In five years, Sirignano and her employees have established their clientele and usually work with companies worth $10 million to $100 million.”

“Sirignano said her business is here to stay and she doesn’t see anything changing.”

Read the full article from the Record Journal here.

*Photo credit: Dave Zajac of The Record Journal.

We are a small company that is growing rapidly and we appreciate the support from our clients and many friends!

I wanted to share one of the newest, most addicting, interesting, and fabulous social media sites that is out there today… Pinterest.

“Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”

Your account is simply built on creative DIY posts and pictures of recipes, events, décor, and so much more. Once you create an account, you have access to hundreds and thousands of fellow members ideas, and images that you can pin to your own page. It is a creative persons dream!

Working in the event planning industry, this site can easily be applied to the planning process for certain client events. Favors, foods, decorations- the inspiration is unlimited. We look forward to utilizing the site to our advantage!

Do you have a Pinterest account? Sign up or request an invite to join today!

For the Singles:

Gone are the days when Valentine’s Day was reserved for only the smug, coupled friends in your life! Celebrate being single and unattached this year! Gather all of your best single friends for a fun, and festive cocktail party and be sure to use some of our tips to make your event a hit.

• Food: Serve a variety of simple finger foods and appetizers. Keep in mind that your single guests will likely want to look attractive while munching and mingling with other singles. Avoid messy or runny foods and keep poppy seeds and garlic off of the menu. Try interactive food stations, such as a taco station, or chocolate fountain where guests can mingle while making their food.

• Cocktails: Keep your event stocked with delicious drinks. Create a self serve bar where people can make their own drinks. Your single guests will have the chance to interact while preparing cocktails. Serve a signature cocktail themed for Valentine’s Day – it will be a great conversation piece!
• Atmosphere: Keep the floor open for moving and mingling and keep the lighting low and flattering. Play a continuous stream of fun and upbeat music that people can dance to. Avoid painting the setting in red and pink, keep the décor simple and chic with the occasional red accent.

For the Couples:

Skip the expensive and lavish dinner this year and spend your Valentine’s day mingling with other fun and interesting couples! Host an event for all of your favorite couples for a fun and social Valetine’s Day! Here are some of our tips to organize an excellent couples event.

• Food: Offer a variety of hors d’oeuvres and appetizers. Set up stations that feature a wine or cocktail, each with an hors d’oeuvres pairing. Couples will love interacting and sampling fun and unique pairings together. Try setting up a chocolate or dessert tasting tabel with bite-sized dessert portions. Or host a tasting event, such as a chocolate tasting party.

• Cocktails: Set up do-it-yourself drink making stations – providing fun, themed recipes. There are hundreds of Valentine’s inspired cocktails that can be found online. Check out a couple of our favorites:

Love Potion:

3 parts champagne

1 part raspberry liqeuer

1 spoonful of fresh raspberries

Flirtini:

1 part vodka

1 part triple sec

1 part champagne

2 parts pineapple juice

splash of cranberry

• Atmosphere: Invite couples that you feel will mix and interact well, to keep the vibe fun and friendly. Create the space for guests to mingle, but also provide some interactive elements to your event. Try setting up a Valentine’s card-making station with paper, markers, stickers, etc, where guests can create fun Valentine cards for their significant other. Or pre-bake heart shaped sugar cookies and allow couples to decorate them together.

Try some of these fun tips out at your Valentine’s Day event! Do you have any other ideas for a great Valentine’s themed party? Let us know!

Over the years, the TV commercials have become as much a part of the Superbowl as the players and coaches. So much so, that companies all over the world are willing to dish out $3.5 million for 30 seconds of air time at this year’s big game……a far cry from the $42,000 marketers paid for the same advertising spots back in 1967 during the first Superbowl

This creates an incredible challenge for the marketing departments at these companies. They have to come up with a creative campaign that will effectively market their company and products well enough to be worth the astronomical costs of the advertising.

Different companies take on this marketing challenge in very different ways. Traditionally, the most popular Superbowl ads are the comedic ones. Budweiser, Doritos and Etrade, among others, have mastered the art of creating funny Superbowl advertisements and many people look to see every year if they can top the previous year’s commercials. Some companies, like GoDaddy.com for example, take a different approach and go for pure shock value, showing provocative material and encouraging viewers to visit their website to see more. While others go with major celebrity appearances to try and appeal to their audience.

Here are two of my favorite Superbowl commercials that debuted at the 2011 game……Do you think they ‘re worth the $3 million these companies paid for them?

Etrade 2011 Superbowl Commercial

Volkswagen 2011 Superbowl Commercial

EO along with The Smith Brothers of Glastonbury will be hosting a sales training event aimed to inspire bigger and better business for its members and invited guests. The event is highlighted by a keynote presentation from nationally recognized sales expert Jack Daly, who has led similar sales seminars all around the world leaving viewers “Jack’d.”

The presentation, entitled “Building a Winning Sales Culture,” will include discussions on sales management, sales strategy, and workplace culture using proven techniques and methodologies learned throughout Jack Daly’s entrepreneurial career. Daly is a proven CEO/Entrepreneur having built six companies into national firms. He is currently co-owner/senior executive at INC #10, a promotional marketing agency based in Bellevue, WA.

Invitees include members of the Connecticut, New York City and Boston chapters of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization along with entrepreneurial groups at three local colleges, with the goal of pushing students toward one day owning their own business.

“We’re excited to welcome Mr. Daly to deliver his renowned presentation to our members and guests and are confident this will be one of our most successful event of the year,” said EO Connecticut Chapter President Bob LaBonne of LaBonnes Markets.

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization is a global group built on the idea that member entrepreneurs will learn from each other to promote better business productivity and an enhanced personal life. The Connecticut Chapter currently has twenty-three members with businesses in various industries.

Event Information:

1:00pm – 5:00pm Wednesday, February 1, 2012

University of Hartford

200 Bloomfield Avenue

West Hartford, CT06117

Wilde Auditorium (Lower Level) West Hartford, CT06117

(*Free parking in Lincoln Theater Lot)

Pricing:

$0- CT EO Members, CT EO Board Members, University of Hartford Undergrad students

$10 Non-University of Hartford students

$25- CT EO Guests

$50- Global EO members

$75- Pre-registered general admission/public

NOTE: There will be a $10 fee for those who do not pre-register.