The best candy will forever be a topic of debate. Fruity vs. chocolatey. Chewy vs. crunchy. Sweet vs. sour. Americans spend egregious amounts of money specifically on Halloween candy each year. In 2019, Americans spent $2.6 billion on Halloween candy, a number that’s rising in 2020 according to the National Confectioners Association. To celebrate the approaching holiday season, candystore.com released its annual list of the nation’s top 10 Halloween candies which are:

1. Skittles2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups3. Starburst4. M&M’S5. Hot Tamales6. Candy Corn7. Snickers8. Sour Patch Kids9. Hershey Kisses10. Jolly Ranchers

Americans clearly have their favorite candies and are willing to spend big on them, whether it be for themselves or someone else. This got me thinking: Since virtually everyone has a favorite candy, does advertising these specific candies do much? If everyone in the country knows what they look like, taste like, and already has a favorite, is it worth it?

To answer this question, I compiled a graph with television advertising statistics I found on ispot.tv. I focused on television ads because it was the easiest to find data on. Unfortunately, there was no data available for Hot Tamales, Jolly Ranchers, and the too general candy corn. The candy with available data appears on the graph in order of popularity.

Have you ever scrolled through Facebook and seen someone post a complaint about a product or customer service on a company’s post? The typical response is something along the lines of:

“Hi, so-and-so. We are sorry to hear you had a bad experience and we would like to make things right. Please call us at xxx-xxx-xxxx so we can resolve the issue.”

Sure, it’s a standard cookie cutter response, but it’s how customer service on social media has always been run. Work with customers and make them happy so they’ll keep buying your product or service. But what if there’s another way to respond to customer complaints? What if the social media team fights back?

 

 

If you’re unfamiliar with Reddit, it’s a 15-year-old website that has thousands of different groups or “subreddits” that users can join (picture Facebook groups, except that’s the entirety of the website). Each user-created subreddit (whose name is preceded by r/) is based around a topic that ranges from something general and popular like r/movies, r/cars, or r/photography which boast millions of members, to extremely niche groups like r/ShaqHoldingThings, a subreddit dedicated to pictures of legendary NBA big man Shaquille O’Neal holding everyday objects that dwarf in comparison to him. Whatever the topic may be, Reddit is a diverse social media platform, and advertisers have tried to take advantage of users’ wide array of interests.

How It WorksReddit’s advertising system is similar to that of Instagram. Ads are placed in a user’s newsfeed which they see as they scroll through the website. The problem with this system, however, is that users don’t pay attention to something they can scroll right past. They don’t grab the attention of the user and they are quickly dismissed with the swipe of a thumb. However, individuals have discovered how to market themselves on Reddit through their own personal profiles.

Celebrity Self-PromotionReddit is known as a platform where it’s simple to reach out and have a conversation with other users. A popular subreddit is r/IAmA, where celebrities will create a personal profile and answer questions that fans comment over a few hours. This interaction, also known as an “Ask Me Anything” or “AMA,” has led to a hugely positive Reddit reputation for Rick Astley and Arnold Schwarzenegger, both of whom frequently post old photos and participate in AMAs with fans. Both post updates about their lives, projects they’ve been working on, and reply to fan comments which always garner plenty of attention. For a major figure, Reddit can be beneficial marketing tool because a profile is free to make and posting is a simple process, but that simplicity doesn’t mean it’s easy for everyone.

When Reddit Marketing Goes WrongThe most famous Reddit PR blunder came courtesy of video game giant Electronic Arts. EA has their own profile on Reddit to interact with customers of their many major titles such as FIFA, Madden, The Sims, and the Battlefield series. While EA produces some of the world’s most popular video games, they are maligned for their “pay-to-play” system where users must pay extra to unlock special content in many of their games.

In 2018, one Reddit user posted on r/StarWarsBattlefront (a then new game from the corporation) that they were upset because they paid $60 for the video game, but several of Star Wars’ most famous figures were locked as playable characters. The only way to unlock every character was to either play the game for 4,500 hours or pay $2,100 worth of in-game transactions. For comparison, a typical video game takes somewhere around 20 hours to complete. Obviously, most people can’t afford to sink over $2,000 into a video game which left extreme amounts of gameplay as the only option to unlock several characters.

I recently read an article about “America’s Hottest Brands” in Ad Age magazine. The article covered the companies, products, and people that thrived during quarantine. Everyone remembers how the Tiger King and Michael Jordan were on every television in America. And who could forget how Zoom engulfed our everyday lives? Even on a local level, there were brands that exploded in popularity over the past few months. Here’s a quick list of some of Rockford’s hottest brands during quarantine.

Rockford Art DeliAs one of the earliest COVID marketing campaigns, the Rockford Art Deli’s “Here for Good” collection took the 815 by storm and never let up. Local businesses submitted shirt designs that were made-to-order through the Art Deli’s website and received $10 from each shirt sold to help support the business during quarantine. The campaign ran from late March until June 1 and collected $100,000 distributed to 400 local businesses. The Art Deli printed an astounding 10,000 shirts by hand and needed months to fulfill all the orders. They were undoubtedly Rockford’s hottest brand during the stay-at-home order.

Lino’sOne of the local businesses that had a “Here For Good” shirt also was one of the most successful restaurants during the stay-at-home order. Many families (including mine) ordered takeout from local restaurants to give us something to do. One of the first restaurants that we ordered from was Lino’s because of their updated carryout menu and efficient drive-thru system that fulfilled orders while keeping everyone safe. This streamlined process and quick thinking was a big reason why Lino’s thrived. Their drive-thru became so popular that their Mother’s Day prime rib special caused cars to be backed up onto East State Street waiting to get their orders.

Rockford Area Convention & Visitors BureauThe RACVB made the most out of a bad situation and kept an uplifting attitude during a tough time for everyone. They started the “Clean Hands, Open Doors Pledge” to encourage local businesses to follow COVID-19 CDC guidelines and protect their staff and customers. Since it began, over 200 local businesses have taken the pledge. The RACVB also started a “LunchChat” webinar series. Each webinar featured conversations about current information, ideas, and inspirations for local businesses during the pandemic. Even recently, the RACVB installed a new public art piece in Davis Park. They have been encouraging people to take pictures in front of the piece and post them on social media for their #HereInRockford contest. One random winner will receive a one-night stay at the new Embassy Suites downtown as well as a gift certificate to its rooftop restaurant. Not only is this a fun marketing campaign for the city and the Embassy Suites, it also encourages residents to visit downtown and support the nearby local business.

Sinnissippi GardensOne of the only things we have been able to do in recent months (besides eating and watching Miles Nielsen on his “Quaranstreams” online) is go outside. As a result, Sinnissippi Gardens became a favorite for my family and many others. The free outdoor gardens have drawn people looking to get out of the house while remaining socially distanced. Thankfully, the gardens are large enough to accommodate the sudden influx of people. With a bike path, river, lagoon, and flowers as far as the eye can see, Sinnissippi has become the go-to place for families. I drive past the Nicholas Conservatory parking lot every morning on the way to work, and it is busy at every time of day.

As a parent, my kids are looking forward to returning to school in person on September 2nd. I think all parents and students are eagerly anticipating the start of school and some sort of routine, no matter if it’s in person or remote learning.

I’ve tried not to fan the flame of social media fires with explosive complaints, pleas for more information or questions about changes to the school day structure. I know the answers will come – eventually.

I also know most districts are completely retooling their business model in the course of several weeks, even making substantial changes on a daily basis within days of school starting due to changes in COVID positivity rates, teacher and family concerns and a host of other issues.

As a marketing professional who works with many schools—both public and private--in our region, I’m hopeful that once the dust settles on carving out solid plans schools will turn their sights to communication with families and never lose that focus in the weeks and months ahead.

Even in optimal school years, the most conscientious kids often don’t remember to communicate information home from schools. My expectation as a communication professional and as a parent is this year will pose an even bigger communication struggle for families. Students have too many worries right now, too many unusual protocols to get used to, atypical schedules, emotional rollercoasters and unknown health outcomes.

In early August, concert promotion and ticketing company Live Nation Entertainment reported a 98% drop in second quarter revenue compared to last year. Because of this year’s COVID-compromised concert season, there have been thousands of refunded tickets and postponed concerts (including my postponed Judas Priest tickets you see here), causing Live Nation to report a loss of $86 million in ticketing for the quarter. While pop stars and concert arenas can most likely survive financially until their next show, small artists and venues are still scrambling to come up with innovative marketing ideas to keep their instruments in hand and their doors open.

At first, drive-thru and socially-distanced concerts seemed like a solution. It reduced the likelihood of infection and still retained some of the feeling of a live show. However, their popularity quickly declined once venues realized they were losing money even with reduced crowds and that not many concertgoers wanted to sit in their cars to see their favorite artists. Some artists just ignored the virus and played shows as if life was normal. While that is definitely not the right solution, there have been plenty of successful marketing ideas that are keeping fans, artists, and venues satisfied while they anxiously await their rescheduled dates.

BANDCAMP FEE WAIVERBandcamp, a website that allows independent artists to sell their own music and merchandise, has been waiving fees on the first Friday of every month since the pandemic started. With no fees being taken from an artist’s sale, Bandcamp is ensuring that all fan-produced revenue is going directly to the artist. This has become a popular marketing message point on social media. When the first Friday of the month is near, my Facebook newsfeed is filled with small artists advertising the fee waiver and asking for fans’ support. It’s working too. On March 20, the first day when fees were waived, fans spent a total of $4.3 million on the website, 15 times more than a normal Friday.

VIRTUAL CONCERTSWhile no one expected virtual concerts to be a replacement for in-person concert experiences, they have been popular options for artists big and small. Utilizing Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, artists have been playing livestreamed sets for fans to enjoy from the comfort of their homes. For 21 weeks, Rockford favorite Miles Nielsen and his wife Kelly Steward have been performing what they’ve dubbed “Quaranstreams,” 60 to 90-minute-long sets livestreamed on Nielsen’s Facebook page for over 3,000 fans. While streaming, similar to other virtual concerts, Nielsen and Steward promote their merchandise and share links to their PayPal and Venmo accounts for anyone interested in giving a tip. Based on the happy comments and high viewership, it’s safe to say that the “Quaranstreams” are successful while also maintaining aspects of the live music experience like tips and merchandise.

COVID MERCHANDISESpeaking of merchandise, artists have gotten creative with new COVID-inspired products to sell to fans. Just about every major artist has their own branded facemask now, but there are some other products that stand out from the crowd. KISS, the undisputed kings of artist branding, created a Stay At Home Tour shirt, the proceeds of which are donated to the Global Relief Fund For Live Music Crews. Wu-Tang Clan quickly sold out of their “Protect Ya Hands” hand sanitizer to benefit the homeless. For each bottle sold, the group donated a bottle to the Ottawa Mission Foundation and donated additional profits to other homeless shelters in Canada. However, the title for “Best COVID Band Merch” goes to Devo and their energy dome face shield. When a problem comes along, the face shield will protect you in case someone has to sneeze and whips it your way. All lyrical puns aside, creative marketing like this is the best way for bands to make a living with no shows on the horizon. According to Dell Furano, CEO of Live Nation Merchandise, touring artists typically earn between 10 and 35 percent of their revenue through merch sales.

So, you want to be a media expert? It’s great exposure for you and your organization; it makes you appear knowledgeable, and it lets you delve into the broadcast world just enough to get a flavor of the fun without tumbling into the sometimes crazy abyss.You might think “experts” who are frequently called on by reporters for interviews are more educated, more accomplished and more skilled than their counterparts and, therefore, more qualified to give media interviews.Nope. That’s typically not the story.Often, the reason the same people get called on by reporters for interviews again and again is because they have a good “RAP.”RAP stands for Responsive, Approachable, and Prepared. Let’s break it down...Be responsive. When a reporter calls, he or she is usually chasing more than one story, more than one interview and balancing breaking news with broken gear plus a lack of adequate staffing with a lack of time. The “do more with less” mentality has been alive and kicking in newsrooms across the country for years already; the rest of corporate American is still catching up. The more responsive you are, the more likely you are to snag the interview and receive the first call next time.Be approachable. Share your cell phone and email address with the reporter. If you haven’t worked with the reporter previously, make small talk and find some common ground in sports teams, hometowns or mutual love for hot weather. Above all, be kind, patient and helpful. Reporters are people, too, and fostering a good relationship can be mutually beneficial.Be prepared. You don’t need to have complete knowledge of the subject to be able to give an interview. You do need to know why the reporter is covering the story and what he or she hopes to gain from your interview. You can ask those questions when setting up the interview to help you prepare. Then, jot down three main points you want to get across during the interview and stick to those key messages. If the reporter strays into unfamiliar territory with his or her questions, come back to your three main points or simply respond that you don’t know the answer but will follow-up.Feel like you flopped your interview? It’s okay. For most reporters, having one source is better than having no source, no matter how good. Also, it’s a sound bite—not a speech. Remember that for all your verbal stumbling, there is probably at least one :10-:20 sound bite that is usable and will work for the reporter’s needs.Follow the above tips and you’ll be well on your way to developing a good “RAP” with reporters and gaining traction on your media mentions!

Baseball and basketball fans across the globe are anxiously awaiting the return of their favorite teams. Both the MLB and NBA are slated to resume play shortly with COVID-related restrictions. One of the biggest changes is fans aren’t allowed to attend games for the remainder of the season. While this is obviously disappointing, current conditions have led to some creative PR and marketing to keep fans happy.

One of the first brilliant marketing ideas I’ve seen so far is courtesy of the Oakland Athletics. Their idea (which has now been replicated by other MLB teams) allows fans to submit a photo of themselves to be made into a cardboard cutout and placed into the stands at their home stadium. The team offers different price points. The most expensive at $149 lands your cutout in the new ALS CURE Project Foul Ball Zone. In exchange, you get two tickets to a 2021 home game, receive an autographed photo from A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty, and if a foul ball lands at your cutout, he will provide them with a signed baseball. In addition, proceeds from cutouts purchased in this section will be donated to the Piscotty Family Foundation to find a cure from ALS. Piscotty’s mother died from ALS in 2018.

The NBA has a more complex situation than the MLB. Select NBA teams (based on their record before the COVID shutdown) are currently residing at Walt Disney World Resorts to finish their season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando -- without fans. Since the remainder of games will be played at one location, every NBA arena is vacant. To utilize this empty space for fans and community members, teams like the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings are converting their arenas into socially distanced voting centers for the upcoming fall elections. The teams are also providing free parking, staff, and even ad campaigns within their respective cities to encourage citizens to vote.

To identify with fans and promote NBA players’ ideals, the NBA is also allowing players to replace the last name on their jersey with a social justice message for the remainder of the season. The idea appears to be a huge hit among players. As of July 8, 285 of 350 eligible players had chosen a message to display on their jerseys, the most popular of which is ‘EQUALITY.’ These messages, along with the arena conversions, should prove to be a successful way for players and teams to support their local communities and connect with fans.

While it’s yet unknown how successful a COVID-affected sports season will be, the MLB and NBA have put all their efforts into creating a safe and enjoyable environment for players and fans alike. Let’s play ball!

Mother’s Day proved some businesses have been more adept than others at adjusting to accommodate COVID-19 online ordering, curbside pick-up and delivery. Red Lobster had a lot of clean-up to do after the recent holiday, proving now more than ever, it’s important when things don’t go according to plan that businesses protect their brand with good PR and customer service!

Red Lobster CEO Apologizes for Mother’s Day Mayhem

Public relations crisis management counsels that brands should own their mistakes promptly, apologize when there are victims and communicate how they are making things right. Red Lobster’s CEO Kim Lopdrup did that yesterday.

For many Americans, the tradition on Mother’s Day is to give mom a day off from cooking. As a result, it’s a big day for restaurants. It was this year, too, though nearly all orders were take-out, of course. Unfortunately, Mother’s Day 2020 became a problem for some restaurants and several Red Lobster locations in particular.

Some restaurants, including Red Lobster, ran specials for Mother's Day, but failed to anticipate how much demand there would be during the pandemic. For Red Lobster, Sunday was its biggest online day ever. As it turned out, the restaurant's online systems accepted orders that staff ultimately was unable to fulfill. With all orders online, demand projection should have been doable. That was not the case.

Okay, so it’s not day 762 but some days it feels like it. The KMK team is still fully employed, fully engaged with its clients on a daily basis and, dare we say, busy.

Like many businesses, KMK employees could work at home in the past due to sick children, a home repair scheduled or bad weather conditions.

COVID-19 has pushed all of us into a 100% work at home schedule. KMK decided to poll its team members, see how they’re doing, and ask what’s the best and worst thing about working at home. Here’s what we found out:

WORST: Working at home with young children – from e-learning to boredom and always going to mom, NOT dad!BEST: Working at home with my dog.WORST: Not having face-to-face client meetings.BEST: Saving money on hair and makeup—haha!WORST: Realizing how much non-KMK work needs to get done (laundry, cleaning, etc.).BEST: Getting more sleep with no lunches to pack, commute to the office or prepping for work.WORST: Not having in-person brainstorming meetings with other KMK staff.BEST: Being able to work with little interruption and beer in the fridge at the end of the day!

In addition to our Zoom staff meetings to keep connected and enjoy one another’s creative vibe, the KMK team is keeping a sense of humor.

One employee responded, “The toughest thing about working from home is the lack of human contact. I find myself talking to myself a lot and the worst is when I pick a fight with myself and lose.”

Working remotely can present challenges and obstacles if you’re not used to it... especially when you’re a part of a creative team like KMK. We’ve taken the last 4 weeks of quarantine to hone in on the tips and tricks that work for our team!

Lots of Virtual MeetingsEvery Monday, KMK staff members hop on a virtual staff meeting to go over the past week, provide updates on projects and get a look at the week ahead. While this is the only company-wide meeting we have each week, team members are breaking off in individual virtual meetings to chat about projects as well.Be Available and Respond QuicklyWhen you’re in the office, it’s easy to run to your neighbor’s office to see if they had a chance to look at your email... working from home makes that a little more difficult. Make sure you’re available to answer phone calls and emails in a timely manner. Our rule of thumb at KMK is 30 minutes!Stick to a RoutineIs your favorite part of the workday popping a k-cup into the Keurig to brew your morning cup of coffee? Used to eating lunch at noon? Keep it up! Just because you’re working from home now doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your favorite parts of the day.Don’t be Afraid to Pick Up the PhoneIf you feel like it would be easier to talk through a project, task, or just have a question you feel can’t be conveyed properly through email, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone to call your coworker... they’re on the clock, too!Set Goals and Crush Them!Staying on task while working from home is, understandably, harder for some. An easy way to keep projects moving along is to set project goals, big or small! Set reminders in Outlook or a common project space like Basecamp or Slack.Bring Your Pet (or Kid) to Work!Just because we’re working from home doesn’t mean that life stops from 9-5... We have kids and pets and, dangit, they want attention just as much as our clients do! If your coworker’s dog decides the 9 am conference call is the best time to sing the song of its people, use it as an opportunity to connect with your coworker instead of criticizing.Check Your Internet SpeedIf your internet seems slower than usual, check your routers! KMK Communications Specialist Sarah Mitchell thought it was her provider, but after further investigation, found out her router needed replaced! Now she’s up to speed (get it... internet speed)!

Do you happen to have...

Ticketmaster tickets to a postponed concert?Amazon order question that requires a phone call?Netflix issue where you need to talk to a human being?

Well, too bad. You’ll have to wait. A long time. Like until this Coronavirus thing is over.

All three companies have implemented extremely poor new customer service guidelines of nixing phone call support.

On Monday, I was trying to order something on Bed Bath & Beyond’s website using an unexpired coupon. The coupon wasn’t working. It was 6 p.m. Typically, I should have been able to call customer service, but the company is no longer staffing phone lines at that hour. I couldn’t send an email or chat with anyone either. So, I waited.

The next day I initiated an online chat with an approximate wait time of 35 minutes. I missed my chat as I was busy working. I tried again and periodically checked to see if the chat was active and caught it just in time. I got the issue resolved.

Twenty-two.

By my best calculations, that’s the number of political campaigns KMK Media Group has worked on in the 21 years we’ve been in business. City, village, county, township, state and referendum campaigns. Roughly one a year, but it never seems to work out quite that evenly.

The landscape of this primary election, however, is different from the rest...at least from a local advertising standpoint. We’re seeing record ad spending at the national level which is squeezing local campaigns’ pocketbooks and airtime.

Kantar/CMAG, a nonpartisan political advertising research company, estimates ad spending in the presidential race will be $6.5 billion by the time it’s all said and done in November. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has spent more than half of the $626 million in national political advertising spent so far, with Trump forking out only $18 million in his uncontested primary.

As I write this, one of Bloomberg’s ads just aired on a local evening newscast. “Attacking, distorting, dividing,” Bloomberg’s voice booms, using the ad to attack Trump. It’s just one of 39 different creative spots Bloomberg’s team has made to date, with 64% attacking Trump and primarily running on network TV.

At least one time every month, KMK hears this question from a prospective client, “Why isn’t my website ranking higher in the search engines?”

A loaded question, for sure.

Our firm’s solution is to ask more questions like: What keywords and services are you searching for? Do you know if your customers are using those same terms? What SEO and online marketing are you currently doing? How often are you updating your website? And the list goes on...

The most important factor, however, in Google rankings is Google itself. Each year, Google makes hundreds of changes to its search feature. Some years, those changes number in the thousands. Many of them are minor but occasionally they are major algorithmic changes that significantly affect search results.

Click here to discover the major Google algorithm changes that have had the biggest recent impact on search results.The morale of the story? SEO is an ongoing process. It doesn’t happen overnight and if you stop doing it, your SEO tactics will eventually not work because Google has changed its algorithms enough to affect your site’s rankings.

Have an extra $5.6 million in your pocket? President Trump doesn’t.

Well, President Trump probably DOES have an extra $5.6 million in his pocket, and then some. But he has $5.6 million less than he did after his campaign purchased a :30 TV commercial in the February 2 Fox-aired Superbowl. That’s one day before the Iowa Democratic caucus.

By the end of November, 2019, all 77 spots available in this year’s big game had been sold at a record $5.6 million each. Advertisers running multiple spots got a bit of a discount, but not much. The February 2 event is the most watched TV time slot of the year, even though the 2019 Superbowl delivered fewer than 100 million viewers for the first time in 11 years.

I love avocados and Mexico so can’t wait for that pairing this year. Word has it there will be at least five automobile commercials including Toyota and Kia. Anheuser-Busch, Weathertech and Snickers jumped on the Superbowl ad bandwagon, too, along with newcomer, Pop-Tarts.

The NFL and Fox agreed this year to fewer commercial breaks. That means we’ll see the same number of commercials run during fewer commercial breaks, allowing us ample time to use the facilities, grab more munchies or just relax and evaluate more TV commercials at one time.

Is your company’s Facebook page falling flat on its face? Is it weary, tired, and less than engaging? Are your Facebook insights showing less than stellar growth? If so, it may be time for a “Facelift!”

How Many People Use Facebook?As Facebook celebrates its 15th anniversary, 2019 Pew Research shows that 69% of American adults use Facebook.Interestingly, compare that to 73% of American adults use YouTube; 37% use Instagram, 27% use LinkedIn, 24% use Snapchat and 22% use Twitter. Facebook is where it’s at for adult marketing reach regardless of your end user’s demographic. Make sure you’re doing Facebook well before taking on other platforms.

You Need To Commit the Time to Do It RightBusinesses most often hire my agency to handle their Facebook accounts so we can boost their fans, engagement or brand awareness and to invigorate their page with more creative content and a marketing strategy. Sometimes it’s simply due to a desire to save their own marketing team’s time.

To do Facebook well, you need to allocate several hours a month to it. If you’re committed to that premise, read on to discover some tricks of the trade...

Top Tips for Increasing Your Facebook ROI

Do you send email newsletters and announcements to your customers?If so, do your subscribers sometimes tell you they’re not getting your emails? It happens more often than you think and, most of the time, you have no way of knowing it unless the recipient checks their junk or spam folder.

There are some things you can do, however, to help prevent your emails from going unread even before they land in an inbox.

Watch your language. We’re not talking about curse words, although you may feel like including a few of those when your emails continue to go undelivered to inboxes. Spam filters look at an email as a whole and set limits for certain criteria. If the email hits that limit, it won’t get delivered. Things that can increase your chance of sending “spammy” content include frequent, random capitalization or an email composed entirely of capital letters. Watch for any strange spacing or excessive white space, poor spelling, and scam-like subject lines (i.e. fast, free money).Spam test your email. You should always test your email blast before you send it out to make sure it looks and sounds the way you intend upon delivery. In addition, run your email through a spam test like MessageLabs or Spam Assassin.Ask subscribers to add you to their safe sender list. Most major email providers like Gmail, yahoo, Hotmail, and AOL use automatic filters to detect unwanted email. They analyze past emails, who sent them, how the recipient interacted with them and more trigger points to label an email as spam and prevent its delivery. Ask your subscribers to add your email address or domain to their safe sender list. The best time to do this is in your introductory email or to your subscription confirmation page.

Finally, ask your I.T. professional to authenticate your sending domain, and don’t send from a free webmail address. In this case, there is a bit of truth to the adage of, “you get what you pay for.”

If the thought of doing a TV interview makes you think you’d rather schedule a root canal, keep reading. It’s actually far easier than you may think. Here are some tips to make it virtually pain free. I promise.

Identify three main points you want to get across, and practice articulating them, most important first. Make punchy and concise statements. Think “sound bites.”Practice with a colleague or in front of a mirror. Your goal is to maintain eye contact and start and end your statements without droning on.When you begin answering a reporter’s question, restate that question and make sure it’s a complete sentence. Instead of saying, “Really fun and the opportunity of a lifetime,” say “Skydiving for the first time at age 85 was fun and the opportunity of a lifetime.”Be personable and expressive. Look at the reporter or photographer, not at the camera unless otherwise instructed to do so. Speak as if having a conversation, using a smile when appropriate and hand gestures to accentuate your points.Assume the reporter would appreciate any background you feel comfortable sharing. Newsrooms are busy places and reporters are even busier, often given stories to cover with no time to prep. Help the reporter by talking generally about the topic before your interview starts. It’ll also give you a chance to better understand the reporter’s angle on the story.

Ultimately, if you don’t know the answer to a question, it’s okay to say so and offer to follow up with the reporter via phone, if appropriate.

Ask what time the story will air. If you miss it, you can probably catch it on the station’s website. Watch it and remember you’re your own worst critic. Do take note of public comments online to see what points resonated with viewers. It will help hone your message for next time!

When looking up the word “brand” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, you’ll find eight definitions – in the marketing world, brand holds one meaning. A client’s brand is the foundation of all projects, designs and messaging developed in-house. But, what about personal brands? That’s right, PEOPLE have brands, too.

We’re not talking Kylie Jenner’s line of Kylie Cosmetics, we’re talking a public image, reputation and/or identity of oneself. Think about it... politicians, professional athletes and Hollywood stars have brands... so, why don’t you?

Here are our top 5 tips for building your personal brand:

Invest in YourselfInvesting in yourself doesn’t always mean spending money. Take time for yourself and:

Set goals!Attend classes and seminars!Invest time in YOUR creativity!

Know What You Stand ForIn a world constantly telling us what to believe, decide what YOU believe in and why. Start by asking yourself these questions:

I have two teenage daughters and a pre-teenage son. They notice people of the opposite sex and tease each other over “crushes” and who is “hot” at school.

As parents, we try to teach beauty is more than skin deep but it’s hard with today’s mass media and ever-changing trends pushed out by modern day celebrities.

Imagine my surprise when one of my daughters told me recently that a larger backside is actually desirable these days—what?! That floored me almost as much as learning “mom jeans” were back in style. Who would have imagined those of us who lived through the mom-jeans era would ever have to see it again? Ugh.

My oldest daughter, who also happens to have Down syndrome, thinks just about any person of the opposite sex is attractive...tall, short, bald, bushy, young, old. At this point in her 17-year-old life, she’s not very discerning.

She’s actually very accepting of others’ looks. (And perhaps a bit boy crazy.)