What is Branding
The mind is a powerful thing. It works hard to help us come to a resolution. That’s why dreams at night can provide closure or clarity. It keeps working till it gets an answer your mind can wrap its head around.
“Find you purpose or you wasting air”- Nipsey Hussle
He was on the purpose ride too. And I’m on that ride too for as long as I have breath in me on this earth.
I had no idea who Nipsey Hussle was until his passing. I had come across the video of him and Lauren randomly just last week and that picture of them with the horse. As I lay in bed sick as a dog, no voice to speak and tired. This last week, my mind has been trying to wrap up his story. And it finally reached a resolution this morning. 3 things it came to:
1. He was a good man. Who set his own rules in a world that often teaches us to follow rules.
2. Envy is a dangerous spirit and we alllll need to stop that spirit from having any inch in our lives. Grace is a powerful thing and only God can give it. So when you find yourself getting mad at someone else’s blessing please catch that spirit. It is poison and it can destroy you and those you should love. Turn to Gratitude instead.
3. When you find your soulmate anything less just seems like you’re cheating yourself. My heart sank for Lauren. To loose the one your heart was given to in such a painful way is heartbreaking. I wish you healing.
Many of us don’t know Nipsey Hussle, never met him, but we did know from what we have seen so far he had a heart for love, others and community. From his passing I am learning and reminded to keep being and doing good, even when it is unpopular. Be a better human being. We can all do better…Rest with God sir.
On this #internationalwomensday I want to celebrate the power of collaboration. For many years, there has been a prevailing notion that women like to compete, compare and undermine each other. Though some of these traits may exist, there is more #collaborationovercompetion especially among women entrepreneurs! Something magical happens when women support each other. Some of the best brands, campaigns, organizations, and businesses have been birth through the partnership of two separate entities.
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As women, we can help other women shine their light and still shine on our own and there is so much power when we come together for a greater good. This is one of the reasons my PR sis Dorcey of @gazelle_strategist and wrote “Collaboration is the New Black: How to Identify the Right Collaborations, Increase your Brand Power and Get Money”. I have facilitated over 50 partnerships and collaborations with Grammy award winning artists in classical music media and entrepreneurs that have reached over 10million + people over the years, for Dorcey, with15 years of PR & Brand Management experience, brokering some lucrative collaborations, I can tell you emphatically that this book is loaded with substantial and benificial information!. In honor of today, I would like to invite you to join this collaborative experience and tag 3 women you would love to collaborate with. I am also excited to share that our book is now available for pre-order!!!!
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The first 50 people who pre-order the book today will get the CITNB Workbook for free!!!! This workbook will guide you in identifying red flags and increasing your social media influence and power with the RIGHT COLLABORATION. Click here and reserve your copy.
After securing hundreds of publicity features for my clients over the years, I can tell you one media feature can create a new world of opportunities for you. Getting featured in any media is a great time to bank on that energy to create more like it. There is no such thing as too much noise. PR is about publicity, so tell the world about it. Below are 3 ways to maximize any publicity you get.
#1 MAKE SOME NOISE
Social currency is a powerful thing. But here is the truth: special people like to feel special. Immediately you’ve secured any feature, the first thing you want to do is tell your VIP’s. Email, phone calls, you can go old-fashioned and make copies of it and mail it to your family so they have a copy to brag about. Attach the image or link of the feature to an email to them. Be sure to let them know they are first in on this news. Let them feel your excitement about sharing this special news with them FIRST. People pay to be insiders, make your list/tribe feel special. And then, 6-12 hours later tell the whole world. Use social media, e-blast, and get 5-10 of your champions to re-tweet the same image or link. Become a trend in your inner circle for the day. Be sure to make noise for at least 2 weeks straight.
#2 CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media is about consistency and connecting to influencers. Once you secure a solid media feature, spend the day engaging with the editor and the publication on social media. Tag them on your announcement of the feature at least 3 times in a day. It will let the writer/publication know you are excited about the feature plus, you’re showing the value of your own social currency. You can also tag other social media influencers or bloggers that compliment your brand. You should also take phrases, sound bites, or key moments of the feature and share it all day using a hashtag that works for your brand. Make sure you schedule them at integral times of day when your fans/followers are known to be online (check your account insights for this.) Create digital graphics of your quotes to share on instagram, record a video of you reading the feature and share it online. Get creative.
#3 TELL THE MEDIA ABOUT THE MEDIA
Telling other media you are interested in being featured on about your new media feature, is a good way to stay on their radar. You should have about 5-10 media contacts you’re building relationships with personally. Send an email to each one telling them about the feature and to consider you for a possible story or feature in their upcoming issue. Should you do this, it’s a good idea to have 3-4 fresh story ideas that will be of interest to their own publication. This can get their wheels turning on story angles that could get you even more publicity. Also tag them on instagram or twitter about the feature and use the appropriate industry hashtags.
I look forward to these tips helping you maximize any media exposure you get moving forward. Public Relations is about relating to the public, RELATE and build that relationship. That’s what it’s about. Have fun telling your story.