I was completely blown away when I was approached by the President of the Women Business Owners of Michiana (WBOM) to be a part of the Board. The women involved with WBOM are pure rockstars. They seemingly effortlessly balance life, work,  family, health, and relationships all while heading up thriving businesses. I look up to these women as much now as I did when I was first launching Freshlime three years ago!

Obviously my answer was a resounding “YES!” when it came to being on the Board. I will be filling in as the WBOM Secretary for the rest of 2013.

If you are a business woman here in Michiana and have never attending a WBOM meeting or luncheon, I highly recommend it. It’s an hour out of your day that you will truly get valuable information out of.

To view the upcoming events happening at WBOM or to learn about membership, please visit the WBOM website.

If you’d like to attend an upcoming meeting as my guest, please let me know!

Photo Credit: Information Week

People who copy the creative work or ideas of others and call it their own, suck. In fact they suck just as much as an adult as they probably did in third grade when they were cheating off the kid next to them to get ahead.

Not only is it horribly unethical but guess what? IT DOESN’T WORK and it doesn’t get you where you want to be.

It’s probably a safe bet to assume that the kid cheating off your test in grade school isn’t a successful entrepreneur, doctor or lawyer. So really, where did it get him other than a temporary, shallow gain?

Successful marketing is all about telling your unique story. It’s about explaining why you do what you do. After all people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. Just ask Marketing Expert, Simon Sinek.

Successful marketing gives stakeholders a glimpse into the inner workings of your business and what makes you tick.

All of these things are absolutely unique to you and your company’s culture and cannot be replicated.

It is often said that the more successful you become, the more others look to imitate and copy your work – something we have definitely found to be true over the last few years.

Most recently we’ve been working on a project where a competitor copies every single marketing initiative – almost word for word even – and uses it as their own. While it’s quite unbelievable, it definitely shows both us and our client that they don’t have a clue about marketing.

While they are busy looking at what we are doing, we have our eyes firmly focused on our goal and are using proven marketing tactics to get us to where we want to be.

Because we are true marketing experts, coming up with original ideas, we will never run out of marketing fuel or new things to try. Our resources are vast and our commitment is long term.

Business and marketing strategies are marathons, not sprints. You have to be in it to win it, for the long haul.

In marketing we are constantly sharing content that others have created, but giving them full attribution and the credit/respect they deserve.

Marketing (and life really) is all about building mutually beneficial relationships. It’s about being a connector and helping others get to where they want to be.

These solid relationships and helping others is what has led us to the overwhelming success we’ve had here at Freshlime – and we couldn’t imagine it any other way. We encourage the same type of goodwill and go-giver type mentality in our clients as well.

So if you ever find yourself in a position of copying someone else’s work or ideas (without giving them credit) – STOP. It’s not going to work in the long run and you’re going to feel bad about doing it.

Take the higher road. Come up with your own ideas. You and your business are worth it.

I am going to put on my PR (Public Relations) hat for a moment so that I can talk a little bit about the media + your business.

Getting your business or product mentioned by the media can be huge! Not only will it boost your sales but also is invaluable for raising brand awareness and credibility.

When I first started Freshlime, media hits by major publications like Crain’s Chicago and InStyle magazine catapulted my business in a way that would have not been possible otherwise.

Media mentions in the right outlets can do the same for you and your business.

There are a handful of things you can do to attract the right journalist and media outlets to your biz, but a recent study shows that businesses and PR pros are falling short in two key areas that journalists are looking for.

PressFeed’s study, released in August 2012, finds that many businesses (and PR pros) are missing opportunities for media coverage because they are not supplying visuals and SEO-enabled content.

This infographic sums up the results of the study.

Click here to view this graphic in PDF form.

So what can you do to help your business get the media hits you want and need?

1. Learn as much as possible about what Journalists are looking for. You can download the full PressFeed report and recommendations here.
2. Seek to build relationships with Journalists in your area or at the publications you are targeting. Journalists are constantly inundated with sales pitches. Be different and unique. Be helpful to them.
3. Join an organization like PRSA Chicago and connect with other PR pros.
4. Sign up for HARO.

We’re so excited to announce we have joined the Women Business Owners of Michiana (WBOM)! This fantastic group of inspiring women has been a prominent force in Michiana for several decades.

As the first digital agency to be a part of WBOM, Freshlime is excited to be able to build long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with the other women owned businesses in the Michiana area!

We’re eager to learn from the fantastic business leaders in this very special group, as well as to be able to help other business leverage the full power of the web and social media to grow!

To learn more about WBOM you can visit their website or connect with them on Facebook!

The Chicago Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America is hosting the first-ever PRSA Midwest Conference this summer in Chicago and Freshlime is proud to be a sponsor of what is sure to be a fantastic inaugural event!

We are proud to partner with PRSA Chicago on another project. Last month we redesigned their website and this month we designed the PRSA Midwest Conference logo and are working on other print materials.

To learn more about the conference or to register, visit the PRSA Chicago website!

Photo credit: Boatingbusiness.ca

Harold Schrock, founder of Starcraft Marine and beloved Philanthropist, passed away at the age of 97 over the weekend. And while I have never personally met Harold, I feel blessed to have learned a lot about business success from this great man through his company and his family.

I recently began working with Starcraft and Smoker Craft by helping them to leverage the power of social media in order to better connect with their customers.

While working with their marketing team, which includes members of the Schrock and Smoker families, I quickly realized that this was not your typical manufacturing company. The culture of the company was so rich with history, passion and enthusiasm.

Their success wasn’t luck or good timing, but because of an intentional understanding of what makes successful businesses thrive. Built upon a platform of superior quality and innovation, the inner workings and great leadership of Starcraft / Smoker Craft is what has helped these companies be some of the most well-respected brands in the boating industry.

Here are the top three things I learned about business success through Harold and his team at Starcraft / Smoker Craft:

1. Business Is All About Relationships: Each team member at Starcraft / Smoker Craft goes out of their way to build relationships. They believe that mutually-beneficial relationships are the lifeblood of their business. They understand you can’t put a price tag on a strong relationship – whether that be between a manager and an employee, a customer and a dealer, or marketing team and a subcontractor – they all matter.
2. Passion Is Everything: In order for a business to be as successful as long as Starcraft / Smoker Craft has, there must be a high-level of passion for what you do. The company eats, breaths and sleeps boats. Most of the team members have boats and enjoy life on the water with their families on the weekend. It’s not enough to simply enjoy what you do, you must have an unquenchable thirst for it.
3. Give, Give, Give: Successful entrepreneurs like Harold Schrock understand the currency of “thank you”. They give back to those in need and to worthy organizations who are doing great things.

Schrock once said “The most important aspect in any business is to have the right people. You have to have good people because that’s all a company is. The buildings, the inventory, none of that matters. It can all be thrown out and replaced. But you can’t replace talented people.”

Harold will be greatly missed in the Goshen community and by his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schrock family.

By Freshlime guest blogger, Jennifer Kosmas

Social media has provided us with many ways to connect with family members and friends and plays a huge role in the way we do business today. One of the latest methods of social media to emerge is called Pinterest.

Pinterest is a social bookmarking tool used to “pin” images found around the Web into categorized collections or boards. Think of it like an interactive, shareable scrapbook. Like any good social network, you can follow other users, share their content, make comments and tag users. Similar to a Twitter stream, you get real-time updates of what the people you follow are pinning. You can also easily share your pins on Facebook and Twitter.

The audience on Pinterest is different from the major social networks because most people use it to find inspiration, whether they are hosting a party, getting married or looking for a recipe for dinner. In other words, many are using Pinterest to help guide their buying decisions. If a user finds something they like on Pinterest, there is a good chance they will at least click the source link, and at most, make a purchase.

Pinterest helps businesses and new products to “get seen.” Doing a Google search for specific items more often then not brings up brands that are already known. Pinterest helps users find new products, brands and styles they would normally not come across by plugging keywords into a search engine.

Building links via Pinterest happens every time someone pins something from your site. The chance is great that the same thing can be pinned even hundreds of times, which is just like free advertising for your business!

Many boards are dedicated to one product or brand helping to create brand advocacy. Those in the community of retail, lifecycle, food, home décor, design and travel with visually appealing content have the most to offer.

There are many businesses that have already joined the Pinterest club such as HGTV, West Elm, Better Homes & Gardens and Whole Foods who are seeing positive results because of it. Those who do join this “invite only” community need to remember that putting aside self-promotion and relying on visually-appealing content will help them to achieve much success!

While Pinterest may not be for every brand or small business, it’s certainly something marketers need to be aware of and should put on their radar.

In the last quarter of 2011 both Facebook and Twitter have dramatically changed how their profiles look.

While you may still be getting used to the changes, it’s important to know which profile elements are being given more real estate and emphasis so that you can maximize your marketing efforts in these areas.

Mashable asked research startup EyeTrackShop to compare visual statistics for Twitter, Facebook and MySpace profiles before and after major site redesigns.

The main takeaways from the study include:

• Facebook Timeline cover photos get noticed first. However, study participants still spent a longer time looking at the Facebook Timeline profile photo than the cover photo.
• Facebook ads get noticed more in Facebook Timeline. While 43% of participants noticed Facebook “sponsored stories” in the old profile format, 63% noticed the ads in the Timeline format. Participants spent the same amount of time on average looking at the ads in each profile.
• Profile information is easier to find in the new Twitter. While viewing the old profile, participants noticed tweets before they noticed profiles. While viewing the new version, that pattern was reversed.

To read the full study and review the slideshow results, visit the full article on Mashable.

We recently had the pleasure of designing and creating a brand new website for Insight Eyecare in Texas.

The website features a simplified navigation, social integration, a blog, and a WordPress based content management system.

The clean, user-friendly design helps patients quickly navigate to key aspects of the website they are most interested in while having the ability to drill down for more information if they’d like.

To keep the website relevant and fresh, we added social media integration, a blog, and the ability for the client to update and maintain the website themselves.

We love how the new website turned out and we look forward to working alongside Insight Eyecare as they grow!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving has always been a big shopping day, but thanks to American Express this is the second year it is being dubbed “Small Business Saturday”.

Why is this important? I’m glad you asked!

SHOLO a shop local organization in South Bend, Indiana encourages you to shop local because of the following:

• Every dollar you spend in a locally owned, independent business has a huge impact on the local economy. In fact, your dollar will have three times the economic benefit compared to the same purchase made at a chain retailer.
• Beyond the immediate effect of payroll, independent businesses bank locally, hire local accountants, attorneys and consultants, graphic designers, and advertise in local media. While big box retailers have an immediate impact on the local economy by means of payroll, a whopping 86% of the average chain retailer’s revenue leaves the state, flowing to out-of-state suppliers, and back to corporate headquarters.
• Independent businesses are owned by people who are your neighbors. They make their decisions based on the needs and interests of their customers, not by some formulaic concept of a distant corporate office. Our freedom of choice is imperiled when a few buyers from national chains choose what reaches consumers.
• Locally owned, independent businesses offer original and unique products and services. This adds interest, diversity, and character to our communities. By shopping locally, you support the independent business owner’s creativity and ingenuity, and help create a more vibrant shopping experience for everyone.

American Express, the force behind Small Business Saturday has this to say:

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there were nearly 28 million small businesses in the United States last year. Over the past two decades, they created 65 percent of net new jobs. For every $100 spent in locally-owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. 

American Express will give shoppers a one-time credit of $25 on their statement if they register their Amex card and shop at a local business on Small Business Saturday.

If you live here in Michiana, Michiana360 is doing a Shop Local Challenge and they are providing a list of local businesses who are offering specials on Small Business Saturday.

It really isn’t much to ask is it? Shop local as much as possible and this November 26 make it a priority. Every dollar is a vote. Let’s show our community what is important to us!

- Joel Barrett