Sometimes we're asked "What's a normal day look like for you?"

Quite frankly, we can't answer that. We don't even know where to begin. We could be hanging with some chocolatiers, managing a press tour for a theater, reporting marketing program results to finance professionals, writing some killer web copy, coming up with new product offerings, or taking a minute to catch up on our client's social media progress.

For example, one day we visited 4 Paneras, had a clown play the Chicken Dance song on the phone to us, learned what a kinkajou was (look it up), all while booking some great national daily coverage. And that was just another Wednesday.

One thing is for sure - it's never a dull, never boring, and never, ever without results. So without further ado, this week at Red Plate, we:

• Had an awesome interview with the fun folks at Fox 25 News for our client, the Orpheum Theatre in Foxboro. Mike Bent, voted Boston's Best Magician, performed a 6-minute magic routine, including a little number with the anchor's headshot photoshopped on a svelte 70's photo of David Cassidy. Before the interview aired, we had 50 tickets booked. Afterwards, over 300 were booked. Sweet.
• Produced another fantastic event for our client, The CFO RoundTable, on Demystifying Term Sheets. One thing is for sure - never, ever take your finance team for granted. 
• Helped our client, Boston Chocolate Tours, manage their social media while they went on a well-deserved vacation. We even got a few ideas for new breakfasts, including brown-sugar oatmeal with dark chocolate shavings. We didn't break anything, we swear. 

As always, there's more, but we pinky-swore not to talk about it. And we take pinky-swears seriously around here.

Here at Red Plate, we always strive to bring our clients the best and brightest opportunities we can, and this week is no exception. This week, we:

• Launched a new chocolate and wine class for Boston Chocolate Tours at the College Club on Commonwealth Avenue. The early reviews are in, and they're tasty!
• Produced one of the most popular events of the season for our client, The CFO RoundTable, on the Habits of Highly Effective CFOs, as well as ran our first live tweeting of a program with great success! The CFO RoundTable was also named one of the top social media resources by American Express's Inside Edge (thanks, natch, to Red Plate's social media program!)
• Scored some awesome coverage for our client, The Orpheum Theatre in Foxboro, for its upcoming comedy night featuring Eddie Brill, stand-up comedian and talent coordinator for The Late Show with David Letterman, as well as booked a phenomenal broadcast opportunity next week (stay tuned on that one - it's a magician on a morning show!)

As well as dozens of other things that we can't quite comment on just yet. Or else. 

For more information on any of these programs, or to learn how Red Plate can help your company grow through integrated, creative marketing programs, contact us today!

Archived post. Originally published 10.29.2010.

Tis the season for turkey, tinsel, and some holiday sales.

I came across a great post from Ian Lurie of Conversation Marketing today on the 20 things you should be ready for, but probably aren't. 

What could I possibly have forgotten, you ask? Lurie's checklist includes:

• Get to work on your local search 
• Brushing up your in-house email list
• Lock down your site code (hands off, programmers!)
• Get your emergency plan in order
• Fix your broken links (yes, they're out there. Don't lie.)

To check out all of Lurie's 20 steps to a sales-happy holiday season, click here.

Archived post. Originally published 10.8.2010.

Today is my last day of mentoring at Mass Challenge, the global start-up competition and accelerator in Boston, MA.

Overall, it's been a stellar experience. I have been nothing but impressed with the caliber of the entrepreneurs that I've met during my time, and have really, truly enjoyed working through their questions and challenges with them. I've met with a wide range of companies, all of whom have one thing in common: they are passionate, they are dedicated, and they put our work ethic to shame. 

During my time, I worked through questions that ranged from product branding to SEO, nurturing campaigns, and more. I think I've even helped a few companies, but that remains to be seen. I'm pretty sure I didn't tank any, which I'll consider a success for now.

While the topics of discussions have been varied, there have been a few key pieces of advice that I've given time and time again to our budding entrepreneurs, including:

• Be who you are, not what you think you have to be.
  The single greatest thing that an entrepreneur carries with them is themselves. It is your passion and your dedication to your vision that will carry your idea forward. Of course, take advice and guidance along the way, but do not lose yourself or your passion in the fight to make your idea real.
• Be frugal, but don't be cheap.
  Entrepreneurship means living within your means for awhile. Sometimes it's longer than expected, but once you hit profitability, the rewards are ten-fold. Be frugal and effective with your budget, but don't be cheap. Spend your money wisely on the problems that are preventing growth, but do not spend money on the problems that you don't have yet. 
• Focus, focus, focus.
  You cannot do everything well all of the time, and you cannot be everything to everyone. Take it from a working mother - it's impossible.  Focus your energy on doing only a handful of things really well, and let the market or other people lead in other areas. What will result is a focused leader on top of their game.
• If you can't say it simply, don't say it at all.
  If you cannot concisely say who you are and how you help people, go back to your desk, sit down, and try again. There is no room, time, or patience in today's marketplace for chunky, vague language and communications.  
• There is a life beyond these walls
  There will always be fires to put out, always be angry emails to answer, always be emergencies and drills, and always be competitions that suck away your time, resources, and energy. This is the drumbeat of a start-up. It's frantic, it has no rhythm,  but over time, it will steady. 
  
  It's your job as an entrepreneur to steady that drum. It is up to you to see beyond the immediate and into the long-term. No single competition, activity, or project will make or break your company. Companies decay long before they break through a series of combined actions and bad decisions. If you can't see a life beyond one project or competition, get out now.

And as for my marketing crew, I say this: mentoring these entrepreneurs was truly a fulfilling and exciting experience. For what I put into it, I took away ten-fold. Find the time and energy and give back professionally, and you'll be surprised with what waits for you on the other side.

To the patient and driven crew at Mass Challenge, I say thank you - thank you for letting me in, thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with your teams, and best of all, thanks for creating this amazing environment in the first place. 

Archived post. Originally published 6.1.2010.

If only I had the patience to post 38 tips. Better yet, pull together 38 tips on a single topic.  

Thankfully, I don't need to go searching across my sea of post-it notes to find them - the team at Vertical Measures has already done the job for us by posting their 38 key takeaways from theOnline Marketing Summit in Phoenix. 

Want to know what the single most important answer is to your marketing challenges? Where to find and what to do with a fanboy? How you can fix a failing email campaign? Click the linkand find out. 

Archived post. Originally published 5.21.2010.

Now, I've been to and exhibited at a lot of tradeshows. A LOT.

And during that time, I've seen my fair share of giveaways and booth gimmicks - pens, bouncy balls that light up, notepads, water bottles, flash drives, and more. I've even seen salespeople dressed like beer bottles, more naughty cops and nurses than I can count, and even actors dressed like dead people. (By the way, that one is creepy - think it through before you do that one.)

For a current client, I've been doing quite a few shows where I give away chocolate samples. Needless to say, I've been a popular girl for the past few months.

However, this past Wednesday at the New England Business Expo, I was lucky enough to be placed next to the team fromAffordableExpertMarketing.com and their partner, Diversity Studios.* 

For this show, I was popular for about 20 minutes, which is exactly the amount of time that my chocolate samples lasted. For the rest of the day, it was the team next door, who was giving away free headshots. Free! Headshots! Because of them, I had a line right in front of my booth for over 4 hours, and therefore, a captive audience.

Later during the show, I spoke with Alyssa, the owner of AffordableExpertMarketing.com, who was surprised and delighted at how popular the headshots were. My response - how could they not be popular? This was exactly what the audience wanted, and could never find the time or the budget to do. Not only are you giving them something unique, you're giving them something they need.

And that, my friends, is good marketing. Do pens create lines to your booth? No. Do bouncy balls create demand? No. So the next time you're considering a booth gimmick or giveaway, think outside of the box. Step away from the casino game or the booth actor, and think about why your audience is attending the show in the first place, and what you could give them to make them truly remember you.

*When I say lucky, I mean the show parked a limo van where my booth was supposed to be, so I dropped my bags in the empty booth next to them. Opportunist? Perhaps. Don't park cars in my booth, and I'll stay where I'm supposed to.