“Chris Norris has created a solid business plan for NEU Homes, and he has pulled together an incredible team of resources to assist home buyers and homeowners in renovating properties. I am excited to be a part of their team and have the opportunity to help introduce their unique one-step solution to the Atlanta market,” said Lori Reed Tilt, President of Tilt Marketing.

About NEU Homes:

The NEU Homes One-Step Solution brings together all the critical resources to help people buy, finance and renovate a home with the assistance of ONE dedicated project manager who handles ALL the details. The NEU Homes approach is a unique solution that brings together an array of professional resources and seamlessly manages the entire process at no additional cost to the home buyer or homeowner. NEU Homes is conducting classes to introduce this new concept on the first Thursday of every month starting on May 3. Additional classes are scheduled for June 7, July 5 and August 2. The classes are being hosted at the Harry Norman Realtors office located at 776 Whitlock Ave., Marietta, GA 30064. Online registration is suggested. Onsite registration begins at 5:30 pm, and the classes run from 6:00-7:00 pm and are followed a quick question and answer session. For more information and to register for a class, please visit http://www.neuhomes.biz/.

About Tilt Marketing:

Tilt Marketing was established in 2001. The firm’s owner, Lori Reed Tilt, has over 25 years of marketing experience. Tilt Marketing assists clients in commercial and residential design industries. The firm’s clients include commercial developers, architects, interior designers, engineers, construction consultants, residential remodeling firms and luxury product lines. Tilt Marketing specializes in strategic planning, business development, public relations, marketing materials and social media campaigns. Lori Tilt is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). As a representative of long-term client Speedheat U.S., Tilt is also active with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), Women in NARI Networking (WINN) and the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). Tilt holds a degree in public relations from the University of Georgia. For more information, please visit http://www.tiltmarketing.com/.

Atlanta, GA, April 18, 2012 – Lori Tilt, owner of Tilt Marketing, is presenting an educational session on public relations at The Cutting Edge: 2012 – Remodeling Education Expo on May 8, 2012. The Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is hosting the Expo at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA. The day-long event runs from 7 am to 6 pm and features a full day of CEU course offerings, a keynote address by Sal Alfano (Editorial Director of Remodeling Magazine), an exhibit hall, networking lunch and a happy hour mixer. Registration is $75 for NARI members and $110 for non members.

The Expo features 18 innovative educational sessions to include 6 credit hours of Continuing Education Units (CEU) that meet Georgia Residential Contractor Licensing Requirements and NARI Certification requirements. The Expo will also bring together members of related industry associations including the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Build Your Business with Smart PR Strategies:

Lori Tilt is presenting an educational session titled Build Your Business with Smart PR Strategies. Attendees will learn how to write and submit their own news releases and pitch articles to specific publications. Tilt will review how to develop a media list and discuss the value of online distribution services. Tilt will explain how to leverage PR coverage by integrating it into an overall marketing program. Tilt will review how to “recycle” PR by using coverage in marketing materials, adding coverage to websites and blogs, incorporating coverage into advertising campaigns and leveraging coverage on social media channels such as facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Tilt will also be representing long-term client, Speedheat U.S., at their booth, before and after her presentation.

About NARI Atlanta: 

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is the homeowner’s resource for finding quality contractors, design-build firms, suppliers and other related professionals in the Greater Atlanta area. NARI Atlanta is a not-for-profit trade association committed exclusively to the service of the professional remodeling industry. Representing professional remodeling contractors, product manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, trade and consumer publications, utilities and lending institutions, NARI stands as the spokesgroup of the industry and an ally to the nation’s homeowners. 

About Tilt Marketing: 

Tilt Marketing was established in 2001. The firm’s owner, Lori Reed Tilt, has over 25 years of marketing experience. Tilt Marketing assists clients in commercial and residential design industries. The firm’s clients include commercial developers, architects, interior designers, engineers, construction consultants, residential remodeling firms and luxury product lines. Tilt Marketing specializes in strategic planning, business development, public relations, marketing materials and social media campaigns. Lori Tilt is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). As a representative of long-term client Speedheat U.S., Tilt is also active with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), Women in NARI Networking (WINN) and the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). Tilt holds a degree in public relations from the University of Georgia.

There were over 400 booths, and we saw LOTS of great displays and creative promotions. However, many of the booths started to run together after walking down aisle after aisle.

Interestingly, some of the unique things that stood out the most were NOT expensive or elaborate; they were just very creative, highly entertaining and completely unexpected. Here are three examples:

• The ALLGOOD Pest Solutions booth featured a tarantula named Kendra that brave attendees could actually hold. (A great amatuer photo opportunity, as evidenced by my picture.) They also had hissing roaches in an aquarium, and an impressive collection of other preserved villainous pests and bugs on display.

• Party Til You Pop had a huge balloon display of yellow sunflowers in an orange pot to showcase their unique ability to make balloon sculptures. They were also giving away free balloon swords and free balloon flowers.

• The State Farm insurance booth was printing old-fashioned flip books (on the spot) featuring a brief video of the visitors posing with fun props. It was a clever way to draw traffic into the booth and engage people in a memorable way. They also had games and prizes.

Again, there are many aspects to successful trade show promotion including pre-event promotion, attracting and engaging traffic, collecting data, and especially following up to convert leads into real business. In highly competitive product and/or service categories, it is critically important to differentiate your company and stand out from the crowd to even get a shot at collecting data and qualifying your prospects!

So, next time you are planning your trade show strategy, avoid the typical pens, magnets and mints. Put your “thinking cap” on and focus on creating something entertaining, unusual and memorable to attract more potential clients and customers!

BTW, I do not receive any compensation  from the companies I mentioned. My kids and I voted and just felt these were the three most unique examples from the show.    

If you found this article helpful, please check out my other blog postings and be sure to come back often because I add new content frequently. Thank you!!!

Also, if you have made any of these common mistakes, don’t worry! With each posting, I will tell you how to quickly and inexpensively fix the problem.

Common Mistake #3 - Bad Headshot or No Professional Photo

Years ago, before social media was all the rage, many business people did not have a professional photo taken of themselves. Now, having a good looking headshot is vitally important to your online business presence. (Also, if you enjoy participating in social media from a personal perspective, many of these tips apply as well.)

On business-related social sites such as LinkedIn, please use the best quality, most current professional photo possible. I see people with no photo, old pictures, poor lighting, unprofessional attire and busy backgrounds. Think of LinkedIn as an online resume where you want to look your absolute best in terms of content AND in terms of having a professional-looking photo.

If you have a facebook page for your business, please post professional pictures here. (If you have a personal facebook page that your business and professional contacts also see, please try to keep your pictures looking reasonably good and don’t post anything you would be embarrassed to show your Grandmother.)

If you use a headshot on your website, in your collateral materials, along with your news releases and with the articles you submit for publication, (again) please use the best quality, most current professional photo possible.  

Ask around to find a good, reasonably priced photographer and make sure they will give you permission to use the images online. Occasionally, photographers run promotional packages on sites like Groupon where you can get a great package at a low price. I even noticed the photo studios in Target are offering professional headshot packages these days. 

Another way to make the cost reasonable (per person) is to see if you can get a group deal for your office, group of friends, or members of an association by lining up a photographer to do headshots for multiple people during the same session. If you are totally strapped for cash, have a friend with a decent digital camera help you get the best picture possible. And, please don’t forget to smile!

If you found this article helpful, please be sure to check out my entire series on Marketing Mistakes to Avoid and How to Fix Them and also read my series on Free Marketing Tools!

Free Marketing Tools – #3 Yahoo Local Listing

Yahoo has been one of the top search engines for years. When you use Yahoo to do a search for something like, Marketing Consultant Canton GA, or Marketing Consultant 30114, generally a map shows up with nearby businesses in that category. Did you know your business can appear in this type of mapping section for FREE? If you want to find out how to add your business, please read on…

Here are steps to add your business to Yahoo Local.

Go to Yahoo.com.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Local” link in the “More Yahoo Sites” section.

Once the main Yahoo Local page loads, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and click the “Add a Business” link under the “Local Resources” section.

View the options and select your plan: basic (free) or enhanced ($9.95 per month as of 3/14/12).

Click sign up.

Sign in to Yahoo (or create an account).

Enter the details including: name, email, phone number, location information, hours of operation, payment methods and any additional information.

Next, select your business categories and sub categories and add the professional contact information.

Then, review and submit.

The site says it takes a few days for the listing to appear, but it took almost three weeks to get my email cofirmation. Just be patient, they will email you when your listing is active. 

If you want to add your business, here is a link to Yahoo Local where you may compare the plans and sign up for your listing.

If you found this article helpful, please be sure to come back to read my entire series on Free Marketing Tools and also review my series on Marketing Mistakes to Avoid and How to Fix Them!

Free Marketing Tools – #2 Google Maps and Google Places

When you do a Google Search for something like, veterinarian canton, or vet 30114, generally a map shows up with nearby businesses in that category. Did you know your business can appear in this type of mapping section for FREE? If you want to find out how to add your business, please read on…You can easily add your business to Google Maps by searching on the term Google Maps and clicking through the link to the main site. 

In left column, click the link that says “Put your business on Google Maps”

Sign in to Google (or create a new account).

The system will take you to Google Places.

Enter your business phone number to see if there is already information about the business.

If no matching number is found, enter the information on the form, including: business name, address, phone number, email (optional), website (optional), and a 200 character description. (For example:  We offer affordable marketing assistance customized to our client’s specific needs. We assist with strategic planning, business development, public relations, marketing materials and social media.)

Next, select up to five categories that describe your business. Select your service area and your location settings. You may put in your hours of operation and your payment options. You may also add photos and even video! There is a field for additional details, as well.

Once you are done, select Submit.

They will mail you card with a code to finish activating your account in two weeks. When the card arrives, log back into your account, add the code, and your listing will appear shortly.

If you want to add your business, here is a link to Google Maps. 

If you found this article helpful, please be sure to come back to read my entire series on Free Marketing Tools and also review my series on Marketing Mistakes to Avoid and How to Fix Them!

Free Marketing Tools - #1 Google Alerts 

Imagine having your own online researcher scouring the internet 24/7, 365 days a year that you didn’t have to pay a single penny! If I have peaked your interest, please read on…

Google Alerts are simply one of the coolest, easiest and totally FREE ways to stalk, ‘er I mean keep tabs on anything or anyone of interest! They are an awesome tool for marketing research and keeping tabs on when and where your name is in the news.

For starters, I suggest you set Google Alerts to monitor such things as:

Your name as well as the names of  important clients or key customers. (For example, I have searches set for “Lori Tilt” and “Lori Reed Tilt” as well as for specific client names.)

Your company name as well as company names you track. (i.e. “Tilt Marketing” and “zumBrunnen, Inc.” – one of my long-term clients.)

Keywords for your business or industry (i.e. “electric radiant floor heating” on behalf of long-term client Speedheat)

You can also track your competitors, follow industry trends, monitor developing news, follow your favorite celebrities, keep tabs on your favorite sport teams, and more…at absolutely zero cost!

Additionally, you can set up the alerts to be emailed as often as desired, and you may turn them on or off as you wish.

If you want to sign up or manage your settings, here is a link to Google Alerts.

If you found this article helpful, please be sure to come back to read my entire series on Free Marketing Tools and also review my series on Marketing Mistakes to Avoid and How to Fix Them!     

If you have made any of these common mistakes, don’t worry! With each posting, I will tell you how to quickly and inexpensively fix the problem.

Common Mistake #2 – Poor Use of Email Signatures

I see this one ALL the time, and it drives me nuts because it is so easy to correct!

I want you to think about your email signature text in a new way. Consider it as a FREE ad about your company that is included with every single message you send.

1) Does it include all the right info including such basics as: name, title, company, address, phone, fax, website, social media links?

2) Does it look professional? Is the text easy to read? Make sure your formatting looks good.

3) Are you reminding people about what services you offer or what you do? It is easy to summarize this information and have it automatically included in every message.

4) If you work for a company with more than one employee, are all the company email signatures consistent to help reinforce your brand? I often see strange adaptations of this info for people at the same company and it just makes me shake my head.

5) If you reply to emails using your phone, please avoid any non-professional language in the email signature for this, as well. I doubt you will want to recreate your normal email signature for this application, but please refrain from creating something that detracts from your professionalism.

If you need inspiration, just go through your inbox and look at all the messages you receive and see what email signatures you like. Please don’t copy, but use them for inspiration to develop your own unique signature.

How to Change Your Signature in Outlook

Select “Tools”

Select “Options”

Select “Mail Format”

Select “Signatures”

Type in your info and save it. Test it until you get it right!

Because I send out emails on behalf of various clients, I have several email signatures I use. You can create as many as you need.

You can also use a “signature” to create a form letter you use on a regular basis. Just type the entire letter in the signature area and close with your normal signature. You simply select this signature option whenever you want to use the letter. It is a quick and easy way to send out standard letters.

If you found this article helpful, please be sure to check out my entire series on Marketing Mistakes to Avoid and How to Fix Them and also read my series on Free Marketing Tools!

If you have made any of these common mistakes, don’t worry! With each posting, I will tell you how to quickly and inexpensively fix the problem.

Common Mistake #1 – Non Business-Related Email Address 

I see this one ALL the time, and it is sooooo easy to fix.

If you are using an email address for your business that ends in @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, @bellsouth.com, etc., please STOP.

You are not representing your company as professionally as you could easily be doing.

If you already have a website, many service providers will offer an email package along with your hosting package that will make your email “match” your URL. In many cases, the email package is already included in what you are paying. If not, it should be a nominal amount to add it.

But, what if you don’t have your website set up yet? Or, what if your host does not offer an email option you like?

Fear not, Google Apps has a FREE solution!

With Google Apps, you can create an email address with your domain name for free (for up to 10 user accounts with one organization).

If you have already reserved a domain name, it will take a little time to get it verified and set up, but it is still free.

If you have not reserved a domain name, you can easily do it through Google (or a multitude of other sources) for a nominal fee.

To learn more, please go to the Google Apps page and select the Gmail option.

If you are already using an email that matches your domain name, that’s great news. I’ll be posting more common problems next week, so please check back!

If you found this article helpful, please be sure to check out my entire series on Marketing Mistakes to Avoid and How to Fix Them and also read my series on Free Marketing Tools!

So, I made a resolution to update my website this year. A friend, who developed my previous site, suggested I look into WordPress.

After doing some quick research, it turns out a LOT of folks are doing websites on WordPress, even though it was designed as a blogging platform. Granted, you have to do some modifications to make it LOOK like a website and not a blog. However, I easily found LOTS of articles and tips.

In order to streamline the design process and save time though, I opted to use a template. I researched a lot of companies, but I preferred the templates from a company called StudioPress. I fell in love with their Agency Child Theme and felt I could easily modify the template to recreate my website. After reading the reviews, it sounded as if the company had a reputation for not only good looking templates, but also for SOLID code behind them (which is important). The template and Genesis framework was only $79.95 (as of January 2012).

Please note, I could have used a FREE template from WordPress (and spent lots of time tweaking it). Or, I could have purchased a less expensive template from another company…there are MANY options. However, I felt the Agency template hit the mark and was backed by a good company, so I was DELIGHTED to make a small investment in a quality template.

To use a third party template, like I selected, my site HAD to be hosted with a separate web hosting company (not through WordPress). I use 1&1 because I like their dashboard, their service is inexpensive and their customer service is good.

Once I got the template installed, (which was a little tricky because it had to be uploaded to my host server, and I am virtually illiterate when it come to the backend tech stuff), I was able to go back into the WordPress dashboard and quickly create the pages and add in photos. The interface is intuitive and very easy to use.

However, when it came time to customize, there were some things I didn’t understand. I could have taken the time to read every “how to” guide, but I decided to hire a WordPress expert who has been GREAT. Eugene Oprea is very dependable and his rates are very reasonable. I highly recommend his work!

Now, I can change my copy and photos whenever I want! And, I have a fully integrated blog that is super easy to use!

WordPress is not the solution for everyone. However, for many small and mid-sized businesses, the combination of using a good template (to save time and money) and the flexibility WordPress offers in terms of easily updating content is an IDEAL and inexpensive solution.