Veteran Marketing and PR Guy. Chief Bill Payer at aro for over 20 years. Expert Vocus user and Social Media Troublemaker
I provide fearless and actionable consulting to small businesses in Charlotte and around the US. Some of the industries that I have significant experience in include: emerging technology, retail, sports, entertainment, real estate, legal, financial services and human capital companies.
Whether your challenge is a quick response to a market change or a complete strategy, I take a responsive, results-oriented approach to each person, regardless of budget.
Unless you have an amazing network, an extraordinary topic, or an existing super brand, it is tough t get butts in seats even for a webinar. Frank Kern (known for his web launches and many successes) recently conducted a webinar with nearly 1000 people but his initial webinar was free with some very useful content (even in the free program). He uses a multi-touch system, lead pages, email, text and phone callls to make sure you attend. He then pitches the paid content while you are there. Kern has done this effectively for years.
Do you offer CEUs or credits for the attendees? My clients have no where near the brand that Kern has and we use the same tools as Kern, but we add pay per click, Social Media, and PR to drive our audience. I hope this helps?
Look for people within (or understand) your industry no matter where they. One of our clients is flying to meet potential investors (no matter the distance) if they have expressed fundamental interest and have a good track record.
I own a PR company so of course I am biased. Unless you have a monster network of your own, you have to find people that are interested. If you have a great social media network, or know how to find this target market via your own tools that's great. If not, consider hiring a firm that does.
We are currently working with a crowdsourcing campaign, and we kicked it off with one of our proprietary news blasts a week ago. This not just a press release but an entire campaign. Even with all of the power of these tools, massive social media engagement and a very smart client we are at 39% of our "raise" with 46 days left. We have over 150,000 views of this announcement and we have driven over a thousand sessions to our landing page since January 22 2015. We have not even begun our organic media efforts. If you can generate this kind of response with your own team...do it. If not, find someone to help.
I disagree with most of the previous answers. We use a proprietary PR system along with the Vocus/Cision Dashboard for distributing our news.We have been doing it effectively since 2005. In a recent "Newsblast" for a company with No brand recognition we achieved the following results in the first ten days: -182,000 views of the release -4500 full page reads -1257 web visits (to a site that never existed prior to release -200 RSS media Links -2 Organic Media Stories (1 Broadcast) -and 40% funding We eventually did a follow-up release and our total Impressions for the campaign were over 250,000. PR is treated by my firm as an excellent way to get some momentum built without a huge expense...quickly! PPC was used effectively alongside of the PR but performed with less efficiency. Also, I would much rather have a click referral from a newsblast (release) because the individual clicking has so much more info than you can get in a 3 line PPC ad? Lastly we build all of our PR Programs in 3 Segments. -News Distribution -Social Media Augmentation -Separate Organic Pitches to targeted Media In this particular example we raised 100% of our crowdfunding goal in 6 weeks with 92 Donors but we only had about 3 Organic Media Stories. You can see and read more about our Quick2Brand "Newsblast at: http://consultaro.com/quick2brand/ or see Michael Walsh's article "Is the Press Release Dead? No it is your amplification engine" https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/press-release-dead-nope-its-michael?trk=object-title We are frankly tired of those that dismiss the distribution of PR out of hand without the knowledge or the experience of our system. (We partner frequently with consultants and agencies that do not have this expertise and they love us)
Compatibility with your vision? Does 1+ 1= 3 or even 5? Personality mix? If you are going to stay with the acquired entity. These might be more important than any of the numbers.
I don't believe in the Print Yellow Pages anymore but YP is an amazing company. Listings are critical to a hotel marketing effort and we have a powerful proprietary system to manage this very inexpensively. So look at YP's overall system. If this is not a good fit for you let me know. We can provide you a free report for how you are doing now and what you can do to improve.
Chuck and I have partnered on marketing projects for years—quite successfully. He has been a continuous go-to resource for my ad agency because he is continuously on the cutting edge of innovative marketing. Numerous times over the years he has introduced me to marketing techniques and technology that are not yet main stream, yet Chuck has already mastered their successful implementation. He is still doing that today. Many marketers can lead you through solid methodologies and recommendations as can Chuck. But if your brand needs innovative ideas that your competitors probably aren’t even aware of, contact Chuck.
I have known Chuck for several years and have had the opportunity to provide print management services and advice to him. Chuck is a very personable and informed client that is a joy to work for. He is a great communicator.
Chuck is the consummate "Branding Iron" for getting your company in the right place with the right look. He without question is the referral I make to those in need of his talents. Please contact me if you have additional questions.
Conrad Taylor, CPC/CTS
Chuck Robbins was as amiable as he was professional during a recent PR collaboration between Metropolitan Ballroom and Charlotte Symphony. He implemented his years of marketing, social media, and PR experience seamlessly into a fold of multiple partners and people from diverse backgrounds and varying goals. I would highly recommend working with Chuck Robbins on any multifaceted media or marketing project.
I've used Chuck Robbins on a number of projects over the years, and I've also consulted with him when my business ideas and marketing plans needed help. His business acumen combined with his resources and network of contacts at his disposal, give him the ability to handle any project... no job is too small or too big for Chuck. His personal and hands-on approach make him an invaluable resource. A go to guy!
I was extremely impressed with one of my clients marketing efforts and had ask who they were using! They were quick to answer, Chuck Robbins, President of ARO. Having been in the marketing arena for 20 plus years myself, I would recommend having a conversation with Chuck to see how he may be able to assist in differentiating your company in the marketplace.
Chuck and his company has always provided me with a high level of service even when we have given him little lead time. Not only has his work been superior but he also provided the quantifiable research to show what worked to better prepare us for the next time. Highly recommended.
In his career, Chuck has mastered all aspects of marketing and communications. He knows the ins and outs of how to reach critical audiences with compelling messages. More importantly, he is a good man with a good heart whose work reflects his values. That is a rare quality in today's world, and one to be valued.
I have seen the results of Chuck's work in maximizing results in a new start up business's launch last year. As 2 B 1 Global plans a relaunch of our ministry going global, Chuck will be our coach and driver on this project.
Chuck has been a great resource both for specific "PR" projects and as an expert ear and advisor for considering ideas. Chuck is willing to "give value to get value" and I appreciate that.
Chuck and his team are a pleasure to work with and the results we have had with our newly designed web site has been all positive. Chuck met with us to ensure he knew our business, both physically and philosophically, so our website truly represented our business as who we actually are. I liked that! We had super results when the site went live. I would recommend Chuck and his team for their personable interaction and results oriented mindset.
