JoTo Extreme PR


Monday, February 6th, 2012

JoTo Opines: Got my MoJo working

Muddy Waters:  Newport Jazz Festival 1960

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How does it feel when you have your mojo working? I know for me there is this feeling of ecstasy; like I can do nothing wrong and that I have the Midas touch.  That’s when I know it has all come together – everything is just really flowing in the right direction and without a lot of effort. How is it for you?

One of the keys to my MoJo working is getting the day off to a great start and the words are humming from the keyboard to the screen. But this is often made difficult with the amount of email and communication I have to handle. Part of me wants to get these out of the way – right away. This is not always a good idea as there are so many distractions and you can fall off your battle plan (what I call my list of “to-do’s”.) Often times it is best to get into your creative mode first and save the email for last.

Believe it or not I found two articles online to help give your MoJo a jump start should have gotten mired in the day to day.  Some points are tongue-and-cheek, but some are very helpful.

eHow: http://www.ehow.com/how_2086382_get-mojo-working.html

Technorati: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/how-to-get-your-mojo-working/

This month we have an incredible DIY blog post for you regarding how to select media for your marketing or PR program.

 

Tell your story with grace,
Karla Jo

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Thursday, December 29th, 2011

JoTo In: Mormon PR and 2011′s Best Holiday Retail Ads

About that new Mormon PR blitz…

I like this PR campaign and applaud the efforts of the Mormon’s to take charge of their perception problems and publicize their religion and make it more real to others.

About that new Mormon blitz on getreligion.org

It will come under scrutiny just because it is a religion, but the truth of the matter is in this day and age, religions need to be proactive in getting their messages out and should not be behind the times in technology or marketing/PR efforts. From a PR point of view, I think this is a real winner.  A JoTo In!

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Watch the Season’s Best Holiday Ads

‘Tis the season for plenty of new campaigns, as marketers of all stripes rush to make sure their brands are top of mind for holiday shoppers.

Ads that have a philanthropic bent, like Macy’s Believe campaign or Duracell’s partnership with the Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, were deemed particularly effective by consumers, while ads promoting specific products, like Best Buy’s “Game On Santa” spot highlighting Apple products or Sears’ ad describing its Kenmore Elite Double Oven Range, hit the mark. Heartwarming or upbeat ads like Target’s “Done,” Pillsbury’s “Home for the Holidays” and Coca-Cola’s “Snow Globe” also performed well, according to ad tracking firm Ace Metrix.

“Consumers really respond well to ads that go beyond just, ‘Shop here. But it now,’ said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix, noting the retail category in general received high marks this year.

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Watch last season’s best holiday ads on adage.com

 

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Thursday, December 29th, 2011

JoTo Opines: what your PR motto should be for next year

The Holidays are all about giving back – but why make it only one time per year?  How about translate that into a PR campaign that runs for the entire year?  Good idea!

I will tell you a secret – at JoTo we track our statistics…i.e. promotion we send out, leads we get in, sales we close, etc.  But one factor surprised us when we did a statistic analysis – our gross income was directly correlated to our community involvement.  We got more business nationally when we helped out locally.  Huh?

“Wait a minute!” I said to my business partner, “So all those pro-bono gigs, dishing out all that free advice and sitting on those end-of-endless board meetings as boards of directors contributed to our bottom line?  WHAT?!?”

“Yep – exactly right,” Diane said.  (She’s so smart.)

So we have the “Holiday Factor” as we have dubbed it at JoTo – “pay it back,” “pay it forward,” “give back to your community”…whatever you want to call it.  We always did it because our religious doctrine says it’s the right thing to do, but we have come to realize that it comes back in a myriad of ways – and one of those is how well our business does.

So what about your New Year’s – what should be your PR motto for the next year?

Hint:  Say something nice.

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Tell your story with grace…
Karla Jo



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Friday, September 9th, 2011

JoTo Tampa Bay: JoTo Opens Studio 34 North

JoTo Extreme PR Opens New Creative Studio


(September 12, 2011, Tampa Bay, FL) JoTo Extreme PR announces the recent opening of their new creative studio, called Studio 34 North.  The collaborative space was established for JoTo’s public relations work as well as a rental studio geared toward photographers and videographers in the media industry and entertainment business.  Studio 34 North is located at 34 North Garden Avenue in Clearwater.

The space is equipped with a cyclorama or “cyc” wall – a 12 foot tall x 15 foot wide white wall that curves at the bottom to meet the studio floor, creating an illusion that the studio floor stretches to infinity as well as a “no-background” effect, popular amongst creative professionals.

Already, the space has been utilized by fashion designer Craig Taylor for Craig Taylor Shirts’ catalogue shoot with fashion photographer, Joshua Smith, of Joshua Smith Photography.

“We see the arts as a powerful economic engine, vital to the growth of an area,” says JoTo Extreme PR CEO Karla Jo Helms. “This is why we decided to make our space available to the creative workforce of Tampa Bay.”

For more information on the studio visit www.studio34north.com or call (727) 239-4003.

Studio 34 North

Studio 34 North


About JoTo Extreme PR:
JoTo Extreme PR is a new type of Public Relations Company founded by Public Relations innovators and veterans Karla Jo Helms and Diane D. Stein in order to fulfill a gaping hole in the industry with the advent of new media. This brave, new world of mediums requires a new type of PR Company, one that not only understands PR basics, but knows how and when to apply them to the various media and new channels available. JoTo is a hybrid, a blend of traditional with high technology so as to harness the advantages of all the worlds. JoTo uses the true technology of Public Relations as a holistic approach to companies’ marketing and promotional avenues by creating campaigns that will result in a prosperous and expanding business. Visit JoTo Extreme PR online at www.jotopr.com.

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Saturday, July 30th, 2011

JoTo Tampa Bay: Paul Stein in the Tampa Bay Business Journal

Paul Stein | People on the Move

as seen in the Tampa Bay Business Journal

Date added: July 29, 2011
Submission Type: New Hire
Current employer: JoTo Extreme PR
Current title/position: Sales Consultant
Industry: Media & Marketing
Position department: Sales

Duties/responsibilities:
Paul Stein comes to JoTo with 22 years of experience as a sales consultant. With a degree in computer science and extensive training in business management, he brings to the table a systematic approach in helping his clients succeed. He will be establishing the sales divisions of JoTo Extreme PR to accommodate the industries they service.

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Thursday, June 30th, 2011

JoTo Ism: compiling your mailing list

  • List Construction, aka Construct Your List!

Your mailing list is the lifeblood of your organization. Your strength and growth depends on the quality and size of your list. Earlier in this issue we described how to maintain your list so that you get the results you want but how do you get names on your list. Yes you can buy names, but you have to be very targeted and follow the SPAM laws to the “t” – and you have to know how to market to lists like that so you get a return (that’s our expertise by the way).  One of the things you can do to start out is to build your list from your customers and prospects you have gotten through networking, prospecting at the close of sales, referrals, etc.

The first thing you need to know about building any list is that you don’t want to violate the Anti-Spam Act. Therefore all subscribers have to have the ability to opt in (asked to participate) and opt out (ask off your list). Fortunately, if you are doing it yourself most of the do-it-yourself bulk mail providers have this attribute built into the application automatically.

Constructing your list does not have to be an imposition. It can be created relatively easily if you follow a few simple pointers.  In fact here three key steps to creating a successful mailing list.

  1. Make them want to join up: There are a number of ways to do this and get folks to opt in. special offers, gifts, newsletters, recipes, whitepapers, reports, etc. You should know your target market and know what they would want (that is where market research comes in.) Provide them with the right offer so they want to join up.
  2. Easy does it: Make the signup process easy to do. Don’t make them jump through hoops. You can collect information later, but right now a name and email address will do. This is list building 101.
  3. Don’t send stupid stuff:  How many times have you received an offer from a company for something you already own or the offer has absolutely nothing to do with you? Don’t send your customers stuff they don’t need or want or is irrelevant. Send them what they need and they will be customers for life. Segment your mailing list as much as possible so you really are sending the right stuff to the right peeps. They will love you for it.

JoTo is prepared to help you with your email marketing. Our program provides for list growth and lead nurturing including advanced database segmentation so you can drill down to your exact publics. We even help you find your exact target markets and get them to opt-in to receive info and offers from you.  Check out this video featuring Jamie Sene our Lead Generation & Internet Marketing Specialist:

www.jotopr.com/email-marketing

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Thursday, May 5th, 2011

JoTo Tampa Bay: Relay for Life in Tampa Bay May 2011

Relay for Life of Clearwater Begins Friday May 13th

Relay for Life Clearwater 2010

With cancer striking one in every two men, and one in every three women, many lives are impacted by the disease – but the Relay for Life movement is fighting back! The Relay for Life of Clearwater theme is “Make Cancer History.”

Relay for Life of Clearwater event will take place in Coachman Park Friday, May 13th beginning at 6:00 p.m., and goes until  and Saturday, May 14th. This promises to be a big RFL event – with over 500 people expected to attend… and even Macy’s given the challenge to bring an additional 500!  Pre-event fundraising has already reached over 30K (go teams!) and the targeted goal is over 70K.

Will RFL make their target?  Read below and you decide!  (JoTo is betting good money on it, but the winning bets all go to Relay for Life – so we aim to win no matter what!)

Fast Facts:

  • Volunteer driven teams do most of their fundraising prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their camp sites during the 24 hour Relay for Life event.
  • Relay for Life of Clearwater is sponsored by Dr. Cesar Lara M.D. Center for VITAS innovative Hospice Care
  • Relay for Life is the largest fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Because of Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society has raised over $3 billion to fund cancer research activities.
  • A silent auction will be held on site at the event to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.
  • Blues band Red Hot ‘N’ Rollin’ will play during the opening of Relay for Life of Clearwater.

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  • Relay for Life will honor cancer survivors through a Survivor’s Dinner provided by Crabby Bill’s and a survivor’s lap.
  • Relay for Life raises awareness of cancer and the importance of cancer screening – in an attempt to prevent preventable deaths from occurring.
  • According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the second most common form of death in the United States, accounting for one out of four deaths.
  • 569,490 Americans are expected to die from cancer this year alone, totaling more than 1,500 people a day.
  • The Relay for Life movement began in May of 1985 when surgeon Dr. Gordon Klatt honored his patients by walking around the track at the University of Puget Sound for 24 hours, symbolizing how cancer never sleeps. Friends paid $25 to walk or run with Dr. Klatt for 30 minutes throughout the night, and he ended up raising $27,000 for cancer research.

You can still come – register and be a part of the momentum!  More information can be found on the Relay for Life of Clearwater website www.relayforlife.org/clearwaterfl

[Or call Tammy Ashe at the Clearwater Relay for Life at (727)-812-7003.  Tell her JoTo sent you!]

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