It's Better Together » Ashley Brooke Quintana

Guest Post | Paloma’s Nest

Ashley Brooke Quintana — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:00:30 +0000

Today’s guest post is written by the lovely Caroline, Owner and Designer of Paloma’s Nest,

home to the original Ring Bearer Bowl™. First of all I can not say enough kind words about

Caroline and obviously her talent and heart shows in her work.

I just know you will love this post on obtaining press for your business as much as I do!

Thank you so much Caroline for this wonderful post!

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There is no secret to getting great press for your business, or to landing a product placement or blog feature. You never know when an opportunity will knock, or which great image will climb its way to the top of the “blogsphere.” Marketing and branding are important, but can vary so much from one business to another.

So when asked to write a few “pointers” about obtaining press, I have to admit- I was stumped. It took me several days to think about the question at hand. Was there really some code or some magic trick? Is it all luck? Nah.

In my experience, as with most things in life, it all comes down to the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would want to be treated. Whether in email or social media exchanges, customer service, or in performing the service you provide, being nice and doing your best goes far. Really far.

Be gracious and show your gratitude: In a virtual world, manners are just as important as when you are face to face with someone. Always say thank you. Sometimes an email is appropriate, but other times a handwritten note is in order.In social media, be yourself. Let your personality shine through. You ARE your brand. However, always remember- everything you write is out there forever. Don’t say something you will regret, or something that may tarnish the brand you have worked so hard to create. Share bits and pieces of your real life, and engage in conversation with others; but just like you wouldn’t air your dirty laundry openly in a coffee shop, don’t do it on Twitter, either.

Be respectful of people’s time, knowledge, and interest in your work:

Whether it is a receptionist or an assistant, a beginning blogger or a newcomer to the industry, I personally consider everyone to be my colleague. And I treat all colleagues with dignity and kindness.

You never know who will have the next great idea, become the next famous stylist, or run the most popular blog or magazine. Nurturing and respecting all relationships, from the ground up, is not only the right thing to do, but is smart for your business.

For example, a woman I met several years ago used to be a photo shoot assistant at a big-name wedding magazine. Today, she is one of the editors at that same magazine. I remember her, and she remembers me. Our relationship began at our first encounter, not just when my business needed her.

Don’t brush off the little guy- instead, build bridges that benefit everyone.

Always put your best product or service out there:

You never know who is attending a event you are coordinating; who is reading your blog; who is ordering your product.

You never know who is watching.

Consistency is key- your marketing materials, the images of your work, even your Twitter feed- they all speak volumes about your business.

Treat every situation, every client, and every potential client with excellence, no matter what.

One of my first experiences with press coverage was with Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. They called to discuss featuring my product in their Holiday Gift guide. When I asked if they needed for me to send them samples, they replied : “Nope, thanks, but we already have several. Our editor has been a fan of your work for quite a while.”

I nearly fell to the floor. I never knew that one of my clients was a magazine editor; but I must have sent her a high quality, memorable product every time she ordered.

Ever since that day, I vowed that my company would process and package every single order as if it were being sent to an editor- and not just for good PR, but because every client deserves your best work. You wouldn’t have a business without them.

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Thank you again Caroline!

Paloma’s Nest

Caroline on Twitter

Caroline’s Blog

Better Mondays (even though it’s Tuesday night!)

Ashley Brooke Quintana — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:35:50 +0000

Two great webinars hosted by Liene From Think Splendid Communications

July 20th on how to effectively use Twitter for business.
July 13th on how to effectively read and use blog analytics.

IP Law for Startups has a great free E-book by Jill Hubbard Bowman.

“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” Andy Warhol

1000 Words for the Weekend | Anything is Possible

Ashley Brooke Quintana — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:00:46 +0000

8x10 poster: It Always Seems Impossible by The Love Shop

Guest Post | EmersonMade.

Ashley Brooke Quintana — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:00:42 +0000

{Today’s post is written by Ryan 1/2 of the EmersonMade team. EmersonMade specializes in hand dyed and hand stitched blooms and accessories with an apparel line coming out in 2010. EmersonMade started as a one woman operation in NYC where Emerson would sell her flowers, sometimes right off her lapel to flower girls and fella’s on the street, and just like that another flower would go trotting off into the world! EmersonMade has bloomed into a full scale Operation where she and her partner BigR man the ship and where Emerson and the ArtistFlowerMakers build the blooms each season!}

Here was the question I asked Ryan:

There are several husband and wife teams in It’s Better Together who have just started or are fairly new into their businesses and I thought you could provide us with some insight on working together. How did the two of you start working together, how did you transition from a couple to a professional relationship and how does that dynamic play out–when you go home is it strictly no more talk of business or is it more fluid than that?

Emerson and I have always wanted to work together in a way that combined traveling and new experiences. So to some extent it was inevitable. When Emerson first started the business she was manning the van all alone. As she began to hire people I began helping here and there, everything from packing boxes, dealing with contracts, hiring, etc so Emerson could stay focused on design, content, and the stylistic aspects. It was really a very natural transition. From our perspective it was more of an evolution than a transition. Frankly its hard to picture it any other way at this point. But I believe a key aspect is that we share interests and taste but generally speaking have different skill sets and backgrounds. So our skill sets are very complimentary which I think is an important factor in making it work.

EmersonMade has been growing so rapidly that along with it being a full time job we spend most of our free time talking and working on the future. Much of the time is exactly that, i.e. work, but the benefit of working with your best friend is you view time differently. Fortunately for us a fair amount of our work takes us on field trips all over the country and world for sourcing, content, and photos. Ultimately you get a reflection of what you put in. Our lifestyle has changed to deal with that attribute. I would not say we have an on/off switch, but it seems natural is working well that way.

Image Credit: EmersonMade

Better Mondays

Ashley Brooke Quintana — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:00:13 +0000

Here are a few links to make your Monday a little brighter:

Pantone wall covering: Uncoated by Johnathan Nodrick
Humility via The Business of Being Creative by Sean Low
Quote: “The ability to change fast is the single most important asset in a world that’s changing fast.” – Seth Godin
As Real as it Gets…via Flickr by wandaaaa

Guest Post | Wiley Valentine

Ashley Brooke Quintana — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:00:29 +0000

{ I contacted the lovely Rachelle at Wiley Valentine to see what her thoughts were on having sponsors on their blog. I know that lots and lots of blogs have sponsors but most of the blogs out there that have sponsors aren’t selling a product like stationery, invites, planning, or even photography. These are the questions I posed to Wiley Valentine: What does it look like to have sponsors on a blog that sells a product? How do you know who to have as sponsors?, and lastly, is it something that works for you as a company?}

Since the launch of our blog in October 2008, our traffic has grown exponentially and overwhelmingly. I started to be approached by some of our retailers (stores that sell Wiley Valentine product) asking if we would consider offering advertising spots on our blog. It seemed like a great platform for them to reach their targeted audience as many of our readers are brides or even stationery lovers. It really just made sense. Since the start of the advertising in mid 2009, we have expanded to include such sponsors as event planners, jewelry designers and more. I am very picky and selective with my sponsors/ad spots as I want my reader to trust who I have sponsor the blog and know that these companies may very well be of interest to them.

As the blog has grown, it has taken more and more of my time to maintain. Receiving revenue from ad spots seems to help justify the time I devote to the blog. Not that I don’t adore blogging, because I do! However balancing running a business and maintaing a blog can sometimes be very challenging. So it’s nice to have some sort of revenue generated from the blog through advertisers.

I also feel that in some cases, like for example Francis Orr and Rock Paper Scissor (both current blog sponsors), these are stores that carry Wiley Valentine product so this is a great cross marketing strategy for us. Directing traffic to our retailers who in turn sell more Wiley Valentine product.

I think it’s important when considering taking on ad spots/sponsors on your blog that you be selective and remain true to your blog and audience. You want the sponsors to be great companies that you believe in and that you feel your audience might find interesting and/or useful.

Thank you so much Wiley Valentine! Your insight is wonderful and inspiring!

Better Mondays: Are you a Lovemark?

Ashley Brooke Quintana — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:00:35 +0000

Do your clients see you as a “Lovemark”?

“Take a brand away and people will find a replacement.

Take a Lovemark away and people will protest its absence.

Lovemarks are a relationship, not a mere transaction.

You don’t just buy Lovemarks, you embrace them passionately.

That’s why you never want to let go.” -Lovemark Website