Sheila O'Mara

This week on the TVPG, Get More Business, Radio Show our topic was Free Publicity and volunteering. This topic is especially pertinent to small and mdium size business owners who are searching for ways to get their message out and build relationships for little to no cost. Some of the suggestions listed in this blog post require nothing but your time, and some require just a little bit of investment.

When I started my business, Staged SO Right, I had a very small marketing budget. With time and some very creative ideas - some that I learned from my friends on AR - I have built my staging business and felt confident enough to launch another business, Speakers WIth Spark, as well. I will tell you all about that one in another post, but couldn't have felt it was possible without all of the free promotional resources at my finger tips.

The only thing that limits us is lack of creativity! If you can think it or dream it, you can probably find a way to do it!

If you missed the live show, check out the podcast to hear the commentary about all of these great ideas!

Today is another airing of the TVPG Radio Show, Get More Business, at 11:30am Eastern time. Jason Sanders did a great job documenting the line up for today and I will just let you take a peek here at Jason's post. Phone in details are also in Jason's post!

This show topic - how to get free publicity - is near and dear to my heart. It is a balance some days between free and quality and we will share some great ways to achieve both! Yes, you can make both a formidable part of your marketing strategy!

Tune in live today or check out the podcast later on! Today's show is a must for anyone wanting to further their business on a budget!

Here is the link to the show today!

As you will see in the flyer below there is a promotion going on with the photographer that took my headshot. She is truly a pro who even made little old me from Staged SO Right look good! LOL!

What I want you to notice is the fabulous headshots in this flyer, but also there is something in particular. Okay give up? ...

Which one was your eye drawn to? The photos are all different and all great quality - but one thing that stands out is the color.

Many people choose to wear black for photos. I have heard all of the excuses, but none of them are really valid. Can someone look fabulous in black - absolutely! But ... if 3 out of 5 photos are in black and white, without a shot of color, is that photo really going to stand out from all of the rest? When you have a head shot taken - it helps you build your brand - is your brand different from all of the rest? Go with something special - a color, an accessory or a pose! GET THE CONSUMERS ATTENTION!

Now Adele is an amazing photographer and for those of you in the Kentucky area - you couldn't do better than a photo shoot with Adele. Check out her website www.adeleredingphotography.com. She is running a great special on March 3 and 10th and is almost booked. Don't miss out on the tremendous deal and watch your brand explode before your eyes! You owe it to your future success to give a new headshot a try!

Imagine the possibility of seeing a room prepared to sell before packing a box or moving a piece of furniture? Thinking about updating the kitchen or bath, but would like to see what it will look like before committing?

Those possibilities would have been pretty difficult to make happen without a whole lot of time, effort and money, but there is something special that changes that idea completely. This special service is even making its way into Hardin County directly from Staged SO Right!

Conceptual Staging, also know as Virtual Staging by some, is the service I am talking about. It is very simple for the user and is all done with a photo and a computer. By supplying a photo, it can be "staged" digitally - allowing the homeowner to visualize the necessary changes before they work hard to make it happen. The great thing about Conceptual Staging is that it is a service provided by a professional stager who applies staging principles when redesigning the picture. A photo that has been Virtually Staged does not necessarily get staged by a professional stager, just someone who knows computer graphics. There is a huge difference.

When employing Conceptual Staging, the stager will apply the basics of flow, purpose, function, scale, color and mood to the photo. This is a great option for people who have a hard time visualizing the recommendations given for a room when staging to sell. I know that my definition of decluttering and a homeowner's definition are often two different things. With a conceptually staged photo, I can actually show homeowners exactly what it should look like in order to evoke the welcoming feeling needed to sell.

Conceptual Staging would especially be beneficial for people selling vacant houses. For many buyers it is difficult to imagine how much furniture can fit into a room. Because the staged photo will be of the actual room, buyers can get a real appreciation for what it will look like. This could save the seller money by providing a glimpse of the possibilities without renting furniture and accessories.

When redesigning a room, this service will allow a homeowner to visualize what a wall color will look like with their furnishings or how new flooring will look. The beauty of the service is that the photo used is of the actual space so that the photo received in return will have everything - including furniture - properly scaled to fit comfortably in the room. What a bonus! No more purchasing furniture that is way too big or small for a space. No buying ten gallons of the wrong color before finding the right one to go on the wall.

Having curb appeal issues? Conceptual Staging can help determine what the finished product will look like. Not sure what color the front door should be or if you should put up shutters or not? This service can be a huge benefit!

Obviously this is a tool for homeowners, realtors and builders alike to utilize. It does not take the place of actually staging a house for sale, but can really help motivate a seller. For redesign projects, it is a time and money saver. Getting to see what everything will look like before spending any time and money is extremely valuable.

Remember to look for Conceptual Staging if you really want a "staged" photo. If you don't, you take the chance that someone with a good graphics program and no staging background is designing your living area. Not necessarily a recipe for success.

This is house is now under contract, but the buyers are going to have many updates to make and this can be a wonderful tool for them to visualize the changes that they could make. It takes so much of the guess work out - I am thrilled that Staged SO Right is now offering this service!

Today was my first broadcast as a co host of TVPG Radio Show. I am co-hosting with Jason Sanders, Rich Bradley and Josh Chandler. We had a great time and I have enjoyed getting to know the guys prior to today. I think the format will work well for this particular platform and I am looking forward to the shows to come.

Our topic today was built around "rebuilding the brand". There are some big brands out there that have suffered tremendous losses in reputation and revenue because of a lack of judgment on their part. Everyone is trying to get ahead, but it is clear that the more reliable and, dare I say ethical, a brand becomes, the further ahead they will come out.

We discussed some big names today - Toyota and Tiger Woods - but this building a brand works on every level. It doesn't matter if you are clearing $1 or a million dollars, the brunt of your success relies on how effectively you maintain your relationships. If you are willing to work on those relationships and build a trusted relationship with your clients everyone benefits.

How do I go about doing that? Well the most simple way is to identify how I feel as a consumer. How do I want to be treated and then make sure that I make that happen for my clients. No one wants to be lied to or have quality shortchanged to save a few dollars. If I want to be respected as a business person, I need to respect those that want to do business with me first. NO one enjoys feeling like they are the means to an end. Anticipating needs first, and not necessarily my bottom line is what will ultimately help me thrive.

So working hard to meet your target market's needs, building a solid relationship with them that they can trust and listening to them is what will help you get ahead. Sure, we all make mistakes, BUT it is how we conduct ourselves after that mistake is made that makes a real difference. Most business owners will never have the catastrophes like Toyota and Tiger are having to rally from, but that doesn't mean that you don't make decisions everyday that could possibly alienate your base. Does not returning phone calls affect your business? If it hasn't yet it probably will. It is the little things as you are building your brand that make a huge difference. Attention to detail will set you apart as well.

If you didn't get a chance to listen live today, take the opportunity to listen to the podcast. There was some interesting discussion and some great ideas about using social media as a recovery tool and also as a way to build the brand right off the bat. More to come and check it out live next week, March 3rd at 11:30am.