The August issue of the national Business Marketing Association newsletter features how social media is helping drive membership for the Chicago chapter. We are big supporters of the BMA and play a role in keeping it the nation’s strongest chapter. Check out some of the things we’ve been involved with to make thing happen for this great organization.
On July 27 2011, the Tell Your Story team and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Sima Dahl’s launch party for her new book she co-authored called Make Your Connections Count. The event was held in the beautiful Metropolitan Club at the Willis Tower. Tell Your Story’s Founder, George Rafeedie, was the co-host of the event and gave a rousing introduction. The night was filled with networking, fabulous hors d'oeuvres, and a speech from the one and only Sima Dahl. Simaspoke to her close colleagues and fans about her pivotal career choices and the path that led her to where she is now. As a University of Illinois graduate,Sima Dahl launched Parlay Communications in 2008 to advise professionals on digital branding and communications. She has helped hundreds of job seekers and ladder climbers learn the art of networking both in-person and online. Sima teaches how to utilize social media...
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Trade show attendance may be on the decline, but we don’t care. People are still attending meaning there are leads to be had and relationships to be formed. Of course, companies may not be able to spend as much as they did in the past, but attendance at key shows in your industry are still great opportunities to make things happen for your business.We see trade shows as a perfect opportunity to tell your story before, during and after the shows you attend. If done well, a show can be the center of the integrated mix of brand and marketing communications that inspire customers and prospects to ask and learn more about why you are so special – face-to-face.We are currently in San Diego at the National Association of Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) Financial Managers Conference with home care coding client, Daymarck. In October, we’ll be attending NAHC’s annual show with Daymarck in Vegas.
In a totally different industry, we will be helping clients OnRamp Transportation Services and Equinox Owner-Operator Solutions reach independent truckers at two industry trade shows in the coming months. OnRamp is the only organization suited to provide equipment (trucks and trailers), financing and business services to ensure a trucker’s success. Face-to-face with this crowd is key.
We will be helping OnRamp and Equinox at the Expedite Expo in Wilmington, Ohio, an event for truckers who specialize in expedited truck runs (fast/overnight). In August, we’ll travel to Dallas for The Great American Trucking Show – the convention of trucking professionals.
Amanda Stewart, our new PR & social media manager has traveled the building products trade show circuit for the past three years, meeting with industry reporters, capturing photos and videos, and live-tweeting from shows such as the International Roofing Expo and INTEX (Interior-Exterior) Expo.
So, as you can see, we love trade shows. We’re not so great at assembling the booths themselves, but I did put up a small one today. However, as part of a team looking to leverage their trade show presence, we can make things happen. That’s why we love trade shows.
Stay tuned for a recap of the shows and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for live updates and photos.
If you have a show coming up and need to tell your story there, contact us.
Greetings! I am Tell Your Story’s NEW Marketing Communications Intern, and I’ll be sharing my views from time-to-time on things I hope you find interesting. That said, here’s a little about me.I am so excited to embark on this new chapter of life. I am a recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago where I received my degree in Marketing Communications and a concentration in Public Relations. I have lived in Chicago for the past four years, but I’m far from a city girl, for my roots come from good ole Viola, Illinois, near the Quad Cities. Needless to say, it was hard for my mother to watch her little girl and the oldest of five go from population 900 to 3 million.
I have always dreamnt of having a marketing job that gives me the freedom to express my creative talents. Also, I am able to use transferable skills I have learned from Columbia and past employment.
Throughout college, I was employed at Gap, Moody Bible Institute’s Lifeway Christian Bookstore, and the Coach store at Water Tower Mall. I interned at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida in September of 2008 and am currently seasonal status.
Another passion of mine growing up was pageantry. I was an ambassador of Mercer County, Illinois, where I promoted agriculture and county fairs. I also had the honor to represent the Miss Blackhawk Valley Organization where I promoted Children’s Miracle Network and my personal platform Tween Alert: Reach Before Rescue.
My platform allowed me to teach tweens ages 7-14 about making good decisions in their life before bad decisions negatively impact their future endeavors.>As I embrace this new position, I hope to take Tell Your Story to a new level.
I will create brand awareness, build business-to-business relationships, utilize social media, and make use of my creativity on behalf of current and future clients. Everyday I try to remind myself that half of doing anything is just believing that you can. I believe this new chapter at Tell Your Story is just the beginning of the great things yet to come. Connect with me on Linkedin – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/briley-bollinger/35/330/a94
What a crazy last few weeks. I attended almost all sessions and networking events (plus some non-official networking events) at the Business Marketing Association national conference, Unleash, last week in Chicago. What a great event. I also went to the Chicago BMA Windy City Biz Bash where I was the sponsor of the DJ and soundtrack for the night. The BizBash is always a good time and a worthy cause.
In addition, it was finals week at DePaul and I sat through and graded 12 fantastic presentations by my students in my Intro to PR class. They each had a “real client” and came up with a full PR/social media plan and presented it to me, special guests and clients the past two week. I’m a very proud adjunct prof.
Lastly, I made two new hires for
Tell Your Story — my first two 40+ hours a week team members to handle the growing needs of my clients, which I am very thankful to serve. We’ll have more detail on my two hires over the next few weeks.
Other than that, it’s time to make things happen and get ready for several client summer shows and initiatives. Thanks for reading and following
Last week I was awarded the Chicago Business Marketing Association Board Member of the Year award.
I’m really proud of this for many reasons, and I just wanted to thank Chicago BMA’s outgoing president, Linda Meenan, the CMO of law firm Wildman Harrold (pictured with me below) and the entire board for this honor and great recognition.
As background for all who don’t know BMA and my involvement, I co-chair the membership and social media committees and have been on the BMA board since 2007. I’ve been an active member since 2003, but my experience with the national organization goes way back to 1996. Needless to say, I think it is a great organization and it’s done a lot for me professionally and personally. So join today!
Once we help clients develop great purpose-driven stories, there are many ways we can help share those stories. Here is a really quick and simple overview of what we do that features one of the partners we use to help clients start sharing and seeing results.
Social networking consultant, speaker and author Sima Dahl interviews Chicago Business Marketing Association board member Michael Krauss after he moderated a panel of the Big Four of the social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) at the BMA’s April luncheon.
