The Best Day of My Life, A Wedding Day Recap
Let’s call it the best weekend, because it was more than a day. In fact, I can’t put a timetable on it; but it was certainly a time that I’ll never forget or take for granted. Being surrounded by all of my close family and friends in the same room meant everything to me. Marrying Lauren has been the biggest honor of my life, and while I always joke that I shouldn’t have had a big wedding, it just wouldn’t have been the same with everyone there to witness our marriage.
See, family is the most important item to both Lauren and I. It is a shared value that Lauren and I prioritize individually, and as a couple. We truly enjoy nothing more than spending time with our families, no matter what we are doing.
Our wedding was held at the Doctor Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, located in ‘City Beautiful’, Orlando Florida. The center was built and finished in 2014-ish, and as it was being built, Lauren and I lived in a condo and home within a 2-minute walk to its site. We felt that it was very fitting to choose a venue symbolic of our relationship’s inception (in Orlando), and one that no others have experienced before. The uniqueness of the venue truly was exceptional, and I’m certain our guests felt the same way. Our ceremony was held in a theater in the Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater, with balcony seats and risen stage. The cocktail hour was in the Kessler Tier, which is the 4th and 5th floor terraces of the Doctor Phillips Center. The reception was held in the DeVos Family Room, which is an eye-catcher for those that drive-by the center. When lit-up at night, it is a remarkable sight.
A big thank you goes out to Jeff Wojciechowicz and Ande Deaton (and of course the rest of the staff) from the Doctor Phillips Center.
The entertainment for our wedding was provided by both Sam Whitman, a former colleague and current friend of mine. Sam was the Master of Ceremony and also provided the Disco Jockey services alongside of our live band, Frequency. 6 months before our wedding, tragedy struck the Orlando Community with the Pulse Nightclub shootings. Unfortunately, this awful day in our city’s history took the life of the lead singer of our band, Shane Tomlinson. Shane was an incredible person, full of charisma, positivity, and energy. Ultimately, it was Shane’s personality that led Lauren and I to book the Frequency band. While we were unable to enjoy Shane’s presence, we felt we should continue with the talented group in honor of Shane as well. They provided an incredible night, full of the same energy we expected. They kept the dance floor moving all night, and was the highlight of the night; at least for me.
A very big thank you to Sam, who I knew I could trust to provide the MC services up to the expectation level I had (I have DJ’d weddings and events for 18 years).
The food for the cocktail hour and reception was provided by Arthur’s Catering. Over the past 8 years working in the entertainment industry in Central Florida, I have worked alongside of Arthur’s countless times. I built a relationship with Mark Leggett, the company’s owner, along the way. Meeting with Mark through the process was very pleasant as he catered to our budget and requests for the culinary experience of our guests. Aside from the food being delicious, the service was impeccable. One of the moments I recall specifically from the wedding (they say it goes by so fast, that paying attention to detail is near impossible), was Mark and his team consistently being at Lauren and I’s beckoning call for anything we needed. Not to the point where it was too much, but just enough. Our guests complimented the food and service as well.
A very big thank you goes out to Mark and his team at Arthur’s Catering for going the extra mile for our big day. Lauren and I felt overly comfortable with your team’s professionalism and guidance along the way. Your product is unmatched, and we are very thankful.
Wedding Planning and Coordination services were provided by Julie Begani of Julbilation. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with Julie for 7 years in the industry and built a friendship as well. Julie and Jessica were spectacular, going out of their way to not only meet our requests but to help ease the burdens of the planning process. Julie proactively suggested ways to enhance our experience, and we felt as if we had a third, fourth, and fifth set of eyes on our special day. It was comforting knowing how much experience Julie had in the industry, but even more so that she knew Lauren and I personally. Julbilation helped with so many aspects of the event aside from the day-of orchestration, such as (but not limited to) coordination with all vendors and scheduling, floral, linen, décor, favors, desserts, signage and menus, etc.
There is not enough words to thank Julie for what she did to help Lauren and I through this process. From the second we hired Julie, until several weeks after our event, she was always at our call to help. We truly appreciate all of the extra help.
Photography and Cinematography was provided by very good friends Scott and Elena of Scott Trippler Studios. Scott and I have worked together for years, and he is one of the most talented individuals I have come across in his trade. Aside from the skillset, the single item from the wedding that I did not worry about once was Photo and Video. Having seen STS’s work over the years, their abilities were never doubted. Nonetheless, Scott always promised wanting to go above and beyond because of our friendship, and boy did he deliver. Even after the wedding Scott continues to offer unsolicited and gracious services to help capture moments in our lives. Scott and Elena did our engagement photos as well as the Wedding. It was an extra special treat to have Julio Aguilar on the staff for the day, a very talented college buddy of mine.
You can see the whole wedding album here (Password is ‘sobel’).
I have endless gratitude for you both Scott and Elena. You honored all special requests, and then some; and truly went above what was expected. Lauren and I will never forget what you did to help make our day special, and the pictures and videos allowed us to relive the best day of our lives. We love you both!
Enjoy:
Orlando Business Journal Feature | December 11th, 2015
Taken from the Orlando Business Journal on December 11th, 2015.
How I … Found entrepreneurial success via my social network — without a computer
In-person social networking is essential to business success for Carey Sobel.
The 28-year-old Philadelphia native and entrepreneur owns the Orlando-based marketing agency Three21 Creative and is a partner at business brokerage firm Boss Group International.
Carey Sobel (center) brokered the sale of the former Friendly Confines location in Waterford Lakes fellow UCF alumni Jamie Feldman (left) and Eric Isolica of Orlando Hospitality Partnership.
Both companies benefit from Sobel’s expansive connections, many of which he made during his time as a business management major at UCF.
When Sobel was not studying for exams, he was disc jockeying at several UCF-area nightlife venues. He then evolved from deejaying on the weekend to creating KnightLyfe LLC, a company that photographed students in bars around campus and posted them online. He then sold that and started social networking firm UniversityLyfe LLC, which was accepted into the UCF Business Incubation Program. After two years, UniversityLyfe folded, but not before Sobel had made hundreds of long-lasting professional relationships, which ultimately led Three21 Creative to increase its annual revenue by more than 1,350 percent since he partnered with founder Joe Boutin in late 2013.
In addition, he’s a partner at business brokerage firm Boss Group International, where he represented the seller of Friendly Confines at Waterford Lakes and the buyer of Orlando Hospitality Partnership, crediting his UCF connections with helping him close such deals.
Here, he shares how he and his professional ventures have benefited from networking:
How did you end up in Orlando? My family relocated to South Florida in 2004, where I finished my senior year of high school and then moved to Orlando to attend UCF. I graduated in 2009 with a degree in business management with a concentration on entrepreneurship.
How did you get into the marketing and business brokerage industry? I have been in marketing my whole life. I have a mix of experience with business ownership and operations in marketing, advertising, hospitality, food and beverage, and entertainment. I’ve owned my own entertainment business since I was 15.
When did you form most of your business relationships? I started deejaying in 2005 at UCF at all of the local bars. I met just about everyone who had a social life from 2005-2010, primarily through my deejaying and the business I ran through my tenure at UCF, KnightLyfe. I participated in many on-campus activities, like the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and the UCF Joust New Venture Competition.
How did KnightLyfe evolve to UniversityLyfe? For KnightLyfe, we had a website that posted photography of people in nightlife venues and drew 18,000-24,000 unique visitors per month around the UCF area, generating 20 million-plus page views. We then raised $500,000 in venture capital for UniversityLyfe, and grew the business in the UCF incubator for over two years before folding the company due to a lack of completed software.
Did the marketing agency present any unique opportunities? My marketing firm wrote a business plan for a restaurant I became a managing partner of, Terrace 390, in downtown Orlando. After selling that business, I joined Three21 and Boss Group.
What benefits do you reap from your current business relationships? On the marketing side, I love the diversity in creative and strategic thinking from all of our clients. On the brokerage side, I get to hear so many stories of how each business came to be, the driving forces of success and, again, ways to be innovative.
How have your business ventures benefited from your business relationships? In my first year of Three21 Creative, as a team, we went from $110,000 in annual revenue to $1.6 million, and 2015 is projected at $2.5 million in revenue. In my first year of business brokerage at Boss Group, I achieved $1 million in sales volume. Without UCF networking advantages, I would be with a much smaller network of friends and professionals.
To what do you credit your success? My hands-on experience and commitment to always network
What is your advice for other entrepreneurs? Do not let failures bring you down. Always take someone up on an invite to connect, meet or talk, as you never know what will come of one conversation or connection.
Three21 Creative
Description: Digital marketing agency
Owner: Carey Sobel
Contact: (407) 734-5215; Three21Creative.com
Twitter: @CareySobel
Boss Group International
Description: Business brokerage firm
Partner: Carey Sobel
Contact: (407) 329-3273; BossGI.com
A Truly Memorable Sale.
….and the best part was getting my autographed Brian Dawkins jersey.
As a student at the University of Central Florida, I often frequented Friendly Confines– a neighborhood sports bar in the Waterford Lakes Plaza / Outdoor Shopping Mall. Their specials were outstanding, including the original ‘Nickel Beer Night’. Friendly Confines was practically a monument for UCF Alumni, as was one of the original bars that didn’t fall into the category of typical ‘UCF College Bars’ with sticky floors, vomit in the trashcans, and the smell of rotten wood soaked in beer. This was a class-act establishment that had a great reputation, and solid food.
In September of 2015, my partner Tony Blair and myself sold the business to a new group. We represented both sides of the transaction, and worked with the Washington Prime Group, a subsidiary of Simon Property Group, in one of the most challenging deals that I have worked on yet. The deal was signed in April and closed 5 months later after numerous obstacles and curve balls, however the deal fared well for both sides. Carmen Jordan, president of C. Jordan Enterprises (which owns all 4, now 3, locations of Friendly Confines) will continue his plan to expand the franchise into a large blueprint with new stores coming soon. Jamie Feldman and Eric Isolica, partners in the Orlando Hospitality Partnership, the Buyers in this deal- will be bringing an upscale sports bar and social environment to the old Confines Space. They are bringing a new concept called “The Social House”, and I’m excited to see what it evolves into.
It was an honor to represent both groups, in truly what was my most memorable sale in business brokerage to date. I will keep this blog updated on developments on both sides.
As a side note, Carmen owns a sports memorabilia business, and as an expression of gratitude, he offered Tony and I a signed autograph jersey from our favorite athletes. I obviously chose Brian Dawkins.
National Recognition. At the cost of (a whole bunch of) free beer.
Ah yes. There is nothing like national syndication and free earned media- when you least expect it. In fact, us marketers yearn for online attention like this…..
Owned and paid media are the most common platforms for brands and companies to engage with their consumers online. However it is the third type of online media that brands and companies (are often ignorant to and) strive to achieve, earned media. The best way to drive traffic and sales online is to create a stronger sense of public awareness about your brand, and to get people to talk about you. Earned media has an organic to the public, and there is a different level of trust that resonates with the consumer based consumers’ opinion of the respective earned media source. Some brands and companies that are ahead in the digital age, are cognizant of the effects that earned media can have to drive sales. Whether being featured on a prominent blog, featured on an Instagram post from an account with millions of followers, or retweeted from a famous athlete or actor; these are the moments that brands strive for.
I’m a partner in an Orlando watering hole called ‘The Basement‘, located in Downtown Central Florida. We are a local favorite that offers a laid back atmosphere, with a grungy 1920’s prohibition-era feel. My partners and I are proud University of Central Florida Alumni, the nation’s second largest college. Our establishment has grown to be the downtown UCF-alumni hub, and often host watch parties. The past few seasons have been memorable with our huge upset over Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl Championship in 2014 led by Blake Bortles. However this season, our young team looks absolutely pathetic. Call it Coach George O’Leary’s gameplan, call it our young roster, or call it bad luck; either way it has been ugly.
One of my partner’s from The Basement decided (through what was first just a sarcastic comment) to offer ‘FREE BEER UNTIL UCF WINS’, and posted it on @TheBasementOrlando ‘s Instagram account. To clarify that it was not a joke, it even said “Seriously, free beer during every game until we win. Because we need something to be excited about.” So what started as a joke, to poke fun at our team’s slow start, turned into national syndication. I received the first e-mail from a CBS Sports representative asking to speak with a manager regarding the special. Next thing I saw during a business trip up to New York for Advertising Week, the NASDAQ ticker in time square was mentioning ‘The Basement, a bar in Orlando offering FREE BEER until their team wins.” I knew that this was in the midst of going viral, and was not going to stop anytime soon.
“The suds are going to be flowing in the basement”, ESPN said. CBS Sports wrote a story, and we got tweeted by SB Nation. Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post, Bleacher Report, USA Today, and many other large news stations and heavily trafficked domains did features on this activity. They most recently talked about the UCF Knights on College Gameday, with mention of ‘the bar that’s giving away free beer’. The local Orlando stations continue to keep other national sources up to date to piggy-back off of the attention gained from all over the country.
Sales are up. Our followers are up on all social media sites. We continue to get not just local publicity, but national publicity. While this may not be great from a cost of goods perspective, the bar has been very busy. The cost of domestic beer is lower, which has a lower margin that any type of cocktail. The thought process was to pack the place, and sell drinks, shots, and other items that were not free. Of course, the fact that UCF continues to lose is not helping, but the amount of publicity gained, and people talking about ‘The Basement Orlando”, is worth every ounce of free beer poured.
Some brands, companies, and PR firms will pay THOUSANDS of dollars for sponsored posts from celebrities or site owners rich with traffic. All we had to do was give away some free beer. Now let’s just pray the UCF Football team can win a game…. sometime…. soon.
And So…The Adventure Continues…
March 7th was the best day of my life. I got engaged to my best friend and soulmate, and was lucky enough to be surrounded by family, friends, and an endless amount of love. Every couples’ engagement embodies its own unique mix of intimacy, creativity, and emotion. I felt the need to share our personal experience and additionally, share with the world some amazing talents that deserve to be showcased.
My relationship with Lauren has been one big adventure from the start. It has been filled with celebrating milestones and events with family and friends, eating everywhere and everything that we can, attending concerts and sporting events, shopping in New York City, skiing in Vail and Tahoe, exploring desolate rain forests in Costa Rica, and venturing to our families hometown’s of Chicago and Philadelphia, plus so much more during the last 3 1/2 years we have spent together. Most everyone that knows us has suspected that a proposal was in the near future. The only aspiration that I knew Lauren had for our ‘special day’, was to be surprised. To adhere some pressure to the situation, I must also add that my quick-witted Lauren is practically a modern day Sherlock Holmes, which left me very little room for error with my planning.
HOW I DID IT
One of my business ventures offers entertainment services, in which we had an event on the evening of March 7th. Lauren was under the impression I would be working this event and had planned to be spending the evening alone, binge-watching Netflix in bed with the infamous “Saki The Shiba” and a glass of wine. My 28th birthday was the weekend before, and she had been busy studying for her UCF PT grad-school midterms so we could not celebrate the way we wanted to on the weekend of. We had instead decided to celebrate this past weekend and planned to kick the off the celebration by enjoying lunch before I had to work that evening. Of course, without hesitation, we chose our favorite foodie spot, Prato of Winter Park as our destination. Lauren had also conveniently suggested to go to the Winter Park Farmer’s Market prior to lunch. The significance of Park Avenue in Winter Park in our story, is that it is where I first asked Lauren to be my girlfriend.
When I woke up the morning of the 7th, I made sure to complain about having to work that evening, while pretending to load equipment into my truck for the event. I then proceeded to (like usual) rush Lauren to finish getting ready so we could get out the door and be on time. Walking from the Farmer’s Market to Prato, there is a brick canopied walkway with gorgeous landscaping, that opens up to a fountain and peaceful area along Park Avenue. I had decided this was going to be the proposal spot when I put together the itinerary for my proposal (I have a slight, I mean, extremely strong touch of OCD, so I was pretty particular in my planning, click here if you don’t believe me).
My Mother, Susan Sobel, is a tremendously talented artist. There is no way to describe the type of work she produces without seeing her portfolio for yourself. She and I had discussed incorporating a painting of hers into my proposal from the start. Upon deciding what particular photo to use for the painting, we agreed on one that was both recent and meaningful. It was one from mine and Lauren’s recent adventure to Vail, Colorado where we were able to capture this amazing photo:
My Mom was able to hand-paint, from scratch, an exact replica of the photo on a canvas. (Make sure to scroll back up and look at the actual photo again after looking at the ones below):
Yes. She REALLY DID paint that. Absolutely perfect. Pay attention to the level of detail, from the zippers on my shirt, to the ‘beard’ that I’ve been trying to grow for years. And to really put things into perspective, look at these pictures she captured along the way:
The painting was sitting peacefully on an easel in the location that I had asked it to be positioned. As we walked to Prato, I made sure to take the path I had so carefully planned out, while cautiously leading Lauren towards the painting. The paparazzi was all over us as I tried to make sure the plan was coming together:
The plan was to walk by, see the painting, and bring it to Lauren’s attention. Mind you, I still have not seen the painting myself at this point because I wanted it to be a surprise to me, as well. As we got closer, my emotions began to run wild. Once the painting was in clear view, Lauren started to ask questions and get confused. The second she returned her gaze to me after trying to figure out what was going on with the painting, I was down on one knee…
I removed my glasses, began to speak, and practically blacked out. What I had planned to say did not come out in exact words, but this is what I do remember saying:
“Lauren. When we met, we were not looking for love, we were looking for an adventure. That adventure turned into me falling deeper in love with you every single day. I am confident in knowing that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I know that we can conquer anything together. Lauren Patricia Howard, will you marry me?”
After she said YES, full of excitement, I HANDED the ring to her, before kissing and hugging her. There were herds of bystanders across the street, clapping and cheering. This included cops that had literally stopped traffic to help the crowd have an optimal vantage point. Lauren and I could not stop smiling just as she said “I think you are supposed to actually put it on my finger now” (notice Lauren pinching something in between her fingers in the above photo). We shared a nice laugh, poking fun at the fact that I had not even put the ring ON her finger yet.
After the proposal I carried the painting all the way to Prato.
On the way, everyone was staring at us, as we were beaming in joy en route to the restaurant, both of us still in shock. I thought the attention was solely due to the massive painting I was carrying, but then a couple of older ladies stopped us and said, “Wait, are you THE couple… The couple on the painting?! Congratulations on your engagement!” It was as if everyone on Park Avenue knew about the proposal somehow, except for Lauren. I will chalk that up as a big win. I had arranged for Lauren’s family to visit from Clearwater and for my family to visit from South Florida to celebrate this day with us and to surprise Lauren, yet again. When we finally made it to the restaurant they were all there to greet us with open arms and smiling faces. We toasted with some delicious champagne and shared an amazing meal.
Later on, we proceeded to our dinner reservations that I had made for the entire family. While at dinner, I got an email from Scott Trippler, of Scott Trippler Studios, that was full of photos. I had arranged for Scott and the amazing Elena to capture the moment with some candid proposal shots. During the proposal itself I was so wrapped up in nerves while attempting to flawlessly execute the plan that I had spent months brainstorming and planning for, that I completely blacked out. As I opened up the photos Scott sent me during dinner I was able to see everything again, and this time from a different view. That is when my emotions got the best of me. Having worked with Scott for years, while building on a friendship at the same time, I knew that the photos would turn out top-notch. But never in my wildest dreams could I have anticipated the creativity and quality that Scott and Elena would bring to life on that day.
The proposal had many additional sentimental elements and details, of which I have shared the most integral components in this post. In closing, one of the main reasons that I wanted to share our experience was to thank my Mother (and Lauren’s future Mother-in-Law) for her contribution to our proposal, and for being my hero. Throughout my entire life, I have never had any doubt that she would always be there for me right by side. My mother puts up with my antics, offers endless amounts of advice and support, and continues to help me become a better person everyday. It is a goal of mine this year to make sure that her work is showcased and appreciated by as many people as I possibly can, and what better time to start than now. Mom, I thank you for everything you do for me and for our family, and I thank you for creating what was the focal point of my proposal to Lauren. It holds all the more meaning because it is something that was constructed from the bottom of your heart. I love you.
It truly was a well-executed plan. I cannot express the gratitude that I have for everyone that played an instrumental part in this experience in mine and Lauren’s lives. To my Father and Mother, to Lauren’s Father and Mother, to all of those that offered their advice along the way, to the most incredible piece of artwork I have ever seen, and to the most perfect photos that we will always have to re-live the experience over and over, I truly feel blessed and am forever thankful.
Lauren, I love you with all my heart, and I am so happy to call you my fiancé! …And So…The Adventure Continues!
I would like to also extend my gratitude to Chris and Theresa of the Unique Diamond Boutique, of Winter Park Florida. Their patience, accommodations, and the overall experience they provided was class-act. The ring didn’t come out too shabby either 😉
(Leverage) Your Online Presence
Most of the information discussed here is awfully basic. Although some may find this advice trivial, most of these points are not capitalized on, and even worse- simply overlooked. There are three ways that you can leverage your online presence without reaching into your pockets.
To start, you may question “why is my online presence important”? Simply put, ACESSIBILITY. The internet never snoozes. It is awake 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The internet doesn’t take sick leave or vacation days, and never skips a beat. So why not ensure you are BRAND BUILDING upon a marketing vehicle in constant drive. 78% of the population in North America has actively used the internet, while 40% of the world population actually has access to internet connectivity (and growing).
A benchmark which business owners often overlook is their customer acquisition cost. Yes, your sales are up, but what are you doing to procure those sales? You should be able to measure exactly how much money you are spending to obtain a sale, convert a lead, or ‘close the deal’. You can effectively lower your customer acquisition cost by having a strong online presence. A relative example resides in the fact that 77% of individuals have searched for a product online WHILE SHOPPING INSIDE OF A STORE. Make your product or service visible and optimized on a quick mobile search (a great topic for my next blog).
3 FREE ways that you can leverage your online presence:
1- DISPLAY RELEVANT INFORMATION.
- Have a consistent N-A-P (Name, Address, and Phone Number). Ensure your NAP is consistent among all directories and contact pages across the web. Your business listings should all match up.
- Your website should be organized with ‘structural consistency’ and ‘structural familiarity’ in mind. If a user comes to your website, they are expecting a ‘Home Page’, an ‘About Us’ page, ‘FAQ’, and a ‘Contact Us’ page. Don’t try to trick them or make them rummage through a maze. Give them the information they came to find.
- In fact, try to answer your prospective clients’ questions before they are asked. Take the most commonly asked questions of your business, and put them on your website right in front of your customers. The less time you have to spend answering FAQs, the more time you have to focus on other aspects of your business.
- Diversify your content. Some people want to read. Some people want to listen. Some people want to watch. Find a way to appease everyone by using videos, photos, audio, among other options. These reasons should be used as supplementary material, enhancing your messages strategy rather than sacrificing it.
2- ALWAYS REFINE & OPTIMIZE YOUR LISTINGS.
- Aside from displaying accurate credential information about your business, do what you can to consistency refine and enhance your listings. Update your avatars and photos. Provide offers and discounts, in addition to news, updates, and shares.
- Claim your Google+ Business Page, then populate your business on all other directory websites you can locate.
- Secure placement or ‘mentions’ on any authority websites that you can.
- Authority websites (as I see them) are high-quality, trusted websites. They are respected by knowledgeable people in the industry, they harvest links to other trusted places on the web, and have strong perceived value and rankings among search engines. For further explanation, here is a little more insight: http://moz.com/learn/seo/domain-authority.
- Polish your business descriptions and categorize your business consistently. Make sure the descriptions are meaningful and easy to read, as this will help improve your organic rankings.
- Create comfort and trust for your consumers by being found often. “Lack of trust kills conversions”.
3- BELIEVE IN & UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF REAL REVIEWS.
- You’ve heard of ‘word of mouth’ for marketing. Well, this is “word of mouth marketing ONLINE.”
- Try to acquire reviews on different platforms. If possible, actually ASK your clients to post reviews. Start with Google and other search engine reviews, followed by Yelp and other review platforms. Follow with any other third parties websites that you can find.
- Offer discounts of kickbacks for reviews. Understand that people want to take action to complain more than they want to praise. This is why positive reviews carry a tremendous amount of weight and are simply invaluable.
- Always respond to reviews, whether they are positive or negative. There is no need to be combative to negative reviews, but addressing the issues publically will help. Also, make sure to recognize a positive review by thanking the reviewer personally.
- Showcase your reviews on your company website (or really anywhere that you can). There is no such thing as too many positive testimonials. In fact, people like to read full stories as they often can relate to more than a 2-sentence statement. Don’t be afraid to post a happy customer’s story, as well!
Content Marketing. Summarized.
Although there are far more intricate methods to leveraging your online presence, I wanted to highlight some of the ones that can be done immediately, and at no cost to you. After all, everyone loves free stuff. Mostly every piece of information described in the above copy is synergized with the term ‘Content Marketing’, which can be defined as:
Creating and sharing valuable, free content to attract and convert prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers.
The type of content that you share should most certainly be closely related to with what you sell. You want to educate people so that they know, like, and trust you enough to reach out, engage, and potentially do business with you. Make them aware of your product/service, and prove that you are an expert. Content marketing creates discussions, comments, and posts. Do not ignore these, and always make sure to respond and engage. Do not miss out on FREE opportunities to interact with prospects or current customers!
1- ENGAGE. In whatever form of content marketing you do, the target objective should be to first get your prospect to engage. Create some interest by stimulating their senses. You can do this with a to-the-point advertisement, or offer a discount of a kickback. Tell a story. Create a short documentary or motion graphics clip. Use some type of comedy skit, a cartoon, or perhaps build a campaign around a game. The possibilities are endless, and this creative brainstorming is the fun part for us. (Link to Stratestorm)
2- CONVERT. Next, you want to convert them. Through whatever digital strategy or other method you use, find a way to get them to make an appointment, request more information, or buy your product.
3- SUBSCRIBE/REQUEST. After the ‘sale’, get them to subscribe to a future offering or update, or request additional information. Existing customers are your best sales tool. Utilize them as a means for recurring transactions!
4- SHARE. Finally, get them to share their experience. How many times have you seen the ‘share this with a friend’ button, or ‘get X discount by posting on your Facebook Wall’. This viral effect is stronger and ‘free-er’ than any other type of marketing.
One of the most commonly used vehicles for content marketing are blogs and articles, whether digitally composed, printed in magazines, or in the form of webinars or podcasts. Content marketing is sure to be even more effective when underlined with the use of media and videos. Although ‘content may be king’ for organic purposes, visuals certainly engage the average consumer more. You will often notice trends of users navigating directly to videos on websites to visualize something, rather than taking the time to read it.
Some other vehicles include persuasive landing pages, conversion driven e-mails, and of course, social media. While Social Media is certainly the most popular form of content marketing, it has been proven in many studies not to be the most effective. Although social media sponsored and organic posts may be ‘attention-grabbers’, conversions will most likely prove not to be as strong.
Through whichever vehicle you choose to employ your content marketing, understand that you are establishing integrity by presenting factual and relevant information. Know that insourcing content almost ALWAYS will beat outsourcing it. Take the time as a business owner to create content yourself. You know your business and costumers best. Time may be money, but money not spent is money earned. So, strategize how you choose, but content marketing is a choice made wisely.
To finalize on all made points, ineffective messaging is most company’s biggest marketing issue. Not only in content marketing is this an issue, but in most company’s overall outreach and strategy in general. It is important to understand your overall goals, and use those goals to actually create your content. As an owner of a marketing and advertising agency, it is disheartening to see wasted advertising and marketing dollars spent on ineffective messaging. If you have something to say, let a professional help create a compelling message, while building a structured campaign around it. Be creative, witty, and comical. Offer a discount or incentive. Whatever you need to do, focus on getting your customers’ attention.
And if you need help…. myself, my agency, and many other companies out there are here for you. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone who understands these topics. After all, realize that you just subjected to be a part of my company’s content marketing in reading this blog. You are the eye of our creative brainstorm.
Google: The Most Powerful Company in the World
Google is set as my default search engine. Google delivers me all of my e-mails. Google organizes my schedule each day. Google advertises my business(es). Google makes my business money. Google stores my documents, data, and information. Google allows me to chat with friends and colleagues. Google directs me where to go with their maps. And Google actually knows more about me than the government does.
…and that is where it gets scary. It is a safe bet to say that Google knows more about most Americans and their habits and personal information than the government (and more than one’s significant other) does. Google’s powerful technology grants them the ability to produce larger and longer records of each individual by harvesting search data, web history, and plenty of other information. Little do we know that day after day, year after year, Google continues to gather and simultaneously learn more about each and everyone of us.
Recently Google Plus, the company’s social network, has played a crucial role in tying a respective individual’s data together. Google representatives will highlight the advantages of Google Plus- stating that users have “a more consistent and seamless experience across Google’s multitude of products. Meanwhile, many users have rebelled against the forceful push of Google Plus stating that its practices are invasive. When it comes to social sharing with friends, most will choose Facebook over Google Plus. However, Google Plus will most likely still understand more about people’s social lives more than Facebook ever will. See, Google Plus, is Google’s way of creating a connection from each Google user’s products- from Gmail, to Youtube, to Maps, and more. It allows Google to see WHO you are, WHAT you do, and WHERE you are going. Regardless if one doesn’t ever return to the social network again after the initial signup process, the connection has still been made. (Google says Plus has 540 million monthly active users, but almost half do not visit the social network.) In order to use YouTube, you now need a Google Plus Account. Is one going to refuse to sign up for Google Plus and not access YouTube? We all know the answer to the question. Google controls us.
Google was started with a vision to be the ‘perfect search engine that understands exactly what you mean and give you back exactly what you want’. Google is now a well known verb and routine practice that continues to satisfy our searches for information, and might as well be labeled as an ‘addicting habit’ that we all have. As their technology advances with more and more search data, Google can now even predict behavior of its users before they search.
Think about this. Advertising is used to persuade us for activities such as shopping. So for example, you may see an advertisement on a bus-station bench about a new model of BMW, or a new pair of Nike shoes in a magazine. Google takes it a step further by utilizing historical data to predict your desires and put them in front of you before you even think about them. With the help of Googles new project (called ‘Conversions API’), they are able to merge offline consumer information with online intelligence- which strengthens Google’s predictability and advertising placement. Google can actually reengineer how your brain works by telling you what you want, and DELIVER it (or put it in front of you) before you even think about it.
The company focuses on improving the ways people connect with information. Google has created products such as Google Voice, to connect all of your phone lines and voicemails. Google Docs/Drive allows you to harvest all of your spreadsheets, docs, and reports in one cloud space, accessible anywhere in the world. Google Wallet, where you can use your phone as your wallet. Google Earth to explore the rain forest in Costa Rica, or the large tree at the end of the street in your old neighborhood. Products such as the Google Glasses have recently been released, and products as advanced as self-driving cars are on the horizon. To be considered the most powerful company in the world, a sense of foreshadowing/advancements are needed. Google’s innovations continue to amaze me. An interesting fact is that 2005, before the iPhone even existed (smartphones were rare at best), Gmail was available as a mobile application. Google is always one step ahead of the game. And for that I’m thankful.
Google is said to be worth in the upwards of $65 billion dollars with a customer base of 100’s of millions of people. From rudimentary services such as the Google Search Engine, to products of prototypes like self-driving cars; Google has something for everyone- and therefore has an influence on just about everyone. A company that has this much leverage over the human population, HAS to be considered the most powerful company in the world. The only thing that Google has yet to convert me on is becoming an Android user. But, 79% of the population feels otherwise as the market share still has Android ahead of the game. One thing everyone should appreciate about Google is that the company continuously makes improvements and innovations that allows us to enjoy the things that we love the most.
Oh yeah. And if none of the information here has you convinced that Google isn’t the most powerful company, consider this when you compare to another company: Google’s brand is so powerful that it even owned its place in the dictionary. Don’t believe me? Just Google it.
Orlando Stands for Opportunity
“UCF: Stands for Opportunity”. If you have any affiliation with UCF, you have probably heard this slogan before. For me, I can relate to these words on a personal level. I’ve always been proud to be a UCF Alumni, and as time goes on I gain more respect and admiration for my Alma Matter. Not until taking a step back did I realize how far my school has progressed in the past few years. UCF recently received tons of national recognition for their athletics program when the UCF Knights Football team beat Baylor in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. Undoubtedly, this achievement alone arose questions such as, “What and Where IS THIS UCF school?” and “What is it all about?” in the minds of many across the nation.
As a lot of people already know, UCF is in Orlando Florida, a detail I will touch on shortly. However, a few many only know that this “up-and-coming school” (ranked 5th best in the nation for this category) is the 2nd largest University in the United States. UCF is a leader amongst other universities in the research field alone. Not to mention, they have recently opened their own School of Medicine, they have a wide array of regional campuses, and are ranked as a “Top Tier National University” and a “School To Watch” by US News & World Report. The development of infrastructure on UCF’s main campus from 2005 when I arrived, until today stands alone as a true testament to the school’s prosperity. As a wide-eyed freshman 9 years ago, new to Orlando and Florida in general, I’ve watched an insurmountable amount of advancements and growth occur here and I could not be more proud.
While working on my undergrad at UCF and participating in some extracurricular programs, I developed an outstanding relationship with an influential woman named Carol Ann Dykes who is part of the UCF Business Incubator. Carol Ann invited me to an event that I attended last week called “Speed Dating Startup Style”. This function was hosted by UCF’s Launch Pad. Aside from offering me the great experience to network with young UCF Entrepreneurs and hearing their ideas, I was also able to catch up with an old professor of mine- Dr. Cameron Ford. He enlightened me to some of the exciting advancements he has made in the development of UCF programs centered on entrepreneurial activity. Learning about the evolution of the UCF Entrepreneurship opportunities, such as the CEL (Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership), and the Blackstone Launch Pad was invigorating, and only reinforced my faith in UCF and Downtown Orlando’s prosperity and synergetic relationship.
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One of the main reasons why I constantly recommend UCF to those looking into pursuing education is because of the unique community that the city of Orlando has to offer. The constant & continuous growth occurring in East Orlando is analogous to the growth of the University. I believe that the University’s growth comparably affects the growth of Downtown Orlando as well. To me, East Orlando’s close vicinity to Downtown Orlando makes attending UCF that much more opportunistic for those considering schools.
I like to think of Downtown Orlando as a little big city. It has so much to offer essentially any type of lifestyle. Not only was a brand new, state-of-the-art Amway center finished a few years back, but the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts along with a few new high-rise buildings are currently in the works as well. Even though the former things I consider to be outstanding advancements, the talk of a few additional major development projects and economic influx into Downtown Orlando and its surrounding areas, that gets me even more excited for this city. One in particular is the Creative Village, in which the vision states “focusing on creating a true ‘live, learn, work, and play’ urban destination through a development plan that supports a synergistic and dynamic mix of uses including office/creative studios, higher education, K-12 education, mixed-income residential, retail/commercial, and hotel.” In addition to the ‘Creative Village‘ project, is the general project to expand commercial and residential development towards the Citrus Bowl. The city plans to achieve this through the gentrification of the Paramore District (which you can read about it here). This is all very exciting to me as I live, work, and play right in the heart of Downtown Orlando.
Orlando as a city is very diverse as is the array of businesses and cultures that exist within it. Orlando is a fantastic place for the entrepreneurial spirit. Many of my peers, myself included, own and operate businesses in the Orlando area. We have all utilized Orlando as a stepping stone to launch ideas and watch aspirations come to life. It is through my experiences at UCF that I learned what I needed to know to be able to get the most out of Orlando as not only a creative platform, but also as a gateway for my high ambitions.
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I wrote this blog as a reflection from an article I read a few days back titled “UCF may expand its downtown presence in a big way“, as seen in the Orlando Business Journal. Another article on MyFox35, “UCF considers expanding presence with large Downtown Orlando Campus” provides some more information as well.
This video is a great testament to my viewpoints about “The City Beautiful”, and reafirms the ‘uprise’ that I describe in this blog: ORLANDO RISING TRAILER
Native App VS. Mobile Web App
As seen on Three21 Creative’s Website
Your customers are going places. Are you going with them?
Sitting around the conference table at Three21 Creative, the team started to reflect, as we often do over a cup of piping hot java…
It seems like only yesterday that we used to do our online shopping and product research while we stared at 17-inch monitors tethered to a desk. (Maybe that’s because it was only yesterday!)
But today, the cord has been cut. It’s more likely than ever that your customers are searching for you and your competition on a sleek new tablet or smart phone while sipping on Frappuccino or waiting for the traffic light to turn green–not that we condone such a thing!
The point is, to stay connected to your customers you need to be where they are. And that means going mobile.
Mobile apps are the new essential tool for all types of businesses, services and charities–including yours. They allow customers to do everything from ordering a pizza to boarding and airplane and just about everything else in between. Mobile apps make it easy to stay connected your community and separate you from your competition.
Native vs. Mobile Web App
Now that we all agree that Mobile Apps are a necessity, should you develop a Native App or a Mobile Web App? That’s a question that the Three21 Creative team can help you answer. First, some background.
Native App
A native App is developed to run on a specific mobile platform such as Android or Apple’s iOs. The Apps are able to access and take advantage of the built-in hardware and software features of each device such as the camera, accelerometer and GPS. Because they are platform specific, they generally run faster than web apps.
Native Apps require a separate development process for each platform making them more costly to develop and maintain multiple code bases.
Native apps can be easily located and downloaded from an online marketplace like Google Play or The App Store but updates must be executed on each individual device by the user.
Mobile Web App
Mobile web apps are web-based apps that are accessed through the web browser of a mobile device and don’t need to be downloaded and installed like a native app. The updates are made on the server side unseen by the user. Currently, web apps can’t employ of all the features of a mobile device and typically run slower than native apps.
Because there is only one version of a web app, they are generally less expensive to develop and maintain. However, since there is no central marketplace for web apps, they are not as easy to find. Of course, for the web app to be able to function, the device must be connected to the internet.
The Right App Solution For You
When deciding whether to develop a native app or web based app you will want to consider your budget, the device or devices you need it to run on, the features it will need to be internet enabled. The Three21 Creative team can help you make smart decisions that meet your needs and your budget.
At Three 21 Creative, we often share this expression with our clients, “Go where your customers are going. Go Mobile.” If you’d like to have a conversation about mobile apps and fresh ideas for your business, we love to hear from you. Give us a call today. We’ll put some coffee on.
