5 PR Strategies You Need Now
Public relations (PR) plays an increasingly critical role in making or sustaining a successful business.
Wanda Kenton Smith
Articles From This Author
Test Your Email Marketing Smarts
A 2017 report by the Radicati Group estimated that there are 3.7 billion email accounts worldwide, with a stunning 269 billion emails sent per day.
Sharpen Your Social Media Strategies
Unlike traditional media that remained virtually unchanged for decades, today’s digital and social media evolve at the speed of light.
Seven ideas for smarter marketing
As we all welcome 2018 and head into a new year filled with new windows of opportunity, I’m challenging you to join me in considering the relevancy of your marketing activities.
Grow Boating delivers power-packed program
I was pleasantly surprised to see a small but hardy crowd of 105 gathered for the inaugural Grow Boating Marketing Summit, held the day before IBEX in September.
An IBEX summit not to be missed
Ten years ago, I had a vision. I dreamed of an association for marine marketers exclusively — an organization that would provide an important voice in our industry.
HULL OF A TOUR: Video offers highlights of 2017 New England ride
Thanks to all who joined me every day via this blog during the 2017 Boaterz n Bikerz of America Hull of a Tour: The Lobster Roll!
HULL OF A TOUR: The ‘duck’ stops here — in Hyannis
HYANNIS, Mass. — After six days of truly fabulous adventure our crew fondly kissed Maine and New Hampshire goodbye.
HULL OF A TOUR: Boothbay Harbor and sunset cruising in Portsmouth
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — We were up and at ‘em bright and early on Wednesday in Bar Harbor, Maine, with a long day of riding ahead to Portsmouth.
HULL OF A TOUR: Swathed in a silvery mist
BAR HARBOR, Maine — Tuesday dawned a misty gray, the color of the whale we had spotted in Lubec the day before.
HULL OF A TOUR: Whales, eagles and lobsters, oh my!
LUBEC, Maine — On Monday morning we packed up and rolled out of Caratunk, Maine, at 7:30 a.m. sharp, shrouded in a damp, light mist.
HULL OF A TOUR: ‘The Lobster Roll’ opens in Maine
Boaterz n Bikerz of America Hull of a Tour: The Lobster Roll is back.
HULL OF A TOUR: New England ride begins Saturday
Let me bring you up to speed about this blog and the journey ahead that will unfold daily from this spot in Trade Only Today.
Fresh ideas to grow your business: Sail conference was rich in creative marketing thought
I’m saying it again: I’m all in when it comes to professional development. The minute you stop learning is the minute you start down the path to obsolescence. Change cracks the whip at lightning speed.
A promising route to Google supremacy ‘Content marketing’ can deliver a listings breakout
All joking aside, depending on the topic, maybe you’ll turn to a trusted colleague, friend or family member.
An enlightening, transformative IMBC: Valuable insight into new markets and transparency
Had I been content with traditional marketing practices, my career likely would have gone down the same path as the blurry Polaroid photograph, the typesetting machine or my trusty IBM Selectric III.
Are we finally taking off the blinders?
An outreach to nontraditional markets is getting legs
Is your marketing IQ stuck in analog?
A 21-point self-test to see whether you’re falling off your game.
Biker tour yields three ‘power lessons’
Thanks to all who took a virtual ride on the 2016 Boaterz n Bikerz of America Hull of a Tour: Pacific Coast Rush. It was an eight-day, 2,000-mile boating and motorcycling extravaganza from Seattle to California’s Big Sur, looping back to San Francisco.
HULL OF A TOUR: Pacific Coast rush
SAN FRANCISCO — Big Sur conjures up images of natural California beauty, marked by craggy coastlines coupled with the dramatic roar of the blue Pacific.
HULL OF A TOUR: Hairpin turns, tunnel tapping and Half Moon Bay
ROHNERT PARK to MONTEREY, Calif. — Don’t you just hate it when you pass the midway point on a long-awaited vacation?
HULL OF A TOUR: Riders were ‘California Dreamin’
WHITE CITY, Ore., to EUREKA, Calif. — Several of our Pacific Coast Rush riders commented to me on Tuesday that the morning ride was one of the best, if not the best motorcycle ride they’d ever experienced.
HULL OF A TOUR: Riding the ring of fire
MOUNT HOOD TO CRATER LAKE and WHITE CITY, Ore. — We woke up Monday with fire in our bellies, eager for another adventure and a full day in the saddle.
HULL OF A TOUR: ‘Pacific Coast Rush’ opens with stunning views
Two dozen industry folks and friends who share a passion for motorcycling and boating gathered in Seattle during the weekend.
HULL OF A TOUR: Seattle-to-San Francisco ride begins next week
Wouldn’t it be cool to get some of our industry friends together and plan an epic ride?
Mrs. Smith goes to Washington — reluctantly — and a skeptic is transformed into an ABC cheerleader
I hate politics. I hate everything about it. I hate the positioning, the slippery maneuvering, the glad-handing and the lack of authenticity.
A sprinkling of marketing magic in the pixie dust: some lessons from the masters at Disney
I lived in Orlando for 32 years and, like most locals, loved the magic and the pixie dust.
Online focus groups bring new flexibility to a tried-and-true market research tool
Looking to validate important opinions about a product or service you are offering, or perhaps considering?
Preparing your marketing plan for 2016? First measure the results for the past year
Whooooooooshhhh — the year has blown by at warp speed! Does it feel as if everything is more compressed and just moves faster to you, too?
Solicit, develop and promote powerful customer testimonials
When you’re considering the purchase of a new home or vehicle, an expensive toy or even where to go for your family’s next vacation, I bet you solicit opinions from trusted friends, family or colleagues.
A heartfelt ‘I’m sorry’ can soothe an angry customer
My last column shared the disappointment a group of us experienced during the Hull of a Tour-Freedom Ride when we stopped to tour the Harley-Davidson plant in York, Pa.
A fine plant tour turns PR disaster
Thanks to those of you who took the “virtual ride” with me on Boaterz n Bikerz of America: Hull of a Tour — The Freedom Ride via my blog, which appeared daily on Trade Only Today.
HULL OF A TOUR: Kinship and camaraderie at Rolling Thunder
ON THE AMTRAK AUTO TRAIN FROM LORTON, VA., TO SANFORD, FLA. — My post last Friday from Gettysburg, Pa., covered a marvelous afternoon and evening with my former teacher and Civil War aficionado
HULL OF A TOUR: Crew sees history at Harley-Davidson and Gettysburg
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — If I started this blog by telling you we had thoroughly enjoyed a day of touring, you'd likely assume I was referring to the motorcycling kind, right?
HULL OF A TOUR: Flying high in Annapolis
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Day Six of The Freedom Ride can only be described as … awesome.
HULL OF A TOUR: Ferry ride is a gateway to the Outer Banks
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The Freedom Ride lived up to its name on Tuesday in more ways than one.
HULL OF A TOUR: Saluting Navy ships and aircraft in South Carolina
MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. — Before sharing our Monday marathon, let me wrap up our Sunday Freedom Ride activities.
HULL OF A TOUR: Sun and fun in St. Augustine and Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga. — We’ve traveled some great coastal roads and waterways since my post on Friday.
HULL OF A TOUR: 2,000 miles of biking and boating begin today
SARASOTA, Fla. — These past few months have felt just like a lead-up to Christmas!
HULL OF A TOUR: Florida-to-D.C. ‘Freedom Ride’ starts May 15
Here we are two years later, preparing to launch this year’s Hull of a Tour, The Freedom Ride.
15 crippling mistakes: Are you making them?
I’ve identified 15 major marketing mistakes. Take this quiz to see whether these blunders are negatively affecting your brand. Circle all of the numbers below that describe or reflect your company’s current marketing practices.