Alt NYC From A Man's Perspective

By: Dave Cooper.   Photo by: Justin Hackworth

Though Alt primarily draws women and bloggers—and I'm neither—I nevertheless found the event inspiring and engaging. Being around so many talented, spirited, and entrepreneurial people was good for my creative soul. People attending Alt are bold and brave, and more than just dreamers these are people who actually follow their dreams.

Attending Alt left me feeling that if so many people can do what they love and make a living at it, we can too. 

I'm a photographer and filmmaker, and my wife produces Classic Play (classic-play.com). Attending Alt together meant that we could meet with sponsors about working on projects together. The sponsors are very motivated to talk about ideas and collaborations. Attending Alt presents you with a very unique opportunity to meet with big, medium, and small brands that really want to collaborate. I can't think of another event like it.

Revisiting Your Goals For 2013

By: Sara Urquhart. Photo by: Design Love Fest

It’s July, and halfway through the year is a great time to check in with the goals you made in January. Take a few minutes to review the year so far, and see if you’re on track with what you’d planned for 2013.

What have been the highlights of the last six months? Take some time to appreciate the successes and triumphs of your hard work, and consider what you can learn from them. If you see a pattern developing or a new skill emerging, take note.

Look at where you’re falling short, too, and decide what you’ll do about it. Delegate more? Hire help? Work smarter? Or change directions?

If your progress doesn’t seem significant in the past six months, remember that change takes time. Look at where you were a year ago, and see if you feel any better. If you still don’t see progress, it may be time to reconsider your goal or adjust your expectations. Some initial goals may have morphed into new projects, or may have been left behind all together. If you’ve learned something from it, don’t worry when a goal drops off your radar. Instead, accept the natural learning curve of building your own business and be grateful for what you’ve learned.  

Fast forward to December 31. What do you hope to accomplish by then that will help you look back at 2013 with satisfaction? 

Think about your answer, and then get to work. 

What is Your Unique Selling Proposition?

By: Monica Lee

I believe that your unique selling proposition is, in fact, YOU. Nobody else was made like you, thinks like you, sees what you see, you are a complete original. Read that last sentence again. Let it sink in.

What you really need to do is learn how to express your originality. Get comfortable with it. Learn how to get your originality down on paper or in many cases, onto the web.

I meet dynamic people all the time at Smart Creative Women. A consistent trait they posses is a unique aesthetic that comes from their individual perspective. I call it their “creative style.” They have it nailed down, they don’t waste days wondering if this opportunity or that motif or color will fit with their branding.  They have complete confidence in their creative style.

They don’t worry if they fit in with the next trend or if they have replicated someone else’s idea.  They know who they are which frees mental space allowing them to move forward in their lives and businesses.

So how do you gain confidence with your own creative style?

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For Sponsors: How Long Term Blogger Relationships Can Benefit Your Brand

By: Sara Urquhart. Photography: Justin Hackworth

It’s a business adage that it’s easier to keep an existing customer than to find a new customer, and the same principle holds true in the world of social media. If you discover a blogger who is authentically and honestly talking about your brand online, developing a long-term sponsor relationship with her is much wiser than convincing someone who’s not already familiar with your brand to join your team.

A long-term relationship with a blogger who already knows and loves your brand offers great value. If she’s already a fan and you’ve worked successfully together on one or two small projects, she might be willing to participate in market research and offer valuable feedback and helpful critiques, which can save you time and money on focus groups. 

She’ll be a good fit, too, when it comes time to develop, launch and promote future products. Because her readers know she’s already mentioned your brand, their interest will be peaked when she promotes new products and her recommendation will be amplified. Running content campaigns, contests, or giveaways on her site will make sense to you, to her, and to her readers and the campaign becomes more effective because of the authenticity of your ongoing relationship.

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Elements of a Good Pitch

By: Sara Urquhart. Photography by: Melanie Blodgett

A pitch will be successful when you can meet the needs of the client, and so good pitches always begin with an understanding of the clients’ needs. The key here is to listen, listen, listen. What does the brand want? What are they looking for? If they’re interested in social media buzz, that pitch will look completely different than if they want deep and concentrated attention. 

To create your pitch, you’ll need to ask a simple question that might intimidate you, but shouldn’t: “What’s your budget for this project?” Every project will have a budget, and this is an easy way to start the conversation about price. Knowing the budget helps you tailor your pitch and also gauge whether the project is worth your time.

Keep pitches to one page (maybe two), and beware of appearing that you’re mass-pitching. Make sure you include something that customizes your pitch to that specific brand, such as a reference to an in-person conversation or an email exchange.

Your pitch is your response to what the brand needs, and how your relationship can help them achieve their goals within their budget. Simply put, a good pitch is a compelling proposal to help a brand meet its goal.