PRstore of Lake Norman

Lake Norman’s Best Kept Secrets: 2008 Edition

Welcome to the 2008 Edition of PRstore's Favorite People & Places. We hope you'll find some time in the New Year to explore the diverse Lake Norman area and share your favorite discoveries with us too! Enjoy!!

 

Best Burger: Five Guys (Exits 23 & 36)

 

Best Pizza & Best Penne a la Vodka: Brooklyn South & Brooklyn Boys (Exits 25 & 33)

 

Best Mexican (three way tie): Qdoba - go naked! (Exit 25), Tijuana Flats (Exit 23), La Costena (Exit 25)

 

Best Cookies & Pastries: The Bakery Shoppe (Exit 25)

 

Best Weekend Breakfast: Acropolis Cafe (Exit 25)

 

Best Place to Get Healthy & Balanced: Best Acupuncture & Yoga (Cornelius)

 

Best NY Style Italian Bread: Food Lion Bakery (Exit 28)

 

Best Shabby Chic Finds: Big Lots, Rugged Warehouse, Dollar Store (Exit 36)

 

Best Home Decor on a Budget: Homes Goods, Kohls (Exit 25)

 

Best Date Atmosphere: North Harbor Club (Exit 30) & Mickey & Mooch (Exit 25)

 

Most Innovative Dining Concept: T1 Tapas (Birkdale Village)

 

Best Place for After Work Drinks: Corkscrew (Exit 25) & Legends (Exit 33)

 

Best BBQ: Macs (Exit 28)

 

Best Mac & Cheese: Toast Café (Exit 23 & Davidson)

 

Best Publication for staying Up-To-Date on the Lake: Lake Norman Currents

 

Best Publication for Women on the Move: Lake Norman Woman

 

Best Publication for Lake Norman Business News: Business Today

 

Best New Retail Concepts: AuthorSquad, Wild Birds Unlimited (Exit 25), One Neighborhood (Birkdale Village)

 

Best Boutique Shopping on a Budget: Francesca’s, Belle Ville (Birkdale Village)

 

Making a Difference

Best Global Effort: Rotarians Sowing Seed to Fight World Hunger (North Meck Rotary Club)

Best Local Effort: Lake Norman Wild Life Conservationists

 

Most Promising Business of 2009 (tie): Rainbow INK Cards & High Intensity Teambuilding

 

Best New Idea Incubator: Charlotte Inventor's Group

 

Best Way To Get Your Home Looking Fabulous: Starr Miller Interior Design

 

Best Place for Casual/Active Wear: Manipura Activewear

 

Best Website for LKN Events: lknsavings.com & 704events.com

 

Best Business Resource: Pre-Paid Legal

 

Best Place to see a NASCAR driver at the lake: Tuesday Night – Sushi at the Lake, followed by Rusty Rudder

Best Page Turner: The Twilight Saga (you might need a cold shower after reading though!)

 

Best Way to Get over Sex & The City ending: watch Lipstick Jungle, Fridays on NBC

 

Best New Business Co-op Group: Destination Huntersville

 

Best Value Shopping: Walmart in Denver

 

Best Motivational Quote: "Men are made stronger on the realization that the helping hand they need is at the end of their own arm." - Sidney Phillips

Best Marketing Effort for 2009: Social Media!! (Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, Twitter, Forums, etc.)

 

That’s Our List, What’s Yours??

 

Join the conversation here, or on the PRstore of Lake Norman FaceBook Page.

 

Here's to Mind Over Matter in '09! - CSR

Floating Thru The Holidays

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." - Aesop

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How We Discovered Grassroots Giving

So, if you haven't noticed, in the last week the economy has either hit rock bottom or else the nearing Holidays have made us all painfully aware of just how different the economic situation is this year. Maybe it's both. Most of us aren't used to choosing between paying bills and giving gifts. And it's making us grumpy, cranky, impatient and just downright rude to each other. Scrooge would be proud.

PRstore worked off-site on Friday after a long week of the aforesaid grumpy exchanges with clients and vendors.  The North Mecklenburg Christmas Parade was Saturday and we had lots to do to be ready. I had decided last year that starting in '08 PRstore should be a permanent participant in the parade - Grassroots at its finest. It was a ton of work to build our own float though and coming on the heels of a rough week, there wasn't much hop in our step.

Saturday morning was filled with rushing around, re-gluing pieces that had fallen during the night and figuring out how to transport the float 10 miles without losing the entire thing along the way. Whew! More than once I questioned why in the world we were even doing this. Bah Humbug!

Then we were finally there, finally all ready and finally lined-up in our designated spot. And an amazing thing happened. As the procession began and we started to pass the people lined-up to see the parade, I noticed how sad so many of them looked. They probably had a rough week too - many much worse than mine. So we started smiling and waving. Making eye contact. And simply saying "Merry Christmas!" "Happy Holidays!"

The reaction was instant and always the same. Faces lit up. Smiles overturned frowns. They waved back and wished us the same. It was inspiring. After the worst economic year in recent history. After so much fear and uncertainty. The power of a smile and a Holiday Wish is still more powerful than all the bad stuff. The human spirit is ever hopeful, ever optimistic. Lying right under the surface, is our desire to rise up, try again, beat the odds and surge forward. 

And so my Grassroots Marketing idea to have a PRstore float in the Holiday Parade - for my company to have community exposure - turned out to be about Grassroots Giving instead. We didn't give much, just our energy to build the float and then brave the 40 degree weather, a smile and a Holiday Wish. But judging by how good it made us feel and by how many smiles we received in return, I have to believe that good 'ole Aesop was right. Even small acts of kindness can turn around someone's day.

So Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Wishing you joy, peace and hope during the coming week! No more Scrooge for PRstore - we're back in Santa's Camp and loving it!- CSR

If Churchhill Were A Marketer . . .

"Never, Never, Never Give Up."

"If you're going through hell, keep going."

- Winston Churchhill

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November 30th is Winston Churchhill's birthday!  Churchhill lived and survived during much darker days than we are currently experiencing. He was a master at "Grassroots" tactics and a strong advocate that the pen is often mightier than the sword. He wasn't afraid to employ strong actions, but his words of wisdom were a big part of winning a great war.

If Churchhill were a Marketer, he would have been a master at Grassroots Marketing. He would definitely be a fan of LinkedIn and FaceBook - what an amazing way to connect with anyone and everyone you want and need to know. And it doesn't hurt that it is a free way to get your message out to a large audience instantly.

Many say that Obama won the election at the local level by having a million people "on the ground." But he also knew how to harness the power of social media to captivate an entire generation of new voters. It's brilliant really - Grassroots Marketing at its finest.

Grassroots Marketing costs little to no monetary investment. It's all about finding your target market, engaging them and getting them "fired up" about your message. Then you just have to give them the tools and the motivation to spread the word. You have to "touch" them on a daily or at least weekly basis.

FaceBook is a great way to do that with their Updates Tool. Philosophy.com does this really well - they know I'm a fan, so they keep me updated every week with new products, specials, new store openings, etc. They make me feel valued and part of their "family." In return, I talk about their products, I join their FaceBook Group, I tell my friends about the company, I marvel at how cool their brand is - and I buy more of their stuff. It's powerful - and I even know what they're doing. But I just can't help myself.

This week as we approach the end of the year and start to evaluate our '09 Marketing budgets, I encourage you to take some time to think about Grassroots Marketing for your business.If you absolutely have to reduce your Marketing investment in '09, then put together a strategy to replace part of your monetary investment with your time. What networking groups can you join - both physical and virtual? What type of social media campaign can you launch to stay in front of your customers and top prospects?  What expert knowledge can you share with editors from your industry's top publications - and as a result with their readers - your target market.

When the economy does recover, the companies that "Never Gave Up" will still have very strong brands and a healthy market share. You absolutely should Harness the power of technology to help your business "Keep Going."

So, get out there and make Winston proud. Your bottom line will be glad you did!- CSR

Tips on Working With a Marketing Firm

When you hire an outside Marketing firm, the very first conversation should be about compatibility. Can we work together as a team? Can we trust each other? Do we have common values & goals at our core?

 

The Marketing function is the most creative aspect of a business. It's the area where we get to have fun, be silly, think outside the box. Of course there are still the very necessary conversations about budget, ROI & maximizing results - but before all that, we get to be artistic, break some rules & put on our Innovative thinking caps.

 

But in order for a Marketing team to function at their optimal level, a client/creative relationship of mutual trust & respect is critical. You wouldn't commission an artist to create a work of art & then tell him what type of paint to use, what he should wear when painting or what he should listen to while painting. Trust & mutual respect are the most important parts of a Marketing firm's relationship with clients.

 

Many times, if a client shuts down the creativity & expertise of the Marketing firm they hired because they needed their expertise in the first place - the damage can be irreparable. A frustrated artist is definitely not an innovative artist. Frustrated & negative energy is a death sentence to a Marketing firm's creativity & must be eliminated swiftly & completely.

 

In business, as in life, not everyone is compatible. Both client & creative team owe it to themselves & their business to do their homework upfront and make sure the partnership is right for both parties. And if it, amazing things will happen!

- CSR

Web 2.0 For The Rest Of Us

"If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space." - Lou Whitaker

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These days, keeping up with cutting edge technology is a full-time job. As a business owner or manager, keeping up is imperative for job security & ongoing success.

For anyone that isn't sure where to start & who might not have heard of Web 2.0 yet, here's a brief run down of the tools that should be on your radar for 2009.

Web 2.0 was defined in 2004 as the 2nd generation of Internet-based sites that allow people to collaborate & share information online in new ways. With Web 2.0 you can make connections that otherwise would take years - or even be impossible to create. And as we all know, connections are everything in the business world. It is who you know and how well you know them. And now you can quickly make meaningful connections with just about anyone in the world you need to know.

Here's how:

www.Facebook.com - social networking & business applications. great way to reconnect with classmates & colleagues.

www.LinkedIn.com - the absolute best way to create a business network. Think the "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon."

www.MySpace.com - social networking & business applications, great for artists & musicians.

www.Twitter.com - share what you're doing right now.

www.Flickr.com - share pictures of what you're doing right now.

www.YouTube.com - share your baby's first steps & your kick-butt business presentation.

And you can pull all of these sites together with one amazing site - www.iGoogle.com

iGoogle allows you to create a customized Homepage that pulls in RSS feeds or "gadgets" for the above sites - plus hundreds of other sites. You can get local weather, a joke or positive quote of the day, the latest news & sports - all from your favorite sites - and all in one place. Pretty neat stuff!

Enjoy staying on the cutting edge of your world! - CSR

Learning To Trust Your (Marketing) Gut

"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do." - Dr. Spock

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One of the hardest & most important lessons I've learned in my professional life is all about listening to my "gut" & trusting my instincts. Whether it's as small as a paper or ink choice or as large as an employee selection, when I don't listen to that inner voice, I inevitably get into trouble.

But when I do listen to my instincts, my business flourishes. I avoid relationships & partnerships that on the surface look beneficial, but after further inspection will drain energy & resources without balancing that pull with positive input.

One of the amazing perks of trusting your instincts is that it opens your creativty to new ideas & fresh ways to approach business challenges - both for you & your clients.

The way this is currently working for PRstore is that we've been able to play matchmaker with our clients & our community. It's like one big game of "'Connect The Dots" that allows us to all work together & help each other. Think the 7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon - the more people that know about your project or your cause - the faster the word will travel.

Exhibit A:

A Corporate Team Building client needed a business plan that would help him achieve his aggresive growth goals. A CPA client needed an innovative way to make an End-of-Year Tax Planning Seminar an unexpected and atypical accounting class. 

The result: A service trade that allowed both companies to win by building their business in a more impactful way & on a scale the couldn't have achieved on their own.

CPA: Has an innovative & charismatic speaker open her seminar with an Ice Breaker session that makes her event fun & memorable - which results in more prospective clients talking about her firm & exploring working with her.

Team Builder/Corporate Speaker: Gets in front of a group of business owners/decision makers that might need his help - & who will go away & talk about his neat concepts to their friends & peers.

So, Dr. Spock really did know what he was talking about. When we trust ourselves, we can accomplish amazing things!

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My Current Resources for Inspiration:

Duct Tape Marketing

The Rainbow Connection

The Tipping Point

We're Not Participating In A Recession

This entry marks the official launch of the Lake Norman PRstore blog! Blogs are no longer "the future" - they are very much "the now" of Grassroots Marketing. I hope you enjoy our entries - and I hope it inspires you to create a blog of your own!

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"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." - unknown

It certainly is a little crazy out there right now. But it's also a great time to keep calm, take some time to regroup and think about innovative and creative ways to build your business. We need to be savvy and smart, not scared about the future of our businesses.

When the media "clutter" reaches the extremely high levels we're experiencing right now, I turn my attention to Grassroots Marketing. I look for local events I can sponsor, smaller community publications for print ads and places I can hold an informative seminar. People are really tired of watching the news and reading the lastest predictions of doom in the paper. So I turn my Marketing dollars in a new direction and try to make my clients and prospects smile.

How? Here's a few of the Marketing Activities on my 4th Quarter Plan:

-  Print Ads in the Lake Norman Chamber and Mooresville Chamber Monthly Newsletters (cost-effective way to reach over 3,000 local business leaders)

- Presenting Sponsor for the 21st Annual Lake Norman Chamber Awards Gala (great exposure, plus we get to highlight our event planning expertise)

- Hosting a Halloween Block Party that I secretly call "Naughty Networking". It's a costume party with a business networking crowd - what better way to make a top prospect smile (and get 5 minutes of their time) than to show-up dressed as Raggedy Ann and offer them a drink.

- Participating in our local Holiday Parade. It's very inexpensive and loads of fun! Plus, we're inviting our top clients to join us on the PRstore Float, so they can generate awareness for their business too.

There's a million other creative and cost-effective ways to make your business stand out during this economic period - have a blast finding yours!

- Carissa S. Roman, Chief Marketing Advisor