December 2011
Happy Holidays from
Carriefreelance Communications
Happy Holidays and Catching Up


carriewriting

Hi everyone, it's been a long time! I so miss my list of great subscribers and feel remiss that for the first time in 6 years,  I skipped a few months. But holiday time is a good one to reconnect, and so I'm sending holiday wishes to you all.

I'm so grateful for this year's clients and projects, which have included ghost blogging for a public relations firm in the tech sector; social media, video, and e-newsletter development for our local yoga studio; and public relations work for a nonprofit client I am currently working with, where we just received tv coverage for one of our events last weekend. It was my first television placement here in the Bay Area, and I was so happy to see the NBC4 truck I nearly fell out of my sneakers! I'll be blogging in the  coming weeks on using social media for PR, and how I connected with 4 television anchors through their Facebook pages, so be on the lookout for more of that.

Here are some other quick highlights from the last few months.

On a Personal Note...

carrieemmettwedding

Mr. Pickett and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary this fall, and we did it California style by dashing to the coast and reconnecting with pelicans, fishies, and other strange sea creatures we weren't exactly sure of.  To those subscribers who were among the "fabulous 50" that attended our wedding that special and super rainy weekend, we think of you often, and please know that the expression "a little rain means good luck in your marriage," continues to fondly resonate with us too.

Social Media Update: 7 Myths of Social Media Marketing

Over on the blog, I wrote up a terrific Compass Point workshop I attended that focused on social media marketing and nonprofits. You can find some great resources on the blog post, including the link to Beth Kanter's slidedeck from that day. Beth is one of the leading social media gurus not only in these parts, but in the US, so it was a thrill to be awarded a copy of her book for a campaign I ran, using Facebook updates and Tweets, to raise 10K for a local nonprofit.  What a great learning experience and end result. Check out the "7 Myths of Social Media Marketing" slide I highlighted, as well as "8 Habits of Savvy Social Media Marketers," slide, and a cool handout, "10 Free Metrics Tools for Actionable Analytics." I so loved this handout that I took photos of it!

On Viral Video and the Peanuts Gang
Charlie Brown Christmas
Charlie Brown Christmas


In the spirit of the season, I couldn't resist this great blog post from Smart Briefs Social Media on how "A Charlie Brown Christmas" reveals the true meaning of viral content. If you're just starting out learning about how video can play a role in your marketing, or looking to sharpen your video marketing skills, you'll enjoy the tips here, including: preserving authenticity, having a point of view, and dealing with age-old issues in a fresh way.


Cute Dog Alert and Caption Contest



Couldn't resist Ariel, one of the "guests" at my friend Nadine's birthday party.  Can you think of a fun caption for this pic? Send it to me in an email with "caption contest" in the subject line, and you're entered to win a free one-hour communications consultation by phone.  $100 value. Hurry, contest ends January 2!

I look forward to connecting with you in 2012, and wish you a joyous season.


 
Sincerely,
 
newbutterfly  allstar 2010
Carrie
carriefreelance communications
holistic media solutions
 copywriting * editing * social media * public relations * e-newsletters
@carriewriter

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