July 2010
Company LogoSylvia Small Communications & Marketing
"Small in Name: Big in Service"
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Greetings!  
Below you'll find some video and media relations tips. Check out the Adopt-A-Highway article on how you can help make your community a cleaner place in which to live. Enjoy the summer!
LibraryLibrary Skates Through Financial Crisis! 
 
You don't need a Steven Spielberg budget to produce a video that will be easily passed from person to person via e-mail, blogs, websites, instant messaging and other electronic means.
 
Click on this link to see Tillman the Skateboarding Dog take on the
Skateboarding Dog Video
Skateboarding Dog Video
recent budget crisis for the New York Public Library. Thanks in part to clever videos, 150,000 people wrote letters to city representatives asking them to reduce the planned cuts, which they did.
 
Videos in this category tend to share certain elements:    
  • They are funny, original, outrageous, timely, provocative and/or shocking.
  • Most successful videos are brief because people consume content on the Web differently from how they consume content on TV.
  • Successful marketers in this category create and upload lots of videos on a consistent basis.
  • Optimize your titles, video descriptions, metatags and thumbnail views to help ensure your videos are found and shared via the major search engines.
  • The content is fun, interesting and unusual. Your goal is not to produce a commercial.

Videos should be part of your marketing communications arsenal. If you would like to brainstorm ways to use them, please give us a call at 404.841.8168.  

CleanYou Can Help Clean Up Georgia
 
Adopt-A-Highway Sign
Adopt-A-Highway
Roadside litter is a serious threat to motorists and wildlife. Initiated in 1989, the Adopt-A-Highway Program is a partnership between the Georgia Department of Transportation and Keep Georgia Beautiful.
 
Sylvia Small Communications & Marketing has adopted a one-mile stretch of land between Piedmont Hospital and Peachtree Battle Shopping Center in Atlanta. We'll be doing our part to help Keep Georgia Peachy Clean!
 
If you would like more information about the Adopt-A-Highway Program, call 770.986.1011.
CallsWhen the Media Calls, Will You be Ready?
 
Camera ImageAccording to Andy Warhol, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." When your media spotlight shines, will you be prepared? 
 
Here are some basic tips for dealing with the media.
  • Get straight to the point. Answer the question briefly and then provide the details.
  • Don't use professional jargon unless it is appropriate for the type of media outlet. Tailor your remarks to your audience.
  • Don't assume the interviewer is a subject matter expert. Research the reporter in advance.
  • Highlight your most important point. What is the "take-away" from this interview?
  • Prepare for the interview. Unless you're a bird, don't try to "wing it." Practice what you want to say. Get someone to quiz you in advance. 
  • Remove these phrases from your vocabulary: no comment and off the record.
If you would like help pitching your story to the media, please contact us. This link has a list of some of the newspapers, magazines and TV stations we've worked with recently. 
 
CompanyCompany News:
 
Sylvia Small Communications & Marketing welcomes First Montessori School of Atlanta as a new client. Established in 1963, FMSA is the Southeast's oldest Montessori school.
 
We love writing assignments! Sylvia Small Communications & Marketing recently wrote copy and coordinated the photography for Ace Hardware's Annual Summary. What can we help you with?
Sylvia Small
Sylvia Small Communications & Marketing LLC 
Phone: 404.841.8168
Twitter: @peachtreepro and @atlskyline