Join us on March 6th for an interactive presentation with Marketing CoPilot founder Marie Wiese.

Like many of our presenters have already told us, Marie says communicators should be specific about what we're good at and should accept that we can't be all things to all people.

People often make the mistake of building their website by focusing on what they do. Instead, their website should focus on what the buyer is going through to make a purchase.

Marie Wiese is a marketing professional, speaker and workshop facilitator. She is the founder and president of Marketing CoPilot, a B2B that works with business owners to deliver online strategies and marketing programs with defined metrics and conclusive lead generation results.

You'll learn about the:

• "30 second litmus test" to determine if your website is working for you
• Website elements you should consider for conversion success
• Top ten elements of a successful website 

For a preview of this event, listen to a podcast by PIC Chair Donna Papacosta interviewing Marie Wiese.   

Date & Time: Wednesday, March 6, 2013
                     6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Place:           Committee Room 4, City Hall
                     (100 Queen Street West)
                     Note: Venue change

Cost:             $22.00 for members ($24.86 with HST)
                     $32.00 for non-members ($34.16 with HST)
                     (includes wraps, juice, coffee, tea and cookies)

REGISTER NOW!

IABC/Toronto blog
PIC email: info@pictoronto.com

The buzz is PIC's e-newsletter, intended to inform independent communicators about our activities, share professional development tips from past meetings and keep us aware of what's going on.

By Sue Horner

Donna Messer works a room like nobody else. Members and guests of IABC/Toronto's Professional Independent Communicators (PIC) saw first-hand on January 9 why Donna is known as the Queen of Networking. If any of us expected a traditional PowerPoint presentation, we quickly found out that Donna doesn't work that way.

Networking, Donna told us, is "a systematic process that gets measurable results. If you aren't getting results, you aren't networking."

Making her way from person to person, Donna demonstrated that networking is really "business matchmaking": take what you learn about a new contact and find a match in your network. A healthcare writer, for instance, might like to be introduced to someone you know who leads communications in a hospital.

Use the "3 Ws": Who are you? What do you need? What are you willing to share?

PIC's bi-monthly networking meetings give soon-to-be and long-time solo communicators an opportunity to discuss their most pressing issues. If you weren't able to attend, here are some snippets of the conversation that took place. 

At the February meeting, several members mentioned having problems with defining themselves and selecting a niche. We agreed that you can't be all things to all people, but how much should you limit yourself? One attendee wrestling with this issue said, "It's scary to limit yourself."

Don't say no when a potential client gives you a project that's not your specialty. Instead, help him by referring someone else who can do the work. That way, your potential client will remember you as the "go to" person for recommendations and will come to you when he needs a project in your field. Another approach that works for some independents is forming alliances with other communicators who have different specialties.

Elizabeth Trew                                                     Heather West   
Director, Communications                                     Copy editor    
PIC