It was a packed house Thursday night for Ultra Light Startups as the company unveiled its new meeting location in Midtown Manhattan at Sun Microsystems. The night kicked off with a slew of entrepreneurs pitching their sites and services to a captive audience.

Tonight’s panel topic was “Email Marketing Strategies for Startup Companies.” The all-star panel included:
• Greg Cangialosi the CEO of Blue Sky Factory
• Neil Capel, Founder and CEO of SailThru
• Adam Rich, Co-founder and Editor-in-chief of Thrillist
• Maisha Walker with Message Medium

The panel covered a wide variety of issues including finding the right email marketing strategies and helpful tips on selecting the email service distributors that are best for your business. The panel agreed that the days of renting e-mails lists and sending out e-mail blasts to unwilling participants are coming to an end.

The moderator, Maisha Walker explained that the emailing landscape has undergone a great deal of change in the past couple of years.

“It’s not just about sending emails out, it’s a discovery process,” says Walker. “You want to find out what your customers are interested in and what will keep them coming back for more.”

Neil Capel with SailThru says fresh content and interesting emails are a critical component during any e-mail campaign.

“Always send quality and engaging emails,” said Capel. “If they’re not good, people are going to opt out.

“Email is all about e-relevance, said Greg Cangialosi with the Blue Sky Factory. “Without new and fresh content, poor quality emails could do serious damage to your online reputation.”

Cangialosi also says if you do decide to rent an e-mail list, here are some questions to ask before you hire any e-mail service distributor:
• Don’t get sucked into anything shady.
• What are their list practices?
• Where did they get the names?

“There is no magic bullet for building a successful email list,” says Adam Rich, Co-founder and Editor-in-chief of Thrillist. “The best shot you have is to create a great product and put strong content behind it.”

The panel also agreed that integrating social media into your email campaigns is likely to give you a significant boost in viewership. Have the tools available and if your email is interesting, many people will be happy to use the social media share function.

New York Ad:tech Event: November 4-6

Brands, agencies, publishers and service providers from around the country are converging on the Javits Convention Center in New York City this week for the premier gathering of Online Marketers. The event runs from November 4-6 and brings together a top-notch pool of experts to share, network, learn and do business with one another.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The conference will feature 200 plus speakers and 60 plus value-driven panels covering a variety of topics including:

• Online video ads
• Social media
• Multi-channel marketing

Everybody who’s anybody in this industry is at ad:tech. If you want to generate revenue, if you want to grow your business, if you want to create contacts – advertisers or partners – they’re all here. We make a lot of money from doing this show.

– Daniel Yomtobian, CEO, Advertise.com

More than 250 exhibitors are slated to participate along with even keynote presentations, exclusive parties, lunch forums & more!

Ad:tech makes people better marketers by:

• Actionable advice from industry thought leaders
• Marketing secrets from execs at major brands
• Engage in intimate roundtable discussion
• Lucrative networking opportunities

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL738497420090107?sp=true

This story about Russian PR contains some lessons for even small business public relations. Even with a high-stakes international squabble, one basic PR principle holds true: Always keep the media engaged during a crisis. Feed the beast; never cut it off and invite it to wander away.

How can the United States defend Israel's attack on Gaza and killing of so many people, many which are innocent children and families?  there is no excuse for killing so many people.   The US should join the UN and the growing number of countries and demand an immediate cease fire and the barricade of food and medical aide to the people of Gaza.

This is not about politics or religion.   This is about the innocent of the people in Gaza.  We should focus on a humanitarian effort and immediately demand an end to the violence. Israel calls the Islamic Militant in Gaza a "terrorist organization" and kills over 300 people and injures thousands more by attacking Gaza.  Many of these people killed by the attack, are children, mothers and families.  Instead of standing up and saying no to this violence, the US defends Israel's action.  Violence is never right!  there is no excuse or justification for killing innocent people.   Of course Israel have a right to defend themselves.   But here we are talking about excessive military force and the reckless killing of innocent people.

It's Nov. 13, 2008. We are in a financial crisis and companies big and small are trying to increase revenue and cut spending. After having my own PR agency and working with a number of fast-growing companies, PR is still the best way to get the greatest return on investment! Now, in this economy, it’s more important than ever to leverage the power of PR to promote your company.

Below is a list of Top 10 tips for companies of all sizes to expand their influencer network using PR:

1. Create an interactive relationship with your key audiences. Now with the emergence of social media, it’s easier than ever to establish an interactive link with your audience where they can easily access your information and keep you in mind. The goal is you want to maximize the top-of-mind awareness for your company with your audience!
2. Effective public relations, including media relations, is a two-way street. Virtual press rooms and interactive press rooms are a great way for you to update your audience members without being in their face. A number of solutions are FREE and companies should definitely take advantage of them!
3. Utilize your networks and share your expertise. Build your company’s awareness and authority by creating a leadership platform around your company’s unique expertise.
4. Start a blog. If you have the expertise, consider casting yourself as an insider; offering how-to tips or sharing other helpful knowledge about your industry.
5. Think of your PR plan of attack and who you want to target. Successful PR is all about targeting the right reporters/ influencers and having them sing your company's praises. The more targeted you are, the more successful your chances are of getting a reporter to respond to your pitch. Read the rest of this entry »