The PR Maven Podcast

In this episode of The PR Maven® Podcast, host Nancy Marshall speaks with Stephen Church from Copywriter Pro, covering a wide array of topics from Stephen's background in psycholinguistics and his journey from teaching English globally to entering the family retail business and eventually founding Copywriter Pro. They delve into the significance of Freelance Writers Appreciation Week, Stephen's deep dive into SEO and commercial copywriting and their collaboration on the PR for the commemorative china for Prince William and Kate's royal wedding. The conversation navigates through Stephen's perspectives on the British Monarchy, the evolution of SEO, and the nuanced challenges of copywriting. Stephen emphasizes the importance of clarity, conciseness and compelling content, highlighting the indispensable role of understanding and communicating the benefits of products or services. They also explore the potential impacts and utilities of AI in copywriting, stressing the need for authenticity and human touch in creating engaging and effective copy. The discussion concludes with Stephen's recommendations for aspiring writers and a reminder of the essence of continual learning through reading.

00:00 Welcome to The PR Maven® Podcast with Stephen Church

00:51 Stephen Church: A Journey from Language Lover to Copywriting Pro

02:16 The Royal Wedding China: A PR Success Story

05:41 Stephen's Take on the Royal Family and The Crown

11:26 Diving into the World of Copywriting with Copywriter Pro

13:28 The Art and Challenges of SEO and Copywriting

21:44 The Power of Copywriting: Insights from Maya Angelou

23:32 Local Business Success: Leveraging Nancy's Marketing Techniques

25:14 Back to the Podcast: Continuing the Conversation with Stephen Church

25:41 The Royal Connection: From Weddings to Speech Writing

26:37 The Art of Letter Writing and Its Personal Touch

27:35 AI in Copywriting: Threat or Tool?

32:56 Maximizing LinkedIn: Strategies for Effective Networking

36:56 The Essence of Effective Copywriting: Clarity, Conciseness and Compelling Content

41:50 The Importance of Reading for Aspiring Copywriters

44:05 Connecting with Stephen Church and Wrapping Up

Episode 20: Michael Katz, Chief Penguin at Blue Penguin Development

Episode 222: Will You Really Make Money by Doing What You Love? With Michael Katz, Chief Penguin at Blue Penguin

15 Copywriting Tips

11 LinkedIn Profile Tips

6-point recipe for SEO success

About Stephen Stephen Church is a seasoned copywriter and the founder of Copywriter Pro, a company dedicated to helping growth-minded businesses attain more and better-quality clients through clear, concise and compelling words for their websites. Church's profound love for language and its impact on behavior steered his educational path toward psycholinguistics at university. Prior to his venture into the corporate world, Stephen had an extensive career as an English language tutor across various countries, including Madrid, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and London. In the early 1980s, he returned to the UK to join his family's long-established retail business, where he quickly adapted to the digital era by launching a pioneering e-commerce site. However, it was Copywriter Pro that truly allowed Stephen to merge his passion for language with professional pursuits. Beyond his professional achievements, Stephen maintains a keen interest in the royal family and significant events, despite his candid stance on the institution itself. His connections and endeavors, from promoting commemorative china for royal weddings to engaging in thoughtful discourse on modern monarchy, reflect a multifaceted individual with a deep appreciation for both history and the evolution of communication.

How can you combine PR and personal branding techniques to make your business successful? In this episode, Amber Lambke, co-founder and CEO of Maine Grains, shares her business success story. Amber explains how the topic of grains was missing from conversations, how she helped start Maine Grains, and how she uses speaking engagements to start conversations and inspire others within the industry. In addition, learn who the famous Maine Grains customer is, and how Amber has been on her baking show!

00:00 Introduction to the PR Maven® Podcast

01:26 Introducing Guest: Amber Lambke

03:02 Why Maine Grains Was Started and the Growth of the Company

06:22 How PR and personal branding techniques helped build the brand

11:59 Training employees to represent your brand and company

13:19 How the Kneading Conference inspires others

20:49 Maine Grains' 10th anniversary

28:39 Amber's Appearance on Martha Stewart's baking show

30:13 Advice to entrepreneurs on using PR and personal branding

33:42 Helpful Resources

Related Episodes

Episode 219: Growing Your Passion Into a Brand, With Cherie Scott, Founder and Owner of Mumbai to MAINE

Episode 201: How To Change Your Leadership Style for the Better, With Kevin Hancock, Chairman and CEO of Hancock Lumber

Episode 68: What It Is Like To Be An Entrepreneur In Maine, with Julene Gervais, Producer and Host of Greenlight Maine

About Amber

Amber Lambke is co-founder and CEO of Maine Grains, Inc., a gristmill housed in a repurposed jailhouse, which has spurred the revival of grain production in Maine. A driving force behind Maine's sustainable foods movement, she has been a leader in bringing economic vitality back to Skowhegan, Maine, by reviving the region's grain growing and processing industry. She was also the founding director of the Maine Grain Alliance, a nonprofit geared toward preserving regional grain traditions from earth to table.

Bonus Q&A

1. Amber, Maine Grains has continued to grow and flourish through the pandemic and beyond. How are you managing the growth to ensure quality and consistency of the brand?

We use a SWOT analysis process to continuously assess where our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are. The goal of course is to use our strengths to create opportunities and reduce threats, while mindfully addressing weaknesses. We know that our strong brand creates new opportunities for sales channel development in the face of increasing competition in the freshly milled flour category. We will continue to grow and flourish by creating value-added products and baking mixes that make baking at home and eating delicious and healthy, while grains become even more convenient and accessible. We are also focused on developing and retaining talented staff and consultants who work with us to be able to implement our growth goals and remain consistent and current with our brand look, feel, and messaging.

2. How are you staying focused on Maine Grains while also helping the Skowhegan area grow its economy and offer more opportunities to residents and visitors?

Collaboration is critically important both for growing Maine Grains, and helping the surrounding Skowhegan community grow. Collaboration increases the audience for our business while helping to achieve mutually beneficial goals. I have to be careful about over-committing my time, but try to participate on committees, boards, and gatherings where I can learn new connections, stories of impact, or lend my experience and expertise. The cross-pollination of ideas is critical to maintaining a 'big picture' perspective and seeing the impact of our collective hard work on the economy and vibrancy of Skowhegan.

3. How has public relations helped Maine Grains become more well-known statewide, nationally and even internationally?

Public relations in business is really the art of good communication. I believe that good, clear communication that moves people is at the root of successful businesses, change-making, and movements around the world. For those of us in business, good communication in PR is critical. I'm often asked to speak at conferences and on panels to help inspire people. We can all do great things in the world if we are inspired and understand why our participation matters.

From running the rental shop at Sugarloaf to becoming president of Sunday River, Dana Bullen joins Nancy to talk about his career in the ski business. While it may have been all about the snow when he started his career, Dana describes how people also take their experience into consideration, from the food to guest services. It all comes back to the snow at the end of the day, so Dana describes the importance of snowmaking and how Sunday River shares the snow conditions with its audience.

00:00 Introduction to the PR Maven Podcast

01:40 Introducing Guest: Dana Bullen

05:06 How Dana knew he wanted to be the president of a ski resort

07:20 Building the Sunday River brand

10:27 Adapting to Changing Marketing Techniques

14:48 Dana's Personal Brand

19:35 The importance of snowmaking at Sunday River

24:02 How Sunday River promotes snowmaking

26:39 Training team members to achieve a common vision

32:01 Helpful Resources

Related Episodes

Episode 104: How To Grow an Already Established Brand With Karl Strand

Episode 249: Spreading Inclusion and Acceptance Through Storytelling, With Lisa and Scott Wentzell and Heidi Bullen

Episode 56: Chip Carey, Retired Chief Marketing Officer at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

About Dana

With more than 30 years of ski industry and management experience, Dana Bullen began serving in his current role as resort president of Sunday River in September 2004. He worked his way up the ski-business ladder shortly after earning a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Maine Farmington in 1988, holding various positions at Sugarloaf as well. In 2017, he was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame. A native of Farmington, Maine, Dana enjoys skiing, fishing, hunting and the Maine outdoors.

Bonus Q&A

1. Dana, the pandemic and climate change are both impacting your business. How is Sunday River responding to the challenges and opportunities presented by these external factors?

The ski business like any outdoor-based industry adapts to outside influences constantly. The Sunday River team is made up of seasoned veterans who embrace the need to constantly improve to meet the needs of our guests. The great news is that we still get to live and play in the outdoors.

2. Sunday River continues to expand and evolve, which is so impressive! How do you manage your team so they are all focused on the same goals?

Sunday River has a team of 1,000 leaders. The best example of this was their reaction to the devastating storm in December 2023. We had washed out roads, culverts, bridges, buildings and ski-related infrastructure. Within 24 hours all roads were passable and within 00 hours (about 4 days) we were open for skiing again. This did not happen with one person leading or even 50 people leading. It happened because all 1000 folks were moving in the same direction, working independently in their respective areas of expertise but also mindful of the collective good of the team. We had a team member who was stranded in the hotel, cut off from the resort, with a washed-out bridge that first night of the storm. They need their medicine. Without encouragement or direction, two team members (one who was a raft guide) took it upon themselves to go get the medicine and raft it across. That is the best example I can share of folks leading on their own. We are blessed with so many of these folks.

3. What is the most impactful thing that Sunday River has done to grow its customer base and continue to grow the business?

While we continue to improve our snowmaking and create the most modern lift system in the East, the IGLU we built this year was unique and took on a life of its own.

In this episode, Karl Strand shares the path his career has taken to become the general manager at Sugarloaf. Karl explains how his parents' love of restaurants led him to a career in food and beverage operations, which also led him back to Sugarloaf, where he discovered his love of skiing in his younger years. After working his way up, Karl became the general manager at Sugarloaf. Nancy and Karl reminisce and share stories as well as talk about the powerful Sugarloaf brand and community. Karl also talks about plans for the future.

00:00 Introducing Guest: Karl Strand

01:45 Introduction to the PR Maven Podcast

02:46 How Karl's Parents' Love of Restaurants Led to His Career Path

06:25 The Benefits of a Well-Rounded Background in a Leadership Position

07:32 The Sugarloaf Community

12:14 How To Engage Audiences of All Ages

14:22 The Legend of Paul Shipper

17:05 Sugarloaf's Powerful Brand Symbol

23:35 Instilling Company Values in Employees

30:10 The Values of Surveys for Decision-Making

33:12 Sugarloaf's 2030 Plan

39:00 Helpful Resources

Related Episodes

Episode 56: Chip Carey, Retired Chief Marketing Officer at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

Episode 164: It's Not Just About the Snow Anymore: How to Adapt to Changing Customer Preferences, With Dana Bullen, President of Sunday River

Episode 249: Spreading Inclusion and Acceptance Through Storytelling, With Lisa and Scott Wentzell and Heidi Bullen

About Karl

After graduating from Bryant University, Karl Strand entered the lodging industry and soon discovered his passion for food and beverage operations. This led him to work in fine dining venues in nearly every region of the United States, and toward his completion of studies at the Culinary Institute of America. Karl began his career at Sugarloaf and Sunday River in 2004 when he was hired as Vice President of Lodging and Property Management for both resorts. He has held a leading role in managing key segments of Sugarloaf and Sunday River's operations. In April 2015, Karl was promoted to the position of Sugarloaf's general manager.

Bonus Q&A

1. Tell us about your expansion plans on West Mountain and where you stand in the process currently.

Bucksaw Express and the West Mountain Trails opened on February 16, 2024. The ribbon cutting and opening to date have been a tremendous success with lots of positive feedback. The addition of nine new trails and a high-speed quad increases our capacity and helps spread out the number of guests we can accommodate both in terms of trails and lift lines. It's notably the largest single-year terrain expansion done in the East, at least since the 1970s.

The new zone provides opportunities for future growth, including summer weddings at Bullwinkle's and real estate development.

All trails as part of the West Mountain Expansion were intentionally designed for those who like to cruise and keep it mellow. All are green circle terrain except two, so it bodes well for families and those just learning to ski or for those that prefer easier terrain. It's unlike anything we have at Sugarloaf and changes the way we ski/ride our mountain.

2. What is it about Sugarloaf that continues to draw more and more skiers and snowboarders every year?

Community. The community and varied terrain. It's a real skiers' mountain, and with the addition of West Mountain, we truly have it all. From above tree line skiing to now wide-open mellow cruisers, Sugarloaf has the opportunity to attract even more people here and keep them coming back.

3. What events do you have planned for 2024 that you are most excited about?

Resort activations have been building off the excitement and success of our annual Spring Reggae Festival by adding new events like EDM (Electric Dance Music) in January, Fire on the Mountain, a weekend totally dedicated to Grateful Dead music in February and now, adding a Country Music Weekend to the line-up in March. This year's Country Music Weekend will be completely free all weekend long.

A once-in-a-lifetime event is coming right up with Sugarloaf being right in the path of the solar eclipse. We are anticipating an influx of Sugarloafers and first-time visitors, so we are planning a weekend full of music and events during the first-ever Sugarloaf SkiClipse, taking place from April 5-8, 2024. Sugarloaf will be in the path of totality on Monday, April 8th at approximately 3:30 p.m. It's going to be unreal and an event not to be missed.

In May, we kick things off with our annual Sugarloaf Marathon which is a Boston Marathon qualifier, then head right into the summer as we welcome back the International XTERRA running event over Labor Day Weekend. We'll have plenty of mountain biking and golf activities as well, so be sure to check out sugarloaf.com for the growing calendar of events.

Lastly, as I previously mentioned, as part of the West Mountain Expansion we are also exploring the next phase of real estate offerings. We're looking forward to helping more and more Sugarloafers build the home of their dreams and settle here in the Carrabassett Valley.

In this PR Maven® Podcast episode, host Nancy Marshall sits down with Liz Williams, the communications manager for the Episcopalian Diocese of Georgia to discuss her journey to this unique position. Liz elaborates on her journey from a marketing undergraduate to eventually working in the church's youth and children ministries. She also recounts her experience with a non-profit for mental and behavioral health before becoming communications manager. Nancy and Liz discuss the varied responsibilities, including managing social media, public relations and larger church communications. Their discussion also touches on the upcoming Episcopalian Communicators Conference, set to take place in Portland, Maine. The conference's aim is to build community amongst communicators and equip them with crucial tools. Liz discusses the importance of crisis communication within the church community, and Nancy provides details about her upcoming keynote and crisis communications workshop.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:18 Liz Williams: Her Journey and Role in the Episcopalian Diocese of Georgia

02:21 The Importance of Communication in Ministry

04:14 The Role of Branding and Social Media in Evangelism

05:32 Details about the Upcoming Episcopal Communicators Conference

08:12 Choosing Conference Locations and the Excitement for Portland, Maine

10:45 The Importance of Crisis Communications in the Church

16:12 Break and Book Promotion

17:08 The Power of Personal Branding and Networking

24:34 The Importance of Empathy and Compassion in Crisis Communications

24:39 Details about the Crisis Communications Workshop

30:34 How to Register for the Conference

33:04 Liz's Recommended Podcast and Contact Information

35:18 Closing Remarks and Anticipation for the Conference

About Liz Liz Williams is the communications manager for the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. She has a deep passion for the church and its liturgy, hymns and compassion for others. Liz has served in various positions within the church and has found her calling in ministry and communications. She has also worked for a nonprofit in mental and behavioral health for children and families. Liz's career path led her to her current role as the communications manager for the diocese. She is excited about the upcoming Episcopal Communicators Conference in Portland, Maine, where she will be a keynote speaker and workshop presenter. Liz emphasizes the importance of personal branding and growing a network of connections. She believes in the power of listening and making others feel seen and heard. Additionally, Liz will be co-presenting a crisis communications workshop, where she will discuss the importance of empathy, compassion and planning in effectively communicating during times of crisis.

In this episode, host Nancy Marshall speaks with Sean Riley, president and CEO of Maine Course Hospitality Group (MCHG), about his career and network. Sean explains how his career in hospitality started after having been a high school teacher and the journey his career took before joining MCHG. Sean emphasizes the importance of a strong company culture and an employee first attitude. Social media has made it possible to further engage with employees as well as build a network. Sean describes how he uses social media and how it benefits all of his relationships, personally and professionally.

00:00 Introduction to The PR Maven® Podcast

01:03 Introducing Guest: Sean Riley

03:27 How Sean's Career Went From Teaching to Hospitality

07:55 Building Company Culture

09:18 Using Social Media To Share Positive Impact

11:43 Doing What Is Important to You

16:24 Building a Personal and Professional Network

19:01 Measuring Success

24:55 How Sean Built His Network

31:29 How Sean Has Fun and Engages With Associates

34:13 How Networking Can Enable You To Learn From Others

About Sean

Sean began his career in hospitality in 1982 as the general manager of a 19-room motel and cottage business in Wells, Maine, that he ran with his wife Dayna while teaching high school special ed. A few years later, with experience running larger hotels, Sean switched full time into the hotel business. After working at a couple of hotels that ended up closing, Sean worked for a bank until MCHG bought their first hotel. Over time, MCHG bought more and more hotels and Sean held many positions throughout the company until becoming the president and CEO. Today, Sean is most proud of the culture that MCHG has created, positively impacting lives every day.

Episode 172: People Over Price, With Tim Winkeler, President and CEO of VIP Tires & Service

Social Media Basics Series: Find All Episodes Here

Episode 104: How to grow an already established brand, with Karl Strand, general manager at Sugarloaf

Bonus Q&A

What is the one thing that MCHG does that has the most impact to make people feel welcome at your hotels?

Simply put, but not always easy to do… take care of our people. They will take care of the guests and the guests will keep coming back.

A culture of caring for our people is a distinguishable difference. Lots do it, but our purpose is "to positively impact lives." We start that with associates first. We can't demand that guests be taken care of if we aren't first caring about our people. Not just with money and benefits, but in caring for them as people. Family is one of our core values and it is commonly used throughout the organization. It's not just a word on the website or said by me. It is embraced.

Fun is another value that can be seen and felt by guests. And that DEFINITELY has to start at the top. Think about the last time you walked in and someone was having fun and turned to you. The REAL smile, the happy face. It is contagious!

Leaders need to set the pace! I need to set the pace.

How do you keep employees engaged in this era of quiet quitting?

No one is immune from what you called the "quiet quitting." But if we stay true to our culture and core values, it lessens the chance. Compassion for associates is the right thing to have, and in turn, it creates a caring environment. People need a refuge from their tough lives. Creating a caring environment can help them, not only in the work environment, but in their life outside of work. Long gone are the days of "these are the rules, this is the schedule you are required to work." Today it's about flexibility and managing by reason, not by rules. We don't get it right 100% of the time, but we try.

What are you the most proud of in your hospitality career?

To have participated in building a sustainable culture, and quite frankly, it's sustainable because it's much bigger than Sean Riley. I took part in the development and help to keep it growing, but it has truly been a culture driven from all levels of our organization. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and the culture would live on! This culture has allowed us to "positively impact lives." Do the math, if each of our 750 associates positively impacts the life of just one guest per day, we can positively impact over a quarter of a million people per year. It's a grandiose idea, but boy it feels good! I'm so proud of the people who make this possible every day! I am one proud Pop!

Sean's Mission Going Forward

As I mature into glasses and aches and pains, I think back on my career. It is time for me and other "seasoned" professionals to give back to the industries that treated us well. It's my mission going forward.

Seniors are welcome in the world. No one is truly old if you stay relevant. I try daily to stay relevant, admit I don't get it and learn to become more relevant. I use Chat GPT. In fact, everything I just said was AI driven. JK!!!!

In this episode, Raffi DerSimonian talks about his career doing public relations and marketing of the arts. As a Waterville, Maine, native, Raffi describes the renaissance going on in the city from arts to dining. Music has always been a passion of Raffi's. He describes his musical career and helping found Waterville Rocks. In addition to doing PR and marketing for the arts, Raffi is experienced in promoting higher education. Raffi shares some advice for schools and colleges to promote themselves as well as what to do when communicating during a crisis.

00:00 Introduction to the PR Maven Podcast

01:32 Introducing Guest: Raffi DerSimonian

02:58 The Importance of a Handwritten Note

11:33 How Video Can Drive Measurable Results

18:19 Waterville, Maine's Renaissance

23:37 How Waterville Rocks Was Founded

24:16 Music's Role in Raffi's Life

29:00 Raffi's Career Marketing the Arts

32:15 Advice for Schools When Promoting Themselves

36:22 Communicating During a Crisis

39:36 Helpful Resources

Related Episodes

Episode 128: The basics of handwritten notes and book writing, with Christine Richards, writer, nonfiction book consultant and graphic designer at Composition1206

Episode 118: How to communicate during a crisis, with Steve McCausland, communications specialist at Marshall Communications

Episode 168: How Marketing Can Help Overcome Challenges in Higher Education, With Cheryl Broom, CEO at Graduate Communications

About Raffi

With over 20 years experience in results-oriented public relations, marketing and communications, Raffi DerSimonian has cultivated a comprehensive understanding of the intersection between institutional marketing, communications, advancement and the arts. His experience includes leading new brand launches, developing marketing strategies, and planning advancement campaigns for a diverse range of institutions and organizations. Via RDS Group, Raffi works in highly collaborative settings, which allows him to effectively navigate a range of complex and large-scale initiatives.

Bonus Q&A

What marketing and PR techniques have you found to be the most impactful over the past year?

The integration of AI tools into our professional practice has been transformative. We're continuously astounded by their capabilities, marking a significant inflection point in virtually every field, and especially marketing, communications, PR and advancement. We view AI not just as a tool but as a paradigm shift, fundamentally changing our approach to our work.

Where will you be focusing your efforts in the year to come?

Our focus remains on leveraging our strengths: helping institutions and organizations amplify their mission by activating the power of strategy, creativity and technology. Our goal is simple: to increase engagement, response and impact.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone getting started in a PR career, what would it be?

My key advice for any aspiring professional is to embrace diversity in your experiences. There's ample time to specialize later. Engage in as many roles and challenges as possible – our field offers vast opportunities to apply your unique skills. Gaining broad experience helps in understanding where your strengths lie and what brings you the most satisfaction and joy in your career.

In this episode, Nancy talks with Tim Winkeler, president and CEO of VIP Tires & Service about PR, marketing and sponsorships. Tim describes his career and how VIP Tires & Service has grown since he started working there in 2010, with a focus on people rather than price. Nancy and Tim also discuss how they met after Nancy left a bad review about her experience at VIP. Nancy and Tim also talk about sponsorships and how VIP sponsors events their employees are involved in.

00:00 Introduction to the PR Maven Podcast

01:32 Introducing Guest: Tim Winkeler

03:07 Tim Winkeler's Career in the Auto Parts Industry

05:07 About VIP Tires & Service

06:40 How Nancy and Tim Met

13:11 VIP's Management Process

15:34 VIP Tires & Service's PR Strategy

18:52 Investing in People

26:39 VIP's Sponsorship of The Trek Across Maine in 2022

29:17 Sponsorships in VIP's Marketing Plan

33:06 Helpful Resources

Links

Competitive Edge - https://competitiveedge.tv/premiere-episode/

Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Certification - https://www.ase.com/

"Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink - https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs/dp/1250067057

Origin USA - https://originmaine.com/

Related Episodes

Episode 259: How To Attract and Retain Employees in Today's Labor Market

Episode 213: 2022 Golden Microphone Award Celebration With Tim Winkeler

Episode 217: Changing Customer Perceptions in the Automotive Repair Industry With PR and Marketing, Featuring Lynn Campbell, Director of Marketing, Advertising and CRM at VIP Tires & Service

Episode 61: Sean Riley, President and CEO of Maine Course Hospitality Group

About Tim

Tim is an accomplished people-focused leader with a track record of building high-performance teams that exceed expectations. Always focused on customer needs and feedback, he builds core competencies around making money by serving customers in different and better ways. Tim is a teacher at heart and learns every day by reading great books and meeting great people.

Bonus Q&A

VIP has a program they call "five-for-five." Explain what that means and how you implement it at your stores.

Five-for-five is all about focusing on the customer experience. We've identified the five key moments in a customer's visit to VIP where we take the extra step to build a relationship with the customer and to make sure their experience at VIP is memorable. The five-for-five customer engagement process is all about taking the extra time to build a relationship with the customer.

VIP has big plans for 2024. Tell us about where you are expanding.

For 2024, we will be opening some new locations and expanding some existing ones. We will be entering Connecticut for the first time with the acquisition of a shop in Waterbury. We will be opening our 9th shop in Massachusetts when we open our new shop in Brockton, and we will be expanding our operations in Maine in both our Yarmouth and Augusta shops. In addition, we have several more growth projects that I'm confident will be completed in the back half of the year.

What makes you the proudest of everything you have accomplished during your tenure at VIP?

What I enjoy most about being a member of the VIP team is interacting with our team members and getting to know them. The people-first culture that we've all worked to establish makes VIP a great place to work every day, and I'm proud to wear the "VIP Blues" and do my part to support our mission to "Earn Automotive Customers for Life."

In this episode of the PR Maven podcast, host Nancy Marshall welcomes guest Koty Potts, the digital manager at ER Marketing, to discuss how to amplify brand reach using traditional and digital networking methods. Koty shares his journey from an SEO specialist to a digital manager, stressing the benefit of combining SEO expertise with web development skills. He elaborates on his strategy of optimizing blog posts and regularly updating old content to improve search rankings. Koty believes that reusing and updating existing blog content is cost-effective and leads to better SEO outcomes compared to publishing new blog posts. He emphasizes the significance of understanding and responding to audience needs and competitive content to stay ahead and even recommends a few resources for anyone seeking to dive deeper into SEO and content marketing.

00:02 Introduction to the PR Maven Podcast

01:44 Introducing Guest Speaker: Koty Potts

01:56 Koty Potts: Journey in Digital Marketing

02:58 Optimizing Blog Posts for Search: A Deep Dive

03:20 The Power of Blogging and SEO

06:48 The Impact of SEO on Business Growth

09:45 The Art of Blog Post Optimization

15:21 The Importance of Regular Content Updates

15:32 The Role of Public Relations in Content Marketing

17:50 The Value of Consistent Blogging

27:08 The Impact of Backlinks on SEO

33:54 Conclusion and Contact Information

Mentioned

View screenshare (10:25)

"They Ask, You Answer" by Marcus Sheridan

"Building Better Brands" by Elton Mayfield

Search Engine Journal

Semrush

Hubspot

"Evergreen Affiliate Marketing" by Nate McCallister About Koty Koty Potts, Digital Manager at ER Marketing, initially joined as an SEO specialist and swiftly expanded his role into web development. With a keen eye for SEO, web development, and a strategic focus on reporting and analytics, Koty wears many hats in his current position.

Beyond his 9-to-5, Koty is a freelance filmmaker, photographer, and musician — a lifelong creator. His creative background aligns seamlessly with his digital expertise, making him a versatile professional.

Koty's standout trait is his insatiable curiosity. He thrives on learning, ensuring he masters any challenge. With a commitment to continuous growth, Koty is a valuable force in the dynamic landscape of digital marketing.

In this episode, Caili Elwell joins Nancy to share her career journey from hospitality to food allergy advocacy using public relations. After discovering her daughter had severe food allergies, Caili made a career shift, opening Mother Eats Proper to grow the conversation around food allergies. Caili shares her approach to PR and branding through this lens, emphasizing a craveable narrative. Caili also talks about the idea behind her documentary, "How Do We Make It Better?"

1:49 – Caili explains how her career started in hospitality and tourism before shifting to PR.

3:48 – Caili talks about discovering her daughter's food allergies and how that spurred a transition in her career.

7:58 – Caili shares some details about the documentary she is working on.

10:57 – Caili describes finding her path in hospitality.

18:00 – Caili shares her approach to branding and public relations through a craveable narrative.

19:53 – Caili explains what is important to know when working with her.

21:10 – Caili talks about meditation and grounding techniques.

24:19 – Caili shares a resource that has been helpful to her.

Quote "This food allergy community, too, is so fiercely loyal. The second that we find a place that we like that takes really good care of us, we are going to advocate for your establishment and tell everybody about it. So, I think it's worth investing time and energy into training your staff around food allergies because you will grow a giant extra demographic of loyal customers." – Caili Elwell, family food allergy advocate and public relations specialist/independent producer at Mother Eats Proper

Links:

Pulp + Wire: https://pulpandwire.com/

Maine Magazine: https://www.themainemag.com/

SKORDO: https://skordo.com/

Stray Arrow Media: https://www.strayarrowmedia.com/

How Do We Make It Better? Documentary fundraising: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/howdowemakeitbetter

The Expanded Podcast: https://tobemagnetic.com/expanded-podcast

About the guest:

Caili Elwell is the owner of Mother Eats Proper — a space for food allergy brands, private chefs, and dining experiences to gain public relations, affiliate program, and brand partnership support. Caili has worked under great mentors and believes that the work to make a great change is never done. It is because of her 4-year-old daughter who has over seven severe food allergies and her background in food CPG branding and hospitality management that she decided to open her doors to food allergy-safe brands and spaces exclusively believing the conversation around the food allergy customer deserves more of non-allergy safe brands and establishments' time.

Looking to connect:

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cailielwell/

Website: www.mothereatsproper.com