Now, with that being said, it doesn’t mean your flashy website is now obsolete – it just means you’re offering your customers one more way to reach you where they spend the most time – on their mobile devices. In a nutshell, if you’re not reaching your customers and prospects through mobile, you’re missing out on at least half of all Internet users.

As important as your mobile site is, it’s important to remember a few rules when it comes to building your mobile site:

• -First, simpler is better – your mobile site is simply a smaller, graphically toned-down version of your main website. Mobile networks are not uniform and while one mobile user may be at the new 4G technology, another may not which means graphic downloading time will vary. You want to offer your customers the same great content on your main site, but without too many graphics to download.
• -If you have a form on your mobile site, keep it short. People aren’t able to enter a bunch of information while they’re doing other things. If you have to use a form, ask for name and email on your mobile site and collect the rest of their information later on.
• -Any telephone numbers on your website should be “click to talk” making it easier for your customers and prospects to contact you.

Don’t pass up the simple way to reach your customers where they are. We all live in an “I want it now” society – give your customers what they want, where they want it and allow them to reach you through your high content, low graphic mobile site.  Want one for your biz? Give us a call today at (813) 388-9384.

Heather Sell, Founder
ShoutOUT Tampa Bay

In 2009, my life was changed forever. It was a big year…my first son was born, I quit my corporate job to venture off on my own and start my own business, and I met Andy Butler.

Andy was born in January of 2009 to his parents Audra and Alan. As with any new parents, they were overcome with joy at the birth of their first son with big dreams and hopes for a lifetime of love,  joy and happiness. He was healthy at birth, but within weeks, their hopeful dreams were shattered as Andy was soon diagnosed with the most severe type of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Type 1, a debilitating disease and the #1 genetic killer of children under the age of two. Audra’s words: “It’s every parents worst nightmare.”

Needless to say, at 20 weeks, Andy took his last breath after a valiant fight. At such a young age, he touched a lot of lives and he will most certainly never be forgotten. His parents showed unimaginable strength in a battle they knew they were going to lose…but they carried on, for Andy. Now, with Andy watching from above, they continue the fight in Andy’s honor, with the hopes that other families don’t have to suffer a loss like theirs.

Just prior to Andy’s death, my son was born in April. And with such life-changing events going on around me, I realized that life is far too short to not live out your passion. It was Andy, and the strength of the Butler family, that gave me the courage to take an enormous leap of faith and start Limelight. The day I made the decision, a dragonfly landed on my shoulder and I knew that Andy was giving me the encouragement I needed to move on.

This story isn’t meant for sadness, but to introduce you to a cause that is near and dear to our hearts both personally and here at Limelight. I’m happy to say that Andy has a beautiful and healthy little one-year old sister, Lucy. She will always have a strong big brother watching over her.

We proudly sponsor and donate whatever we can for FSMA, the Greater Florida Chapter, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Butler family in Andy’s Army. On November 19, we will be walking in the 3rd Annual Walk N Roll at Ft. DeSoto Park. Each year, we donate our time and talents to create a brochure and t-shirts for the event. If we can help raise awareness and touch just one life like the Butler family changed mine, then it’s the very least we could do.
For more information about Andy Butler and his touching story, go to www.andysarmy.com.

To donate or walk in the FSMA Walk N Roll event on November 19, please click here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I encourage you to support causes that are meaningful to you and can help make a difference. Below is the collateral we’ve designed for FSMA Walk N Roll efforts in 2010 and 2011! Just click on the images to see them full size.

However, with the growth of the social media in recent years, the scope of the PIO’s role has broadened. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media technologies now play a major role in people’s daily lives, and the traditional media (newspapers, TV, and radio) also is evolving. The news is becoming more personalized and interactive. In fact, research has shown that 75 percent of people get news forwarded to them through e-mail or through posts on social networking sites – not from the traditional news media on which the PIO once relied.

At Limelight, we believe that this shift of focus to more interactive, local news content means opportunity for you. Because the social media provides real-time, interactive user feedback, creative participation, and community formation around an issue, we think that it is a great tool for a PIO to utilize to build grassroots support for a project. Our grasp of the changing media landscape, plus our proven experience with the social media, will allow our team to better connect with the community you serve and to provide important project information to them in a more meaningful way.

We believe that a custom, integrated approach to project communications will yield the best result. With every project, Limelight’s team members work to build and foster a web-based presence (through a project website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), to participate and engage with our target audience, and to get the word out about the project to the impacted community. And, perhaps the most important step while working with a public agency, we make sure to document every step.

Use a QR code on your Fact Sheets or Informational Fliers!

Through our team’s extensive experience serving government agencies and municipalities, we understand the policies and procedures under which we must operate. We are very familiar with the Sunshine Law, and all of our communications are written without jargon for the greatest level of accessibility. We ensure that all of our public information techniques are appropriate for the specific project and are clearly outlined in the community awareness plans we prepare, while complying with all agency standards. As an added value, Limelight Marketing Consultants also is certified by the state of Florida as a woman-owned, minority business (W/MBE).

We look forward to working with you on your public involvement or community outreach campaign and hope you will see what a difference it makes to be in “The Limelight.”

Having a solid actionable marketing plan is vital in business. Without a plan, how do you know where you’re going or where you’ve been? Have you laid out a budget? Who is going to help you execute your plan? How can you tell if your efforts are successful or budget pitfalls?

Many businesses don’t create a plan because it’s too overwhelming or they don’t understand the value of it.  But a solid plan is just as important a having a working phone number.

Give yourself a couple of months to create the plan and it doesn’t have to be set in stone. Your company and marketplace will evolve and your plan should too. It’s a living, breathing document that will help guide your day-to-day activities.

So, what is a marketing plan and why do you need one? The purpose of the marketing plan is to define your market, identify your customers and competitors, determine your strengths and weaknesses, outline a strategy for attracting and keeping customers, and to identify and anticipate change.

Knowing your customers is the cornerstone to your success. If you don’t know their likes, dislikes or expectations how do you assume to fulfill their need? If you’re marketing to the wrong target market, you’re wasting a lot of time, energy and hard-earned money. Market research will help you identify who your ideal customer is and ultimately, how to reach them. You may want to outsource this task to professionals to ensure you have pinpointed your various target markets. Remember, you may also have secondary and tertiary markets that are just as vital to your outreach plan.

Also, make sure you have identified your competition including their strengths and weaknesses. How and what are their marketing efforts? What is successful for them? Learning and understanding your competitive landscape will better enable you to position and target your message.

Set your goals and objectives. This is like a big To Do list for your company. Identify who will accomplish these goals and when you anticipate completion. Be bold! If you want to be a 3-million dollar company in three years, why not set that expectation for yourself and your company? Mary Kay Ash, one of the most successful women in business said, “Shoot for the moon and you’ll land among the stars.”

Establish a budget. At Limelight, we get this question all the time: “What should my marketing budget look like?” Here is a fantastic chart released by Marketing Sherpa on marketing budgets based on company size. You have to spend money to make money…let me say that again, you have to spend money to make money.  I know companies are holding on tight to every single penny and watching every dollar and how it’s being spent. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spend your money wisely and there are MANY cost-effective marketing options out there to explore, but consider it this way: Give me a nickel, I’ll give you a dollar.

Marketing budgets based on company size by Marketing Sherpa

In a sluggish economy, it’s so important that you keep marketing. Competitors may be cutting their marketing budgets or doing away with them all together. By continuing marketing efforts, you will stand out from the competition.

In sum, without a well thought out plan, you will be reacting, which could lead to additional spending that is not aligned strategically with your sales objectives and goals for the year.

Make sure your plan has a timeline, assigned responsibilities with deadlines, a budget and specific objectives. Include anticipated outcomes so that you can track and measure your results. If you keep track of what works best, you will have the data to make even better decisions of where to spend your marketing budget in the future.

If you need an analysis of your company’s goals and planning efforts, please give us a shout. We want to see you succeed and if we can help you chart the path to your success, then, we’ve done our job. Let’s Skype or meet for coffee!

July 3, 2011 | Pensacola News Journal

http://www.pnj.com/article/20110703/NEWS01/107030327/17-marketing-firms-vie-contract-City-Pensacola

Seventeen marketing agencies from across the country want a contract with the City of Pensacola to provide marketing and advertising services.

The firms met last week’s deadline to submit a proposal for what is expected to be a broad-based, three-year contract to market the city to residents, potential residents and visitors.

“We want to create a citywide branding effect for Pensacola,” Mayor Ashton Hayward said.

The contract includes providing marketing and advertising services to help increase passenger traffic at the city’s airport, add natural gas customers for the city-owned Energy Services of Pensacola, market the Port of Pensacola, and assist all city departments with general advertising.

The city last had a general public information and advertising services contract about 3½ years ago with the Pensacola ad agency E.W. Bullock Associates. But that contract did not include the scope of services the new contract seeks.

Bullock still has separate marketing/advertising contracts for the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and ESP. The airport contract expires Sept. 30; the ESP contract expires March 31, 2013. The city is looking to combine these contracts and add additional services for general city departments.

Local proposals

Four Pensacola firms have submitted proposals, including Bullock, AC Advertising Agency, and idgroup consulting and creative. BPM Photography and Multimedia of Pensacola also has submitted a proposal in conjunction with the Zimmerman Agency of Tallahassee.

There is no requirement in the request that the winning company have an office in Pensacola.

The process for selecting the top firm has not yet been decided, city spokesman Travis Peterson said. A selection committee often is involved.

What is known is that the agency’s fee will not be an initial consideration, said George Maiberger, city purchasing manager. Once the top-ranked firm has been selected, based strictly on the proposal, the city will enter negotiations with that firm, he said.

The submissions

Here’s a look at the 17 agencies that submitted proposals:

» 21st Century Productions Inc., based in Tampa, has teamed up with Vistra Communications, The Valerin Group and UDMS Urban Development and Mobility Solutions, all based in Tampa, and R&R Partners of Las Vegas to form a business alliance called Team Pensacola. The firms have five years experience as a team.

R&R has been seen as the steward of the Las Vegas branding effort “What happens here, stays here.”

» Appleton Creative, based in Orlando, is a 25-year-old, woman/minority-owned business. Its clients have included Orlando International Airport and RE/MAX.

» AC Advertising Agency of Pensacola is owned by Audra Carter and has created an alliance with Southern Media Inc. of Pensacola, owned by James R. Grimes Sr. AC clients have included Coastal Lifestyle Magazine, the Early Learning Coalition, and the Community Maritime Park. Southern Media has worked on local political campaign ads and has represented IP Casino Resort and Five Flags Speedway.

» The Eleven Inc., based in St. Louis, is a military veteran-owned firm established in 2001. Clients have included the City of St. Louis Department of Revenue; the St. Louis Cardinals and the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission in St. Louis.

» E.W. Bullock Associates. Clients include the City of Pensacola, Visit Pensacola, Emerald Coast Utilities Authority and Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

» Gold & Associates Inc., based in Ponte Vedra Beach, has served the cities of Cape Coral, Atlanta and Asheville, N.C.; airports, including Hartsfield-Jackson and Tampa International; natural gas suppliers and ports. Gold would create a Pensacola office if selected.

» idgroup consulting & creative of Pensacola is a woman-owned business founded 22 years ago and owned by Mona Amodeo. Clients have included the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council, the University of Southern Mississippi and Woodlands Medical Specialists.

» Limelight Marketing Consultants, a young Tampa-based woman-owned/minority business, has joined forces with Miami-based Infinite Source Communications Group and Tampa-based Marketing in Color. Work includes campaigns for the cities of Miami and North Bay Village and the Pinellas County Housing Authority.

» LWT Communications of Montgomery, Ala., has been in business since 1959. Clients have included the City of Montgomery, Ala.

» MGSCOMM, which stands for Machado Garcia-Serra Communications, is Miami based. It’s Hispanic-owned and operated. Campaigns include Visit Orlando, Hyundai and BellSouth.

» Mulberry Marketing Communication, based in London, has offices in three U.S. cities. Clients include Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Olympics’ information for the transit authority during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

» Noise Inc., a Sanibel-based company with 25 years experience. Campaigns include Visit Milwaukee, Ohio Division of Tourism, Six Flags and USBank.

» The Petermann Agency, based in Fort Walton Beach, has been in business since 1972. Clients include Florida’s Gulfarium, Dale E. Peterson Vacations and Okaloosa Gas District.

» Redhaus Design, based in Portland, Ore. Clients include Avalex Technologies in Pensacola, The Grand Marlin Restaurant in Pensacola and Bogs footwear.

» Revolution Agency is a 14-year-old Washington, D.C.-headquartered company working with Front Line Strategies’ Florida office and Tallahassee-based Steel Communications and N-tersections Communications. Clients have included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Home Depot and Marriott International.

» Smith Advertising & Associates Inc., based in Fayetteville, N.C., has been in business 37 years with offices in five cities. Clients have included Subway, Duke University Health System and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

» The Zimmerman Agency, based in Tallahassee, has teamed up with Birdwell Photography and Multimedia Inc. of Pensacola, owned by Jane Birdwell. Zimmerman was founded in 1987. Clients have included Perdido Key Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Community Maritime Park and Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency.

On Friday, June 10, Girls Night Parties & Events, Limelight Marketing Consultants and spa50 bring you Mommy’s Time Out! held at The Rack in Brandon from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. All proceeds from the Mommy’s Time Out! event will benefit Camelot Community Care, a national non-profit child welfare and behavioral health organization committed to providing quality services to children and families that are client focused and strength based.

As part of Dr. Dae’s Secrets from a Sex Therapist series, Mommy’s Time Out! will cover the navigational challenges of GPS: *Great Parental Sex, Finding YOUR Way to the Intersection of Mommyhood and Sexytown!

Dr. Dae asks, “Are you missing that passionate connection you once had with your partner? Are you both too stressed out (and taking it out on each other) to even think about making IT happen? With all of the distractions in our busy lives, how can we get back to truly enjoying one another?”

She hopes that Moms will use this workshop as a roadmap to finding their way back to themselves, their relationships and the happy, healthy sex life that all Moms deserve.

Enjoy fabulous food, drinks, mini-spa services, door prizes, swag bags and more for a suggested $25 donation. Tickets are available online now at http://mommystimeout.eventbrite.com/ . Space is limited and this event is guaranteed to sell out.

Generous sponsors include The Rack, Girls Night Parties & Events, spa50, Opici Wine Company and Limelight Marketing Consultants. For more questions, please call (813) 388-9384 or email mommystimeouttampa@gmail.com for more details.

###

About Dr. Dae Sheridan: Dae C. Sheridan, Ph.D is a professor of Human Sexuality, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (FL MH#7154), a Board Certified Clinical Sexologist and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor with a private consulting and psychotherapy practice in Tampa, Florida.

A recognized speaker and commentator on sexual and mental health issues, Dr. Sheridan regularly presents her research and participates as a featured expert for television, internet and other media outlets. She specializes in issues of relationships, communication, intimacy, desire, arousal, sexual dysfunction, reproductive health, infertility, sexual trauma, adjustment to disability, sexuality education,adolescent development, parenting, stress, anger, anxiety and depression.

Dr. Sheridan is available for individual counseling, couples counseling, and interactive workshops designed to educate, empower, inspire and re-ignite your passion for life and one another. Follow Dr. Sheridan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DrDae.

About Camelot Community Care: All proceeds benefit Camelot Community Care, a national non-profit child welfare and behavioral health organization committed to providing quality services to children and families that are client focused and strength based. Programs include In Home Counseling, Therapeutic Foster Care, Outpatient counseling, Case Management, and adoptions. Camelot Community Care operates in 3 states serving over 5000 families.  For more information about Camelot Community Care, please visit: www.camelotcommunitycare.org.