Archives: May 2010

Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday of May, commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the American military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.

This 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances of the day in several towns throughout America that had taken place in the three years since the Civil War. In fact, several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Miss.; Macon, Ga.; Richmond, Va.; Boalsburg, Pa.; and Carbondale, Ill.

In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America’s wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)

Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice-president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. About 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.

Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.

Here is a great article I found at http://www.insiderreports.com/storypage.asp?StoryID=20008231

8 Ways Small Businesses Can Generate Good Publicity

by  Isabel  M  Isidro

Small businesses today cannot afford to be isolated; competition has become so fierce that entrepreneurs must constantly seek attention from outsiders. These outsiders include the media, consumer or advocacy group, or even the government. Especially with the advent of e-commerce, change now comes at a lightning speed that small businesses need to struggle harder just to be heard from the noise of the crowd.

Why should your small or home-based business worry about getting good publicity? Is it really worth all the time and hassle? There are a number of very good reasons why you should generate as much favorable publicity for your business, agency, or group as you possibly can:

1. Promoting your organization is simply smart investment. Promoting your business name, products and activities are critical for the survival of any business. You cannot simply open a store (whether online or traditional) and wait for customers to come in droves! You need to get the word out that you exist, and that only you could fill out their business needs. Side-by-side with an advertising strategy, make sure that your business has an aggressive promotional strategy. Every positive article or photo published in the daily newspaper, every favorable one-minute clip on the early evening news, every complimentary mention in some specialty newsletter or magazine is FREE! Sure, it may cost a bit of staff time for the preparation of press materials, or communication expenses to help you get to know the appropriate contact persons. But it did not cost you anywhere near the big bucks that the same number of column inches in the newspaper or the same amount of airtime on the TV news would have cost if you’d paid for it as advertising! That’s not a bad return on investment.

2. You get more audience attention with editorial coverage. Aside from being able to save advertising dollars, you gain more viewer or reader attention with every free mention in the print media and coverage on electronic media. Paid ads can be glossed over, skipped or even totally ignored. But if your business is the focus of an article, or gets mentioned favorably in a business column, you are able to capture the attention of the readers and engage them in your news story. You’ll get far more reader or viewer attention from free editorial space or time than you will from an equal amount of paid ad space or time.

3. It is free! For some organizations the free publicity that is available through the media may be the only way they can afford to reach the public. This is especially true some small start-up businesses and home-based entrepreneurs that may have lots of marketing energy but little or no marketing budget. Raise continuous public awareness for your business. You can achieve this by constant press releases, or even submission of articles to industry publications. Get your organization’s name printed or mentioned as often as possible in the media!

4. It is more credible. It is a fact: news is more believable than advertising. People have more faith in what they read in newspapers or magazine and in what they hear from radio or TV commentators than they have in paid advertising. For the audience, a third-party comment implies objectivity. And for the media to run it in their print or electronic publications, it simply means that they have faith in the story and know that it is not pure drivel.

5. You can sell products through publicity. Sales pitches are by no means limited to paid advertising. Publicity can be effectively used as a sales tool and a come-on for potential customers. Writing about the benefits of a technology that your company developed surely will lead to greater awareness for your product, and ringing cash registers. In travel and hospitality industry, those ‘rah rah’ feature articles about fun places to go and all those favorable restaurant reviews in the newspapers and magazines are most certainly “selling’ you on those spots as somewhere you should visit. A feature article from Wall Street Journal, for example, can cause your phone to ring off the hook and clog your emails with inquiries.

6. Publicity can even generate revenue, make money for you. Taking publicity a step higher, your organization can produce a free-distribution newsletter as a public relations tool, disseminated to media, industry specialists and target market. As more people find your newsletter valuable, you can now convert it into paid subscriptions. Several industries have successfully used this approach, from the health and fitness industry, to travel industry. Or another approach may be to put together a collection of articles you’ve generated into a pamphlet or booklet and marketing it. For example, this might work well for a how-to business, such as a hardware store or home center. Finally, sometimes you can even get paid for writing an article for a magazine or journal, especially if you have some unique expertise to offer.

7. Your increase your organization’s credibility. Regular (positive) exposure in the media legitimizes your business in the eyes of the community. Media appearances greatly boost the perceived value of whatever you offer the public. You will be giving out the message that not only does your business exist; but also it must be important to warrant the attention of the media. People have this perception, further fueled by media itself, that if something’s in the paper or on TV, then it must be significant and valuable. If your organization or name constantly gets media attention or coverage, doors can easily open for you; including that previously elusive bank loan. It could also help make hiring employees easier. Regular mentions in the media say to the community, ‘We’re here to stay. We’re not some fly-by-night outfit that’s here today and gone tomorrow. We’re neighbors, part of the community.”

8. Publicity can help you rise above your competition. The more media appearances you make, the more your organization’s name will come up when they think “leather goods” or “restaurant.” Publicity can give you a three-fold effect: you earn publicity by setting yourself apart from the competition; then it gives you a higher profile; then feeling better about yourself, you become more visible.

In today’s hypercompetitive environment, aiming for free media coverage makes good business sense. Publicity will cost you nothing but time and energy; but it will allow you to reach results that maybe you yourself never imagined. And don’t get too busy to celebrate any sort of publicity coup. The glow of passing the word to the public about you or your organization can be warm and sweet. Enjoy it!

Success Architects, an interactive online marketing company and, Strategic Management Think Tank.  The company, located in Orange County, FL., provides “smart and sticky” websites, ecommerce integration, membership websites and coaching in Social Networking.  The company is spearheaded by infrastructure guru Paul Bonnallie.  He has assembled a powerful and unique group of talented experts that provide a coaching program for business professionals who would like to leverage Social Networking and the power of internet marketing.

Paul Bonnallie has worked with hundreds of business owners across the nation helping them leverage Social Networking. His simple marketing solutions and “Influence with Integrity” methods have helped companies immediately increase their sales.  Paul experienced a variety of sales and marketing positions before starting his own company in 2000. He has been able to prove his techniques and methods by taking startup companies to million dollar sales levels in a short amount of time. In his 18 years of management experience he has worked with small business owners, startup companies, and America’s top entrepreneurs.

Having worked in the Internet space for over 18 years, He has mastered online tools and taught individuals and companies how to leverage their expertise into million dollar results.  He personally owns and manages 4 membership websites. His knowledge comes from hands on experience not made up theories.  He is noted for being one of “The World’s Foremost Authorities on Membership Websites” and has helped propel companies to the Inc 500’s list of fasted growing private companies. He is highly acclaimed as a brilliant innovator and marketer.

Many clients have been quoted as saying, “I had more ideas in 1 week from Paul then I did in my entire 25 years in business”. Another client said, “Paul Bonnallie… His energy and passion is contagious!”  Paul is the author of the eBook “Internet Sales… The wave of the Future”, which gives users a simple step by step process to effortlessly grow their business.

Technology and how to effectively use it in business, is what Paul has dedicated over 20 years of his life to.  He recognized early that success in the technology industry would depend on more than great engineers who could build anything and great business people who could sell anything. It is also necessary for the two groups to be able to communicate.  To that end, Mr. Bonnallie pursued an educational background in both technical (Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering) and non-technical (International Business) areas as well as acquiring industry certification.

Whether it was working in Large Scale Program Management, in Network Engineering, or as a Technical Business Consultant, Paul has been in the position of having to understand the latest technologies, communicate with “hard core” engineers, and, at the same time, be able to relate this to corporations and Service Providers.

Paul Bonnallie is known to be a modern day “Rain Maker” propelling business onto the internet and launching aggressive marketing campaigns and leveraging ecommerce platforms.  His unique ability to understand and use both new and traditional technologies while maintaining the motto “Ride the Wave, not the Bleeding Edge” brings an invaluable asset to any organization and its goal to use the best technology to provide the best quality product at the best price.  He is consistently involved in shaping strategic direction; and operates with a straightforward, result oriented management style, which is backed with a philosophy of “influence with integrity”. These strong facets are further complemented by his uncompromising standard of excellence.

“Do some sort of check of yourself in which you re-evaluate what exactly it is that you are working for. If it is fun and relaxation that you are after, maybe you are actually passing it by without even realizing it.  “The fun you seek is right there in front of your face, and it would be best if you take advantage of it now instead of waiting until some magic hour at which point you feel you have earned it.  Remember to live in the Moment.”  “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, I would  rather to skid in broadside thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming…. Wow what a ride!”