What is Inbound Marketing, You Ask?

If Inbound Marketing Was Easy….

If inbound marketing was easy, everyone would do it. For years, businesses have clung to the outbound marketing concept - cold calls, advertising, billboards, direct mail. You know what I’m talking about, you’re doing it today in your business and have been for years. But do you balance that work with inbound marketing? If you’re not familiar with the term, “inbound marketing,” I ask you this - are you familiar with search? With google? Do you know why some businesses rank higher in organic search than others? If you are, then inbound marketing will come easy to you. If not, hang tight, we’re going for a quick and fast ride!

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Tags: Facebook, inbound marketing, Linkedin, Minneapolis PR agency, YouTube

Hirshfield’s is helping bring color to Japan

Local paint manufacturer and retailer, Hirshfield’s, has been selling paint to Japanese retailers for over eight years now. Sales have seen a big boost in the last few months due to post-tsunami rebuilding and changing tastes. Jason Boedigheimer, operations director for Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing, says orders to Japan have easily increased 100 fold since the March tsunami. You can read more about HIrshfield’s relationship with Japanese paint retailers in this recent article in the Star Tribune.

Tags: Hirshfield's, Hirshfield's Paint Manufacturing, Star Tribune

Professional Advice from Dad

My father was a man of few words. He rarely told me what to do and he never gave me professional advice when I entered the work force, save this one thing. One night, early in my career as a salesperson I made a flippant comment about my job and employer saying, essentially, “they don’t pay me enough to do that.” This phrase is not uncommon with “they” meaning the employer and “that” meaning my job. My dad said simply, “Don’t ever think like that. You do the best job you can regardless of the pay.” He continued saying, “if people were paid by the amount of work they do, the world would look very different.”

My dad passed away in 2001 and I am constantly reminded of the many things he taught me as I go through my life today. Few words from a man who had great perspective and vast knowledge.

Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.

Tags: advice, Dad, employer, Good Business, jobs

Life Lessons in Simple Challenges

At Heavenly Valley ski resort in South Lake Tahoe, California there’s a black diamond run called, “Gunbarrel.” When I was a kid, my dad used to talk about this run as if it was “un-skiable.” You’d have to be a maniac to ski “Gunbarrel” from top to bottom, that or be willing to face a certain death, according to Ed Heil Sr. Well, I skied it as an 11-year old and amazingly I survived. In fact, I can’t think of a ski run that I wouldn’t go down.

It’s interesting how moments like this teach you things about yourself as you go through life. I was terrified, but survived to tell the story. We can live life without challenging ourselves and be totally content, but what opportunities might we miss if we don’t put ourselves “out there.” Looking down “Gunbarrel” is still a little daunting, but looking up when you’re done is pure satisfaction.

Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media and crisis communications. Follow Ed on Twitter @erheil.

Tags: Edward Heil Sr., Gunbarrel, Heavenly Valley, ski

Hirshfield’s Partners with Second Harvest Nov. 10-28

If you’ve got some pre-Thanksgiving painting projects to knock out this weekend, swing by Hirshfield’s and bring some food. Yes, food! Working in partnership with the Second Harvest Heartland, Hirshfield’s is taking your food donations between November 10-28 and helping to re-stock our local food shelves. When you bring in your donation, you’ll receive 20% of Hirshfield’s brand paint, which by the way, is locally manufactured so you’re also helping local business!

As you know, this is a difficult time for many families so please consider helping out Second Harvest Heartland, even if you don’t need to pick up any paint.

Tags: Food Shelves, fundraising videos, Hirshfield's, media relations, Minneapolis, non profit, Second Harvest Heartland, StoryTeller Media & Communications, Thanksgiving, Twin Cities, Video Services

The Everlasting Christmas Shopping Season

I don’t watch much television these days and when I do it’s usually either a news show or a sporting event. Sorry, NBC, but “must see TV” doesn’t really get seen in our house. That said, I’ve noticed the surge of Christmas shopping advertisements on TV and frankly I find it a bit obnoxious. “Black Friday” hype wasn’t enough, now it has to be “Black Friday,” before Friday, just in case it’s red Friday instead of black! I get it, I understand and appreciate the challenges of retailers, but I wonder at times, where does it end? Will we some day start seeing “early Christmas shopping” specials in August? I can hear it now, “it’s not too early to get a jump on Christmas!”

When our kids were little we used to read to them a Sesame Street story called “Elmo Saves Christmas.”

In the story, Elmo, is granted a wish and he asks that every day be Christmas. Well, that was a great idea until the little red muppet realized that if every day is Christmas, the holiday is really not that special anymore. As I look at the growing Christmas shopping season I think about Elmo and wonder, “where does it end?” Will retailers extend the season so long that Christmas morning gets lost in the sales and deep discounts? Or have we already reached that point?

Tags: Bloomington, Communications, Elmo Saves Christmas, Good Business, media, media relations, Minneapolis, MN, PR, Sesame Street, St. Paul, storyteller, Twin Cities, Video Services

The I Generation

Has anyone labeled this current generation of teenagers? I mean, we have Gen Y, Gen-X, Boomers, etc. How about this: Gen-I? It would be fitting, wouldn’t it? This group has grown up with the iPod, iPod touch, iPod shuffle, iTunes, iPhone and iPad. Heck, if they have $100 a year, they can even have a me.com account. My question is, will this be a generation that has the ability to think of anyone but themselves first? You say, well, at least there’s YouTube, but even their moniker is “Broadcast Yourself.”

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Tags: discipline, employment, generation, jobs, kids, media relations, StoryTeller Media & Communications, Video Services, YouTube

Father’s Day Gift

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Aperitif Restaurant & Bar Opens in Woodbury

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Tags: Aperitif Restaurant and Bar, Communications, media, PR, Video Services

Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

I had not one but two delicious, fabulous, mouth-watering Thanksgiving Day feasts.  Turkey, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, oh my!  And this is just the beginning.  As I look at the calendar, the next four weeks are full of holiday parties, dinners out, family gatherings, and other events that will be teeming with scrumptious spreads.  It’s no wonder that so many Americans struggle with weight gain over the holidays.

Despite the temptations that surround us, there are strategies we can implement to prevent weight gain while enjoying the festivities:

• Eat a healthy breakfast. Be sure to start your day off with a nutritious breakfast—preferably one that includes protein and whole grains (such as peanut butter on whole wheat toast) as well as some fruit and dairy.  Be sure to eat healthy snacks throughout the day.  The last thing you want to do is arrive at a party feeling famished and then eat everything in sight.

• Carefully select food choices.  Think about what you want to “spend” your calories on.  Skip the “ho-hum” dishes and enjoy your favorites, considering which ones are healthier and keeping portion sizes in mind.  You may opt to skip gravy and other high-calorie condiments.  Remember that old habits die hard.  Are you truly hungry enough for seconds, or are you heading back for more just because that’s what you usually do?

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Tags: Avoid holiday weight gain, Blogging, CobornsDelivers, healthy holiday eating, holiday weight gain