Mini-Biz Buzz

I came across this great site, MyKnowledgeGenie.com It is a site that allows you to “package” things you know in a way that guides the viewer through specific steps. You can use your Genie in whatever way best serves your needs. You can educate employees, market new products, reinforce employee training, catalog documents or provide customers with the information they need. You can also use Knowledge Genie to make some money from what you know.

The instructions for building your Genie are very clear. There is also a tutorial, which I highly recommend watching. As with so many service sites these days, there is a free plan, or you can upgrade to a paid plan. Start with the free plan. As you see how it works you may come up with your own ideas of how to put Knowledge Genie to work for you.

The free plan has no monthly fee and is capable of creating one Genie, but you can not incorporate the Google or PayPal options on the profile page (you can’t get paid for your one Knowledge Genie). But you can use it for any other purpose. It’s a good way to see if it’s something that has marketing or earning potential for you.

The Starter Plan is $24/month, you can create two Genies and you can add Google or PayPal account buttons to your profile page to collect payments. There are additional plans that allow for the creation of more Genies, but you get the idea.

Even if you don’t think this would be of use to you, check it out. I believe it could be a very effective marketing tool. If you do end up creating a Knowledge Genie, let me know so I can tell everyone about it. Knowledge Genie

Although I believe there is a DIY yourself option for everything, there are some things that are best handled by professionals. I think you should farm out the things you can’t stand doing and/or the things you’re really bad at. For instance, I don’t do anything “techie”. If I dedicated enough time and energy, I could figure it out, but I would be hating life. And I don’t believe in torturing myself (or those around me).

Another thing I don’t like doing is writing about myself. I can write about things I like, other people, and upcoming events until the cows come home. But I get writer’s block when it comes to writing about me and what I’m doing. This is why I’ll be contacting the Pitchy Chicks when I need a media pitch.

Their specialty is writing the perfect email pitch for you and your product, a pitch that will help you get the media attention you want. They have decades of PR experience between them and they will use that to your advantage, for a very affordable price. Here are a few things they offer:

Basic Pitch Edit ($200):
Email your pitch to them and they will send it back within a week, reworked to give your business the best chance for maximum media exposure.

In-Depth Pitch Edit (varies):
If your pitch requires a major reworking, they will let you know immediately, and work with you to come up with an affordable attack plan.

Social Media Tips ($400):
If you want guidance with your blog, tips to receive online reviews, offer giveaways, etc… Basically anything to do with online marketing.

You can waste a lot of time and money trying to get the attention your business needs, just to end up lost in a pile of other pitches. If you can afford it, spend a little up front to avoid some of the frustration. It’s a great semi-DIY option that I think you should check out. The Pitchy Chicks

At the beginning of the summer I wrote about The Body Patisserie (previous post) The founder, Shermaine Davis, suffers from eczema, and even the scented “for sensitive skin” products irritated her skin. She started testing natural products for herself, and developed a line of pastry scented bath gels and lotions.

Over the summer, Shermaine has been very busy with some DIY marketing and PR and I wanted to share her success with you. It is inspiring and is a great example of persistence and ingenuity paying off.

One of the things she did was search online for events that were hosting gifting suites and offering gift bags (before Wednesday’s email list existed). She then determined who the directors of the gifting events were, and sent them requests to have her product included. This trolling expedition paid off and her product is being included in the celebrity gift bags at the Palm Springs Film Festival in January 2010. This is an enormous opportunity for exposure. This goes to show that if you want something, ask. Sometimes you’ll get a yes.

She then went to the Ft. Lauderdale Gift Show, as an attendee, saving the expense of getting a booth. She brought samples and press kits and did her marketing on foot. The response was amazing, and she received orders from several boutiques. Additionally, Shermaine writes a blog related to her products and sends out a monthly newsletter. Both of these are filled with health tips and skin care information.

Because of her tremendous DIY marketing efforts, Shermaine has created a buzz about her products. She was recently invited to be a speaker at the 2010 Georgia Spring Fling (A Celebration of Soap and Candle Making) regarding the importance of product packaging.

You do not need a lot of money to get your business started. You just need a desire, a belief in yourself, and a willingness to take chances. It pays off much more often than you might guess. Shermaine’s success is proof of that. The Body Patisserie

Café Handmade is a great website that acts as an online flea market for those of you that offer handmade products. It is a network that connects those who love to buy handmade goods with those who create them.

The site is set up so that each participating seller gets a virtual booth. In this space is your shop name, your artist/shop profile, 5 product pictures (they can be changed up during your subscription period), a description of your work, links to your shop, blog and twitter, and a dedicated URL for your virtual booth for the duration of your reservation. Café Handmade offers additional marketing benefits, such as contests, and they actively promote their site.

The cost for all of this is $7 for 2 weeks, or $10 for 4 weeks. This is amazingly inexpensive for the additional exposure that you’ll get. Check them out here to see if they’re a good match for your company. Café Handmade

I highly recommend adding this blog to your list - and I recommend the book (The Toiletpaper Entrepreneur)  http://tinyurl.com/q3hawb