June 28, 2013, Sandy, Utah – Friday’s Sandy ELP meeting focused on one aspect of “mastering our message.” Jay
Taylor, Sandy’s site leader, reminded us that written communications have a long shelf life; they stay intact long after the words are “penned.” At Friday’s ELP meeting, the group focused on how to use the written word to gain exposure and credibility as our messages inform, interact with, and influence the marketplace.
The meeting was well attended with 35 participants, including several who were attending for the first time. Bobby James was introduced as the Sandy site’s new assistant site leader over marketing. Bobby talked about a strategy to create opportunities for ELP members using ELP’s blog. Chuck Chamberlain, ELP blog’s Editor-in-Chief, filled in some details of the plan by introducing the following opportunities:
Business Spotlight: There will be 24 slots each year (two per month) set aside for ELP members to submit compelling stories focused on – “Why am I in business doing what I’m doing?” If an entrepreneur doesn’t feel their “why” story is necessarily compelling and interesting to a larger audience, they could use those valuable slots to submit educational articles on subjects within the realm of their expertise. Jared Munk, Assistant Editor, is in charge of working with ELP members to develop these stories. In the meeting, Jared discussed the intent of the business spotlights, mentioning the need to stay away from content that is advertising.
Ad Hoc Articles: ELP members can submit additional educational articles showcasing their expertise on various subjects. As “ad hoc” articles, they wouldn’t have to fit within the business spotlight format, and could be submitted more often throughout the year. In a short paragraph at the top of these articles, the submitting member’s qualifications will be cited, including a mention of their business and possible links to their websites. If an ELP member has an interesting but complex subject to write about, it could develop into a multi-part series. In the following weeks, Chuck will produce a list of topics from which interested members could choose to develop pertinent articles, or they could submit their own topics for review.
Testimonials and More: ELP members can submit articles touting other members’ outstanding service or product quality. They could also discuss great service from local businesses that are not affiliated with ELP. In addition, Jay Taylor suggested writing book reviews on important books dealing with entrepreneurial issues.
An important point made during the meeting was the need to be thought leaders and experts in our various fields. Unless you’re a blogger, however, you rarely have the opportunity to gain recognition for your thoughts. Using the ELP blog as a platform, however, you don’t need to submit several articles each week, but you can still take advantage of the increasing exposure of the ELP site to garner interest in your ideas and build credibility in your field.
Submissions or inquiries about the blog should be forwarded to:
Chuck Chamberlain – chuck@chamberlainleadership.com
or
Jared Munk – jared_munk@hotmail.com