Viewing by month: March 2010

Where Does Your Company Fit Within the Market?

An interesting question was recently posed at the NJConnect Meetup in Princeton, NJ a couple of weeks ago:  “Where does your company fit within the market?”  Joe Allegra, General Partner at Edison Venture Fund, spoke about this topic and gave his advice on how entrepreneurs can approach investors for funding.

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0 comments - Posted by Joseph Mindo at 3:09 PM - Categories: Messaging | Business 101 | Branding | Marketing | General

Tip of the (PR) Spear

I recently reconnected with a former client that we supported 10 years ago.  He is with a new company now and considering our services to support various public relations initiatives.  After we spoke and scoped his needs, I presented a proposal that included social media, video and the creation of a blog – among other tools and techniques.

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0 comments - Posted by Domenick Cilea at 10:36 AM - Categories: Public Relations | Marketing | General

The VC Dozen: 12 Questions Every Entrepreneur Should Ask Themselves

Last week, at the NJConnect Meetup in Princeton, guest speaker Joe Allegra (General Partner at Edison Venture Fund) discussed the topic, “Approaching Investors to Fund Your Company.”

In preparing his presentation, Allegra said he polled over 20 angel investors and venture capitalist friends, and asked them a simple question: “What are the things you dislike most when being pitched by an entrepreneur?”

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0 comments - Posted by Domenick Cilea at 9:18 AM - Categories: Venture Capital | Technology | Messaging | Business 101 | General

Springboard Minute (Video): Beyond the Press Release

Press releases are an excellent (and important) tool to communicate company news, product developments, new services, partnerships and other events.

And while they can be integrated with search engine optimization techniques to improve Internet visibility, the press release should not be the only tool you use to convey your message.

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0 comments - Posted by Domenick Cilea at 10:26 AM - Categories: Social Media | Blogs | Video | Public Relations | Twitter | Marketing | General

Shopping for Funding Presented at NJConnect Meetup in Princeton

NJConnect held its fourth meetup last night in Princeton, NJ at the historic Nassau Inn.  The topic, “Approaching Investors to Fund Your Company,” was presented by guest speaker Joe Allegra, General Partner at Edison Venture Fund. Allegra provided compelling insight on the different aspects of angel and venture capital (VC) funding to an audience comprising of entrepreneurs and early-stage start-ups.  He also shared interesting perspectives on how to prepare for the funding process, and more importantly, what not to do.

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0 comments - Posted by Mark Tordik at 6:06 PM - Categories: Venture Capital | Business 101 | Marketing | General

Online Advertising: Extend Your Brand to the Digital World

According to recent studies, US online advertising and marketing spending will overtake print in 2010, thus confirming the shift to digital over paper-based, “analog” marketing campaigns.  The survey also notes that advertisers are spending more on search advertising, their own Web sites and Webinars – at the expense of newspapers and magazines.

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0 comments - Posted by Joseph Mindo at 2:41 PM - Categories: Public Relations | Branding | Advertising | Marketing | Content Strategy

What the Oscars Can Teach Us About Marketing

Sunday’s 2010 Academy Awards had all the “normal” hoopla, drama, glamour and glitz that is typically associated with Oscar night in Hollywood.  One of the major storylines this year beyond “who is wearing what,” was how a blockbuster movie can be bested, as The Hurt Locker won several “Best” awards over the heavily favored, largest-grossing film of all time – Avatar. 

Avatar’s use of innovative 3D cinematography is brilliant and paradigm-shifting.  And the budget for the film was nearly $400 million (production and promotion).  It was directed by one of the industry’s best, with a body of work that won a boatload of Oscars for Titanic.  Conversely, Hurt Locker was made for $15 million by lesser-known director, Kathryn Bigelow.

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0 comments - Posted by Domenick Cilea at 6:19 PM - Categories: Messaging | Content Strategy