Come check out “Smashing The Glass Ceiling” February Luncheon Event featuring Kristi Krueger  and Boardroom Communication’s President, Julie Talenfeld,  on February 2 at the Tower Club in Fort Lauderdale!

Where:

100 SE Third Avenue

28th Floor

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

When:

February 2, 2012

11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m.

Cost:

$30 for members

$45 for non-members

Please include attendee name and company name when registering.

Advance registration is required. Please note: Registration closes February 1st, 2012 at noon. Registrations received after noon on Wednesday, February 1st will be charged an additional $10 late fee at the door.

For more information check out their website.

With the New Year many companies are trying to enhance their business and create a stronger presence online.  You should too! According to a recent article in Open Forum, there are eight easy steps to boost your website on a budget.

The following are our top 5.

1. Maintaining a blog can do a lot for your business. They bring traffic to your website, stir discussion and keep the public interested.  Blogging is as easy as creating a free account on Blogger.com or Wordpress.com. If you already have a Website, your Webmaster or marketing firm can create a blog as part of your site.  Once the blogging tool is installed, just log in and start writing.

1. Don’t hesitate to register with a business-listing site.  Websites like Bing, Yahoo, Yelp and Google can help your business with website traffic through search engine optimization (SEO), and help increase the amount of times you are seen online.

1. Paying attention to key words helps with SEO.  The more precise your wording, the higher the probability of increasing traffic to your website, and prospectively more clients.  You can also use the Google Keywords Tool which allows you to check for searches that describe your business and will notify you with successful and unsuccessful keywords that resulted from the search.

1. Watching your analytics also helps with your online presence.  You can register with Google Analytics and search your blog posts to see which are faring well on your site and what specific keywords were used to accomplish it. This helps see which keywords work best and what types of information are read frequently on your website.

1. Adding social media tools should be a priority in today’s society.  Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Linked in are just a few of the names we hear on a daily basis in public relations.  These social media sites are very popular and effective tools in creating website presence.

To read more helpful tips, visit Open Forum’s website.

“Micky Arison should take ownership and get in front of the story,” said Boardroom’s president, Julie Talenfeld, in response to how Costa and Carnival should have responded to the Jan. 13th deadly accident. The current PR approach has both Costa and Carnival’s Doral headquarters under fire – especially after reports of the company offering shipwreck survivors a 30% discount on their next cruise. Media around the world has picked up the story – giving Carnival yet another crisis. CBS Morning show expressed amazement at the offer and the New York Post branded it as “tactless.”

The Miami Hearld reached out to our very own, Julie Talenfeld, for her expert advice and was quoted in today’s article, “Carnival Cruise Lines faces a hostile PR tide.” Click here to read full article.

On January 13^th our client, Fitness 54 celebrated their greatly anticipated grand opening at the Weston Town Center. The highly attended party could be seen from miles away as huge rotating spot lights out front shot beams high into the sky. The fun started with a high-energy dance routine to LMFAO’s popular hit “Party Rock Anthem” and then continued inside Fitness 54 throughout the night. Waitresses walked around sampling the new Fit 54 food, while guests took personalized tours with trainers around the cutting edge facility.

For a recap of the night, watch the video here!

Fitness 54 trainers strike a pose outside the party

With the holidays around the corner, most people are looking forward to spending time with their families and unwrapping presents.

However, not everyone gets to enjoy the holiday season with a plethora of gifts. Boardroom Communications client, JAFCO is partnering up with organizations in the community to try and bring some holiday spirit to the children of JAFCO.

“Synagogues, Jewish community centers and private individuals in the tri-county area have signed up to provide toys for Hanukkah for children in our programs,” said Sarah Franco, JAFCO executive director, in a recent article.

With the help of these generous organizations, JAFCO will be able to make Hanukkah wishes come true for more than 350 disadvantaged children.

To read the full article, click here.

It’s great to generate good news about our clients!  An outstanding event celebrating pioneering Jewish families was created and launched by the Jewish Federation of Broward County.  It was a ‘mitzvah’ to see great media coverage in the Jewish Journal, describing the event, with great photos and quotes.

When there’s a story worth telling, there’s usually someone who will tell it.    This event was a labor of love for the Federation and the families that have made South Florida their home for more than 50 years.   The Jewish Journal did it justice, providing insight and a understanding of what it was like to be Jewish in South Florida those many years ago.

We’re proud of our clients and the good work they do.  We’re proud to reach out to the media with these stories.

Click on the image to read the story.

Congratulations to LYND for its purchase of $49 million in distressed notes secured by three apartment buildings in Florida. LYND has been one of the most active players in the distressed commercial real estate market having purchased $400 million in notes since January 1.  President and COO A. David Lynd talks about the company’s latest deal with Globestreet.

To read the article, click here.

Boardroom Communications was the proud recipient of the Development Award at the recent “For The Public Good” event, hosted by Legal Aid Service of Broward County and Coast to Coast Legal Aid. Boardroom President Julie Talenfeld, COO Don Silver and Senior Account Executive Michelle Friedman were on hand to accept the honor in front of more than 350 prominent members of Broward’s legal and professional community. Michelle Friedman was also the recipient of a special plaque to commemorate her role as Publicity Chair for the event.

Boardroom has been a proud supporter of Legal Aid and Coast to Coast for several years. Don Silver is a past chair of the organization’s Executive Council and Michelle Friedman is on the NEXT Steering Committee, Legal Aid’s young professionals’ group. The event was held Friday, Oct. 14 at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel and has raised more than $120,000 to date!

It’s the case heard ‘round the world, and everyone seems to have something to say about it. Yes, Casey Anthony’s controversial trial and her equally controversial choice in counsel, Jose Baez, have made national headlines and dominated the media. With virtually no personal effort of his own besides taking on Anthony as his client, Baez has found his name all over the media before, during, and after the trial.

Though we all seem to have differing opinions regarding the verdict(s), there’s one thing we can agree on: Baez has gone from a nobody to a somebody, and might just be here to stay.

Baez, a high school drop-out and relatively new lawyer (he’s only been practicing for three years), has made quite the reputation for himself. His peers in the field have named him the luckiest man in America, and just one day after the sentencing, he sat down with the one-and-only Barbara Walters to discuss his thoughts. He told Walters, “After I heard the last not guilty verdict in the court yesterday…I thought to myself, ‘My life may start to change.’”

And it has.

Rumors of potential book deals, bio-movies, reality TV shows, and more surround the lawyer.

The lesson us PR folks can take is simple. You don’t have to be a lawyer to recognize the idea of sacrificing in the short term for long term gains. Sometimes it’s better to give up time and money in the short term for the publicity, exposure, and post-benefits that await us in the long run. So while the aggressive tactics Baez used in the courtroom remain questionable, his PR skills have most definitely served him well.

The Greater Miami Attorney at Law Magazine recently shed light on marketing techniques used by top rainmakers. The article explains that effective marketing requires time, money and advanced planning. In the article, Stephen Fairley, CEO of The Rainmaker Institute, suggests 4 strategies that have proven to been extremely successful and may even double the firm’s revenues.

Strategy 1: Build Relationships with Strategic Referral Partners (SRPs)

SRPs are people who already have relationships with people you want as potential clients. For example if you practice business law, possible referral partners would be accountants, local bankers, financial planners, insurance agencies, etc. You should first identify several professions or industries that already have trusted relationships with your target market.  Then build or buy a database of potential referral sources. Always focus on refining your unique competitive advantage, what makes you stand out? Next, create a form letter that includes who you work with, how you’re different and a personal invitation to set up a meeting to determine if you can work together. It’s suggested to send at least 10 to 20 letters per week. Be sure to follow up and have questions prepared to let them know you are interested in building a mutually beneficial referral relationship.

Strategy 2: Build a Powerful Online Presence

Having a great website is crucial to your law practice. Many potential clients will research you before hiring you. To make sure your website stands out from other law firms, hire a professional to help you.

(more…)