Ashley’s Blog

Ashley L. Brown
l  Southside, AL 35907  l  Phone: 256.312.3688  l  ashley08brown@gmail.com

Marketing & Public Relations Director

• Marketing and public relations professional with experience leading corporate marketing and internal communications for a corporation that operates 17 companies
• Respected leader of creative teams, multimedia divisions and corporate communications departments. Conceptualize and orchestrate marketing campaigns that effectively reinforce and build brand images
• Proven ability to drive record-high attendance and execute events ranging from 20 to 400 attendees

Skills

• Marketing Strategies & Campaigns
• Corporate Communications
• Creative Team Leadership
• Company Branding
• Web & Print Content Development
• Customer Relations
• Community Relations
• Event Planning
• Public & Media Relations
• Networking

Recent Achievements & Involvement

Helping Hands Award Quality of Life Health Services, Inc. , 2010
Etowah County Auburn Club Board Secretary, 2010
Family Success Center Board Member, 2010
Etowah County Boys and Girls Club Volunteer, 2010
Etowah County United Way Day of Action & Fundraising Company Coordinator, 2010
Dean’s List Auburn University, 2008

(There is more where this came from … )

     In my writing for public relations course we are doing a media kit, both online and print, for our final project. Each student has picked a non-profit organization and we are gathering information about our company to create an online media room.
      When we first began talking about this project I was completely clueless. I had no idea what they were, who used them or the benefits of having one. In chapter 15 of Scott’s book, he discusses the importance of media rooms and offers some unique perspectives when creating or updating a media room for a company.
      I found his tips on how to help your online media room work effectively especially beneficial. Scott suggested that you create the media room to meet your buyers and journalists needs first. I found this really interesting because before reading this I never thought about who would be searching the room. I had also never thought about his second tip, start with a need analysis. When I thought about creating a media room, I just thought about giving all the information I could get. I didn’t think about giving the information people needed.
      This will be my last blog about Scott’s book. I have found it interesting, but more for people who are currently working for a company. It didn’t have quite as much directed toward students. I think his book is very helpful for organizations that don’t understand the Internet or its importance. I would definitely recommend his book to those struggling with marketing and public relations. 
 

Whenever I have a question I automatically turn to the Internet. I just type the key phrase into Google and usually click on the first link it gives me. Until Scott wrote the section in chapter 14 called “Focus on the Keywords and Phrases Your Buyers Use,” I never thought about what made that link be the very first one.
When I write an article or blog I don’t usually think about if I phrased the title or other sentences in a way that they would come up when people searched my topic. After reading this section I realized how important it is to use phrases that “buyers” would use in a search. If they didn’t phrase their release with particular words, I probably would never find it because I just look through the first few links.  
In the chapter Scott quoted Allison-Shane from CruiseCompete. She said, “Simply understanding what people are likely to be searching on and then linking them to the correct page on the site where we have the content that’s relevant,” is the strategy they use to reach potential customers.
In this chapter I learned to “think, speak, and write like your customers do. This will help them find your Web site and perhaps increase your company’s business.

      Until I read chapter 13 of Scott’s book, I never thought of a Web site as having a personality. In this chapter Scott addresses Web content and the effect it could have on sales. Developing a personality for your Web site is one of the items Scott listed as the “elements of a buyer-centric Web site.” 
      When I think of personality, people and possibly animals are the only things I can think of. But, after Scott gave some great examples, I realized what he was saying. Whenever I look up things on the Web, I can almost automatically tell if I like the organization by the way their Web site is set up.
      One day out of sheer boredom I was looking up different toothpastes online in response to an advertisement I saw at the dentist. The first Web site I visited was Aquafresh. When I entered their Web site, the first thing I saw were atoms that turned into the toothpaste.  Their Web page was boring and obviously targeted towards an older audience. I was curious if other toothpastes had a serious personality so I visited Colgate’s Web site. Their site’s personality was a lot friendlier and appealed to a greater range of people. Their site also contained a lot of information on a broad range of topics.
         Now, I understand the importance of a Web site’s personality and the message it can send an audience. I am glad Scott discussed this topic because it is something I probably wouldn’t have thought of had he not mentioned it.

In Chapter 12 of Scott’s book he introduces the term “gobbledygook.” I had never heard of this word before reading this chapter, but I like it!
 I often find myself frustrated with the useless words and phrases in textbooks and articles. When I read my textbook for class, I usually mark through all the fluff words so that I am left with the important information.
 I really related to the overused terms he stated in his book. Since I don’t have as much contact with press releases and other similar documents, I found myself thinking of advertisements on television. It seems like there is always some new and improved mascara advertised on television. I am to the point that if they just stated it works and told me why, then I would buy it. I know that this is kind of unrelated to Scott’s use of the word, but it is how I integrated it into my life.
 With our fast-paced lives, people don’t have time for “goobledygook.” I am glad that Scott addressed this issue in his book and so many people agreed with him.
 

        In chapter 11 of Scott’s book he elaborates on the importance of developing thought leadership content. It is obvious from his emphasis on this topic in previous chapters that Scott feels strongly about developing compelling thought leadership content. 
        In one section of the chapter, Scott discusses that the content shouldn’t mention your company or products. He gives the example of an automobile tire manufacturer. He suggests that instead of simply selling the tires, you should create some type of story related to your company and offer it to those who would be interested in the information. 
        This idea has both positive aspects and negative. I do like the idea because if you are for example, looking for a Halloween costume, you might like to get some great ideas for snacks to serve at a Halloween party. I think this could really make one Web site stand out from another. I agree with him that if your site has this type of useful information, then I would remember them and possibly buy from them in the future. 
       The negative side could be that people don’t trust outside links on a Web page. I know my experience with links that aren’t related to the Web page has been negative. I got a virus from visiting one. My point is, there are so many offers and other things popping up on Web pages that people may not notice them or won’t trust them.
       I think that thought leadership content is a wonderful idea and it will really help a business rise to the top. However, it is very important that the viewers know they can trust the other information on the Web page.
 

      In chapter ten of Scott’s book he uses Starbucks as an example to explain that companies don’t just sell products. He discusses that Starbucks not only offers coffee, but also that they offer a meeting place, the Internet and help people save time. I think this is a great example and it really helped me understand his point
     I also tried to think of a company that doesn’t just focus on the products. The first that came to mind was Books-A-Million. Not only do they offer a very large selection of books, but also they have coffee, gifts, calendars and games, just to name a few. 
    Books-A-Million has created a warm and friendly environment where book enthusiasts can gather to look through the latest books while also offering items to entertain their children. It is obvious that this company has focused on more than just a product when it comes to their store
     But, when I visited the Books-A-Million Web site, I found that they hadn’t developed the buyer personas for the Internet. They did offer tons of information and have their books categorized by most popular and recent. I feel that if they applied Scott’s rules to their Web site they would become an even more successful company than they are today.

Last summer, a few of my friends showed up at my house with several 2-liter Diet Cokes and multiple packs of Mentos. They asked if they could do a science project in my backyard. Curious to see what they had planned, I agreed. 
         When I walked outside, I saw a stream of Diet Coke shoot into the air. Apparently, my friends had partaken in the Mentos and Diet Coke viral phenomenon.
 It was strange to learn that the simple experiment my friends conducted had been around for quite some time. We just didn’t know about it because there wasn’t an outlet for the information.
        In chapter eight of Scott’s book, he discusses how the Internet and these viral incidents can affect businesses. I found it interesting to learn about how difficult it is to create these viral campaigns and the short-lived fame the creators of the Mentos and Diet Coke experienced. 
        I think that these viral campaigns are difficult to create because we can easily spot an imitation or fake. I also think these homemade videos are more attractive to viewers than paid advertisements because they are searching for entertainment and don’t expect to be influenced by marketing campaigns. With the creation of the Internet and Web cites like YouTube, these entertaining and humorous homemade campaigns are only a click away.

       In chapter seven of David Meerman Scott’s book, he discussed how Sony BMG handled a problem with their software. I was shocked to learn that such a large company would be so careless when monitoring and handling such important issues. 
       Recently, I have learned about a lot of companies who do surveys to gather information regarding their customers’ satisfaction. Sony BMG’s customers were freely giving them important information regarding their company, but they just didn’t listen.
       I thought that with a company as large as Sony BMG there would be someone who tracked what was said about it. I also thought that after this careless incident they would be more proactive in addressing their customers’ problems.
       I visited their website to discover if it had any type of blog, forum, Wiki, or any type of online feature to assist their customers. I couldn’t believe the lack of information. There wasn’t any information regarding customer support. Their Web site’s purpose was clearly to promote their artists and the company, not to maintain customer satisfaction.
       If you have a problem with a Sony BMG product, good luck. There isn’t any helpful information on their Web site. Hopefully they won’t make the same mistake twice and not monitor what’s being said about their company.

 In David Meerman Scott’s book he discusses “Audio Content Delivery through Podcasting.” This chapter explains the major developments for podcasts and how they have benefited upcoming musicians.
        I agree with Scott that these podcasts give new and unknown musicians an outlet for their music, but I don’t believe they are used as commonly as he discusses.  Almost everyone I know owns an iPod, but they aren’t necessarily downloading podcasts. 
        Through my experience with iPods, people only download music after they have heard a song they liked or that an artist they like has just released a new album. People may search the top downloaded songs, but they don’t do too much searching for podcasts.
       Although I don’t think podcasts are a big hit with students right now, I do think their popularity will increase over time.
        A couple of professors have mentioned that they’ve heard of professors from other colleges putting their lectures on iTunes as a podcast. I think students would love this idea because they could listen to a lecture and make sure they didn’t miss anything during class. I’m interested to see how their popularity will increase across college campuses and other uses people will find for podcasts.