An integrated marketing strategy is important to your company's brand. David Hernandez, managing partner of lotus823, discusses why it is important for brand to use an integrated marketing approach combining PR, SEM and SM strategies.

1. A Digital Magazine
For Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs
3 Simple Steps TO
Selling Anything
Trust Me, I’m Lying!
CONFESSIONS OF A
MEDIA MANIPULATOR
+ EXCLUSIVE BOOK EXCERPT
MAKE YOUR LIFE EASY
GO FOR THE LOW HANGING FRUIT
ALI BROWN:
FROM NOWHERE TO
SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE
Issue 003 - September 2012

2. THE GREAT BUSINESS PROJECT
Magazine
www.TheGreatBusinessProject.com
Editorial
Editor in Chief
Ralph Quintero
Editor
Lauren Tirado
Note From The Editor Contributors This Issue
Ali Brown
David Berry
Focusing On The 5 Pillars Of Your Business Corbett Barr
Ryan Holiday
T
David Hernandez
his past month I’ve spent a great deal of time talking to entre- Karla Faundez
preneurs about establishing a strong foundation for their busi- Dean Jackson
nesses. One of the ways to do that is to focus and develop what Harlan Kilstein
I call your “5 Pillars of Business”. These pillars are Mindset, Sales, John Sexton
Marketing, Business Development and Strategy. I ultimately believe that Carmine Gallo
you can only be truly successful if you address each one. Individually, Consultant
they can each help your business, but they can’t sustain your business Luly B.
long term without each other. That’s why we structure The Great Business
Project Magazine to include amazing content every month that addresses Published By
Bald One Media LLC
each of the pillars.
Advertising Manager
This month’s issue is no exception. This is one of the most content- Mary Trump
packed issues yet! Full of advice, tips and tools that you can use right www.TheGreatBusinessProject.com
now to grow your business and make it GREAT. There are also awe-
Become a Contributor
some stories that as entrepreneurs we can relate to, learn from, and be The Great Business Project
inspired by. is put together by entrepreneurs for
entrepreneurs. We are always looking for
Finally, I’m encouraged by the amazing notes, letters and messages from great articles, videos, audio or content that our
subscribers around the world that are taking MASSIVE ACTION im-
plementing the things we teach in the magazine and seeing incredible To be considered
results in their businesses. This is exactly the reason we started this pro- Email us at:
ject and the reason we believe in it so much. Thank you for all of your contribute@TheGreatBusinessProject.com
support and keep those notes coming.
Or visit:
www.TheGreatBusinessProject.com/contribute
Here’s to your success!
Ralph Quintero
Copyright © 2012
Bald One Media, LLC
P.S. - Please help us reach even more entrepreneurs. Share our The Great Business Project, LLC
magazine with a quick Facebook post or Tweet. All rights reserved under International and
Pan American Copyright Conventions.
3 September 2012

3. THE CONTENT
COVER STORY
ALI BROWN: FROM NOWHERE TO SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE
A Digital Magazine
For Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs
3 Simple Steps TO
You Can’t Change the World Until You Change Your World Selling Anything
Trust Me, I’m Lying!
BY DAVID BERRY CONFESSIONS OF A
MEDIA MANIPULATOR
+ EXCLUSIVE BOOK EXCERPT
MAKE YOUR LIFE EASY
GO FOR THE LOW HANGING FRUIT
from a tiny New York City studio apartment and has grown it into a multi-million dollar
enterprise that has ranked in the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the U.S. ALI BROWN:
FROM NOWHERE TO
In this feature, Ali shows you what it takes to change your world and achieve GREAT suc- SELF MADE MILLIONAIRE
cess. Issue 003 - September 2012
FEATURES
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FINDING YOUR THREE HR TIPS THAT CAN SAVE YOUR
UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION BUSINESS
by Benny Hsu by Karla Faundez
Protect yourself and your business
3 SIMPLE STEPS TO SELLING ANYTHING
Make your sales process very easy
ENTREPRENEUR PROFILES
Sara Blakely & Jeff Walker
USE YOUR SENSES PROFIT ACTIVATORS YOU CAN TRIGGER
Watch & Listen ~ Two amazing resources IN YOUR BUSINESS RIGHT NOW
by Dean Jackson
PASSION & THE POWER OF WORDS
by David Berry
MAKE YOUR LIFE EASY
Sharing Your Story With The World
by James Roche
Go For The Low Hanging Fruit
TRUST ME, I’M LYING: CONFESSIONS
OF A MEDIA MANIPULATOR HOW CURATION CAN INCREASE YOUR
An Interview with Ryan Holiday and exclusive BUSINESS - PART 1
book excerpt by Harlan Kilstein
A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND
WORDS GREAT BUSINESS TOOLS
Infographics are “in”
IMPROVISATION IN BUSINESS
WHY AN INTEGRATED MARKETING
by John A. Sexton, Ph.D.
STRATEGY MATTERS TO YOUR BRAND
6 Surprising Applications of Improvisation to Social
by David Hernandez
Media
ONE MORE THING…
The Holstee Manifesto
5 September 2012

4. THE GREAT BUSINESS PROJECT
Why An Integrated Marketing Strategy
Matters To Your Brand
By David Hernandez
OK, so you have a great product or service and you have a great sales rep team in place with the right
contacts. All are critically important elements in launching a successful brand - but in reality you’re only
half-way there. What is your plan for visibility?
Public Relations can help create impressions in media but in its traditional sense. Brands need to be
online too. Keep in mind this year it is estimated nearly 90 percent of US Internet users ages 14+ will
browse or research products online (1). SEO is vital to gain online visibility but what happens when
-
evant prospects and keeping customers engaged but the right strategy must be employed.
A silo approach doesn’t work anymore. Brands that go from invisible to visible and thrive get there
through an integrated strategy. Consumers embrace brands that are discoverable both on and off line.
A successful integrated strategy takes into account both worlds and leverages them using an effective and
Start with your website; is it ready for prime time? Do you have compelling content and does it capture
your brand’s voice? Have you set aside a budget for your marketing? If the answer is yes to both of
these questions consider the following when deciding where to invest those marketing dollars:
Public Relations is a key component in helping to build your brand. Good PR involves strategic plan-
ning to develop objective brand messaging, appropriately position your product, understand the media
landscape and ultimately get the word out. With expert PR counsel on your side, you can be sure that
your company, products and services
are not only seen but also, seen in
the right light, by the right audience.
Search Engine Optimization should
be a cornerstone of any online
brand building strategy. Studies have
shown that over 90% of all Internet
Organic SEO tactics drive the most
over month to your website. If your
brand isn’t found online, potential
As an element of both optimization
and brand building, a continuous
top of your list. If you can’t afford
36 September 2012

5. THE GREAT BUSINESS PROJECT
Why An Integrated Marketing Strategy Matters To Your Brand
David Hernandez
an outside agency to handle SEO, make sure you have a blog on your site to post relevant industry and
of times per month is better than nothing.
Social media is more than amassing followers and likes. Building a community with engaged fans and
followers is the foundation for successfully leveraging the various social media platforms. Social media
presents an opportunity to direct conversations surrounding your brand as well as a way to keep current
and prospective customers connected and engaged. It also allows a brand to respond quickly and direct-
ly to customer service issues or complaints openly and honestly allowing others to see responsiveness and
customer care in real time. Finally, it can be used to leverage optimization strategies through the various
platforms and create greater reach for news about the brand beyond conventional outlets.
In summary, we all are living connected lifestyles; if you are reading this, it is in digital form on an iPad
– possibly while watching your connected TV and with your smart phone inches away! As a brand fac-
ing a connected generation, it is critical that your marketing strategy incorporates these key elements if
you hope to succeed and gain mindshare and marketshare in your space.
This article was written by
David Hernandez
David Hernandez, Managing Partner of lotus823, founded the business in 2010 after recognizing that
brands were searching for a company that could successfully integrate search engine marketing (SEM)
methods with traditional public relations campaigns. Today, lotus823 offers a wide range of services to
increase brand visibility utilizing public relations, search engine marketing, search engine optimization
(SEO) and social media. lotus823 works with companies in the consumer goods, luxury, audio, con-
sumer electronics, software, and sporting goods categories.
You can connect with David at:
37 September 2012

6. www.TheGreatBusinessProject.com/mag