New Hire at Powerhouse
Amanda Higgs joins the Powerhouse Planning team as a video editor.
Amanda has been involved with technical communications most of her life. She began her studies during elementary school and began to focus on technical communication in her middle school years. She honed her craft and graduated from Angelo State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Communications.
She served as Angelo State University’s Rampage Features Editor from 2005-2006, during which time she received awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association for feature writing and feature headline writing. She also worked as an assistant at the TV production lab, RamTV, hosting, directing, and editing shows for local television and radio stations.
Amanda has been happily serving as a military spouse for the last 13 years and has now settled in Stafford, Virginia with her husband, their two sons, and their dog.
The Ebb and Flow of Owning Your Own Business
By: Jennifer M. Morrison
Working for yourself seems like a dream job—and it can be, but it can also be fraught with situations and issues that trip you up. Entrepreneur Mylene Hollick, a military wife and mother, knows about those potholes firsthand.
A graduate of North Texas University, Hollick put her career on hold after her two children were born. As a military spouse, she says it was important to be home for their family, while her husband’s service required him to travel often. As her kids have grown, she felt the urge to refresh her identity by founding Jetset Destinations, an independent travel agency, in late 2015.
Hollick saw current and future flexibility as a top priority when it came to re-entering the workforce, something that employment at an established travel agency couldn’t necessarily guarantee her.
“I started my own company because it gave me the flexibility to set my own hours. I still have kids at home, so I want to be able to be there for them whenever they need me. Also, starting my own travel agency means that I can move as my husband moves. All I really need is my laptop and really good Wi-Fi,” she said.
Starting this business wasn’t clear skies and smooth sailing, though. Quieting her inner critic has been important in finding success.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Want to make something social media friendly? Add a visual. Data reveals that pictures and graphics drive online traffic by grabbing audience attention, but with text posts, less is more. Research conducted by BuzzSumo showed that Facebook updates containing images had over two times more engagement than posts without.
A sound social media strategy can help build brand loyalty, invite new customers to test drive your products or services, and grow relationships with other brands. But staying current on trends is not always easy, as algorithms change frequently. That’s where our experts come in. The Powerhouse team can do it all: create graphics, assist with a social media plan, and guide you on branding. Check out our list of services and let us work with you to stand out from the competitors in your industry: Powerhouse services.
Make Your Business Go Viral with a Media Strategy
By: Bianca Strzalkowski
Twice as many people get their news from online media organizations than from people close to them, according to a 2016 survey.
Pew Research Center found that 36 percent of Americans choose to read or watch news online compared to 15 percent who receive it from friends. While word-of-mouth advertising is a lucrative way to multiply a customer base, it seems that media consumers rely on professional organizations as their go-to source for current news. These findings can translate to business growth for companies who implement a media strategy that gets their brand in front of reporters.
Whether you are a brick-and-mortar business or operate solely online, establishing brand recognition can be pricy and take longer than your bottom line can endure. But developing relationships with relevant media outlets offers an alternative way to reach a larger number of potential customers without busting your budget.
Three Easy Ways to Nurture Your Brand Relationships
By: Angela Caban, MHRM
If you work hard to establish a partnership with a brand, do you have to continue working hard to maintain that relationship?
Absolutely not. But you do have to keep in mind that the business world is made up of relationships. Take a look at retail corporations all over the world. They worry about customer retention while continually devising marketing strategies to ensure that the relationships they build with customers go beyond making purchases. They don’t solely want you to step into their store to buy, but they want the type of relationship with you that is mutually beneficial for both parties. Once you’re happy with their services and products, they gain a loyal customer who will spread the word within your social circle.
Think of your business in the same way major retail corporations do. With the amount of competition out there, you should always stand out and go above and beyond what other companies are doing. Continuing to move forward with a brand beyond the contract can also open the door for future opportunities. Similar to how retail corporations interact with shoppers, you’re building a relationship with the brand that is built on confidence.
I am going to share with you three easy ways to nurture your brand relationships. These three tips will ensure you are giving clients the right amount of attention and exposure while demonstrating to them your willingness to build more than a business partnership and showing pride and passion in your work.
Client Profile: Powerhouse Planning, LLC
“We do a ton of work in external communication. We provide website design and development day after day for our clients. This past year we decided it was time to focus on us, too, and we rebranded our website. It’s incredibly important to keep things fresh, and we’re pretty happy with the before and after proof of our work we did for our own company.”
– Jessica Bertsch, President of Powerhouse Planning, LLC
Interested in learning how we can help your company grow in regards to a branded/rebranded website? Email us at [email protected]. We’d love to be on your team!
