Path to Visibility

Do you struggle to attract the kind of clients, customers, and opportunities that you really want for your small business or personal brand? This isn’t uncommon and it can be so frustrating! But there is a reason why this is happening AND a solution to the problem. It takes a bit of work, but it's not hard or time-consuming. All you need to do is some good old-fashioned, target audience research. Often overlooked, target audience research is key to almost all successful marketing campaigns. And it's especially crucial for small business and personal brands which can't afford to waste time or money! In this episode we'll uncover the power of target audience research and how to use it to help boost your visibility and attract the kind of clients, customers, and opportunities you’ve always wanted. Tune in for details on : How to conduct basic customer research. how to use online resources How to do customer interviews and surveys.importance of understanding your audience's specific needs, goals, and desires.build trust, credibility, and set you apart from competitors. By the end of this episode, you'll be well-equipped to make informed decisions about how to better understand you ideal target audience so you can save time, money, and effort while attracting the kind of clients, customers, and opportunities you've been dreaming of. Thank you for listening! Links mentioned in this episode: Here’s the prompt I wrote to see whether Chat GPT could help identify my target audience. It worked great! Try it for yourself by replacing the copy in brackets with words relevant to what you do: I am a [public relations expert with many years of experience]. I’d like to teach what I know to people who could really use [PR knowledge to start or grow their business or personal brand.] What kind of target audience should I market to? Feel free to steal or adapt my LinkedIn target audience message for your own outreach. Send me podcast topic requests: janice.mandel@stringcom.com Connect with me on Linkedin or follow Path to Visibility on Instagram. Listen to past episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast player. Please Follow and Review Path to Visibility. It really helps spread the word!

This week I talk to Andrea DelZotto, a successful corporate executive turned entrepreneur about the ups, the downs…and most importantly the realities of building a personal brand. Andrea spent most of her career as a senior executive at Canada's leading condominium developer, Tridel Corporation where she built a leadership profile for herself within the company and beyond. This includes a social media community of more than 6000 followers where she shares her thoughts and opinions on a range of topics. Which led to her becoming a frequently consulted voice on real estate industry topics and issues, and a sought-after speaker. Side note: Toronto is one of the most active condominium development markets in the world. With nearly 250 cranes in use we have more cranes than New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington combined! As you'll see from our interview, the profile Andrea has today is the result of hard work and strategy. She’s honest and vulnerable about what she shares. The result is both helpful and inspiring advice and some direction for those of us in the midst of building a personal brand during the inevitable times when we may start to feel a bit lost. Here's what we covered: start her personal branding journey soonerHow NOT to be boringyour message high profile speaking engagementssecret to personal branding successsetbacks and criticsStaying up to date importance of relationships.Connect with Janice on LinkedIn. Connect with Andrea DelZotto on LinkedIn or TikTok Thank you for listening! Links mentioned in this episode: Concrete Cardinal To listen to more episodes, head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Please Follow, Rate & Review!

On today's episode we talk about how to build visibility using LinkedIn with my guest Mark Williams, aka Mr. LinkedIn. Mark knows pretty much everything there is to know about LinkedIn. He's a very busy LinkedIn trainer and hosts the popular LInkedInformed podcast. I've been listening to him for years and know first hand that Mark is always on top of the latest LinkedIn features. And fortunately for us, one of the services he provides is training on how to use LinkedIn to get noticed and increase your visibility. Right up our alley! This episode is filled with practical advice and tips that will help you build a bigger and more effective presence on LinkedIn. We cover a wide range of topics including: network on LinkedInvalue of your LinkedIn profilebuild a purposeful followinghidden value of a DM conversation How often you should postWhether or not to include a link with your postConnect with Janice on LinkedIn. Connect with Mark Williams on LinkedIn Thank you for listening! Links mentioned in this episode: LinkedInformed Podcast To listen to more episodes, head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Please Follow, Rate & Review!

In today's episode I speak with former national newspaper and television journalist Steve Ladurantaye about the do's and don'ts of media pitching. Steve's extensive background in journalism, including positions at The Globe and Mail, CBC and Twitter, makes him the perfect person to offer insights and advice on how to effectively work with the media. Listeners will come away from this episode with a deeper understanding of how to generate compelling story ideas and position themselves for success in the media. Whether you're a small business owner or a professional building a personal brand, the insights shared in this episode will help you elevate your visibility and reach a wider audience. During our conversation, Steve offers valuable tips about how to use the news media to build visibility for a small business or personal brand. Our discussion covers wide a range of topics , including: how to approach media with confidence.Identifying the unique and compelling stories Understanding the needs and preferences of different types of media outletsbecome a go-to source for journalists in your industry.Building relationships with journalists over timeGet the free resource mentioned in this episode: Grab Your Free Guide Here - Cracking the Code: How to Get Quoted in the Media Connect with me on LinkedIn Follow the Path to Visibility on Instagram Thanks for listening! Please Follow, Rate & Review!

Get the free resource mentioned in this episode: Grab Your Free Guide Here - Cracking the Code: How to Get Quoted in the Media. In today's episode: Do you ever see a colleague or competitor being interviewed by a local media outlet and wonder, "How did that happen? Why are they being interviewed? Why not me?" Or maybe you see them and think, "That's fine...no one pays attention to local media coverage." In today's episode I start by discussing the benefits of becoming well-known in the city or town where you live. There are three important reasons why you should take the time to build awareness for your business or personal brand in your local market. Then I talk about what you can do to increase your visibility and influence in your local market. You'll learn: you should build relationships local influence creates new opportunities. benefits of being top-of-mind locallyget featured in local media.Build buzz benefits of teaching Connect with me on LinkedIn Follow the Path to Visibility on Instagram To listen to more episodes, head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Please Follow, Rate & Review!

Building visibility is necessary for small business and personal brands because it helps create the kind of awareness that's needed to stand out from the competition. But when funds are limited and you can't hire an agency to do your marketing, things can get awkward. Because let's face it...being active on social media, creating content and building an email list don't come naturally to everyone. And it's no wonder people feel uneasy about marketing. Every time you turn around you're confronted by a pushy sales pitch or some kind of hyped up message. That's why in this episode I talk about how to market your business or brand in a way that's authentic to you and aligned with your values and beliefs. We'll be talking about the challenges of building visibility, particularly with a limited marketing budget, and exploring ways to overcome those challenges while staying true to your own unique voice. You'll discover how to awareness for yourself and your business without sacrificing authenticity. Links mentioned in this episode: 1000 True Fans LinkedIn post example Thank you for listening! Connect with Janice on LinkedIn. To listen to more episodes, head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Please Follow, Rate & Review!

This week I had an anniversary of sorts...it's been just over one month since I launched this podcast and the feedback I'm getting from listeners has been great. So far I’ve tried to cover topics that will help you understand what’s possible with PR and how to use it to get results In today's episode I take a step back so we can talk about the importance of goals, strategy and planning. Because successful PR is not just about ideas, it's also about setting clear goals, creating a winning strategy and developing a solid plan to get there. Here's a glace at what we cover: It’s a shorter episode but an important one. I'd love to know what you think. Thank you for listening! Connect with Janice on LinkedIn. To listen to more episodes, head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Please Follow, Rate & Review!

In today’s episode I interview SEO and digital PR expert John Tyreman who does an excellent job of explaining the whole idea behind the very technical concepts of search engine optimization (SEO) and digital public relations. Even better, he describes in detail how small business owners and personal brands can use those concepts to increase their visibility and reputation. It takes a bit of work…not a ton. But the payoff is big and the benefits build over time and last for months, even years. As an example, one digital PR campaign John talks about delivered dozens of targeted inbound leads every week for months. The bottom line is digital PR can expand your visibility and help your target audience find you. All you need is newsworthy content and an understanding of how to distribute it. That’s what we talk about today. Here’s what we cover: Connect with Janice on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram Connect with today's guest, John Tyreman at Red Cedar Marketing, LinkedIn or Twitter For more episodes about simple, effective ways to use public relations that will get your message out and generate demand for your small business or personal brand (without hiring a costly PR agency) head to the Path to Visibility website here. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Today’s guest, Martin Waxman demystifies the currently trending topic of artificial intelligence and explains in practical terms how it can help small business and personal brands. He’s been studying AI for years and understands it better than anyone I know. Martin is a digital communications expert and PR agency founder as well as a university and LinkedIn Learning instructor who teaches AI, social media, digital and content marketing, and podcasting. Please note that Martin mentions several useful AI resources (free and paid) which are linked below for those who want to try them out. I will be doing that myself and will report back in a future episode. Here’s what we cover: Get in touch with Martin Waxman on LinkedIn or at www.martinwaxman.com Connect with Janice on LinkedIn. Links mentioned in this episode: Chat GPTHyperwriteJasperLatelyDALL-E 2Stable Diffusion 2-1 - a Hugging Face SpaceCanva AI (Magic Write)TOMELumen 5If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Thanks for listening!

Today's episode of Path to Visibility is about personal branding. We'll talk about what it is, why it's important for small business and personal brands and how you can use it to build your business. It's a common misconception that personal branding is just for celebrities and influencers. In reality it's a useful marketing strategy for turning yourself and your business into a trusted brand that stands out from the competition. Personal branding is about identifying and communicating your unique value proposition to the world. This is what top brands do and why they succeed. So can you. Whether you're a solopreneur, small business owners, or aspiring thought leader, this episode will provide you with practical tips and strategies to help you build a strong and successful personal brand--even if you don't know where to start. In today's episode: Links mentioned in this episode: How a Small Business Can Win Big With PR The Value of Being Quoted in the Media and How to Make That Happen Thank you for listening! Connect with Janice on LinkedIn. To listen to more episodes, head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Please Follow, Rate & Review!

How can public relations benefit a small business or personal brand? Today is part one of a two part mini training to help you understand what public relations is and how it can benefit your small business or personal brand. This week I talk about the importance and benefits of public relations for a small business and next week I’ll cover the value of personal branding as a way to distinguish your business and make it more approachable. In today’s episode: Links mentioned in this episode: #3 – Digging Deep: How a Small Company Made it on the Global Stage with Alan Coutts, former CEO of Noront Resources Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Thank you for listening! Connect with Janice on LinkedIn. Rate, Review, & Follow Please consider rating and reviewing this show. It's a big help because it helps introduce us to more people with small business and personal brands so they can them discover how to increase their visibility. And if you haven’t done so already, please follow the podcast!

How can a small, cost-conscious business effectively communicate their message? One of the goals of this podcast is to help small business owners learn how to use public relations to build their visibility and reputation so they can have the kind business they’ve always dreamed of. One of the ways I want to accomplish this is by interviewing successful small business leaders, marketing experts and journalists who will share advice and best practices. Today’s guest turned a small early stage, Canadian mining company with only 12 employees into a global player that was sold for $650 million. We’re going to hear from Alan Coutts, former CEO of Noront Resources (now known as Ring of Fire Metals) about how he made that transformation happen and hopefully you can take away some lessons and apply them to your own business or personal brand. In this episode we'll cover: messaging that resonates. how you are perceived use public relations successfully. earned a seat at the table with big global players Thank you for listening! Connect with Janice on LinkedIn.

How do you get started with media coverage for your business or personal brand? Getting quoted in the media is a great way to make people aware of your product, service or company in a way that leads to them seeking it out. As a public relations consultant for more than 25 years, working with big brands like Microsoft, Swiffer, Febreze, and American Express, I'm often asked for advice on how to get media coverage, and I'm happy to tell you that it's not that difficult. Many people want more visibility and would love to be known and sought after. The true value of PR is exactly that. People will hear about you and seek out your product, service or company. Media coverage is one of the best tools for generating this kind of demand. In this episode, I break down, step-by step, how to get quoted in the media, which is the fastest and esiest way to benefit from media coverage. I will cover other methods in future episodes, but learning how to get quoted is a great place to start--and it's easier than you think. Thank you for listening! Connect with Janice on LinkedIn. Links in this episode: Why I started this podcast Media List Template

Hi, my name is Janice Mandel and welcome to the very first episode of the Path to Visibility podcast which is all about helping small businesses and professionals learn how to raise their visibility so they can build their business or personal brand. I’ll be coming to you every week, and I’ll be talking about all the ways you can build a profile and reputation for your business or yourself, so you can get your message out to the audience you want to reach. I’m not sure what brought you here today…maybe the title got you curious. Or maybe you’re feeling discouraged because you’ve been working hard to raise your visibility but you feel like you’re not where you want to be. Or maybe you’ve gotten some good results but you’re not sure how to keep the momentum going. Whatever the reason, I’m very happy that you found you way here. Because I’m going to take you under my wing and show you how to create the kind of visibility and reputation you've always dreamed of. Let me just take a minute to tell you a bit about me—because you may be thinking…this all sounds great Janice, but what qualifies you to teach me. Well, for the last 20 plus years, I’ve been doing public relations for some of the biggest brands and companies in the world. I started out at Hill and Knowlton which was the world’s biggest PR agency at the time and I worked with clients like Microsoft, American Express, Nintendo and Procter & Gamble launching products like Windows, the Membership Rewards program, Super Mario, Swiffer, Febreze and many others. These are all well known brands now, but when we launched them they were unknown and I was part of the team that were responsible for coming up with ideas and plans that would help create excitement and demand for these brand new products. Procter & Gamble eventually hired me and as their head of public relations for Canada. So needless to say I’ve helped manage dozens of brands over the years. More recently I ran my own PR agency working with small and medium sized businesses in financial services, real estate development, mining and other industries. I wanted to start a podcast because I know from experience that small businesses can benefit from many of the same strategies and tactics that big companies use to attract attention. And I’ll be interviewing successful business owners, marketing experts and journalists, and offering some actionable tips of my own so I can help you do just that. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed and confused about how to create demand for what you do it’s my hope that by listening to this podcast, you’ll become confident and clear on how to grow your audience and your business. I want you take away information and actions from every episode and apply them right away because I know how important it is to build visibility the way you want so you can get your message out to the people you want to serve. I hope you’re feel excited about what’s possible and inspired to learn more. Let’s get started… Thank you for listening! Connect with Janice on LinkedIn.