Path to Visibility

Janice Mandel

Getting visibility for your small business or personal brand can be tough. On this weekly show, I share insight about how to do exactly that based on 25+ years working in public relations for companies like Procter & Gamble, American Express, Microsoft and running my own PR agency. I know that small business and personal brands can benefit from many of the same strategies that big brands use to attract attention. I will guide you through how-to episodes and interviews with some of the best marketers and journalists out there. My goal? To provide you with practical, actionable advice about how to build interest and excitement for what you do without having to spend a lot of time or money. Follow to never miss an episode!

  1. 06/08/2023

    #14 - How to Get Discovered by Your Ideal Target Audience

    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 create a target audience research guide.When and how to use online resources to gather valuable insights.How to do customer interviews and surveys.The importance of understanding your audience's specific needs, goals, and desires.How this knowledge can help you 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!

    28 min
  2. 04/27/2023

    #13 - How I Built My Personal Brand with Andrea DelZotto

    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: Why in hindsight Andrea would start her personal branding journey sooner. How NOT to be boring.Figuring out your message --the professional and personal.How to know when you're ready to take on high profile speaking engagements.The surprising secret to personal branding success.How to deal with setbacks and critics. Staying up to date on key topics.The 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!

    37 min
  3. 04/13/2023

    #11 - Media Pitching with former national news journalist Steve Ladurantaye

    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: Breaking down the myth of the "intimidating journalist" and understanding how to approach media with confidence.Identifying the unique and compelling stories that small businesses have to tell, and how to frame them for the media.Understanding the needs and preferences of different types of media outlets, and tailoring your pitch accordingly.Leveraging your expertise to become a go-to source for journalists in your industry.Building relationships with journalists over time, and maintaining a strong presence in the media ecosystem.Get 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!

    41 min
  4. 03/09/2023

    #7 - SEO and Digital PR

    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:  Search engine optimization (SEO) and why we need itWhat’s digital PR and why is it so valuable to small businesses and personal brands? How to craft a media pitch that gets a backlink.Who to target with a digital PR pitch. What is link juice and how does it work?How does a follow link differ from a no follow linkWhy it’s important to promote media coverage and how to do it.How to evaluate the success of a digital PR campaignConnect 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.

    43 min
5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Getting visibility for your small business or personal brand can be tough. On this weekly show, I share insight about how to do exactly that based on 25+ years working in public relations for companies like Procter & Gamble, American Express, Microsoft and running my own PR agency. I know that small business and personal brands can benefit from many of the same strategies that big brands use to attract attention. I will guide you through how-to episodes and interviews with some of the best marketers and journalists out there. My goal? To provide you with practical, actionable advice about how to build interest and excitement for what you do without having to spend a lot of time or money. Follow to never miss an episode!