The Robyn Graham Show - Success without Social - Life and Business Growth Strategies for Christian Women, Coaches and Service Providers

Corporate and law firm leaders call on Gina for high-stakes public relations, crisis planning, and incident response support including high profile litigation media relations. One of the most widely acknowledged experts on legal marketing and law firm public relations, Gina is a sought-after speaker and media expert. Listed among the Lawdragon Global 100 Leading Consultants and Strategists to the Legal Profession, Gina published the 2nd Edition of her book Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers, in 2019.

She founded and continues to lead Furia Rubel Communications, the award-winning PR and marketing agency that has become a leading legal marketing and professional service communications boutique. The full-service marketing and public relations shop has been listed among the leading agencies by the National Law Journal, The Legal Intelligencer, New Jersey Law Journal, and Philadelphia Business Journal. Under Gina’s direction, Furia Rubel provides strategic planning, marketing, public relations, media training, and content marketing services to a variety of specialized industries.

Gina’s legal background complements her unparalleled intuition as a client advocate and business diplomat, allowing her to partner with professional clients to achieve their objectives. She and the Furia Rubel team are always focused on the clients’ unique selling proposition, brand, key messages, and target audiences.

Women Owned Business

As women in business we see ourselves through our own eyes by looking in the mirror. But hearing what others see in us, is empowering. It’s really public relations and personal branding at the core.

When you look at public relations it’s everything. It’s how you treat your employees, how you treat your family, how you treat people at religious institutions and all information you put out on social media. It goes for personal and business. PR is more than being on TV.

When Gina brings me in for photoshoots with her clients, she is having me capture the true essence of the clients. PR is getting to the core and essence of who that client is. The PR piece goes across the gamut whether it is the visual touch point or the written word, it matters.

That is PR at its core. Not just understanding who the various audiences are, but what is beneficial for the audiences.

The First Phase

Gina comes from a long line of attorneys. She began her law career in litigation but quickly moved to media and public relations.

Her degree in communications and international business from Drexel paved the way for career transition into PR.

The transition to opening her own business occurred when her daughter, as an infant, was ill. She made the decision that family was first and she built her business around her life in Bucks County.

The Second Phase

Furia Rubel Communications was launched on Gina’s birthday and she ran with it. Eighteen years of success later Furia Rubel is thriving.

When Gina started her own business, she made a lot of mistakes, but she also did a lot of things right. Her recommendation to anyone starting a business is to hire the people who do what you are not an expert at.

Use the time you are delegating for new business development.

Furia Rubel is a Women Owned Business. There are benefits to having a Women Owned Business Certification. Companies that have diversity initiatives that require them to offer bids out to women owned or minority owned companies. If the proposals are the similar and the quality is the same, companies may make the final decision on the status of being Women Owned. There are definitely benefits.

Crisis management is another expertise that Gina holds.

PR tips

Transparency

No matter the situation, positive or negative, transparency is important. It’s important to be honest and transparent right down to the fact that you need help.

PR and Perception

During a time of crisis, be a resource for people. Don’t sell, it will fall on deaf ears. Send positive messages. Use technology tools and continue to be a positive resource.

Authenticity

Authenticity is a value to live by. Transparency, especially during a crisis, is important. Be transparent about how your business is changing or how the crisis is affecting your business.

Finding humanity and Grace

When in crisis, look for the positive, the humanity and grace that gives us hope for the future. Be willing to be agile as approach the changes openly.

Get the Word Out

During a time of crisis, your normal messaging isn’t what the media wants. The media wants to hear about the creativity with how you are handling the situation.

Timing is everything. It is really about creating and building relationships and being a good resource. Sometimes it is about asking someone else to share your story.

Stories are...

The truth is, every effective marketing strategy begins with a unique personal brand. The reason is, you must control the perception others have of you. And that means you must differentiate yourself to build trust and stand out.

To create an effective marketing strategy map out your who, what, when, where, and how. Let's break them down.

1. Who is your soulmate client? In addition, who are you? Both are significant when creating an effective marketing strategy. If you don't know what differentiates you you can't effectively communicate with your soulmate clients to tell them about why they should hire you. Likewise, if you don't know your soulmate client, you won't be speaking to those people who need your expertise and will want to hire you.
2. What are your soulmate clients' major pain points that you can help resolve? Can you define what keeps them up at night? What are they thinking about when doing the dishes or getting dressed that they cannot solve themselves? But you can and in a unique way. In addition, what platforms are they using to search for the information they need to get the results they want? What platforms are you creating content for? Is there an overlap? What changes do you need to make to reach your soulmate clients?
3. When are you available to serve your clients? Elaborate on when they need you most and when you learned how to provide the solution they need. Likewise, when have you experienced their pain points yourself? Even more importantly, when and how did you overcome them?
4. Where in your journey have you experienced what your soulmate clients are experiencing now - the beginning of your journey or more recently? Where do you serve your clients, in person, online, locally, or internationally? In addition, where will you market to your soulmate clients? Where are they researching to find the solution to their problem(s)? For example, if you are an entrepreneur who doesn't want to be on social media, where will you share information, on your blog, via email marketing? This is where SEO will become a key component of your effective marketing strategy.
5. Why do you do what you do? Is there a reason you help whom you help? Simon Sinek explains using his golden circle that why is more important than how and what. That people resonate more with why you do what you do than what you do or how you do it.
6. How do you help your soulmate clients get the results they crave? Do you have a proven method or system? Likewise, how do you do what you do? Elaborate on your background, skill sets, education, certifications, awards, life experiences, and mistakes you've learned from, etc. that help you help others. In addition, testimonials help elaborate on how you've helped others get their desired results.

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If you want to start a business you need passion and strategy to create success. Likewise, if you want to create a successful non-profit organization you need a combination of passion and strategy.

Bourbanism is a culture. Kentucky is also an influential and thriving art culture.

"Ninety percent of the world's bourbon is made in Kentucky. One hundred percent of the world's good bourbon is made in Kentucky." - Morgan Hancock

Robyn emphasized that everyone has innate creativity but the reality and chaos of life often suppress creativity. When we tap into creativity, our brain releases positive endorphins. It's very therapeutic. Creativity allows us to be more creative in our work as well as more pleasant in relationships.

• Physiological (food, water, shelter)
• Security (safe from harm)
• Sense of Belonging (community, friendship)
• Self-esteem (respect, recognition)
• Self-actualization (realization of unique ability/talents)

Creativity and art help to satisfy three of these needs: self-actualization, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging.

Bourbon with Heart supports artists and these three needs while creating opportunities to give to and support organizations that help provide the physiological and security needs of various populations throughout Kentucky.

Morgan shared a quote that her boss when she was in high school shared with her, "you owe it to your philosophy to learn how to win." - unknown

This quote has been a guiding source for Morgan to follow her passion, become a leader, and create a successful non-profit.

Passion is important, and is a driving force for creating. However, you must also know how to win, which means employing business strategies to succeed. It takes business acumen and strategy in addition to passion for overall success.

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Website for Bourbon with Heart

Have you considered starting a non-profit? Download the free eBook, 10 tips to start and grow a business without having to rely on social media as a guide to get your organization off the ground.

When you adopt sustainable habits you can create sustainable change in your life, mentally and physically. Best of all, you can create sustainable habits without feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.

If you have felt stuck or like you are struggling in any area of your life, it may be time to adopt sustainable habits for a healthier version of yourself.

Many times, especially once we hit mid-life, we feel something, go to the doctor, and he or she gives us a laundry list of things to do. This is overwhelming and oftentimes, things are forgotten, or it feels impossible to keep up with them.

Janet uses her PLAY method to help people adopt sustainable habits to create sustainable change in their lifestyles.

Robyn emphasized that people often use anxiety or hormones as excuses. Maybe symptoms or feelings are related to these, but they aren’t excuses. You must take action to navigate them instead of staying stuck using them as excuses. You can’t overcome struggle without action.

PLAY stands for Please Look After Yourself.

Janet suggests that when change is necessary, start with your vision. What is the vision you have for yourself for your future? She mentioned the 5 Why’s, which were also referenced in episode 224 when talking about problem-solving with Sarah K. Ramsey.

Janet emphasized that when you are aligned with your vision and your why, you can create sustainable change.

Janet referenced the Blue Zones by Dan Butner. One of the things that Dan discovered is that people who lived the longest and healthiest never went to a gym. They simply incorporated movement into their day. This is natural and playful. For example, gardening is a form of movement and is playful.

The minimum amount of movement everyone needs is 20 minutes a day or 150 minutes a week – this recommendation is the bare minimum to fight chronic disease.

If you are struggling go back to when you were a kid and what you enjoyed doing. Robyn referenced using the same concept to tap into creativity.

More on living a healthy lifestyle.

Janet believes that when you are healthy and playful, life is better.

She is also the author of The Playbook, How to Get in the Habit of Good Health.

Learn more and connect with Janet on her website: Janet Omstead.

Have you or someone you know been struggling with anxiety? Download the free eBook, Alleviating Anxiety by Creating Healthy Habits for a Health Mind today.

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Many entrepreneurs wonder why their revenue is not increasing. They often blame sales and marketing. Why? Because they are not making meaningful connections when investing in marketing and sales strategies. There is a hidden key to increasing profitability: client retention strategies. Enhancing your customer's experiences lays the foundation for improving profitability.

Client experience refers to a customer's comprehensive journey while interacting with a business. It includes every touchpoint, from initial awareness to post-purchase follow-up. Within this broad framework, customer service represents the actions taken to support and nurture clients directly. Excellent service is crucial for client retention, ensuring clients feel valued and connected rather than just a data point in a system.

1. Culture: An organization's client-centric culture is foundational. Leaders must prioritize placing the client's needs at the forefront of business strategies.
2. Service: Exceptional service involves consistent support and genuine interactions that foster trust and satisfaction.
3. Offers: Businesses should ensure their offerings are aligned with client needs, providing meaningful solutions that contribute to a seamless experience.
4. Operations: Streamlining operations focusing on client convenience can improve service delivery. Procedures should be evaluated not only for efficiency but also for their impact on the client journey.
5. Journey: A holistic approach to client experience keeps clients engaged with the brand beyond immediate transactions. A positive journey encourages longevity and advocacy.

Personal branding is integral to the client experience, impacting lead generation and retention. Aligning brand values with client expectations builds trust, fostering deeper relationships. This connection endures beyond the buying process, encouraging referrals and organic growth.

Katrina Scarlett's Website

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Download the free eBook, 5 Crucial Strategies to Start and Grow a Sustainable Business