ACQYR Sales and Marketing Seminars: Building Media Relationships, Creating a Winning Image, Public Relations & More
Sales and Marketing Seminars with Facilitator Susan Sommers
As one of Canada’s leading media and marketing experts, Susan Sommers offers content-rich, results-oriented communications training and coaching. Clients acquire the skills and inspiration they need to successfully market their businesses to their target customers and the media.
Through her Keynotes and Training Sessions, Susan inspires individuals and groups to develop creative communications solutions. Her training, coaching, and consulting sessions are relaxed, entertaining, and thought-provoking.
Susan provides practical tools and easy-to-follow advice on how to cost-effectively reach target markets and media, with key messages and tools, and motivate them to take action. Her customized communications seminars and workshops focus on helping corporations, associations, non-profits, and entrepreneurs to improve their marketing and media relations skills and to develop long-term strategies and programs.
People who participate in Susan’s sessions leave with a new understanding of communications, actionable ideas, and new energy. As a result, they are able to develop better relationships with all of their key markets and increase their credibility, visibility, and bottom line.
Susan is also one of Canada’s leading marketing and media relations strategists.
Marketing and Sales Training Topics
Susan Sommers offers a variety of highly interactive seminars and courses, which combine role-playing, videotaping, lecture, small group activities, and real-life examples. Format and content can be customized, according to your audience’s needs, budget, and theme.
Brochure, Newsletter or Media Kit Makeover Clinics
These workshops are designed for anyone who has an outdated or unexciting brochure, newsletter, or Media Kit or needs to create a new promotional piece. Each participant submits a brochure, newsletter, or Media Kit prior to the workshop and receives a written critique at the workshop. The sessions analyze different types of promotional pieces; examine the goals and criteria; discuss design and copy, suggest ways to make your piece a "keeper," and provides on ways to evaluate the success of your collateral pieces. Each participant leaves with a prototype for a new promotional piece.
Building Media Relationships
An overview of the media relations process. Develop the skills and tools necessary to research, plan, implement, and measure a successful media relations program that supports your company or organization’s goals, objectives and key messages. Includes understanding your target markets and media, developing a media list, contacting and following up with key media, writing copy for media kits, preparing and organizing media interviews, and evaluating your campaign.
Also available: Building Media Relationships For Non-Profits.
Creating a Winning Image
How do you get beyond traditional brochures to "brand" your company or organization creatively and successfully? Examine ways to market yourself or your company or organization “out of the box”, including an Internet site, e-mail newsletters, advertising, leads-generating business cards, and testimonial brochures. Set yourself apart from the competition. Learn how to work effectively with outside resources, including graphic designers, public relations firms, photographers, and printers.
Marketing to Win (7 Keys to Marketing Success)
Marketing To Win provides an overview of the marketing process. Learn how to maximize your promotional and advertising dollars by integrating 7 key tools in your Branding Toolbox into a dynamic marketing campaign: visual image, printed materials/Internet sites, special events, sponsorship, speaking and networking, trade and consumer shows, and media campaigns. Discover practical, cost-effective ways to communicate more effectively with key markets: current and potential clients/customers, employees, suppliers, partners, sponsors, and the media.
Also available: Marketing For Expansion, Marketing To Win For Entrepreneurs and Small and Medium Size Businesses, Marketing To Win For Non-Profits, Marketing To Win For Retailers and Franchisers, Marketing To Win For Sales Professionals, and Marketing To Win For Professional Services.
Marketing/Public Relations – The New Face of Marketing
In today’s highly-competitive business environment, companies, organizations, and associations must develop and maintain favourable attitudes about their products and services with all of their publics: current and potential customers, employees, suppliers, colleagues, shareholders, government agencies, competitors, the media, and the general public. Learn how Marketing/PR has become the leading-edge tool of the 21st century by combining the best aspects of marketing with the credibility of public relations.
Media and Crisis Training
Prepare your spokespeople for radio, television, and print interviews, crises management, media inquiries, and problems. The customized programs include video and audio-taping and analysis, preparing for scrums, and participating in "mock" news conferences.
Talking to the Media
Learn how contact the media and prepare for a telephone or face-to-face media interview. Encouraging the media to interview you on a regular basis is the best way to establish your company or organization as the leader in your industry. In addition, your response during a crisis can mean the difference between enhancing and destroying the credibility of your company or organization.
SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS:
We custom design a marketing program to meet the needs of your organization.
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COMMUNICATIONS’ AUDIT
Analyze your current communications’ program and evaluate effectiveness of key elements such as visual image, printed materials, publicity, and advertising. Competitor analysis. We provide a written report with recommendations.
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RESEARCH
Design and administer questionnaires for current, past, and/or potential clients. Collate responses and provide assessment of results, with recommendations.
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STRATEGIC PLANNING
Develop a Strategic Marketing Plan to meet your marketing and publicity objectives, within a specified budget and time frame.
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WRITING SERVICES
Design, write, and produce newsletters, brochures, and media kits.
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MEDIA CAMPAIGNS AND PROGRAMS
Create a customized Media List of print and electronic media. Organize comprehensive local, national, and international media campaigns. Research, write and produce media kits/sales kits and inserts, including news releases, fact sheets, backgrounders, Public Service Announcements, and story ideas.
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PUBLICITY FOR SPECIAL EVENTS
Create, execute, and evaluate publicity campaigns related to special events and media events, such as media receptions and news conferences.
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SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES
Research sponsorship opportunities and write and produce sponsorship letters, proposals, and packages.
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TRADE AND CONSUMER SHOWS
Design and write promotional literature for trade and consumer show participation. Create publicity campaigns for organization’s show participation.
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EVALUATION
Analyze and evaluate marketing program, printed materials, special events, and sponsorship opportunities and make recommendations for the future.
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ON-GOING CONSULTING
One-hour sessions offering advice and reports on marketing strategy, tactics, and tools.
Backgrounder: Susan Sommers, Motivational Speaker and Author
SUSAN SOMMERS is an award-winning journalist, speaker, teacher and marketing consultant, with over twenty-five years of experience in communication. She is one of Canada’s leading experts in marketing and media relations consulting and training.
Susan was born and raised in New Jersey and earned a Masters Degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Syracuse University. After moving to Toronto, she received a Public Relations Certificate from the University of Toronto.
In 1982, Susan founded her own agency, susan sommers + associates, which has designed marketing and publicity programs for public and private sector companies and organizations across Canada. As Marketing Director for Olympia & York Developments Limited at First Canadian Place for two years, Susan created and implemented a comprehensive marketing program of special events, newsletters, media campaigns, and advertising for the downtown retail and restaurant complex.
Susan has also developed strategic communications’ plans, special events, publicity campaigns, promotional materials, and new identity programs for such clients as Queen’s University, The Toronto Blue Jays, Designers Ontario, The Second Cup, Moneysworth & Best Shoe Repair, and Imago Restaurants. Matinee Fashion Ready-to-Wear, Volunteer Centre of Toronto, and The Yoga Studio.
Since 1990, Susan has designed and delivered hundreds of Keynotes, workshops, presentations, and in-house training programs to corporations, retailers, business owners, associations, and non- profits. Her clients include Metro Credit Union, Royal Bank, City of Toronto, Festivals Ontario, Town of Markham, and a number of Boards of Trade and Chambers of Commerce.
Susan currently teaches marketing, media, and crisis communications workshops and courses in the Executive Development Program, Schulich School of Business (York University), the Continuing Education Program at the University of Toronto, and Canadian Fundraiser. She has also designed and developed training programs for Ryerson Polytechnic University, the University of Western Ontario, Sheridan College, George Brown College, and the Ontario College of Art & Design.
As a journalist and author, Susan has written weekly columns for The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star, as well as feature articles for a variety of consumer and trade publications. Her most recent book, Building Media Relationships, was published by Irwin Publishing. Her workbook for non-profits, called Media Wise, was published by United Way of York Region. She is also the author of Handmade in Ontario, published by Van Nostrand Reinhold in 1976.
Susan’s new DVD, Building Media Buzz, was launched in April 2006.
What People Are Saying...
"I found the Marketing and Corporate Communications course to provide a good "big picture" approach to developing an integrated program of communications. In particular some of the templates and "how to's" for creating and using the typical communication documents and tools was quite helpful. This course would be ideal for someone new to a communications role, or someone taking on additional communication responsibility who needs a broader understanding of the aspects of a communications practice." Kristen Ridley, Corporate Communications, ACNielson Canada
"Susan Sommers' "Building Media Relationships" course provides a unique and interesting perspective on the media landscape in Canada. Her interesting case-studies, strong presentation skills, and amiable demeanor made the workshop both educational and enjoyable to attend." Adrienne Nestor, Manager, External Communications, Corporate and Public Affairs, TD Bank Financial Group
"Thank you for sharing your experiences during your workshop. Everything you taught was extremely helpful! I have already begun incorporating your teachings in my day-to-day activities at work, and I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated your coaching." Pam MacIntyre, Public Relations Specialist, World Wrestling Entertainment Canada, Inc.
"I wanted to thank you for organizing this wonderful event with Susan Sommers yesterday. The workshop exceeded my expectations and I felt enriched once I stepped out of that room at the end of the day. So thanks again; you did a wonderful job, and so did Susan. Please keep me on your list for future workshops; I would love to see more speakers of that calibre." Anne Larrass, Publications Assistant, Canadian Museums Association
“Materials and content were valuable.” C. Sancortier, Canada NewsWire
"A very valuable course. It covers everything a PR person needs to know with great examples and resources. This mix of interactive participation and discussion among participants was key." Teresa Forrest, Manager, Corporate Communications, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products
"I would like to thank you for a very informative and well thought out course. I enjoyed it very much and feel that I came away with lots of food for thought." Cheryl P. Hutton, Manager, Product Development, Devrient (G & D)
"Thank you very much for giving a wonderful presentation. It was very interesting, and we received lots of positive feedback from those who attended." Michele Wright, Cassels, Brock & Blackwell
"On behalf of Basketball Ontario, I would like to extend our sincerest gratitude for delivering such a practical, informative and valuable workshop. As a not-for-profit organization that is over 70 years old, we will find your new and dynamic approaches to marketing, media, and sponsorship, an excellent addition to our repertoire of operational guidelines and strategies." Jake Rondot, Manager, Educational Programs, Basketball Ontario
"Organized, fast-paced, reality based, down to earth." Melanie Persaud, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto
"Very applicable content, good interacting with other participants, and lots of new ideas generated." Tess Laidlaw, Communications Assistant, Institute of Infection and Immunology, University of Western Ontario
"Although I don’t have lots of experience, I now have some idea on how a newsletter should be published and what to include." Beth Wierzbicki, Program Secretary, Parkdale Community Health Centre
Training Programs
Marketing Audit and Strategy
- Research and analyze your current marketing plans, create a strategic plan and execute and evaluate the program. Includes on-site training of key staff.
Keynotes and Presentations
- Up to 2 hours
- Customized to your audience and occasion
- Excellent for conferences, meetings, special events, and retreats
Customized Workshops and Seminars
- In-house training or retreats
- Lunch and Learn sessions
- ½ day, full day, two day, and weekend programs
- Includes pre-program survey of participants
- Includes customized workbook
- Breakout Sessions
- Can be customized for audience
Public Workshops
- Includes comprehensive workbook
- Designed and delivered in half-day, one-day, or two-day formats
Breakout Sessions
Courses
One-on-One Coaching and Consulting
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For business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals, we’ll focus on marketing, media relations, and promotional materials.The one-on-one coaching brings results: more focus, better and faster goal achievement, increased accountability, less stress, and more growth. Available by telephone, e-mail, or one-on-one
Interactive Telephone Sessions
Webinars
Learn about ACQYR Seminars with Susan Sommers by contacting us at: seminars@acqyr.com or 1-877-438-3048.
