Greg Hoffman


1/27/2005

 

Business Blog Awards

We need your vote! Once a day until Feb. 9.

Please go to this site below and vote for Security Awareness for Ma, Pa and the Corporate Clueless. We are up against THE most popular Tech blog in the world, maintained by a tech guy at Microsoft.

We are also nominated for "Best Overall Blog".


So, we really need your votes and help spreading the word.

Scroll down to "Best Tech Company Blog" and all the way down to "Best Overall Blog" and vote for "Security Awareness".

Business Blogging Awards

While you are there, I'll put a big plug in for:
POP! Public Relations in the category of "Best PR Blog".
Real Lawyers Have Blogs under "Best Law Blog".
Tampa Bay's Inside Real Estate Journal unde "Best Real Estate Blog".


Thank you


1/15/2005

 

Real Lawyers Have Blogs

I found a quasi-review of the Corporate Blogging review. It was written by Kevin O'Keefe, a lawyer who runs a blog called Real Lawyers Have Blogs.

I love the layout of his blog. I might have to copy it one day, with his permission of course, since he is a lawyer....Note, no lawyer jokes inserted here.

Check out Kevin's blog and read his assessment of Security Awareness for Ma, Pa and the Corporate Clueless.


1/14/2005

 

USA Today blog Review

January 3, 2005. Great way to start the year.


CNN Hot Sites.

Security Awareness for Ma, Pa and the Corporate Clueless
That title’s definitely a mouthful, but the site is wonderfully to the point: Tech-security news, columns and opinions blogged (more or less) daily. Proprietor Winn Schwartau and main blogger Greg Hoffman have good eyes and a snappy style, making this a terrific place to keep abreast of the blow-by-blow news from the realm of viruses, worms, phishers, and other creatures you’d like to see squashed in 2005. — HSS


 

Objective Blog Review

I would like to thank the staff at The Weblog Review for reviewing Security Awareness for Ma, Pa and the Corporate Clueless.

I agree with their assessments 100% and their critiques will certainly give us some points of improvement.

2 reviewers gave Security Awareness for Ma, Pa and the Corporate Clueless an average rating of 3.3750.

The rest of the contributors on our staff will begin participating more often and we promise to add more Tips and Tricks among the updates and stories we post from other sites.


1/13/2005

 

Corporate Blogging Testimonial

Corporate Blogging At The Security Awareness Company

Greg Hoffman: "The company has been around for 15 years but blogging has helped brand our company as the premier Security Awareness team in the industry; all while saving us time and money."
You know you can find testimonials from corporate bloggers at this site? Lot's of different examples to learn from, and here's another one. Greg Hoffman at The Security Awareness Company, with the blog Security Awareness for Ma, Pa and the Corporate Clueless, tells us about their experience - or success, rather.

Click here for the article.


1/09/2005

 

Maximizing your Marketing Dollars

Boating Industry
Thursday January 30, 2003

If you own or operate a small to mid-sized company in the marine industry, are you getting the most out of your marketing budget? Do you have a communications plan that tells you how and where to spend your money in the most cost-effective way? Are you targeting the best audience for your product or service?

These questions came to mind after reviewing the statistics gathered from a recently completed survey in the marine industry through Anchor Life, the online networking group for marine professionals.

The study showed that despite the national economic worries, many companies are committed to increasing their marketing investment for 2003.

But what was just as interesting to us was the fact that two-thirds of those polled plan to only spend at or below US$10,000. This is obviously a drop in the bucket for some of the large manufacturers in the industry, but a budget between US$5,000 and US$10,000 can go a long way for start-ups and small to mid-sized companies, if planned properly.

Cost-effective tools

Let's start with your website. Are you doing it yourself? Does it look like it? I decided long ago not to attempt to develop and code my own site. I partnered with an Internet marketing firm that does this full-time. Properly coding your meta-tags and internal mechanics greatly affect how search engines view your site. If you want to be found, make sure you do it right.

A good-looking, high traffic site doesn't have to cost an entire year's budget. Sure, flash animation and dynamic graphics catch the eye of the guests, but it's content and user-friendliness that will keep them interested. The best web designers now offer low-cost development, between US$1,000 and US$2,000 for an entire site and affordable monthly or quarterly maintenance programs to cover any changes or additions to your sites over the course of a year.

Don't forget one thing about websites – capture your audience. Give them the opportunity to request more information and then provide them with that information in a timely manner, such as a newsletter. Finding your target audience and reminding them who you are and what you can offer them is the best way to build a solid customer base.

Trade shows

Do you have a product that consumers need to touch and see before they buy? Some products are like this. Television and print advertisements sometimes don't help sell product but a regional trade show can empty your inventory in one day.

If this is the case, find the best way to attract the attention of the people walking by the booth. There are hundreds of gimmicks and tools to use for trade shows. Find them and try them. Use whatever works.

But again, capture your audience. Collect business cards in fish bowl, then add them to your database and keep them informed in the future.

Collateral materials

The best brochure is a printed, high-gloss, easy to read graphic representation of what your product offers the end-user. But the printing can kill a modest budget, can't it?

It might be time to turn to business card or regular-sized CD's with all your pertinent documents and graphics. Brochures, white papers, press clippings, anything that shows the performance and benefits of your products and services can fit onto a CD. They can be as low as a quarter each and you don't have to burn 5,000 of them to get the best price.

Advertisements

For smaller budgets, ads are very effective tools when combined with other marketing efforts. Companies on a diet budget certainly don't need to buy full-page, four-color spreads. Half-page and quarter-page color or black and white print ads are cost-effective ways to guarantee readers see your message. With the right frequency of placement, a positive return on the investment is very likely.

Be sure to check out specials, such as Boating Industry magazine's Literature Showcase. These 1/8 ads page ads include a full color photo of your literature and 70 words of copy. The price is right and the e-mail blast that comes as an option is well worth the added cost.

Public relations

In my opinion, there is no more cost-effective way to increase sales and awareness than public relations efforts. Published reports about your product or service always add validity to your brand.

When working with a limited marketing budget, executives tend to want to do things on their own. This is the time when they truly need objective resources to turn to for help. I must admit, I practice what I preach. Being on a limited budget myself, I still turn to corporate partners for guidance. For instance, I don't send out my own press releases. I'm too close to the situation and my partner almost always finds a different perspective to highlight.

Turn to your peers for advice

The basic reason the online networking group Anchor Life was created was to bring together professionals in the marine industry so they can interact and learn new ways of doing business, based on the experience of others. The final results of this survey show me that the current members are aggressive in their marketing strategy, despite the size of their budget. I encourage more of you to join and share your experiences with your colleagues.

Professionals from the marine industry can join Anchor Life by sending an e-mail to AnchorLife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Greg Hoffman
President
The Tarpon Agency



 

The Tarpon Agency Marketing Column

Boating Industry
Thursday December 19, 2002

As the holidays approach and you begin to wind down to enjoy the season, some of you might not be able to relax completely because work is still on the brain. If this is going to be you, head into the break with different strategies to ponder — strategies that are cost-effective, help build your audience and increase sales next year.

Here is one for you to consider — e-mail newsletters sent to those who choose to receive more information on your products and services.

It’s important to stay in contact with anyone who visits your website and is remotely interested in what you offer. I am constantly advising companies in the boating, fishing and outdoor industries to find ways to keep their prospects interested.

The goal is to bring them back to your website. If they receive a well written, useful newsletter from your company each month, they won’t forget about you.

Opt-In prevents SPAM complaints

An opt-in button on your website is easy to create and manage. We suggest the double opt-in method to verify the recipient’s willingness to receive further information. As an e-mail address is submitted to your list, an e-mail should be sent to that address asking for confirmation. If they reply, then you have a legitimate prospect for your database.

Harvesting or buying e-mail addresses and sending unsolicited e-mail to these addresses is a fast way to be dropped by your Internet Service Provider if anyone on the distribution list complains. You also run the risk of losing respect among your target audience.

Even if you collect business cards in a gold fish bowl at your next boat or trade show, send one polite e-mail asking that prospect if they would like to join your e-mail database.

Stick to your promise

I advise anyone with e-mail newsletters to very careful with their lists and only send what your customers have signed up for. If you abuse your privileges and send too many, not enough or irrelevant messages, recipients will delete them quickly. Further, always make sure you give your recipients the option to remove themselves from your list.

Creating the newsletter is the easy part for some of us. Come up with a schedule for when the newsletter should be sent and work backwards from there to set deadlines on content. Always give your newsletter recipients something they wouldn’t receive anywhere else.

Examples would be special discounts, limited edition products or services and useful tips. The Tarpon Agency newsletter offers all of these examples to several hundred recipients each month.

Options

Graphically, you can choose to send plain text or HTML messages. Some recipients may not be able to receive e-mails with logos or pictures but that number is decreasing each year. Try to give the recipients options. The main reason they subscribe is because of the content, not the look.

Finally, don’t forget the most important thing - the day and time of day to send e-mails. Think about when you read e-mails. Do you quickly scan and delete e-mails when you first get to work? Probably! Do you do the same right after your lunch hour? Probably!

If your target audience is a business crowd, mid-morning and mid-afternoon are good times to hit the send button. If your target audience is a consumer crowd, then late afternoon, early evening is a good time slot. People check their e-mail after meals, if your newsletter is at the top of their inbox, they’ll pay attention.

Greg Hoffman
President
The Tarpon Agency


 

The Tarpon Agency Marketing Column

Boating Industry
Wednesday November 13, 2002

The political season may be over but the legislative season is about to begin. In many states, incumbents have been knocked out by newcomers and political parties have taken over like never before.

Look at Georgia, for example. They have the first Republican Governor since Reconstruction. They lost their Senior U.S. Senator to a Republican. The State Senate Majority Leader was ousted and the Speaker of the House lost for the first time in 42 years.

Do you know who your state and federal elected officials are now? Do you know how they stand on issues that will affect your business and the marine industry as a whole?

Since many companies are working on marketing plans for 2003 this month, don’t forget to include time and/or budget for government relations, no matter how small your company is.

Civic duty

It’s a civic duty to vote but it’s also a duty, not only personally but professionally, to monitor your elected officials. It’s a truly easy process and it mostly only takes time and patience as you are not the only one who would like to meet them.

This is the time to get to know your state and federal legislators. For the next few months, civic organizations, such as the Kiwanis or your local chamber of commerce, will host legislative breakfasts, lunches, dinners and forums so members can meet politicians. This is your chance to meet your elected officials and find out where they fit in the political landscape.

If you live in a landlocked state, you still have lakes and rivers where recreational boating is regulated. So, it never hurts to inform the politicians about your existence. If and when that state or federal bill comes to a vote, they might call upon you to educate them on the issue. Sure, they’ll certainly contact the lobbyists of interest but if they know there is a marine manufacturer or service provider in their home district that would be affected by this legislation, you become a hero.

Your publicist will have instant credibility ammunition to inform your business world and customers that you testified before a legislative body as an expert witness.

Industry lobbyists

The National Marine Manufacturers Association has a dedicated Government Relations Department, which provides legislative and regulatory monitoring, analysis and policy review services to members and others in the industry. NMMA works in conjunction with the Marina Operators Association of America and the Personal Watercraft Industry Association.

Based in Washington, D.C., they are the ones that have the pulse of Congress and work at it everyday. Through professional lobbyists in key states and a legislative monitoring service, NMMA’s Government Relations Department also tracks local issues on behalf of the industry.

To find out more about the legislative issues in the marine industry, go to www.nmma.org, click on Gov’t Relations, then type in your zip code under MAKING WAVES in the bottom left hand column. From there, you can see who represents you in Congress, follow important issues and legislation, and learn how to “make waves” by becoming active in the process.

It’s time for companies to start using ALL the tools available to help publicize their companies and products. Knowing your elected officials, being aware of the government imposed regulations that affect your business and doing something about it, is a step in the right direction.

Greg Hoffman
President
The Tarpon Agency


 

The Tarpon Agency Marketing Column

The Tarpon Agency Marketing Column

Boating Industry
Tuesday October 15, 2002

The most articulate marketing professionals in the world can help your company fine-tune its message, identify the perfect end-users and convince them your product is their solution. But it’s up to you to keep them your customers.

Companies in the marine industry should be committed to providing the very best customer service plans. If you don’t, your competitors will.

As I wrote in my last column, online forums are an effective way for consumers to anonymously vent their frustrations about products they use. I recently posted a query on one of the major forums about customer service and I received many responses.

What is customer service?

This definition of customer service written by a member of the forum is worthy of mentioning here:

“The bottom line on customer service is that the company has to have the commitment to make purchasing, owning and maintaining an item the best experience they can for the customer ... Just remember, it takes ten attaboy's to make up for one mistake.

“Customer service excellence has to be in the culture of an organization. It has to be holistic throughout the company, not just the fond wishes of a couple heroes. Customer service starts with providing information before the sale, consistent and fair pricing strategies, emphasis on providing value to the customer, and providing honest and reasonable service after the sale.”

What to avoid

There are three major mistakes companies can make to lose their customers forever: not keeping in touch with their customers; not having some method of viable communication for complaints; and not fixing the problems.

A follow-up with the customer is as easy as a phone call, a direct mail-piece or an e-mail these days. Customers want to know that the company has taken the time to see how the product is working. Ongoing communication plans that include customers help build strong customer loyalty.

Many complaints about bad customer service result from a lack of options given to them by the retail outlet, the distributor or the manufacturer.

Each should have a system established to handle troubleshooting. But because most companies don’t offer such services, either by phone or on the Internet, the customer has to turn to other customers for information.

Finally, customers want companies to do as they promise. The best examples of customer service show how companies deliver repairs on time or go beyond standard warranties to make the customer happy.

The following is a good example of customer service from my online question to consumers:

“I bought my boat used from an individual in another city. I also applied for and received a second owner hull warranty that only covers the lower hull and transom. No deck warranty.

“Back in July, I took my boat to the local dealer to change the water pump on the engine. I told the manager there about how my compartment lids bleed brown coffee looking liquid when I wash the decks. He told me he would see what he could do. I didn't expect to ever hear back from him concerning the lids.

“Two weeks ago he calls me and tells me he has 7 new lids for all the compartments on my boat and to bring it by for warranty replacement. He knew my warranty did not cover the lids but was persistent enough with the manufacturer that they agreed to replace them. Now that is service. Can you guess where I am going to buy my next boat from?”

Great marketing helps sales by educating customers on products. Great customer service builds loyalty forever and brings emotion into the equation. These are two key elements in building your brand.

Greg Hoffman
President
The Tarpon Agency


 

The Tarpon Agency Marketing Column

Boating Industry
Wednesday September 11, 2002

Your customers are talking about you. They are buying your products and sharing their experiences, good or bad, with thousands of people on the Internet everyday.

The popularity of bulletin boards, forums and online groups has exploded in recent years as consumers try to learn more about products on the market via the Internet. Ultimately, what is at stake is your company’s public image.

One irate customer can rant endlessly to an open-eared online audience absorbing information. It doesn’t happen often but the fact that it does should make you pay attention to this active form of communication.

Keeping it positive

The best way to keep a positive angle on these discussions is to actively participate and show the public that you and your company care about issues affecting them.

Someone from your company should be signed on to the boards and checking them regularly.

Many pro-active professionals from the marine industry already participate in forums and have become regular contributors.

They don’t have to advertise where they work, they just offer solid advice to the multitude of questions and comments from consumers and colleagues in the groups.

Participating on these boards does offer anonymity for all users. As long as the customer finds the answers they are looking for, it shouldn’t matter where the useful information came from.

A representative of a major manufacturer in the marine industry recently told me he monitors forums and groups to make sure that accurate information is being disseminated about his company.

He said he seldom contributes because there are astute technicians from dealerships around the country who are always giving good advice.

If he sees someone is having a hard time with a product, he will check to see if they have listed their e-mail address and he contacts them directly rather than publicly.

He said the customer usually goes back on the forum to let everyone know that the company took care of them.

Examples of consumer based bulletin boards would be: The Hull Truth at www.thehulltruth.com; Boat U.S. Message Boards at www.boatus.com; and Google Groups on Boating at www.groups.google.com.

Many consumer-based boating publications also have their own forums online.

Use of B2B forums growing

Forums also exist for marine business-to-business professionals.

For example, Boating Industry International has its own bulletin board on its homepage at www.boating-industry.com/forum.cfm.

Another format is through Yahoo! Groups, within which Anchor Life is an e-mail-based discussion group at groups.yahoo.com/group/AnchorLife.

At Anchor Life, members use one e-mail address to ask questions, comment on industry news or trends and most importantly, network with each other.

Online bulletin boards, forums and groups are an effective way to communicate with your customers and colleagues.

Each member can offer a unique and objective perspective to your questions or comments based on their experience.

In return, you and your company will help increase overall customer satisfaction and protect your public image.

Greg Hoffman
President
The Tarpon Agency



 

Tampa Bay Area Online Networking Group Marks Two-Year Anniversary

Seminole, FL January 10 2005--The Tampa Bay Business online networking group celebrates its twp-year anniversary on February 17, 2005. The Yahoo group consists of more than 250 local business professionals who meet online and share information on a daily basis.

Online networking is a strong new marketing tool used by the business community to gain an edge on competition. It’s not meant to replace face-to-face events, rather to help prepare members to network more efficiently.

The Tampa Bay Business group has produced nearly 3,000 messages in the last year on a wide variety of topics. Two local business leaders help moderate its professionalism and usefulness for other members. "For the time invested, online networking can provide a bigger payback than networking face-to-face," says Denise O'Berry, group co-owner. "Online, you never have to fight traffic, suffer through bad speakers or show up someplace at an inconvenient time. It’s something you can do even at three in the morning in your pajamas."

“Everyone has their own reason for participating in our online community, whether it's new business development, looking for advice or finding a mentor,” said Greg Hoffman, Founder of the group and Chief Marketing Officer for Interpact Inc.

Many small businesses regardless of industry have the same challenges, said Peter Radizeski, President of RAD-INFO, Inc. “The group allows me to see that others face similar challenges and sometimes it even helps me find a solution or two.”

Charles J. Dudek, President of ProfitSmart Marketing enjoys the stimulating discussions and the amount of information he can use as a result. “Many of the members are master networkers and can be very helpful when you're trying to find insight into a local company,” Dudek said.

To join the TampaBayBusiness online community, visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TampaBayBusiness/



 

Public Relations Group Looks for Strategies to Succeed

January 10 2005--A dedicated group of Public Relations and Marketing Communications agency owners have started a campaign to educate and learn from peers on how to succeed in the agency business this year.

The yahoo-based group, SmallPRAgencyPros has nearly 300 members worldwide and is moderated by five seasoned small public relations agency owners. The campaign, which kicks off Monday, January 24, will be tailored for other small-agency and independent owners and managers in the industry.

SmallPRAgencyPros is a moderated group and spam is not tolerated. Membership is restricted to those with the vision of a tight-knit, always-on-target discussion group. The moderators moderate but they don't dominate the discussion as do moderators of other groups.
"We are not a high-volume, off-topic group," said Greg Hoffman, co-founder of SmallPRAgencyPros and chief marketing officer for Interpact Inc. "Our goal is to provide an online community where experts and novices learn from each other on a daily basis."

The Strategies for Success Campaign will encourage new members to join and actively participate and old members to share their collective knowledge about the day to day business of running a small public relations agency.

"As small agency owners, we know we can deliver better customer service and higher quality results compared to the larger worldwide firms," said Lea Conner, co-founder of SmallPRAgencyPros and president of Conner Dudley Communications LLC . "At times though, it's great to know we can ask the simple business questions to the group and receive a dozen solutions within a few minutes by email."

Moderators of the group include: Greg Hoffman of GetInsightU; Lea Conner of Conner Dudley Communications; Greg Brooks, an independent public relations contractor; Catherine Pacheco of Pacheco PR; and Jennifer Bagdade of PR Unspun.

To be considered for membership in SmallPRAgencyPros, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SmallPRAgencyPros/


 

Online networking groups expanding fast

Originally Published in Tampa Electric's Powerezine - July 2003
By GREG HOFFMAN
Ezine columnist

Business professionals are turning to the Internet more often as another tool to help them and their companies find ideas, mentors and ultimately, new sales. Online networking groups are gaining speed from the local level all the way to global business connection sites.

Members strive to develop relationships with a diverse group of individuals that have experience in a variety of industries. It may sound like a chamber of commerce event or a power breakfast for local leaders, but the difference is that it's from the comfort of the office.

Business development executives and small business owners can find a plethora of networking events in their market, but if the online resources exist, they owe it to themselves to at least find the right combination of both.

These online groups aren't for everyone. It's generally for those who don't mind receiving multiple email messages every day and may not have the opportunity, financially or geographically, to attend regular networking meetings.

This new trend goes beyond traditional newsgroups and forums where members share common interests. Online networking uses a combination of face-to-face networking skills and standard online etiquette. The basic principles of image and public perception apply.

Each group has its own set of guidelines to stay professional and keep high standards for all members. Anonymity does not work if you are trying to succeed in business. Each message needs to have a full signature including, name, title, website and a motto if one exists.

Creativity in a signature line is the best way to promote. Beyond the signature and an initial introduction, the worst thing members could do is constantly promote themselves. The point is to drive discussion and to help one another achieve business goals.

Success comes if members participate regularly, offer great advice and generally prove their worth to the network through their actions.

Globally, one of the largest business connection sites is Ryze, (www.ryze.com). Ryze was created in 2001 and now has an international audience of thousands of business people. In its first year it quickly spread from San Francisco to New York. Within the last six months, membership and has grown exponentially throughout the Southeast, primarily from the Tampa Bay area to metro Atlanta.

Ryze offers a home page for each member to post headshots and company logos as well as business and personal contact information. Ryze is very well maintained by moderators and remains extremely professional. Members join specialty networks and add other members as friends. It takes about an hour or two to set up a homepage properly. Then another hour or two a month updating and monitoring the networks.

Members who upgrade from their free Ryze membership have access to more statistics and functions, such as creating custom networks.

A U.K.-based site, called Ecademy, www.ecademy.com, offers relatively the same networking opportunities but with an entirely new audience.

Ecademy has a wide variety of members from Britain, Scotland, Italy and Eastern Europe. Members receive a free 30-day trial as a full member to learn and understand the benefits of a paid subscription. After the trial, those members that choose to keep the free homepage can still benefit from key networking opportunities.

Locally, an online networking group was started for business professionals in the Tampa Bay area. The Yahoo! Group, TampaBayBusiness, is an email-based community with five moderators and more than 170 members. In its first six months, the group sent more than 500 messages to each other discussing local business trends, trading useful links to business articles and basically getting to know each others' business needs.

TampaBayBusiness is a true online community in the sense that core members have met personally and the relationships are beginning to translate into positive returns on time invested in the group.

Other basic online networking groups include Friendster (www.friendster.com) and Classmates (classmates.com). These sites are more for social interaction, but in the new world of online networking, you never know when you might make that next business connection.

Greg Hoffman is President of The Tarpon Agency, a public relations firm based in Seminole, Fla. Hoffman is also founder of the TampaBayBusiness online networking group. For more information, go to: www.tarponagency.com


 

Tampa Bay Online Networking Group

Originally published in TECO's Powerezine - 5/15/03.

Two business newsgroups offer electronic networking with local professionals



For small business owners and other business professionals who can’t make all the networking events, there are now two local online networking newsgroups where members exchange business information and call on each other’s expertise. Both lists are free to join.

The first of the groups is TampaBayBusiness started last February by Greg Hoffman, president of The Tarpon Agency. Hoffman’s group offers members “an interactive way to network with other professionals in a friendly, email-based setting.” The group has over 100 members, and is averaging six new members per day. Typical discussions include exchanges of useful web sites for business professionals, and discussions of entrepreneurship.

Hoffman’s group also has an executive panel that alternates monitoring of the list, and helps new members learn about the benefits and features of the list through the homepage. Spamming isn’t tolerated, and discussions must focus on a business topic or one related to it. The group includes a wide variety of professional fields, including law, technology, sales, and others.

The group can be accessed at tampabaybusiness-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. The group’s homepage is http://groups/yahoo.com/TampaBayBusiness.


 

ValienteHernandez and Infinity Business Systems join forces

TAMPA -- A well-known certified public accounting firm and an IT management startup think two companies are better than one.

ValienteHernandez PA and Infinity Business Systems recently entered into a partnership agreement designed to expand each business by offering additional services to mid-sized corporate clients.

Click the link above for the rest of the story.


1/06/2005

 

Corporate Blogging is growing as well

Blogs' Power Stretches Far Beyond Politics
By Chris Nolan
TalkBack on Eweek.com

I agree with Chris Nolan about the power of blogs.

Last summer, our security awareness company, Interpact, decided to invest time and resources to create an online community of "security aware" readers. We affectionately call it Security Awareness for Ma, Pa and the Corporate Clueless.

Everyday, we post articles and columns about computer, people and physical security threats to help our blog visitors recognize that they can make a difference in combating these threats. We mix in rants and raves on various topics from our staff, including our company president, Winn Schwartau, and we talk about other vendors and news topics in the information security industry.

The key to corporate blogging is not to sell, sell, sell: the key is to give our target audience information they need to help themselves. It also gives us a chance to connect with them in a way that didn't exist before blogs. We are constantly receiving positive feedback on the phone, by email and at tradeshows.

Finally, if there wasn't a demand for the content, we wouldn't be blogging and given the activity, we don't plan to stop blogging anytime soon. Here's the blog address: securityawareness.blogspot.com

Greg Hoffman
Chief Marketing Officer
Interpact Inc.


1/03/2005

 

Guerrilla Marketing on the Blogosphere

Security Awareness for Ma, Pa and the Corporate Clueless
That title’s definitely a mouthful, but the site is wonderfully to the point: Tech-security news, columns and opinions blogged (more or less) daily. Proprietor Winn Schwartau and main blogger Greg Hoffman have good eyes and a snappy style, making this a terrific place to keep abreast of the blow-by-blow news from the realm of viruses, worms, phishers, and other creatures you’d like to see squashed in 2005. — HSS
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/front.htm


 

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1/02/2005

 
Photo of Greg Hoffman, Guerilla Marketing Expert Posted by Hello
 

About Greg Hoffman

The Tarpon Agency, based in the Tampa Bay area, was founded in 1999 by Greg Hoffman, who has more than fourteen years media experience. Hoffman graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and began his career in radio, working for WRBQ FM/AM in Tampa, FL. After radio, Hoffman became a newspaper reporter for The Tampa Tribune, The Rome News-Tribune, The Marietta Daily Journal and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Beats covered included education, health care and local and national politics.

He worked as a public relations specialist for PR Prose in Atlanta and as business development director for HLA Marketing Communications in Tampa, Fla. He offers excellent writing and public relations skills, marketing communications consultation and graphic design management, including print advertisements, collateral materials, web development and most importantly, Blogs.


 

The Tarpon Agency