Blogging Services & New Rate Card

Chuck Zimmerman

I know we’ve told you that we offer blogging services but what does that mean and how much does it cost?

Let’s first of all say that the cost is determined by what you want us to do so we’ll provide you with a quote after you describe what you want us to do.

To address this new service we’ve updated our rate card. I’ll be emailing it out next week when our new blog site is up and running. In the meantime you can contact me directly and I’ll email it to you.

If you still wonder if anyone cares about blogging consider the sold out American Marketing Association conference on blogging this Friday.

Here’s a short description of some of the things we can provide you or your client:

1. Blog Creation and Design – If you’ve already got a website then you should consider how a blog can work with what you’ve already got. Perhaps you want a new design or maybe you want something that uses elements of what your traditional website looks like. We employ the services of several excellent design artists to create the personalized custom look you want.

2. Training – We can provide onsite or conference call training for you and your staff. We would custom design our presentation to your needs. In an extended session we could cover the basics of blogging and move into advanced uses and tools.

3. Content – I know you may wonder about starting something that’s just one more thing to do. That doesn’t have to be the case. Just like with any other communication tool we can provide on-going assistance such as posting information for you, or even creating custom content. Just consider what your goal is with your blog and we can help make it an easy process to keep fresh content on your blog. Content could include text, images, audio or even video.

You’ll find our prices competitive and less expensive than traditional website design and maintenance.

Contact me for more details – Chuck at 573-896-5842!

Uncategorized

How About the St. Louis Ag Club Mtg Monday

Chuck Zimmerman

Here’s another meeting of note. The St. Louis Agribusiness Club, along with the Gateway NAMA chapter have a meeting Monday:

++++++
Looking to the Future

What’s on the horizon? How will it effect you and/or your business? The Gateway NAMA will host a join meeting with the St. Louis Agribusiness Club featuring Carl Casale, Monsanto Executive Vice President Commercial, North American & Latin America North. Carl will discuss some of the products coming down Monsanto’s pipeline. Come network with friends and colleagues and explore potential new products.

Where:
Holiday Inn Westport, St. Louis

When:
Monday, February 14, 2005; reception at 11:30 a.m. and lunch at Noon

Cost:
$20 – Please RSVP by February 10 at 314-995-4960

Save the date: March 14 – University of Missouri student NAMA chapter presents their marketing presentation for NAMA’s Annual Conference.
++++++++

Ag Groups

Do You Know About the Kansas City Agricultural Business Council?

Chuck Zimmerman

You may not be aware of this recently formed organization in Kansas City. They’re having a great program coming up you might want to attend though:
++++++

The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City will be hosting nationally-renowned speaker Steve Kopperud for breakfast on Friday, February 25, 2005, 8:00 a.m. The event will be held at the American Royal. Members’ cost for breakfast is $10.00; Nonmembers’ cost is $20.00.

Steve Kopperud has special expertise in agriculture and food issues. He speaks to the topic of how the extremists’ have influenced agricultural policy, among other very pertinent issues facing the agricultural industry. Prior to his current leadership position with Policy Directions, Inc. of Washington, DC, he served as senior vice president of the American Feed Industry Association. He is also the former president of the Animal Industry Foundation; and chairs the Animal Welfare Coalition. He has been quite involved in policy-making efforts which has involved the animal science, veterinarian medical and animal agriculture industries. Before his successful career in government relations’ efforts, he was a reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the San Diego Union. He served as bureau chief and Washington editor for ABC’s publishing division. He has been interviewed many times, on behalf of animal agriculture, by Fox, MSNBC, CNN and ABC.

Reservations can be made online via the following website: http://www.americanroyal.com/Default.aspx?tabid=183 Please RSVP via website or email if you are planning to come and/planning to bring your colleagues, so we may ensure an accurate headcount.
+++++++

I’ll be happy to post information like this for groups that promote agriculture locally. Just let me know as Gina Bowman did with this meeting notice.

Ag Groups

Jazz Up That E-Newsletter With Audio!

Chuck Zimmerman

This is one of those “duh” why didn’t I think of that ideas. You can listen to me talk about this here: ZimmComm Podcast.

If you’ve got an e-newsletter why not insert hyperlinks to audio that your subscribers can listen to on their computer?

Let’s say you’ve hired ZimmComm to produce a Talking News Release. We have to do an interview to collect audio for sound bites. We can edit the full interview and make it available in your e-newsletter or just the sound bites!! Heck, we’ll conduct an interview just to create audio for your newsletter even if you don’t want or need a TNR.

The easiest way to do this would be to either email us your newsletter prior to distibution and we can insert the hyperlinks for you and return it to you or we can send you the URL of the audio file and you insert the hyperlink. Isn’t that simple?

And you’ll have really jazzed up your e-newsletter!

Audio, Podcasts

Missouri Beef Industry Council Takes The Stage

Chuck Zimmerman

One of our charter client’s the MBIC just sent out this Talking News Release today. This a general consumer release that was sent to radio, tv and publication reporters. There are hyperlinks in the release to audio and image files. The subject is MBIC’s sponsorship of the cooking stage at the St. Louis Women’s Show.

Addtionally, we produced a self-contained interview on the same subject which was distributed to traditional farm broadcast reporters as part of the MBIC’s weekly MBIC Report series. This is done to help communicate MBIC activities to cattle producers whose money is funding these projects.

I hope these will give you ideas of how you can use ZimmComm to produce and distribute quality information targeting both consumers and producers.

Ag Groups, Audio

Latest Talking News Release

Chuck Zimmerman

We’ll begin posting links to our latest Talking News Releases as they are sent out and as long as our client is okay with it. They might give you some creative ideas for projects we can do for you. You’ll be able to click on the audio file links just like a reporter would and who knows what you’ll learn.

Keep in mind that I’m available for on-site training in news release creation and distribution too. Just call to schedule. My fees are reasonable!

Today we sent a release for Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service. It’s part 3 of a 5-part series on the ARMS survey that’s currently being conducted here in Missouri.

Audio

NAMA – Convention Coming Up In Phoenix

Chuck Zimmerman

Many of the people who are aware of this blog and I hope are paying attention, are members of NAMA – National Agri-Marketing Association. However, not all of you are.

A great place to learn more about it and network with people from across the country is the annual Agri-Marketing Conference and Trade Show. This year it’s in Phoenix, April 20-22.

ZimmComm will be there, blogging our way through.

Just thought you might be interested.

NAMA

New Ag Blog

Chuck Zimmerman

I was just alerted to an ag blog you might want to check out. You can see for yourself at the Center For Rural Affairs .

See? There’s more of them happening all the time.

Feel free to contact ZimmComm if you’d like help in learning how to blog. We can set yours up for you and even help you maintain it!

Ag Groups