People at PBS

Meet Mallory

Posted in: Blog, People at PBS by Mallory Malloy on September 14, 2011 | No Comments

Hello, I am Mallory Malloy.  I am a marketing manager here at Professional Business Services and I have been with the company for one year.  I am currently a senior at Northern Kentucky University studying English with an emphasis on literature, I love to read!  I am a huge Shakespeare fan; some of my favorite works are Titus Andronicus and Macbeth.  When I am not at the office or in school I enjoy teaching Zumba Fitness. 

You might recognize me from a networking event or the web-based promotional videos showcasing our different businesses here at PBS.  I recently shot a video promoting the upcoming open house event we host every fall.  Look for the new video coming soon and I hope to run into you sometime at a networking event, be sure to say hello.

Whitney Comments on Promotional Items

Posted in: Blog, Business Development, People at PBS by Mallory Malloy on July 19, 2011 | No Comments

Whitney Recker is one of the marketing managers here at PBS.  She markets our various services such as payroll, accounting, and tax preparation.  Whitney has been the driving force behind our weekly newsletters and she helps represent PBS in social media.  She has been with the company for about eight months.  Whitney has a bachelor of communications degree from the University of Cincinnati.  In addition to working here at PBS Whitney, also works for her family business, In Touch Marketing.   They provide a wide variety of promotional items to companies.

I recently sat down with Whitney to gain some insight on the latest trends on promo items.

Q: How can promo items help businesses?

A: They can get a company’s name out and draw attention to a business.

Q: What is the most popular promo item currently on the market?

A: There is never one specific item that sells the most or is the most popular. It depends on what type of company you’re selling to and who their target audience is.

Q: Is there anything new and upcoming in the promo item world:

A: Tumblers with straws have been selling a lot lately. I am getting a lot of orders for them.

Q: When is your busiest season?

A: Based on the customers I have, the holiday season is the busiest for us.

Q: How has the economy affected your business selling promo items?

A: The economy had a great effect on my business. Promo items were one of the first things cut in companies budgets.

Q: Where do you expect the business of promo items to be in the next few years?

A: Things have picked up and I expect them to continue to grow.

Web Video Marketing: Don’t Go Viral

Posted in: Blog, Business Development, People at PBS, Technology by Gregory Noe on July 12, 2011 | No Comments

Here at PBS, we like to stay abreast with the latest trends in small business marketing. One of the important trends we have noted is the use of online video.  More and more internet users are watching videos.  Here are a couple statistics from Cisco systems:

• By 2012, Internet video will account for over 50 percent of consumer Internet traffic.  Internet video was 40 percent of consumer Internet traffic in 2010 and will reach 50 percent by year-end 2012.
• It would take over 5 years to watch the amount of video that will cross global IP networks every second in 2015. Every second, 1 million minutes of video content will cross the network in 2015.

The viewing of videos is not limited to consumers.  Forbes reported that 75% of senior executives surveyed said “they watch work-related videos on business-related websites at least weekly; more than half (52%) watch work-related videos on YouTube at least weekly.”

So how can businesses most effectively use video to their advantage?

David Richins, the digital technology go-to guy here at PBS, shares his thoughts on what makes for effective video.

PBS: What got you interested in video?

David: I found that video can be more persuasive than just text. It provides more of an immersive experience. As we think about marketing, the goal is to inspire people to take action. Sometimes in order to achieve this, we need to connect at an emotional level with people, and video has the capability to do this.

PBS: What do the trends in video mean for small businesses?

David: Clearly, a lot of people are watching videos, so it’s a good medium to consider. People these days are short on attention, so video provides easier communication than text, and it allows users to multitask. At the same time, the internet is getting flooded with content, so that means companies need to work harder to stand out.

PBS: How can companies use video to build their business?

David: Video can be a great addition to a company’s social media strategy. Keep in mind that social media is about building connections. If you try too hard to advertise your business, you will turn people off.  Internet users have more control over the content they view, so you can’t approach online video the same way you would approach television advertising. I think the goal should be to use video to build credibility and connect with potential clients.

PBS: How does that work? How do you build connections with video?

David: I really like documentary-style video. I think when people read company blogs or watch company videos, they are interested in getting to know the people in the company. When I put together promotional videos for companies, I like to show people speaking extemporaneously. Nowadays there is so much advertising that comes across as simply fake.  There is lots of hype and overpromising and not enough substance. I think when people visit a website or watch a video, they are looking for evidence that the company is able to deliver on its promises.  It’s great when a business owner can get on camera and explain his value proposition effectively without any rehearsal. That shows evidence of competence.

PBS: Does video need to be professionally produced?

David: Not necessarily. Sometimes amateur videos can be effective because they come across as more genuine. But you should definitely put some care and effort into it so you don’t look sloppy.  Poor lighting and audio or cheesy graphics can be a distraction.

PBS: What advice do you have for companies that want to produce a viral video?

David: I would say that you need to seriously rethink your strategy. It’s natural in today’s ADD culture to want to produce something that will create immediate results, but that type of content doesn’t help in the long run. There are several reasons why viral video is not good for business. For starters, it’s hard to manufacture a viral video; they usually happen by accident.  Second, in order for a video to spread virally, it has to have some element that shocks or wows the viewer. You generally don’t want strong emotions associated with your brand.  And finally, you have to ask yourself if you really want your marketing strategy to be an uncontrolled social phenomenon. Despite the new marketing trends, business hasn’t changed that much. You still have to win people over one by one.

Hocking Hills Trip

Posted in: Blog, Fun Stuff, People at PBS by David Richins on July 11, 2011 | No Comments

In addition to their small business accounting, payroll and tax practice, Greg and Mary also enjoy organizing group travel. Recently they took a trip to Hocking Hills, where they participated in the zipline canopy tours. Below is a photo gallery of the adventure they had on May 20. Click on an image to start the slideshow.

Q & A with Mandy Henson

Posted in: Blog, Fun Stuff, People at PBS by David Richins on July 8, 2011 | No Comments

If you’ve been to our office, you have more than likely met our friendly receptionist Mandy Henson.  Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with Mandy and ask her a few questions. Since she is expecting her first baby soon, we thought we should catch her while she’s still here.

Q: So, Mandy, when are you due?

A: Actually, I’m due this Sunday (July 10)!

Q: Boy or Girl?

A: Boy

Q: What do you do here at PBS?

A: I’m the receptionist and I do payroll processing.

Q: How long have you worked here?

A: About a year

Q: How long have you been married?

A: Three years. Our anniversary is on Monday.

Q: What does your husband do?

A: He works at Fidelity Investments

Q: Where did you go to school?

A: I received a bachelor of science in business administration from NKU in 2007.

Q: What advice do you have for women who are working and pregnant?

A: I’m not sure; it hasn’t been that bad for me. But it helps that my job can be done mostly sitting down.

Q: What have you liked most about working here?

A: I like the flexibility and that clients and co-workers are easy to talk to and get along with.

Q: What have you learned while working here?

A: I’ve learned a lot about payroll processing, not just calculating payroll but also doing tax payments and quarterly reporting.

Q: What do you do to blow off steam?

A: Well, my husband and I usually go to the softball field every week.

Q: And do you play or watch?

A: Watch, of course!

Q: Are you planning to come back after your maternity leave?

A: Yes, I plan to be back in six weeks.

Here at PBS, we’re all wishing Mandy good luck and congratulations on her upcoming motherhood.