New marketing tool for you business

Twitter users watch as a million lights illuminate Red Rock Fantasy in Sedona, AZ

Sedona, Arizona -- Los Abrigados Resort in Sedona hosted the Sedona Tweet Up tonight as a million points of light were turned on for the lighting of  "Red Rock Fantasy." About 30 social media-savvy innovators watched as Santa Claus arrived via helicopter.

You can bet that those tweople will be twittering about the gala to all their friends and family on Twitter and Facebook tonight and tomorrow. You can't BUY advertising that good! Word-of-mouth advertising is as good as it gets. That's what 1000s of customers told me when I was selling newspaper, Outdoor or Yellow Page advertising. Recommendations will drive traffic to your business faster than the printed (advertised) word. Much of the time, when a friend refers a potential client to your business, that potential client won't question price.  That's an added bonus.

So what lesson can be learned here? What is the new marketing tool for your business? To coincide with your next company event, invite your Twitter followers. Ask them to invite THEIR Twitter followers. Tell them to RT (re-tweet) your invitation. Call it a "Tweet Up." Offer appetizers, raffle prizes or free drinks.

Don't have an upcoming company event? Then plan one. It could be a little get together in the lobby, the lighting of a Christmas tree in the break room, an open house in the garage. Make it a "Tweet-up" and soon you'll be the talk of the town. Or the Tweet of the town...

BTW, you can see the awesome display of lights, and take photos like the one I captured above from now until January 2, 2010. 

Los Abrigados Resort

160 Portal Lane, Sedona, Arizona 86336

877-695-4161 (Online Specials & Promotions)
928-282-1777 (Los Abrigados Resort Front Desk

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Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter Marketing and Sales is a Flagstaff marketing strategist and copy writer. Follow her blog for more FREE marketing ideas, Twitter tips and free marketing advice on how to use social media and internet marketing to promote your service or product. Simply go to the right column and "Follow" or "Subscribe." It's FREE!

Make Twitter Work for Your Business

Larry Pollock (macsupportcasts) shares Twitter tip as Margo Christensen (PrescottTourism) and Paula Monthofer (PaulaMonthofer) look on.

Sedona, Arizona -- Last night I attended the Sedona / Verde Valley's monthly Tweet-Up at the  Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa. The lively gathering of over thirty business tweople shared Twitter tips. Here are just a few of those Twitter tips on how to make Twitter work for your business:

1. Link your Twitter to your Facebook account. Save time: your Tweets will automatically populate to your Facebook wall, as shared by Jane Ginn of Sedona Cyber Link.
2. "I increased my hits 30-50% by adding a video or photo link to my Tweets," said Megan Aronson of SedonaTV and Red Rock TV 16. Tweeting about Sedona? Megan says go to her You Tube channel and help yourself. www.youtube.com/user/sedonatv
3. Use CalTweet as an event management tool.  Sheryl, our fabulous hostess from HiltonSedona said she likes to use FutureTweets.com as well. The free service lets you schedule your Twitter messages, but no spam allowed!
4. TweetStats.com is another handy tool for tracking  your Tweets. For instance, TweetStats tells me that I rarely Tweet on Sundays, and hardly ever between midnight and 9 a.m. during the remainder of the week. Using this data, I could schedule Tweets using FutureTweets.com. That might help with building my European and African audience.
5. Best Twitter tip of all: join us Thursday November 19 at 5:30 Shef's Bar at  Los Abrigado Resort & Spa in Sedona. There will be complimentary appetizers, drink specials and Raffle prizes. Afterwards you can take a tour of the 19th Annual Red Rock Fantasy light show. Tickets are discounted this year" $5/adult, $2/child ages 5-12.

Tweeps from communities across northern Arizona including Sedona, Verde Valley, Flagstaff, Williams, Prescott and Munds Park congregated at Hilton Sedona.

Proceeds from the event and raffle went to Camp Soaring Eagle, a Paul Newman "Hole in the Wall" camp for children with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. Did I mention that I won a HUGE bouquet of fresh flowers and also a year's subscription to Arizona Vines and Wines magazine last night? Yeah, baby!

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Stacey Wittig (Travelwriter) of Wittigwriter Marketing and Sales helps market small businesses using the internet, social media and plain ol' paper media including business cards, brochures and reports. Call her to discuss strategies for your business. 928-699-0696

Largest Collection of AZ Artist Available for Public Review

Williams, AZ -- Bronzes by B R Pettit recently launched a website featuring the largest collection of bronze sculptures by Williams, Arizona artist B R Pettit. This is the first time that so many pieces of the artist's work are together for public showings.

B R Pettit was an Arizonan artist who is best known for his monumental statue entitled "Ole Bill Williams" that stands as a sentinel to "The Gateway for the Grand Canyon" in Williams, AZ. The eight-foot tall monument of the mountain man, for whom Williams, AZ was named, has become a Route 66 icon. http://www.mountainmanbronzes.com/

Pettit's work was prominently displayed in the Oval Office by President Ronald Reagan during the duration of his terms in office. The piece entitled "Ole Bill" was taken cross country to Reagan's home in California. That bronze statue by Bill Pettit is currently in the collection of the Reagan Presidential Library and assigned the reference number 1985.00359.01.

The original limited edition of 30 was sold out in the 1980s. For the first time since then, a second limited edition is being made available to the public. Read more at http://www.mountainmanbronzes.com/

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Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter is a marketing strategist and social media consultant. Subscribe to this website for free internet marketing tips and strategies.

Is a Colorado River Rafting Trip on YOUR "Bucket List?"

Jack Nicolson and Morgan Freeman star in the comedy-drama film, "The Bucket List." They portray two terminally ill men on a road trip in a race to check off each of the things on their wish list, before they "kick the bucket." After watching the movie, many of my traveling friends have drawn up their own "Bucket Lists." Running the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is on many bucket lists. With bookings down, 2010 might just be the year to check this one off your wish list.

So don your wide-brimmed hat, pull on your Tevas and pack plenty of waterproof sunscreen. Head downstream for the ultimate family adventure vacation. With cold spray of the Colorado River on your face and the hot Arizona breeze in your hair, you’ll experience the magical grandeur of the Grand Canyon.

Hike to cool grottos or ancient ruins, experience thundering whitewater or dip into blue-green pools below bubbling waterfalls. The adrenalin rush and thrill of surging through fast-moving water may give you “Rapids Fever." Or you may simply enjoy the serenity of a personal journey that reconnects you to earth, family... and yourself.

The choice is yours. Perhaps a 15-day trip accompanied by a string quartet is the voyage for you. Listed as Sunset Magazine’s Top Ten Rafting Trips, the quartet performs in acoustically-perfect side canyons of the Grand Canyon along the way. Other specialty Colorado River rafting experiences include Arizona Highways Photo Workshops and Elder Hostel trips with Northern Arizona University.

Flagstaff River Rafting companies offer six-day to eighteen-day trips. You may choose from oar rafts, paddle rafts, motorized rafts and pontoon boats, or dories. Hybrid trips which include a combination of oar rafts, paddle rafts and kayaks create even more options.

Join people from all walks of life that make this incomparable journey down the breath-taking Grand Canyon every year. You may come as a solo adventurer or book your whole family for the unrivaled vacation of a lifetime. If a white water adventure is on your bucket list, contact any of the following Flagstaff river guides. Tell them Vagabonding Lulu sent you!

Arizona Raft Adventures, Inc.
4050-F E. Huntington Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86004

928-526-8200

Canyon Explorations/Canyon Expeditions
P.O. Box 310, Flagstaff, AZ 86002

928-774-4559

Canyoneers, Inc.
P.O. Box 2997, Flagstaff, AZ 86003

928-526-0924

Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter Marketing and Sales is a travel writer and marketing strategist. Let her help you with compelling web copy, email campaigns, social media and blogging.

Local Mountain Man Immortalized at Sedona Foundry

When Bill Pettit, artist and historical reenactment expert told Lee Henson, "I want to make a bust of you," Henson's answer was a flat out "No." But Henson's wife Ella Mae was there, and she gave the go ahead.

The three had gathered for the Williams Rendezvous Days which celebrates the rich history and lifestyle of 1800s fur trappers and Mountain Men. They were dressed in buckskins and authentic reproductions of the clothing of early frontiers folk.

Pettit desired to create a detailed bronze of a historically-accurate fur trader in trapper's regalia, and Henson had 'the look.' "In a week, he [Pettit] brought back a wax bust and set it on the kitchen table. He asked Ella Mae if there was anything that needed to be changed," Henson related. Soon the sculpture was on its way to the foundry. That was almost twenty years ago.

Last month Henson and his wife toured Artscape Bronze Casting in Sedona with Pettit's widow, Laurha Beveridge. The trio met with owner Rob Myers for consultation on reproducing the bust, entitled "Rendezvous." They were given a tour of the facility by Jeremy Ivy, an expert in bronze patinas, who explained the multi-step casting process.

"If I could, I'd still kill him," quipped Henson of the artist. He believes Pettit never did enough to promote his own art. "I appreciate his art a lot," added the living model. Pettit died of complications from Addison's disease in 2006. Pettit's last ante-mortem piece was cast at Artscape Bronze Casting.

Although the living model's face has lost some of its fleshy substance, the strength and confidence that Pettit captured of Henson's middle age will stand the test of time. Just as the Mountain Men of yesteryear.

Mountain Men were trappers, explorers and scouts who roamed the west from around 1810 to the 1840s. Most were involved with the beaver fur trade -- a demand that came from the popularity of the stove-pipe hat made of beaver felt. Many moderns celebrate the time period with historical reenactment of the dress and lifestyle of Mountain Men. Well-known Mountain Men include Bill Williams, Kit Carson and Jeremiah Johnson.

Photo: Youthful Jeremy Ivy describes casting process to Lee Henson, living model of historical bronze bust.
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Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter Marketing and Sales is a marketing consultant who works with museums and artists. This article appeared in a 2009 issue Sedona Red Rock News. Wittig is based in Flagstaff, AZ and helps small businesses with internet marketing, social media and good ol' stories and news releases.

Using Less Toilet Paper During the Economy Downturn?

Are you using less toilet paper during the economic downturn? Have you noticed the empty roll at your hometown restaurant? Are you squirreling away toilet paper from home to use during banquets at local hotels or, gasp, the gas station advertising "Clean Restrooms"?

Maybe its time to complain, as this could be affecting your local economy. Today SCA Tissue North America announced that the shrinking demand for toilet paper and other paper products is causing lay-offs.

The Flagstaff plant supplies toilet paper to hotels and restaurants in Arizona, California and parts of Colorado.

A press release blamed the lay-offs on a “softening in customer orders due to the weakened economy.”

I suggest that hotel management starts buying local, not just for their gourmet chef, but also for their hosekeeping departments. SCA Tissue uses recycled paper to produce their sustainable products. By Local - Buy Recycled Toilet Paper?
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Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter is a sales and marketing strategist based in Flagstaff, Arizona. She also enjoys writing about sustainable travel as a Flagstaff travel writer. Communicating from Flagstaff, AZ today.

Wittigwriter Returns from Tanzania

Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter Marketing and Sales returned from Africa earlier this month. The marketing strategist served in the village of Lyamungo Kati in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.

"I was proud to be part of a team that facilitated a training seminar for Sunday School teachers," Wittig said. The team was invited by the Northern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.

"Sunday school teachers walked from miles around to attend the sessions. They were interested to learn new teaching methodologies to add to their already great curriculum. These folks have been teaching Sunday school for years, and we wanted to give them something that they could add to their tool box.

"I taught Bringing the Bible to Life, a segment that gets the teachers involved with drama, fabric stories and movement. We all had fun with the new materials," she added.

"Later, we had a chance to attend Sunday school at different churches and we were so blessed to observe the teachers using the methodologies we had shared earlier in the week," said Wittig sharing about the Kidz at Heart training session. Kidz at Heart is a non-profit organization whose mission is "Reaching Kidz Around the World for Christ."

The marketing strategist who enjoys teaching her clients about social media and the internet was one of the only business people on the team. Most team members were professional teachers.

NATJA Conference Celebrates Travel Writing

The North American Travel Journalists Association met for its annual conference in Cleveland last week. The above video was produced by Cleveland+ - the area's convention and visitors' bureau. You may get a glimpse of NATJA's newest member, Stacey Wittig, in some of these shots.

Good internet marketing, Cleveland+!
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Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter is a marketing consultant and freelance writer based in Flagstaff, AZ.

Birdchick Selects Wittig as Guest Blogger

Birdchick, Sharon Stiteler of Birdchick.com has selected Stacey Wittig of wittigwriter marketing and sales as a guest blogger. Wittig's essay "What is the Difference Between Crows and Ravens" which appears on February 24, 2009 was selected from over 50 entries.

Read more at http://www.birdchick.com/blog.html


Photo of Stellar Jay by Stacey Wittig of Wittigwriter Marketing and Sales.
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