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Notes, observations, commentary, news and photos from our communities. I'm the general manager for the YourHub.com operation, the citizen journalism site for the Ventura County Star. And I'm glad you are here, too. My wife Joanna and I live in Simi Valley with our two sons, Matt and Joey. We've been in Ventura County for more than two decades and feel privileged to be here. Please comment on this blog and post your news and musings, too. See you around the county!

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Marketing requires cross promotion

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Contributed by: Michael Hoffman on 5/16/2007

Marketing a small business requires cross promotion over many different advertising platforms, according to a weekly newspaper editor.

Owners should think of their advertising buys as a pie chart, said Steve Carlson, editor of the weekly Moorpark Acorn. Businesses need newspapers, direct mail, television, cable, blogs and even podcasts, he said.

"There is nobody who eats just one thing for dinner every night," Carlson said.

Carlson spoke Wednesday as part of the monthly business development roundtable put together by the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce. The luncheon meeting was built around a panel presentation on marketing options in the community.

In addition to Carlson, those on the panel included Janet Fukumoto, a sales person with Time Warner Cable; Leigh Nixon, the chamber's president; and me, Michael Hoffman, general manager of YourHub.com.

Non-profit and community organizations can apply to use Time Warner's new local edition, a five-minute segment that airs before CNN news broadcasts, Fukumoto said. The broadcasts air throughout the cable company's southern California service area.

About 75 percent of the homes in the area have cable and campaigns can be placed on programs that target specific audiences, she said.

The chamber's marketing options range from free mentions at monthly networking breakfasts to postings on the chamber's website to tourism maps and website ads, Nixon said. The chamber is seeing increasing traffic on its website.

"People are using the phone less and less," Nixon said. "They are using their computers to find what they need."

The Internet is at the center of the YourHub.com strategy, I told the group. The idea is to create community websites that individuals, businesses, clubs and organizations can use to circulate stories, publicize events, share opinions and promote themselves.

Once something is posted with YourHub.com, you can use the item's web address in an email to anyone you choose. Plus, a well written story has the potential to make its way into print distribution in the Ventura County Star.

The free postings on YourHub.com take a bit of labor, but resulting promotional opportunities can easily repay that investment.

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