I’m sharing some great content on my NEW Strategypreneur™ website! I want to share the gems I dropped in my blog post with my The Vine Events Fam. Click Three Ways to Optimize Marketing Through Relationships to get some great marketing tips and advice.
Creating content that connects!
Tonya – Strategypreneur™ Coach
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Let’s get and be real my peeps. Are you really living your best life? Are you experiencing a life of abundance? If you answered NO to either of these questions, no worries and I got you. I’m here to drop some gems on how to live abundantly!
Click Are You Really Living Your Best Life to finish reading my gems on Medium.
Tonya Cross – Co-Author, Our Stories His Glory
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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Got Milk?
Most people are familiar with the “Got Milk?” campaign from the early 90’s. This successful marketing campaign from the dairy industry lasted almost two decades! This month in my entrepreneurs Facebook support group, Digital Marketing On A Budget (DMOB), I’m asking our group members “Got Questions?” As entrepreneurs, we should never assume that we know what a customer wants or needs! I think this is one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make. The notion of “build it and they will come” is no longer a sound business practice.
The easiest way to find out what someone wants is to simply ask them. Some of you may be wondering the best way to do so. I’ve found surveys and polls to be very useful in gathering customer feedback. There are several digital platforms you can use to create a questionnaire. I have personally used Polldaddy and Typeform. Both are user friendly and have free options that allow you to try them out.
Social media platforms have also made it super easy to hear from your audience. Poll features have been incorporated into platforms like Instagram Stories, Twitter, and Facebook, allowing you to leverage your social media audience for feedback on your services/products.
This month, I’m hosting a group challenge for DMOB members to create a questionnaire to get answers they need for success! Participating in the challenge is an opportunity to identify your ideal customer’s wants and needs. The challenge will kick off on Monday, August 6th. Click DMOB to join the challenge and our Facebook group.
Tonya – Visionary The Vine Event Planning
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Our visionary, Tonya Cross, is now a regular contributor to Dear Curl Friend. Dear Curl Friend is a digital platform for women to connect about their natural hair and receive beauty tips. See excerpt from her article below titled 4 Tips to Establish and Maintain Influence In Your Niche…
When I finally reached 1K followers on Twitter, I was very excited. Then I started looking at the numbers of some other natural hair influencers. Their large following made my 1K look like a small accomplishment. That same week someone in an online blogger group I’m a member of posted about micro-influencers. The post reminded me that no matter what size my audience is, I’m still an influencer. When someone takes the time to like or follow your social media platforms, it’s for a reason. The hope is that they believe you will and can provide content of value. By providing value, it builds trust and you gain influence. – dearcurlfriend.com
Click here to read 4 tips she recommends for establishing and maintaining influence within your niche.
The Vine Events
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I created Digital Marketing On A Budget Facebook group last year in May. I designed the group for my friends who are also fellow entrepreneurs to share resources I’ve stumbled upon during my brand building journey!
The group initially started out as a private group, but I recently opened it up so others can join! I’m a giver by nature and want everyone to succeed in their endeavors. I’m still using the space to share what I have learned and continue to learn as the visionary of an organization and brand.
Many of the group members and myself are forty plus in age and face some challenges when it comes to technology! Fortunately, there are user friendly marketing resources that assist us as we travel the digital journey together. More importantly, most of the resources are either free or low cost and don’t put a big dent in our budgets!
I’m currently trying to build the group. My plan is to start hosting group challenges to engage our group members. I’m looking forward to learning and growing our brands together!
Tonya Cross – Visionary of The Vine Events and Accented Glory
Click here to join Digital Marketing On A Budget Facebook Group.
Click The Vine Events and Accented Glory to like us on Facebook.
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Hello March! We’re co-hosting two film screenings this month. We believe it’s imperative to keep our local community informed about social issues that impact them. Both screenings are FREE and will take place in Salisbury NC. Click event photo for Facebook Event Page to RSVP!
13TH – Friday, March 17th at 7pm at Park Avenue Community, 632 Park Ave, Salisbury, NC 28144.
13TH – Director, Ava DuVernay
Class Divide – Friday, March 24th at 6:30pm at Mission House, 120 Statesville Blvd, Salisbury, NC 28144.
EPIX Series – America Divided: Class Divide
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The Vine Events
We’re celebrating Black History Month! Join us for “My Sister’s Keeper” on Saturday, February 25th at 4pm at Westridge Place Apartments Clubhouse, 100 Donner Dr, Salisbury NC. We will have a panel discussion about financial literacy, group economics, and community development. Also there will be local female business owners vending their products at the event so, bring your dollars to circulate! Photo Source: Createher Stock
The Vine Events
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In July I got an email from ArrayNow informing me that I was receiving a pass to Urbanworld Film Festival 2016! The pass was a thank you for valuing and supporting their work. Array was originally AFFRM (African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement), which was founded by one of my SHEroes Ava DuVernay. I became an ArrayRebel a few years ago because foremost I LOVE black film. Secondly, I understand the importance of supporting indie films by people of color and women filmmakers.
I was already off from work during the time of film festival, because I had originally planned to travel to Washington DC for the inaugural of the National Museum of African American History and Culture with my hubby. I’m a black history nerd too! My husband convinced me to bypass the trip to DC and head to NYC for the film festival. He also made it very clear that he still planned to attend museum opening without me!
Urbanworld Film Festival was amazing! I was in film heaven. I got an opportunity to see some great independent films and engage in post-screening dialogues. I also meet some amazing people from fellow film enthusiasts to filmmakers! It was like a big family reunion centered around the love of film. Thanks ArrayNow, I will forever cherish the experience!
Tonya Cross – Visionary of The Vine Events
Director Leila Djansi and actor Jay Ellis of Like Cotton Twines
Director Mira Nair and actor David Oyelowo of Queen of Katwe
Dialogue with Class Divide Cast
Dialogue for young filmmakers showcase 2016. My favorite film was Silent Night!
First Legacy CCU – New Account Drive
P8perglass Jewelry/Beads and The Vine Event Planning is co-hosting a “New Account Drive” during the entire month of September at First Legacy Community Credit Union in Salisbury, NC. We’re encouraging the local Salisbury/Rowan County African American community to “bank black”. This is a movement taking place across the United States signifying a shift towards economic empowerment at a local community level. Our hopes is that this is the beginning of greater things to come towards building a stronger community. First Legacy Community Credit Union website link: http://www.firstlegacyccu.org/ Photo Credit: CreateHER Stock
RSVP stands for the French phrase, répondez, s’il vous plaît, which means please reply. I recently did a Facebook Live broadcast about RSVP and received much feedback from viewers. There seems to be a lack of respect for RSVP in our society. As an event planner, I know first hand the fallout of when event guest don’t honor RSVP and treat it as optional. I personally feel like it’s just a matter of most people not understanding what’s fully involved in planning an event and need to be educated or brush up on guest etiquette. So, here’s a quick Event Planning 101 overview for event guest.
1. Event Purpose – Most great events don’t happen spontaneously; most start with an idea or purpose. The host must design an event that incorporates the ultimate purpose whether it’s to celebrate, honor, or educate. An effective event design must be developed around the idea that creates a memorable experience for all guests.
2. Event Location – Location is key in hosting the perfect event. There’s research involved and site tours that must be taken of top choices. The event host must be able to transform the location into an environment that lends to an unforgettable guest experience.
3. Pre Event – Every event needs a way of notifying guest about the occasion whether it’s through invitations or an online event page. Some events requires that host actively promote event to create a buzz that encourage guest to attend. Other events may also include getting event sponsors and vendors.
4. Day of Event – The host must make sure everyone and everything that’s a part of the event is in place and on time. Proper pre-planning will minimize mishaps on event day. A good host will work the room to ensure everyone has what they need and are having a great time. At end of event there must be a breakdown and cleanup of what ever props/setups and equipment used at event.
5. Post Event – The most important part of event planning is evaluating the event; being open and honest about what went well and what didn’t. The host must also send thank you responses to guests, vendors, sponsors, and anyone else who was involved in making the event a success. It’s also helpful for the host to get feedback from those who participated in event as well.
I hope this gives you a better understanding of what’s ALL involved in planning an event. As you can see a great host puts a lot of heart and soul into creating a memorable event for their guest. So, the next time you get an RSVP invitation don’t take it lightly. It’s an invitation to enjoy the fruits of someone’s labor who consider you special enough to share the event experience with!
Tonya Cross – The Vine Events Visionary
The Vine Events 
