Building your brand and distinguishing your business can be tough. But the Charleston Area Alliance and Dixon Hughes want to help.

“Buzz on a Budget:  Building Your Brand Through Earned Media Coverage,” the next session of a new professional development initiative called SUCCESStrategies, is scheduled for noon to 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9 at the Alliance offices, 1116 Smith Street.

Click here to register.

The program will feature prominent media representatives who will share tips for developing positive relationships with reporters and editors and how to effectively pitch story ideas about your business.

Speakers include:

• Business writer George Hohmann of the Charleston Daily Mail
• WSAZ-TV Assistant News Director Anna Baxter and
• Bristol Broadcasting personality Larry McKay

The roundtable will be moderated by Emily Bennington, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Dixon Hughes. 

“Developing relationships and rapport with the media is critical to your company’s success,” said Rick Slater, managing partner for Dixon Hughes. “Paid advertising is one way to get your message out, but you also have to know how to effectively utilize other communication channels, including news releases, follow-ups, media events and Web outlets. Journalists are looking to build relationships in the community, too, so it’s matter of mutual respect and working together.”

SUCCESStrategies, a major education partnership between the Alliance and Dixon Hughes, will provide expert analysis and insight on the critical issues that impact the region’s businesses in a convenient lunch and learn format. The programs will be held at the Alliance office every other month through the end of 2011.

SUCCESStrategies is raising the bar for professional development programming in the Charleston region. As evidenced by the first program, which focused on health care reform and what it means to West Virginia employers, this new series will showcase high level speakers addressing issues of real substance to business leaders in the area.

“Through SUCCESStrategies, our members will learn directly from our state’s business and government leaders about the topics that will shape their future – and then take that knowledge and put it to work in their own offices that same afternoon,” said Alliance President/CEO Matt Ballard.

Registration, which includes lunch, is $15 for Alliance members/$25 future members through March 5.  Prices increase to $25 for Alliance members/$35 future members after March 5. Space is limited.

The Alliance will be able to invoice only for groups of 10 or more. Contact Deb Coffman at DCoffman@CharlestonAreaAlliance.org for more information.

The Alliance cannot issue cancellation refunds within 48 hours of the event. Thank you.