Below is a transcript of the interview recorded by ABC News, "Small business owner gives update on company growth"
Robin Roberts (00:03):
We're back now on GMA. We recently introduced you to the story of Tooth Bear-Y a teddy bear, who was the tooth fairys helper created by Liz Carroll, who also happens to be my neighbor, you know, like so many small business owners, she needed some help to boost business. So we brought in a PR expert to help, here is what happened over the last two months. It's tooth fairys, sidekick.
Liz Carroll (00:40):
This Teddy bear fixes fears that kids and grownups have around losing teeth and waking a child, but also allows the bear to keep the teeth in its magic heart.
Robin Roberts (00:50):
Created by mom of two Liz Carroll, who I met with in April to this. Thank you. This is your, uh, garage slash warehouse. It is as a first time founder, Liz sharing the hurdles of growing her tooth beary business.
Liz Carroll (01:04):
The challenges have been, you know, the marketing end of it. And for people to know that it's not just a Teddy bear, you're getting a whole new magical tradition.
Robin Roberts (01:15):
So GMA teaming, Liz with author and PR expert Jenna Guarneri to develop strategies for success.
Jenna Guarneri (01:23):
What we'll be doing together is really looking at the messaging. So that way you'll be better positioned to increase your customer base, increase your profitability, and also scale the company to where you want it to be.
Robin Roberts (01:33):
Over the past two months, Liz and Jenna meeting weekly together, building a new PR game plan, sharing tips. Any business owner can use to level up first up, Jenna says, create a brand persona.
Jenna Guarneri (01:47):
The brand persona is the brand identity. It's who the company is, what they stand for, and that lays the foundation to all your other PR initiatives. So for tooth bear-y, we got to understand who their core customer is, what their brand purpose is.
Robin Roberts (02:01):
Jenna teaching Liz, the art of the 30-second elevator pitch to clearly and concisely define the product. Something Liz quickly mastered
Liz Carroll (02:10):
Tooth Bear-y is a mother Bonner. <laugh>
Jenna Guarneri (02:14):
That's work on this together. That's what we're here for.
Liz Carroll (02:17):
Tooth Bear-y is a magical Teddy bear that offers a convenient and modern twist to the tooth fairy tradition.
Jenna Guarneri (02:23):
Liz, that is awesome. I'm so proud of you.
Robin Roberts (02:27):
Next up. Jenna says content is king, but more importantly work to make it personal.
Jenna Guarneri (02:33):
Liz initiated on a photo shoot and she engaged more with her followers so much so that she increased the tooth bear-y followers on Instagram to over 287%. But my favorite part was when Liz initiated an event at her local minor league baseball team stadium, which created humanized content with her local community,
Robin Roberts (02:52):
Jenna emphasizing the value of creating experiences to generate buzz.
Jenna Guarneri (02:58):
Consumers are more likely to make a purchase after they hear about it from a family or friend. So by Liz creating a positive first impression, she's creating a pipeline of future customers and a loyal fan base.
Robin Roberts (03:10):
Liz now ready to take her business to new Heights
Liz Carroll (03:13):
Since this journey, which Jenna I've sold. Hundreds of bears. There's been many, many hiccups along the way, but you can't give up on your dream. You have to push forward.
Robin Roberts (03:24):
Keep pushing forward. Tooth Bear-y is doing well. She's master tools like social media, making sure her content accurately reflects the brand in terms of creating a loyal fan base. Jenna suggests creating a PR event, similar to what Liz did. Jenna says it doesn't have to cost a lot of money and you should really make sure that it benefits both parties. And you want to ensure an event has a high traffic footprint with your target audience and make sure it's local! Locals love supporting locals. You need PR is available everywhere and you can read an excerpt on our website. And it's so true because we're, especially for small businesses, we're always pulling for them. And if you keep it local like that, Jenna did a great job with Liz, but also great suggestions for anyone who's starting a business.
Broadcast used with permission of Good Morning America (GMA) and is Copyrighted by ABC News Internet Ventures