I’ve come across several examples of great marketing this week, and wanted to do something special—both to acknowledge the people behind the marketing and to provide some good examples for One Woman Marketing readers. Therefore, I have created the One Woman Marketing Seal Of Approval.

(Yes, I realize the ego involved in this gesture.)

The first recipient of the One Woman Marketing Seal of Approval is Sandra Bennett of Thistle Cove Farm.

Sandra is a longtime One Woman Marketing reader who was recently featured in a four-page article in Country Magazine. The article describes a week in Sandra’s life on the farm, and has some great photos of her family, friends, and many animals.

Sandra got the article after querying the magazine about a year ago. “I query magazines a lot,” she writes, “and, eventually, most have positively responded. The farm gets a LOT of free press.”

Let’s look at what Sandra is doing right:

•  Even though Sandra lives in a rural area, she isn’t afraid to use modern marketing techniques. She blogs regularly (almost every day!) and often includes photos of her life on the farm.

•  She has a compelling story. Many business owners are afraid to reveal their personality, fearing it will make them look unprofessional. But Sandra’s details about life on the farm  (both on her blog and on her main web site) make her business especially memorable.

•   She maintains an active relationship with many magazines, resulting in lots of free publicity. Most business owners hope that publicity will come to them. Sandra takes a proactive approach by querying the media, and it seems to be working in her favor.

•  Puppies! You can’t go wrong with lots of puppy photos. Just saying.