To Everything – Turn, Turn There is a Season – Turn, Turn, Turn…

 20 Responses »
Jun 162011
 

Everything Changes: Is Your Business Keeping Up?

keeping up with the changesThere are only a few sure things in life – death and taxes are two of them. The other thing is change. Everything changes: The economy, markets, business needs, technology … Is your business keeping up with these changes?

If not, you will be left behind. Reinventing your business and making your business model dynamic rather than stagnant is the only way you will be able to remain competitive and be successful.

Keeping up with Technology these days is no easy task. For those of us non-techie types, it is sometimes very difficult to ride the waves of new technologies that are popping up every day. The World is going Mobile and I have a feeling that it won’t be long before we will all be able to do almost everything from the comfort of our cell phones. What about Facebook? Facebook is Taking over the World. I don’t know about you, but this concerns me. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t hear about someone’s Facebook account being hacked (mine included), suspicious links are posted on our walls, and spamming runs rampant. BUT because our competitors are on Facebook, after all, everyone is, we need to be there too. As Facebook continues to offer more and more functionality, the lines between OUR brands and the Facebook brand will start to merge together.

Think about the Ma and Pa businesses that have been around for 20+ years reaping the rewards of word-of-mouth advertising alone (which is still THE best form of advertising even in today’s world of the Internet) but because the business world of today dictates that for a company to be seen as legit it needs to have a web presence, many of these smaller local businesses are feeling compelled to create a website. Keeping up with technology and business trends…

Now to my favorite subject – video. There is no question that video is changing the way the world communicates and the way businesses relay their messages. Even the search engines love video. Are You Using the Power of Video to Promote Your Brand? If not, you really should consider using it in some form as part of your marketing strategy. Below is a video about using video. Which stands out more – the written word or the video?

How to React to Nasty Comments on Social Sites

 6 Responses »
Jul 222010
 

nastyPeople come in all different sizes and shapes. They also come with different levels of maturity, professionalism and tact. As a matter of fact, some people have NO tact, are totally unprofessional and have no problem broadcasting their character on the social web.

So what do you do when you meet up with such a person on a social networking site? Well, that depends. If you want to be viewed by others as immature and unprofessional then you can respond in like to their comments. However, if you would like to maintain a level of professionalism, that would not be a good idea.

The first thing to do is sit back, take a deep breath and DON'T write anything immediately. If you do, your response will more than likely fall in the category of a "reaction" which is emotionally-based and not thought-out. If you are a small business owner, remember that anything you "say" on the social web is a reflection of your brand and your reputation.

I prefer to take the high road and behave in a professional manner – which is what I just did when faced very recently with a really nasty comment on a social networking site. This particular person attacked my character because she didn’t agree with what I wrote or the video I posted. Will this person come back at me with both barrels? Perhaps – only time will tell. But as long as I know that I am responding in what I refer to as a professional, mature manner, there is nothing else I can do. In life, we can’t control what others do or how they behave; we can only control our own behaviors and reactions.

Have you been faced with a similar situation? How did you handle it?

The Proof is in the Pudding

 4 Responses »
Jun 252010
 

puddingSocial networking works. Period! If you participate in social networking groups you will benefit in one way or another. If you are engaging with others in your industry, networking sites like Linkedin are a great source of idea sharing and learning.

Connections you make might not always immediately lead to increasing your bottom line, but the knowledge you can gain is invaluable. The relationships you make on social networking sites can and will lead to referrals. People like to do business with people they know and trust. 

The more people you know, the more likely you will be referred to potential customers.  It is not always easy to keep up with all the networking opportunities and discussions going on so we have to be selective and use our time wisely. When something pops up that attracts our attention, we should jump into the conversation and participate. 

One such conversation about web hosts was started recently on Linkedin. I have been having "issues" with my web host and was very grateful for the opinions and suggestions offered to me and others on this particular post. The conversation was so insightful and valuable that it inspired Sherryl Perry, who started the conversation, to write a very helpful blog post for anyone who is interested in what things they should consider when choosing a web host. Read Is Website Hosting More than Just a Server? for some great insights to what things you should consider before choosing or moving to another website host.

To Automate or Not – That is the Question

 2 Responses »
Jun 172010
 

social botWhen it comes to social media automation, there are many automating options to choose from. How do you decide which ones are the best for you to use? Is saving time your goal?

Are you saving time at the expense of the quality of the relationships you are trying to develop in the social media sphere?

There are many things to take into consideration when making your decision. Mike Clough in The Value of Social Media Bots discusses his own personal experience and opinion with various social media bots as well as the pros and cons of each.

What are your thoughts and experiences with social media automation tools? Inquiring minds want to know.

Reas Mike’s full article here.

Small Business Marketing – Pay Attention!

 5 Responses »
Mar 062010
 

With so many things to do on the web these days and so many social sites to participate in – it is easy to loose track of what you are doing and where. 

 

Why LinkedIn Groups Managers need to pay attention to their groups illustrates the importance of paying attention particularly if you are running a group.

 

Check out these extremely inappropriate and unprofessional comments on a Linkedin group.

What is Your “Personal Brand”?

 No Responses »
Mar 022010
 

You ARE Your Brand

If you are a small business owner, what you do on the Internet, even from a personal perspective, helps form potential customer’s opinion about your brand.

If you are a high school junior or senior who plans to attend college after graduation, your comments and status updates on sites like Facebook are part of your personal brand.

If you are looking for employment, what you say on social networking sites is easily accessible to potential employers. How you are perceived on the web is directly correlated to how you present yourself. However, how you are perceived might not necessarily reflect your intentions.

Perception is in the eye of the perceiver. Read  Social Networking: You Are Your Brand.

Back to the Land of the Living

 No Responses »
Feb 222010
 

I just came back to the land of the living after spending 48 hours straight – literally – trying to get a professional-looking, fully-functioning questionnaire on my website. I wasn't happy with the template form I was using so I made the conscious decision to change it.  Little did I know what I had in store for me.

For those who are not techno-morons like I am, this could probably be accomplished in 15 minutes, but for those technically-challenged folk like myself, it might have been easier to figure out the meaning of life.

I would be remiss if I didn't give a special thanks to my friend Gary from Australia (we met on Gather, a social networking site) who helped me brainstorm ideas for more creative content (through the use of Skype) as well as taking a lot of his own time to come up with nice design styles.  And of course, my boyfriend, David, who tolerated my being attached to my keyboard for the entire weekend, listened to me speak through clenched teeth, and stayed up all night with me trying to figure out PHP, HTML, SQL, etc – all with a loving smile on his face. And, most importantly, he is the one who found the solution.

This brings me to my point of this post. There is an answer for anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation. It is called FormBreeze and it is a lifesaver for those of us who don't know the difference between PHP, SQL, and ABC.  FormBreeze's slogan is "Now it's a breeze to get forms working on your website! Getting web forms to work as easy as 1-2-3."

 Yes, if you find it immediately and don't waste precious time trying different alternatives. Yes, if you are a little more computer-literate than I am, and yes if you read it thoroughly the FIRST time.

But, even if you make all the mistakes I did, using FormBreeze can help you create and utilize professional forms for your website. They offer a 10-day free trial and the annual cost is very reasonable should you decide to purchase it at $79/year. There is also an option to pay $7.95/month but if you want to save money – the annual cost is better.

I hope that my experience doing everything wrong and backwards can help you should you have a need for a form builder.  And, my experience also lends credence to one of the values of social networking.

How else could someone from New York meet a man in Australia, speak to him for free and get such valuable help?

The Butterfly Effect

 No Responses »
Dec 112009
 
You might be wondering what on earth this has to do with Internet Marketing? Well, it epitomizes the chain effect of social media marketing. And, in and of itself, the "Butterfly Effect" is interesting and motivational. If you haven't seen the 2004 movie called "The Butterfly Effect" with Ashton Kutcher, I highly recommend it.  But, stay away from the sequel :)
 
Check it out here.
 
Check out another version of "The Butterfly Effect" here with an excerpt from Andy Andrews motivational speech. Enjoy!.