Spam filters suck. Sorry for being so blunt, but they do. They tend to filter emails that you want to receive and deliver messages that you don’t want to receive. [Read more...]
09
Sep 2009
5 Tips to Writing Regular Blog Posts
September 9, 2009 By 3 Comments
One of the most common concerns small businesses have about starting a blog for their business is the task of writing regular blog posts. [Read more...]
17
Aug 2009
You know the look…
August 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
You know the look. That blank stare you get when you mention something the other person hasn’t the slightest idea what it is. Mention Facebook and people warm up immediately. Mention Twitter and they freeze. Why is it that Twitter is so hard for people to get? Well, there is good reason why people don’t openly embrace Twitter, and I believe it has to do with a sense of “lack of control”. We live in a country where we try to be in control of almost everything from our careers to the people we marry (both of which are predetermined for millions of people elsewhere in the world).
02
Aug 2009
Large corporate chains have extremely strict rules, 
regulations and guideli
nes outlining the presentation of their brand. These well-established brand names are designed to engender specific feelings and reactions in their targeted customers. As a small business, social media provides you with the same opportunity to establish a solid and recognizable brand name for your company, with added benefit. As a small company without the stringent requirements handed down by the corporate office, you have the freedom to establish any kind of personality you’d like for your small business. [Read more...]
01
Aug 2009
Social Media – Not Just for Big Brands
August 1, 2009 By 2 Comments
Even if you are running a small business in a rural area, that does not mean social media marketing is impractical or unprofitable. Social media marketing techniques can be tailored to work with any size business, in any location. Do not assume that social media is limited to big cities or certain demographics or businesses. You do not need to be running a web-based business to benefit from social media marketing. Check out these social media marketing tips for small business and see how many you can put into play. [Read more...]
12
Jul 2009
To Spam or Not to Spam – It Really Isn’t a Question
July 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Be Careful…
I made a comment on a blog recently that started a big discussion. The comment was that “spam is in the eye of the receiver.” Why did this solicit so many comments? [Read more...]
30
Jun 2009
Rural Small Businesses Can Use Social Media to Compete
June 30, 2009 By 2 Comments
Small businesses, especially in rural areas, can struggle with keeping customers loyal when big box and chain stores are opening in the nearest major city. Competing can be tough, but social media for small business can give you the edge that you are looking for. [Read more...]
28
Jun 2009
I spend an average of three hours per day networking with people online. Granted some of this time is answering emails and reading blog posts, but much of my time is spent networking with people to learn valuable information, techniques, and new tools to pass along to other small business owners and people interested in learning social media. Therefore, it should come to no surprise that I have accumulated a list of things that make it difficult to quickly and effectively communicate with people. [Read more...]
22
Jun 2009
Guest Post by @ConfessionsMom
If it’s a microwave light bulb we’re talking about, the answer is quite a few.The light in our microwave is something I apparently took for granted. When the original, several year old light bulb recently burned out, it took me by surprise. I opened the microwave door, expecting to see something obvious. Instead, I found no where the light bulb could be. I couldn’t even remember where I used to see the light coming from inside the oven. My husband looked too and was stumped. Hmmm… I decided I could live without a microwave light, until the next time I overheated a cup of coffee. I couldn’t see into the oven until it was too late. I had coffee everywhere. As I grumbled through the clean up process, I decided to turn to twitter. Within seconds, I received this tweet, “How to Change a Microwave Light Bulb http://bit.ly/YgSF3 from @jennhollowell [Read more...]
19
Jun 2009
Rural Small Businesses Look at Ways to Use Twitter
June 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I have met some amazing people in small towns across Minnesota. Recently I had the opportunity to give two presentation on social media in Arlington and Redwood Falls, MN.
At the end of the presentation, we do a group exercise and ask the participants to gather in groups of 5 to answer the question, “How could you use Twitter in your business?“ Below are some of the responses to the question. [Read more...]
07
Jun 2009
Recently our family took a trip to St. Cloud, MN to visit family. Upon driving through town, I noticed St. Cloud has a Famous Dave’s restaurant. We love to treat ourselves to Famous Dave’s occasionally, but we’ve never visited this particular location. [Read more...]
05
Jun 2009
Turn to Twitter for Your Family’s Next Meal
June 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Kraft is using social media, specifically mom bloggers to reach its target audience.
As part of their social marketing campaign, Kraft is giving away several years supply of Kraft Mac and Cheese to contest winners who enter on various mom blogs. They are also donating thousands of boxes to Feed America, which is added incentive to bloggers to participate in their giveaway. [Read more...]
04
Jun 2009
I own a rental property and recently stopped over to paint and clean before the next tenants move in. When I opened the door, a gust of cigarette smoke hit me. Being a non-smoker, I immediately started worrying how I was going to get such an overwhelming scent out of the house. I opened windows, but that wasn’t enough. [Read more...]
15
May 2009
How has Twitter Changed You
May 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I started to ‘tweet’ tonight in kind of a bad mood. My first tweet was about how some people can ‘suck the fun out of the room.’ But then my friends on twitter changed that. First, I was added to several #followfriday tags. FollowFriday is a tag used in Twitter to recommend people that you enjoy on Twitter. That is always a great honor on Friday. [Read more...]
07
May 2009
Pure Joy
My 5 year old daughter came to my office last night to keep me company while I was setting up a computer training lab. At the age of 5, everything at the office is a new experience. To keep her out of trouble, I gave her a hammer. (Yeah, I know, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.) [Read more...]
04
May 2009
If you were to stop every marketing initiative you have going on right now – would it make a difference in your business? If you canceled your newspaper ads, radio ads, brochures, website, social media sites, etc. – would your sales suffer? For most businesses, the answer is yes. We spend a lot of money to market and advertise our businesses. Many of us have had the same marketing plan for years. We do what we are comfortable doing. Sadly, what we are comfortable with is spending money in the same places our competitors spend their money. [Read more...]
27
Apr 2009
A Free Directory That Anyone Can Edit – BrownBook.net
April 27, 2009 By 3 Comments
BrownBook.net is a fledgling social networking site for businesses that is popping up everywhere lately. While this social media tool isn’t as high profile as some other tools, BrownBook.net is spending a lot of time marketing itself. Since it is free and includes some neat features, it’s worth a brief discussion. [Read more...]
I am President and Chief Evangelist for Vivid Image - a web design and social marketing firm located outside of Minneapolis, MN. 
