exploring possibilities in social media
Using social media is not limited to big cities, big brands or big budgets. In fact, taking time to engage in social media marketing an hour a day is all you need to establish your small business as a social media player, engaging with the community and potential clients and customers.
One hour a day. It doesn’t even have to be a continuous hour. [Read more...]
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...]
How many passwords do you have? If you are like most of us, you probably have one to log onto your computer network, one for your website, and one for your social network. You probably have a pin number for your bank account and a password that you like to use on your ecommerce websites. Do you use a different password for each? Probably not. Chances are that your passwords are similar and easy for you to remember. That creates a problem….
Remember the “25 Random Things About Me” that spread like a virus across Facebook? Millions of people saw it and participated in it. I actually learned a lot about my sister-in-law and several of my friends. There are some things that you should never share in a social network. Here are a few of those: [Read more...]
I am often asked how many hours I spend on my social media sites every day. On average, I spend about 3 hours a day creating educational content for my clients and building stronger relationships with current and potential clients.
Something happens when you get involved with social media. You change. You realize that the more you give – the better you feel – and the more you get back. I am motivated to be even more active!
By the end of the week, I have created some terrific marketing materials that are customer focused. I have also created a bunch of ineffective materials that will not work, but here’s the thing – my social community helps me determine what is good or bad based on the comments I receive, the number of times an article is retweeted, or the emails that I receive with questions on the articles or tweets.
So – 15 hours per week [Read more...]
Relationships. Relationships are the single most important asset to a business. Relationships with your customers and prospects don’t just happen overnight. They don’t happen because you have a good idea and a passion or because you have a great-looking website. Connecting with people happens through communication.
I have been married for 14 years now. (sweet, glorious years!) When I first met my wife, I didn’t say, “Hey let’s get married.” We talked. We got to know each other. We spent hours learning about each other. One date at a time. When I knew she was the one – and we completed the transaction with marriage 
It’s a common problem. Marketers say one thing, but when it comes down to it, the business behind what they are “pitching” is different. One of the primary purposes of marketing should be to set expectations, so that when a new client has an experience with your company, they know what to expect. It is the start of a beautiful relationship. But is it really?
The best way for you to learn more about Twitter is through some of the best resources I have found. Below is a summary of some great articles by the Internets most respected authors. Take the time to read the “Cliff Notes” here, but dig into each authors website to really learn how you can harness the power of Twitter.
The man who actually wrote the book on marketing, John Jantsch, does it again with this brief PDF called A Beginner’s Guide to Using Twitter for Business. In this guide John walks you through what Twitter is, tools you should become familiar with, who to follow, and what to say. This is a must read for anyone looking at using Twitter for Business. Unlike other consultants who can baffle you with BS, I find John’s simple, practical advice refreshing.
This is the blog post I wish I would have written. 10 Easy Steps for Twitter Beginners is a step by step process to get the most our of Twitter. [Read more...]
Twitter is one of the most mis-understood social media tools. Twitter lets you post brief items about your opinions or your life, shared with the world -140 characters at a time. The beauty of Twitter is that it is a blend of SMS text messaging and the Internet. It is also a great balance between Facebook and LinkedIn.
Twitter is great for all of these reasons.
What if you could find out what is most important to your clients or the day to day frustrations of your target market? [Read more...]
Rachel Ray can whip up a great meal in less than thirty minutes, so why can’t you create some fantastic social marketing results in a half hour too? You can. The following is a great example of the power of social networking tools; put to use this week by Beth Gasser, owner of Confessions of a Mom website.
[Read more...]You have probably heard of Flickr and other photo sharing websites, but did you know they are more than just a place to post your photos? Sites like Flickr are vibrant social communities that contain some of the best photography on the Internet. Flickr is one of the leading photo sharing sites. What makes it unique is the quality of the photos. Many professional and amateur enthusiasts post their photos on Flickr, making it a great place to find the perfect photo for your website or ad campaigns.
Maybe I expect too much. I like it when I am made to feel special when I enter your store. Yeah, yeah – touchy feely kinda stuff. But don’t you deserve to be treated like more than just a number? Especially in today’s marketplace.
Today, I took a 1/2 hour to get a few errands done around town. My first stop was to a retail store* where I had a box of blinds to pick up that were ordered online. I stopped in and said, “Hi, my name is Steve Gasser. I have a box of blinds to pick up.” Her comment, “Excuse me sir, I only know you by your phone number.” In shock, I gave her my phone number and she proceeded to disappear to the back room. When she returned, I was handed my blinds with a receipt and told, “Thank you.” Nothing else. I was just a number.
Why do I shop online? I ‘feel’ like I am more than just a number. I am greeted by my name when I browse through the online store. My preferences are remembered. I even see recommendations from other people like me. This really helps when I don’t quite know what I am looking for…. [Read more...]
Do you want to know the secret to creating a consistently great blog content? Thousands of businesses and individuals start blogging each year. The sad fact is that many of them never get their blog beyond the first post – or fail to continue after a couple of posts. So here is the secret to creating a successful blog: Outline all of your blog posts for the next 90 days. That is it. Take the time to outline all of your blog posts for the next 90 days. Start small. Plan on writing two blog posts per week. That is 26 new pages of new website content in 90 days.
As a rule of thumb, [Read more...]
Blogs are regularly updated Web sites, usually featuring comments and links. One of the reasons blogs are so popular is because of the ease in updating. If you can type an email, you can update a blog. In fact, you can update your blog with only a web browser, an email program, OR a cell phone. That is impressive!
Today we are going to explore how to use social media tools to gather feedback from your customers. A great example of this tool in use is “Open for Questions.” This is a tool that allows citizens to submit questions to the White House and vote on those questions that were submitted. 92,934 people have submitted 104,039 questions and cast 3,604,877 votes on “Open for Questions.” Not bad for a trial run. Many of the most popular questions were addressed by the President during his special online town hall meeting on March 26, 2009. Today, the trial of this new service has ending, but you can still view and vote on the questions submitted.
Is the White House embracing social media? I think so. I would expect that applications like “Open for Questions” will gain in popularity.
I am President and Chief Evangelist for Vivid Image - a web design and social marketing firm located outside of Minneapolis, MN. [Read More …]
