This Monday Morning Marketeer was originally taped on 11-24-08 and can be heard by clicking on the title link or at www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com on Monday Morning Marketteer's unique channel.
Social Media sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter have long been thought of by businesses as places for teenagers and geeks. That may have been true two or three years ago but now these sites have become places for adults
Online social networks have come along way since their roots as sites for chit-chat, exchanging music, and the like. They are now ushering in sweeping changes in how businesses promote their products and services, and in how business people communicate with each other.
It would be difficult not to notice the staggering growth of Facebook Facebook now has millions of members across the globe and the news is continually rife with acquisition rumors and investment by other large companies.
How FaceBook Works
FaceBook allows its users to connect with each other and share information by posting online profiles, including personal information and photographs, and then connecting to other users who share common experiences and interests.
According to Wikipedia, Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook while he was a student at Harvard University.[4] Website membership was initially limited to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Ivy League. It later expanded further to include any university student, then high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over. The website currently has more than 120 million active users worldwide.[5]
Connect with synergistic businesses on Facebook
Chances are that your colleagues and business contacts are on Facebook already. Invite them to become your friends.
The Wall, is a great place to post new services and services or opportunities that you are looking for.
Create a profile for your company
To create a foothold on Facebook, create a profile for your company.
1. Create an Excellent Profile- This is THE first step in utilizing Facebook efficiently. If you think of Facebook in terms of a marketing campaign, your profile page can be considered your “brand.” A strong profile should include: a professional picture, a picture is worth a thousand words. Also include your contact information, your website address, hello someone may want to contact you live instead of just writing on your wall. List your interests, I would list business interests and only add a few personal as that makes you appear to be more human and may be a starting point to building relationships.
• Invite your business colleagues, and customers to become your friends, creating a facebook network around your business.
• Make postings which will appear in your facebook friends newsfeeds. These can be about special offers and company news such as job postings.
• List your items in the facebook marketplace (see below)
2. Make you profile "Public". This allows users to view your profile without having your permission to be added to their "friends". Don't worry, however, your e-mail is still kept safe unless you choose to make your e-mail public as well.
3. Create an individual landing page for each social site. Instead of a visitor click on the link in your profile and being redirected to your company's homepage, redirect them to a welcome page for Facebook users. This is a GREAT way for capturing leads and giving your company a professional "edge" in the social realm.
4. Add Friends- This is what makes Facebook really special-the relationships it allows you to build and sustain. The more friends you have, the more affective your marketing and networking efforts will be. The most simple way to add friends is to use Facebook’s own tools to search for current friends already using the platform. You upload your e-mail addresses and look for current contacts who are already on Face Book. Once you have added all current friends, you can start adding acquaintances. One unique feature of Facebook is that is allows you to look at friends of friends. You can build up a huge network this way in no time.
Promote your Blog
Syndicate your Blog- You can syndicate your blog on your profile page. This basically means that every time you make a post, it will automatically show up on your profile page. More Exposure = More Readers = More Potential Leads.
Promote your newsletter or blog – FaceBook allows you to share information that is on your blog by either posting a note or by importing your external blog. You also have the option of integrating an RSS feed into your blog with special notes. When the blog is posted, the note is displayed in your profile and all your friends are notified about it. Other members can also add comments.
List your items in the marketplace
Do you sell something?
Facebook has a marketplace where items can be listed for sale. This is free and could be used promote items for sale on your website or eBay.
Use the Marketplace- Facebook has an online marketplace that allows you to list your services and products for free. This is a great way to gain exposure. You can also list certain things you are looking for.
Join Groups- You can join online groups within Facebook that are related to what you do. There are groups for consultants, coaches, and trainers…almost all professional service providers have some type of an online group. For instance these are the groups that interested me: New Media and Marketing, On Line Marketing, Marketing Professionals, Whose Who in Media. Get the picture, find some groups and make some new friends.
Promote your events – List your Events- Hosting a Teleseminar or speaking somewhere? Create an events page and invite all those you want. You can even see how many RSVP and get feedback from attendees. Marketing doesn’t get easier (or cheaper!) than this.
Create the event and then invite all your contacts to join. In addition to inviting groups, you also have the option of posting the event details in your profile so interested people can RSVP. To increase exposure keep your events open to anyone. What type of events can you create? Webinars and chats are popular for interaction. If you have a blog, as people to make comments. If you have a regular talkcast, invite all of your contacts to join.
Additional ways that you can use Facebook once you have established your contacts: •
Use it as as an instant "mailer" to make sure that all of your customers are aware of special deals, update, new hires etc.
• You can also use FaceBook site as a big conference that you are the host and keynote speaker, schedule your webinars and on line events there, what a great way to get additional participants.
• Use Facebook as a daily networking event where customers & potential customers get to know you & therefore know your business.
• The key to social networking in business is that you have to be true to yourself & your practices. Decide as you do in all facets of business, what are your values and goals and pursue the same values and goals on line and off.
This blog post can be reproduced in its entirety with the following information: © Joanne Quinn-Smith, Monday Morning Marketeer 412-628-5048
Listen at: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/33960 or
www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com on the Monday Morning Marketeer Channel.
Blog: www.marketingmondaymorning.blogspot.com
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Survival Tips for Entrepreneurs
Survival Tips for Entrepreneurs:
This Show was recorded live at www.talkshoe.com on October 27, 2008. Arcived version can be hear at: www.talkshoe.com or www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com
If you think you are being affected by the current economic downturn and you are concerned about your business survival you are not alone. Please don’t blame the current administration government as in case you have not noticed, this is worldwide.
If you're affected, experts say there are a variety of ways to cope with the situation:
* Stay on top of sending your invoices on time to ensure your revenue returns are timely.
* Make sure your accounts all are federally insured.
* Prioritize your payments – not just for this month, but for several months out. Negotiate as many as you can.
* Ask new clients for some upfront payments – a third now, a third at a determined date, and a third upon completion.
* Step up networking as a key and inexpensive way to boost marketing, which is key in a tightening economy.
* Maximize all of the time allowed on your payables.
* Offer discounts – but be sure you know the ultimate cost, and don't appear desperate.
Following is an article from Small Business.com:
Five Survival Tips for Entrepreneurs
By DIANA RANSOM
From smSmallBusiness.com
What do you do when sales are down and your credit's been slashed? You rethink your business. Because of the ongoing credit crisis, banks are becoming even more reluctant to extend lines of credit to small-business owners. And the sluggish conditions aren't expected to improve any time soon. That means business owners who rely on banks to finance everything from inventory and office equipment purchases to new store expansions are left scrambling for ways to stay afloat without a lifeline.
"Now's the time to make tough decisions," says George Cloutier, chief executive at American Management Services, a small-business consulting firm in Orlando, Fla.
Cutting costs can help free up much needed cash flow during a crunch, but when the economy is expected to stay down indefinitely, more dramatic measures may be in order, he says.
Here are five tactics to help keep your dwindling business capital flowing:
Slash Expenses
Streamlining your business can help you stay in the black even when customers make fewer purchases. Be sure to call in overdue accounts receivables, sell off unsold inventory and analyze expenses such as office space, supplies and even your company's phone bills.
"Cut your costs viciously," says Cloutier. For instance, if you're long-time delivery vendor isn't fulfilling orders on time and it's costing you money, cut them loose. The same is true for employees who aren't pulling their weight. You might even need to do away with some benefits. While having to let go of a trusted staff member or business partner is never ideal, when the economy sinks, business owners need to make tough calls.
Eliminate Unprofitable Operations
Consider spinning off unprofitable business segments, suggests Victor Cheng, a small-business consultant in San Francisco. "Focusing on your core business"—especially if your other divisions are losing money—will serve you in a downturn, he says. To help you figure out what's working and what's not; schedule an appraisal of your business's operations.
Seek Alternative Funding
Some business owners take on a second job. Others use consulting to pad their wallets. One thing is for certain: If you're relying on a credit line to float your business until, say, after the holidays, now's the time to create a backup plan. "Don't assume that line of credit will be there," says Cheng. "If you are in that kind of situation, you either have to have a back up financing source or back up revenue source."
Embrace Incentives
As the nation's unemployment rate ticks up, business owners should think about restructuring their company's compensation, says Dave Waddell, president of Waddell & Associates, an investment firm in Memphis, Tenn. He suggests linking more employee pay to variable incentives such as commissions, which are payments linked to specific sales targets. For instance, if 20% of an employee's compensation stems from commissions, make it 50%. While commissions generally work well for sales staff, linking bonuses and other financial incentives to a company's performance is another compensation technique, which generally goes for everyone. "If employees hit goals for the firm, the firm is going to do well even in tough times," says Waddell.
Cut Production Costs
"The only way to make it through a recession is to be a low-cost producer," says Bob Prosen, a small business management consultant in Dallas. Think about it this way: Inefficient competitors can survive for a time at their current cost structures, but in the end, they'll have to either raise prices or go out of business. In contrast, a low-cost producer may try lowering prices to attract added sales, says Prosen. "You're better off taking a little less profit to keep the business going."
This Show was recorded live at www.talkshoe.com on October 27, 2008. Arcived version can be hear at: www.talkshoe.com or www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com
If you think you are being affected by the current economic downturn and you are concerned about your business survival you are not alone. Please don’t blame the current administration government as in case you have not noticed, this is worldwide.
If you're affected, experts say there are a variety of ways to cope with the situation:
* Stay on top of sending your invoices on time to ensure your revenue returns are timely.
* Make sure your accounts all are federally insured.
* Prioritize your payments – not just for this month, but for several months out. Negotiate as many as you can.
* Ask new clients for some upfront payments – a third now, a third at a determined date, and a third upon completion.
* Step up networking as a key and inexpensive way to boost marketing, which is key in a tightening economy.
* Maximize all of the time allowed on your payables.
* Offer discounts – but be sure you know the ultimate cost, and don't appear desperate.
Following is an article from Small Business.com:
Five Survival Tips for Entrepreneurs
By DIANA RANSOM
From smSmallBusiness.com
What do you do when sales are down and your credit's been slashed? You rethink your business. Because of the ongoing credit crisis, banks are becoming even more reluctant to extend lines of credit to small-business owners. And the sluggish conditions aren't expected to improve any time soon. That means business owners who rely on banks to finance everything from inventory and office equipment purchases to new store expansions are left scrambling for ways to stay afloat without a lifeline.
"Now's the time to make tough decisions," says George Cloutier, chief executive at American Management Services, a small-business consulting firm in Orlando, Fla.
Cutting costs can help free up much needed cash flow during a crunch, but when the economy is expected to stay down indefinitely, more dramatic measures may be in order, he says.
Here are five tactics to help keep your dwindling business capital flowing:
Slash Expenses
Streamlining your business can help you stay in the black even when customers make fewer purchases. Be sure to call in overdue accounts receivables, sell off unsold inventory and analyze expenses such as office space, supplies and even your company's phone bills.
"Cut your costs viciously," says Cloutier. For instance, if you're long-time delivery vendor isn't fulfilling orders on time and it's costing you money, cut them loose. The same is true for employees who aren't pulling their weight. You might even need to do away with some benefits. While having to let go of a trusted staff member or business partner is never ideal, when the economy sinks, business owners need to make tough calls.
Eliminate Unprofitable Operations
Consider spinning off unprofitable business segments, suggests Victor Cheng, a small-business consultant in San Francisco. "Focusing on your core business"—especially if your other divisions are losing money—will serve you in a downturn, he says. To help you figure out what's working and what's not; schedule an appraisal of your business's operations.
Seek Alternative Funding
Some business owners take on a second job. Others use consulting to pad their wallets. One thing is for certain: If you're relying on a credit line to float your business until, say, after the holidays, now's the time to create a backup plan. "Don't assume that line of credit will be there," says Cheng. "If you are in that kind of situation, you either have to have a back up financing source or back up revenue source."
Embrace Incentives
As the nation's unemployment rate ticks up, business owners should think about restructuring their company's compensation, says Dave Waddell, president of Waddell & Associates, an investment firm in Memphis, Tenn. He suggests linking more employee pay to variable incentives such as commissions, which are payments linked to specific sales targets. For instance, if 20% of an employee's compensation stems from commissions, make it 50%. While commissions generally work well for sales staff, linking bonuses and other financial incentives to a company's performance is another compensation technique, which generally goes for everyone. "If employees hit goals for the firm, the firm is going to do well even in tough times," says Waddell.
Cut Production Costs
"The only way to make it through a recession is to be a low-cost producer," says Bob Prosen, a small business management consultant in Dallas. Think about it this way: Inefficient competitors can survive for a time at their current cost structures, but in the end, they'll have to either raise prices or go out of business. In contrast, a low-cost producer may try lowering prices to attract added sales, says Prosen. "You're better off taking a little less profit to keep the business going."
Monday, November 10, 2008
Tehcno Granny Show, Jobs on Line, Ijobscorp.com
5 Points about iJobs
Here’s a quick primer about iJobs—what we do and how we do it.
• iJobs makes money posting and promoting career and employment opportunities for businesses
• Never charges fees to jobshoppers for our services
• We help jobshoppers find, capture and keep their dream jobs
• Helps businesses and individuals hiring and recruiting become more successful jobpeddlers
• All this while focusing on “Where it hurts”
iJobs takes job postings to jobshoppers—and jobshoppers to job postings with 1-2-3 distribution:
1. On our websites and over the internet
2. Direct to jobshoppers with alerts & updates
3. To local communities across the US through our networks and at special events
4. iJobs markets jobs to jobshoppers in all 50 US states
iJobs helps jobshoppers obtain dream job success:
iJobs helps jobpeddlers find greater success in making better matches with their jobs and jobshoppers:
• Q&A sessions with jobshoppers—asking them about their dream jobs and jobshopping
• Q&A sessions with jobpeddlers—asking them about their staff recruitment and retention
• Sharing resources, news and information with both Q&A groups about options and opportunities for bringing jobshoppers and jobpeddlers together
We always focus on “Where it hurts” when helping jobshoppers and jobpeddlers create matches.
iJobs, Inc.
1735 Market Street
Suite A#463
Philadelphia, PA 19103-7588
contactus@ijobscorp.com
http://ijobscorp.com
Go jobshopping or post jobs at Jobs By iJobs - http://jobsbyijobs.com
Listen to this espisode from November 10, 2008 at: www.taklshoe.com on The Techno GRanny Show or at www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com on the Techno Granny Show channel.
Here’s a quick primer about iJobs—what we do and how we do it.
• iJobs makes money posting and promoting career and employment opportunities for businesses
• Never charges fees to jobshoppers for our services
• We help jobshoppers find, capture and keep their dream jobs
• Helps businesses and individuals hiring and recruiting become more successful jobpeddlers
• All this while focusing on “Where it hurts”
iJobs takes job postings to jobshoppers—and jobshoppers to job postings with 1-2-3 distribution:
1. On our websites and over the internet
2. Direct to jobshoppers with alerts & updates
3. To local communities across the US through our networks and at special events
4. iJobs markets jobs to jobshoppers in all 50 US states
iJobs helps jobshoppers obtain dream job success:
iJobs helps jobpeddlers find greater success in making better matches with their jobs and jobshoppers:
• Q&A sessions with jobshoppers—asking them about their dream jobs and jobshopping
• Q&A sessions with jobpeddlers—asking them about their staff recruitment and retention
• Sharing resources, news and information with both Q&A groups about options and opportunities for bringing jobshoppers and jobpeddlers together
We always focus on “Where it hurts” when helping jobshoppers and jobpeddlers create matches.
iJobs, Inc.
1735 Market Street
Suite A#463
Philadelphia, PA 19103-7588
contactus@ijobscorp.com
http://ijobscorp.com
Go jobshopping or post jobs at Jobs By iJobs - http://jobsbyijobs.com
Listen to this espisode from November 10, 2008 at: www.taklshoe.com on The Techno GRanny Show or at www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com on the Techno Granny Show channel.
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