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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Should you do the Social Media "thing"?


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So here’s my gripe. I always here people talking about whether the social media “thing” is a good thing or if it’s a bad thing. Here’s my problem… Who cares – it doesn’t matter. It just is what it is. When the cell phone became popular did people talk about the positives and negatives? Probably – but I think I only know 1 person who is an adult who doesn’t have a cell phone. In fact, I don’t even have a home phone – just a cell phone.

So here’s the deal. It is what it is and the face book, the twitter, the whatever are all avenues of communication that you can use to communicate with whomever you want.

Yes – if you’re dumb about it and say things that are inappropriate or can cost you your job then maybe you deserve it. Just be smart about it. If you partied at a kegger this past weekend do all of your clients and co-workers really need to know that? Probably not – keep that crap to yourself or to your personal and private facebook page.

Use your blog, twitter accounts, linked in account and public facebook pages to share your knowledge, your thoughts and opinions and most of all information that people will find interesting and helpful. It’s all about being real, authentic, and actually giving a crap about others.

The bottom line… If you really don’t care then don’t bother. It is time consuming and it takes effort to keep up with. But at the same time – if you do care and actually have things to say that can help others then why keep it to yourself? Put yourself out there, position yourself the way you want others to see you. You hold the power in your own hands now.

Is it a good thing? Yes! Should you do it? Yes – if you give a crap.

That’s all.

Happy New Year to all my fellow Jewish Friends.

By The Way - http://thecynicalgirl.com/ Laurie Ruettimann - Amen sister. Read her blog. It's great.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Stop Using Word or Publisher to Design


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Seriously... I shouldn't need to be saying this. But you people need to stop designing your own logos, letterhead, business cards - whatever... Unless you are in fact a graphic designer then by all means - design your little heart out. But if you are a lawyer, plumber, or anything other than a designer then STOP doing it! Please! People are going to be nice and say it looks great but I'm going to be real with you. Chances are, it looks like crap. Most of the logos I have seen that people made themselves or had their 14 year old daughters make have just sucked. You'd have no idea what the company is, what your service is, and it says NOTHING about you.

Here's what you want... A brand. You want a brand image so that you stand out from everyone else who does the same thing as you. So hire a real designer who actually has experience and someone who has a strong portfolio. Because ultimately, it doesn't matter whether you like it or not. It matters if it resonates with your customers and you are not your customer.

Okay I'm done.

For now.

Wait. I'm not done.

Image stolen from: 
http://www.bizcardfail.com/2010/07/logo-fail-10-ways-to-avoid-making.html

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Follow up - I need to stop making odd faces



I had just got off a skype call so I was in video cam mode. Anyway - I can't believe how many times I said "ummmm" in that first video. And I do know the appropriate times to say "scary" or "scared."

I have no problem admitting that it is kind of weird to be shooting these videos and it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. But I like the idea of it because it's much easier for readers to get to know you when they can not only read what you say but also listen and watch you.

I'll be shooting some more video over the weekend. I welcome any advice/comments!

Thanks!

Monday, August 30, 2010

My very first ever video blog entry!



I'm kind of excited about this... Video blogs, vlogs, not totally sure how must people refer to them, either way - it's such a great concept. If you don't feel comfortable writing or simply feel like you would have an easier time showing your personality and style through a video then give it a shot.

The best way to build credibility and position yourself as an expert is to put yourself out there. Don't be scared to share what you know!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Technology Addicts


Last night I went to the movies to see Grown-Ups. It was a funny movie – while I’m no movie critic, I would give it a B rating. Anyway, the point of this post is not to talk about how great the movie was. It’s really about the boy that looked about 15 that sat next to me and the girl that looked about 15 that sat next to my boyfriend. Throughout the entire movie they texted and were on facebook. I’m pretty sure if I were to ask them some general questions about the movie they wouldn’t be able to answer them. While I understand the importance of multi-tasking I am sad at how children are so attached to technology. Although I am a huge technology enthusiast I can’t help but think that it is severely affecting the quality of life of our children. It’s an incredible thing that has changed the foundation and platform of business but then again, cake is a wonderful thing – in small portions and it must be balanced with a healthy diet. Similarly, technology needs to fit into a balance along with face-to-face friendship and communication and outdoor activities. I still believe that it’s important to focus marketing efforts online for businesses. But as for our personal lives – take a look at your own life and your family – are you addicted or do you think you can handle watching a movie without checking your phone…


Sunday, July 4, 2010

10 Blogs to Boost Your Social Network Savvy

10 Blogs to Boost Your Social Network Savvy

I haven't looked deeply into this yet but the little I have seen has certainly shown great value and relevant information so be sure to check it out.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Just Google It


Today I was in the Milltown Parade with my good friends at Friendly Electric Heating & Air. It was a lot of fun - despite being bombarded with crowds of people wanting beads from me. On the way back from the parade I was sitting in the back of the car with a 13 year old and two 7 year old kids. As we were talking the 13 year old noticed my cell phone - she was very impressed that it was the iPhone4 and she knew all about the apps and said that it was such a cool phone. It might be a little sad at how flattered I was that a 13 year old thought that I, a 26 year old, was cool. As we continued our conversation, one of the 7 year olds mentioned that he will be going to Germany to visit his family. When I asked him what city, he said Italy... I was 7 a long time ago - maybe geography is not something they know very well. But when someone in the car asked a question that nobody could answer, the 7 year old boy immediately said, "why don't you just google it." I was a bit taken back but then it got me thinking... How can anybody think that the Internet isn't the place to be focusing marketing energy. Even 7 year olds turn to google to find answers. If you are a business owner and you are not focusing your energy on SEO and social media then you are truly missing out and falling behind fast. Although it is sad that the kid thought that Italy was a city in Germany - he could always just google it. :)

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Are You Scared of Social Media?

There is a serious question that needs to be addressed in ALL businesses that plan on thriving (not surviving) the next decade. The issue is social media. OMG it’s so freaking scary isn’t it? Actually, I find it so exciting but there are many many many many many people absolutely terrified of it. Oh but the legal ramifications – people are talking, what are they saying? They can’t say that – what if they say this – what if they post this picture? LISTEN… People are talking, they’re saying a lot of stuff. Who was it that said that your brand is what people say about you when you leave the room? Anyway, here’s the deal. Social media has totally transformed the way we do business, interact and communicate with each other, customers and vendors. If you want to be successful you have to accept change. Get ready for it and plan on how to implement change. Fighting it will not help. Facebook and twitter and linked in are just a few of the sites out there – there are TONS. And here’s the reality – it’s not going anywhere, it’s not a fad and it is here to stay. If you do not embrace it and join it then you will fade away quicker than pods (remember those?). People are talking about your brand either way. The lines have blurred and perhaps you will see a picture of your employees on the beach drinking a beer all the while you are shocked because they have become facebook friends with an important client. I understand – and it is scary because so much information is available to so many people. But the fact you have to face is that social media has transformed the business landscape. Just pushing your message out there to the public isn’t going to work. People expect personalization now and people want to do business with people not faceless companies. They want accountability and transparency and if you aren’t offering that then you better think fast on how you will compete. It’s late and I’m exhausted. So I’m terribly sorry about the grammatical errors and typos and I’m pretty sure I’ve included an unnecessary amount of run-on sentences…

POINT IS – Social media is not going away and if you don’t figure out a way to incorporate it into your business structure and marketing then you are losing out and ultimately it will be detrimental to your business. Focus on creating transparency and honesty to get the respect and attention from your customers. Join the discussions and properly represent yourself and remember – people run every business and people want to do business with other people. So stop hiding behind your cubicle walls and join the conversation. If you don’t join in – your competitor most likely already is.



Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Importance of Customer Service

I had been planning on talking about the importance of customer service in this posting because of what happened to me last week… Briefly, I got the new iPhone4 (yay!). I love it besides the fact that my cheeks are constantly hanging up on people while I’m mid-sentence. Other than that – it’s great! For those of you that don’t personally know me, I’m extremely clumsy. Almost daily I trip over something, walk into something or somebody or drop something… That being said, the Otterbox is an awesome phone case for me because you can seriously throw it against the wall and your phone will remain protected. I’ve tested this several times. However, the new Otterbox for iPhone4 has not come out yet and I was on a mission last week to find a similar product or something that would at least somewhat protect my new expensive toy until I can get my Otterbox case. The AT&T store had sold out of cases so I headed over to Best Buy. I walked over to the phone section where two employees were bombarded with mounds of cases and phones. Both were with a customer and I patiently waited…and waited…and waited… After standing around looking through cases for about 20 minutes I started getting frustrated. Obviously the employee about 2 feet away from me sees my frustration and certainly sees me standing there. But he did not even say hello or say he will be right with me. Instead he said, you can’t open any of the boxes. I said okay, can someone tell me what case I need for this phone. He basically said any of the cases. (wrong…) Most were not going to fit this phone. So I chose three that looked right and ran around the store trying to find another employee to help me. The last thing I wanted was to deal with that jerk again. Anyway – one guy who seemed nice and looked like he might have a clue did not at all have even half a clue. I knew more than him about cases.

Ultimately, I was told I had to buy 2 cases in order to open them to see if either would fit and then I would have to exit the store and come back in to return them if they did not fit. REALLY???? There is not 1 employee that can tell me what case to buy? I wasn’t asking about pricing, color, all I wanted was something that would fit my freaking phone. Well I was bad – I opened one of the boxes – it didn’t fit so I neatly put it back. I bought the other case which looked okay. It didn’t fit… I went back in, right up to the guy who initially ignored me and said to him just give me a case that will fit the iPhone4 and has a screen cover. He pointed to another case which I then purchased. It did not have a screen cover. I went back over there and said I need a screen cover. He pointed to one. I purchased it. Only to realize that the screen cover will not fit into the case. At this point I almost started crying. Damn me for being so clumsy that I needed a case so badly. I went over to the returns desk to return all the cases that I initially purchased and FINALLY a girl there was helpful. Well, she was at least nice – not helpful. But she at least tried and was HONEST with me about what she knew and did not know.

Yesterday I went into staples while I was trying to hook up a computer I realized I had the wrong plug. The “tech” guy there, while nice and annoyingly flirty had no clue what he was talking about. Had I been as naive as I looked I would have been dragging a huge desktop PC into staples for some random kid to look at it who didn’t have the slightest idea of how to fix it and ultimately probably would have caused more damage than I had to begin with.

So… moral of this story… Customers sometimes drive you crazy. But being in business you have to understand that generally people are good and if they are not the nicest, there is probably a reason for it. Perhaps they just experienced the frustration I had at Best Buy. My point is, if you work with people in any business – yours or not… If you care at all about the success of business and like your job you will respect customers and at least try to be helpful and be honest about your knowledge. If you truly care about helping people solve their problems you will at least be able to empathize with their situation, listen to their needs, and offer some kind of solution. If you do not know the answer, be honest about it and try to help them find the answer. Don’t just try to be smart to impress them or because you don’t want to deal with them say whatever you feel. People are smarter than you may think and it will come back to bite you in the @$$. You’re nuts if you think I ever plan on going back to that Best Buy and that was the first and last time I will every turn to a “tech” guy at Staples for help – at least at that particular store.

If you just scrolled down to the bottom of this and chose to not read my rant that is fine. Just remember this… Don’t BS your way through helping a customer when you really do not know the answer they need. Be nice… and try to help. If you can’t handle that then you really shouldn’t be working with people.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Don't Go Diving in the Ocean Until You Learn to Swim

I used to work a lot with small businesses as a marketing consultant. I had my own company for a little while and almost each client had the same story. They wanted to get onto the "internet/facebook bandwagon". You know - that internet thing is really where they got stuck. But it went much further than they realized. It wasn't just that internet thing that they didn't understand but it was the foundation of their business. Some of my clients had lost sight of why they started their business in the first place and most of them never really took the time to get to know their who their clients were. That's really where the problem was and at that point I realized that I had my work cut out for me. In some ways, they expected me to build something from nothing which wasn't easy.

I understand as a small business owner you want to focus on what will bring in money because after all - what's really more important than the bottom line? If you don't have money coming in then how are you expected to survive? I totally get that. But before diving into an ocean filled will sharks and exotic fish, you want to do a little research - about the creatures you'd encounter and the environment. You want to know what you should wear and other ways you should prepare before diving in. Similarly, you want to do some research before starting. Get to know your customers - who are they, what do they think about at night, what problems do they deal with, where do you fit in, how can you help your customers live their lives easier or better? This is an ongoing process - you can't just read a biography and forget about it. Your customers are changing and adapting and you must do the same in order to be relevant.

I'll get into the "internet thing" in a later post. But for now, where would you be without your customers? Probably not in business. So in terms of the bottom line - what could possibly be more important than educating yourself on your customers?

--- FYI - I'm no expert and am certainly not pretending to be. There's more people than I can name or even know that are marketing gurus out there. I just figure it's about time I choose a focus for this blog and frankly, if there's anything I'm most passionate about, it's business, marketing and graphic design.

Here's the post that got me thinking on the purpose of my blog. So my goal is to keep this blog alive, interesting and helpful. Ultimately - I don't want it to suck and it would be nice if eventually people would read it. :)


http://www.copyblogger.com/does-my-content-suck/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Copyblogger+%28Copyblogger%29