From Examiner.com:
Technological changes offer business opportunities!
“Change affords opportunities, in particular, the rapid changes in Web technology known as Web 2.0.” states Geoff Wilson, CEO of the Web design company 352 Media.
Wilson, who owns several Ben & Jerry’s ice cream stores in addition to running his Web design company, likened Web 2.0 to Ben & Jerry’s “Everything but the…” flavor.
“Web 2.0 has everything,” he explained. “It’s blogging—which is posting thoughts and ideas on your Web site or other people’s Web sites. It is Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn, social-networking sites. It is also Flickr, a photo-sharing Web site; and Twitter, which has become popular in a short period of time. It’s online video—YouTube and Hulu—and user-generated content, like cell phone videos of news events people witness and upload to news sites such as CNN. All of this is part of Web 2.0.”
Social media is about everyone having a voice, said Wilson. “People who are going on Facebook or MySpace or LinkedIn want to have a voice. They want to participate and have a conversation. These people want to form communities and be able to connect with like-minded people who are into the same products or services or who have the same interests.”
In a nutshell—from a business vantage— social media is about engaging customers. “All of these platforms give you as a business owner an opportunity to engage with customers.” The catch? “You can leverage these tools for free, but you have to put in the time to do so.”
So many selections
What is the best Web 2.0 tool—or tools—for a small business owner to use? “It’s not a simple answer,” said Wilson. “The answer depends on the demographic of your customers, because some customers will be “into” one type of social media, such as Twitter or Facebook, than others. He advised:
• Find out where your customers are. Identify their needs—what they are discussing.
• Enter their community. Help customers in ways in which they want to be helped.
• Don’t try to control the message. Just take part in the discussion.
• Don’t hard sell. “You cannot have a hard-sell mentality. You won’t be successful,” admonished Wilson. “Your customers are willing to embrace your business as part of the social interaction, but they don’t want to be sold to.”
• Accept the good along with the bad. If you give customers the opportunity to review your products or services on your Web site, for example, you have to accept the bad along with the good, said Wilson. “Many times, if you are very successful, the positive people will defend your company against the negatives. And they will do the best job of selling for you. That’s ultimately what you are trying to achieve.”
Use Facebook to promote your business
Web 2.0 includes a variety of social media, from blogs to YouTube. Choosing the best for your business depends on your customers and their needs, but one of the most effective of the social media is Facebook, as Geoff Wilson explains.
Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn are all types of social media in which to network. In all of them, users complete a profile and may join groups. They post short status updates and link to friends and acquaintances.
“A few years ago, MySpace was all the buzz,” said Wilson. Facebook, though, has outpaced MySpace and has become a more sophisticated cyber networking tool, he said. He noted that Facebook users generally visit their pages daily (or more often), while LinkedIn users usually only visit their pages weekly. Because Facebook offers more exposure, he recommends using it as a business-building tool.
Tips for using Facebook to promote your business:
• Create a professional profile. “A lot of people use Facebook for social purposes,” he said. “I use it for more professional purposes.” His advice: Don’t post information about your private life on your Facebook page if you want to use Facebook to promote your business.
• Build a large network. Connect to people you know as well as people you meet and ask to be a “friend.”
• Post business-related information. Give updates about your business and your professional status.
• Post events. Facebook has an “events” tab in which you can create a special event and invite people to it. You can also announce the event as a status update on your “wall,” he said.
• Join groups related to your business. These groups are comprised of like-minded individuals.
• Set up fan or company pages. Companies cannot have profiles, but you can set up a special page that gives information on your company.
• Advertise. “Facebook has really good targeted advertising,” said Wilson. “You can target by city, age, gender, level of education—all of these things.” Consequently, your ads only show up on the pages of people who are likely to buy your product or service. And, ads are relatively inexpensive, he added.
Social networking links:
Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn are social networking sites on which you post short status reports, join groups, and link to friends and acquaintances. Twitter is similar to Facebook, except that users can “tweet” on mobile devices. Tweets are limited to 140 characters.
YouTube allows you to post videos, which can also be an effective method to promote your business, according to Wilson. Flickr is a photo-sharing Web site
• Facebook, www.facebook.com
• MySpace, www.myspace.com
• LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com
• YouTube, www.youtube.com
• Flickr, www.flickr.com
• Twitter, www.twitter.com
Confused about social media?
If you are new to using social media as a way to promote your business, go to www.commoncraft.com/socialmedia, where you can watch a three-minute video that explains the basics of Web 2.0 for business promotion.
About Geoff Wilson and 352 Media
Geoff Wilson, CEO of 352 Media, was recognized as one of “America’s Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30” by INC Magazine in July, 2006. He can be contacted at 352-374-9657 or through his Web site at www.352media.com
This article appeared in the “Jacksonville Advantage, the Handbook for Small Business”, after Geoff Wilson told a group who gathered for a meeting of Executive Advantage
(www.theexecadvantage.com), a professional- and business-development group for Jacksonville-area CEOs that provides a forum for growth through coordinated discussion and exposure to expert speakers. It was provided with permission to post to the Examiner from Geoff Wilson.
Frank Eaton, CEO, Frank B2B Communications, a business to business marketing company. www.frankb2b.com
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Web 2.0 and You..... (& Your Business)
CELEBRATE LIFE NOW: How to Enjoy Life to the Fullest By Darcy Keith
I saw this today, liked it a lot and wanted to share it with everyone.
Have an awesome day,
Steve
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As I'm typing my thoughts, I am watching my daughter play outside games with her neighborhood friends. First, they played a made-up game of throwing a ball though hula-hoops. Next, it was bouncing a ball in the middle of the hula-hoop, which had a number point value scribbled with pink sidewalk chalk in the center. How fun it is to watch the girls, aged five to eleven, improvise with the items they have, which were six hula-hoops and five balls of various sizes. I'm amazed at how quickly the girls can switch from game to game, making new rules, and having fun.
Watching their excitement, giggles, and negotiation skills reminds me of some of the aspects of life that we sometimes don't. We don't celebrate life. Each day, we should celebrate life. No, I'm not talking about living irresponsibly, but enjoy every day given to us. For the past week, my daughter asks me what special thing we are going to do that day. Sometimes, she just wants to go outside and play catch or take a family bike ride to the park. Other times, it's just sitting down to watch a movie with hot, buttered popcorn, and a glass of soda.
My husband and I try our best to enjoy every day with her by celebrating life and the time we have together. I remember when our daughter was born. Family and friends visited us to celebrate her birth and see our new family addition. Because in the first year of life she changed physically so much, we celebrated each stage by having her picture taken every month. Videos and pictures were taken at holidays, special events, family gatherings, and various times to capture her innocent, curious, happy personality.
I must admit, however, that sometimes I wish life away. One of the bedtime rituals that I do every night when I put my daughter to bed is that we pray together, I sing a bedtime lullaby that I have sung every night since she was born, we tell each other "I love you", and I start playing her favorite CD as she drifts off to sleep. There are several times that I would have liked to just kiss her goodnight after we prayed and go back to whatever I was doing.
But when I hesitate, I remind myself of the joy I get from celebrating her life and how, when she gets older, I won't be needed as much to tuck her in. I celebrate the moment, right here and now. Though there are things in our life to make it easier, how it is that we are busier than ever? Why do we jam-pack our lives with more activities? What are you doing in your life that will cause you to stop and celebrate it? Is it reading that book for the tenth time to your child so that they can enjoy the story? Is it taking time to read a book that you've put off and say that you'll get to it later? What about that diet that you promised yourself that you would start today?
Here are five thoughts to help you celebrate life now:
1. Start everyday with a positive attitude.
2. Take a moment to notice the vibrant color of flowers, the colorful fall leaves, the glistening white snow, or enjoy the sound of the rain while you doze off to sleep in your warm bed.
3. Reflect on the positive things in your life.
4. Tell that special person you love them.
5. Find joy in the everyday things that we take for granted.
Celebrate life to the fullest...now!
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Begin changing your life, one day at a time. Have what you want in your life: relationships, money, success. This has made it happen for so many, why not you.
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Happy 4th Of July - Have a Safe & Fun Weekend
You'll might want to take a few minutes to watch this short little video, sort of gets you in the mood to celebrate the 4th. It reminds me of how lucky I am to have been born an American - How Grateful I am for what God has given us.
