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Archive for business

16 Apr

The Power of Social Media Marketing

You can find hundreds of books to talk about Social Media Marketing, formerly known as Web 2.0. And I’m going to give you crash course in just a few paragraphs.

Blogs

Your blog is an extremely powerful social media hub. If done correctly, it can boost the visibility of your business in ways never before possible. Think of it as an online magazine. You’re in charge of design and content. Your blog can help promote your company’s website or it can be a part of your website.

Setting up a blog is very easy. You can try using a free blogging system such as WordPress.com or Google’s Blogger. But if you want to appear really professional you need to go for a self-hosted blog. The most popular and easiest way to do this is through WordPress.org. You have lots of options for design themes and plugins. Of course a professionally designed unique theme that utilizes your company’s brand identity is best.

Maintaining it regularly can be a challenge. You have to constantly come up with copy that is interesting, relevant and remarkable. This could be once a week. Daily would be great. A few times a week is good too. The trick is to write posts that people want to read. Show your personality and have fun.

Facebook

Facebook is the most popular online social network today, with over 400 million active users of all ages creating a home page and making “friends”. Facebook is a place where “friends” gather. Let everyone know what you’re doing. It’s easy to set up and is free. Show photos, play games, network, add applications. What’s your status? Your Facebook profile can be made public or private. You control the settings of who gets to see your page.

If you have a business you need a “Fan” page. A fan page is part of your original Facebook account. It is visible to everyone, registered or not, including all your customers. While a Facebook Group is better for hosting discussions, for long-term relationships, a “fan” page is best. Personalize your fan page with your company brand or image.

In order to get people to become a “fan” of your company, you need to drive them to your Facebook fan page. Therefore it is important to link your social media together. Create a button on your blog and company website, inviting visitors to become a Facebook fan. You want your fan page to be a fun place to visit. Create content and invite discussion and participation. Make your fan page a resource of information about your company and related products.

Another way you can entice users to join your fan page is by creating contests or coupons specifically for your Facebook fans. This could include discounts on products, free shipping, or other special deals. The goal is to get people to join your fan page and come back often. You need to give them a reason to participate. Encourage comments and input.

Creating a successful fan page takes planning, time and dedication. It’s not something you can set and forget.

Twitter

Twitter can be a very powerful business tool with over 17 million users, a large number of which are older professionals with high incomes. It is called micro-blogging because your “posts” are limited to 140 characters. But you can create an unlimited number of posts.

With Twitter you have access to immediate feedback from people all over the world, 24/7. When you need help, just ask for it. You’ll be surprised at the number of people who will answer your questions and offer assistance. This is also a great way to do market research.

Use Twitter to let people know who you are. Your tweets can include links to photos and video. Send links to helpful or interesting websites. Promote contests, specials, sales, new products, whatever. Inform people when you make a blog post. Direct people to visit your website. And don’t forget to create a unique Twitter backdrop with your company brand and information.

Coming soon to Twitter will be “Promoted Tweets”, a way of advertising on Twitter. And you will be able to pay for a Commercial Twitter account which gives a business detailed analytics tools and the ability for several people to post to the same Twitter account.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business social network with over 65 million professional business users with an average income of over $100,000 a year. If you’re selling to other businesses you’ll want to have a LinkedIn presence. It’s a great way to drive targeted traffic to your website and further build your social network by exchanging “information, ideas and opportunities”.

Building Buzz and Getting Noticed

The best way to get noticed is to remain consistent. That means you must post to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and write your blog posts on a regular basis. If you don’t, people will stop following you. That’s not good. Sign up with HootSuite and you can write one post and send it to any or all of your social media at one time.

The more followers, friends and fans you have, the more you’ll get. It’s kinda viral. People want to follow popular people. And when you give people what they want in terms of information, tips, discounts, promotions, contests, customer service, etc., they’ll keep coming back for more.

When you’re involved with social media marketing, you’re also a part of the exciting new world of mobile marketing. Facebook, Twitter and Blog news-feeds are a huge part of mobile phone apps. Even Apple has entered the arena with it’s new iAd concept coming to an iPhone or iPad near you. Imagine interactive mobile ads and videos that are graphic and enticing. Google already has a big presence in mobile text advertising. You don’t want to be left out of this new marketing frontier.

So that’s the essence of Social Media Marketing. It’s all part of Search Engine Optimization. The goal is to get people to your website or social media hub. This can also include being part of social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon, Delicious, Reddit, Digg; photo sites like Flickr; rich media sites like YouTube and Spoink and don’t forget MySpace.

For more information on how you can become a part of this exciting and powerful world of social media marketing contact Chuck at Creative Juices.

Advertising Blogging to promote business. Business Practices Helpful Hints Marketing 101 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Technology Website Design
30 Jun

8 Tips on Getting Paid for your Work

Times are tough. And everyone is out to get a good deal. But it’s really hard to pay your bills when you work for free. So here’s some tips on getting paid for your work in the service industry.

1. Agree on a price and get a deposit. I prefer 50%.

2. Make sure the deposit goes through. Sometimes those pesky checks have a way of bouncing out of your bank account. And this incurs an ugly fee.

3. Do the job on time and do it well. Who wants to pay for a crummy job. Great work means happy customers.

4. Get paid in advance for services you sub out. Sometimes clients have a way of disappearing, even if they give a deposit.

5. Get paid for the job upon completion.

Beware of these excuses:

6. I’ll pay you next week. I need the job now. (That’s what credit cards are for. Otherwise no deal.)

7. I have lots more work to give you. I will keep you so busy. Please just let me have this now. (That work will never come. If it does, good luck getting paid for it too.)

8. How about a trade? (Usually the trade is for something you don’t want or need, if you ever get it.)

Remember, your time is worth money. Check out this link:

Time is Money

Blogging to promote business. Business Practices Marketing 101
09 Jun

How AT&T Saved Me $199

I want to thank AT&T for saving me from myself. After much media hype I was anxiously waiting for the release of a new iPhone 3G S. Prior to this big announcement I was perfectly happy with my current iPhone 3G. I love it and use it constantly. Perhaps I’m a little addicted to its many virtues. But it’s almost a year old. That’s like 7 human years. I just can’t resist a new iPhone with a 3 megapixel camera, auto focus, compass and video capabilities. I wanted it.

Just because I hardly ever use my current iPhone camera and I probably would never shoot video, I still wanted the new phone. Mainly because it’s newer and faster. How could any Apple geek refuse. The hard part was justifying spending another $199 to upgrade to the new iPhone when my current model was so new.

AT&T fixed all that. Because my 2 year contract is not up until next April I would have to pay at least $599 for a shiny new iPhone 3G S (16 gb) plus $18 upgrade fee. So now I really love my current iPhone even more.

And the best part is, by the time my contract is up next year, a newer, shinier, faster and better iPhone will most assuredly be in the works for summer 2010 release. Who knows, maybe by then Verizon will also offer the new iPhone. And that gives me more options to choose from!

So thank you AT&T. I look forward to next year.

iPhone
11 Apr

How Terrific is Twitter?

I’m just starting to delve into Twitter so that means something newer is about to take it’s place. Well maybe not really. But sometimes it takes a while for new ideas to take hold of my consciousness.

Twitter has become THE place to go to market your business. There are scores of books on just how to do this as well as tons of info online. Twitter is the latest in micro-blogging. What are you doing now in 140 words or less. Of course you can keep adding 140 word entries until you run out of things to say.

As far as a business marketing tool, from what I’ve learned so far, Twitter is used as a form of socializing. People getting to know each other, cyberly speaking. Not so much as a place to sell products or services directly. You can direct people to your website, offer specials, contests, tips, links to articles, websites and more.

It seems everybody is following someone. Or thousands of someones. And it could be overwhelming. Just how much information do you need to know in a day? I personally am suffering from information overload.

I admit I’m addicted to my iPhone. I now follow people I don’t know on Twitter. I’ve set up a page on Facebook, MySpace, Linked In, Merchant Circle, Plaxo, Ning, Xing, and others I have forgotten about and have no time to add content to. I’ve got this blog using WordPress and have set up one on Google’s Blogger too.

I follow all the news I need to know on my iPhone too. There’s AP Mobile News, USA Today, Yahoo, NY Times, CNN, Easy News, and of course a ton of RSS feeds including the LA Times, E! Online, CBS, KFWB and many, many tech news feeds.

I’m also reading Twitter Revolution on my iPhone Kindle App, Twilight from Iceburg, Murder List on my Stanza App and real hardcover books Twitter Power and a Doris Day biography.

Plus I read the antiquated LA Times and local Daily Breeze on real newsprint.

Yikes. It’s a wonder I can’t sleep at night. There’s just too much information to process.

As I grow with Twitter and other social networking sites I will keep you informed. And if you are looking for something to fill up your time, why not follow me on Twitter! @cjuices

Advertising Blogging to promote business. Business Practices iPhone Marketing 101
02 Mar

10 reasons to start your own online business.

Out of work? Now’s the perfect time to become an entrepreneur. Just find the right niche, something you feel passionate about, and get started.

  1. Starting your own business is fun.
  2. You can make money.
  3. Express your ideas.
  4. No boss to fire you.
  5. Make your own hours.
  6. Did I mention it can be fun?
  7. You can make lots of money.
  8. Relatively small start up costs.
  9. Little to lose and a lot to gain.
  10. Contact Creative Juices to find out all you need to know on getting your website up and running.
Business Practices
20 Feb

Why is my company image so important?

What is your company image?

Like it or not, your company has an image or “brand”. It’s what people visualize when they think of your business. Your image consists of your logo, your website, your place of business, your service, product(s) and of course the people working at your business, including you.

Need a Logo Design?

It takes time to build an image.

First impressions are extremely important. Especially today when all businesses are desperate to get and maintain their customers. If you don’t stand out and project an image of success potential clients might skip by you and head over to your competition.

Don’t let that happen to you. It is vital to the future of your business to have a strong, positive image. And the good news is you’re completely in charge of creating that image.

Your Logo is a big part of your image “brand”.

It’s what people associate with your complete business entity. This includes any printed materials, web presence, social media, physical presence and most importantly your actual product or service. Everything you do or communicate about your business should be consistent with your brand or image. It helps build customer loyalty.

Your Logo is Who You Are

Take the time to think about what you want to project to the general public. It is really hard to change your image once it takes hold so please, don’t rush it or skimp on it. Find your niche, what sets you apart. You’ll be glad you took to time to do it right.

Creative Juices Logo Design, the right choice for you!

Check out Creative Juices Logo Design. There are many graphic design companies, but only one with a twisted pencil. Give us a call at 310-791-5803 for a Free Estimate.

Business Practices Marketing 101
11 Jan

Don't Panic… Market. Now.

Unemployment may be at 7%, but that just means a greater majority of people who want to work, are working.

Anyway, the point is that there are still employed people spending money. Sure a lot of people have cut back. But the best way for you to increase your sales is to let more people know what you do. What is your service? Where are you located? What do you do that’s better than anyone else? How can you help them?

If you don’t advertise or market your business in some way, no one will know you exist. Or worse, they’ll think you’ve gone out of business. And these days there’s a lot of that happening.

Update your website and let people know what is going on with you and how you can help them. Promote your brand. Keep your image at the top of people’s minds.

If you don’t already have a website, you’re missing out on one of the most cost effective ways to showcase your business or service.

If you do have a website and it’s out of date, you need to update. And fast. A tired, out of date website show’s you are not on top of your game. You may be perceived as irrelevant.

Remember, when you cut your marketing and advertising, you are essentially giving your competition a clear advantage. Is that really what you want to do?

Don’t forget to call Creative Juices if you need marketing and advertising advice. 310-791-5803. Did you know weekend appointments are now available?

Advertising Business Practices Marketing 101 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
01 Jan

VOIP – How did I miss it?

While I heard about VOIP, I had no idea how much money I could save by moving my phone line(s) to Vonage.

It all began with the plan to move my business to my brand new home office. Much to my dismay, I discovered that Verizon is unable to let me keep my current phone number and would charge an additional $21 per month fee just to forward it to a new number. It seemed expensive to pay almost $250 a year just to transfer a number. And if I don’t transfer it, people will think I’ve gone out of business. That’s the number in all my ads, both online and in yellow page directories as well as the local Easy Reader. Changing the number is not a preferred option.

Along came Vonage and I discovered I don’t have to change my number. They can transfer it to their system. And with their $49.99 unlimited monthly business plan I get a free fax number. And I can keep my current fax number too. (Who uses faxes now-adays?) With free call waiting, forwarding and voicemail as well as caller ID and unlimited long distance calls (all extra with Verizon) I can save a lot of money!

Now all I have to do is install Vonage after I get the equipment. By the way, this is not a plug for Vonage, yet.

Business Practices
13 Nov

Help, my bank is dying!

These are scary times. I went to make a deposit in my neighborhood bank, the same bank I’ve been going to for over 40 years, since I was a kid. And there was a long line. Well, relatively long. Okay, 5 people. What were these people doing? Closing their accounts.

Not everyone was closing their accounts, but about half, so said the teller. My money is insured and safe, he smiled. But still, when you do all your bill payments online and count on your bank to always be there, it’s a bit disconcerting to realize there’s a good chance your bank will be gone or bought out by the end of the year.

With big name stores closing all over the place, how do you keep your small business solvent? Simply by getting your name out there. Well, maybe not simply. But it doesn’t hurt to have a web presence. Make your business a destination people will want to go to. When you offer a product or service of value at a reasonable price with friendly, efficient service, you may just weather the recession storm.

Keep a positive attitude and smile to your customers. It couldn’t hurt.

Advertising Business Practices Marketing 101
13 Nov

Pets at the workplace – great idea! Mostly.

There was never any question that I would be bringing my Chihuahua puppy to work with me sixteen years ago. When I got her I knew there was no way I would ever leave her at home alone every day. It just wasn’t going to happen. Lucky for me I am self employed. Although Tasha is gone now I am planning on acquiring a new little Chihuahua to supervise me.

Studies show that co-workers tend to get along better and some even work longer hours when there are pets at the office. There’s no need to rush home and walk your dog when he/she is right there with you.

You also have a great excuse to exercise by walking your dog on your breaks and lunch hour.

A recent survey showed that nearly one in five companies allow pets at work.  Those surveyed believed that having pets at the office reduces stress and causes happiness. That’s a win-win situation.

It’s best if your pet is people friendly. My little girl tended to be a bit overprotective. She liked to chase people as they were leaving. I guess she wanted to make sure they paid their bill and then left her along to nap. So make sure if you do bring your pet to work that they don’t bite your customers. That is never a good business practice and may lead to an unwanted lawsuit.

Business Practices

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