Social Media Spokane

 Article Complements of Soshable


Valuations come and go. The move up and fall down. In the whole scheme of things, they only count for now and can turn on a dime (no pun intended).  When Goldman Sachs participates in a large investment in Facebook, it means something.
What that meaning is, we really don’t know. Nobody does. Yet.
If it’s successful, if Facebook is able to turn a sizable investment into real ROI for the investors, than it means all of this ranting that “social media is the ‘now’ and the ‘future’, damn it” will be real. Those of us embedded in it know. Those with the money haven’t been as forthcoming.
If it fails, if Facebook makes a big mistake and fails to continue to be as profitable as they theoretically currently are, then it may be the last major investment for a long time from “the Street” into social media.
One thing is certain – Facebook will spend the money. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has never been scared of spending other people’s money and Facebook is poised to do some great things with this latest batch. Early shareholders will likely be able to finally cash out at least a little bit. Talent across Silicon Valley will want to dust off their LinkedIn profiles, because Facebook will be looking. Innovations and improvements will be accelerated. The sky’s the limit.
For others in the industry such as Twitter and LinkedIn, it helps and hurts them. Obviously, pain comes whenever a competitor, direct or indirect, is given resources to compete better. The good comes in the idea that the money is out there (as it’s always been) and the purse strings are opening (as it has been very recently).
Will users notice? Probably not. This is investor news only. It does bring up speculation about the value of an IPO, rumored possible in 2012 as the board wonders how much bigger they can get.
At 600,000,000 users, again, the sky’s the limit.

Article found on Visual Alliance Media on Facebook
Sales meetings can be a busy and hectic time for your company, especially the marketing Department. Unveiling upcoming plans, reviewing last year’s, dealing with sales “personalities”…
Yikes!
Social Media not only offers some fun alternatives to the standard sales meeting, but it can engage your team and better connect them with clients. Here’s how:
1. Get them Excited. Sales meetings are all too often dry and boring when they can be new and exciting! One of the BEST ways to engage your team and promote company patriotism is to make a video. Whether it’s just for fun or portraying a serious message, short “YouTube” type clips can liven up a meeting with little or no impact on your marketing budget. Remember, in this case down and dirty is better than professional and choreographed.
2. Get them Serious. After the fun, it’s time for a little business. Making your force aware of all company social media efforts will not only ensure everyone is on the same page, but it will enrich your social channels. Most importantly, you need to make your team aware of any company policies regarding social media No No’s. If possible, get them to sign a release allowing their image to be used for company social media campaigns.
3. Get them Active. While sales meetings are important, what really matters is what the force does after. Social media isn’t for everyone, so don’t feel like you need all your guys/girls on sites like Facebook or Twitter. However, having at least a few of your heavy hitters online can help to promote your product, better connect with clients (make sure they have business contacts on a separate privacy list from personal friends) and follow competitors.
For your next sales meeting, don’t let the same ole, same ole rule. Engage your sales force and office team with exciting social media initiatives.
Happy New Year!

Credit for the Article~Michael Cohn is the founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of CompuKol Communications

 

Starting Fresh With Social Media for Business in 2011

 

Here you are and 2011 is literally right around the corner. You reflect on all of the ways in which you used social media throughout the year to build strong and substantial relationships and in which to increase business.
Now, in the New Year, you will want to make even greater strides for your business with social media. As you are formulating a business strategy for 2011, you will need some goals. Your first goal, of course, is that you will earn a certain amount of increased revenue from your business. Your next goal should be that you establish new relationships and strengthen the relationships that you already have. Connected to your relationship goal is a resolution to do as much networking (both online and in person) for your business as possible.
There are several things that you should include in your strategy to increase business in 2011. First of all, you need to make sure that your web presence is fresh and current. You should add as much fresh content to your website as possible on a regular and consistent basis so that you are constantly enticing your readers with your knowledge and expertise. It is important to have a concrete list of contacts from your social media communities with whom you communicate on a regular basis. You will grow your lists over time and you should make sure that the lists are made up of high-quality connections and that those relationships will last over time. It is important to be very discriminating when it comes to choosing your social media channels. You should choose those from which you and your business will benefit the most.
Your web presence
There are a myriad of possible ways to express your web presence but as long as you have a strong and effective one, you will certainly be able to increase your business success and offerings by interacting with people whom find you credible, knowledgeable, and interesting. Always remember that content is still your most important attribute. If you are consistent with the information that you offer to other people, they will become loyal to you and your business and will remain loyal for a very long time. Regarding your ranking in the search engines, it is a great idea to make sure that your website is not so heavily loaded so that it takes very little time to load. Depending on the type of business that you own, elements of your web presence may be different than someone else’s. For example, if you own a small, local business, you would want to get involved with local technologies, such as Facebook Places or Google Local. The information that you will be sharing will be relevant to people who are connected to local businesses in some way.
Your list
Your list of contacts is your best way to keep all of the people with whom you share a relationship online organized and categorized. It will be much easier for your online business relationships if you have everything at your fingertips. You can have several lists of contacts from your various social media communities. There will be times when you have overlap on your lists. This is certainly not an issue. Lists are one of the important tools that you have in your online business armamentarium.
Your social media
Your social media channels and online connections are truly at the heart of your business’s success through social media. All of the other elements come together here to strengthen your business. You network through social media. You interact through social media. You share ideas and valuable information through social media. There are so many different ways to use social media for your business that will contribute in a positive way.
Endurance
Once you have done everything possible to strengthen your business in 2011, you will need to take measures to ensure that you sustain your business over the long term. Once you have established important relationships with people, you need to make sure that those relationships continue to grow and to flourish. There are so many ways in which to accomplish that, including giving your customers the feeling that their money is well spent on your products and services. Make sure that everyone with whom you are connected understands that you are with them for the long haul.
Conclusion
You completed phase 1 of your social media strategy in 2010. You are now about to launch phase 2 of your strategy. Phase 2 involves streamlining what you already have in place and making your online business relationships even stronger and more important. 2011 will be a fabulous year for you and your business as you get more and more embroiled in social media and all that it has to offer.