1. No category

“Learn How to
Annihilate the Economy
with Social Media and
Video Marketing (A
Savvy Small Business
Owners Guide)”
By Kimberly Flores
1
Table of Contents
Part 1: Economy
Page
Hyperinflation Is Coming: What to Expect……………………………………………………..
3
Aaron Kutchinsky
Sound Money, the Answer for an Economic Recovery…………………………………….
Carmen Alexe
4
Market Brief - Earnings Surprises Continue - But for How Long?...........................
Keith Springer
6
Part 2: Social Media
Social Media Trends Turning Towards Future Growth…………………………………………
Grant Riendeau
8
Should Your Company Hire an SMM?..................................................................
Brian Gibbs
9
Social Media for Small Business - 3 Secrets of a Good Website…………………………...
9
Ron Simon
Part 3: Video Marketing
Video Hosting - You Do Have Options!...............................................................
12
Deb Lane
Use Videos in Your Local Business to Get on the First Page Of Google……………….
13
Wolfgang Bloomfield
Part 4: Small Businesses
Your Most Valuable Asset: Your Client Database………………………………………………
15
Mark Colosi
Using Social Media to Nurture Offline Leads…………………………………………………….
16
Justin Delos Reyes
Planning Your Attack………………………………………………………………………………………..
2
18
Part 1: Economy
Hyperinflation Is Coming: What to Expect
Aaron Kutchinsky
Hyperinflation refers to an economical situation where the price increases are uncontrollable.
When the inflation rate is extremely rapid, it is a sign that hyperinflation is coming. It is a
devastating phenomenon that affects the world economy. It destroys the value of cash and bonds.
It can be recalled that the hyperinflation in 1923 occurred in Germany. It has been reported that
the price level of goods increased by a factor of 20 billion, and that it doubled every 28 hours.
Hyperinflation in the USA happened in 1861 to 1865, affecting the Confederate States of
America, where the dollar depreciated to zero after the Civil War. After the First World War, the
hyperinflation in Germany was one of the most studied phenomena in the world. The ratio for
trade between the mark and the dollar was at 9:1 in the early 1920s. And in July 1821, the ratio
rose to a staggering 77:1 and an extremely high ratio of 192:1 in January 1922. Similar to what
happened in Germany the United States is also suffering the same fate. Inefficient money
management can be one cause of this situation in the economy. It greatly affects world oil prices
and market commodities throughout the world.
Hyperinflation is coming, and if we are not prepared, we will truly suffer the same fate that has
happened in the past 150 years of the economy. Many experts believe that hyperinflation leads to
the complete rejection of the currency of sovereign nations. It is an economic progression where
paper money, bonds, and other paper assets lose their value.One of the main causes of
hyperinflation is the overflowing supply of paper money. The monetary and fiscal authorities are
the ones responsible for issuing the supply of paper money. As a result, the government gains
more at the expense of its citizens in the form of taxation. The value of money then declines
because of the high taxation schemes that the government is imposing to those who possess
paper money. Other factors affecting hyperinflation are unbalanced supply and demand caused
by the excessive amount of printed money, and the minimal growth of products and services that
do not match the large amount of printed money. Because there is excessive supply of money, its
intrinsic value decreases.
Here are some points to remember to determine whether your economy is suffering from
hyperinflation: when people prefer to convert their wealth to other assets such as gold or silver,
people regard the value of their monetary fund in foreign currencies are more stable, and when
people prefer to exchange or barter goods rather than use money. Although hyperinflation has
some good effects, most of the effects are negative. The reallocation of wealth from the general
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public to the government is a serious consequence of hyperinflation. For borrowers, the effects of
hyperinflation result to their gain, at the expense of the lender, particularly when contracts are
signed during the worst point in inflation.With the many catastrophes affecting the economy
nowadays, we should be aware that hyperinflation is coming and establish a plan that will help
us survive this serious problem.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Hyperinflation-Is-Coming:-What-to-Expect&id=6230955
Sound Money, the Answer for an Economic Recovery
Carmen Alexe
Relying on the current main stream media news would most likely make one believe that
we're on the verge of an economic recovery. Despite the high unemployment rate, high
number of foreclosures, a depressed real estate market, and rising prices on food and other
commodities there's plenty of optimism that comes straight from the Central Bank and the
Treasury. But what the officials don't take the time to explain in a logical manner is how can
our debt burdened economy truly recover after decades of (Federal Reserve induced)
bubbles and busts.
Except for a minority of economists and investors the topic of sound money has never been
put up for discussion. Because there is a direct correlation between sound (or unsound)
money and the economy it is imperative to understand the meaning of sound money and its
opposite, fiat currency.
Sound money is characterized as money backed by a tangible asset such as gold, for
example. Gold is a commodity that has been used by humans for thousands of years as a
form of money. Because it comes with a limited supply it is the ideal specie. A gold backed
dollar retains its value because unlike fiat currency (the dollar we have today) it cannot be
created out of thin air. It makes our government and our politicians accountable since they
would be less able to fund new and expensive government programs. Sound money is at
the core of a free market economy and individual freedom.
To better understand the most recent history of the U.S. dollar it's best to know that we did
have a gold standard until 1971. However, shortly after the birth of the Federal Reserve in
1913 the dollar's position had been weakened. The nation's monetary policy had since been
transferred by Congress in the hands of a few powerful international bankers. Beside
managing the nation's money accounts the Federal Reserve's main activity consists in
actually creating money that distorts production and creates inflation and the business
cycle. During World War I the gold standard had been temporarily removed specifically to
finance the war. During this time the window of opportunity for the Fed's creation of new
credit and money supply had been fully exploited. The dollar experienced a significant
decline however, the return to gold standard (prompting a reversal of inflation) helped
regain partial stability.
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In 1933 president Franklin Roosevelt had taken the first step of the removal from the gold
standard when Americans were no longer allowed to exchange dollar notes for gold.
Whatever was left of the old gold standard applied only to exchange amongst Central Banks
and between the U.S. government and other countries.
After World War II the Bretton Woods system fixed the value of the dollar to $35 per ounce
of gold. Uncontrolled government spending however, led to United States government's
inability to meet its obligation of redeeming other countries' dollars for gold. More dollars
flooded the world and as other countries requested to redeem the U.S. dollars they owned
more gold was being sent oversees to these governments. The U.S government's inability to
provide the physical gold to meet the international investors' needs of redeem-ability may
lead us to believe that more dollar notes were printed and used in the world than physical
gold existed at Fort Knox. As a result, the value of the dollar began to decline. Finally the
government recognized that the United States was no longer able to redeem dollars for
gold, so president Nixon completely closed the gold standard by removing all the dollar's
ties to gold in 1971. The dollar has officially become a fiat currency.
Over the long run it's clear that the prior gold standard kept inflation in check. For example,
the value of a 1880 dollar was maintained all the way until 1914, the year after the birth of
the Central Bank (Federal Reserve).
Since 1971 the value of the U.S. dollar declined significantly due to its removal from the
gold standard. The Federal Reserve continued to increase the money supply by creating new
credit and dollar bills out of thin air. The dollar however maintained a powerful position
amongst fiat currency for a long time due to the 1971 and 1973 agreements between OPEC
and the U.S. that enacted the world's oil trading to be exclusively in U.S. dollars. These
events gave the dollar the status of the world reserve currency. The high demand for
(petro)dollars on the international exchange markets gave the government, the central
bank, and the politicians the opportunity to abuse it by printing more money to satisfy their
desires for financial gains and power.
In his 1966 essay "Gold and Economic Freedom" Alan Greenspan", former chairman of the
Federal Reserve said: "In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect
savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value. This is the
shabby secret of the welfare statists' tirades against gold. Deficit spending is simply a
scheme for the confiscation of wealth. Gold stands in the way of this insidious process. It
stands as a protector of property rights. If one grasps this, one has no difficulty in
understanding the statists' antagonism toward the gold standard." Sadly, Mr. Greenspan
has become one of those central planners whose career at the Fed appears to have
influenced his views on gold.
Our history has never experienced such an expansion of money supply like in the past few
years. The world has become rather anxious about the U.S. debt, the dollar's loss of value
as fiat currency, and the country's inability to repay the debt to foreign creditors. As a
result, emerging countries - Brazil, China, India, Russia - had already started to work-out a
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plan towards trading in currency other than the dollar. What that means for us here in the
U.S. is that our dollar will soon not be in demand and with that our lifestyles will change.
Monetary inflation is the end result of the Federal Reserve's monetary expansion. It is a
hidden tax on the poor and middle class with little impact on the wealthy, the bankers, and
the big corporations. China is already experiencing the signs of the inflation triggered by the
U.S. and the Federal Reserve's expansion of dollar supply, and as such is taking a pro-active
approach. Just a few weeks ago the Chinese government declared that it intends to
strengthen the Yuan to the level of the world reserve currency.
Finally, as Texas Congressman, Ron Paul states in his book Pillars of Prosperity, that "it is
our individual responsibility to live within our means. A society that lives within its means
can only be accomplished by producing more, consuming less, saving, and investing
wisely." And with that the concept of sound money will not anymore be so hard to grasp.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6203620
Market Brief - Earnings Surprises Continue - But for How Long?
Keith Springer
Earnings continue to push stocks higher, as Intel, Qualcom, GE and McDonalds, to name
just a few, all reported earnings better than expected. Clearly the Quantitative easing
programs are working. After all, $14 trillion in stimulus had better do some good. The
problem is for how long. What happens when the QE programs end, and how long can
earnings actually "surprise" investors.
Eventually, investors will catch on and begin to expect exceptional earnings and companies
will be hard pressed to deliver not only these "exceptional" earnings but actual positive
surprises. Given the level of optimism, earnings surprises and the end of the Federal
Reserve's stimulus programs, we could very well be seeing the peak in earnings this quarter
relative to surprises. Once earnings begin to disappoint, even if they are relatively good, the
rally will be over.
In the short term, there is still some room in this market for nimble investors, as earnings
surprises are likely to continue through earnings season and as optimism grows for the 3rd
quarter. However, if earnings come in short, a market top will be close at hand. Investors
should not get impatient and/or carried away with the market's recent performance, throw
caution to the wind and think it's going to be easy. We continue to look for the best "Total
Return" investments, that provide above average dividends/income, upside potential and
most importantly, downside protection. We are still finding yields of 7-10% and although
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these may underperform the high fliers in the news, when the market turns, investors will
be happy to have maintained reasonable objectives.
Neither the turmoil in the Middle East, nor the impending doom of a nuclear meltdown in
Japan, or tornadoes tearing through the United States mid-section will jar the earth off its
axis and hurl us towards the sun... at least not today.These events proved to be a catalyst
for the correction we so desperately needed. The market dropped about 6 ½% from its
high, right in line with the 5-7% I was looking for, and well under 10% which would have
signaled a potential catastrophe. Sure, a retest of last week's low is likely, but that level
should hold. Now investors can focus on the fundamentals that truly drive stocks, the
economy and earnings. With both of these, nothing has changed. The economy is "slogging
through the mud" and slowly improving. It better after $14 trillion in stimulus!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6203105
7
Part 2: Social Media
Social Media Trends Turning Towards Future Growth
Grant Riendeau
Social media marketing started out as a fad. Now, it has become a must have in the
marketing industry. For example, Facebook alone has created an intense surge for newer
marketing tactics. For many years, companies have tried new trends and associations to
find a greater audience, and reach the ultimate-consumer faster. Due to technology, many
companies have figured out the trends, and are going beyond their previous limits to reach
these consumers. They have hired more employees who are tech-savvy, which is weeding
out the older generations who aren't as familiar with the technology. Advertisements on
Facebook are important success-factors because they can reach over 1 million targeted
demographics if a strategic business unit needed to branch out to that many consumers.
With the addition of these social trends, companies can "mass market" to their targeted
demographics with less work, and are getting more for their money. Basically all they need
is an employee on the computer 24/7, who updates the ads, and sites. Here has come a
large basis for Media Marketing. With social marketing being a huge trend, more companies
are being created for businesses who don't fully understand the social trends, or cannot
keep of the costly time constraints of these sites. These companies want to help these
businesses create a plan of attack, working directly with them to create a futuristic business
plan marketed toward the future. Making videos, ads, and blogs increases the consumer
viewership for these products, and will benefit the business, and the consumer in the longrun.
Various marketers focus on their competition; however, its competition has moved on to
advanced areas of marketing, and they are suffering due to their inability to connect with
their clients and consumers. Not only is this a trend in the Midwest, where companies come
to flourish, but companies across the United States come and go, not because of their lack
of product diversity, but their lack of knowledge of their targeted demographics. In fact, not
many companies have come out to help these small business. Companies have created their
own niche for their consumers, and wants to provide affordable advertising for their clients,
and ultimately increase their revenue, and product growth line. Should businesses want to
continue with positive cash flow, they would need to focus on their opportunities in their
market. Strategic business units need to market their hedgehogs, and create room for
product maturation, and increase their brand equity. Some companies focus on their
strengths, rather than their opportunities and threats. Hopefully these businesses will
convert their weaknesses into strengths, and take full advantage of their opportunities.
Through new marketing tactics over the years, it has been found that the common trend is
to market online. Social media is only one aspect of advertising, so it shouldn't be the sole
use of marketing, but an important key to the success of your individual company. Every
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company has the opportunity to grow, they just need to know where they want to grow, not
how.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6219403
Should Your Company Hire an SMM?
Brian Gibbs
Now is an exhilarating time in small business marketing, with organizations everywhere
splitting into two categories - the ones that desire a social media marketing strategist, and
the ones that have no idea exactly what one of these specialists are capable of doing for
their company.
Believe it or not social media marketing is considerably new. So new in fact, that half of the
planet still does not know what it really is. The question on everybody's mind continues to
be - is this marketing strategy so rewarding that you ought to think about hiring somebody
to handle it for you? The answer is a resounding yes! But, why?
There are generally three types of SMM: First is the uncommon, skilled person who is out
there for hire, and will work for you taking care of and looking after your interactive
marketing needs. The most common (but, not generally the best) is the do-it-yourself
method, in which you (or possibly an employee) assume the extra responsibility of
managing your social marketing. Another is the social media marketing firm, or outsourcing
your social marketing to an experienced organization who can deliver the outcomes you
desire.
For smaller businesses who cannot pay for an SMM, doing the work on your own is okay but bear in mind as you grow you'll sooner or later need to rely on someone else for the
full-time position.
The point here is that you'll require a specialist if your social media marketing strategy is
going to become a real success. That is why companies are increasingly using the services
of these experts. Much like 1849, we are in a 'goldrush' phase, in which companies are
experiencing amazing results from something as basic as a having a Twitter account.
The Social Media Marketing Specialist Jitters
If you have been utilizing internet marketing for some time, you will understand that the
web consists of expert-experts. Everybody wants you to believe that they understand
everything with regards to a specific topic. Unfortunately, most really don't know anything
substantial. This is especially true of the 'social media marketing expert.
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Many of these "authorities" spend several hours on Facebook and Twitter, however they do
not know the first thing about marketing and advertising tactics. To discover a real expert
look at their qualifications, or evidence of success. Proclaiming to be a guru just isn't
sufficient - where's the proof?
Advantages of a Social Media Marketing Specialist
To nail down the advantages of a genuine SMM, why don't we think about this list:
A Social Media Marketing Specialist will save you time
They will save you the irritation of doing the work on your own
They will save you money, since your time is not lost doing something you don't
really understand
They can make you money as your community, fans, and friends develop
They will develop your community to get a increase in income potential
They can help increase your consumer research options
An expert brings you closer to your customers, so brand faithfulness grows
An SMM demonstrates to the world your enterprise is contemporary and
sophisticated
They provide your company with an increased growth benefit, and the opportunity of
better results than the others companies within your industry.
With each of these strengths, why aren't more organizations hiring social media marketing
companies? To put it simply - they do not know what can be expected from them, yet. As
time progresses and companies fully understand social media marketing, we will suddenly
see a huge increase of new job opportunities in this industry. (It has already begun). For
the time being, retain the services of your own personal social media marketing
professional to get ahead. It's not necessary to hold out for everybody else to catch up!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6232210
Social Media for Small Business - 3 Secrets of a Good Website
Ron Simon
When using social media marketing for your business, the first and most important element
is your website.
Your website or landing page is the first contact your potential customer has with you after
finding you through your social marketing campaign. To reduce your visitors clicking off the
page, use these three guidelines:
First- Think simple and free of clutter
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Just like your desk, if your website is packed pull of unorganized and random elements...
clean it up quickly.
Most of the time visitors to your site will judge your page within 3 seconds and either decide
to stay or leave. Having a cluttered site makes it hard for your visitor to find out if you have
what they are looking for. Always make it easier for your web visitor to find exactly the
information you are providing without having to click all over the place.
Also, make sure to guide your web visitor in the direction they need to be going. For
instance if there is information about different types of information, give them a choice like
"If you are looking for dental insurance, click here... for motorcycle insurance, click here."
Making it simple helps them find what they need quickly and reduces the chance of them
leaving early.
Second - Avoid big filed graphics and animations
Your web visitors will be coming to your site from various different platforms, computers,
and internet speeds. If you load up your site with large graphic files or processor heavy
animations, you limit the amount of people that can view your site.
These days, many people use their phone and other mobile devices to quickly find
information or a merchant and you don't want to restrict their access. Flashy sites are for
winning agency awards, not for doing business. Keep it simple and light.
If you need help building a site, don't worry about having to learn HTML, CSS or Java. Use
simple but powerful web building software like Weebly or WordPress and you'll have a very
a nice looking site that will do more than you need for running a business.
Third - Tell your visitor what to do
The call to action is the most important step you need to have in your website or any other
marketing piece you have. It tells your reader, "Look, to get your cavity fixed, pick up your
phone, call 555-1234 right now and end the pain immediately!" While that might sound
simple or obvious, you would be surprised the difference having a line like that makes.
Be sure to have clear, simple directions on what to do to contact you or how to request
more information at the end of every page you have online or in print. You will quickly see a
jump in your response.
Having a website for your social media marketing is vital. But don't let it overwhelm you, it
can be as simple as clicking a few buttons and writing some basic descriptions if you use the
resources mentioned above. If you already have a website for your small business, go
through it and make sure you're keeping it simple and clean as discussed in the first steps.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6226087
11
Part 3: Video Marketing
Video Hosting - You Do Have Options!
Deb Lane
No doubt if you are reading this article, you are familiar with YouTube, the most widely known
video hosting service online.
YouTube has gained immense popularity because it's free, can be shared with the world and
has a viral effect. A good video on YouTube can get loads of hits simply because people share
them with their friends and family or on social networks. YouTube is not the only answer
though...
Because, in part, Google bought YouTube, video plays a huge part in search engine ranking
now. More and more as you visit various business related websites, I bet you are seeing more
videos than in the past. Videos are a great tool because it is so effective in building that Know,
Like, Trust (KLT) factor, especially when there are real people on the video. Visitors can get a
sense of what type of person and/or company they are dealing with, as they would going to a
brick and mortar business.
While YouTube is a great way to get your video out to the world, they do have terms and
conditions that could prohibit you from outright promoting your business. You can post an
educational video, but if you are putting out a video that blatantly promotes your business, your
account could get terminated. The other potential disadvantage of YouTube is that potential
competitor sites are embedded in the advertising links that pop up. This could cause your visitor
to become distracted and leave your site, something you don't want to happen!
Today there are a lot of free and paid video hosting services available online. If you Google
"video hosting companies", you'll get several results. The video hosting company we use at
Marketer's Edge is included with our overall web hosting package. We can store unlimited
videos on their servers, tailor them to work with sales templates, our autoresponder, embed
them on our blogs and websites, and there is no other advertising except the option of
watermarking our affiliate link to our hosting company, and any hyperlinks we choose to add to
our video.
Videos take up a lot of space and bandwidth. Keep this in mind if you'll be using your web host
to store your videos. Many web host providers determine their costs based on the amount of
space and bandwidth your site consumes. If you use an autoresponder, be sure your video
hosting provider works well with your other marketing tools.
There are other free video hosting services available other than YouTube if you are on a tight
budget. They too will likely post ads on your videos or video sites in exchange for a free
account. These video hosting providers can be very helpful in generating traffic to your site due
to their popularity. When using free services, be sure to read the terms of use thoroughly to
ensure your compliance.
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Whether you choose a free or paid service, one that is included with your hosting plan, or a
combination of services, you'll want to get busy generating some videos about you, your
business and/or product and get them on the internet!
http://ezinearticles.com/?Video-Hosting---You-Do-Have-Options!&id=6215979
Use Videos in Your Local Business to Get on the First Page Of Google
Wolfgang Bloomfield
How can videos help to get you on the first page of Google if you used them in your local
business? This you will find out, and much more too, by reading this article through to its
conclusion.
Videos and video marketing is very popular with Google, since its acquisition of YouTube, and
therefore videos tend to be pushed to the top of the search results, often before your Local
business website.
More and more people now search YouTube when they are looking for information, and now
that Google is presenting local search results first, this gives you the chance to get your local
business on the first page of Google in your local area.
Not only that but if you link your videos back to your local business website, it stands a much
better chance of fairing well in the local search results.
A lot of people these days would rather watch a video, about a product or a service, than read an
article about it, many videos now go viral, meaning that people will tell their friends about it, and
so the video gets passed around.
There are many video websites out there, apart from YouTube and they tend to pick up these
videos to use on their sites, and so do other website owners, all of this means more exposure for
your local business, not only in your local area, but the whole world over.
How would you like your sales people to work for you 24 hours a day and 7 days a week? Well
by putting videos on your website, this is now possible, as your videos are now virtual sales
assistants, and you could be making sales whilst you are sleeping, waking up a little richer each
day, how would that make you feel the next morning?
There are many ways that you could use videos on your local business website, you could have
the business owner welcoming your website visitors to his business, telling them what his
business is all about, he could show people around his workshop, and show them examples of his
work as well.
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Can you imagine the power of this in your local area? What do you think could happen to your
sales and profits? Do you think that your local business will grow and prosper using these
tactics? You bet it will.
None of this was possible just a couple of years ago, but now you can compete with those large
national companies, now that Google have levelled the playing field, by presenting local search
results first, this gives you the local business owner, a distinct advantage over your national
competitors.
Make good use of this information and act on it fast, before your local competition finds out
about it too, and beat you to the first page of Google in your local area, you cannot afford to
ignore this, and miss out on this exciting opportunity.
Video marketing is here to stay for a long time to come, and by now you should be able to see
the power of this, and be able to understand that by using videos in your local business and your
website, you have a really good chance of getting on the first page of Google in your local area.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Use-Videos-in-Your-Local-Business-to-Get-on-the-First-Page-OfGoogle&id=6204995
14
Part 4: Small Businesses
Your Most Valuable Asset: Your Client Database
Mark Colosi
I want you to realize that your most valuable asset is: Your Client Database
Because most of your future business will come directly and indirectly from your database of
clients.
And if you ever want to sell your business, the main thing another business owner would be
buying is the future revenue stream.
You see, without clients your business is not worth very much. Yes, you may have a
building, and equipment but you would get the same amount of money for those items if
you just sold them separately.
So for another person to buy your business at a decent price, it has to have existing clients.
So, there are a few things you need to do to save money with your database and protect
your database.
You want to make sure your database is keep current and accurate.
What do I mean by this?
When you know about your clients moving you have to change their address in your
database. 18% of the US population moves every year.
And if your database gets large, say 5,000 people in it, you will want to have your list
"scrubbed." What I mean by this is there is a BIG database that has all the "changes of
address" in it for the entire US and Canada. For the most current companies offering this
service, do a Google search under "Database Management." They will take your list for a
small fee and match it up against all the people who changed their address and give you the
new address in your database.
Why would I do this?
You would only do this if you are sending regular mail to your entire list because you will
save money on postage and printing because all your mail will actually be delivered. If you
don't do this, a percentage of your mail will not get delivered and you just wasted the
money it costs to print it and mail it.
15
Makes sense?
The next thing you must do is backup your database in case your computer crashes or
someone steals your computer or it gets burned up in a fire.
How often?
The more changes to your database the more often you need to back it up. I would say at
least once each month.
This is easy to do. You just make a copy of your database on a CD and store it in a safe
place. It probably would not hurt to print out a hard copy every once in a while.
I don't do any of this stuff; it is all done for me. And you should have it all done for you.
Remember you have to work SMART, not hard
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6238013
Using Social Media to Nurture Offline Leads
Justin Delos Reyes
As a business professional you probably have stacks of business cards in your desk drawer.
How often do you follow-up with the people who handed them to you? If your answer falls in
the rarely to never categories, what are your reasons for not following up? Is it lack of time?
Is it because you have more important things to do? Or is it because you would rather focus
on people who you know can help your business?
The answer might be "yes" to all of those questions. And rightfully so. But why risk letting a
lead fall through the cracks if there's an easier way to follow-up than making a phone call?
Social media gives you the opportunity to follow-up with leads of both minimal, and of the
utmost importance to you. And the best part is that it's more convenient in regards to effort
and time. After you make the initial introduction (at a networking event or a trade show, for
instance), an online marketing team can take the business cards you received and run with
it on social media.
A social media strategy dedicated to nurturing leads can put you in a position to stay in the
consciousness of the people you meet. It can also help you keep an eye on what they are
doing to potentially help your business. And it can have a greater pass along effect through
their network of contacts. You never know who is looking for what at any given time. As
they say in show business (and marketing), "Timing is everything."
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Make an Immediate Connection
Connect with the people you meet as quickly as possible. The fresher your offline
conversation is, the better your chances are of being accepted as a friend on a social
network. That means asking them for their URL or searching for them on LinkedIn,
Facebook, or Twitter within 24 hours of your initial introduction. LinkedIn users have the
opportunity to see who visits their profiles. If you take the time to visit a lead's profile, you
may as well try to connect with them because he or she will know that you visited their
page. If they have a public profile set-up, they want to be found. You should not hesitate to
get in touch with them - no matter how brief your in-person meeting was.
Complete Your Profile
An incomplete profile can turn potential leads off from accepting your connection request.
Last month we asked our Facebook followers if they would connect with people who didn't
have a profile picture on their account, and a majority of the respondents said no. Fill out
most, if not all, of the information that social networks allow you to enter. More importantly,
include a call-to-action somewhere in your profile to signal that you are open for networking
and doing business.
Share Great Content
Savvy professionals recognize that content is like currency on social networks. And the best
way to nurture the connections you make is to share solid content with them. Checking-in
privately with your leads on a regular basis can be touchy - especially through phone or
email. But it's more convenient on social networks. All you have to do is publish and share
content that grabs people's attention. When they share content from their profile, make
yourself even more visible by commenting on it.
Keep at It
Converting leads through social media is a long process. It can take months before a
potential lead recognizes your work and decides to contact you offline. If you do not have
the time to complete a profile and regularly share content, find someone who can do it for
you. Using social media and constantly updating your profile and sharing content is a part of
the courting process. Be persistent! It will pay off in the long run and will help you discover
opportunities you may have missed otherwise.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6235018
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Planning Your Attack
If you are not getting the business you once were with traditional advertising, it's
time to look into online methods.
How many times in the last week have you watched a commercial rather than
read about something?
If you answered yes, you deserve to see this set of tools I am using to make
businesses profitable again.
Let’s Connect!
Kimberly Flores
Social Media, Video Marketing and Online Branding Specialist
(951) 234-7688
http://millionairementoringvideo.com/
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