15 Comments Posted in business, corporate blogging, innovation, productivity, Seth Godin, small business September 30, 2009

25 Reasons Why Your Company is Boring

(This was sparked from a Seth Godin post called You’re Boring. It was brilliant. I had to write about it.)

You know you a boring business if..

1. You have a tri-fold brochure with little business cards that you hand out to everyone you see… and I do mean EVERYONE.

2. You designed the tri-fold in Publisher.

3. You are using a type-font called Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier for your logo… and you made the logo in Microsoft Word.

4. You decide not to blog because “I just don’t have the time.” Your potential customers don’t have the time to read it anyway.

5. You use your initials for your company name. (This is a give or take depending on your initials)

6. Yellow Pages … Read more

2 Comments Posted in Speaking Event September 29, 2009

Speaking At The RE/MAX Sales Rally

Harness logo rgbI have been given the absolute privilege to speak at the annual RE/MAX Sales Rally in Indianapolis on Thursday, October 1. I will be completing two breakout sessions called Dominate Using Social Media at 1:00 and 3:00.

We will be discussing the power of online relationships, selling a house on Facebook, utilizing Twitter for communication with new clients, the power of referral marketing online, and time productivity.

If you are part of the Re/Max team… I am looking forward to meeting you on Thursday.

It should be a fun time! I am really looking forward to it!

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]… Read more

20 Comments Posted in social media, Social Media Community September 28, 2009

20 Ways to Drive Leads Through Social Media

What is it? What is it good for? Engagement.

One of the primary selling points of social media is the concept of engaging a potential customer or partner in your product or service. So how do you accomplish engagement on a personal level?

20 Ways to Engage a Potential Customer Using Social Media

1. Start a blog. This seems like an obvious one. This should be one of the first things you think about doing when contemplating using social media as a marketing tool. There should always be a hub where your contacts can interact. The so called “hub.” WordPress is a great tool to start blogging. Get on it!

2. Join Brightkite and Use it during the business day. Brightkite is a service that allows you to update your … Read more

9 Comments Posted in Advertising, Marketing, productivity, Public Relations, small business, social media, Social Media Community, social media marketing, social networking September 25, 2009

Social Media is NOT Another Way to Scream

Frankly I am getting tired of seeing the “Grow Your Twitter Followers 10x Faster” crap that is rolling across my dashboard every thirty seconds. When are we going to reach the point when marketers realize that screaming to the masses is not going to yield the same return that it did 20, 30, or 40 years ago? Many marketers view social media as another way to scream at people with a message… albeit a more niche mass… but it is still the same process. And it is going to kill you in the long run.

Design a message and broadcast it as much as possible. You know… Repetition, Repetition, Repetition…it is the best form of marketing!

Give me a break.

The the last thing you should be doing as a … Read more

1 Comment Posted in corporate blogging, Marketing, selling, small business, social media, social media marketing September 24, 2009

People Interpret Your Message on Their Terms. Control It.

There is talk going around about how blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites can help control your marketing message.   I completely agree with the assertion that you can help sway a particular message to the public but.. the world has a tendency to misunderstand where the CONTROL takes place.

It’s impossible to control HOW people interpret your message, but it IS possible to control WHERE the conversation takes place.

People will interpret your message in a way that is congruent with their beliefs and values.  You can’t change that.  When you start broadcasting your message through the social media sphere you will most certainly be misread, misinterpreted, misquoted, and you will be wrong… from time to time.  That’s fine.. it is all part of the game.  Don’t … Read more