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Facebook and Instagram together.

PaulG2 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:41:45 +0000

I know this is all over the web right now but I thought I would post this video discussing the purchase of Instagram by Facebook.

Google+ for Business…by Chris Brogan

PaulG2 — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:06:52 +0000

Google+ for Business is a great primer for getting started with Google+ for your business. With this book, author Chris Brogan, covers everything from basics on how to use Google+ circles to great insights as to how other business people use Google+ in their day to day business efforts.

It’s these insights of how others use Google+ in their business roles that makes me recommend this book. If you were wondering how another social media entity would fit into your day or how you would use Google+ to help your business these “recipes” as Brogan calls them, offer some ideas.

These recipes covered such items as:

Time Used per day
Primary Goals of Usage
Number of Original Posts per Day
Number of Shared Posts per Day
Number of Comments per Day
Links to My Blog or Projects per Day
Number of Off-Topic Posts per Day

With just the information you get from these “recipes” a business would begin on the right track for using Google+ for Business. There are other great chapters in the book that cover growing an audience, sharing, and setting up your business pages with the book ending with the chapter titled Next Steps I have been able to pick the pieces that are the most important to me and use the book as a guide to get things implemented immediately, while still being able to go back and find new tips as I re-read the chapters.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to pick this book up or download it to your e-reader you owe it to yourself and your business to do so. I believe Google+ is headed for big things in the future and you definitely don’t want to be left behind!

Twitter Tips #5

PaulG2 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:17:02 +0000

twitter tips for business marketing consulting

It’s that time for Twitter Tips #5! Today we have three awesome tips from around the twitter-verse to help you with your marketing needs.

The first is from someone that is awesome when it comes to being everywhere at once and that person is Pat Flynn! Pat Flynn has helped his many followers keep up with Facebook’s ever changing Fan Pages by posting helpful how-to’s after each change. With Facebook moving to Timeline Pat is back with a new post explaining everything you need to know about this new change and how you can use it to your advantage. To find out more click the pic below.

The next tip is from John Paul Aguiar and it gives some great advice on how to deal with social media. I don’t want to spoil the post, but the advice it gives might not be what you expect. Follow the linked pic below to get to reading.

The last tip from Erik Emanuelli, is not really a post you read per se, but a large list of 79 directories you can submit your blog to. Go click on the pic below and get going on listing your blog to these directories.

There you have it, 3 great tips for Twitter Tips #5! Don’t forget you can catch us on twitter by clicking our pic below.

Video for Your Business: 5 Things You Need to Get Started Today

PaulG2 — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:34:48 +0000

Adding a video element to your company can be a great boon for business, but starting up may seem somewhat intimidating. The truth of the matter is that video for your business is not nearly as complicated as it might seem. Expensive equipment, time-consuming editing, and out-sourcing for DVD production is a thing of the past. There are many easy ways to help your business begin building up a video portfolio, but we will start with five.

Write down an idea: It is extremely important to start with the most essential building block first, and that would be the idea behind what kind of video you want. Retail businesses might want a video showcasing their store or their products, while other businesses might want to highlight how they are active in the community and what services they offer. Whatever the case may be, write a few scripts for 2-4 minute videos. One page normally translates to one minute, so keep that in mind while writing.

Buy a digital camera: Bestbuy, Staples, and even Walmart all sell quality digital cameras. If you wish to produce fairly high quality video, purchase a video recorder that is set for HD (which shouldn’t cost you too much more). Don’t go overboard with your first camera, just get what you need to make a simple video.

Sign up for YouTube: Once you have written your idea and purchased your camera, sign up for a free YouTube account. If you are extremely serious about using on-line media, sign up for an Atom of Blip account as well.

Update your website: Make sure you have a place to put your videos on other than your Facebook account. Update your business website to include a video section in order to increase views on your new media.

Record: Many business owners think that uploading videos to the Internet will be both confusing and time consuming, but the truth is just the opposite. Once you have your account and everything that goes with it, record a video promptly. After all, some video is better than no video.

Choosing to upload a video to the web is a great solution to adding a new market to your business. Your account on YouTube and Facebook, and even your own website can all benefit from a bit of video content. Write down an idea, record a video, and share it with the world.

How to Get Started Creating Digital Products for Your Businesses

PaulG2 — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:26:12 +0000

The digital world and the age of the Internet can be quite intimidating for those who have not yet stepped into it, but putting the first foot forward is the only way to start moving. The best way to get started creating digital products for your business is to start now. The easiest ways to create digital products, however, is a much more difficult question. One of the best places to start, however, is to join all the social networks you can.

Once you have an active Facebook, Twitter, and Digg profile, you are ready to start creating digital products. After your Internet audience has been establish, it is time to start creating digital products for distribution. The easiest way to do this is the E-book.

E-books have begun to corner the market in the publishing world, and jumping into the market is quite easy. First, write a how-to or an information packed word document that relates to your business or product. Once completed and written into at least seven pages, export your book to a PDF file with the export function in whatever word processor you are using. This will allow for a file format that can be read on almost any computer or mobile reading device in existence.

If you foray into the e-book world and are still left wanting more, consider building a video audience. Sign up for a YouTube account, buy a video recorder, and make a video that can be placed on your website and social media sites that you already have. These videos can attract a new audience and are very cheap to produce once the camera purchase is out of the way.

If videos are still not completing your desire for digital products, consider recording audio and using it for a podcast. An audio subscription audience can be a devoted one, so the time in building a podcast audience is well used. Once you have covered text, video, and audio, your digital products have a diversification that is quite valuable.

Start recording videos, write up or hire out for an e-book, and start a podcast. The more areas your digital products reach the more people you will find interested in your business and product. Get started today, build an audience, and find a new customer base.

Twitter Tips #4

PaulG2 — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:53:38 +0000

Here is the fourth installment of Twitter Tips. This week we bring to you two tips covering different aspects of business marketing and one tip about an interesting idea for an extension of your blog.

The first tip is from socialmediatoday and is titled 7 Fantastic Resources for Great Content Marketing Ideas . This piece is tweeted by Andy Jenkins who always has awesome tips to share. His twitter profile is below.

The second twitter tip is from Ted Ruben of tedrubin.com. How to find the online/offline balance in marketing . This helpful post was tweeted by Viveka von Rosen. You can find Viveka von Rosen on twitter by clicking the picture below.

The third tip is from Deidra Wilson of deidrawilson.com via a guest post on PROBLOGGER. Start a Magazine that Complements Your Blog … in 5 Steps discusses the potential of adding print to your digital empire. Tweeted by Ian Lurie of PORTENT, if you wish to follow Ian just click the picture below.

That’s it for the fourth installment of Twitter Tips. If you want more twitter tips from Business Marketing Consulting HQ then don’t forget to follow us on twitter! Just click below to go to our twitter profile.

What a Podcast Can Do for Your Business?

PaulG2 — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:21:13 +0000

Using social media for marketing is something that cannot be avoided in today’s age of Internet and mobile device advertisement. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are just a few of the usual suspects in on-line marketing, but one aspect that gets left out in the discussion is Podcasting. A Podcast is very simply an audio file that presents some topic or idea that people can subscribe to, kind of like a magazine in audio format. Creating a Podcast is as simple as uploading a recording onto iTunes, and can cost as little as a microphone, be it internal or external, for your computer.

Creating a Podcast helps you tap into a new audience, one that might not otherwise have heard of your business. Audio recordings can be offered on a variety of platforms such as iTunes, any free file download site, or even on your own business page. Having another place to advertise to an audience can increase the traffic to your business or site overnight, depending on how popular your audio recordings become.

Podcasts are not only for iPod users, but can be listened to by anyone with a computer, MP3 player, or even a smart phone. Since these audio advertisements can include anything, consider offering important information on a variety of subjects in order to bring in a larger audience. An audio information platform can give your customers a sense of trust in your knowledge of the subject you concentrate around.

A daily, weekly, monthly, or even bi-monthly Podcast can also help you start to build a valuable relationship between you and your customers. Podcasts, with the ability to bring in a voice component to your business, can aid in humanizing what might have once simply been another company. Logos, advertisements, and informational handouts can be an impersonal way to connect with people, but adding a voice in an audio file for public access can turn that phantom company into one that reaches customer loyalty within their customer base quite quickly.

Adding in things like answering questions that customers have had in a future Podcast, offering discount words for those who listen, to even highlighting sales and offers for your business can make offering a Podcast a valuable tool. In order to gain a new audience, expand you advertising potential, and possibly create a loyal customer base, consider adding a Podcast to your Internet marketing strategy. On-line advertisement is a must, and a Podcast might just be the best free solution you have never heard of.

Business Marketing and QR codes

PaulG2 — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:31:44 +0000

When it comes to business marketing there are many tools available for both business marketing consultants and businesses themselves that help get a marketing message in front of customers.

One of these tools is finally starting to hit the mainstream. That tool is the QR code. With this post we want to give you a brief overview of what a QR code is, some ideas on how to integrate them in your marketing, and also give you a cool tool to get you started making QR codes for your business today.

Overview of QR codes for business marketing.

Here is a brief description of QR Codes from Wikipedia:

A QR code (abbreviation for Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera telephones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded may be text, URL, or other data.

Common in Japan, where it was created by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. The QR code was created to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.^[1]

To use a QR code many devices need a application that will scan the QR code to receive the metadata. There are many different QR code applications available for your phones operating system and a simple search online will deliver many to choose from. Once you have decided on the QR code reader simply follow your applications directions to use and you should be able to scan and read QR codes in no time.

QR codes in everyday business marketing.

You know something is hitting the mainstream when large corporations start to use the item in their own marketing. Henkel, the makers of the laundry detergent Purex, are now using QR codes to share customer reviews and frequently asked questions about its products. Below is a picture of the QR code in the wild.

When you scan the Qr code on the back of the Purex bottle you are sent to the Purex website below.

Even Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the largest retailer in the world, has begun to use QR codes in its store signage to deliver videos to customers that show some of its exercise equipment in action.

Where Purex decided to send its customer to a page devoted to answering questions about the specific product. Walmart uses a video to further market its elliptical when the QR code is scanned.

Now you don’t need to be a huge company to use Qr codes. Small and local businesses can easily integrate Qr codes into fun marketing items and campaigns.

One example could be a restaurant that uses QR codes to advertise their daily specials. The restaurant could create a page on the companies blog or website for each daily special and then use a QR code to link to the page. The page could offer great descriptions, pictures and even video to show why customers should order the menu item.

Another way for that same restaurant to use QR codes could be on its comment cards. Have a QR code on the comment card that directs customers to the companies Google Places page so they can instantly leave a review. Better yet, send the customer to your newsletter page to sign up for special deals and incentives.

Make your own QR codes!

If you want to use QR codes in your future marketing efforts your in luck. Business Marketing Consulting Headquarters parent company Covale Media LLC. has a FREE QR generator that you can use to start creating your own QR codes! All you have to do is download and install the QR code generator, sign up and activate your password, and then create your own QR codes!

Get Your FREE QR Code Generator NOW!

Just click the picture or scan the QR code.

Twitter Tips Week 3

PaulG2 — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:00:17 +0000

twitter tips for business marketing consulting

Here is the third installment of Twitter Tips. This week we bring to you three tips covering different aspects of social media.

The first tip is from smmmagazine.com and is titled The Value of Web 2.0 Content . This piece is written by Andres Silva A. who always has great content. His twitter profile is below.

The second twitter tip is from Jeff Bullas of jeffbullas.com. 4 Key Steps To Growing Your Online Social Media Assets . Follow these 4 practical steps to get your online assets working for you. You can find Jeff on twitter by clicking the picture below.

The third tip is from Chris Brogan of chrisbrogan.com. Take a Twitter Audit is all about looking at how your using your twitter account and what you can do to improve. Want to follow Chris? Just click the picture below.

That’s it for the third installment of Twitter Tips. If you want more twitter tips from Business Marketing Consulting HQ then don’t forget to follow us on twitter! Just click below to go to our twitter profile.

What’s Important to Every Business? Business Sales!

PaulG2 — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:18:17 +0000

Welcome to our first guest post on Business Marketing Consulting HQ secrets series! This post comes from a fellow blogger, Mr Edgar Allen of SalesMagicMan.com, that has a history in sales and truly knows the Sales Profession. As a bonus at the end of the post Edgar has a link to receive a free report.Hurry now to get your copy!

So your business needs sales? How can you get more sales, higher revenue and bigger profits? Read on.

Once you have a product or service, sales is the first step to success. If you’re building a business, somebody has to buy your product or service from you, right?

Let’s roll the “How to Make More Sales” movie back to the first scene, OK? What do you see? How does a sale start? It starts when you somehow meet, talk to, or introduce yourself to somebody else. The first step in the sales process is awareness.

We’re exposed to ad messages all day long…TV, radio, cable, product placement, internet, product labels, and signs everywhere we look. Thousands of commercial messages every day. Are your potential clients even aware of you and your product? What percentage of your target market knows you even exist?

How do people find out about you? As a small business mentor, I’d urge you to use whatever you can afford to get customers to notice you: radio, TV, internet site, keywords, networking, elevator intros, or smoke signals. If it’s important to your business – business sales - then you better get out there and promote your offering any way you can – every working minute of every working day and then some.

I was in Denver consulting for a manufacturer with a very large facility. The company’s cababilities included powdercoating
metal. Powdercoating is a specialty type of electrostatic painting that bonds the color “paint” (actually paint particles) to the
metal. It takes a large investment in-

Equipment,
Space (lots of it),
Chemicals and
An educated workforce.

This manufacturer already had everything. There would have been no notable incremental costs to actually run and order. What the company did not have was orders and customers for this unique and, normally, expensive process.

Many metal fabricating shops (“metal-benders”) have to turn away some customers who want metal products fabricated and then powdercoated at the end of the manufacturing process because they can’t do the powdercoating. We could create a win-win-win deal if the fab shop sold the whole deal and my client could do the back end powdercoating work. Make sense? It did to me.

I’d noticed my client had, at one time, produced powdercoated business card holders with their logo precision laser cut into them. If you’re in the metal fab business, this is a pretty cool little item.

So, my suggestion was to identify all the metal fabrication shops in the metro area, pack up the truck with a bunch of these little, cool give-aways and stop in at all the shops in the area and try to meet the general manager or owner of the business. We’d greet, (maybe) meet, leave a present (and maybe a flyer) and ride off. Awareness happens! Simple. Easy. We could even map out the route on Mapquest, download it to our smart phone and minimize the travel time while maximizing our impact on more shops.

Can you even guess what my soon-to-be-fired client’s answer was to this suggestion?

Here it is: “Aw, that sounds like a lot of work. No, thanks.”

Can you imagine my disbelief? This guy would rather sit in his ivory tower office and look at his blank sales spreadsheets all day rather than generating activity that could actually put numbers in those boxes on the spreadsheet.

Holy bankruptcy, Batman!

If you’re in business, business sales are critical. It starts with having other people being aware that you and your products exist. Getout there. Go get ‘em.

Edgar Allen of www.SalesMagicMan.com, helps companies get more awareness -online and offline. If you’d like to preview his latest report, “How to Get Free Targeted Traffic (to your Website) Just by Telling What you Know,” you can read about it here.