Posts Tagged ‘facebook’
Inspiring Entrepreneurs of 2008
Friday, December 26th, 2008
As this year’s economic downturn spiraled, rising and persevering entrepreneurs had to prove themselves to be more motivated than ever. Many times, they created their own market, their own niche and in turn, their own success. May they continue to inspire in 2009:
- Vaughn Jereaux , The Vaughn Jereaux Collection
Back when he studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology, a professor told Jereaux he was more fit to design for another company, rather than his own. Despite such advice, Jereaux used his namesake and a $20,000 cash prize to start his own line of custom-made cocktail, evening, and special occasion dresses. Then, in November, he would earn another prize of vindication. An expert panel of judges – featuring Def Jam’s Russell Simmons and Ernst and Young’s Dan Valerio – picked 25-year-old Jereaux as their favorite fashion entrepreneur in The Race to BE competition. This time, the cash prize totaled $50,000. - Janice Maasaoud , Under the Nile
Q: What would inspire readers of Esquire, a men’s magazine, to seek out Under the Nile, a baby and young children’s clothing company? A: Organic Egyptian cotton, used not only in the clothing, but also in what the magazine deemed “the best blanket in the world.” Maasaoud first sought out to source organic cotton ten years ago, after discovering her children’s allergies to harmful pesticides, toxins and dyes. The company has since expanded to offer toys, cloth diapers, and gift baskets - making it one of the most well-known companies sourcing organic materials. - Mark Zuckerberg , Facebook
Google may have taken over the Internet this year, but there still remains one online territory that it could not penetrate – social networking. With over 100 million users registered in August, Zuckerberg’s Facebook more so became a face-to-face competitor when, earlier this month, it released its business "Connect" platform the same day Google launched its own. Like Netscape Navigator creator Marc Andreessen with Internet browsers, Zuckerberg may not have created the first social networking Web site – but he certainly stands as one, if not the most prominent player in his field. (After all, is it a coincidence that Andreessen also serves on Facebook’s board of directors? Probably not.) - Kurt O’Brien , Simply Self Storage
With 229 facilities and growing, Simply Self Storage is now the largest privately owned self-storage company in the United States and Puerto Rico. And, after it earned its first million in sales in just four years, Entrepreneur magazine ranked the company as its No. 1-ranked fastest-growing businesses in the area, out of nearly 21 million others. Among other criteria, Simply Self Storage ranked highest in rapid sales growth and positive job growth. According to O’Brien, the company’s tipping point was when it reached 100 locations. “It allowed me to assemble the dream team in my business sector," he said. - Matthew Szulik , Red Hat, Inc.
Years ago, Szulik – then president and CEO – found that his customers grew tired of paying for program licenses, maintenance and upgrades, only to receive flawed software. So, despite protests, Szulik and founder Bob Young then worked on making the company’s software coding freely available over the Internet. Through many years of development, they pursued to create such transparency, which they thought could “redistribute the economics of the technology industry from vendor to customer.” To date, Ernst and Young named Szulik its 2008 "Entrepreneur of the Year," while Red Hat stands as the sole profiting software company offering open-source material.
What entrepreneurs – new or old – inspired you this year?
Tags: christina lee, entrepreneur.com, entrepreneurs, facebook, Janice Maasaoud, Kurt O'Brien, Mark Zuckerberg, Matthew Szulik, Red Hat Inc., Simply Self Storage, Under the Nile, Vaughn Jereaux
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Q&A: What Social Networking Can Do for the Business Web Site
Monday, December 8th, 2008
Q: Can social networking Web sites be useful for my business?
A: No longer focused on just individual users, social networking Web sites have been creating new tools that go beyond what basic feedback additions – a customer service e-mail, a product review feature, a blog – have done to humanize the online business transaction.
“Now it’s really about trying to connect emotionally, even in a business-to-business level,” said Brian Easter, CEO of web design and marketing company NeboWeb.
Since its launch in August 2006, Twitter has had web experts questioning whether a business would have any use for a site with a prompt that reads, “What are you doing?” Their conclusion nowadays: yes, but only if a business can prove that someone is actually listening.
In August, FaceReviews deemed Starbucks as one of 34 “Brands That Suck on Twitter,” though it was a title it had to retract three hours later. The reason why – a post that read, “We have our own ideas about what we’re going to do here. We’d love to hear from you, do you (or anyone else) have requests?”
“Instead of answering the question, ‘What are you doing?’, answer the question, ‘What has your attention?” said Chris Brogan, social media and networking advisor. Indeed, while Twitter can open up a business to more criticism, it also provides more opportunities to respond back.
In addition, the latest social networking developments from Google and Facebook also focus even more on the relationship between the business and the customer. On Thursday – and within hours of each other – they both announced the launches of their latest interactive features for business Web sites, which customers can access with log-ins they already have.
But as they provide the same convenience, each of these platforms opens marketplaces in different ways. Open also to Yahoo, AIM, and OpenID users, Google’s Friend Connect offers gadgets – including discussion and product review walls – that can be easily posted on a business Web site. Meanwhile, Facebook Connect allows individual users to carry both profile information and social networks as they navigate sites like Digg and StumbleUpon, so they can later post their activity on their News Feeds.
“That is really going to speed up Web 2.0 integration in more traditional sites,” Easter said, later adding that with usage of these platforms, the business Web site “becomes an instant community, so to speak.”
In sum, social networking Web sites provide what should primarily be used as other means of customer service. If used solely for additional promotion, a business is bound to seem fake – when in fact, they work best for the business with nothing to hide.
Tags: Brian Easter, christina lee, facebook, Google, NeboWeb, online business, social networking, twitter
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Twitter Schmitter
Monday, May 19th, 2008
I have beef with Twitter. To me, it’s an oddly socially accepted and encouraged form of stalking where the "victims" volunteer themselves.
Aside from the creepy factor, from its inception I have never really understood how thousands of people #1 care so much about what other people are doing that they would subscribe to and check instant updates via a personal feed, and #2 that said number of people actually believe that that many OTHER people care enough about their minute happenings so much that they’d consistently update these feeds.
Twitter’s usefulness has long been debated and I have clearly chosen sides. But I can’t argue with the fact that Twitter’s traffic numbers have nearly doubled in recent months . Looks like more and more people from my side are hopping the fence to join the other "volunteer victims" and "stalkers"…traitors…
Okay, perhaps I’m being a bit harsh on Twitter. But I really don’t see how it can keep up it’s stamina? Sooner or later, it’s going to loose steam right? After all, not everyone can keep up with everyone to that degree all the time and still make actual useful contributions to mankind…can they? Heck, I have enough trouble keeping up with my MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts!
Here’s how I see Twitter succeeding: in the business world. While people can really care less what their best friend ate for lunch today, they might really care what lunch specials their favorite restaurant is having. And while they might ignore that their little brother just beat Grand Theft Auto 4, they might really want to know that Best Buy is putting the game on sale for the next 12 hours for 50% off (that would REALLY be worth "tweeting" about don’t you think?).
If that’s the future of Twitter, sign me up. Otherwise, count me out.
Do you think businesses will be Twitter’s savior or am I completely off my rocker?
Tags: Business, E-Commerce and E-Business, facebook, linkedin, myspace, Rebecca Button, social networking, twitter
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Using Alumni Networks to Grow Your Business - Dos and Don’ts for Contacting Old Classmates
Friday, March 28th, 2008
One of the best ways to grow your business network is by building relationships with fellow alumni from your undergraduate or graduate school. Having that common bond immediately bridges the gap from stranger to acquaintance and helps open the lines of communication. You may have had the same friends, shared the same dormitory, had the same teacher, loved the same restaurant, etc. You’d be surprised how much in common you have with your fellow classmates, whether or not you even knew them back in your student days. Many startup companies are formed with fellow alumni, and today colleges and universities are making it easy with online alumni forums. There are even websites, like AffinityCircles.com , that help alumni build their own networking circles.
Networking with alumni can help you build your company, gain clients or get helpful information. However, it’s crucial that you think of your alumni contacts as relationships and not a pool of potential clients, investors or buyers. In other words, build the relationships first before asking for something in return. True, this may be months in the making, but having this common background can really help to take business to the next level - whether that be in becoming business partners, asking about potential investors or talking about a list of possible clients.
When joining an alumni network, it’s important not to abuse your membership by say, only logging on when you have a question or favor to ask, or sending a mass request for investment money. Think of your alumni network as your friends, and treat them accordingly. You can begin building relationships by getting involved in the forums and answering questions, fulfilling requests and doing favors. Try to keep your name in the postings regularly so that others will begin to see your name as familiar.
Once you have built some relationships and you have a relevant request or favor then consider sending a personal message to your alumni contacts, rather than a mass posting to anyone and everyone. A personal message is more likely to get answered and it makes your request seem more important because it was a specific request to someone who you thought would be most qualified to help you out.
Alumni classmates can prove to be truly powerful contacts. And as a new class graduates every year, your tappable market just keeps growing and growing. While sites like Myspace and Facebook are more for socializing, alumni networking sites are known for building and maintaining business contacts - after all, after college, that’s where most alumni end up - in the business world. So, whether you’re working on putting together a management team for your new company, building your client list, gaining private investors for your start up, or just improving your marketing programs, joining an alumni network can help you do all that plus make some life-long friends in the process!
Tags: affinitycircles.com, Carrie Hinkel, contacting alumni, facebook, myspace, networking, online networking, social networking
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Viral Videos: Should Your Company Be Making Them?
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Each day, there are tens of thousands of videos being posted on sites like YouTube. Some become notorious and are so shocking / hilarious that the links make it on email lists, blogs, Myspace pages and more - racking up a million or more hits. Now that’s viral, baby! Most of these videos may look like they were taken with a phone cam or filmed with a simple camcorder, and while for some that may be the case, for others…they were only made to look that way. Yep, companies like Sony, Frito-Lay, Red Bull, Nike and a slew more are all getting in on the viral video craze. Unlike the majority of YouTube videos, these corporate viral videos are strategically developed by a team of crafty marketers, actors and filmmakers. They cost tens, sometimes even hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce, with the hopes of engaging a wider audience, and getting viewers to talk about the videos to friends, on their blogs and on their Myspace and Facebook pages.
But, hey, it’s not just the big companies that are benefiting from creating viral videos. Scores of startups and low-budget companies are successfully filming and posting their own videos - hoping to see 100,000 or more hits. So, don’t let a small budget get in the way of striking gold with a viral video. Here’s how you can do it all on your own:
Step 1: The idea - This may well take the most time of the entire process. A viral video is meant to stand out and evoke some sort of emotion - that may be fear, shock, anger, laughter, etc. If you want your video to go viral, you can’t settle for mediocre or average, it needs to be over the top.
Step 2: The filming - Depending on the idea, you may be able to do the filming in-house; however if you are looking for special effects or editing services, you would be wise to hire a professional. Here are the keys to a successful viral video:
* Make it short, ideally only 15-30 seconds in length.
* The video itself shouldn’t be an advertisement; but it should relate in some way to your company.
* Make it believable; don’t expect something that was scrapped together in two hours to go viral. Practice the skit until it’s done right and reshoot until it’s exactly what you’re going for. Remember, your company’s reputation is on the line.
Step 3: The marketing - Posting it on YouTube and then sitting back and waiting for everyone to find your ingenious video is not the way to turn a video viral. It takes hard work, and lots of it. Here are some of the best ways to get your video seen:
* Ask or pay bloggers to post your videos.
* Post your video on as many forums as you can.
* Email your video to as many people as possible, asking them to pass it on too.
* Add your video to Myspace users’ web pages in the comments section.
* Share your video with your Facebook friends.
* Bookmark your video on Stumbleupon and tag it with popular relevant keywords.
Sure, filming a video and hoping it goes viral is a bit like gambling, but making one doesn’t have to cost a bundle and if you use the above strategies, you’ll be increasing your chances of success. Good luck!
Tags: advice, blogging, blogs, Carrie Hinkel, E-Commerce and E-Business, facebook, Marketing, Marketing Your Business, myspace, online marketing, SEO, Stumbleupon, tips, viral videos
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Networking Your Way to Success
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
Take a look at your business, and ask yourself why it’s successful. Depending on the size, it could be a myriad of things - the sales team, the service backup, most certainly the customers. Yet if you take all these into consideration, they’ve all got one thing in common - they’re part of your company’s network.
From the sales team providing your customer their order to the service team looking after their account once the sale has been made, it’s all one big network working towards your company’s success. To ensure this success continues, you need to be taking that network and expanding it.
The Importance of Networking
Not only will a good and expansive network offer you the opportunity to promote your business, it’s also an excellent way to meet people that can make a difference to your company.
For instance, many directors, managers and owners of companies attend specially arranged networking meetings. This is an ideal environment for like-minded businesspeople to exchange details and information. Indeed, many of a company’s business deals come from the result of making an acquaintance at a networking event.
Additionally, it’s also a good way to spot a potential employee for your business, which can save you money and time advertising, or using a recruitment agency. Couple that with the sheer amount of information and contacts you can come away with, and a networking event is definitely something you should be looking at attending. Or, if you wish, arrange one yourself.
How to Network Effectively
The key to effective networking is to attend the right events, therefore enabling you to speak to the right people. There are many ways you can do this, and taking the time to research a little beforehand can make all the difference to how successful your next networking event is.
One of the best ways to network is the traditional face-to-face method. This could be at an informal lunch event, or a specially arranged networking gathering at a hotel or conference center. This allows you to exchange business cards, get a feel for what a person is like in the flesh, and generally introduce both you and your business to a wider audience.
Another way is to network online, using social networking sites. These can range from the standard websites such as Facebook or MySpace . However, there are also specialist networking sites aimed more at businesses - LinkedIn.com and Ecademy.com are particularly good examples. You can search for contacts specific to your industry, which ensures that you’re not meeting people who are networking just for the sake of it.
Whichever way you decide to go, the important thing is keeping up to date afterwards. Make sure that you send a complimentary email now and again, and if your address or phone number details change, make sure to update everyone in your network. Once you have a solid, up-to-date networking contact list, you may be surprised how much a positive difference it will make to your business.
Tags: danny brown, ecademy.com, facebook, Growing Your Business, linkedin.com, myspace, networking, online networking, social networking
Posted in News & Articles | No Comments »
Networking Your Way to Success
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
Take a look at your business, and ask yourself why it’s successful. Depending on the size, it could be a myriad of things - the sales team, the service backup, most certainly the customers. Yet if you take all these into consideration, they’ve all got one thing in common - they’re part of your company’s network.
From the sales team providing your customer their order to the service team looking after their account once the sale has been made, it’s all one big network working towards your company’s success. To ensure this success continues, you need to be taking that network and expanding it.
The Importance of Networking
Not only will a good and expansive network offer you the opportunity to promote your business, it’s also an excellent way to meet people that can make a difference to your company.
For instance, many directors, managers and owners of companies attend specially arranged networking meetings. This is an ideal environment for like-minded businesspeople to exchange details and information. Indeed, many of a company’s business deals come from the result of making an acquaintance at a networking event.
Additionally, it’s also a good way to spot a potential employee for your business, which can save you money and time advertising, or using a recruitment agency. Couple that with the sheer amount of information and contacts you can come away with, and a networking event is definitely something you should be looking at attending. Or, if you wish, arrange one yourself.
How to Network Effectively
The key to effective networking is to attend the right events, therefore enabling you to speak to the right people. There are many ways you can do this, and taking the time to research a little beforehand can make all the difference to how successful your next networking event is.
One of the best ways to network is the traditional face-to-face method. This could be at an informal lunch event, or a specially arranged networking gathering at a hotel or conference center. This allows you to exchange business cards, get a feel for what a person is like in the flesh, and generally introduce both you and your business to a wider audience.
Another way is to network online, using social networking sites. These can range from the standard websites such as Facebook or MySpace . However, there are also specialist networking sites aimed more at businesses - LinkedIn.com and Ecademy.com are particularly good examples. You can search for contacts specific to your industry, which ensures that you’re not meeting people who are networking just for the sake of it.
Whichever way you decide to go, the important thing is keeping up to date afterwards. Make sure that you send a complimentary email now and again, and if your address or phone number details change, make sure to update everyone in your network. Once you have a solid, up-to-date networking contact list, you may be surprised how much a positive difference it will make to your business.
Tags: ecademy.com, facebook, linkedin.com, myspace, networking, online networking, Rebecca Button, social networking
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How to Use Facebook to Advertise Your Business
Wednesday, November 21st, 2007
By now, most people have heard of Facebook and the kind of powerful networking and relationship tool it can be for individuals. This month Facebook announced that businesses would now be allowed to add their profiles to the site too. This could mean great opportunities for businesses to gain loyal customers, recruit employees and advertise their products and services.
Getting your business on Facebook is easy!
All you need to do is go to Facebook.com , click on "Register" and fill out the online registration form. Then, you can add information and a photo or business logo, links to your website and information about yourself and your business.
Then, search for friends, colleges, business contacts, and employees on Facebook and invite them to be "friends". Actually, you can invite anyone you want to be a "friend", just make sure they have an interest in your type of business - Facebook isn’t about inviting the whole site, as that is a sure way to get yourself banned!
What Facebook can do for your business
Think of your business Facebook page as personalizing your office desk. Make it interesting and fun - or else, why would anyone want to visit your page? You can have lots of fun photos of employees, your office, etc. You can even post flyers about your upcoming business events, interesting articles or thought-provoking questions that get visitors to your page involved.
When you create your Facebook page, think in terms of your audience and what they would like to see and what will keep them coming back. If your page is interesting and fun enough, you’ll have people visiting to share their opinions, post comments and read your articles, blogs or flyers. All that could easily translate into more website traffic, sales or valuable business contacts.
Facebook is also filled with a ton of groups based on interests, region, type of business, etc. You may want to join some groups that are relevant to your particular industry and become active. Just be sure to not be too obvious about promoting your products or services - that will annoy more than impress! Be subtle and participate actively in group discussions. Introduce your business in the context of the group.
As many have come to realize, Facebook can be very addictive and time-consuming. If you find yourself spending several hours a day chatting it up in groups or writing postings on your pages, you may too become an addict! Facebook is a great business promotion tool, as long as it doesn’t steal time away from more important business responsibilities. So, just be aware of Facebooks’ luring powers and stay focused on promoting your business. Good luck!
Tags: advertising, advice, Carrie Hinkel, E-Commerce and E-Business, facebook, Marketing, Marketing Your Business, online marketing, online social networks, tips
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