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Who says that pricing can't be a differentiator? There are many businesses that have tried to distinguish themselves by having a unique way to price their products/services -- whether it's by charging for soda based on the temperature outside, using a "pay what you want" approach, giving cocktail discounts based on Facebook's stock losses or, my personal favorite, demand-based pricing. There's no limit on how creative you can get -- just make sure it resonates with your customers first.

2) Help Out a Reporter or Journalist in Need

Reporters don't know everything, and research can only get them so far. Add strict publishing deadlines on top of that, and it encourages many journalists to ask for help through services like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) or on Twitter using special hashtags such as #journorequest or #prrequest.

To help get your business covered, subscribe to daily reporter requests on HARO, and more importantly, master your pitch in response to the requests. In your pitch, prove to the reporter that you're the one who could make a great story -- demonstrate your expertise, and thoroughly address the reporter's questions posted in the query.

3) Provide Insightful Data

A site called OkCupid was named "The Google of online dating" by the Boston Globe. The reason is simple -- OkCupid not only put data analysis, complex correlations, and algorithms to work to find potential dates, but it was also sharing interesting insights and providing data-supported dating advice through its blog, OkTrends. Did you know that messaging "How's it going" instead of "Hi" yields twice as many replies? Don't have a lot of data? Partner with a research firm, or run a simple survey that could highlight a trend, and approach industry reporters with the results.

4) Be the Second Paragraph in the Story (AKA Newsjacking)

The technique for newsjacking, a term coined by David Meerman Scott, is fairly simple. Seek out stories which are expected to become popular/mainstream, and develop your own response in real time. For example, when the Chilean miners were rescued, Oakley provided all of them with sunglasses to protect their eyes. This yielded an estimated $41 million in exposure for the Oakley brand.

Newsjacking is not exclusive to big brands, either. During Christmas time, a local Albany TV station had reported a purse theft from a woman in Walmart. A local Christmas tree farm acted quickly and became that "second paragraph" in the story, as they offered her a free Christmas tree. That’s not bad timing to get on the top of customers' minds, is it?

5) Be the Expert -- Have an Opinion, Speak, Be Quoted

Industry conferences, events, publications, and blogs are all important sources of learning where the industry is headed. Most of the time, it's a matter of spotting trends, analyzing public or proprietary data, or offering insightful opinions. Become more outspoken in your industry by publishing your opinion, whenever appropriate. A business blog is the perfect platform for this if you're just starting out. Sooner or later, your industry's community will take notice, start following you, and start regarding you as an expert. From there, you can offer your posts to industry publications or pitch to speak at conferences -- all benefiting you and your business.

6) Grab Some Coffee: Meet Reporters/Analysts/Influencers in Person

Sure, all the online tools make it easier to communicate, but meeting people in person is still the most powerful social networking tool out there. Nurture some of the relationships you build online with reporters, analysts, bloggers, and other influencers in an offline setting. Use in-person networking opportunities like events and conferences to introduce yourself to these people as well. And remember: your relationship shouldn't only benefit you. "Paying it forward" by providing tips, resources, or referring reporters to others is a great approach to differentiate yourself from all the other businesspeople who are trying to attract media attention.

7) Create Remarkable Press Releases

Whoever said that press releases have to be full of corporate speak? Use your press releases to your advantage by making them unique! When SEOmoz
secured $18 million in funding, they announced it by using popular internet memes. HubSpot's acquisition of oneforty was announced with a tweetable press release, which attracted attention from big names like the Wall Street Journal.

8) Give Back to Charity, Donate Your Services, or Volunteer

Philanthropy isn't just accompanied by that warm, fuzzy feeling; it can also be an opportunity to get in the local/regional media as well. From donating your professional services to integrating your whole business model with giving back, the extent of your donation or volunteering is limitless. And if your company is truly committed to supporting the community and giving back, consider becoming a certified B-Corporation and contacting local media about the certification; it could make a great story!
]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=34 Wed, 1 Aug 2012 09:37:15 -0600 xml-rss2.php?itemid=33 Posts About Products or Services: e.g. "Our new resort just opened! Book your trip today." (Facebook's travel brand example)

Brand-Related Posts: "I decided to go on my first cruise because______." (Facebook's travel brand example)

Posts Unrelated to the Brand: "Hang in there everybody. Monday will be over before we know it!" (Facebook's travel brand example)

Study Results

Overall, Facebook found that posts that fell into that second bucket (brand-related posts), were the most significant predictor of page engagement.

Remember, according to Facebook, an 'engaged user' is a person who has clicked anywhere on your post. In other words, engagement means that a person has performed an action on your post, such as liking it, sharing it, commenting on it, clicking on a link you share, viewing a picture, watching a video, answering a question you pose, RSVP-ing to an event you post, etc.

Facebook also reported on several content posting best practices to consider, depending on your Facebook marketing goals:

Goal = Generating Shares: Facebook recommends posting about topics related to your brand and leveraging photos, photo albums, and video content.
Goal = Generating Likes: Facebook suggests posting about topics related to your brand and using a clear call-to-action, such as "Like this if ..."
Goal = Generating Comments: Again, make the post about your brand, and spark discussion by posing a question in your post.

Pair Best Practices With Your Own Facebook Page Insights

Overall, the results from Facebook's study are probably what you'd expect. It's easy to understand, for example, why a reliance on product-specific posts would generate less engagement. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if a user is following your brand on Facebook, they've already had some initial interest in your brand that made them want to follow you. As such, posting content unrelated to your brand -- like the latest internet meme that has nothing to do with your business -- is unnecessary. So it's understandable that going the middle ground, and focusing on brand-related content, is the best driver of engagement.

That being said, marketers should pair this knowledge with the data they gather from their own page's Facebook Insights to make the best decisions about their Facebook content strategies.
If your brand can be incorporated into that popular new internet meme, go for it! ]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=33 Mon, 4 Jun 2012 09:23:22 -0600 xml-rss2.php?itemid=31
BRANDfog survey results indicate that consumers believe C-suite engagement in social media can benefit how they view a brand and its executive leadership. The majority of survey respondents, 78%, said CEO participation in social media leads to better communication, while 71% said it leads to improved brand image and 64% said it provides more transparency.

In terms of importance, 86% of respondents rated CEO social media engagement as somewhat important, very important or mission-critical. CEO activity on social networks also appears to influence employees’ faith in their company. The study findings indicate that 82% of employee respondents trust a company more when the CEO and leadership team communicate via social media.

A company’s social media presence also trickles down and influences purchase decisions. The majority of BRANDfog survey respondents (77%) are more likely or much more likely to buy from a company whose CEO uses social media to clearly define company values and leadership principles. And 94% said C-suite social media participation enhances a brand image.

Selling social to the C-suite remains a challenge for many companies, though. According to an Accenture study of social media among B2B marketers, 31% of respondents said they need increased CEO conviction in order to make social media efforts more effective.
Another examination of marketer priorities, by The CMO Council, reveals that social media is a priority for engagement and buzz-building among 60% of senior marketers worldwide.

Another examination of marketer priorities, by The CMO Council, reveals that social media is a priority for engagement and buzz-building among 60% of senior marketers worldwide.

CMO Council survey respondents also said speed of adoption of new web technologies by chief marketers and top-level executives was a continuing challenge.

Financial services firm ING Direct Canada is known for its tweeting CEO, Peter Aceto. Aceto told eMarketer in a February 2012 interview that using social media helps him gauge how employees and consumers view the company and its products. “We saw it as a competitive advantage for us,” Aceto said. “There was no science. There was no ROI. We just needed to get going, start to build a community and learn about how we can use it.”
]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=31 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:56:26 -0600 xml-rss2.php?itemid=28 percent of people report feeling
overwhelmed or burned out at work? It's not just the number of hours we're working, but also that we spend too many continuous hours juggling too many things at the same time.What we've lost, above all, are stopping points, finish lines and boundaries. Technology has blurred them beyond recognition. Wherever we go, our work follows us, on our digital devices, ever insistent and intrusive. Do you answer email during conference calls? Do you bring your laptop to meetings and then pretend you're taking notes while you surf the net? Do you eat lunch at your desk? Do you make calls while you're driving, and even send the occasional text, even though you know you shouldn't?

The biggest cost — assuming you don't crash — is to your productivity. In part, that's a simple consequence of splitting your attention, so that you're partially engaged in multiple activities but rarely fully engaged in any one. In part, it's because when you switch away from a primary task to do something else, you're increasing the time it takes to finish that task by an average of 25 per cent. But most insidiously, it's because if you're always doing something, you're relentlessly burning down your available reservoir of energy over the course of every day, so you have less available with every passing hour.

I know this from my own experience. I get two to three times as much writing accomplished when I focus without interruption for a designated period of time and then take a real break, away from my desk. The best way for an organization to fuel higher productivity and more innovative thinking is to strongly encourage finite periods of absorbed focus, as well as shorter periods of real renewal.

If you're a manager, here are three policies worth promoting:

1. Maintain meeting discipline. Schedule meetings for 45 minutes, rather than an hour or longer, so participants can stay focused, take time afterward to reflect on what's been discussed, and recover before the next obligation. Start all meetings at a precise time, end at a precise time, and insist that all digital devices be turned off throughout the meeting.

2. Stop demanding or expecting instant responsiveness at every moment of the day. It forces your people into reactive mode, fractures their attention, and makes it difficult for them to sustain attention on their priorities. Let them turn off their email at certain times. If it's urgent, you can call them — but that won't happen very often.

3. Encourage renewal. Create at least one time during the day when you encourage your people to stop working and take a break. Offer a midafternoon class in yoga, or meditation, organize a group walk or workout, or consider creating a renewal room where people can relax, or take a nap.

It's also up to individuals to set their own boundaries. Consider these three behaviors for yourself:

1. Do the most important thing first in the morning, preferably without interruption, for 60 to 90 minutes, with a clear start and stop time. If possible, work in a private space during this period, or with sound-reducing earphones. Finally, resist every impulse to distraction, knowing that you have a designated stopping point. The more absorbed you can get, the more productive you'll be. When you're done, take at least a few minutes to renew.

2. Establish regular, scheduled times to think more long term, creatively, or strategically. If you don't, you'll constantly succumb to the tyranny of the urgent. Also, find a different environment in which to do this activity — preferably one that's relaxed and conducive to open-ended thinking.

3. Take real and regular vacations. Real means that when you're off, you're truly disconnecting from work. Regular means several times a year if possible, even if some are only two or three days added to a weekend. The research stronglysuggests that you'll be far healthier if you take all of your vacation time, and more productive overall.

A single principle lies at the heart of all these suggestions. When you're engaged at work, fully engage, for defined periods of time. When you're renewing, truly renew. Make waves. Stop living your life in the gray zone.
]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=28 Sun, 1 Apr 2012 08:05:23 -0600 xml-rss2.php?itemid=27
When the daily avalanche of emails and voice messages gets overwhelming, it’s so tempting to retreat to my office and start typing replies and returning phone calls. That’s one of the biggest mistakes I can make. No matter what industry we’re in, we’re all in the people business.We’ll only be successful if we really get to know our customers and colleagues. Many marketing clients are so busy that they now prefer texting to even emails or calls. Skype, WebEx and audio calls are convenient and create the illusion we’re actually having a meeting -- but nothing beats the power of a truly personal, face-to-face connection.

What can you learn from an in-person meeting that you can’t from a virtual one?

1. You're off the record. In many places, there are few private offices. Many of my clients work in cubes and can’t have private phone conversations with me or anyone else. This means that when I talk to them on the phone, I might not get to hear the most important information they can share: the unique team dynamics or executive’s personality quirks that would make or break our ability to match an expert consultant. Over a latte or a walk around the block, my clients can let me know more than they can over the telephone or in an email.

2. Make use of not-so-small talk. Most business conversations are focused on solving a problem quickly and efficiently, while business relationships are built when people take the time to share and learn more about each other.

That happens more naturally in person than over the phone or in an email. Small talk about a favorite team, parenting challenges, and the other bits and pieces that make us unique.

3. Make an impression. I bought a new handbag. It’s faux ostrich and it’s pink. Really pink. I’ve received compliments on it from every woman (and one man) I’ve met with in the past two weeks. I had worried it was perhaps not professional enough for business. But the style and color were bold, springy and made me smile. Who knew my $60 knock-off handbag would be such a great conversation piece and deliver such a strong personal statement? How do you do that over Skype?

4. Read the body language. Facial expressions often communicate so much more than words. We host consultant coffees and invite a handful of independent consultants to our office in order to better understand the nuances of each professional in a relaxed setting. We need to know what isn’t on the resume that makes each person unique. In their eyes and in their body language, we can see confidence, empathy, fear, friendliness or sincerity. That ability to “read” a candidate beyond their keywords is a huge competitive advantage for us.

5. Learn where the action is. I find out so much when I visit one of my clients in their office. Is the lobby bright and inviting with recent accolades proudly displayed? Do employees seem happy? Is there free juice and healthy snacks in the cafeteria? Brand new Herman Miller chairs in the conference room? Is everyone moving in slow motion or is there a palpable buzz? The environment speaks volumes and may factor into your business plan or proposal. By understanding company dynamics, we can communicate more effectively to meet their needs..


I love new technologies that allow me communicate with others more freely and quickly. But as a business owner, I try to remember customers want to work with someone they can relate to, not just buy from.

And I believe in walking the walk. Want to meet me in person? I'll be at the Faz Restaurant lounge in Pleasanton, California on Wednesday, March 7 between five and seven. Meet my team and join us for a drink. RSVP to @renesiegel.

I’ll be the one with the really pink purse.]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=27 Sun, 1 Apr 2012 08:02:04 -0600 xml-rss2.php?itemid=26
The trend of slow - moderate pace of the economy is barely enough to keep the unemployment rate, which has been hovering above 9% for the past year or so, from reaching double digit.Experts say in order to have a meaningful impact on the employment situation, the economy needs to grow at twice of the current rate. However, the increasing likelihood of a global recession partly from the raging debt crisis in Europe would certainly pose a serious threat to the already struggling growth and bleak employment outlook.

These days, a college degree and years of experience do not necessary mean a good job like they used to, and competition is fierce for the few available openings. Coping with this New Normal, job seekers are reaching into unconventional and creative avenues to gain a competitive edge in the job jungle. And social media are increasingly becoming the new job fair for people to network, get new job leads or to promote and showcase resumes.

Indeed, Linkedin is the new hangout for corporate as well as agency headhunters, and many corporations have Twitter accounts and Facebook pages. Some interesting statistics regarding using social media for job search were based on a recent survey by Jobvite.

1 in 6 workers use social media to get hired

Almost 90% of job seekers have a profile on a social media site

54% of all job hunters use Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin to find jobs

50% of job seekers used Facebook, 25% used Twitter, and 36% used Linkedin to look for a job in the last 12 months

18.4 million Americans say Facebook got them their current jobs. The numbers for Twitter and Linked in are 10.2 million and 8 million respectively

Of course, this does not mean social media will completely replace the good old want-ad (virtual pr paper) searching and applying, but rather as something to add to the job searching tool bag. Even for the gainfully employed, social media provides an open and easy way to network, being sociably cool and keep you updated on the new technology and social trend.

So it is beneficial for anybody, regardless if you are looking for a job, to be on at least one of the major social media site (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin). After all, social media mobilized Arab Spring, and in today's modern world, one either embraces the new wave, or gets left behind.

For more info contact us at www.webbexperts.net]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=26 Thu, 1 Mar 2012 06:11:38 -0700 xml-rss2.php?itemid=24 increasingly popular tool for marketers to engage
with their networks, generate leads, and
showcase their products. Your company can
double your visitor-lead conversion rate on
LinkedIn compared to any other social network.
To help you get similar benefits, here are 10 quick
tips to help optimize your business' company.1. Activate status updates by adding admins -
including yourself! This is the first step to getting
some serious value from your company page.
2. Commit to posting a status update twice a day.
To some, this is relatively ambitious. However, if
you can go in and post a link to a blog article in
the morning and perhaps a discussion question at
night, you're on the right track! Consistently
posting will help you grow your LinkedIn reach, as
well as regularly get traffic to your website from
LinkedIn.
3. Add your blog RSS to your page to autopopulate
your blog's content.
4. Create a helpful "Company Overview"
description, with the most important info at the
top. Feel free to be as thorough as you'd like, but
understand that visually, it will be truncated after
line eight or so. Make sure the most important
point appears right at the top without scrolling. A
Optimizing Your
Linked Company
good idea is to direct visitors to other parts of
your company page or encourage follows!
5. Opt-in to "show news" about your company.
Similar to point #3, this is super easy, and
enabling it will automatically post any interesting
and relevant news articles and press releases
about your company to your company page. This
is a nice way to show how your company is
impacting the industry. Not much news about
you? No worries. When there is, it will
automatically show up on your page since you've
already enabled it.
6. Add "Company Specialties" (or keywords) to
help your company get found for specific terms.
Consider this your LinkedIn SEO strategy. When
people are searching for companies like yours
within LinkedIn, you want to make sure your
company appears in relevant situations. Add a
few keywords that make sense to help your
company page get found.
7. Link to a landing page on your Overview Page.
I bet your first thought was to link to your
homepage, huh? Why not use it as a lead
generation opportunity! Link to a landing page, or
a targeted interior page with some good details
about your company. That will ultimately be more
effective at driving leads and customers.
8. List one of your products or services in the
"Products" section, and explain why it's valuable.
The "Products" section of a LinkedIn page is a
really powerful tool. You have the opportunity to
link and explain each of your products and
services individually, and ask your customers to
"recommend" them. Go through the steps to add
a product, starting at Products Tab >> Admin
Tools >> Add a product. Follow the wizard from
there.
9. Add "banners" to your Product Page and link to
special interior pages of your website. Have an
image that would look smashing on your Products
Page? If you have a 640x220 pixel banner or
image (or something at that ratio) upload and use
it to link to one of your landing pages. Let the
traffic roll in!
10. Add a video to your Product Page. You must
have a YouTube video, right? At least one? Good!
You can add it (or anyone's YouTube video,
really) by going to "Add your YouTube video ..."
and copy/pasting a YouTube video link. Now you
have video to complement your written content.]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=24 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:55:06 -0700 xml-rss2.php?itemid=23 social network website. Millions of folks are now
employing the website to talk about a variety of
subjects. Indeed, it is a micro-blogging web site
for those who can’t quit talking. You will find also
common mistakes that most new users commit
on Twitter. Prior to you commence sending
tweets, you should be aware of these frequent
errors.
Mistake number onethe picture on your avatar is
not yours. Most new users do not post their real
picture. They frequently use cartoon photos,
company logos, or their pet’s pictures. Though
the photos are very cute, most Twitter users will
appreciate a real picture of you. If you post your
true picture on Avatar, others will believe that you
are real and that you are confident sufficient to let
others see you. If you’re going to upload a photo,
pick the ones where you give a gorgeous smile. A
smile can quickly brighten the day of others.
Sending direct messages automatically by means
of the AutoDM; direct messages are typically
impersonal and pushy. Should you send this type
of messages, you’ll be able to lose your followers.
TweetLater is yet another tool that sends
automatic messages. Whenever you use these
tools, messages are automatically sent to those
who follow you. A message saying ‘thanks for
following me’ is fine but sending automated
messages promoting your enterprise or item is
not a great notion and many people will just frown
at them.
Do you might have any followers? Should you
desire to have followers, you should follow folks
or you are able to a minimum of generate an
interesting profile page. You are able to get
followers by frequently posting updates. In the
event you maintain on following people and
however you don’t make updates on your page,
you can’t get sufficient followers.
The 140-character tweets ought to be employed
to answer the Twitter question. Answering that
question when a day may possibly be enough to
let other people know that you are interested in
the community. You can post what you’re doing
for the day or where you strategy to go for the
night. Tweets are great for starting conversations.
You’ll be able to also re-tweet other users or send
them comments.]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=23 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:00:50 -0700 xml-rss2.php?itemid=22 secrets of successful search engine optimization.
The following SEO tips are easy to follow and can
really make a difference to your website and your
company’s success.
Any errors committed in the attempt to do so are
also easily corrected with minimal expense:
Specific keywords and phrases are known to drive
website content to the pinnacles of online search
engine prominence. Evenly distributing desirable
verbiage throughout all parts of substantive content
featured on a web page will trigger search engine
indexing of all such components.Never forget, however, that your true targeted
audience is always the actual humans who will
read such content. To avoid bombarding site
viewers with superfluous keyword occurrences,
restrict frequency to no even more than 5 percent
of total content length.
Some search engines even penalize excessive
keyword frequency with decreased page ranks.
Therefore, utilize alternative phrasing for
high-density textual requirements. Despite the
most optimal keyword spacing and density on the
entire World Wide Web, bad content always kills
the show. The quality of your content needs to be
good, as well as the keywords being present and
used correctly. Continue updating your site with
new content even after achieving final mastery of
the above SEO tips.
A good use of keywords and great content will
attract visitors to your site. It is also important to
consistently update your website, once you’ve
your keywords figured out.
Your competitors will constantly try to outmaneuver
your most intensive efforts to outrank them in
search engine results listings. Try to work regularly
on getting new links to your website, perhaps by a
forum or blog that makes it easier to share content.]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=22 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:57:45 -0700 xml-rss2.php?itemid=20
In your niche, there are probably thousands of people blogging about the same subjects as you.

So how do you make yours stand out above all that noise? How do you get your blog noticed?Obviously you need to post great information that is relevant to your audience and well-written. But you need to go further than that if you want to start forging relationships with your readers.

The key to getting your blog noticed is adopting a distinct voice, one that is instantly recognizable as you. When writing your blogs, it's very easy to fall into the trap of writing in the same style as your favorite bloggers.

Don't.

Someone isn't going to be interested in reading a copy-cast style blog when they can have the real thing. You have to be different and be yourself.

So how do you achieve that?

1. Personality traits

Think about who you are. Then decide what personality traits you want your blog to have.

Formal or informal?
Conversational and chatty?
Amusing?

2. Be you

The best way to stand out from the crowd is to let your personality shine through.

The easiest way to achieve that is to write your posts as though you were writing them to a friend. This will automatically change the style in which you write and phrase things.

Showing your personality is the best way to get people to recognize you and engage with you.

3. Review past posts

Every blogger will have posts that do better than others. The trick to maintaining that level is to review those posts, take a look at the voice you used, the angle you wrote about, the topic and point of view you covered.

Then replicate that style.

4. Check the details

Everyone writes differently. It could be your use of punctuation that singles you out, your turn of phrase or your vocabulary and layout style.

Whatever it is, it's going to set you apart from other writers.

How have you developed your voice?

Are there any particular nuances that you've established to create your own distinctive style?

These are all helpful components when you are blogging. Stand out and let your voice be heard!
]]> General xml-rss2.php?itemid=20 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:08:03 -0600