16 Ways to Use Facebook to Grow

When Michael Stelzner started using social media to market his business, he focused exclusively on Twitter.

“My first attempt at using Facebook for business was a big flop. I was pretty convinced I could just use Twitter for business.”

Stelzner is a well-known white paper writer, author of the book Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged and founder of Social Media Examiner. But he literally had to be dragged kicking and screaming onto Facebook.

“I thought it was just for college kids,” Stelzner says. Then a friend he respected invited him to join, so he did. But within a short period of time, he stopped updating his Facebook page. “I spent a lot of time on Facebook and frankly accomplished little. At least on Twitter I knew I could strictly talk business.” So he just fed his Twitter updates into his Facebook profile and fan page. “All along I was treating my Facebook page like Twitter. I thought that by simply posting updates I would build a loyal following.” Things changed when Mari Smith showed him the right way to use Facebook.

Watch the video to see Mike’s Facebook story…

SMSS10 Drive 2 from Michael A. Stelzner on Vimeo.

You’ve Got To Create a Facebook Page

Armed with that knowledge, he created the Social Media Examiner Facebook page in March 2010. By July of the same year, the page broke the 12,000-fan mark. “And these folks are active,” he says. “They post questions, support each other, reply to our questions and promote our articles. A vibrant community was building right before my eyes. Almost overnight, Facebook quickly became the number-one source of traffic on Social Media Examiner.” You may have heard that Facebook is one of the most cost-effective ways of advertising on social media. “Nowhere else can you target users as surgically as you can on Facebook [and] you can do it for a fraction of the cost of the same targeting on other Internet properties and offline outlets,” write Mari Smith and Chris Treadaway in their book, Facebook Marketing an Hour a Day.

Build a Community on Facebook

But according to Stelzner, Facebook marketing isn’t just about placing ads on people’s pages. He compares Facebook to the Social Media Examiner site. People can comment on the articles, others can respond to those comments and everyone who goes to the site can see all these comments. “FaceBook is like the comment section of our blog taken to an extreme.” “Facebook has 500 million users,” he says. “That means that your customers are already on Facebook – a huge percentage of them. And they’re on there almost every day. I’ve heard that 250 million people are on Facebook every single day.” And a recent Nielsen study found that those 500 million people are spending an average of 7 hours a month on Facebook. But they only spend 2 hours a month on Google, Yahoo, AOL, and MSN. “If people are already on Facebook and they’re already spending an enormous amount of time there,” Stelzner says, “then how can you get them to notice you? That’s where the marketing comes in.” And that’s why Stelzner created Facebook Success Summit 2010.

16 Facebook Lessons From 22 Top Experts

Scheduled throughout the entire month of October 2010, the summit was designed to give you all the tips and techniques you need to master Facebook for business use. You will receive 16 hours of training from 22 Facebook experts. They’ll cover everything from setting up Facebook pages to growing an active fan base. And because this conference is online, you can attend the sessions in the privacy of your home or office. For a fraction of the cost of a traditional conference. No airports, rental cars, hotel rooms or expensive restaurants. All you need is a computer, computer speakers, and a high-speed Internet connection. When you register, you’ll receive an email with a link to a website and your login information. At the appropriate times, just go to the website and login. That’s it!

Just look at some of the speakers you will hear:

• Mari Smith and Chris Treadaway, authors of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day
• Brian Solis, author of Engage!
• Paul Dunay and Richard Krueger, authors of Facebook Marketing for Dummies
• Jesse Stay, author of I’m on Facebook, Now What? and FBML Essentials
• Justin Smith, founder of Inside Facebook and author of Facebook Marketing Bible

You will also hear how companies are implementing their Facebook marketing campaigns, including Microsoft Xbox, Intel, SAP, Cisco and the Washington Redskins. These social media pros—the world’s leading Facebook experts—will be your personal trainers during October 2010. They will teach you everything you need to know to successfully market your business on Facebook. You’ll learn how to:

• Develop a Facebook marketing strategy
• Customize your Facebook page
• Start a Facebook advertising campaign
• Create a community around your product or service
• Optimize your News Feed to take advantage of viral marketing
• Use Facebook analytics and apps

“The marketer’s job has changed from creating and pushing messages to one that requires listening, engaging, and reacting to potential and current customer needs,” says Erik Qualman in his book Socialnomics. “Consumers are looking to peers for recommendations on products, services, health issues, and more via social media. Today, 76% rely on what others say, while 15% rely on advertising.” And Facebook is the biggest social network in the world. So are you ready to dump traditional, interruptive, “in-your-face” advertising in favor of social media marketing? And can we please stop calling it an “advertising campaign” and start calling it “customer engagement”? Your customers and competitors are on Facebook – isn’t it time you joined them? Click here for summit details. If you don’t agree, read these articles on Social Media Examiner:

• 3 Reasons Facebook Trumps Twitter for Business
• 5 New Studies Show Facebook a Marketing Powerhouse

If you DO agree, grab your place in line for this first-ever online Facebook marketing conference. Their online venue holds 2,500 attendees (and their last event sold out)!

Grow Your Business Network will certainly be there!

P.S. – Right now Mike is offering 50% off, so get it while you still can under the discount.

Pizza, Verizon, O Mag, Matt Lauer and New York!

Why I Love New York

Last week, I was in NYC on business with my Monaica Ledell and had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing people – some who are new to my life including Peter Castellotti, owner of John’s Pizzeria in the heart of Times Square who donated (that’s right donated) more than 8 pizzas that I had delivered to various media outlets throughout the city, a taxi driver who found my debit card I left behind in his cab and made the call to my bank to cancel the card (no kidding), one member of a writing duet I hired to help me bang out my memoir who traveled two hours to see me and two hour back out of the city to get home.

Meeting with my Love Mentor

I wrapped up my New York city adventure by seeing my love mentor, Dr. Diana Kirschner – author of How to Find Love in 90 Days, who offered to put me in touch with her literary agent!  I clearly understand the state’s sentiment of “I love New York.”  No where in the world can you find a more diverse, open and welcoming group of people than in New York, New York.

Hey Matt Lauer – it’s me, Nancy!

Monaica Ledell, my General Manager joined me in the city where we traveled to the Today Show where we had a Matt Lauer siting and had high hopes of saying a quick hello.  Sadly, we couldn’t get past his ACE gatekeeper, Jackie Agnolet – even with a book I produced that had a photo of Matt himself, circa 1989.  We even tried delivering a pizza later that day to no avail.  Jackie, if you’re out there, we need to know — what can we do to entice you to give a girl a break here?  Jackie baby – I’m not a stalker – I actually know Matt and was his previous publicist. I believe in six degrees of separation, so if you know Jackie — tell her we send our best and want to connect with her!

Back for New York’s Best Pizza…

Our Meeting with Verizon…

Take away’s from 2010 NSA convention

I’ve been a long-term NSA (National Speaker’s Association) member for many many moons.  And, every year I attend the infamous NSA convention.  If you haven’t gone, I would highly recommend you go to at least five.  It’s a complete riot.  Why do I keep going?  It’s certainly not to perfect my speaking profession.  I have have speaking successfully for over 20 years and to over 100,000 people live.  The reason I keep going is to connect with a few key people.  Yes, it actually can be a smart business move to spend a couple thousand dollars on having a drink or dinner with one or two ideal connections.

Now, for this year’s conference, here are my top takeaways for surviving a big conference:

1. Don’t reconnect with past loves.  There’s nothing to gain by doing this — believe me, I know.

2. Spending time at the pool is never a waste.  Have a new bathing suit? Wear it!

My Very Big Online Garage Sale

80% Off My Virtual Sponsorship Class!

As I’m working to roll out my new program this fall on working with CEO’s of big companies, I’ve decided to do a head count and sell all of my old famous Virtual Sponsorship Course Manuals.

The program is for small business owners, associations, consultants and speakers who struggle or are looking to land sponsorships or big contracts with Fortune 1000 and 500 companies in the next 12 months.

This is the SAME system I used to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years!!!!

Announcing My Very Big Summer Garage Sale

The Ultimate Sponsoring Obtaining Program – 80% off!

Generating Corporate Sponsorship Programs, Endorsement Marketing Campaigns, Strategic Alliances and Affiliate Programs that Generate Six-Figure Annual Revenues

Once you learn this fail-proof system, you will NEVER be concerned about getting clients and cash flow again.  Seriously, this formula has never not worked for me.  Oh – and this has absolutely NOTHING to do with online marketing.

I’ve used this system to work with these big companies over the last 20 years:

Office Depot

Avis

AT&T

Verizon

Blue Cross Blue Shield

Staples

3M

Alcatel-Lucent

Cendant

Constant Contact

The Home Depot

Microsoft

Middlesex Banks

Principal Financial

HP’s LogoWorks

Smead

UPS

Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club

Wells Fargo/Wachovia

Xerox

And many others!

Here’s what you’ll get:

Over 12 hours of classes on CD to teach the exact steps to getting sponsorships!

Disc 1: Generating A Winning Idea for a Potential Sponsorship Package

Disc 2: Identifying Your Ideal Potential Sponsor and the Approach to Make Contact

Disc 3: The Three Phases of a Sponsorship “Pitch” Process

Disc 4: Leveraging Sponsorships Through Endorsement Marketing Campaigns

Disc 5: Retaining Sponsors for Repeat Business

Disc 6: How to Run a Virtual Company

Disc 7: Establishing Yourself as an Expert

Disc 8: Creative Marketing That Distinguishes You

Disc 9: Implementing an Endorsement Marketing Campaign

Disc 10: Technology with Jennifer Goodwin

Disc 11: Accountability for Generating Corporate Sponsors from A to Z

Disc 12: Implementing a Marketing Communication Plan

Plus 5 workbooks and audio transcripts!

I have 19 manuals in stock and I’m not going to print any more. When they’re gone – they’re gone.  To get yours at 80% off today (with free shipping!) and start landing big contracts for big companies, send me a private email at nancy@growyourbusinessnetwork.com

These are 80% off the regular price of $1500 and only $297 – an insanely low price!

Don’t wait – these puppies are going to fly fast!

If you want one, click here and get with FREE SHIPPING!

Fortunately Yours,

Nancy Michaels

Giving and receiving from your clients

It is always better to give than it is to receive. However, receiving is a gift that you allows someone to provide for you as well.

After helping a friend in a marital crisis this past week, a significant other asked, “Do you let others help you the way you help them?” I understand it’s good to receive as well as it is to give. I guess it’s something I get from my mother – it seems easier to help or give something to someone else than receive sometimes. I blame her of course – not me. Take heart, in the end – we all blame our mothers for most things, don’t we?

In business, it’s always wise to offer your clients acknowledgement for special holidays and occasions in their lives. When times are tough, offer more value for a slightly lesser fee, and remind them, in this helpful way, of the value you provide. More often than not, when you ask for a referral or introduction to the associates and colleagues of your clients – they will be ready, willing and able to say yes. Be specific in your request. Attempt to make it easy for them to say yes by providing specific information about how you want to grow your business and what they might do to help. If it’s too open-ended, it might be overwhelming for a client thinks they need to provide you with the gift of referral to multiple organizations. Asking to be introduced to three or four ideal prospects will be perceived as being more doable in their minds.

My OPRAH OWN Live Try-outs – the good, the bad and the ugly

Baseball, Hot dogs, Apple Pie and . . . Chevrolet?

“Take me out to the….Chevy dealership?”

It’s summer time and it’s the season for baseball, hot dogs and good ol’ fashioned apple pie.  And some Chevy automobiles too.  My how the mighty have fallen . . . or risen to the occasion as the case may be.

As for me — I’m in dire need of the 2010 Corvette Convertible.

In red, naturally.

PETA: People Eliciting Total Attention?

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sure knows how to break through the clutter, don’t they? For years, they’ve  produced controversial magazine ads, billboards and more than do what they can to shock us into submission. Some of their advertising materials have contained graphic imagery of animal cruelty, while others have shown a lot of celebrity skin.

PETA’s “I’d Rather go Naked Than Wear Fur” and “Go Vegetarian” campaigns (see photos) have included celebrities like Baywatch and Playboy star Pamela Anderson, celebutante Khloe Kardashian and even NFL player Tony Gonzalez (funny he takes a stand against fur, but plays a game where he catches a “pigskin” on Sundays, but I digress).

Pop culture, it seems, is now fertile ground for PETA as well. Two recent ads go Bob Barker in promoting spaying and neutering pets to control population, proclaiming phrases like, “Don’t let your dog or cat become an ‘octomom,’” or “Too much sex can be a bad thing” with a photo of the now-infamous Tiger Woods standing with his hands on his hips, seemingly ruing his recent serial mistress scandal.

The good news here is you can learn a valuable lesson from PETA whether you think they’re right or wrong. Vegans and carnivores alike can agree that their methods are brilliant. Find something that’s out there (i.e. a celebrity who’s willing to take their clothes off or a ubiquitous pop culture story), jump on in piggyback fashion and ride until you can’t ride any more. If the topic or presentation is controversial, EVEN BETTER—people are bound to talk about it more.

So thanks, PETA. I eat meat, but I still stand in admiration of your advertising.

Avoid Legal Headaches When Branding Your Business – Free Class Tomorrow

If you’re anything like me (and most entrepreneurs), you’re probably moving on full throttle and haven’t really protected your business from a branding disaster through online initatives and social media.

I mean really, who has time to protect themselves when most small business owners are still trying to finally GET a presence online?

A few months ago, I came across “The Business Lawyer” Nina Kaufman, who I believe should be EVERY entrepreneur’s friend.

Click here to join us for a no-cost hour with Nina

See, as Nina taught me, it’s never been more important for you to finally “get” the legalities of your business and how to protect it than it is today!

Nina Kaufman demystifies legal mumbo-jumbo to save small businesses time, money and aggravation.  She’s also an award-winning business attorney, speaker, and columnist/blogger for Entrepreneur Magazine online.

Phew! 

Now, how would you like a full hour with Nina?

Join me today at 4pm EST for Office Depot’s no-cost webinar:

“Avoid Legal Headaches When Branding Your Business”

Here is what we will be covering:

You’ve poured your heart and soul (and $$) into launching the Next Great Thing and unleashing it upon the world.

Have you made sure that no one can take it away from you?

• Trademark traps that can trip up the unwary
• How misuse of social media can make you a social (and legal) outcast
• Common predators who could poach your plans
  

Click here to join us for a no-cost hour with Nina

Archives will be available later if you are unable to make the call, so please sign up at the Office Depot Web Cafe .

Hope to “see” you there!

Nancy

P.S. – We all know how extravagant legal fees can be.  Be sure and sign up now to take advantage of a complimentary hour and protect the growth of your business!  It’s just smart!
Click here to join us for a no-cost hour with Nina

How to Use LinkedIn to Grow Your Business

By now, if you’re not using Facebook and Twitter to grow your business, you’re really missing out on a tremendous opportunity.  If you are, congratulations!

You may not know, however, how important LinkedIn is to the growth of your business.

Imagine having the ability to connect with 65 million professionals?

How could your business change if you could connect with more qualified prospects?

Did you know that executives from Fortune 500′s are on LinkedIn?

Would you like to cut your networking time by as much 50% and see a higher ROI?

There is a powerful force behind LinkedIn, and today we’re going to teach you – at no charge and with no pitches – how to grow your business using LinkedIn strategies.

I invite you to join us on Office Depot’s 60 minute webinar at 4:00 pm EST today with the nation’s leading LinkedIn expert and my new friend Barbara Rozgonyi.

You can register here http://www.officedepot.com/webcafe

Barbara Rozgonyi owns CoryWest Media, LLC, a Midwest-based strategic marketing consultancy founded in 1990, whose client list includes Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits and small businesses.  Barbara IS the leading LinkedIn expert and she provides fabulous content.

In today’s webinar, we’re going to cover:

“Leveraging LinkedIn: 5 Power Strategies to Stand Out and Be Sought Out.”

• What You Need To Do To Raise Your Visibility And Influence
• Why You Need A Social Media Strategy that Supports Your Business
• How to Maximize Your Efforts and Minimize Your Social Networking Time

If you can’t attend live – don’t worry.  All of the archives are posted to the site within 48 hours!

Join us today at http://www.officedepot.com/webcafe

Hope to “see” you there!

The Similarities Between Nancy Michaels and Steve Jobs

OK, I don’t want to brag, but when you have so many things in common with someone – you can’t help but feel the love or karmic connection with that special guy.

Yup, my man is Steve Jobs. I know, you’re probably wondering what do the two of you (meaning me and Steve) have in common?  Well, in addition to the obviously love of creative minds, here’s what I came up with to let you in on our cosmic connection.

Things Steve Jobs and Nancy Michaels Have in Common

1.  We both have and use Macs.

2.  We both received new organs (livers) from the same medical facility in Tennessee – even though we live on opposites coasts (Nancy – east, Steve – west).

3.  We both are working to increase awareness for the need for organ donation.

4.  We are both born in February.

5.  We are both baby boomers.

6.  Steve is adopted and Nancy has two adopted daughters.

7.  Steve and Nancy believe no man (or woman) is an island – great businesses are built with a stellar team.

8.  Steve is a vegetarian – Nancy is considering going vegan (OK that’s a stretch).

9.  Steve and Nancy are both fans of the black turtleneck as a power suit.

10.  Steve and Nancy both like hanging with CEOs.

Come on – admit it, it’s pretty uncanny all the things we have in common. If I can beat the carnivore attachment – I’ll be 10 for 10. Steve, are you listening? Call me Steve – at a minimum I want to discuss the wonder of the Mac (I’m back in a big way now) and the BLT (before liver transplant) vs. ALT (after liver transplant).

XO

Nancy

You had me at no overdraft fees Bank of America!

Well I feel compelled to give a major shout out to Bank of America for “getting it” today.  With their BIG announcement recently that effective this summer, Bank of America “will only authorize single debit transactions at the point of sale if a customer has enough money in their account at the time.”

These people are flipping brilliant!  What a concept to only allow someone to spend their money if they have money to spend in their bank account!

As much as I’d like to admit I’ve never dipped beyond my allotted overdraft protection — stuff happens.  The kicker has been this — instead of my bank (who by the way will not be my bank by 4pm this afternoon) using basic intelligence in realizing my savings account could more than cover the $8.13 purchase I was making at my local pharmacy — instead, the automatically charged me an exorbitant fee of $39 for the convenience of making this purchase with my debit card.

How about this C______s Bank — why not say “decline” when I go to make that purchase or simply transfer funds from my savings to cover the overage from my checking?

Finally, despite the fact that Bank of America has been hard hit with high-level bad decision making practices and more bad news in the press to follow — they may actually be finally delivering on their brand promise of the three C’s – Control, Choice and Clarity.  Seriously, who’s running that brilliant marketing department?

Today, they can count another small business owner and consumer among their client base.  I’ve gone all BOA.

The Personal Finance Management War – the best of online tools on the market

Over the last two years, with the recent craze of recession and downturns, we’ve watched business owners taking a turn to become more financially savvy and responsible, which has led to the creation of many online management and online budgeting tools.

In the last 20 years of owning and operating a business, having been through a divorce and health crisis, I’ve learned that it’s not really about HOW MUCH money you’re making, but HOW YOU MANAGE, spend, save and invest your money. I recently contacted the Mother of Cash Flow (in my opinion) Erin Lozano of  to interview in an upcoming series to improve the Financial IQ of women – Independently Wealthy Women.

“What is Green Sherpa?”

Green Sherpa is a web-based cash flow management and budgeting solution that helps people make better financial decisions about how to save and where they spend their income. Green Sherpa offers a unique alternative to existing financial management software, making financial organizing and planning more convenient than ever before. Users can view in one place all of their financial accounts—banking, credit card, and asset accounts—from any computer, anywhere, allowing users to see their total net worth at a glance.

I was upfront with Erin and asked, “What makes your personal financial management program better than the freebies like Mint.com?” During my investigation, here’s what I found…

Our Financial Future is the Most Important:

Like most other personal financial management products, Mint focuses on financial history. But our most pressing concern is our financial FUTURE – history is secondary! And it’s the next 12 months that we are most focused on the most. GreenSherpa is the only product that offers real-time management of your financial future and goals, with the flexibility to adapt as your life changes.

Flexibility and Accuracy:

Mint.com users frequently complain that their financial information reported from their banking institutions is inaccurate or incomplete. Not so with GreenSherpa.

In addition, GreenSherpa provides far more flexibility in account management (you can add accounts that don’t sync) and categorization (you can add/edit/delete categories to your heart’s content). Green Sherpa is the ONLY personal financial management ones to offer cash flow management, a truly forward-looking solution for managing finances over the next 12 months. GreenSherpa is the only product to offer online collaboration with a spouse or trusted advisor, enabling busy    people to have the financial conversations that lead to sound    decisions and financial success.

The Mint.com just not as effective.  Users are not as loyal.

Mint, has signed up over 2 Million users in 2 years, validating the market space. However, 50% of their users signed up but never use the product!!  These users are leaving and coming to other personal management programs like GreenSherpa for great interaction.

If you’re looking for user flexibility, accuracy and easy tools for online budgeting that will meet your most pressing financial challenges, I think GreenSherpa takes the gold!  Plus, Erin’s offering a free 90-day trial so we can all check it out for ourselves!

Nordstroms Return Policy

In my past married life when I was feeling low, my ex would suggest, “Honey, why not go out and buy something? You can always return it when you feel better.”

Many a truth is said in jest. But hey, it’s all part of the female experience – to lust over something in a store, go for it, get it home and fall out of lust. Hence the return.

No store that I know accepts the “you’ve lost that lovin’ feeling” better than Nordstroms. I’ve never had a return not taken and because of that, my inclination is to buy more from the big N.

My advice – you should too!  Do not miss their shoe and accessory department! And when I’m with my hipster 14 year old diva – we love the junior department for affordable trendy pieces also. Because a woman has a right to change her mind.

2010 Consumer & Business Predictions

Woo hoo!  We made it!  Are you inspired yet?   There’s just something that happens to me when the dial hits midnight!  The energy around the world is high and everyone is celebrating our first moment in the New Year – together.

For the past 20 years, I’ve been watching consumer trends.  I wanted to start the year off right and share my consumer predictions and how it could affect your bottom line in the New Year.

I predict 2010 will be one of the most exciting years in business we’ve had in a long time.  Here’s how I believe it will affect business…(drum roll please…)

WE, as entrepreneurs and business owners will HEAVILY rely upon our own creative energy and resources to use in our growth and marketing efforts.

Social entrepreneurship will spike because there will be more focus on helping others, solving world problems and providing great service and products to truly make a difference.

WE as consumers will be far more mindful about how we spend our money and therefore will be DEMANDING business owners to offer more competitive pricing, more options and higher quality product or service.

WE as a society are becoming increasingly disgusted with consumerism and wasting money.  We will be more interested in products or services that make us feel we’re being more resourceful or smart about our money.

WE are setting individual goals to prosper in all areas of life and will be more focused on reaching our health goals, re-uniting our family, re-igniting our relationships.  More people are interesting in experiencing more happiness and joy as a whole – a “lifestyle focus” like Tim Ferris teaches – rather than working ourselves in to a health or life crisis.  Businesses that enhance or help us reach our goals will be of great interest to us.

While we’ve seen the “green movement” go up and down in popularity, the green groups are gaining momentum – politically and from celebrity endorsements.  Pockets of enthusiastic groups are screaming for us to make “going green” part of our everyday living.

WE as baby boomers will be finding new sources of inspiration through becoming an activist of our chosen passion.  We will pay closer attention to businesses that support us and provide us with greater inspiration.

WE as business owners will be take a turn and stand TOGETHER as power houses to help one another succeed (via cross marketing, sharing resources, etc.) and be less worried about competition.

For more trends, be sure and get your free copy of The Business Skinny Premiere.

I encourage business owners throughout the world to consider these trends and make adjustments to your marketing and growth strategies to keep “the people” in mind.

WE, the people…

Restaurant manners in business

Here is a great tip on restaurant etiquette!

When making reservations to entertain a client – it doesn’t look good to show up at a great restaurant with business associate and not have made reservations to be there. If someone’s meal comes before you, it’s polite to wait until everyone is served — or you could graciously encourage then to begin.  Napkins go on laps — water and drinks on the right, napkins on left.  Avoid drinking alcohol — especially at lunch — long gone are the two martini lunches. It may only be appropriate at a reception or an event of that nature, but never over indulge under any circumstances.

Are you minding your gift-giving manners?

Monday Business Manners

Gift Giving in Business

Gifts are most always appreciated in our culture and others.  There are companies that have gift giving policies and can not accept a gift of more than a certain dollar amount, so be sure you’re in accordance with their policies so as not to offend or break their gift-giving rules.  If you can take the time over conversations to know more about who your clients are as people and individuals, what their interests are, etc., it is easy to recognize appropriate and less costly gifts as you see things that would be appropriate and show your thoughtfulness to them.

Over giving can be perceived to be an attempt to “buy” their loyalty, which is never a good thing. Ideally, there should be a balance of what you give them and how frequently so gifts aren’t construed as being anything more than a thoughtful gesture that acknowledges them personally.  To learn about  the best deals this holiday season (and we think always), check out last week’s post “The Top 6 sites to get the best deals”.

The Pocket Video Camera – Flip vs. Kodak vs. Vado

Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for you, I’ve had the lovely opportunity to own and operate all three mini pocket video cameras.

First off, if you’re not already using video in your marketing, please stop what you’re doing and get yourself a camera. Google and video are like BFF’s and many of your customers and prospects are more likely to watch video than read an article. I believe in a healthy balance of both. (Just look at my blog)

Now, for the moment of truth…which camera takes all?

Let’s start with this point – no matter what camera you decide on, ALWAYS get HD (high def).

Flip HD: Probably the most popular of the three, but not necessarily the best. The Flip HD camera has a small screen for viewing and taking footage. While easy to use, the quality of the footage is not as good as its two competitors. Plus, it will only allow you to record 60 minutes of footage at once before you have to whip out your computer, unload and can get back to shooting. (Price: $158-$199). Perfect for kids or college students.

Kodak HD: Kodak is The Flip’s biggest competitor, but not not our favorite of the three cameras either. It doesn’t seem to be “built to last” and became easily rattled as I transported in my purse. The microphone always was less than acceptable, which may be why Kodak heavily pushes an external plug-in mic as an accessory. It has a larger viewing screen and it definitely a step up from the Flip HD. (Price: $179-$199)

Vado HD: Easy to use and built with a great internal mic, the Vado HD is our top pic. I needed something a little more durable and long-lasting. It takes great footage, is especially easy to use, has high resolution, and can record longer than its competitors. It’s easily compatible with a Mac or PC and intuitive to use. Our top pic for business owners and entrepreneurs looking to utilize video in their marketing strategies. (Price: $129-$199)

Top 6 sites to get the best deals on price:

Who doesn’t love a great deal?

To make your shopping easier for you this year, we’ve taken the guess work out of finding the best price. Here are the absolute best sites of the year to find excellent deals:

1. Amazon.com – compare prices on everything from books to sports goods to electronics.

2. Ebay.com – you can find ANYTHING on ebay.

3. ideeli.com – a newly launched free membership site to tells you about all of the latest fashion deals with tons of giveaways.

4. Bestbuy.com – Everything electronics and they currently have 99 cent shipping!

5. Slickdeals.net – user-generated deal sharing site.

6. Etsy.com – Our favorite place to find great handmade gifts.  You can spend HOURS on this site!

Dressing to land the deal!

In this episode of Tuesdays with Nancy, we learn tips to dressing for ultimate success and how what you wear can affect whether or not you close the deal!

Success Dress Etiquette

Monday Business Manners

It’s like John Malloy wrote about:  “Dress for Success is all about dressing for the job you want — not the one you have!”

Rarely does it serve you to look less than appropriate when meeting a client or prospect. Depending on your field of expertise — certain standards probably do apply.  Marketing and sales gives way to more flare and creativity in dressing (although always being appropriate) — more so than most conservative fields of finance and accounting. The devil is also in the details. Polished shoes, matching socks or hose, understated jewelry, ties and accessories that may make a bit of a statement — but only on one hand, etc.

Some of my clients have “casual day” every day, while others within the company wouldn’t dream of following that dress code and not coincidentally they’re usually senior management! Your goal is to emmulate those who are your direct clients at higher levels. As a consultant and valued advisor, it shows respect for your client and an ability to pay attention to the details.

It’s an unspoken or unconscious assumption that if you are paying attention to the details in the way you appear and conduct yourself — the same is true in the way you conduct your business.

Stomp Competition with Excellent Holiday Service

Well, it’s officially Black Friday.  Some people love it.  Some people hate it.  Either way, everyone and their dog is looking for an excellent deal.  Black Friday is the day I officially mark as a key time to prep your employees to provide excellent customer service for the holidays.

Here’s why it’s critical to crack the whip on red carpet service:

1.  The Holiday season = the biggest buying season of the year, which can mean huge profit potential for your business.

2.  Customers are stressed out.  They want to find the perfect gift at the perfect price.  Get a reputation for providing both of those AND a perfect buying experience and you won’t be hurting for more customers.

3.  People will remember you for either the good or bad experience they just had.  How would you like to be remembered?

If you’re a business owner or corporation, consider doing the following to stand apart from your competition this holiday season:

1. Provide every one who walks through the door a bottle of water or have free water on site.

2. Partner with a local restaurant or fast-food chain and provide 50% off lunch coupons.

3.  Make sure you’ve got modern music playing.  Music has been proven to affect moods.  Just because it’s the season, doesn’t mean you have to play ONLY holiday music.  Provide a variety and play music that caters to your market.

4.  Turn on your air conditioner.  Although the temperatures are dropping outside, when you cram several hundred people in one store, it gets hot.  And when people get hot – they get mad.

Here are a few tips for online business owners:

1.  Offer sales for the entire holiday season.  Many e-commerce sites will compete for business – we have less loyalty to most sites and more loyalty to the best price.

2.  Always offer free shipping on ALL ORDERS.  Not everyone is offering this, but if you can, it will make you stand out.  People LOVE getting something for free.

3.  Offer customers a $5 off coupon for referring your site to friends.

No matter what kind of business you own – above all – make sure that who ever is at the front lines engaging with your customers is chipper, friendly, helpful, honest, and fast.

Big Thanks for You!

Mack the Knife

Working Jam of the Week

Last week I discussed fork etiquette. In the spirit of the holidays and properly using your utensils, I couldn’t help myself. Take a break and watch a Bobby Darin perform Mack the Knife.  Turn it up loud and sing it proud!

What are the key components of writing a great press release?

In this episode of Tuesdays with Nancy, we learn the nuts and bolts of writing a great press release.

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