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Competing on the Internet: Having a website is no longer enough...
 On June 4th I had the pleasure of presenting to a group of equity owners with Market Source Agency Network, LLC in Gahanna, OH. My presentation, entitled Competing on the Internet: Having a website is no longer enough... discussed how websites have evolved from a simple online brochure to an interactive communication tool. We had some great conversation about the presentation material and one of the agents present, John Burtch from American Agency, Inc., shared a "golden nugget" with me over lunch. "While the business owner making the purchase decision likely is someone in their 50s that won't do much with the Internet, there's a good chance someone in their 20s or 30s is doing the research online," says Burtch. "It's this new generation that we need to be sure to get in front of so that we can be found during this search process so that we can be the agency recommended to the owner when they are ready to buy." Check out the presentation (available online at SlideShare.com) and then let's chat about how the Internet can be used more effectively for your business. Give me a call and see what we can do. (269) 841-5007. P.S. You can follow Market Source on Twitter ( @marketsource) and see how they are using this to keep their members and agents up on what's new. |
Free Webinar Wednesdays
Keeping Customer Data Safe: Encryption and Data Security - In Plain English?
Join me Wednesdays at 1 pm EDT for a complimentary webinar each week!
 You may recall the press coverage Heartland Payment Systems received when their system was breached, putting millions of customers' data at risk. Just check out the top 10 breaches in 2008 and be thankful that your organization is not on this list.
While you may not want to think about it, this could happen to YOU - just think about what's on your laptop and what would happen if that was lost. So, what can a business do to increase the chances they will remain safe and secure (and not show up in tomorrow's negative headlines)?
In this week's Free Webinar Wednesday we'll feature Applied Security US, a company that has one of the leading solutions for file encryption and data security. Attend this session, ask questions and take a proactive step towards keeping your customers' data safe and secure.
Can't Make It Wednesday at 1 pm EDT?
Don't worry, if you cannot make a Free Webinar Wednesday session, we archive them on the website for viewing later. So even if you cannot make it "live" you can still go online and enjoy the session. Be sure to check out some of our past sessions too and post your thoughts in the comments section of the site and let us know what you think.
About Free Webinar Wednesdays
Scheduled for every Wednesday at 1 pm EDT, FreeWebinarWednesdays.com brings you informational webinars on a variety of topics that are designed to help you better use the Internet, educate on new business processes, offer sales tips and more.
Stop by www.FreeWebinarWednesdays.com to register and be sure to let us know if there's a topic you'd like to learn more about. We're always looking for good ideas and would love to hear from you.
By clicking on the Register button above, you'll be able to subscribe to our list and be provided with the login information for our Wednesday sessions. Just keep an eye on the calendar and then decide if the week's topic is something of interest - and then click and join us online! |
Headed to the "Grand" - MBA's Annual Convention: Banking on Michigan's Future
 Mackinac Island seems like a yearly tradition since I was a youngster. Since I "grew up" in the banking industry, we have been going to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island every summer for a banking convention. It started with the "Michigan League of Savings Institutions" in the early 90s and continued when they merged with the Michigan Bankers Association. If you've never made it to the Island before (conference or not), this is a place everyone should visit at some point in their life - it's truly magical. No cars. Bicycles and horses everywhere... Plus, if you like fudge or anything sweet, good luck getting through Main Street without adjusting your belt an extra notch! This week I head north for the MBA's 2009 Annual Convention and look forward to seeing many of my banker friends (and making some new ones). If you're a Michigan banker headed north this week, look me up! |
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Portage Central Mustangs Girls Soccer - State Champs! Using the Internet to get the word out...
Ok, so maybe this doesn't have much to do with the "Internet" but I wanted to give kudos to my niece's soccer team, the Portage Central Mustangs, on their Division 1 Michigan State Soccer Championship! They finished the season an amazing 27-0-2, quite the undefeated season, and #5 in the nation (according to ESPN).
Our niece, Shelby Humphries (#24), is a junior and had an amazing season (and will be back again for one more year)! The girls played a great game Saturday against Utica Eisenhower and after regulation play, the score was tied at 2-2. So, 39 seconds into OT, Portage Central had a corner kick that was headed into the goal for the win!
So what does all this have to do with the Internet?
During the game I was "Tweeting" updates on my cell phone with score updates, which were also being syndicated to my Facebook page. I also captured video with my new Flip camera (love it) and uploaded these to Facebook and YouTube for the world to see. Not only did I want to preserve this for Shelby's sake, but enable others that were not at the game to experience it for themselves.
 
So, what does this mean for businesses? Well, if you are holding an event or have something of interest to say to the world (or just a niche segment of the population), social medial gives you the power to get the word out. You just never know who will find YOU!
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EricCook
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/EricCookMBA
P.S. You'll be happy to know I got the winning goal on video. Check it out, it's pretty exciting! Check out my blog post on the game for more thoughts...
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