I'm Social Now
Newsletter
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Last month's newsletter contained an article on video marketing which has generated a lot of interesting followup questions from readers.Videos are possibly the most effective marketing strategy for your business. Keep it simple - it doesn't need to be a Hollywood production. Internet viewers want to see the real you when they're watching YouTube, not a professionally produced commercial. So grab a camera and start!If you need any help with this, write or call me.
Respectfully,
Michael Bennitt
Editor
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Get it Said, and Get Back to Work!
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Nobody likes meetings. Yet as soon as a business has more than one person involved, meetings become a fact of life. When you total the time for everyone in attendance, even a one-hour meeting can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Here are seven tips to help make your meetings less of a drain: - Set goals. Know in advance what you hope to achieve by the end of the meeting.
- Only call meetings if you need input from the team. Look for other ways to pass information to people other than a meeting.
- Require preparation and organization. Inform others of the agenda to help them prepare beforehand for the meeting.
- Improvise. If you are unable to prepare an agenda, take control of the meeting by identifying important issues to talk about one by one.
- Take it outside. Stick to the meeting's topic and avoid unnecessary stories that could be told elsewhere to avoid distracting and misleading others.
- Invite well. Make sure to only invite relevant participants to the meeting to avoid wasting time.
- Clock it. Set the time that the meeting should take. Give time slots for each agenda item and stick to those limits.
The best way to avoid wasting time in meetings is not to have them. Before you schedule your next meeting, consider whether it's really necessary. It may be - or may not be. While you may not be able to completely rid your calendar of meetings, making them more efficient can make your business more productive.
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Stay Connected
 
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I'm Social Now works with business owners (like you) to grow and increase their profits by doing their online marketing for them.
Our specialty is making sure future customers can find you online and choose you over your competitors, even if they don't know your name - with Social Media, Search Engines and Mobile Phone devices
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April events and holidays for your marketing calendar:
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1 National Fun at Work Day 2 Tweed Day 7 No Housework Day 10 National Siblings Day 14 Int'l. Moment of Laughter Day 17 Blah Blah Blah Day 22 National Jelly Bean Day 23 Talk Like Shakespeare Day 27 Babe Ruth Day 30 National Honesty Day
What specials, deals, and packages can you create with these events in mind?
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Blogging can help you get more business in the door... but only if you do it right.
Here are five questions to ask as you evaluate your blog:
1. Is your blog part of your website rather than completely separate?
2. Is it written the way you speak?
3. Do you have a plan for what you'll write each month?
4. Are your blog posts search engine optimized?
5. Do you use images and video frequently to make your blog more engaging?
These five elements are just a starting point, but if you do them and blog at least once a week, you'll start to see progress.
Need help with this? Just ask us!
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Out of Pocket - What if Your Business Card Could do More?
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There are many ways for a business to attract customers, ranging from traditional methods like newspaper advertising to the latest Internet marketing tools, like social media. A very powerful yet ignored, marketing tool is the business card. Your business card represents you. A nice-looking one shows your professionalism and builds your level of credibility and legitimacy. Business cards may not be high-tech, but they're still an inexpensive, long lasting, and effective channel for networking and referrals. Get the most from that little bit of paper by following these rules: - Use your space well. Only information that is the most important should be included.
- Invest in your cards. Print them professionally rather than on your office printer.
- Direct their steps. Include a call to action so your prospects know what to do next.
Common Mistakes to Avoid Like any other marketing tool, there are pitfalls with business cards. Here are the ten most common you should avoid. - Miniscule print - if you print the information too small, many people won't bother trying to read it, and your business card will most likely end up in the trash can.
- No physical address - holding back on information may make you look unprofessional, not reputable or not well established.
- Slick texture - trying to make your card unique shouldn't make it impossible to write on, like plastic cards for example. Make it easy for recipients to write on your cards.
- Blank back - although it's not usually used, on the back of the business card you could offer a special report, a free consult or a coupon.
- No photo - it is easier for people to remember you if they can associate your name with a photo.
- Incongruence - your job should be reflected on the business card (for example, you can't say you're a web designer and have no website of your own listed on the business card).
- No benefits - a tagline, or something memorable, stating a benefit for your client, will definitely make him remember you and your business more easily.
- Not unique - most business cards look the same, so be creative, make yours unique.
- Challenging sizes - don't get creative with the size of your business card, it might make it difficult for people to keep it if they can't easily fit it in their card holders.
- Home jobs - homemade cards will never look as good as professionally made ones, no matter how hard you try. Invest in your cards - it'll pay off.
Business cards are a very powerful marketing tool. All you have to do to ensure the successful use of this tool is learn how to have effective business cards, avoid mistakes when designing them and follow best practices to market your business through them.
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