Additionally, PWB is presenting two seminars geared toward women during the show. Come join us, it should be a lot of fun.  First Mitch Levinson and I will present Social Media for Home Builders at 10 a.m., then Tammie Smoot and I will present Sell To Women Through the Social Media Grapevine at 2 p.m.

Let us know what you’d like to learn during Social Media for Home Builders! Mitch and I are happy to cater the class to your requests and suggestions!

Don’t forget to register for the show at www.21BuildingExpo.com.

Related posts:

1. Sell to Women Through the Social Media Grapevine
2. Selling to Women? Consider Social Networking
3. Social Media Sites – Which Ones Do You Use?

We did an online poll of the participants. The question posed was, “What types of social media are you using for your business?” The poll results are pictured, but I’ll post the results as well:

Blogs – 22%
LinkedIn – 51%
Facebook – 73%
Twitter – 19%
YouTube – 24%
Other – 14%

Ok, so in terms of what I do on a daily basis, this is HUGE!  With only 22% of the companies on the call using a corporate blog, that means that 78% need one! Having the blog work as the engine of your social media program integrates your program. It makes the program less work. Companies can reduce the amount of time needed in social media management by 50% while increasing their website traffic by 25 – 50%. Integrating this piece is key!

This seminar is part of a 5 part NAHB webinar series called Building Conversations, so make sure to check it out!

Related posts:

1. Sites for Women
2. Social Media for Home Builders
3. Selling to Women? Consider Social Networking

Compassion:

“It’s nothing personal, it’s just business.”

We spend more than 50% of our lives at work. Why would anyone want to wake up in the morning and go to work with that attitude? If you don’t make it personal, and if you don’t make it count, what’s the point?

Business is missing one important core value: compassion.
“Between work and family, I have no time for community.”

This is is something everyone feels at some point in their lives. But think about it: What if we made community an integral part of our business? What if we recognized that we can’t have strong businesses without a strong community and we can’t have a strong community without compassion?

The real way strong communities are built is through the compassion we extend to others. Both to those we know, and to those we don’t know.

The Internet is amazing because it connects us all. Compassion for those around us now extends globally and beyond our physical boundaries.

We can all do more for each other and be better.

Be compassionate to everyone no matter the level of connection.

Make compassion a core business value.

Start with a smile to a stranger.

Start by getting others to nod in agreement when you say: “If we’re not compassionate to one another, what’s the point in the end?”

Get the complete free ebook by Seth Godin  – What Matters Now.

Let’s all figure out what matters to us now.  Take a break from all the noise and take time for a long walk, a drink with friends or a rowdy wrestle with man’s best friend. Give back to the community that supports your business. They will not only appreciate it, but more business will undoubtedly follow.

Related posts:

1. Top 5 Reasons Your Business Should Have a Blog

As you can see from these photos, it has been a Topsy Turvy Mother’s Day at the farm! Reminiscent of the world of Dr. Seuss, when I took the photo of the Topsy Turvy I accidentally moved the camera and got a really crazy shot. I assure you that our house is not bent!

Now I’m growing tomatoes upside down! It will be interesting to see if each plant really produces 50 pounds of tomatoes like the ads claim. Tomatoes are supposed to grow 20-percent faster and no staking is required. The downside is that I have to try to remember to water them every day.

No related posts.

Political commentator Donna Brazile gave the keynote address which focused on women attaining and managing power.

Ten Tips from Donna Brazile:

1. Know your power and believe in yourself.
2. Be true to yourself and visualize.
3. Identify role models and mentors.
4. Nourish your ambition.
5. Dare to dream and communicate clearly.
6. Set a strategy for success and write it down.
7. Remove stumbling blocks and remain steadfast despite the obstacles.
8. If you get knocked down, get back up.
9. Don’t be afraid of controversy.
10. Stir the waters.  Sometimes making waves is the only way to move forward.

Related posts:

1. Purse Power

Have you ever wondered, “How effective is my company’s Web site?”  The mRELEVANCE team runs across companies every day that had their Web site built by a relative, typically their brother or brother-in-law.  This is great if your brother or brother-in-law works for an Internet marketing company, but chances are, he doesn’t.

Many of these companies don’t see results from their Web sites and simply have a hard time proving or justifying the effectiveness of their sites. In the worst cases, they can’t get their sites to work at all.

During an upcoming seminar on Web sites and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), I will cover the five most common reasons why Web sites do not produce leads, prospects or buyers:

1. Not built to drive traffic
2. Difficult to Navigate
3. Content and Branding
4. Proper Call to Action
5. Tracking and Analytics

Best of all, during  the presentation I’ll provide constructive direction on how to fix them.

For more information on this Lunch & Learn on Friday, May 21 at 11:30 a.m., call the Cartersville – Bartow County Chamber of Commerce at 770-382-1466.

If you can’t make the seminar, but need help with your Web site, let me know. We love helping companies become effective online! 770-383-3360 or carol (at) mRELEVANCE.com

Related posts:

1. Articles on Social Media and Internet Marketing

Blogher – The community for women who blog
www.blogher.com

Girls in Tech – A network for women in business in the technology space
http://girlsintech.net

MillionaireMoms – the art of raising an business and a family at the same time
www.millionairemom.com

MomConnection – Opinions and advice for today’s moms
www.momconnection.com

momslikeme – local moms network
http://momslikeme.com

She-conomy – a guy’s guide to marketing to women
http://she-conomy.com/

TwitterMoms – The Influential Moms Network
www.twittermoms.com

Woman-Centric Matters – What Women Want
www.womancentricmatters.com

Women on the Web – focused on professional women in top business rolls
www.wowowow.com

Enjoy this list and make sure to let me know your favorites, or add ones that I have missed.

Thanks for visiting my blog, please let me know how I can help you build an effective online program. Contact me carol (at) mrelevance (.) com or 770-383-3360. See you online!

Related posts:

1. 75% of Online Women Use Social Media
2. Selling to Women? Consider Social Networking
3. Social Media Sites – Which Ones Do You Use?

Atlanta now tops the lists of places to be in social media marketing. Does your small business Tweet? Do you have a Facebook page? If the answer is no, maybe it is time to look into a social media program.  Just last week Atlanta was listed as one of the top Twitter cities of the world. Listed at #5, Atlanta is in good company coming in just behind London, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

During 2009, Atlanta was one of the fastest growing cities in terms of Facebook users with more than 142% growth during the first half of the year. In numbers of Facebook users Atlanta is second only to New York! With all of these potential consumers flocking to Facebook and Twitter, it is more important than even to make sure your small business has a presence on the sites.

To streamline your social media strategy, make sure to launch a blog as the heart of your program. A blog will help you develop your messages and save time spent on social media by reducing the number of places you need to update. While there aren’t stats on blogging readily available for Atlanta only, national and worldwide stats show how popular blogging has become:

• 57 million Americans read blogs
• 12 million American adults maintain a blog
• Technorati tracks 70 million blogs
• Over 120 thousand blogs created every day
• 1.4 million new blog posts daily
• 22 out of top 100 most popular Web sites in the world are blogs
• 89% of companies surveyed think blogs will be even more important in the next 5 years

If you are an Atlanta small business and you need social media consulting or help building an effective program, contact me at 770-383-3360.

Related posts:

1. Purse Power
2. Have You Synchronized Your Social Media?
3. Social Media – Just Published

Women influence all the major consumer purchasing categories from home furnishings to vacations to new homes. Here are the percentages:

• All consumer purchases: 85 percent
• Home furnishings: 94 percent
• Vacations: 92 percent
• New homes: 91 percent
• DIY (do-it-yourself projects): 80 percent
• Consumer Electronics: 51 percent

So, what is the best way to reach out to this influential demographic? Well, the Internet of course.  Here of the statistics on where you can find us.

An April 2009 Women and Social Media Study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners shows that women are twice as likely to use blogs over other social networking sites for trusted information. Here are the findings from the study:

• 75% participate in social networks
• 55% were active bloggers
• 20% used twitter
• 36.2 million women actively participate in the blogosphere weekly
• 40% consider blogs a reliable source of advice and information
• 50% say blogs influence their purchase decisions

If you own a small business, now is the time to engage in social media. Start by launching a blog and creating a strategy. Next, interconnect all of your social networking sites together and stay on top of your editorial plan. Let me know if you need help! You can reach me at 770-383-3360.

Related posts:

1. Social Media – Just Published
2. 75% of Online Women Use Social Media
3. Atlanta: A Social Media Meca

Women have always been the more social or chatty of the two sexes, but it seems that Chatty Cathie is being replaced by Texting Tammy.

Overall, girls more fully embrace most aspects of cell-phone communications:

• 86% of girls say they text message friends several times a day, compared with 64% of boys.
• 59% of girls call friends on their cell phone every day, compared with 42% of boys.
• 59% of girls send text messages several times a day to “just say hello and chat,” compared with 42% of boys.
• 84% of girls have long text exchanges on personal matters, compared with 67% of boys.
• 76% of girls text about school work, compared with 64% of boys.

Among all teens, texting is used for many reasons, including communicating with friends and family (95%), reporting locations (89%), and coordinating meetings (85%). I’d say let’s “hear it” for the girls, but it seems that even girls are opting for less chatty options.

For more information on how I can help you reach America’s largest buying group – women – call me! 770-383-3360 or use the contact form on this site.

Related posts:

1. Cell Phones, Texting and Your Customers
2. She Says: Sell Me But Do It My Way
3. Selling to Women? Consider Social Networking