Yes, it’s a brave new world, folks, and unless you’re out there working the interwebs you’re missing out big time. This month’s Counselor story titled “Rules of Engagement” focuses on how distrubutors can boost their sales by utilizing 4 innovative means to better market to clients. Click here to read the story … and in the meantime, here are the 4 basic tips: (Click the link for more explanation)

1. Get Your Game On
2. Video Makes a Marketing Star
3. Survey Says …
4. APP-ointment Buying

Of course, once the smoke clears and the dust settles, Amy’s might want to investigate on how they can rebrand their business. Because, well, they’re gonna need it. And that’s where ASI comes in! So, Amy’s, take note … here’s a great video by Counselor that provides 3 important tips for rebranding your company. Enjoy!

1. Establish Goals
2. Refresh Your Image
3. Make It Public

Quick backstory: the restaurant was recently featured on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares but quickly dumped by Chef Gordon Ramsey because the owners were “too difficult” to work with. Ensuing backlash on the company’s Facebook page resulted in the owners taking to the keyboard to defend themselves in a, well, not-so genial manner. Nasty comments from users were met with even nastier responses from the owners until an all-out, ALL-CAPS war commenced, complete with F-bombs, physical threats and bad grammar — a trifecta of brand destruction.

It’s u-g-l-y ugly, and if you want a great play-by-play of what happened, check out Buzzfeed’s coverage of it.

Of course, now the owners are claiming they were hacked and weren’t responsible for the posts, which are now gone. Whether or not they were hacked, well, I guess we’ll have to wait until the “FBI computer crimes unit” is done with their investigation. But all this got me to thinking, how should one prepare for a possible PR disaster? I searched the ‘net this morning and found a good, succinct post by Startups FM that breaks it down to three main precautions:

1. Make Reputation Management a Priority. In the case of Amy’s Baking Company, they never anticipated the kind of traffic their Facebook page would get from their fame (or infamy), and it shows.
2. Pay Attention to the Messages You Are Sending. Once the Facebook chatter got too overwhelming, Amy’s should’ve just stopped allowing comments through Facebook settings. Instead, they (or the hackers?) chose not only to engage trolls, but to threaten them with physical violence, cusses and misspellings.
3. Hire a Reputation Management Pro. In the case of Amy’s, anyone hired after this meltdown will surely earn their pay.

Having lived in the Philly area a decade now, I know this town knows beer. And knows it well. From the annual Philly Beer Week to the multitude of established, well-respected brands in the area (Yards, Sly Fox, Nodding Head), I was curious if the City of Brotherly Love had made it onto CNN’s Top 8. Lo and behold, Philly’s there and representing hard at #6! Here’s the complete list:

1. Portland, OR
2. San Fran, CA
3. San Diego, CA
4. Boston, MA
5. Denver, CO
6. Philly, PA
7. Bend, OR
8. Asheville, NC

And please send us your thoughts on the list. Did they get the list right? What cities or towns are missing?

Obviously, these 442 folks know how to succeed, but what about those of us who need a little guidance in our quest for success? This month’s Advantages Strategy column “8 Surefire Ways to Fail” provides not the paths to success, but the paths to failure. Avoid these and you’ll be on the right path!

1. Shortsightedness
2. Inaction
3. Contentment
4. Instability
5. Doubt
6. Going It Alone
7. Dishonesty
8. Arrogance

Got any others to add to the list? Let us know by commenting on this post now.

In the past, ASICentral.com’s site-search results haven’t been what we would’ve desired, and we’ve tried several ways to improve it, including increased concentration on SEO. However, a recent addition of Google Custom Search as our site search engine has really helped improve the experience.

If you have a few minutes, take a look for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments area. Just click the image above to go to ASICentral.com and start searching. Chances are you’ll see a big improvement in the experience!

Wikipedia

Sound complicated? Well it’s not, and you might already be doing some without even knowing it! This month’s Stitches magazine State of the Industry 2013 is packed with tons of great information on everything from how to diversify your customer base and lead-generation strategies to posting good content and, yes, even how to optimize your website through SEM! Don’t miss this feature, and in the meantime, here are the 4 tips:

• Add meta page titles once your site is functional
• Take charge of your company’s website
• Create and post videos
• Learn how to manage your SEM strategy

Telling me that carrying around a billiards stick and hitting a white ball around a pool table in between sips of beer was an activity, I’d laugh at you. But apparently that’s considered an activity by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), and it was one of the top-10 most popular activities in the U.S. in 2012.

As part of National Physical Fitness & Sports Month, Advantages magazine’s May issue has devoted an entire Strategy section on how to bulk up sales with fitness programs. Check out this article for tons of ways to fitness programs … and in the meantime, here are the 10 Most Popular Athletic Activities in the U.S. in 2012:

• Walking for Fitness
• Bowling
• Treadmill
• Running/jogging
• Hand Weights
• Bicycling
• Weight/resistance machines
• Freshwater fishing
• Billiards/pool
• Dumbbells

A decade later not only do I know what search engine optimization — or SEO — is, but it’s part of my daily work routine. Being able to effectively and strategically manage online content and properties so customers can find my company’s website, products and services is truly an art, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it can be quite simple. A recent article by Inc.com highlights three very simple ways you can get your website found with the following SEO advice:

• Optimize your page titles
• “Natural” link building
• Fascinate with content

I agree that all three of these can be very effective as well as easy to implement. Click here for the details on how to get your SEO off and running.

And in the meantime, what do you think is the most important SEO strategy a company can implement?

For instance, did you know that if your goal is to increase sales, you can do yourself a huge solid simply by switching your profile’s appeal from potential employers to customers and prospects? That’s one simple way you can gain more prospects. For more, you definitely don’t want to miss this article, “Lock In Leads with LinkedIn“. And in the meantime, here are 6 cool facts about LinkedIn.

1. May 5, 2003 - Date the site officially launched.
2. 4,500 - Number of members after its first month in operation.
3. 19 - Number of languages LinkedIn is available in: English, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.
4. 1 billion - Number of endorsements given out on LinkedIn so far.
5. 50 million - Endorsements per week.
6. TOP 10 ENDORSEMENTS

• Strategic planning
• Customer service
• Microsoft Office
• Project management
• Recruiting
• Public speaking
• New business development
• Marketing strategy
• Telecommunications
• Social media

Source: LinkedIn Press Center