Doug Carter of Carter International Training & Development, Inc. is one of those rare people that pretty much everyone he comes in contact with walks away thinking, “Wow!  That guy’s the real deal.”  In fact, he’s known as one of the most powerful interactive trainers around, with corporations such as Allstate, Fidelity and Americomm, and powerful entities such as Tony Robbins, Bill Bachrach and Michael Gerber raving about him.

So why did Doug come to Prime Concepts Group?  Well, his marketing brand  – particularly his website — wasn’t aligned with his high level of expertise.  In fact, there was no way anyone visiting his website would have any idea that Doug has so much to offer individuals and corporations looking to increase sales, efficiency and profitability.

That’s where we came in.

The first step was restructuring the navigation of Doug’s website for better usability, including creating several funnels to the most important information.  Next, we revamped Doug’s content (the written portions of his website), which was accomplished through a few conversations with Doug (he pretty much wrote all the content himself!)

Third, our creative design team gave Doug’s website a completely new look, capturing the profound impact Doug makes on his clients through powerful imagery.  Finally, our web development team put it all together, resulting in what you now see at www.DougCarter.com.

Check out Doug’s website and let us know what you think!  Is there something you could do to better align your marketing brand with your level of expertise?  If you’d like a complimentary critique, give us a call directly at (316) 942-1111 and mention this blog post.

Below are five simple tips for protecting yourself online against identity theft, costly data breaches and legal liabilities:

1. Use a Unique Password for Everything

Chances are you’ve done some online shopping recently, which means your personal information is now in more online databases than before. It also means your personal information is at more of a risk of falling into the hands of people you’d rather it not. When you’re shopping online, most retailers ask you to create a free account that you can use when you return to shop again. The problem is, most people use the same passwords for all of their online accounts – whether it is sites they shop on, community sites, social media sites, email, etc. Hackers know this, and they love it. If your personal information is leaked anywhere, they can match your email address and password everywhere online – not just the place it was leaked from.

2. Change Your Passwords for 2012

Make it a point to change your passwords before the end of the year. You should have a different password for everything you use – but definitely your email, online banking, mobile service providers, blog, social media. If you use a unique password for all of your online accounts, you can limit the risk you face if (and when) your personal information is leaked online.

3. Make Your Passwords Longer

When you create an account online, you’re probably assuming that the password you’re entering is being kept secure by the company you’re giving it to. Most likely it is (or they think it is), but even encrypted passwords can be cracked using a rainbow table. Words from the dictionary can easily be cracked, and even using passwords with punctuation isn’t that secure.

But if you use a unique passphrase instead of a common word, then the chance of the password being cracked is much more unlikely. An example of this would be “remember to clean up list of to-dos by end of day Friday.” I could put that phrase on a sticky note on my computer or in a Word document so I’d know what my password is, but to somebody else it just looks like a reminder I’ve made for myself.

4. Make Sure Your Webite is Updated

If you have a website or blog, you need to be sure it’s updated. There are thousands of websites using old scripts that have huge security vulnerabilities in them. Hackers will go from site to site quickly testing vulnerabilities with scripts (like SQL injection), and Google makes it easy to find them.

If your website is using an old script, check to see if there is an update available. WordPress is an incredibly popular tool for running blogs and websites, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve logged into a WordPress installation only to find it’s been over a year (sometimes years) since it was updated. WordPress and other scripts release updates for a reason – usually because there are security flaws that have been fixed! If you’re not sure what you’re dealing with, shoot us an email and we can take a look.

If you do end up in a situation when your site has been hacked, make sure you find out how it happened and fix it immediately. Actually, we had a situation where a website had been hacked and we found out who did it – so we reached out to the hacker and worked with him to resolve the vulnerability.

5. Use Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

If you’re collecting information from visitors to your website, it’s important to have these documents available. In the event a hacker is able to steal personal information you’re storing, your Terms of Use and Privacy Policy documents can save you from too much liability. The bottom line, though, is to protect yourself by making sure information is collected in a secure manner.

Do you have any tips or suggestions for staying safe online? Have you ever had your personal information stolen or been a victim of identity theft? Share your comments below, and please pass this information along. Suggest to your relatives and friends over the holidays that they should spend a few minutes updating their passwords heading into 2012 and why.

Here are a couple of other resources to help prevent identity theft and your business network.  We’ve worked with both of them and they are the best. John Silo, Identity Theft Expert www.ThinkLikeaSpy.com and Mike Foster, Network Security Specialist www.FosterInstitute.com

I’m referring to the dark side force of social media that keeps you up at night worrying about growing your business and leveraging the superpower of social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Are you listening, responding and engaging your target market?

What are people saying about your brand, your products and services?   Are you paying attention? Have you claimed your business listings on Yelp.com?  What about the other opinion and ratings websites?  Do you have filters set up using www.Hootsuite.com to monitor keyword topics from Twitter?  You can use social media websites to listen to the buzz in the market place as it relates to your industry, the competition, your prospects wants, needs & desires, and your products and services.

Social Media offers so many benefits, but it can be a huge waste of time without the right plan and actions steps.

Understand that your website and social media websites are just communication tools. The purpose of communication is the response it elicits. Are your social media efforts eliciting the responses needed to connect and engage your prospects?

If not, we can help.  Prime Concepts offers social media networking action plans and a host of other social media marketing services, including customized branded backgrounds for YouTube, and Twitter, integrated Facebook Pages that capture “likes” and encourage interaction.  We can help you transform your LinkedIn Profile and LinkedIn company branded pages too.  LinkedIn is often overlooked, but it’s designed for business networking. It’s amazing for research, connecting to people you don’t know through those that you do know, and much, much more.

Get the inside scoop on LinkedIn at one of our other websites… www.LinkedStrategies.com   It has a free LinkedIn Quickstart Guide and a few other resources. Check it out.

Be cautious of those so-called social media experts who claim they know everything. 

No one does and those mediums are changing all of the time. It’s crazy how many people have jumped on the bandwagon to offer social media advice, how-to products, and services. Many don’t have a clue about customer engagement, value propositions, and using these sites for business.  Make sure you do your research first, check their testimonials and case studies to ensure they know what they’re doing or hire a company like Prime Concepts that understands how to find, attract and keep your customers.

To help us stay current on the every-changing world of social media and inbound marketing we’ve partnered with Hubspot.  Now we’re providing our clients with the exact systems to leverage and monetize all of their inbound marketing efforts.   This is a “done-for-you” type system that will produce amazing results for you and your business.  Remember, each social media website has specific advantages and not all of them may be applicable for your particular business.

Don’t make it harder than it has to be. 

Make a spreadsheet of all of your websites and social media websites, including user names, emails used for the accounts and the passwords associated with each login. Do I really need to tell you to keep this file password protected or encrypted and in a safe place?  Keeping it organized and in one place makes it easy for you to manage and helps you when you’re ready to integrated modules, add-ins, programs and plugins, from site to site.

Have you established the performance benchmarks for your social media efforts?  It’s not about the quantity, it’s about the quality.  For social proof, having thousands of fans looks good, but who cares if they aren’t engaged or helping you grow your business.   Are you just tossing crap up against the social media wall to see what sticks or do you have a plan?   Sure, by now you’ve most likely set up a few profiles, but can you trace any leads or new business from social media websites?  We certainly can… and not because we’re so special, but because we understand how to match the right marketing message with the specific medium.  The better the match… the better the results. It really is that simple.

In summary, social media has a ton to offer your business and doesn’t have to be nightmare.

Use it to monitor your brand, get top search engine rankings, lead generation, customer service, damage control, inbound marketing, connect with new prospects, engage your customer base, and generate sales. 

What’s your biggest question related to social media? Post your question below and we’ll respond here and on future posts.

You should also consider your keyword placement and keyword density on the body of your web pages.  Think specific keyword phrases– not “keywords.”  Why?  Due to the extreme amount of competition for general terms in the search engines, you stand a far better chance to rank well for specific phrases where there is less competition.

Check out some of these tips for using keyword phrases:

1.)  Work Through Elements

Search engines completely ignore elements like punctuation and line breaks, so you can too.  If you have a three word key-phrase, there’s no reason you can’t end one sentence with the first two keywords and then start the following sentence with the last keyword.  Work through elements and get noticed by the search engines.

2.)  Form Quotes from “Personal” Key-Phrases

Incorporate quotes in the first person into your content since many people search in the first person.  For example, if you offer leadership training like our recent client, Greg Schinkel of Unique Training and Development, you could say something like, “Many managers wonder, ‘How can I engage and motivate my employees?’”  When someone types this question into a search engine, you have a good shot at getting them to your site!

3.)  Include Opposite Key-Phrases

So what if a really good key-phrase you’ve found doesn’t apply to your business?  How can you incorporate these into your content?  Find a legitimate way to use the key-phrase—even if it’s a page telling a client why the key-phrase is a bad idea or doesn’t apply to your business.

4.)  Add Other Words

So maybe you’ve tried to incorporate key-phrases into your content but it just ended up sounding clunky and uncomfortable.  The solution is to add other words to the beginning or end of the key-phrase.

For example, one of our recent clients, Agadia, offers “prior authorization software” for healthcare management.  Using “prior authorization software” repeatedly is no good.  Instead, they can incorporate other words before the phrase, like “web-based” and “feature-rich.” Or, they can incorporate other words after their phrase, like “solution.”

5.)  Consider “Stop” Words in Choppy Phrases

If the key-phrase you need to use isn’t complete or wouldn’t make sense in a sentence, consider adding “stop” words.  “Stop” words are words like “of,” “the,” “a,” and “for” that the search engines weed out anyway.

But what if your website has already been built and you don’t have a new website planned anytime soon?  You can still incorporate keywords and keyword phrases into articles, newsletters and blog posts you put on the web.

For more Internet marketing techniques to help you increase search engine rankings and generate more traffic to your site, check out the “Internet Profit Kit for Information Marketers: 101 Proven Tactics & Tools You Can Use to Build Your Business.” Visit http://www.internetprofitkit.com for details.

Do Your Marketing Materials, Website and Social Media Match Your Brand’s Promise?

I was talking to a prospect today raving about how he’s built his business through mainly referrals… but now his business has slowed and he wants help.

One look at his website and social media profiles and it was clear why referrals are what has driven his business… because his other promotional efforts lack his brand’s promise.

By that, I mean., they are old, outdated, confusing, lack style, have poor marketing messages and simply don’t communicate the quality or value that his business truly offers.

In short, they are “sales prevention tools” getting in the way of attracting and converting prospects into long-term clients and customers.  They are certainly costing him thousands of dollars in lost sales.

Does that scenario sound familiar? Want to know how to solve these problems?

Here’s your action step:

1. Go look at your website through the eyes of your prospects and ask yourself, “Would I do business with this company?”  Can you easily understand what problems your organization helps to solve or what desires your business fulfills?

2. Next, look at your social media profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube and see if there is a communication disconnect.  Do you have keyword-rich, benefit-driven descriptions that will engage your target prospects to connect with you?  Here is a link to a free replay of webinar on Social Influence. Watch the Video now.

3. Finally, look at your other promotional and sales efforts to ensure that they are congruent with the quality and value you offer. They should be in alignment and be tools that help you find, attract and keep your customers.  If you would like a critique or hot seat to evaluate and improve your results, just let us know…

4. Enter your biggest marketing challenge in the comments below for a chance to win an IPAD.  Answers and winners will show up in future posts.

And motivate them to take action!

Imagine yourself standing in a long checkout line at the grocery store.  You’re surrounded by sleazy tabloids and “fluffy” gossip magazines, but there’s no way you’d let anyone catch you looking at them.  Yet… you’re curious.  You just can’t help using your peripheral vision to take a peek.

As your eyes scan all the headlines, you see one that intrigues you.  That can’t be true… could it?  Before you know it, you’re throwing the magazine in the cart hoping no one will notice your lapse in judgment.

So what happened?  The headline stopped you in your tracks.  What’s more, the headline intrigued you enough to buy the story.

Now, I’m not here to talk to you about impulse magazine buys in the checkout line, but what this scenario does do is illustrate the importance of a headline that motivates a prospect to take action.

When it comes to marketing your business, headlines are arguably the most important element of your copy– whether it be for your website, a print promotion, an email blast or any other marketing piece.  The reason?  Because the headline is what attracts your prospect.  And, if your headline doesn’t blow their socks off, it could be the last thing they read.

In addition to grabbing the attention of your prospects and directing them to your offer(s), an effective headline sets the tone for the rest of your marketing message and prepares the prospect for what’s coming.  In other words, it pre-frames them for your offer better than any other element could.

So where should you get started? We suggest brainstorming headlines before you start the copy, writing the copy while brainstorming more headlines, brainstorming more when you finish and then selecting the winner.

Although there are almost too many types of headlines to count, we usually group them into six main categories.  Check out all six below along with popular examples:

The Question Headline

This headline gets the prospect curious about the answer and you can even pull them through the copy by not revealing the answer until the end.
Ex:  Do You Make These Mistakes in English?

The News Headline

This headline is very effective in conveying a sense of urgency and importance when you’re offering something new or breakthrough.
Ex:  Amazing New Medical Breakthrough for Fat Loss

The Benefit Headline

This type of headline is classic.  Better yet, if the benefit of your offer is desirable, you have the prospect’s attention immediately.
Ex:  Make Enough Money to Buy a New Car!

The Scare or Fear of Loss Headline

For many people, the fear of losing something is greater than the desire for gain, which will make it hard for them to resist checking out your offer.
Ex:  Just How Much Money Are You Losing?

The Intrigue Headline

This headline is ideal for arousing interest and intriguing the reader enough that they want to keep reading the copy.
Ex:  Can You Pass the Prosperity Test?

The Testimonial Headline

This type of headline is good for establishing credibility, whether the testimonial is by a celebrity or simply at satisfied client.
Ex: “My Hair Started Growing Back in Two Weeks!”

It probably goes without saying that the way to learn headline writing is to write them.  So, what are you waiting for?  Have fun brainstorming and being creative!  And don’t forget to test your efforts.  If you send out an email blast, send 500 with one headline and 500 with another (as an A/B Test) to track the response. Once you sent the control, change only one element, like the headline, and test again.  Before long, you’ll be writing headlines like a pro and motivating your prospects to take action!

What’s your favorite type of headline or headline style?  Do you have an example of an effective or ineffective headline?  Leave us a comment below.

What I’m talking about is a different kind of NAP– Name, Address and Phone Number– and how these directly relate to driving targeted traffic to your website.

Let me ask you a question… Are your company name, address and phone number all easily visible on your website, social media accounts and local business directories like Google Places, Bing Local, Yelp and Yahoo Local? Better yet, can you access all of these listings, websites and accounts and tell me that your company name, address and phone number are all the exact same?

If not, you’re actually driving traffic away from your website.  Let me explain why.

Essentially, when search engines like Bing, Google and Yahoo create these business listings that you can claim and update for FREE, they use searched information on the web to determine the correct address for your company. If, for some reason, they have an old address from before you moved or a missing suite or building number, you can be missing out on all the traffic that should be pointing to your current address and phone number.

These listing are so simple to claim, access and update and they’re a great starting point to drive targeted, ready-to-take-action traffic to you. So, first things first, make sure the NAP information on your website is accurate and how you want it displayed on all mediums– from social media accounts to your Yelp Local Business Listing.

Next, review your social media accounts, profiles and admin areas and make sure the contact information, business name and address are all the exact same as your website. From there, simply login to your local business listings (if you don’t have one, go to the major sites mentioned above and search for your company name and then claim your business for free) and make sure the same NAP information is accurate and consistent with the other mediums.

This seems so redundant and simple, I know, but you would be surprised with the number of clients we have who are either naive or unaware of the effects that NAPs have on their business. The key is that it’s not too late to claim your listing, update your accounts, profiles and website. By taking a few minutes and checking these areas, you will ensure you’re not making the mistake of continually driving traffic to your competitors.

If you have any questions on how to make these updates or how to claim your listings, please call us today at (316) 942-1111 or comment on this post.

Many business owners know their website could benefit from a website facelift, yet they don’t want to make the same investment a complete website overhaul would entail.  That’s how Prime Concepts can help.

We’ve created a customizable solution designed to give certain clients who qualify the facelift their website needs for a reasonable investment.  A recent example is accountability expert and leadership speaker, Sam Silverstein’s, website.  Sam helps organizations make accountability their competitive edge, creating more effective leaders, selling more, providing greater service and increasing revenue.

The customized solution we provided for Sam included improvements to his website copy, visual design and graphics, navigation and search engine optimization.  As you can tell from www.SamSilverstein.com, the end result speaks for itself!  If you’re interested in getting more targeted traffic, higher search engine rankings and improved conversions, check out Sam’s “refreshed” site, view the rest of our website design portfolio and learn more about our website development solutions.

Along with video, mobile devices make up one of the fastest growing segments of the internet. Mobile phones have become like a remote control for nearly all aspects of our lives, and Cisco predicts that there will be 7.1 billion internet-connected mobile devices just four years from now.  So how can you capitalize on the popularity of mobile phones?  One way is by having a mobile website.

Mobile websites can be developed for just about all mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads, Android phones and tablets, Blackberries and Windows devices.

Would you believe, more than half of our clients are requesting mobile websites now.  The reason?  Because they realize the need to make their brand as mobile as their customers and one of our clients has actually reported significantly more traffic on their mobile site than their regular site!

If you’re a company or organization that wants to get targeted traffic, improved conversions and cater to your website visitor, then you need to make your brand as mobile as your customer.  Your website should be designed with today’s multifaceted Internet user in mind.

So go look at your website using an iPhone, iPad or any other mobile device. If you have Flash on your website or if you have a website totally built in Flash, then the millions of iPhone and iPad users can’t see your content. And while your regular website may show up on a mobile phone, the text will be tiny, some elements just won’t work on mobile devices, and the user has to constantly scroll up, down, left right, in and out.

You should definitely consider getting your website’s content produced in a mobile website format.  This means that the navigation, font size, content layout, and graphics are optimized for mobile devices, and more importantly, mobile customers.

For examples of mobile websites, check out our mobile website design portfolio and learn more about our mobile website design solutions.

That’s why I put together some time-tested and proven tips and strategies designed to give you a big boost in growing your business.  I think you’ll find a lot of value from the quick-read ideas presented in “Profit-Rich Marketing: Proven Strategies to Help You Grow Your Business,” which are designed for easy implementation.

The practical marketing approach and proven strategies will help you to:

• Create the Marketing Mindset
• Create Explosive Growth in Your Business
• Utilize Marketing Secrets of the Masters
• Measure Marketing Success
• Design Profit-Rich Marketing Materials
• Write Copy Like the Pros
• Build Your Online Money Machine
• Drive Targeted Traffic
• Use Blog Marketing to Build Your Business
• Monetize Your Social Media Marketing Efforts

Get more details on my “Profit-Rich Marketing: Proven Strategies to Help You Grow Your Business” and leave us a comment to let us know some of the ways you’d like to improve your business.

When you have a complicated product or service, usually the best direction to take with the message and design of your website is clear, simple and modern.

That was our advice to one of our recent web development clients, Agadia.

Agadia is a company that offers Prior Authorization and ePrescribing solutions to healthcare management.  We’ll admit– this was a newer area for us, but the problem with their old website is that it didn’t give us a clear idea of all the great solutions Agadia offers.  Which meant that prospective clients weren’t getting a clear idea either.

As you can tell from their dynamic new website, www.Agadia.com, they put their full trust in our Prime Concepts Group team and the end result speaks for itself!  Check out their new site and tell us what you think before you view the rest of our website design portfolio and learn more about our website development solutions.

Well, Jon Petz’s new book website is anything but boring; in fact, it might just be one of the coolest book websites we’ve ever developed!

But don’t take our word for it– check out www.BoringMeetingsSuck.com and learn more about Jon’s new book, “Boring Meetings Suck” because let’s face it– most meetings suck about as much as most book sites.

And remember, we offer customized website development solutions for everything from simple micro-websites, mobile websites, sales letter (micro) websites and WordPress blog-type websites to fully functional, secure membership websites, social media websites, large scale database websites and eCommerce websites… just to name a few.

The key is to remember that it’s not about making a creative or even a “pretty” website… it’s about communication. Communication of value that builds buyer confidence, improves conversions and results.

So check out our website design portfolio and website development solutions after you leave a comment and tell us how awesome Jon’s site is.

For those of you who may have missed the Social Media Influence webinar, you can now watch the live VIDEO replay of the event, download the presentation slides (.PDF), and even get an Audio MP3 version of the recording at:
www.ProfitRichResults.com/social-influence/replay

Many people submitted questions and with almost 1000 people registered it was virtually impossible to get to all of them. Look for those questions to be answered here on the blog. Subscribe to the RSS Feed to be notified of new posts.

This was a free and action-packed webinar on Social Media Influence and you’re encouraged to send the replay link to your other team members, associates and friends that are interested in growing their businesses and leveraging social media.

Didn’t ask your question yet?  Add a comment to this post and it will be answered shortly.

Each day you’re faced with new opportunities and the challenges of how you are going to spend your time and money. Whether you’re the CEO, entrepreneur, or the person responsible for increasing results from marketing and sales efforts, you already know that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find, attract and keep your customers.

The good news is—there is no need to panic! The sky is not falling… these economic times have actually created many new opportunities—if you know how to capitalize on them.

I wanted you to be one of the first to know about this event so you can mark your calendar and get registered for the Las Vegas Event in September 2011.

Watch the video above or visit the Business Growth Summit Event Website for more details.

Really, though, I’ve learned how important it is for all companies to incorporate keywords into their web content.  But what if your website has already been built and you don’t have a new website planned anytime soon?  You can still incorporate keywords into articles, newsletters and blog posts you put on the web.

Check out some of these tips for using keywords:

1. Work Through Elements

Search engines completely ignore elements like punctuation and line breaks, so you can too.  If you have a three word key-phrase, there’s no reason you can’t end one sentence with the first two keywords and then start the following sentence with the last keyword.  Work through elements and get noticed by the search engines!

2. Form Quotes from “Personal” Key-Phrases

Incorporate quotes in the first person into your content since many people search in the first person.  For example, if you offer leadership training like our client, Greg Schinkel of Unique Training and Development, you could say something like, “Many managers wonder, ‘How can I engage and motivate my employees?’”  When someone types this question into a search engine, you have a good shot at getting them to your site!

3. Include Opposite Key-Phrases

So what if a really good key-phrase you’ve found doesn’t apply to your business?  How can you incorporate these into your content?  Find a legitimate way to use the key-phrase—even if it’s a page telling a client why the key-phrase is a bad idea or doesn’t apply to your business.

4. Add Other Words

So maybe you’ve tried to incorporate key-phrases into your content but it just ended up sounding clunky and uncomfortable.  The solution is to add other words to the beginning or end of the key-phrase.

For example, one of our clients, Agadia, offers “prior authorization software” for healthcare management.  Using “prior authorization software” repeatedly is no good.  Instead, they can incorporate other words before the phrase, like “web-based” and “feature-rich.” Or, they can incorporate other words after their phrase, like “solution.”

5. Consider “Stop” Words in Choppy Phrases

If they key-phrase you need to use isn’t complete or wouldn’t make sense in a sentence, consider adding “stop” words.  “Stop” words are words like “of,” “the,” “a,” and “for” that the search engines weed out anyway.

Remember, grammar and punctuation has the power to showcase the professionalism of your organization.  A lack of proper grammar and punctuation (yes, even in a quickly typed email or buried within copy on your website) can do the opposite—diminish the perceived professionalism of your organization.

I plan on doing a few “refreshers” with our team.  I suggest you and anyone else from your organization who writes at all (nearly everyone!) review this first installment of reminders.

Semicolons

Semicolons usually separate two main clauses that could stand on their own if you wanted them to.  The catch is that they must be closely related main clauses.

For example:

“I need the report by the end of the day.”

“I will expect it from you by 5:00.”

Becomes…

“I need the report by the end of the day; I will expect it from you by 5:00.”

So why use semicolons?  The main reason to use a semicolon is to add some variety to your sentence structure.  This is a nice option if you have a large amount of content.

Colons

Colons are used after complete sentences to signal that what comes after the colon is directly related to the previous statement.  Colons should never be used after sentence fragments.  Instead, a colon should be used to expand or clarify on the complete sentence before it.

For example:

“Our company specializes in three areas.  They are internet marketing, marketing and website design.”

Becomes…

“Our company specializes in three areas: internet marketing, marketing and website design.”

So why use colons?  The main reason to use a colon, again, is to add some variety to your sentence structure.  Additionally, it helps your reader remember the points you included.

That’s enough for today, but why don’t you make a goal of using a semicolon and a colon properly at least once this week?  It doesn’t have to be for anything fancy—these can be used quickly and easily in a memo, email, report, etc.  Then let us know what you think!  Did using a semicolon or colon add variety and sense of professionalism to your writing?  Do you think you’ll start incorporating them on a regular basis?

Earlier this year, I read a column about how several colleges and universities were no longer distributing email accounts to new students.  The rationale behind this was that the majority of millennials are plugged into social media sites like Facebook, and these “instant gratification” users think email is too slow.

Email is too slow?  Makes you wonder if this new generation of users even knows what “snail mail” is!

Facebook has already rolled out so many new features this year; users are still focusing on forming “groups” and trying not to get lost navigating “places.”  Now, they’re giving us another inbox to check!

Or are they?  According to the brainiacs behind Facebook’s new email strategy, their new “messaging” system will deal with the dilemma of having to communicate with different people through different channels.  In essence, it will do the thinking for you… so you only have to send your message one time, to one place.

Let’s say you’re sending a “grand opening” event invitation to your contact list.  Do you send it through email, SMS, Facebook or all three?  This new feature promises to answer that question for you… you send out the message via Facebook and it figures out the best delivery route for each recipient.  So, while a 21-year old may receive your announcement instantly via SMS, a 51-year old customer might receive an email.

In true Facebook fashion, this new feature will extend well beyond email.  In addition to the seamless messaging, it also promises to keep a conversation history.  This will be a log of all communications you’ve had with a contact, regardless of the platform used.  Not to worry, they’ve also come up with a feature to delete the history entirely from their server.

Your new “social inbox” will even come equipped with fancy filtering features; since Facebook already knows who your “friends” and “friends of friends” are, they’ll prioritize those messages over ones from spambots.  It even designates an “other” folder for the non-social stuff like bank statements and automatic payment reminders.

Visit Facebook messages to learn more about what they’ve got planned.

I stopped into Popeyes Chicken, ATL Terminal C for a quick lunch. It was crowded and I didn’t have very high expectations for fast food airport service, but was amazed at what I saw. There was this Popeyes Employee greeting customers, wiping off tables, getting people napkins, forks, salt and pepper, assisting with luggage and carrying trays to tables. What was interesting was his approach to how he worked. He moved his butt, smiled, was very helpful, warm and friendly. You could tell he actually cared and tried to give people a unique experience. I watched as people smiled back and several of them tipped him for the service.

I don’t think he was working hard only for tips, he seemed to actually care about taking care of the customers. Now I have a few professional speaker friends of mine, like Shep Hyken and Mark Sanborn ,who specialize in Customer Service or Eric Chester who specialized in work ethic, and they could give a better definition of the traits, qualities and actions of customer service and leadership, but I’m going to call it “give a shit”.

Not to just use profanity, but in keeping it real… this guy cared.  It showed in his smile, attitude and approach.  I only have a dozen employees now. I’ve run companies with many more than that, but regardless of the number of employees you may have, you want to find the ones that care… and avoid those with entitlement mentality who think that the world owes them a living.  Okay, back to the Popeyes guy…

Before leaving I asked for his name and he said, “I’m Dwayne Hayes…. How Can I Help You” I said, thank you for your approach to your job, work ethic and service.  Gave him a tip and snapped this quick photo. I also got the number to call in kudos for him Popeyes Corporate at 1-800-682-0219. If Dwayne Hayes served you… you should call too.

When I returned back to my office I googled him and found that Mr. Hayes is known for his customer service throughout Hartsfield Jackson, he won the Ambassador Award for the airport in 2009 and was runner-up in 2010.

Whatever he’s being paid… it’s not enough. If you fly through Atlanta, stop by and see for yourself the amazing display of outstanding customer service.

And if Shep’s reading this blog post… you should include his story in your next book.

Do you have examples of outstanding customer service… post your thoughts or feedback in the comments section below!

Whether you’re a novice or seasoned blogger, use these ABC’s of Blogging Tips to improve your blogging.

Add value to attract attention

Build trust to create a following

Consistency is crucial to keep readers coming back

Don’t self-promote or down talk the competition

Engage your audience by encouraging feedback

Focus on topical ideas to increase search engine rankings

Grow readership through email campaigns and social media links

Hold yourself accountable for the content you publish

Imagine you’re having a conversation to ensure your blog has the right tone

Join the conversation by responding to comments

Know your audience and what their needs are

Leverage your content by re-purposing and repackaging it

Monitor traffic and comments to measure results

Never plagiarize

Offer expert advice as the hook to get them to learn more about you

Publish the content to various social media platforms

Quality counts – so remember to proofread

Recognize that everyone may not agree with what you have to say

Stand out from the crowd by offering unique content

Tell a story to help your readers relate

Uncover solutions to prospects’ problems

Verify facts before publishing them

Write what you know

XYZ(e)xamine your zest.  Ok, this one’s a stretch.  What it means is write with enthusiasm and your readers will respond.

What tips do you have for successful blogging?  Please leave your comments below.

If you’re a goal-setter and a planner, you’ve already made great progress on your list of New Year’s Resolutions.  If you’re like most people, you may create the goal list, but struggle with the strategy and action steps to reach them.

A friend of mine recently released a book titled “Clarity.”  Written by Bob Bohlen, a man who’s achieved so much success in his life; it makes you wonder if there are super humans living among us.  Bob doesn’t claim to have extraordinary abilities; he’s simply found a plan that works, and he works that plan every day.

His book is a 30-day foolproof guide to getting what you want from life.  Like the rest of us, you probably have several books promising to do the same, collecting dust on a shelf.   This book will change your life and get you results, if you follow Bob’s simple Life Lessons.  But don’t take my word for it, get your copy from his website at www.Rbohlen.com

I’d also love to hear about the hardest lesson you’ve learned about growing your business.  What have you done that did or didn’t work? Leave your comments below:

YOU ASKED: What format of Email broadcasts, ezines, and e-newsletters works best?  HTML with color, pictures and graphics (Fancy)  or just PLAIN TEXT (simple) versions?

ME: My opinion has changed over the years.   Currently, I send most of my ezines and email promos in plain text, BUT… we are seeing more and more success in HTML versions of email broadcasts.

It really depends on your market and the relationship with that market.   For example, one of our clients, Roxanne Emmerich, has great rapport and a relationship with her corporate clients and they respond better to HTML versions of emails. When we schedule broadcasts we format BOTH versions in the email manager program so that the system will auto-detect the best version to deliver to their inbox.

Most email management services like Constant Contact, Aweber, Benchmark email services, etc., have those options.  It comes down to this…

What’s the best way to communicate the value you offer to readers? Sometimes you may need visuals, color and graphics to make your point.   Keep it simple and focused. Only promote one thing. Make it 90% value and 10% promotional as a rule or you’ll burn out your list and it won’t matter what format you send it in.

It’s a testing thing, but I am moving more and more towards clean HTML versions with a simple identifiable and branded header, clear main message and unique call to action to either read more, continue online, call , download, etc…

Even though HTML emails allow for improved visuals they are abused by so many companies that I tend to ignore them. I have Outlook set to block images in email unless I approve the email user first.   So if you want to reach me… use Plain text and great copy.

Use your stats in your email management program to check your open rates. Check your site stats for conversions.  Remember that COPY is what SELLS and Graphics attract attention. They work together to create the marketing message or communicate value.

What do you think? Do you prefer HTML or Plain Text emails? Let me know below.

Social media is a game changer. We’ve seen it affect how we interact and share with friends and family, make decisions, hear and spread news, market, and much more. It even affects the way people hunt for jobs and the way companies look for potential employees.

Rather than just listing a job opening in your local newspaper or posting it on your website where limited audiences will see it, social media allows you to reach a much wider, much more diverse audience. By posting job opportunities on social media sites and reaching more candidates, you will be more likely to find the person who is exactly what you are looking for and a perfect match for your company. Because of the viral effect of social media, news of your job opening will spread fast, helping you fill roles more quickly.

Here are some ways you can use social media to find that perfect candidate to fill the role at your company:

LinkedIn

Because LinkedIn profiles should be set up like resumes, you can check out applicants’ profiles to see what kind of experience and recommendations they have. You should also make you’re your profile is updated in the same way in case potential job candidates check you out to make sure you are a renowned and trustworthy company to work for. Your contact settings should be set to include that you are interested in job inquiries so people know it’s okay to contact you via LinkedIn regarding employment opportunities.

You can post job openings in the job section on LinkedIn, which people can find by searching for a specific location, field, job title, and several other options. People are more likely to trust a job posting on a professional networking site like LinkedIn than they are on a random job listing site they find on Google. Many people also use the headline portion of their profile like an objective on a resume, stating exactly what kind of job they are looking for and specific qualities and certifications they have to make them a good candidate. You can use this to do your own searching and seek out exactly who you are looking for and contact them about an opportunity to interview with your company.

Facebook

People often will use Facebook to let the world know when they are searching for a new job and you should also use the same method to get the word out there that you are looking to fill specific roles. This will not only let people know to contact you if they are looking for a job themselves, but also keep you in mind if they see that someone else they know is looking for a similar job.

You can also use Facebook in the hiring process to check out a candidate’s profile to see if they are an influencer and know how to effectively and professionally use Facebook. Having someone who will use their social media influence to spread the word about your company could be very beneficial in increasing awareness and establishing credibility.

Twitter

There are more than 190 million Twitter users. Among those millions, there are always many actively seeking jobs. Use the opportunity to search this large community for people to you’re your team as well as publicize that you are currently hiring – in this economy word about job openings will spread fast.

While Twitter users send more than 75 million tweets per day, Twitter search allows you to look for people tweeting specific terms or keywords relevant to what you are looking for — For example “copywriting jobs” “administrative assistant positions” etc. The reverse can be done with your tweets: People looking for jobs can type in search terms and pull up any of your tweets that contain those words – so make sure you are using keyword rich terms in your tweets.

Blogs

Not only can you use your blog to advertise the fact that you are looking for certain candidates, but many other people would be willing to put your job postings on their blog if it’s relevant. For example, Mashable lists jobs in the social media industry for companies throughout the world.

You can use social media sites to not only post job opportunities and how to apply, but you can also look for people who are using these sites to promote themselves as potential candidates.

How have you used social media in the employment process? Leave a comment below and let me know.

You see examples of social proof everyday… beyond client testimonials, case studies and customer reviews; it’s in the star ratings on Amazon, the number of likes of Facebook, the video views on YouTube and followers on Twitter.

Be recognizing how social proof affects buying behavior, you can look for ways to leverage it to establish trust and credibility for your products and services.

Just the other day, I was searching ITunes for movies to download to my Ipad for a cross-country flight.  I was considering a few new releases and realized I was making my selection based on the number of stars a certain movie had.  Then I thought to myself “I don’t know these people, yet here I am letting their opinion impact my decision.”  In reality, their opinion may not mean squat about whether or not I’d like the movie.  We’ve all been to 4 star movies that were crap and we’ve seen movies that were one star that we really liked.  Even so, the star ratings of the movies influenced my selection.

Recent statistics tell us that 74% of consumers trust peer recommendations (social proof) and only 14% trust advertisements.  Even if you don’t agree with the stats, you’ll agree that you’re influenced by what your friends, peers and independent recommendations say, more than advertisements.

Testimonials

It’s hard to ignore the power of these recommendations from people with whom you’ve done business.  Buyers want to purchase from someone they feel they can trust; by displaying testimonials on your site, your prospects are getting a third party endorsement which helps them feel confident they’re making a sound decision.  Testimonials can come in multiple formats, from text, audio to video and I love to use short video testimonials because it captures the authenticity of the client.

You can capture them with a video camera, Webcam or even a simple Flip® USB camera.  Post them on your website or on a video sharing site like YouTube. Testimonials should be used like spices… salt and pepper them throughout your website, product landing pages, use them on thank you pages, auto-responders… just don’t overdo it.

Media Exposure

Without going too far off topic, it’s important to recognize that “media exposure” can be categorized into two main types… Social Media methods and Traditional Media.  Social Proof includes both types.   When your prospects read your name in print, hear you on the radio, or see you on TV, it helps to influence top-of-mind awareness.  They come to regard you as an expert resource, and ultimately, someone they might like to do business.

Visible Buzz

If you’ve been published or featured in traditional media sources, then showcase it (tactfully) on your website.  You can do this in a number of ways. Create a news release or add the appearance to a media section or media page on your website, or by displaying the source and media logos on your website… Yes, get permission or take your chances.

Mystery Searching a.k.a., Mystery Shopping

This is a simple exercise that you can do right now. Just go to your favorite search engine, Google™, Bing™ or Yahoo™ and type in your keyword phrases to see what shows up on the Search Results Pages (SERPS).   For example, if you search for “Ford Saeks” you’ll see that it’s impossible to not be able to find out more about me than you care to know. My websites come up first, followed by Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube, Naymz and various articles and blog postings.  Yes, that’s easy because my name as a search term is unique and there isn’t much competition on that keyword phrase.

Top rankings in the search engines are only part of social proof.  Research shows that more people are now concerned more about how many followers they have on Facebook pages, comments posted to their blogs, re-tweets on Twitter, connections and recommendations on LinkedIn, and views on their uploaded videos.

So what about You?  Go back and look at your level of social proof that you have on your website, on social media websites and throughout traditional media sources and create your action plan to step up the volume.

I’d love to hear what you think about social proof; post your comments below.

Here’s the conversation… add your opinion too.

F. Feather: It is the dot-com bubble all over again.  Most of the SM sites will vanish.  There will be a few large players. Social media will evolve into something quite different, with different classes of platform, and segmented special interest platforms — as happened with old media.  But the way in which it is used will be quite different from today.

K. Harris: I think Social Media is becoming necessary for businesses to reach people they were unable to reach before. I think those that are against social media just don’t know how to use it effectively.

D. Shay: Hi Ford, I don’t believe it is all hype – the young generation lives by social media.
I have a saying that I like to share: “Social media will do for marketing and sales what the printing press did for newspapers!”

M. Retallick: Social media has been hyped well beyond its actual usefulness. Shakeout soon to follow.

R. Krastoshevsky: It’s half & half. People who know how to handle SM do it very effectively and get lots of sales from it. People who just “heard of SM” waste their time posting useless messages, not going anywhere. The majority belongs to the second category, because without the know-how SM is ineffective.

S. Hamer: Hi Ford, it is getting hyped up, and seems to have the dot com bubble feel about it, but that’s just a shallow perception of the truth, mostly by people who do not immerse themselves in it, and do not fully understand it…The difference is that it is a useful tool for individuals and businesses to share, inform, communicate and assist with marketing of their products and services. Therefore since it has a useful function it will thrive. What will change is the power of the user as the growth curve starts to level off.

D. Maskin: those who actually put the time and energy into social media and social networking sites can find much business success… The problem occurs when folks don’t understand that they must spend lots of time networking, which many aren’t prepared to do.

G Hedges: I agree that it will inevitably consolidate to a handful of social media (SM) sites but the social media world is here to stay. We are already seeing how sites like Yelp are integrating with FB and how tools like Twitter are integrated with several SM platforms. I believe several so-called SM sites now will just be functions and tools of the larger sites. Plus, it is true, the younger generations are plugged into it and their thought patterns, behaviors and habits will keep SM alive.

How have you made social media work for your business? Let me know what strategies have or haven’t worked or just sound-off by posting your comments below.

I’ve been a cyclist for many years.  As a CAT 3 cyclist, I’ve logged thousands of hours, mostly from show and go training rides, where people show up at a specific location and go for a pack bike ride.

The unique thing about cycling in a pack is that the speed of the pack is always determined by the leaders.  The rest do their part in the pace line or just suck wheel, which means they stay at the back and draft, saving up to 30% of their energy.  In a race, it makes total sense to conserve your energy to sprint for the finish line. In business, however, drafting (or coasting) leads to bankruptcy.

Are you drafting or leading in your business or career?

Are you someone who looks for short-cuts and the easy way out, or are you committed to improving your personal and professional life?  Don’t get me wrong, process improvements and efficiency aren’t what I call short cuts. Those are positive improvements.  What I’m referring to is personal accountability.   There’s a saying, “The true character of a person cannot be measured by what they say, but by what they do when nobody is looking.”   How true.

As 2010 comes to an end and you plan your new year, ask yourself the tough questions related to what you want to change and what you’re willing to do to achieve those outcomes.   Are you going to be a leader and be in control of the pace or draft, expecting others to pick up the load for you?

What prompted this blog post was a conversation I had with a friend of mine, Rory Vaden.  Rory is a keynote speaker who’s brand is focused around the concept of “Taking the Stairs.”  In short, his message is about self-discipline and what it takes daily to re-commit to our dreams and goals.  It includes three main areas… Focus, Sacrifice, and Action, with a metaphor between escalator mentality vs. stair mentality.  The point is that you have to improve your self-discipline and actions if you really want to reach your goals.

Now as simply profound as that may be… society conditions us to do the exact opposite.  Fast food, instant gratification, maxing out credit, entitlement mentality, and lack of consciousness have all contributed to create the disaster facing our economy.   

As a business leader, finding and retaining great employees has been a challenge.  Especially with the generation gap between GEN X/Y and Millennials.  I don’t understand the “everyone gets a trophy” concept.  How can you create and inspire great leadership when no one is accountable?  If you have employees who are drafting, it’s time to encourage them to lead or free them up for new opportunities.

Time to get off my soap box.

I want you to think about 2010 and the progress you made or didn’t make this year.  Did you get what you wanted? Did you achieve prosperity and your dreams… or at least some of them?  If not, why?  What are you waiting for?  How much time do you think you have left on this planet?  Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to anyone so quit drafting, pull out of the pack, and become a leader for your own personal and professional success.

How do you improve your self-discipline and actions to reach your goals?  Leave your comments below.