It was just reported 65% of online adults use social networking sites.

Yes, this is where YOUR customer is hanging out…but that does not mean putting up a page or blasting out Tweets on your daily flavor will attract them and make them want to choose your business over the numerous ‘me too’ competitors you have who are most likely jumping online as well.

Creative strategy & a ‘real-time’ understanding of EXACTLY who your customer is are the first steps to social success both online and off.

I will dig deeper on this topic next time.

To read the report, click below…

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Social-Networking-Sites.aspx

It’s a given, if you are in business…you want people to support your business so that you prosper!

However, often times business owners overlook the importance of ‘reciprocity’ when it comes to them supporting others who seek their business as well.

Have you ever got a case of instant annoyance when you see a salesperson coming in your door trying to pitch you his company’s services?

We have all been here before. Or how about that vendor who just keeps calling you wanting to upsell you on his latest products?

Don’t they understand you are BUSY…trying to run a business here you know!

Oh, but this can be a very costly perception on your part. Why? Well that same consultant, salesperson, brand rep, etc. most likely lives in your community or knows others who are in your community and they are very likely to share their experience of rejection from you to many others! It happens all the time.

After all…they are also customers & they tell many starting with family and friends about their experience with your business…good & bad:)

The next time a salesperson or vendor or such call upon you, treat them with the same respect and consideration as you want your customers to treat your business.  It can be a huge competitive advantage for your business.

“Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you” certainly applies to the business world as well.

Folks, no matter what your preference is politically, we really need to stand united and firm as a nation in the midst of these difficult times upon us.

Fear is in the hearts of many but it is “We the People” who can and will ensure our country will remain one of the greatest of all times with the blessing of God.

Keep your faith in America, your state, your communities, your neighbor, yourself, our future, and we will bring forth the solutions needed, the leadership and the innovation again.

Buy American made and supporting LOCAL American businesses is not hard for us to do.

We will not be counted OUT by the world. What our troops are doing right this minute defending this country here and abroad is not in vain! God bless America

Mind boggling! The entire business landscape is going through a metamorphous of sorts…nothing is business as usual anymore! Really, nothing is!

I see business sector after sector old standby models falling apart everywhere. New approaches are being developed; existing business systems are being redefined and challenged while others are completely collapsing.

It’s as though someone took a giant stick and hit the business piñata and bam!!! We have an explosion of winners, losers, new kids on the block staking claim, giants falling, bewildered and confused executives and shareholders, fraud, fear, excitement, status quo and just as Elvis Presley said “A Whole Lotta Shaking Going On!”

The way I see it is we are in the midst of what I call ‘The Great Business Digital Divide.’ On one side of this gap we have two groups; the various companies, businesses, entrepreneurs, etc. who are not even aware of what is going on and/or they don’t realize we are in a brand new business era that looks and feels nothing like the past 100 years or so. Then there is those who know and sense things have changed but have no clue as to what they should be doing, what kind of people they need on their team and were to go to get the help they may need to successfully go through this transition.

On the other side of this gap are two more groups as well. One of these are those who have understood they needed to make some radical changes in the way they run their business because it is certain what they have relied on for years is no longer working. They have begun to institute some things that to an untrained eye give them the appearance they are plugged in and are 21st century business mavericks. Very much what Seth Godin described in his book Meatball Sundae.

The second group is those who have not only embraced the digital business revolution going on but they have had a hand in its birth and development. I’m not talking about techies here. I am referring to digital savvy, fresh thinking creative’s who have been on this journey for quite sometime…some longer than others. These are the ones who understand things like mission statements and status quo are DEAD and for those who hang on to this mentality, they are most likely on their last leg. This goes for the giants in business to the local auto repair shop. This is the group who are excelling and getting positioned for market share that will move them into dominance in their niche.

So what’s a business to do if they are not in the latter group?

I for one believe their doing should only happen after they have done the work of defining their unique and tactical strategy. Let me make myself perfectly clear here, this is not a one time activity I’m talking about, no; it must be an ongoing part of your marketing and business development!

One of the most frustrating things I see going on with many I come across in business today is they are in such a hurry to get out there they don’t invest the time, effort and money to develop killer strategy to ensure their success. The truth is, without well defined strategies in today’s new marketplace you are either going to fall into the category of a ‘me-too’er, a ‘clueless’ or a ‘that’s how it’s always been done in this business’ type. All of which will not cut it anymore.

Why? Mainly because the consumer is in charge not you…and today’s world is driven by technology. These have never really been factors of consideration most existing business models were designed around. Add to that, there is such competitor saturation in the marketplace many businesses are finding it very hard to stand out and get attention.

Clearly…if you want to be successful in this new marketplace one essential asset you must posses is you highly value and prioritize strategic thinking and planning when it comes to your business.

The dictionary defines strat⋅e⋅gy  as;
a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result: a strategy for getting ahead in the world.

Creating your strategy involves creative thinking, LOTS of research and feedback, planning, execution, experience, etc. to name a few. Marketing research is one of the fastest growing sectors in business today. Recently Inside Research recognized comScore as a leading market research industry publication and as the fastest-growing major global market research firm over the past five years. Why is that? Because understanding your target market and planning your strategic approach of action are more valuable and important than ever! Business is changing and evolving very, very fast and you do not have the luxury to lean on much trial and error or not being in the know. Knowledge is a key factor in creating strategy but so is creativity.

Maybe now is a good time to take a fresh look at who you have on your team? Any creative’s around? Any strategic thinking detailed people in your corner? Are you plugged in to research and feedback for your target market?

The New Business Era Currency…Got Strategy? If you don’t, I suggest you get busy to find those who can help you get it!

Their touch point, frame of reference, what gets their interest…is the ‘human experience’. Period.

Today’s American consumers (whose ever changing life stages must be taken into consideration) start their relationship with your business by examining and experiencing your intent and motivation. Consumers interact with brands like they do with other humans.  Since they highly value authenticity and transparency in relationships, all the more this is true regarding brand communication.

This is why your story…your purpose, your heart should be at the core of your branding. Your brand needs to be able to ‘touch’ the human heart in order to even get consideration in the first place. That is why sales pitches, hype, fast talking and slick in-your-face intrusive advertising does NOT work any longer.

Show me your interesting story (your human touch point) and you can call it a branding or anything else you like.

Character shows up in those little things most take for granted like keeping your word especially when it’s inconvenient, taking personal responsibility even if it cost you, returning phone calls, looking out for others well being before your own.

Basically, the way I see it is business success in this new economy will depend largely on your intentions, your motives. That is the way it used to be and that is how it should be in my books.

Everyone gets it you are in business to make a profit but what are your intentions and motives towards your customer, your employees, your vendors, your competitors, your community, your country?

That is the question and observation on the minds of today’s new consumer. Gone are the days of “Sell, Sell, Sell!!” Consumers have so much choice when it comes to deciding who they will spend their money with. You can’t rest on ‘old model’ business thinking and processes any longer if you want to ensure they choose you to spend their hard earned money with.

The intent and motive of your heart (your business, corporation, whatever started in the heart of someone) is going to be a deciding factor on what side of the “Great Business Divide’ occurring now.

What I am talking about here as to having a ‘Good Heart’ should be the basics for anyone in business. If it’s not…the new consumer emerging today will demand it and if you don’t genuinely deliver, you will have a hard time with business success in the 21st century.

Just look at these recent numbers!

It doesn’t take a professor to see the immediate future is ripe for beginning to think about how you are going to connect with today’s incredibly connected mobile consumer.

Just looking at this snapshot of numbers you can see why you need to start adding mobile marketing to your strategy.

- 82% of all adults have a cell phone
- 58% of all adults send or receive text messages (7-in-10 of cell phone users)
- 27% of all adults have sent or read a text message while driving (1/3 of cell phone users)
- 14% of all adults bumped into something / someone while calling/texting (1-in-6 of cell phone users)

- Pew Research

65% of Americans’ Believe Business Should Lead in Social Good

Even though many businesses are jumping on the Twitter and Facebook bandwagon…they are finding they are on the outside of the bulk of conversations and not having the so-called instant success many of the Social Media gurus are promising. That is partly due to the fact businesses still think Social Media is just another form of advertising!! So how do they typically approach this? Well for the most part, they are still using the ‘old advertising model’ of shouting at people to get attention and conducting one way conversations about themselves, their brand, their great deal, and blah, blah, blah.

That is completely opposite of the way real live humans (consumers) converse and this certainly applies when it comes to social media. Conversations between people are two way. That is if you are really interested in connecting with people instead of just selling ‘at them’.

Marketers, businesses, and brands that are still pushing themselves on folks are being completely ignored and grouped with all the other annoying cyber noise class. Talking at your potential customer is OUT! It takes two way engagement to even get in the conversation game in the social media realm let alone influence someone to buy from you. Far too many believe they can just show up and Facebook friends will be eating out of your hands or Twitter broadcasts will ensure the masses come running. This is so far from the truth it’s sad.

Anyone selling you on the idea you can use cutesy or clever ads, quotes of the day, last minute deals or any other midway type of shenanigans to incite the masses to word of mouth you along like the greatest new ice cream flavor ever is just flat out lying to you.

People are talking! There is no doubt about that and this is what you want them to do about you. In my opinion, the social media platform is one of the greatest things that could ever have happened to businesses today if you understand what it really is, how to use it, and respect the people using it.

A perfect example of the incredible opportunities made available via social media is just this week Mashable.com reported on Facebook’s 500 million member milestone! That’s just amazing. One online application has managed to attack a cyber hangout of 500 million members and growing!!

Facebook 500 million

When it comes to Twitter, it’s also a powerhouse as well! Courtesy of Huffingtonpost stats as of the end of April this year check these few facts out…

• Twitter now has 105,779,710 registered users.
• New users are signing up at the rate of 300,000 per day.
• 180 million unique visitors come to the site every month.
• Of Twitter’s active users, 37 percent use their phone to tweet.
• More than 40% of all tweets start with @, which means they are directed at someone.
• 85% of Tweets are original and not re-tweets of other messages.

If you are in business, you MUST be in the social media space if you want to be taken serious and compete in this new business era. However…there is a right way to do it that can put you on the path to long term success. I’m telling you up front though, it’s not a quick BAM here I am kinda marketing thing. Expect it to take lots of smart work! And be clear here, Social Marketing Is Not For the Lazy, the Greedy, or the Arrogant. It not only takes smart and hard work to be successful in this sphere, but it also takes the RIGHT strategy, planning and execution. See more on this “Useless Social Media Plans” from my colleague Jay Deragon over at Relationship Economy.

Want Social Media Marketing to work for you?

Well you better get in tune with the right information flows that give it to you straight and truthful. Really take the time to identify who you want to have as customers and start talking to them. The best place a business can start the transformation they must embark upon in order for any of this to make sense or even work for them is to consider your motives and intentions for being in the social sphere in the first place. Yes, I get it…you are in business to sell, to make a profit. That is understood and expected by even your customer. But what worked in the past does not work now. This is really an age of connectedness like never before and people don’t want to be connected to fakes, wanna-be’s, get rich quick quakes, ‘get more eyeballs’ types, or the socially irresponsible and so on. They want and demand to be connected to the real deal. And when they read your mail (in the conversations you have socially) and see you are the real deal…they will gladly share you with their sphere of influence and on, and on. Powerful, but it can be unsettling if one of your business values is not integrity. Integrity is at the core of meaningful conversations and relationships online and off. Always had been…always will be.

Wow! What a sad situation our country is facing as we prepare to celebrate and enjoy the freedoms that have been purchased and ransomed for us today on the backs of many a fine American. I thought to myself, “Is this our story for 2010 and on?”

The article went on to say “even though we’ve gained about 600,000 private sector jobs back, we’ve got nearly 8 million jobs to go,” said Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of Economic Cycle Research Institute.

The article went on to point out; it would take the creation of 10.6 million jobs immediately for the same percentage of the population to be working as was the case three years ago. Many of the workers who have lost jobs were in industries that are not likely to recover their former strength. They are predicting that as many as half of the people who lost their jobs will have to find something else to do.

This is very disturbing news. Millions of folks who have lost their jobs are not going to be able to find jobs in their line of work so they better figure something else out, right?

Ok, well I ask myself… what can be done about this? Are we just going to throw up our hands and except this? How are we going to turn this mess around? Are we going to wait for the government or big business to “bail us out”…again? Whatever good that did!

I THINK NOT!!

While I don’t pretend to have all the answers I do know a thing or two about entrepreneurship, small business and this New Business Era we have been sucked into!

I know they are right when the Foreman says these” jobs are going boy and they ain’t coming back”.  Those dinosaur industries and companies are falling like flies and more are to come. Much more judging by the way they are not willing to enter in to this new digital age and 21^st century marketing!

I know the golden egg for economic recovery and stability in this country is in the rise and well being of entrepreneurs and small business.

I know there are incredible opportunities for ANYONE to be in business for themselves doing what they love doing like never before! The internet and social media has knocked the feet out from under the gatekeepers. You can go in there and get yours now!

I know if we (the average everyday American) would support and commit ourselves to conduct the majority of our business transactions with entrepreneurs and small businesses across this country we would not only start money flowing into our communities again but we would see lots of jobs being created.

I know the internet and social media can and will facilitate the needed handshake where we tell one another about small businesses in our circle and community that are providing great products, services and customer appreciation and we recommend them to our friends and family to support them.

I know entrepreneurs and small business can beat out the big boys hands down, every time, on quality, price, creativity and service to make us want to transact with you…so Do It.

I know we all (both those of us in business and those of us the customer) care deeply about this and want to do our part.

I know we can and will support buying Local!

I know we are still the GREATEST country in the world and we have not lost who we are because we are innovators, creative, hard workers, good hearted, resilient, and we love to help each other out when we are in a jam. And folks, we are in a JAM!

I know when we make supporting our entrepreneurs and small businesses a priority like we have for causes like ‘Green living’, ‘Recycling’, Relief for Haiti, Tsunamis and countless other good things we do without a second thought…we can get behind entrepreneurs and small businesses who are committed to earning our business and support them so we can get back on the path to financial stability in this country.

I know this Fourth of July, 2010 we can also commemorate the adoption of…

BUY AND SUPPORT AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS AND SMALL BUSINESSES.

I know anyone can make it in this great country and they don’t have to be left at the mercy of companies who care more about their bottom-line and shareholder than they ever will for you!

I know you can say loudly to those companies that sent our jobs abroad to increase their profitability, who managed poorly, who didn’t give a heck about the customer, our communities or our country, who over built, over indulged, and just passed their wows on to the employees…
Take this job and shove it! I ain’t working here no more”!!!! I’m starting my own business!

I know I am going to do my part and practice what I preach. Will you join me?

HAPPY FOURTH of JULY EVERYBODY!

Independence Day

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the American colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia.^[4][5] After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

Adams’ prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

Wikipedia