With so many things available through technology to market and reach your customer directly today…why don’t more business owners take on more of their own marketing efforts?

You would have to have been on another planet this past decade not to know we have entered into a new business era. This is so a direct-to-consumer market now. People want customization and personalization and a one-to-one experience.  The middle man and gatekeepers are dying off by the droves in every industry segment!

One thing I’ve discovered and relate to as a consumer over the past few years is people…

Ahh the mature woman! Something all of us girls grow up to be…well hopefully. As I have embarked on this leg of my personal journey I have noticed more than ever the lack of significance placed on my role, generation and participation in the marketplace.

Is it marketers have counted me out? Do they think I am over the ‘hill’ and no longer am a substanable source of revenue for their bottomline?

It could just be our fascination and even obsession with “being young” but whatever it is…marketers that ignore this market segment are pretty stupid in my books.…

Aah…the Thanksgiving holiday!

For many of us it conjures up memories and emotions of wholesomeness, family, fall colors, great food and of course, being thankful to God for all of the blessings we have.

Despite the fact Thanksgiving is just about being swept off the map and overshadowed as a major holiday these days…it will always be a significant holiday I will respect and honor in my lifetime.

I believe Thanksgiving 2009 offers up a special opportunity to those of us in business. No doubt it’s been a tough year for many of us here in the U.S. despite what…

Facebook User Facts February, 2009

• Facebook growing faster with women than men in almost every age group. Women comprise 56.2% of Facebook’s audience, up from 54.3% late last year.

• Facebook reporting nearly 45.3 million active US users in the last 30 days

• Facebook growing in every age/gender demographic. Fastest growing segment: Women over 55, up 175.3% in the last 120 days.

• 45% of Facebook’s US audience is now 26 years old or older.

I, like most Americans have grown so weary of the unbelievably bad customer service in the everyday marketplace both online and off in this country.

Until recently, we as consumers did not have a very easy and effective way to share with the masses our experiences nor were we very successful in getting attention to our plight regarding bad service and products from the very companies we had the conflict with. The old “on hold forever 800 number” was many times the only recourse we could take against these offending businesses.

That was until technology put the tools in…

Twitter tweets were buzzing today about their frustration and anger with Old Navy’s $1 Flip Flop Day.

Apparently the marketing gurus in this company (and most other corporations for that matter) have not taken into consideration every move they make…we are watching them…and Twittering!

All over the country people were Twittering about their unhappy experience in “real-time“.  This is the power of the Social Network folks!

It’s for certain, many folks on were not happy campers. Just look at some of the comments I saw coming across Twitter…

one dollar flip flop

…

Two-thirds of all online users visit social networks and blogs, according to data from Nielsen Online. And the largest growth in social media users last year came from the 35- to 49-year-old group.

Ever wished you could contact someone at the companies you do business with to complain, resolve problem or just give them the props for something they did you liked without dealing with those aggravating automated phone systems!?

I have and so have many, many consumers for that matter!

It’s so hard to find direct access via the “old model” of doing business but now that social media has provided the tools to voice the consumers experience with millions online…you can now reach some companies and businesses who ‘get’ the power of the people in this digital economy.

If you want…

Today I came across a tweet on Twitter providing a link to a YouTube video titled Bank of America Walkout. WOW! is all I can say.

This is consumer power using social media to the 10th power!!! I predict this video will spread like wildfire and I also believe many  B of A customers will join in on this move.

This is a perfect example of what I have been saying for awhile now…this is the Age of the Super Consumer. Businesses both large and small have nowhere to hide anymore when it comes to their…