As you have noticed it has been a while since there has been some activity on this site, which is because I have been on the run quite a bit lately. I apologize and if you would like to see more topics discussed please feel free to email me. Anyway, lately I have been running numerous consulting jobs and helping certain companies learn how to utilize social media. This helped spur a pumpkin patch of ideas on what you as a business can do to help promote your business over the Internet. Here are some of my ideas and I would enjoy hearing some of your thoughts on how to market your business. (more…)

To all those small business owners trying to get a little more attention here is a tip for you! Have you uploaded a video about your business lately? Or have tried to start a viral video about a product or service you have to offer? If you start to use video you are expanding your channels of visibility which is a huge plus, but there are many numerous reasons well beyond this topic.

A big plus is the social media optimization you get out of using video. After doing some consulting for some clients I have been able to get many of my clients onto the first page of Google within hours of submitting videos and content for them. Is this magic? To some extent it is know which buttons to push and realizing which keywords will help you reach that status. A good place to start is uploading video to YouTube. (more…)

The new Facebook profile was changed to help give a cleaner presentation and make it simpler for users. However, I feel that the new profile was built to aid the developers. Facebook has taken away “The Wall” and has replaced it with an improved news feed. Why they didn’t just improve the feed and keep “The Wall” we will never know. (more…)

After browsing numerous blogs are started to notice a trend of different bloggers putting badges on their site? What is a badge you ask? A badge is an icon on your site that allows your visitors to add you to a network that they already may participate in. This way you can build up your network of connections very easily. One of my favorite blogs Dmiracle.com post all of his badges in his about me section at the very bottom of the page. This is an easy way for his readers to check him out all over the web. I happen to have one badge on my home page. This is a mistake on my part. Let’s take a look at the reasons why it should be displayed.

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Here is the presentation that was given at the Oatman House in Collinsville, IL this past Tuesday. Here is the downloadable power point handout:
socialmediastadium.pdf. The video is broken up into three parts thanks to Frank Spohr of Spohr Group. Please feel free to email me or call me at the contact information if you have any other questions about Social Media. Please feel free to leave comments as well. Please Digg the video if you can.

Email: questions@businessonthemound.com

Office Phone: 847.380.1448

Mobile Office: 847.971.1001

Something that is starting to catch a little more buzz is “Social Media” or “New Media.” What is Social Media? Social Media is content that has been user-generated with the intent of causing a reaction or to gain some sort of feedback from the users that come across the content. The key to this getting enough of a reaction that your user-generated content spreads viral all over the Internet. (Look at the Example Above)

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Yesterday I had a chance to speak with a bunch of “People in Business” about Social Media and one of the main points I wanted to stress was building relationships online to help your business. What a lot of people don’t realize is that building relationships online is very similar to building relationships in person or “offline.”

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Download: socialmediastadium.pdf

Today I spoke at the Oatman House in Collinsville, IL to the People in Business Organization. I know some of you do not live in the area and that is why I am posting my slide show on the site today. This is just the first version and I will be updating with more video and audio as the week goes on to better correlate with the actual presentation I gave. For all of you that did attend this meeting I want to thank you for your time and I hope this information on Social Media was helpful. I also hope that all of you will be able to watch the presentation on YouTube within the next few days. The presentation lasted about 20 minutes, which is why I am supplying a little additional information on Business on the Mound. There is much to be discussed about Social Media and as time goes on I will be sure to cover more information about this topic. Once again thank you all for your time and please feel to contact me at any time from the information below. If you would please take some time to leave some comments about the presentation below. These comments help me better prepare for what is to come. Thank you.  (more…)

Have you ever wondered how to keep track of all your social networks and social media sites? Well have talking to a few avid bloggers and doing a little research I have found two major roll players. These include 8Hands.com and Flock.com. There is also a new player trying to keep up called Digsby.com. These sites let you go about your daily business without ever actually visiting sites like Facebook. All you have to do is download a simple software file for your desktop.

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An easy way for you to update all of your social networks and blogs is a new tool called Ping.fm. Have you had a hard time keeping tabs on all your social sites like Facebook or MySpace? Well Ping.fm  is the place for you to update all of your sites in one clean swoop. The site is currently in its beta stage, which means there are some kinks to be worked out. You must also ask for an invite from the web-master to gain access.

Why is this helpful?  If your business is online and you are partaking in social networking sites then this will save you loads of time. This help you manage your time a little better without having to go to every site to update your status bar. This will update your contacts who will then look at your profile, which will hopefully drive more business to your site.

Who should use this? If you’re a business owner then you must be online and using sites like Facebook. If you are not using these sites you are falling behind your competition. Ping.fm helps you relieve the stresses of having to go to every site all the time.

How can you get it? Just go to Ping.fm to access the site and do a quick read up to see of this site will help your business. If it does ask for an invite  or ask for the invite through @Pingfm on twitter. The gentleman that responded to me was Sean and he was most helpful.

Just like you use Ping golf clubs to help you hit a golf ball in one clean stroke, Ping.fm helps you update your status bar for all your sites in one stroke. Check out this little handy tool that will help you save time, so you can spend more time swinging a Ping on the Golf Course. 

If you have more questions on how to do this or want help in social marketing please let me know. Or if you have anything else to add please comment or email me. Thanks for your help! 

Email: questions@businessonthemound.com.