the amazing power of social media
In the last week I have begun researching a topic for a new book with David Busch, along the lines of the last two, this time with a great and, to me, relevant spin: Flickr; specifically, how to promote your photography using Flickr.
These days, social media platforms are nearly as prolific as video games, and in the Game of Social Media, a few are inevitably rising to the top. Flickr and Facebook currently reign in their respective niches, even while users continue to spread their presence out among multiple platforms. As a result, and as the technology has made such a thing possible, users have demanded–and developers have responded with–ways to connect all these many media. Particularly because many of these platforms have evolved into very specialized sites, it is useful to be able to connect them in order to take advantage of one’s not-always-overlapping circle of contacts across the sites. (more…)
Add comment November 14, 2009
marketing in tough times
Social Networking can be a great marketing tool!
We hear it over and over again, and see expanding proof of its truth: times are tough, and it looks like they will be for a while. A few months ago, I was pooh-pooing this fact (and for a while we got reports that “everything’s getting better right now!”), but the evidence is striking closer and closer to home, most recently in the form of massive layoffs in my home town (it was a few months ago, and the effects are dramatically evident now in the form of house foreclosures, empty storefronts, and so on). What do you do when you’re trying to stay afloat? How do you market your business and stand apart from your competition, who might be doing what you do, but at a discount?
Add comment July 16, 2009
unlonely
Recently posted on Flickr, this poem describes an amazing experience.
Continue Reading Add comment July 9, 2009
Facebook ads and self-testing
Because business has slowed down a bit, I thought I would try something new: a Facebook ad. In minutes, I had already hit my clickthrough limit, but none of those clicks resulted in sales (at least not so far).
It’s interesting, being my own guinea pig. As I test methods on my own site, I can share what I’ve learned with my clients. “If at first you don’t succeed…” is a phrase by which all marketing lives, I think, but these days it’s important to have fewer failures. We want to spend client marketing dollars as efficiently as possible.
Part of the problem is that everyone is so VERY cost-conscious these days that they’re looking for free solutions for everything, including marketing. There’s lots of free stuff out there, but it takes knowledge and experience — not to mention a great deal of time — to really make it work for you.
I’d love to hear from readers about their experiences testing their own methods on themselves.
Add comment July 3, 2009
the power of an emergency
Haven House in Maryville Tennessee, which specializes in crisis intervention, prevention and education around domestic violence, has itself suffered a crisis in the last couple of weeks: a kitchen fire has rendered the emergency shelter nearly unusable, leaving many domestic violence victims with no place to go. (more…)
Add comment June 16, 2009
the power of community service
Everyone should take part in community service of some kind. You will learn and share things you cannot imagine!
Continue Reading Add comment May 15, 2009
the power of service
A story of both abysmal and exemplary customer service, from the same airline, on the same night…
Continue Reading 1 comment May 9, 2009
