Final Post

This semester has been one heck of a ride!  This class has been the highlight of pleasant things in my life and I regret that I did not have as much time to dedicate to this course and the Seesterhood of the Traveling Nerds than I would have liked to.  I am seriously looking forward to having time to spend on my new blog site, Facebook page and Twitter.

I have learned so much this semester about Social Media and about myself.  I love to blog!  I should have known this already because I love to go on endless rants about myself, others, technology, jobs, businesses, etc.  My use of social media changed dramatically as well.  In connecting this new venture of mine with other sites and personal profiles, I have learned the importance of being political in my personal posts and blogs as well because they can all be viewed and my business is directly connected with my name. 

I am up to 86 likes on my Facebook page right now and I know that number will grow dramatically as I spend more time on it and pay more attention to the people who are currently viewing. My original post regarding social media was regarding the marketing ninjas and how all of it is eventually about making money.  My view has not changed on that.  However, I do not think this is a bad thing at all.  I think that the creators of these platforms have found a way to dodge the cost of the actual media/media and that our money is no longer just being handed up to the television  networks and newspapers because we have found a new and cost effective way to market that does not require these extensive costs.

Final Week Blog Post 1 : My view of Social Media Platforms

For the first post of my final week I was asked to address the following questions:

·  Which ones integrate best with the type of business you have created?

·  Which have you enjoyed using the most? The enthusiasm or lack there of for a type of media is often shared along with the posts we write. This class gave you an opportunity to experiment with a variety of them. Now you can focus in on what seems the most effective ones to use.

·  Which work best on a daily use pattern?

·  Which can you still use effectively on a much less frequent time schedule?

·  How much time do you think your business should spend on social media marketing and why?

To answer the first two questions at one time, I think that Facebook is the most useful for someone who is selling themselves as a service and it is certainly the best integration for me and my business.  It is integrated with my site, my personal Facebook, my friends, my family, etc.  Nearly everyone has a Facebook these days and you can network with all types of people and other businesses as well.  It puts you in Google's search radar and gives you access to all sorts of tools to measure your interactions with the public.

I learned a ton about using the tools and scheduling posts that will make this even more useful for me now!  I also am on Facebook all the time anyway so this makes it much easier for me to keep up with my business and not cut into my personal time.  ;-)

Week 11: Additional sites that can help my business

In addition to Twitter and Facebook that I use often, There are other sites that I can use to help my business grow.  Among those are LinkedIn, GoogleMaps, Yelp, and Google+.  LinkedIn is an excellent resource for my type of business because if I join the right groups I will gain access to articles, information and news in the tech industry that I might not have otherwise seen.  It is also where I market myself best in the industry.  In fact, my personal website is nothing more than a link to my LinkedIn profile.  Check it out!  go to www.awsjen.com and it will take you to me!

GoogleMaps is a great way to advertise even if you do not have an actual storefront.  If you can put your information in with a PO box in your town or your home address even if need be, then it gets you in the system!  It is the first thing you see when you google something in your industry and your town... GoogleMaps comes up with a list of the locations in that area.  So, even for a business like mine, I think it is a good idea.

Google+ may not seem important right now and is not super populated but it is on it's way.  You don't ever hear someone say, "Yahoo that sh@t!".  So, I recommend becoming familiar with and integrated with Google as much as possible.

Yelp, well, what can I say?  It is one of the most used tools in my life!  It is where I go to first to find out about a company that I don't know anything about so make friends with those guys!  If you have any product to offer at all you will want to pay attention to this site and your customer's feedback.  Always respond publicly and try to have a solution not an argument because others are reading!

Week 10: Email Newsletters

I have to say, this week's assignment has been quite a hassle for me because the email site that we used is now blowing up my phone to help me with marketing!  Everything has a price, right?  However, it was a very nifty service.  I have created email newsletters before using Microsoft publisher and it worked out nicely.  With the tools that we all have at our disposal these days, emailing our customers is such a breeze!

If you are at all into cloud technology then you understand the important role that this plays in this form of marketing.  I will spare you the details of the mail servers and being able to quickly create a new email address for a specific purpose but it is a wonderful thing that was not very big back when I was working in marketing.

With publisher, you can use a template like the one that we used and you can create your email newsletter there.  If you have Microsoft Office then you have publisher and you are set.  The best thing about this is that you can also create a suite of mailers, business cards, etc that all match each other and then just run down to your local copy center and print it all out!

Email newsletters are easy and cost efficient but you have to grab your audience and not over do it or you will end up in the spam folder.  Some ideas are to always include new discounts on the newsletter or valuable information so that your clients are actually looking forward to receiving it instead of sending it to spam.  Also, to not send them too often so that they become more annoying than helpful.  I recommend expiration dates on coupons and discounts as well so that it does not become a situation where they just pile up.

Wk 9: To Personalize your post or not to Personalize your post? Is this even a question?

I cannot for the life of me think of a situation where it would not be logical to add a personal touch to a business blog post.  Accounting analytics maybe?  I don't think that even the number crunchers want to be treated like a number these days.  Times have changed and we all want to feel special, unique and appreciated as consumers.  Business transactions create a type of relationship that is professional and personal.  For example, if you know of two dealerships and they both have the exact same car for the same price and the same service contract, etc... One of the dealerships has a sign out front that says, "Cars for Sale" and the other has a sign out that says, "We Appreciate your business!  Come check us out!".  Who do you think you will go to for your car?

Facts, efficiency, cost, quality, etc are all very important factors for a consumer but the personal touch is what sets you apart from the rest.  It what attracts your demographic and it is what sells ice to Eskimos as well when it draws in the people who were not even in the market for your service or product.  Reaching out via posts and touching the minds and hearts of the public could even make them subconsciously  want to have a reason to help your business flourish.  Have you ever wished you drank beer just because that Corona looks so nice sitting on the table on the beach?  I have!
So to me, does not ever make sense not to have a personal touch in a blog post.  That is not to say that you should inject your own personality into each post.  The personal touch should not always be your own, but rather, what your public will respond to in a positive manner.

Week 8

I have a bit of catching up to do!  I set up the Twitter account for the Nerdy Seesterhood and have spent time searching and following different people that could contribute to our cause.  I have created a list for Women in Technology and thus far am following Women in Technology and Women in Cable.  The search is difficult because it often redirects to the actual club for Women in Technology and not just related sites.

I have followed sites like "The New Boston" and "Amazon Web Services" and found them all using the search tools.  It will take a little time to build up our lists but I think this will be super useful for us to network and find information and keep updated on events in the industry.

Week 7: Time to get Visual Folks!

This week, for my Social Media Marketing course, I have to discuss which visual networks would be right for me and my brand.  Oh boy!  So, should I discuss what is actually best for my business, or what I am capable of and/or should try pulling off?  In other words, Facebook, YouTube, SnapChat and Twitter are probably my best platforms to become popular out in the blogging world... but do I really want to start Vlogging?  Do I want to subject the world to the monstrosity that is me trying to talk on a video?  Or should I torture a wealth of people with Snapchats of me trying to get the dog tongue to come out of my cat's mouth? (Yes, I attempt that daily, updates to come)  I am thinking not though!

I am going to say that Twitter would be my best option.  Twitter is actually quite popular in the technology world and the reasoning is obvious.  You have an industry that is a constantly changing and a platform that moves a million miles per hour.  It is basically a match made in heaven!  If you don't believe me, start following some channels geared around Amazon Web Services, Linux, Microsoft, Sony, etc.  I think it is time for the seesterhood to get to Tweeting!  This is clearly a network that our Women In Technology blogs should be utilizing!