Have you Registered for the July 31st Social Media Bootcamp?

If not, why not?!  If you are waiting to get in the game you are hearing so much about, this is your chance!

This event is well worth your time and your $30.  In three and half hours you will get a crash course on eMail Marketing, Computer Security & Back Ups, and the latest in Social Media.

Sue Kinch of Fresh Eyes Business, will teach us why we should consider eMail Marketing, the dos and don’ts, how to increase the likelihood of your emails being opened and read, and how to build a permission based email list.

Dan Izydorek of PC Miracles will talk to us about Computer Security & Back Ups.  Dan will go over the necessity of computer security, how to avoid being victimized, understanding what is worth securing, and prioritizing how you should protect your information assets from security violations and breaches such as data theft.

Terry Bean and Charlie Wollborg will give us an inside look into Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Motor City Connect.  We will learn how and why these social media platforms can help us, our business, and our brand.  What are they?  How do I get started?  What is the return on my investment of time?  These questions and more will be answered.  Marketing and advertising are changing, there are conversations going on all over the web about your industry, your customers, maybe even your company or your brand.  You need to be playing in the sand boxes where everyone else is.  Terry and Charlie will teach you how to get in the game and the importance of promoting your brand across the digital landscape.  It is no longer enough to have a standalone website; you need to work on your web presence.  Your education starts here. 

Take advantage of the early bird special, $30 before July 28th, or $50 at the door.

I look forward to seeing your there!

Motor City Connect

Ever heard of it?  It is relatively new and it is worth your time and effort. 

In their words Motor City Connect is: 

The next generation of business networking, networking 3.0.

Better. Together.
“Welcome to a new way of networking. A new way of thinking. A new way of doing business. Motor City Connect is a collection of professionals banding together to help each other – and our community – succeed.”

This site is a wonderful tool for Business Networking, Professional Development, and Community Service.  They pride themselves with not having many “rules or regulations.” 

The site has a Quick Start Guide for new users:  http://motorcityconnect.collectivex.com/page/mcc-quick-start and a Frequently Asked Questions page: http://motorcityconnect.collectivex.com/discussion/topic/show/75387 that Charlie Wollborg walks you through. 

Motor City Connect is like www.LinkedIn.com for those of us in South East Michigan that wants to connect with each other on a more intimate and personal level.  To an answer your next question, yes, you should be on both.  Motor City Connect has the ability to be more personable because it is local.  They provide countless opportunities to get off the “Grid” and meet people face to face.  MCC is great at putting on helpful events for networking, professional development and entertainment.  They have lunches, seminars, Pistons games and even sky diving!

Great background video with Founder Terry Bean:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3WCiPx5FCc

See for yourself:  http://motorcityconnect.collectivex.com/ 

Twitter, to tweet or not to tweet.  That is the question.

Are you on Facebook?  Do you update your status?  If so, you are not far from “tweeting.” 

Twitter is a mico-blogging site, with over 14 million users that limits you to 140 characters

. 

People use Twitter for a wide variety of reasons, to promote a brand, strictly as a social tool, to get feedback, to read news, for marketing, to generate leads, or maybe to drive traffic to a blog or website. 

Twitter allows you to listen in on and enter conversations going on around the clock with countless other users.  As Gavin Heaton says, “Update your followers of the constantly evolving story of your brand.” 

You decide who you want to follow and will be surprised at who may follow you, I feel a little weird knowing Governor Granholm is following my tweets!  Twitter changed the way we receive news, it gives the average Joe the ability to be a citizen journalist, with the ability to share news as it happens.  And don’t think Twitter is just for kids or Millennials, in February of 2009 Twitter largest user group was adults ages 35-49. 

If you start using Twitter, and I recommend that you do give it a try, there are a few tools and tricks that can make your time spent on it more effective. 

You can send your tweets from your cell phone by texting to 40404. 

You can use TweetScan, an email alert system to track who is saying what about topics that interest you.  Tweetscan gives you a daily email with Twitter users that use the key words you input. This allows you to keep track of conversations going on about your brand, your industry, or people of interest. 

TweetDeck is a great tool to help you organize the people you follow with customized columns and groups, a “Tweet filter” if you will.  TweetDeck is a simple and fast way to experience Twitter.  TweetDeck allows you to see everything all at the same time keeping you organized and up to date with other users. 

My last tip is to attend Tweetups, this is your chance to get off the grid and enter the non digital world to actually meet the people you follow and that follow you.  Tweetups give you the ability to put faces with the people you know only on Twitter as well as meet new people to follow.

As I sit and write this article CNN has the biggest following with over 955,000 followers, President Obama is 6th behind Ashton Kuther, Britney Spears, the Ellen Show and Twitter itself.  Shaq, Lance Armstrong, John Mayer, and Jimmy Fallon take up the remaining top 10 spaces with the largest following. 

Are you LinkedIn?

What is LinkedIn?  Why is it important?

LinkedIn is a free social networking tool, the Facebook for professionals.  There are over 20 million international experienced professionals representing over 150 industries using LinkedIn.  Are you?

LinkedIn is a great way to make all of your professional connections visible, allowing you to post a profile with your work experience, education, work history, contact information, web links, and your professional connections.  It allows you to search through your connections and your connection’s connections.  LinkedIn is a great tool for helping to get a warm introduction, post referrals and testimonials while you get and stay connected to people you know and trust. 

In a nut shell, it is a powerful application to see who knows who.  Think 6 degrees to Kevin Bacon.

Get on it and get active.  Use it for prospecting and generating warm leads through people you know.  Post a question and get feedback from experts within and outside of your network.  Take advantage of the mini blog feature and keep your connections posted on what you are up to.  Use LinkedIn to find work, post a job opening, find networking opportunities, or join a group specific to your industry.   Look up who you are having that next business meeting with, get some info to help break the ice.  Use it for checking someone’s background before you hire or partner with someone.  You will soon see there are countless ways to use Linkedin.    

If you shy away from sites like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, this may be the quiet and professional atmosphere you are looking for.  When I say quiet, it is a bit closed, meaning you have to be somewhat active to get the most out of your network. 

Keep in mind LinkedIn is not just about building your connections; it is about helping you to be more productive.  I recommend only linking to people you really know and trust.  Now more than ever tools like this are what we need, we have more choices and less time.   Everyone is busy, but are you productive?