As we continuously plough in to the digital world, there are several issues that we need to take seriously; one of those is the understanding of reputation whilst dealing with social media. Prior to jumping to the deep end of the subject many would agree that it’s best to characterise the term social media for readers that are not that familiar with it.

Social media in its wider sense can be defined as a group of internet based Information Systems/applications which its existence and success depends on user participation and user generated content on the social environment (mainly blogs, forums, and wikis). These user generated content are text, audio, video or other multimedia which are mainly published on social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter, or LinkedIn. Others include social bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us, or social news sites such as Digg.com.

Now that we have got that out of the way I’ll put the focus back on the subject. Every day we leave digital footprints of ourselves which is never deleted, at the same time it makes it easily accessible globally at any given period of time. Hence it is vital that we consider the issue of reputation whether you are an individual or a business owner.

Apart from us there are also other parties that contribute to our digital footprints, one obvious example that puts it in context would be if you own a business (e.g. a restaurant) then your customers are bound to talk about your business (service, food, staff, hygiene, etc) on social media as a whole. This means that whenever your business is being searched on the internet, the discussions that have been taking place about your business will come up as well.

The discussions that take place always give your business publicity whether it’s good or bad, as the saying goes “All Publicity is Good Publicity” but it’s only subject to how you or your business deals with it to turn it to your advantage. It is for this reason that it is a necessity that your business needs its’ presence on social media; if you don’t have a say or control, then the opportunity is wide open for others to control your reputation online, allowing them to have a say about your business.

In the case of individual reputation it is the same if you are an expert in any particular field (others might discuss about you or your idea/work). However it is mostly about your actions and digital foot print that you leave on social media. These are your status updates, videos, photos you upload on social sites, and comments that you leave behind. Employers these days search the internet for your digital footprint, if they find anything unprofessional (photos, videos, comments) then chances are, they will lose interest in you. You never know the opportunities that tomorrow might present to you, always be ready for it.

One highly important factor you need to consider at the moment is your Facebook and twitter accounts. Recently Facebook have changed their privacy policy allowing Google to index everything about your profile. To add to your surprise Google has also started integrating real time results from twitter, and many other social networking sites. This also means that others can view your facebook profile even if they are not friends with you, so be advised to configure your privacy settings, and think about what you post on your profile.

If you are in business, it is important that you divide your business and personal social profile. A basic advice is if have a Facebook account, and find yourself in a situation that you have your personal and business under one profile which is too late to separate, then I suggest that you categorise your friends list. This could be done by family, by high school friends, by university friends, and by business friends. This way you can have much more organised control of your profile by customising what each friend list or even each friend sees on your photo albums, videos, and status updates.

Now that we are aware of the necessity of reputation on social media, how do we go about addressing the issue? First on the list comes scanning, which is all about listening to what people say about you or your business so that you can be able to asses at what stage your reputation is?

 Setup Google alerts on your name and your business
 Bespoke dashboard, Google blog search via RSS reader
 You can also use socialmention.com for real time search, analysis & social media alerts for monitoring your company or your own name

Second comes planning, which is all about determining the type of social media you are going to use for which purpose, which also requires determining who you are networking with? Addressing this only requires simple logic; whilst finding a solution to a problem on the digital world it is always a good idea to look at things from the perspective of the real word as it is all comes down to human behaviour. For instance when you go to a party, you do not just go and stand over the wall, or even jump on the table and shout to everyone to look at you. This doesn’t need much explanation as it is common knowledge. The first thing we do is assess the crowd, and then off course all of us have got our own way of getting through the night. It is the same on social media; take time to look and assess which group/community you want to network with.

Third inline is consistency, often people think that social media campaign is like an advertisement campaign which has a start and end date. That is completely wrong, social media marketing is long term, consistency and sustainability are the major elements of it! Therefore it is essential that you allocate more than one individual who are passionate about social media that look after your marketing campaign. Your business needs multitude of voices to communicate with clients who will carry on in a sustained manner.

Finally the most important issue and the core of online reputation with social media is dealing with emergency negative media/image about your brand or you as an individual. Do not respond automatically, and emotionally, as visitors will come and see your anger. This will do more damage; people may have got a genuine problem with your service or making a credible point from a different angle when they are leaving a negative media/image. Take time out and give a measured and balanced response. All of this will be done publically so make use of the opportunity for good publicity. Always remember that we cannot control what happens to us, but what we can control is how we react to it. If your response is good then your reputation will not be related with you as an individual/your company making a mistake, but be related with the way you deal with the mistake or the argument you are making. Sometimes it might be that best response will be no response, however sometimes depending on the nature of the negative media/image you might come across tough times which might require of you dealing with it legally.

To conclude I cannot stress enough the need for vigilance. Always be on the watch as the internet constantly changes, things are much easier to correct whilst they are still immature.

“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it” Benjamin Franklin

Online Reputation Management 2010

Tesco-isation might not sound nice or please everyone as it has a negative effect on local businesses, and they continue to expand without limit. Nonetheless there are many sides that need to be appreciated, and much to be learnt from the company with regards to the way they conduct their business.  Tesco have been able to dominate the market because of their clever business model, starting from creating a good circle of virtue filled with tricky incentives.

Their online store is by itself a huge success together with efficient and effective use of their Information Systems which much of their success depends on. Now adding to the fire they have launched an app for the iphone which acts as a substitute for the plastic clubcard (Tesco loyalty card). They have also plans to introduce similar apps for other phones such as the Blackberry and Nokia.

Now where does all this innovativeness turn in to tangible or intangible gains? Previously the clubcard has hugely contributed to the CRM software of Tesco allowing them to slice and dice the data that they compile. Most Tesco shoppers I have personally come across think that the clubcard is only there to reward them with 1 point for every 1 pound spent in store. Now that is true! but what they don’t know is that they are giving Tesco that vital piece of information about their spending/shopping habits at Tesco.

One way or the other clubcard owners are contributing for the success of the company allowing management to make highly knowledgeable decisions at strategical and operational levels. The clubcard also comes in handy for customers while they do their shopping online as it keeps a record of all the items purchased in the past. This eliminates the need to browse the whole online store looking for the items you regularly buy.

Now what extra benefit does the app (clubcard for iphone) bring to the equation? Apart from the obvious benefits such as saving sending out plastic cards, Tesco will be able to accurately know how many, and which of their customers own an iphone, a Blackberry, and a Nokia. Now, you might be thinking what is the use of that? With the company expanding into the telecoms industry, this gives them the chance of monetising on existing customers.

For instance I have installed the app, Tesco already know that I own an iphone and I have auto-magically become a lead on my own action. How brilliant is that? no annoying questionnaires or surveys to obtain this valuable information. This makes their future marketing campaigns easier and successful as it is more targeted and can initiate a call to action which probably makes me a converted lead in the near future. Who knows what type of offer they might throw at me sooner or later?

Everybody is a winner as they are using a clever inbound marketing technique which relies on permission not interruption by giving away a small app, this way they have a very low cost per lead which allows them to get higher ROI (return on investment). Clever Tesco or Clever Marketing?

With just about 25 days to go till Christmas you still might not know what to buy your loved ones? or you might even be thinking of buying the same predictable gifts? Why not give them a special something that will make a positive impact and exceed their expectations by giving them the #1 Bestselling, #1 Most wished for, #1 Gifted, and #1 Most Valuable product? Make this year’s Christmas unforgettable for someone you care the most by getting them the “Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6″ Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)” Just have a look at the video below to get a good understanding of this amazing device. Order now to get it shipped straight away from the US!

Guardian Article on Kindle“Tech it to the max: great gift ideas”

Also known as the “name squeeze page” or “lead capture page”, you can build your mailing list by funnelling all of your would-be subscribers through the creation of a landing page. Not only do you do the work just once, your traffic driving efforts can be focused onto just one effective method. The following are tips in creating a successful landing page that converts visitors into subscribers on a very huge percentage.

Build a good email list and you will be guaranteed to get financial freedom, it is normally called “push button profit”.

Steps

1. Offer a freebie in exchange for your visitor’s email address. I very much endorse this method of building your mailing list. You can offer a special report or a sample of your paid product to your visitor in exchange for their details such as name and email address. Click Here! to see an example on how this squeeze page provider have used it.
2. Write the landing page professionally. When writing your page, treat it as if you are writing a sales letter. While you are not necessarily making a hard sale or try to get someone to buy your product upfront, being able to entice your visitors to give their details to you is just as important as selling.
3. Know that Other than your opt-in form and perhaps important disclaimers and terms, there shouldn’t be any other links on your landing page.
4. Rub in the benefits of the freebie you are offering more than a mere subscription to your newsletter. You should focus most of the attention of the letter on encouraging your prospective visitor to download your free offer. Later, you gently remind your prospect that he or she has nothing to pay but just merely subscribe to your newsletter in exchange for the freebie.

Tips

• As a final reminder and conclusion, in order to build trust, you can include your hand-written signature or a photo of yourself explaining where you are coming from and how you can help your visitor through your free report on offer. Always try to be unique in your offerings, build a relationship with your list, make your hook compelling, clearly state benefits, test different squeeze pages.

How to do it?

• The beauty of squeeze pages is that you do not need to be programmer or know any kind of html or any special software. No technical requirement, just edit on the fly to get your own squeeze page within 30 minutes. Everything is done on the browser in real time, and is absolutely customisable. Make sure you watch the video by Clicking Here! and get your squeeze page up and running quickly from this provider!.

This has been one of the most ignored question among business owners who are overly excited in launching their marketing strategy, or to those who got brainwashed by some marketing guy who wants the money out of people’s pocket. Read these 2 truths:

• Truth no.1: The Internet is fast becoming the most popular and widely-used medium for advertising/marketing.
• Truth no.2 (and of greater importance): Not every kind of business can make it online.

So before shelling out the money, it is imperative that you check to see if the kind of industry that you’re in is something that people search for online. There are a lot of establishments or businesses that have significant niches in the offline market. Take for example the motor inns and motels. There is a good market for that catering to travelers going by the highway in need of easy, along the road accommodation. But if you’re the motor inn owner, is it reasonable to go online? Are your potential guests search for you first over the Internet to make a booking? Do they even ask Google what’s the “nearest motel at Highway 66?”, for example. No, they don’t. So, can your business click online? Before diving into the Internet Marketing world:

Steps

1. Think of your customers. Do you think they’ll first go online to find you? Do they hang around the Internet?
2. Competitor Check. Know who your competitors are in your area and see if they have an online presence. A website isn’t the sole indication of this. See if they rank, or even appear in the search engine listings when you type in keywords, search terms related to their business. The most important element is to find out the keywords that they use by Clicking Here! you will be able to find out. If you do not see them, check out the sites that appear in the search pages. Do these businesses target the same market as yours? Are these direct competitors? Are they as large/small as you are? If you answered No, then it’s not a good idea to be online. These websites could be owned by 1) webmasters of directories related to your industry, 2) the big players that are probably of a different, larger niche.
3. Brand Name Popularity. This is easier if you wanted more accurate results by launching a simple, time-framed PPC Adwords campaign. Use your brand as search keyword then check out the number of impressions it generates. Ad impressions reflect the number of times your brand name has been searched, or used as search term. If having an ad campaign is costly on your part, do keyword research using the most trusted keyword research/suggestion tools. Check on the monthly searches for your brand name. You now get a clue if people are searching for you online.
4. Industry Popularity. This is where keyword research also comes in handy. Apart from your brand name, check on the relevant search terms (or even your competitors’ brand name/key phrases), and the amount of traffic or monthly searches it generates from search engines. This data will tell you if your kind of industry suits the online market.

Tips

• Even though it’s still an Internet < Real World ratio we have here, quality traffic is normally driven by offline campaigns, because this traffic is comprised of the people who have actually gained interest in your brand/product/service prior to checking you out in the world wide web. Offline advertising can lead your customers to check on your website, but the most important thing to ask is if going online will be of service for them.
• Determine if launching a marketing campaign will add value to your business by finding out if your customers are really looking for you on the web, and if it is of service for them.
• Last but not least is to know how your competitors operate in getting customers to their site Click Here! to find out
• That’s the only way to know if you can click online.

Satellite TV is very popular now a days. Many people have High Definition TV’s with satellite TV viewing capabilities. A new and emerging technology on the market is satellite TV on PC. This means that now you can watch satellite tv on PC, without all the dish and receiver set ups.

Steps

1. Find the correct software. There are various satellite TV on PC products out there that allows you to watch satellite TV on your PC. So it is very important to really get the best bang for your buck. So the first thing I would suggest is to start researching the various programs available.
2. Once you have found the appropriate software, you will have to purchase it.
3. Download the software to your computer, satellite TV on PC software also known as PC satellite TV software is compatible on both windows and mac operating systems.
4. Install the software on your hard drive.
5. Execute the software.
6. Set up your favourite channels after doing the channel search, which will pick up, up to 3000 channels including various news networks, pay per view, adult programming etc.
7. Enjoy satellite TV on your PC. You are now part of more then 1 million others who are enjoying watching satellite TV on PC.

Tips

• Make sure your computer can support the PC satellite TV software.
• The requirements are really not that high, so if you have a decent computer that’s a Pentium 3 or newer you should have no problems.
• Satellite TV Player series recommended

Warnings

• There are many scam artists out there trying to sell faulty satellite TV on PC or PC satellite TV software programs. They are really just out to take your money and not provide you with solid software.
• For a trusted site where to get a legitimate software Click Here!
  
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