Hi Everyone it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post. For all those who have an RSS feed with SHARE blog I sincerely apologize for the lack of posting. Over a 3 year period I have been able to be dedicated and consistent – regarding our posts week in and week out. A month ago, what is happening to many of us all – happened to me. My father who at 90 has been healthy, mobile and busy with some general illness issues – that anyone with almost a century behind them would accumulate – has become seriously ill. We have had repeated visits to emergency as well as admittance and then releases and then started the process all over again. With him being an hour away – I am finding out what it is like to be a commuter and to be of as much support as I can – as one of the primary care givers for my father.

We believe that or I should say I believed – I was prepared for when this day would come, but when it arrived I was not even close to being ready. I think for all of us, know matter what age our parents are – we are never prepared for them to have to go through the challenges that can come as you age. In our case my father is a fighter and determined to surpass all of these serious issues as soon as possible. It is our job to help support him and negotiate the challenges and find outside support to help us do that as best we can.

In these times what I have learned is that family comes first and then everything must come after that. None of us are super human – especially women who want to take on the world! That by the way would be me!! The result is that the blog has fell behind and so I felt it important to SHARE where I was and hopefully touch someone else who is going through the same experiences as I am! Life is an evolution and we are all on a journey – sometimes SHARING what we are going through helps us as much as it does others!

Looking forward to getting back to the world of social media next week!

Best Nicole

We are back from taking a break with our posts and look forward to connecting with you again weekly – as we have done over the last few years. It is always interesting to hear how many companies are still fearful – of leveraging social media and use negative responses from customers as a reason to not dive in. As you have seen via many large companies Nestle, Motrin, Boeing to name a few – avoiding those customers who are complaining and or unhappy – can create issues that may become far bigger than they ever began. If you think of how you personally feel – when you are unhappy about something, speak up to that business immediately and they then find a way to fix the situation – you usually walk away not only satisfied – but far more passionate about that business or brand then you were prior to that particular situation. Read the rest of this entry »

We talk about social media and engagement on our SHARE blog – as key touch points – to understanding how to best leverage social media tools for your customer while building- honest and truthful mutually beneficial relationships. We talk regularly to our clients both new, current and potential about understanding your target market. One size does not fit all. It is understanding who you want to connect with and how they want to connect with you that is vital in serving your customer via social media. Read the rest of this entry »

Remember those delicious Girl Guide Cookies? Or the Avon and Mary Kay representatives that used to come door to door – with their catalogs back in the day. They would have a bag of samples of products for you to try, you could leaf through their catalogs make your selections and then your representative would come back to your home and hand deliver your order. None of those things have disappeared – but like everything the methods for which some of those salespeople are now not only finding new customers, but communicating and engaging with their current customers is via social media online. Read the rest of this entry »

I read a great article today that I am going to SHARE with you at the end of this post. It talks about brand promise vs brand experience. Social media as we all know – has now broadened the net for reach and allows not just a brand, but anyone to SHARE anything their hearts desire and have it spread like wildfire by leveraging social media tools. Many businesses are finally waking up to the power of these tools and better yet -  it is the customer that is now driving much of the power – by being able to clearly articulate and SHARE with those that will listen, to their wants, needs and benefits of doing business with them. In return the business in question must be able to not only listen – but stand tall on what their brand promise, product, service and value is and stay true to their word. Read the rest of this entry »

Not sure if you are familiar or not – but there has been a surge of websites pop up with alot of media attention relating to group coupons. The idea behind these sites is that discounts are offered and a specific number of people must take part in purchasing the coupon for it to become active. This takes place via social media and there are several sites that have popped up. Groupon is one of the larger ones Wagjag and LivingSocial.com are others. Groupon has grown from 400 subscribers in 2008 to over 4 million. For bargin hunters or those on a budget – this is a great way to access all sorts of deals from restaurant coupons, to spas, to cooking classes and so much more. Read the rest of this entry »

I read the most wonderful post written by Seth Godin this morning. He called his article Quid Pro Quo (Santa Math) The idea that most people are selling something in the exchange for something. SO you buy a sandwich you pay $3.00 for the sandwich and you get it with no onions. “This for that he says“. He goes on to say “that when you engage online – like I am doing with this blog – he says “I don’t write this blog to get gigs or business, although it may happen” it is not the highest intention. It is more to build a relationship with the people that read it – in the hopes that on this long, fun and interesting journey – I can SHARE with others the knowledge, success and challenges that come – with the integration of social media – as an important marketing channel for your business. Read the rest of this entry »

I did a speaking engagement last week to a group of Sr. Executive women. When asked my advice on what is most important when looking to engage your business with social media -” I said you need to understand who your target market is and then aptly find ways to understand what their social computing behavior is and go from there.” Using the right data and traffic analysis tools – to find out who your most influential followers are and how they utilize social media tools – is the key to connecting with them and all the people that follow them and so on. So many people as I wrote in an early post a few weeks ago – get focused on building thousands of fans and or followers -rather than focusing on who that early adopter and or influencer is – for their community and the best way to communicate with them and their many followers who are part of your target market. Read the rest of this entry »

Most of my posts of late have focused on social media and consumer engagement. Our agency focuses on 2 areas – social media and knock the wind out of you creative design. Today I am going to focus on the importance of design and the immediate connection and engagement that can be realized by great design.

For most bricks and mortar businesses – the way visitors  discover new products – comes from great design and packaging. Consumers are smart have so much messaging speeding by in so many formats – that anything that pops out at them as new – is certainly vital way to create awareness. Too add to that important factor is the footprint that products now take up – in the store and in your home. Read the rest of this entry »

All businesses are using their online marketing efforts to build their brand, market their products and services and for many businesses – they want their visitors to take action in the real world. It is that integration of offline, in-store, events and the online initiatives you make – that can entice your audience – for a response to your call to action – like getting them into your store, participating in events or purchasing products that you may not offer via an e-commerce store. Read the rest of this entry »