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God and Facebook- who would ever put those two together in an article? Well, apparently me because I asked for it. I was in need of an article subject and my good friend Brian Teeman stepped right up to the plate and suggested a topic. He also offered me a nice prompt to get me started Spectator Article.
As I sit here writing this article, I am torn between having some fun with it and with trying to make a real argument about the relationship of facebook and God. Guess which one wins out? You got it- fun. I just can’t seem to go down the serious path at this point, especially when I asked for a prompt and I got one that is a challenge. So, here we go.
The all-powerful facebook is a lot like God. I can’t believe I just said that, but it’s out there now. Yep, you heard me, this all knowing and all-powerful presence has a lot of the same qualities that cause us to have a conscience about the relationships we nurture and our overall behavior in life. Think about it.
What ever happened to those “friends for life” since graduation day? Without facebook, the whole idea behind school reunions would surely dwindle to a thing of the past. I’ll tell you what, for my 20th high school reunion- I was at a loss. There were so many people I didn’t remember and I couldn’t for the life of me find my old yearbook to use as a refresher. I sure could have used some visuals of my classmates prior to! Sure we had a good turnout, but I can just imagine who would have shown up if facebook was a little more mature back then. Nowadays, if you can find one graduate you can probably find almost the whole class- if you want to. Not that I want to, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is kind of nice to be able to reconnect with some of them. So as years go on, I anticipate a growth in reunion participation overall and old friends connecting.
And how about the good old family conscience? Facebook sure has a cornerstone on that market too. Just consider how many funerals have you gone to only to say something like; “we ought to get together more often. The only time we see each other is at funerals.” Then life happens and more years pass by. On top of that, there are those times in your life when families are young, financial hardships have a grip on you, and business is overwhelming. With nothing all that positive to say, you withdraw into your life and hope that no one really misses you or even notices you are gone. This defense mechanism of hiding so we don’t have to explain ourselves is well, a bit harder with facebook. Once one of the brothers or sisters get online, then the nieces and nephews and of course the parents who are computer literate…your circle of family has just grown exponentially whether you like it or not. Your anonymity has officially disappeared. The good news is that your family support system is now stronger than ever and they are there to pick you up when you are down. The bad news is that they can easily find you no matter what is happening in your life.
Last but not least, there are the images to be shared. You can post photos of yourself and your family, of your friends and colleagues. This is a nice way to make that instant connection with others without having to do anything in person. Sometimes that is good and sometimes it is bad, and sometimes it is a little of both. It is good when you live far away from one another and want to see the growth of a child. The bad news is knowing that others can post images of you or tag images of you on their site and you are quickly reminded of the things you have done in life. Obviously there will be appropriate and fairly inappropriate ones. In either case, there is the omnipotent facebook that has been put into cyberspace to remind us of our sins and of our triumphs. Facebook really is a lot like God in that respect.
I’ll tell you what, if you think God will punish you for the things you have done, just think what will happen when your almighty facebook “friends” decide to show off images of you at that last party. You think about that! Now, get to praying that you don’t find out something about your kids that you would rather not know. (That’s what I am afraid of).
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“Everyone is my Target Audience” |
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Well, that is a nice idea if you don’t need the business.
Determining a target market can be a real stressor for many business owners. There are so many suggestions as to whether or not to narrow your audience. The bottom line is that you can have more than one audience, but you still need to know who they are. Once you have decided on that (and that may change with experience) you can develop strategies to suit them specifically.
Let me emphasize again--- YOU NEED TO TARGET AN AUDIENCE- perhaps even one at a time, because even though you may offer a product or service that suits a variety of groups, each group may respond differently to your marketing style, technique, approach…. Whatever you want to call it.
EX: For the younger crowd- Social Media might be the best bet. For older crowds- a letter in the mail might cut the mustard. For business owners -newsletters or even phone calls might get the job done. It really depends on the audience and you have to know how they will respond to your efforts (or at least take an educated guess).
A couple of simple ways to help you make that educated guess could be to:Review your website analytical reports, create a poll,send out a survey, do some research or hire a research firm
Marketing isn’t always an exact science, but common sense will go a long way- as long as you have a place to start- KNOW WHO YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE IS! If you need help determining your audience, contact me and we can converse about your business, product and services to determine just that.
Think about it- is “everyone” really your target audience???? |
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Guest Blog as a Marketing Strategy |
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There are a couple of good reasons to post guest blogs as part of your online marketing strategy. Keeping in mind that there should be a “method to your madness.” It should be done purposefully and with a goal in mind.
Credibility-It does not matter how long you have been in business, gaining credibility with your target audience, peers and professional colleagues is critical to maintaining and growing your business. There is only so much you can put on your website, but with a blog, you can target various audiences through your insight, ideas, and knowledge in a way that entices the reader to learn more about you and your services or products.
Be the expert in your field.
Exposure- Blogs are great for use on your own site because you can use them to populate keywords in a manner that is Search Engine friendly. They are also great because you can use them to give the reader food for thought. The more you post, the more exposure you get. Once you have blogged, Twitter about it or post it on your Link-In account. Be sure you have an RSS feed available to visitors so they can be notified when you put up new posts. The more you put it out there, the more traffic you have going to your site.
Be smart about whose site you guest blog on.
(How would you rate their reputation? Are your services complimentary? How will a blog on their site add value to both of you? )
Name recognition- Name recognition is very similar to exposure, but is a little more focused on using your given name. Many of us have a company name that is different than our own personal name. If people know you better by your name and not necessarily your company, then you need to consider how name recognition through blogging might be helpful. After all, the bottom line is that you want to drive more traffic to your site and if your audience only knows you name….. Have you done a good enough job to get that name out there so they make the association between the two?
Be sure to get a by line.
Personal Satisfaction –Being strategic in marketing means making decisions about what is and isn’t appropriate to put on your own website. If you have a passion about something that doesn’t necessarily fit within your business goals, but you love to do it- find a way. Look for forums, blogs, sites that are a good fit and write there. Keep in mind, however, that whatever you do, your reputation should always be at the forefront of your writing. If you are considering posting something off color, think twice, because the more your name is out there- the more people can find you and when that happens- your business can be negatively affected.
Be careful out there.
So, the long and the short of it is that you should consider guest blogging. I sure like to do it. Here are a few recent posts that I have put out there. Check them out!
Current Posts
Online Vs In Person Networking http://brian.teeman.net/web-development/online-or-in-person.html
3 Reasons to Hire a Content Writer http://www.alledia.com/blog/business/3-reasons-to-hire-a-content-writer/
Older Posts
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Working alone is just plain challenging and unless you have someone you can count on to help you through the self-doubt, you may start spinning your wheels.
If you can't seem to get where you want to go, but you know that it where you need to be- get some help. Living and learning is one thing, but being too stubborn to ask for help is silly! Call a colleague or friend to help you out today so you can move forward.
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