GNTC Spring Social Media Lab
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Do you want to learn how social media can help your business reach existing customers and build relationships with new ones? If so, bring your laptop and join us for a fun and exciting Social Media Lab at GNTC (Georgia Northwestern Technical College) in Rome, Georgia. This hand-on lab will help you start using social media immediately.
Social Media Lab is a six-week program offering the “how to” basics for promoting your business through social networking and blogging. Each week we will cover building a different site in a 3-hour lab. Find out from the experts how to build your business as you build Friends, Fans, and Followers.
Labs will be held on the Floyd Campus on Monday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon. The spring Lab will be held April 12 – May 17. Classes can be taken separately, but for the best overview and value, register for all six weeks together! Register for individual weeks for $79 each ($158 for 2-week blogging session), or for all six for $349. Register for the complete program and bring a friend, and get $10 off the second registration. Register five or more people together and receive a 5% discount on all registrations! Register at GNTC.
Lab Overview – April 12
What is it? What’s in it for you? How can engaging in social media help your business? Do you know the difference between LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook? And just what in the world is Blogging? In this introductory class you will learn the basics and the purpose of each of these, and how integrating them will give you the greatest ban for your buck. This first week sets the stage for the remaining sessions. Read More→
I’m Thinking S’Mores at New Homes Camp
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REtechSouth is right around the corner! But if you have procrastinated and not bought your ticket, no worries, there is still time to register. REtechSouth is March 25 and 26 and to make it easy, here is the link to my ReTech discount code!
During REtechSouth mRELEVANCE is sponsoring New Homes Camp on Thursday, March 25 from 9:30 a.m. – noon. Bring your tent and we will supply the s’mores, ReTechSouth’s New Homes Camp focuses on how you can use blogging, social media and other tech tools for a competitive advantage. Whether you are a marketing director, new homes sales agent, broker or are simply interested in learning more about the new homes industry, be prepared to leave new homes camp with a notebook or laptop full of ideas. This is one not to miss adventure in new technology. Bring your business card for raffle prizes to be given away throughout New Homes Camp. Check out our All Star line up and make sure to select New Homes Camp on your ReTech Show Planner.
Take Aways include:
• Positioning your blog as the engine of your social media program
• How to sell to the savvy dot com consumer
• Interacting with consumers through Trulia Q&A and your Trulia blog
• How to position your social media content to show up higher in the search engines
• How online conversations can lead to building long-term trusted client relationships
• The most commonly used social media tools for engaging customers
Social Media The Ultimate Open Source
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Open source software and code has changed the way programmers develop enabling them to build programs and launch sites off already existing and usually free code. As the Internet has grown, sites built from consensus have increased in number. Wikipedia is a dictionary built on consensus, Google Wave documents can be created by a team of people located anywhere and with Google Sidewiki you can comment and converse “on” any Website.
With this online evolution, it is really no surprise that the practice of social media marketing and its best practices has become the Ultimate Open Source. At conferences like SoCon (which I attended yesterday), Tweet ups and even Twitter chats, those who participate in social media come together to share and learn from one another. Promoting the discipline of social media and creating a set of best practices, while sharing knowledge and educating one another is the ultimate goal. Whether you striving to learn more about social media to network with friends, promote your boutique business or Read More→
Meet Me at Builder Books
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Hot off the press! I don’t even have a copy of it yet, but “Social Media for Home Builders: It’s Easier Than You Think” is HOT off the press and will be available at BuilderBooks at the International Builders Show.
Stop by the BuilderBooks Store during “Ask The Experts” on Wednesday January 20th from 1 – 2 p.m. to meet me and ask your social media questions. The BuilderBooks Store is located on the Grand Concourse in the Central Hall. Open Daily.
Social media marketing doesn’t have to be a mystery. My new book will walk you step-by-step through how to build an effective program. Please come by BuilderBooks during IBS to meet me! #IBS2010
Cell Phones, Texting and Your Customers
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85% of adult Americans own a cell phone.
52% of Americans send test messages.
A recent study on Wireless Internet use by Pew discovered that more than 50% of American adults use their mobile phones for non-voice data each day. Non-voice data includes using smart phones and cell phones for texting, taking photos, playing games, surfing the Web and sending email.
And here is a scary statistic: 25% of Americans admit that they text while driving.
Lucky for us, companies like Vlingo have invented “voice user interface” technology that allows people to control their cell phones by talking to the phone. “We often like to say 26 percent of people admit to driving while texting. We are sure that underestimates the problem,” said Dave Grannan, of Vlingo. Click here for more results of the Vlingo survey. Let’s all pledge to text only while parked.
The Pew study says, “Sending text messages remains the mainstay activity for cell phone users.” As companies seek ways to engage buyers through permission-based mediums, texting will no doubt continue to be hot. Read More→
Learning About Finances
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We just opened a bank account for our 10 year old, so that he can start to learn more about managing money and building wealth. There are several things we want him to understand sooner than later:
- Stuff costs money and that money doesn’t grow on trees – you have to earn it, save it and work for it.
- How to balance a bank account. How to both add and subtract money. AND that checking your balance doesn’t account for checks that you have written but that have not cleared the bank.
- Having a debit or credit card should not give you feeling that you can charge, charge, charge. At some point you have to pay for it!
- Saving money and investing is the key to financial freedom and potential future retirement. Saving just 20 cents of every dollar earned can amount to a lot over a lifetime.
Hopefully we can help him learn these lessons as a child. As an aside, I know a lot of children who have cell phones but Read More→
The Tale of 10 Cats and Giving Back
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We just returned home from taking a donation to the Etowah Valley Humane Society and visiting with the staff and cats and dogs in their care. They have the cutest litter of kittens there too. Groups like the Etowah Valley Humane Society work hard year-round to give back. They take in and care for thousands of stray pets while seeking the perfect adoptive families. If you are looking to add a best friend to your family in 2010, please consider adopting one. And for those of you who already have furry friends, please spay or neuter them. There are lots of low cost spay and neuter options available.
This is a photo of Tux. He is one of out 10 cats. I was a “kitty foster mama” for a number of years and while fostering hundreds of kittens, I ended up with a few of my own. Luckily we live on a farm, so there is plenty of room. Here are the stories of my 10 cats and how they ended up at Thistledown.
Josie – If you follow me on Facebook, you will see a lot of photos of Josie. She is our oldest and by far most spoiled cat. I adopted her in 2001 from a pet shop in Marietta for $20. She was born on a construction site and rescued as a stray. At 6 weeks old she weighed about 6 ounces and was flea infested. Now she is a fat, sassy house cat who lives like a queen.
Daisy & Inky – These sisters were part of a litter of 9 that were dumped on our road along with their mother. The rest of the litter we fostered, vaccinated and adopted out to friends. They live happily in the barn and prowl for mice.
Whiskers & Patches – The twins, as my son likes to call them, were dumped on our road on my birthday. My husband arrived just in time to see kittens scampering all over the road. He and another driver scooped them up and home they Read More→
Sell to Women Through the Social Media Grapevine
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Did you know that the average household does 10 to 12 loads of laundry each week? What if you could use this information to Sell to Women more homes to women using the Social Media Grapevine?
Women influence 91% of homebuying decisions, and at the International Builders Show (IBS) Karen Dry, Dina Gundersen, Tammie Smoot and I will show you how to engage them through social media. Find out how social networking sites can help you spread your messages virally through the social media grapevine, build advocacy, create top of mind awareness, listen and engage.
Sell to Women through the Social Media Grapevine is sponsored by Professional Women in Building. Join us on Tuesday, January 19 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center South 221.
2010 Leadership Circle Reception at IBS
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It is already time to start making plans for the International Builders Show! I have my hotel room and still need to book my flight – how about you? Now I’m starting to fill my calendar up with all the important and fun networking events. Here is one that you won’t want to miss!
Join the NAHB Professional Women in Building and Whirlpool Corporation for the 2010 Leadership Circle Reception on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at Casear’s Palace Hotel in the Roman Ballroom One-Three. Best of all, you can bring a guest! I’m going to see if Mitch Levinson wants to go (after all, he is also a member of Professional Women in Building).
Cartersville Chamber offers Social Media Lab
By · CommentsDo you want to learn how social media can help your small business reach existing customers AND build relationships with new ones? Then join us in January for Social Media Lab at the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber of Commerce. Register for Social Media Lab here.
Social Media Lab is a four-week course offering the how to basics for promoting your business through social networking and blogging. Each Thursday we will cover building a different site in a 2- hour lab. Find out from the experts how to build Friends, Fans and Followers and create an effective strategy for your business. We will help you set up each of the sites and answer all of your questions.
- January 7 – Twitter – create a Twitter account and learn proper twittiquette. Tweeting is like text messaging to the world, just don’t say anything that you don’t want Grandma to see.
- January 14 – Linked In – from building your personal profile to participating in groups, learn the ins and outs for getting the most out of this online rolodex and resume.
- January 28 – Facebook – build a Fan page and find out ways to promote it to your friends and customers. This is one online cocktail party that you don’t want to miss.
- February 4 – Blogging – learn the basics of how to blog on Wordpress. Your blog is the foundation of your social media program. A well-built blog will be one of your Web sites top 10 referral sources.
mRELEVANCE is booking Social Media Labs for 2010 in northwest Georgia and metro Atlanta. Contact me at 770-383-3360 x20 to book a lab or for details on a lab near you. As Labs are booked, we will update the seminar schedule.
