Happy 10th Birthday Blogger

Looks like it's that time of yea again.

Just noticed the Blogger icon has changed. Nice little Easter Egg for the day.
The name of the png file is "logo40_bd10" so Blogger must be 10 today.

Happy Birthday Blogger.

Must-Have Bloggers Links

Wow it's that new interactive living room remote.

If you are blogging or just want to know what is required to get your blog up and running, this is your lucky day. On my adventures browsing the web I ran across this little beauty. I was genially impressed to find over 170 links related to Blogging that cover the following topics:

• Registrars
• Hosts
• CMS
• Designs
• Advertise
• RSS
• Communication Tools
• Resources
• Inspiration
• Tutorials
• Blogs
• Making Money
• Tools
• Other
• Social Marketing

Well worth a visit even for a seasoned pro. I spent some time checking out many of these links and there is a ton of great information for anyone interested in creating a blog site that is functional as well as profitable.

So get ready for some serious clicking and remember to make notes of the links that can help you right away. I didn't and ended up traveling through many of the links again just to find a piece of awesome information.

Beware of the Social Media Rock Stars

I've got blisters from my keyboard...

Check out this post from Axel Schultze. If you like it here's the original post.

The social media rock stars who do a few campaign masterpieces are finding new competition from business process savvy consultants who take social media way beyond the campaign level on the marketing side. Co-creation is the known buzzword, listening to customers and building the right next-generation product the executable part of it.

The social media marketing campaign is only one piece of the cross functional social media puzzle. Even before developing a social media strategy a comprehensive assessment of customers, brand, partners and competitors is typically the starting point. Resource allocation management and funds allocation including ROI calculations are standard elements in a professional social media tool box.

If all you want to do is a cool social media campaign and get a ton of followers you are not much further along than the ones who hope to get 100 Million eye balls through sponsored links. But if you honestly care about your customers and try to develop a profoundly better customer experience, then think beyond the "cool" and start building a holistic cross-functional strategy — so that service, support, product design and sales are a homogeneous force and the customer experience is something your customer recognizes.

So based on these assumptions it is still back to the basics with Social Media if you really want to use it as a tool. I thing there are way to many people out there drowning in too many "Social Media Tools" and not understanding that you don't get new clients by thinking social media is a tool for generating direct sails. Do your research, find out what a large group of people would want and than make a product that meets those needs. Everything after that is PR and informational communication.

8 Collateral Pieces Essential for Any Business

Can I have some of your promo stuff please...

1. Company fact sheet
Potential investors, employees, analysts, and media people should be able to learn important facts about your business with a quick look at your fact sheet. A company fact sheet should include the following information:
* Date the company was founded
* Location of headquarters and any affiliate offices
* Names and brief backgrounds of founders and upper-level management
* Contact information
* Brief mission statement

2. Product fact sheets
Keep a fact sheet on file for each of your products or services. A product fact sheet should include the following:
* The product's function
* Distinctive features
* Comparison to similar products on the market
* Quality level
* Reliability
* Cost

3. Biographies on founders and senior management
Have a bio on hand for each founding member of the company, every senior manager, and each member of the board of directors. Bios should include:
* The person's education
* Relevant experience
* Awards or honors
* Publications that feature the team member or the team member's work

4. Mission statement
A mission statement can motivate and direct employees; it will also give new hires an idea of how your company works. You can also show the statement to potential investors, lenders, or members of the media.

5. Company background.
Whereas the company fact sheet essentially is just that — a list of facts — this document is written in paragraph form and should include more detail.

6. Current list of clients and partners
This information may be of interest to investors and potential clients.

7. Press kit
When you open your business or launch a new product, consider sending out a press kit. Press kits are also handy to pitch your business at a trade show. Your kit should include the following elements:
* Folder with your company's logo
* Personalized letter pitching your company, product, or service
* Company fact sheet
* Product fact sheet
* Press release
* Articles written about your company
* Business card
* Company background

While you may want to keep a few press kits on hand, don't keep a giant stack of them around. Otherwise, you risk distributing out-of-date materials. Instead, keep each element of the press kit in a computer file, and update as needed.

8. Clip file
Someone in your office should collect and maintain any articles written about your company. Note: If you are thinking about mounting a PR blitz, consider hiring a PR firm to track where press kits were sent, to make sure they are received, and then to monitor the press for mentions of your firm.

13 Reasons You Should Use LinkedIn

He says he hasn't heard of LinkedIn

Linkedin is great resource for anybody doing any type of business that involves interacting with other people. So basically everyone...

1. LinkedIn is like a 24/7 trade show that every one came to. (41 million users)

2. Conventional networking hubs like trade shows are in decline due to excess supply and low level attendees

3. You can search for references on potential employees, and customers.

4. No other social media platform will enable you to contact VP's Directors and presidents of large B2B style clients.

5. You can get introduced by mutual connections.

6. It is a trust based asset . You can get referred , publicly and permanently, by industry professionals who others will take as a trusted source of information.

7. CV's that are held in public are unlikely to employ artistic license.

8. You can get advice from groups of like minded professionals.

9. You can announce your availability, and see jobs related to your field of expertise without having to subscribe to email alerts !! (One of the many reasons why LinkedIn is going to wipe out job boards )

10. You can purchase the right to contact people. (Even though their email stays hidden from everyone!)

11. The value of a recruiter is dependent upon his ability to build and create a network on LinkedIn that is both deep and broad. (Changing their role from gatekeepers and anonymous holders of your CV, to trusted connections.)

12. You can still maintain your privacy and avoid spam easily.

13. You can contact people who are not presently looking for work . meaning they have no chip on their shoulder and are often not coming from a position where they are disgruntled.