via techcrunch.com
Shannon's thoughts on marketing, public relations, social technology, entrepreneurship and other things
the principal at Topaz Consulting, is a relationship marketing professional, with a passion for utilizing social technology for building B2B/B2C relationships, sharing information, networking and advancing the greater good. She has over 20 years of public relations, marketing and community building experience. Her combination of political, nonprofit, higher ed and corporate experience has afforded her opportunities to build communities where none existed, develop and launch innovative programming and bridge generational, economic and racial divides.
Shannon serves on the board of directors for the In Series, a Washington, DC performing arts organization. She is a regular contributor to Women Grow Business and Discover Exceptionalism, and her blog, Shannon Sez So, examines life's joys, pains and idiosyncrasies. Shannon is the founder of Topaz Consulting, a DC based marketing consultancy with a nationwide portfolio of clients. She graduated from Mount Vernon College (now part of The George Washington University) and is a proud native Washingtonian.
TwitterFacebookLinkedInPlurkTumblrTis the season for conferences, meetups and camps
Events are a great way to network, learn and share information; however, they can be expensive, time consuming and unproductive if you don't plan properly. You want to make the most of your experience and get the biggest bang for your precious resources. FutureSimple has put together a great infographic on leveraging your time while there.
Provided by FutureSimple.com
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Use social tools to get found
It's all about the search:
Brand generated content + Customer generated content = getting Found.
via elliance.com
The World of Data
via awesome.good.is
Are you a data hoarder?
How much time to you spend online?
How much do you contribute to the data-sphere?
How many gadgets do you have and how many of them to do you use hourly, daily or weekly?
What's in your wallet, purse, briefcase or backpack and how much is it costing you
The vast majority of small businesses require credit in the beginning, and a lot of them maintain some level of credit debt while in business. The debt is usually in the form of credit card(s) because they are easy to obtain, have low monthly payments and come with long term payoff plans. All to often the business's debt is tied to the entrepreneur's personal finances because the credit/charge cards are in their name, meaning the credit is backed by their personal assets. This is a necessary not-so-good (not quite at the level of evil), which many face when making their dreams come true. Using credit cards and getting into debt are not concerning in and of themselves; rather, it is the amount of indebtedness and length of time to pay off the debts that cause the problems.
Nugget of knowledge: Credit card debt may be a way to START your business, it isn't a way to STAY in business.
Additional resources:
The Credit Process: A Guide for Small Business Owners
Small Business Loans & Grants
The 5-Minute Conversion Health-Check Scorecard
This is a great tool from The Unbounce Blog. Use the scorecard to see where you can make improvements to your landing page.
via unbounce.com
How well does your landing page score?
Do you see where small changes to your landing page can make substantial improvements to your site's conversion rates?
The Top 10 Converting Websites
7 Ways to Improve Your Call to Action
7 Elements of a Winning Landing Page
You can't hide from them...the Androids are taking over
As Google continues its march towards world domination with the debut of Google television last week. This week's infographic illustrates Droids's growing dominance in the mobile space.
Disclaimer: My current mobile device is an Android. This post does denote my endorsement of Android or Google.
Friday Flick: Apple iPhone Statistics 2010 infographic video
Apple is a marketing machine.
