Personal and/or Business Use for Twitter Vine

[Image Credit: Vine Twitter Account]

Well hello again and long time no talk fellow socialites! Needless to say, hope all is well and you are continuing to grow and prosper this New Year. As with most years that pass there are many new instruments, ideas, and strategies that are continuing to transform the way we communicate and if you have been a reader here for any amount of time you already know that! With that said, recently I decided to upgrade my old iPhone 3GS to the new iPhone 5, which to my surprise if extremely AWESOME. As with any upgrade (personal or professional), of course, my initial thinking was to get used to my new device (mentally) and discover some new apps to help make my life and business more organized, which I always love to share with all you. So far and just a couple weeks in with the new iPhone 5, I have discovered a new platform known as Vine (perhaps you have already discovered this application) to continue growing online via social media? Regardless if you are familiar or not with this particular application you’ll want to check it out and/or revisit it after you read the next few paragraphs.

From my research Vine for Twitter was just introduced in January of this year, which means many (perhaps you again) have discovered how valuable this new platform can be for increases in search, marketing, and sales purposes for yourself or business? Yes/No? Okay I know what you’re thinking and that’s… great now another social media site to manage? Well contrary to your thinking (open your mind already) this application is not just another app to fill up your Twitter stream but instead this app is a new way to create interesting stories using short video (i.e. 6 seconds or less) so you/your business can share your thoughts, ideas, and life changing personal or business stories. Just like many of the other social applications such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, etc. all the items (in this case videos) that you create can be publically or privately posted to your Vine followers and/or shared among your existing networks via Facebook or Twitter by recording a video with the push of a button on your iPhone, iPod, iPad or other device that may run this type of mobile application. Okay, so what does this all mean to me? Even though I am also still new to this app, here are three easy steps to take in order to find the who, what, when, and how to simply use this application to benefit you or company while staying ahead of the social media madness we often refer to in our postings.

(1) Showcase what you have to offer

Have you or your company created a unique way to showcase your competences or unique qualifications yet? If not, use Vine to create a small one or multiple set of online videos (again 6 seconds or less) for others to see what EXACTLY you have to offer. This is especially important if you have decided to look for that new job (creating an online resume) or looking to bring a new product or service to market (give everyone a sneak peek into your old or new offering(s).  

(2) Take other people behind the curtain of your life or business

What if you don’t have anything to showcase? Well that’s okay because behind everyone showcase is a story of how you or your business was born, started, or operates right? Use Vine to create a picture of what everyday life is like for yourself or business by showing off your daily routines, friends, office, or other interesting things others in your life or place of work do on daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Give your audience a firsthand encounter of events that will get you found and/or noticed in the social cloud, or in other words, pull back the curtain on your life or business!

(3) Let others help you succeed

If you are familiar with networking or use other social media sites, which have you already engaged with many of your followers, friends, and acquaintances let them know about your new personal or business plans with Vine. Once others become familiar with this new application ask them to help you achieve what it is you are looking to achieve. In fact, if you use other platforms such as Twitter or Instagram get a little more creative and create a NEW hashtag dedicated to your cause and ask other people in your network to share or use this hashtag to create additional push or buzz about yourself, company, and/or brand. The old help others and they will help you back approach to Marketing.

[Image Credit: TechCrunch Blog Post]

Obviously, these three things are not the only things you can use Vine for but they are a good way to start or retool your account if you have already started down this road. Regardless of how you use this platform, I sure would like to hear from others (if you have already set up an account) about your successes or other techniques that you are considering if you haven’t already started. As always thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to wear that smile like you mean it today ((>>:-))

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “mange their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via his About.Me Page or any of his other social platforms.

Some Helpful Mobile/Computer APPs to Stay Organized in 2013

[Image: Entrepreneur Blog Post] 

Can you believe that we are closing in on the end of another month of 2013? As such, I guess it’s time to look ahead to another successful month of learning, sharing, and taking advantage of all the latest technology (i.e. mobile applications/devices, social media, CRM, etc), huh? Speaking of have any of you discovered how easy apps (especially via our cell phones) have allowed us to do most of this learning and sharing, while allowing us to stay organized, track other things such as our finances, schedule appointments, prospect, buy, sell, etc? The best part about all this (so they say or as I have experienced) is that it frees up time for us to do other things, save money, and reduce stress… or do they?

It is no secret that mobile devices/computers are changing every day with the introduction of better, faster, and more accessible applications. Now enter marketing (YES, even mobile marketing), which believe it or not is also continuing to change just as fast, which in turn is slowly becoming a must have for any business or person that has access to a cell phone or internet connection and is looking to sell, purchase, or even just browse online (do people really still just browse?) Needless to say and according to eDigitalResearch these people (YES maybe even YOU) or roughly 54% of all cell phone users are now using their smart phones to access websites, while an additional 38% of these users actually BUYing with their respected phone. Crazy huh? In other words, that is… over half of smart phone users use their phones to browse, while another 4 out of 10 actually purchase via their phone, wow are you surprised? If not you shouldn’t be since most people don’t actually think about how often they actually use their devices for such purchasing activities, instead only think about how enjoyable it is to have such convenience now-a-days. However, this is a HUGE opportunity for almost any small business with a small budget to create a big impact if you truly want to grow your business, while providing consumers with a fast, effective, and transparent way of shopping online (i.e. this also goes for all you B2B sales professionals as well).  

Nonetheless I have talked about many of the social media sites and CRM programs in previous posts (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Empire Avenue, FourSqaure, Sugar, Salesforce, Zoho, etc). So, in this post I wanted to provide you with 3 additional applications (must haves this year) that I believe will not only help you but also marketers looking to expand business the opportunity to do so while staying organized. Yes, I did just say “organized,” as organization is a vital part of not only your personal success but also you businesses success. Agree?

1. On that note, the 1^st application that you must have this year is EverNote, which allows you to capture anything, find things fast, while accessing your information from just about anywhere. Sounds good huh? What’s more is that you can do this for yourself or business from one spot, while saving links and reminders so you can access them anytime from anywhere on almost any device! What are you waiting for and if you’re not sold here is a screen shot with more since seeing is believing!

 [Image: EverNote Blog Post] 

               [Image: IFTTT Blog Post]

2. Next up is something that I have been using both personally and professionally for the last year plus and that is the online application that automates almost any task (mostly social media related) by a simple process (perhaps you may have heard this in school before)… If This Then That, hence IFTTT? Basically this application, which you can organize online "IFTTT" connects all your personal and/or business networks together and allows you to automate what tasks you want to relay or not. Example, I often use this application for tasks such as a check-in on FourSquare (one that I took a picture), which I want to rely to my Twitter followers. Make since? One thing with this wonderful app is that you do not want to over complicate things with too many if this, then that scenarios; otherwise, this may cause more headaches then enjoyment for you. However, if you strategically plan (personal or professional) connection scenarios then you will find that this app is well worth your investment time especially if you integrate all your networks and use it with others such as HootSuite or use the EverNote app as previously discussed.

[Image: WIRED Website] 

3. Lastly, if you have been a reader here for some time you may have heard me mention the many different location based services on social media platforms such as Instagram, FourSqaure, and Facebook? However, as for staying organized or especially marketing purposes new apps are becoming even more important to your long-term success online (especially small businesses). Since location based services allow you or your customers to share, I believe that they also have a place in staying organized (especially in the B2B or B2C world), as most of these programs rely on GPS data and user interaction. Since you are or maybe checking into places personally or on even on business purposes, while looking to target others with the “right message at the right time,” then ByteLight might just be the app that you are looking for to spend less while becoming more specific… organized, YES? ByteLight actually uses GPS (i.e. location based services) through a unique light bulb setting, which sends waves of unique patters only visible on a cell phone to actually determine where a consumer is in a particular store. If you are a business or part of a business that is looking for a unique way to stay organized, while targeting certain customers who reach certain parts of your store or other establishment, then you have to check out the site and/or watch the video to see if this is something that might keep safe and/or more organized.

Obviously (and again if you have been here before) you know that these three applications are only the tip of the iceberg in my arsenal but awesome to say the least, hence why I had to share, Nonetheless, I highly recommend that you get involved NOW with these as I continue to put other lists together for you this New Year (e.g. don't fall behind!) Additionally, I would also love to hear from others how you or your business is staying organized and/or what predictions you are excited about using next? Once again, thanks for stopping by and until next time... Keep SMILING! 

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “mange their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via his About.Me Page or any of his other social platforms.

SocialCRM Revisited: The Continued Progression of Customer Relationship Management

 [Image: Lumosity Landing Page] 

Throughout the last decade, people and organizations have continued to adopt technology in order to enhance themselves and/or their businesses. In fact, with all the technological influxes we have all experienced over the years, it is no wonder that our brains also keep expanding or are you like me and finding your brain having a hard time keeping up? Needless to say… would you agree that these technological improvements and advancements, regardless of nature found in our lives and businesses are helping us run easier or do you think that they are bogging us down?

Customer Relationship Management (better known to many as CRM) is one such concept not only evolving in our own personal lives but also many of our businesses like I have mentioned many times in previous posts. This concept, which once only applied to us managing relationships in a personal setting, has now become an integral part of our online existences. Whether you look at CRM as a tool, in a business setting, or in your personal live, there are many CRM resources that are now available to us, which can help monitor SOCIAL activities (CRM systems), while providing quantitative (DATA) that you or your business can use to ultimately drive new relationships and increase sales by providing a personalized approach to your friends, colleagues, and potential friends or clients if used correctly.

[Image: CMS Wire]

It was one believed that only progressive or large corporations were the ones investing in CRM. However, most if it not all of these same organizations failed (are still failing) to accurately quantify what benefits they derived or are deriving from a CRM system, which many believe has halted their advances in dealing with customer issues and relationships through CRM. What’s interesting is if you look at these companies (many studies out there) you will almost always find that most of the time it was not the systems fault but instead the people and/or companies using these systems, as they never really figured out a way to clearly define what they wanted (will Want) out of these technologies... now enter SMALL BUSINESSES!

In today’s day and age (especially with the advent of social media) customer engagement has become/becoming a key emphasis in almost every business(es) long-term strategies (i.e. the whole who, what, when, where adage)… how to interact with customers, friends, and acquaintances in order to grow. One thing in certain and that is this integration of customer relationship management by anyone with access to social media is giving everyone regardless of size, location, age, gender, race, etc the ability to stay in touch while voicing their opinions about people, businesses, governance, etc. to name a few. Does this sound familiar?

Now enter SocialCRM. Although not 100% defined yet, SocialCRM is Customer Relationship Management in a traditional sense (personal communications) but instead of focusing on the system, more people and organizations are focusing on the channels that their friends and customers use to voice their concerns and opinions. In other words… ENGAGEMENT of the PEOPLE! In a nut shell, SocialCRM is not some new system, rather it is a new way for people and businesses to integrate social media into their customer relationship management practices to better predict behavior (personally or professionally) in order to enhance either your personal or professional brand. Make sense?

[Image: ViralBlog]

Needless to say, there are hundreds of examples now available to just about anyone with an internet connection of how they have and/or are using CRM strategies combined with SocialCRM to enhance relationships and monitor progress, while putting quantitative data behind their actions. In fact, I ran across this article Big Brands' Journey Toward Social Business, which is what spurred me to re-visit this subject while providing our readers with yet another resource and basic explanation in order to help in understanding how other brands and businesses are successfully adopting SocialCRM strategies to connect with their audience(s), react to inquires, and give their customers what they want (I liken this to the saying, GET THE PEOPLE GOING by GIVING the PEOPLE WHAT they REALLY WANT) not what you or your company may think they want.  The important thing to remember about all this is that people and companies that include online with in-person relationships through technologies such as CRM and Social Media will be rewarded by their old and new acquaintances with new personal and professional relationships that hopefully spur growth and innovation… now that’s truly SocialCRM! in used correctly.s or clients.roach to our friends, collegues, and potential friends or clients. in a personal setting has now

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “mange their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.

Invest Less & Network More in BUSINESS & LIFE (SOCIAL MEDIA MADNESS)

As many of you know people, businesses, and corporations are continually looking for new ways to engage with others online and in person in order to grow personally and professionally. However, if you are like most other people and companies, you may still be wondering what are the most effective ways of creating interaction without spending days, weeks, months, or years on experimentation(s)… whether online or at social networking events? Now if you own a business you definitely should have figured out that creating a mix between your personal and professional online and in-person presence is or might be ideal? Is it or better yet… how? Well, whether you agree or not social media sites such as (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Empire Avenue, FourSqaure, etc) and networking groups such as Business Networking International (BNI) is/are very cost effective tools to help you manage your personal and professional time while promoting, branding, and providing customer service whether you are interacting online or looking to chat in-person with friends, family, or clients.

In a recent study conducted by the wonderful folks over at VerticalResponse they found that 2/3’s of all small businesses (would wager this is even higher personally) are spending more and more time, energy, and effort on social media then they did a year ago. Nice huh? Agree or disagree? Needless to say, and again whether you agree or not that’s the truth! Although we (or most of us) have all come such a long way from thinking that this “Social Media” thing would become another fad and fade into the past. Just like the typewriter, beepers, or VHS you should not give up on any of these sites and if you do consider yourself warned like swimmers at the beach “swim at your own risk” or in our case “ignore social media at your own risk.”

Now back to the survey. VerticalResponse was able to identify (462 surveyed) that small business are spending a ton of time trying to stay current, while managing these social media sites much like people in general. An astonishing 42% of those surveyed said they spent 6+ hours or even more a week on social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Empire Avenue, FourSqaure, etc) and roughly 25% admitted they spend 10+ hours or more per week on these same sites.  Does this sound like you? Although this may sound excessive to many in reality, I think these numbers are low, since I see people navigating these sites along with attending networking events much more than that! Regardless of the circumstance these numbers illustrate the importance social media is playing in business as well as our personal lives and why businesses and people are spending more time and money increasing their budgets to increase their online presence thus increasing their in-person visibility.  

For all those people and businesses out there that remain skeptical, here are a few more reasons why social media makes/will make more sense to you!

·      RELATIONSHIPS- Social Media sites such as (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Empire Avenue, FourSqaure, etc) allow you to connect with others personally and professionally, while building strong bonds, which ultimately can/could turn into better customer service, increased sales, and more opportunities whether cross-selling or up-selling. VerticalResponse found that Facebook is still the #1 site for personal of business building (some 90% are on it), while Twitter is close behind where (some 70%) or business/people are now engaging.

·      SERVICE- These social media sites allow you to inquire about other products or services, while providing others with answers to their own questions about your products and services saving you or your business time and money, which you can allocate to other money generating activities, thus quickly adapting before not reacting after a problem may occur.

·      SIZE & COSTs- These social media sites allow you to be found and get found easier “ECONIMIES of SCALE”, while helping you spend less time and money even if you hire an outside agency to help with your campaign.

These numbers are incredible and really show that people and businesses are remaining committed to interacting with others online and in-person.  Let’s face it… who isn’t strapped for time now-a-days and looking for more ways to network, while spending a little less time talking on the phone or in person? The fact is, I run a business, contract work at FedEx, am a full-time parent, Doctoral student, etc so long story short and if I can find the time you can too! Even though Facebook and Twitter remain the top two social media sites, half of the respondents admitted they also engage with others on LinkedIn while others mentioned that they were also on Pinterest (some 29%) and Google+ (some 32%), so click on the (MY) links and let’s CONNECT to grow and learn from each other even more! If you are anything like me or if I can help you or your business please don’t hesitate to connect with me here, personally, or through any of our business networking sites; otherwise I hope you enjoyed my analysis, review, and suggestions in regards to this Infographic and until next time… KEEP SMILING as it really does look good on YOU!

B2C & B2B Social Marketing (Facebook, Twitter, etc) Universe Revealed [INFOGRAPHIC]

Over the last several years, online networking  sites such as  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc have continued to flourish in both business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) environments, which has allowed people and companies of all sizes to communicate more effectively, while driving additional traffic that can generate more leads and certainly more sales. However, social media networking can be rather tricky and often fails if you or your company do/does not plan properly or if you do not have a solid social strategy in place to market yourself or brand for communication and monitoring of all B2C and B2B activities.

Not to worry because if you don’t have a lot of time to figure things out our friends at Marketo have put together a detailed Infographic, which can help you understand the B2C/B2B social media universe detailed below.

Of course, we also help businesses understand this unique beast, so if you have questions, please drop us a line or contact us through any of our social media networks and we will be glad to help. Otherwise, thanks for stopping by and happy networking!

(Source: Marketo. B2B image via Shutterstock)

Things to Remember When Tagging People, Businesses, Products, and/or Services on Social Media Sites

Over the last several weeks, we have been experimenting and talking with customers/businesses about “Tagging” with social media sites such as Instagram, FourSqaure, and Facebook, which allow people or businesses to share photos with one another while tagging other people or businesses with you or them. What fun huh? This can be even more fun if you are looking to meet new people or even looking for or selling new products/services, as people and companies can tag you in them if you so choose.

Well, let’s think about that? People and companies can tag you in them if you so choose, as this is extremely important and if you do not change your settings sooner or later in these social network spaces, you will get violated and perhaps even pissed off at your friends, acquaintances, or favorite brands. So, while some social media sites such as Twitter still allow you to @username (much like tagging), which you can’t control, if you are using Instagram, FourSqaure, and Facebook, make sure you make it a point to set your personal or business accounts to private or change your settings to approve tags, communicators, and followers first. That way if you are using or with people or companies that want to display something on one of your social profiles, you dictate what it is or what it is not “APPROVAL” and/or who, what, when, or where you have been.

Here are some other things to remember when using Instagram, FourSqaure, and Facebook tagging :

1.   On FourSqaure you can now tag location and people by using a person or businesses Twitter namespace. This is NEW, so you may not have tried it but FourSqaure will even do an auto complete during your check-in, so if you use this make sure you are checking in with the right person just like with Facebook (ANOTHER reason to set this to approval)

2.   On Instagram you can use GeoTagging, which uses a version of “Tagging" powered by FourSqaure for location or the #Hashtag for popularity (Public Posts) in the caption field or a #Hashtag in the comment field for photos you already uploaded through Instagram 

3.   If you want a more target audience (friends, family, businesses) on Twitter make sure to set your feed to private that way those people and companies can’t @mention or @reply directly to you (essentially TAGGING you), which will cut down on direct messages and @connects

While tagging has been around for quite some time, with all the different/new social media sites, people and companies are/will continue to look for ways to communicate with you. “Tagging” or @username @mention @replies @connect are a couple of those ways. Long story short and if you use any of these sites, make sure you continue to check your settings and monitor your pages for tags of people, places, and things (sometimes you are even incorrectly tagged by accident), that way you can dictate what you want or do not want to see and/or promote. Also remember that if you want to promote someone or something to properly tag,  @username, or #Hashtag the other person or business that way they know you are thinking about them.

We sure hope this post helps some of you keep your social media privacy, while sharing with others (make sure they are the right ones) things you are doing, places you are at, and products, and services you love. Now get out there visit some people/businesses, snap some pictures, connect with others, and enjoy. Otherwise, and like usual play nice and don’t forget to keep smiling, as it really does look good on YOU!

Career Opportunity for a New Menchie's Frozen Yogurt Location in St Petersburg, Florida!

Greetings friends, fans, and followers! We often talk about many different things on our blog and this week we would like to use this powerful medium and our social media outlets to let our local readers know about a great employment opportunity for you or someone you may know looking for a new career opportunity with an up and coming fast food restaurant chain!

So are you or someone you may know a person that loves to smile? Are you skilled at leading people? Menchie's Frozen Yogurt is looking for an energetic individual to join new franchisee owners in the Florida market in opening their first location in St Petersburg, Florida with additional stores and development in the near future.

Is it in your blood to make people smile?

Below is the DNA of how you will accomplish this mission with Menchies!

As a store leader, you are responsible for ensuring the Menchies experience is upheld everyday in the store by the entire team. You are in charge of all store operations, team development, and implementing policies/procedures. Store leaders are to embody the Menchies culture and values. You must lead your team and treat them as your guests. Ambassador, guest focus, camaraderie, courteous communication, wisdom are core competencies expected to be followed. You are to report to your franchise in regards to the day-to-day business operations as requested.

Your responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Embodying the essence of the Menchie’s experience by upholding the Menchie’s vision, mission, values and core competencies in all you do

• Leading by example and following Be-know-do model of leadership

• Developing of entire team by coaching in the moment, offering support, and recognition

• Holding the team accountable to Menchie’s standards

• Ensuring the entire store team is upholding the 5 G’s. Example: Entire team greeting guest with eye contact, smiles, and warm Menchies welcome

• Ensuring all products are to Menchies high quality standards

• Leading an environment which is flawlessly fun (clean/sanitary)

• Continually educating team on all our culture, product, and stations

• Ensuring that you clean as you go and follow all sanitation procedures. Also responsible for passing health department and bacteria counts to standard

• Having team follow all safety/store policies and procedures

• Ability to lift 30lbs, stand for long periods of time, and repetitive motion

• Having team clock in and out, and accountable for being at work on time

• Having team in clean uniform and follow dress code standards

• Overseeing all store inventory, labor cost, and financials

• Supporting and maintaining operational procedures

• Actively supporting the community

• Overseeing proper cash handling procedures/polices are being followed at all times

• Ensuring the cash drawer are secure and proper change is in registers

• Ensuring cash deposits are done and sent in by timeline

• Ensuring payroll is done by timeline

• Ensuring that a proper par system is set and maintained

• Responsible for overseeing all training in store

• Responsible for making a schedule that is within financial expectations and in a timely manner

• Responsible for dealing with guest complaints by using ASSET steps

• Responsible for communication to team on what they are working on and how they can support

• Responsible for communication to district leader/franchise of financial, guests, and team member matters

• Responsible for all opening and closing shifts in store

• Must be able to work all day parts and adhere to scheduling expectations

• Ensuring that the proper maintenance of the machines are being used

With 180 stores open nationwide, Menchie's is the fastest growing self-serve frozen yogurt company in the US. Please visit menchies.com for more information about the company and feel free to ask us or them any questions you may have.

ATTENTION: This position is an immediate hire opportunity, with a franchisee of Menchie's Frozen Yogurt. The requirements: High school diploma required. College diploma is a plus. No previous experience is required, though management experience is a plus. Food service background not required. 

Please feel free to pass this opportunity along to others, respond here if interested (we will pass your request along) or contact the owners directly by sending your resume to MENB665@menchies.com if you think you have what it takes to lead the charge. Good luck, let us know if we can help, and thanks for stopping by. Until next time, remember to KEEP SMILING!