This year will be another exciting year on the technology front. All you have to do is look around to know that the future of computing lies in tablets and smart-phones. It seems everybody has one or both!

Did you know that just because your website is fully viewable in Internet Explorer or Firefox on your computer that it may not be fully viewable on mobile devices?

Whether it is your website, or an e-mail blast, you must ensure that your digital content can be viewed on smartphones and tablets. If your customers cannot view your digital content from their mobile devices, you will miss out on opportunities to sell your goods and services. Of course, that means your bottom-line may be severely affected if you fail to to so.

What does this mean for your business? Well, very simply it means that your online content must be smartphone and tablet compatible. For example, does your website contain any Adobe Flash content? Guess what…Apple mobile devices (iPhones, iPads, etc) do not display Adobe Flash content! That means customers that access your website on their Apple mobile devices will not see your entire website content.

This is just one example where your business might be missing the boat. I urge you all to work with your website administrators to ensure your digital content is fully compatible with mobile devices. If you make this investment now, it will certainly pay dividends in the future!

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No doubt about it, social media has changed the marketing landscape in ways almost no one (with the exception of the late Steve Jobs’) could have foreseen. While it may have taken the rest of us mere mortals a bit longer to understand the power of social media, it is apparent businesses and consumers are wasting no time catching up. According to research done by comScore, in October 2011, social networking comprised 19% of total Internet usage. Doesn’t seem like much? Think again, this percentage equates to one out of every five minutes. If you are a marketer, small or large business owner, these numbers mean you should be making sure your brand is integrating social media into your business strategy.

Although there are many social media options to choose from, the real powerhouses for marketing opportunities are still Facebook and Twitter. For this month’s newsletter, our focus is on Twitter. Since its inception in 2006, Twitter, with its 140 character limit (hence the nickname “tweet”) enables anyone to comment on any topic and share their thoughts with an unlimited audience (the “twitterverse”) as it’s affectionately known. The ability to reach out to millions of potential customers, engaging with them 24/7 to comment on their thoughts about your product or business itself allows the smart marketer to use this tool to save time, money and get their message out there instantly.

Think about that for a second. Have a product recall or hear about some potentially detrimental industry gossip going around about your brand? Businesses can respond immediately on Twitter and clear up misconceptions before things get out of hand and market share is lost. Alternatively, if you are launching a new product or tapping into a new market or just want to share some great news about your company, Twitter is a great way to do it. Reaching millions of potential new customers in the time it takes you to hit the send button. Thinking of doing a focus group for a potential new product or a customer survey on how your business is performing? Twitter is the way to go.   Use the Twitter trend section on your Twitter account sidebar to see what’s the most popular topic being discussed. If it fits with your brand, join in the conversation. Just be careful not to have your tweets seem as if you are in the conversation to “sell” your product/service. Twitter users want businesses to share information, keep them updated on a situation or new release, but not come across as a predator looking for the sale. Another thing to keep in mind is that while those 140 characters have a lot of power to positively impact your business saying the wrong thing at the wrong time also has the power to negatively impact you and your business.

Just look at the media flack surrounding off-the-cuff tweets by celebrities like Alec Baldwin. Mr. Baldwin’s incessant ranting on Twitter about his perceived mistreatment by a flight attendant, on a recent flight on American Airlines, shot through the Twitterverse instantaneously.   While their star power still shines after these social media “faux pas,” a business’ reputation can take a nosedive in the same situation.  How and what you “tweet” is a reflection of you and your company. In other words, “you are what you Tweet.”

The big boys are there, of course, GM, Ford, JetBlue and they have from one person to a team of people managing their Twitter feeds. The great thing about Twitter is it levels the playing field, and lets you compete with them. The important thing to do before you begin is to understand your goals, make sure your tweets reflect your company image positively, engage with your customers responding to both positive and negative comments appropriately and if you do this consistently over time, your sales should soar like a bird.

Not sure how to use Twitter for your business? We suggest you go to www.mashable.com It will give you some tips on ways to use Twitter effectively for marketing your business and how to engage with potential clients.

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ADVERTISING

Advertising is considered one of the most effective ways for companies to get their message out to a select audience.  It is a paid method of promotion, where you can choose the vehicle where you want to appear.

It is believed that advertising dates to ancient Egypt, and in 1836, a French newspaper La Presse was the first to include advertising in its pages.  This allowed the paper to lower its retail rates, thereby increasing its readership and profitability.

The most common advertising locations are billboards, magazines, newspapers, radio and TV, but advertising is changing as technology improves, leading companies to sell space on Web sites and on mobile phones.

Advertising has exploded in other venues in recent years, such as shopping carts, airport signs, sides of taxis, race car driver’s suits and cars, video games, infomercials and even stickers on our fruit!

Five Keys to an Effective Ad

Here are the top five key points to focus on when creating your next ad:

1.  Choose the right place to advertise based on your target audience (remember last month’s newsletter…WWII Generation loves print, while Generation Y prefers electronic info)!

2.  Create a Call-To-Action! Have your phone number and Web site address and a special offer to persuade them to act quickly.

3.  Don’t use too much copy.  Your readers will quickly loose interest if you get too wordy, so choose them wisely.

4.  Brand your identity.  Make sure your company or organization has a catchy, memorable brand, and that it is used consistently throughout your ads.

5.  Use high quality photos.  Your photos need to be around 300 dots per inch (dpi).  Often people will tell you to just grab an image off of your Web Site.  This won’t work because almost all photos on Web sites are 72 dpi. They are low resolution files so that others can’t copy logos and other important aspects.  Also, the larger the image, the slower the Web site operates.

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Once a year you should do at least a basic Marketing Plan. First, create a description of your product or service. Then outline your Goals and Objectives but make sure you keep these realistic. For instance, if your goal is to increase sales by 10% make sure you truly believe this is achievable. There is nothing worse than failing because you weren’t truthful with yourself. Research all areas of the marketing plan to make sure it is complete.

DESCRIPTION
Create a description of what you offer. Be sure to include your Mission Statement and Vision Statement.

TARGET AUDIENCE
As mentioned previously, defining your target audience is critical. To whom are you planning on selling your items? Where are you planning on selling your items? What is the buying habit of your clients or potential clients? Perhaps you realized that even though you are making sales you want to diversify and go after a more upscale market or younger audience. This is the section that defines those objectives.

SWOT ANALYSIS
A SWOT analysis is a tremendously powerful tool that is used to review an organizations and its market. SWOT is an acronym for your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

Strengths
List all the strengths of your organization. Maybe it is location, service, price, uniqueness, etc.

Weakness
What are your weaknesses? Do you have a lot of competition? Are your prices significantly higher than the competition? Are you competing with a national firm that has unlimited advertising dollars?

Opportunity
What opportunities do you see coming? Is the economy improving? Are you partnering with a national firm? Did your competition go out of business?

Threats
What threats do you see in your future? Are you noticing a great deal of competition? Did they start construction in front of your store? Is the local economy struggling?

COMPETITION
Then list your three major competitors and their strengths and weaknesses.
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All of these issues should be researched and considered when creating a basic marketing plan.

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MISSION STATEMENTS & VISION STATEMENTS

One of the first things you should do for your company or association is create a mission statement and vision statement. Both outline the goals and purpose of your organization and sets the foundation for all that you would like to achieve.

The mission statement and vision statement are not the same thing. Every company large or small should have both.

MISSION STATEMENT

Your mission statement should say what you do or offer in a clear concise format. It is created to be an internal document that will be used by employees and shareholders to state in a few brief words the scope of your organization.

It is also a good idea to get employee input when creating a mission statement. When you incorporate employee participation you usually get a clearer picture of your goals. Plus they will have more of a feeling of belonging.

At Microsoft, our mission is to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential. We consider our mission statement a promise to our customers. We deliver on that promise by striving to create technology that is accessible to everyone—including people who experience the world in different ways because of impairments and disabilities.
Microsoft takes a strategic approach to accessibility by:
• Continuing our longstanding commitment and leadership in accessibility research, awareness, and innovation.
• Making the computer easier to see, hear, and use by building accessibility features into Microsoft products.
• Ensuring that Windows is the best platform for accessibility innovation for assistive technology (AT) manufacturers; and, enabling our AT vendors to provide Windows users with a wide array of quality products.
• Building strong, collaborative relationships with key government agencies and organizations that advocate on behalf of people with disabilities.

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