HTML Email Vs. Plain Text Messages

YOU ASKED: What format of Email broadcasts, ezines, and e-newsletters works best?  HTML with color, pictures and graphics (Fancy)  or just PLAIN TEXT (simple) versions?

ME: My opinion has changed over the years.   Currently, I send most of my ezines and email promos in plain text, BUT… we are seeing more and more success in HTML versions of email broadcasts.

Using LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Blogs to Find the Perfect Addition to Your Team

Social media is a game changer. We’ve seen it affect how we interact and share with friends and family, make decisions, hear and spread news, market, and much more. It even affects the way people hunt for jobs and the way companies look for potential employees.

Social Proof is a Critical Factor of Influencing Buying Decisions

You see examples of social proof everyday… beyond client testimonials, case studies and customer reviews; it’s in the star ratings on Amazon, the number of likes of Facebook, the video views on YouTube and followers on Twitter.

Be recognizing how social proof affects buying behavior, you can look for ways to leverage it to establish trust and credibility for your products and services.

I recently posted a question on LinkedIn about social media hype… I asked, “There’s a great debate on social media being a lot of hype.  What do you think and why?”

Here’s the conversation… add your opinion too.

The Speed of the Leader Determines the Rate of the Pack.

I’ve been a cyclist for many years.  As a CAT 3 cyclist, I’ve logged thousands of hours, mostly from show and go training rides, where people show up at a specific location and go for a pack bike ride.

The unique thing about cycling in a pack is that the speed of the pack is always determined by the leaders.  The rest do their part in the pace line or just suck wheel, which means they stay at the back and draft, saving up to 30% of their energy.  In a race, it makes total sense to conserve your energy to sprint for the finish line. In business, however, drafting (or coasting) leads to bankruptcy.

Are you drafting or leading in your business or career?

Check out this new search engine called blekko!  Here’s a quick video explaining how to use blekko to slash the web!  It’s sort of like wikipedia for search-engines.

www.Blekko.com

The signs of frightful blogging are obvious… foaming at the mouth, ghastly tales of competitors and unnerving lists of links. All are toxic recipes for disaster and can come back to haunt you and ultimately hurt your business.

This doesn’t mean you should let your fear of blogging hold you back; it is a powerful tool if done correctly.

Syndicate your content using a social media dashboard like Hootsuite

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I know I need to be using social media, but I just don’t have the time.” Or “I have Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts but I can’t manage them all.” I have a simple answer for them: Aggregate and Syndicate.

I work with several financial institutions, just like Next Financial Group,  who realize the power of social media and want to leverage it to expand their online presence, but may be unsure of EXACTLY what they are allowed to do according to Compliance and FINRA regulations.  Social Media websites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have popped up on the radar of compliance officers across the country as financial institutions are realizing the importance of using social media to connect with their next generation of clients.  Hands are tied… or are they?

What are geolocation applications and why do they matter to your business?

Geolocation applications like FourSquare, Gowalla and the recently released Facebook places are the latest social media trend and the next big thing for businesses and advertisers to use to connect with prospects and customers.

So what exactly are geolocation applications? A whole category of apps that are based around phones that are smart enough to know your location. If you have a smartphone, you can use these geolocation applications to check in to places, let your friends know where you are, and see where you friends are. You might see the use in this if you’ve ever gone somewhere, only to discover later that your colleagues or friends were there too. Beyond simply knowing where your friends are, on Foursquare and Gowalla you can also see tips left by people who have visited that place before you, for example in a restaurant you might find a tip about what to order.