Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

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Corey Rossen
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Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Corey Rossen » Sat Jan 08, 2011 6:25 pm

I have noticed over the past several months (and then some) the huge asset that Facebook and Twitter have been in steering people towards our business. The social media is a large part of our "new era of 21+ somethings" customers as well as our already established base.

Our ability to capitalize on the uses and aspects of social media will definately continue to play a large roll in our business. I've noticed that Facebook and Twitter have greatly enhanced our attendance at wine and beer tasting events, obviously the "social crowd" looks towards social media as much as we do as a business.

In local business context, the world of social media is definatley an asset to small business success.

Any other success stories? Miseries?

Corey
Rozi's wine House


Corey Rossen

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Jim O'Bryan
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Jim O'Bryan » Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:43 pm

Cory

They have been a big plus for everyone but employers who have noticed less productivity.

However, when used correctly in conjunction with other tools it is certainly a great way to
reach out. It will be interesting how things progress in the future.

It is funny we have been doing some serious testing and working with all 46 social
networking tools now out there, and it will be interesting to see how they evolve to cash
in on business and advertising. We have found ways to boost serious views and responses
using a lop we have developed for promotion for non-profits.

You will read about it in the Observer soon. Also a peak at the next new "social networking
software that I think will make facebook, the my space of 21st century. There is some cool
stuff on the horizon that protects users 1000 times better then facebook does now. One of
the major flaws that has been commented on by others. ZERO protection of personal
information and social webs.

peace.


Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
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Bill Call
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Bill Call » Sun Jan 09, 2011 8:31 am

Deagans has been very successful since its opening. I know they communicate with twitter, facebook and email. It is an excellent way to cut through the clutter.

Jim Devito mentioned the cost of hard wiring a business for the 21st century but: there is also a cost in the "soft wiring"; knowing how to use those tools. Perhaps the new volunteer development department could offer assistance to Lakewood businesses in setting up and using those tools.

In the past cities have offered incentives like tax breaks. Perhaps Lakewood could be the first to offer technological support. We need to market the City; what better way than through existing business through new technology?


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Jim O'Bryan
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Jim O'Bryan » Sun Jan 09, 2011 9:08 am

Bill Call wrote:In the past cities have offered incentives like tax breaks. Perhaps Lakewood could be the first to offer technological support. We need to market the City; what better way than through existing business through new technology?


Bill

Do not get me started. The city, the schools, were offered many opportunities to get ahead
of the curve. Tom and Ed decided it would be better to follow the curve instead of setting
the pace. Communication visionaries hardly. The schools seem even more backwards.

It is very easy to be overwhelmed with the many new options but with a couple minutes of
planning one can see a very clear path. As I have been lecturing to other cities, and groups
the internet is a tool. A rock was also and early tool, then a mallet was created which
made pounding easier. Then nails were invented and hammers fine tuned. But does
everyone need a hammer? A full tool chest?

Another analogy which is pretty spot on is that many people when I talk with them feel
that facebook, twitter, cafe press, even the Deck allow you to speak to the world. Wrong.
It allows you to speak with those that know about you, and very few more. When you see
the actual graphs and charts that the military uses to chart the "social circles" is the same
they use to track terrorists and is pretty amazing, but also shows the massive gaps in what
social media create. It takes many layers of overlaps before you can even start to
get close to what other forms of outreach offer.

Image

This is the social networking "social web" for "Brewed Fresh Daily" generated by member
Valdis Krebs, a Clevelander that worked for the military on dissecting "al qaeda" and now
being used on the rest of the world including you and me. You can see the gaps forming.
You can also click on any dot and get a full history of them, and every aspect of who is
not on the "grid" but has emailed, written, called, what they bought, what they sold...

A savvy marketing company knows how to bridge. Right now people are
overwhelmed and delusional. I use the analogy that one can climb the Matterhorn, and
scream towards Switzerland, and come down and honestly say, "I spoke to everyone in
Switzerland." They did not. Again social networking could also be compared to a line of
dominoes. A person can set them up haphazard and knock them down one at a time, or
spend a couple seconds line them up and knock them all down with a simple push of the
right one.

In fact, Corey is speaking to his base, and merely reminding them that they are having a
party. A valid service and very nice. From there, they are relying on people to spread the
word like a game of telephone, that is where the problems start and are now building. As
one shares that knowledge, one can also put in the price of competitors, actually jump his
list and beat him to the punch. Follow his postings and jump that. The more Corey puts out
to "public domain" the faster his competitors if savvy, can pull from him.

Then we have the new movements that realize what they are losing by using facebook,
twitter, and even the Deck.
From the T-Shirt Museum - http://tshirtmuseum.com
Image

While old and new media giants are working to trap all of us online forever. There is a
growing trend with programmers, designers and others to get people off the internet and
back into real life. To get away from the crazy world of, "I need a cup of coffee," "I am at
the Beck" into getting that coffee and enjoying the Beck.

As I said it will be interesting recently China just reported they will allow Facebook in as
they have been told they can cut back on spying on their citizens that when given the
opportunities the citizen will spill their guts, and is much less expensive to run. Is this
why the US Government just purchased $450 million in Facebook through Goldman Sachs?
At the end of the day we should remember that all online experiences are getting to
parallel, real life with spam, junk mails, millions of ads, that get lost in an instant, and do
not stay. While I am online reading Corey post, I can also google, yahoo, jeeves "Opus
One" and find 1,000 competitive prices. Ask which are closest and get directions there.

After all the hammer and rock can pound nails, and build amazing things, and it could kill.

Funny Internet Fun Fact(Believe at your own risk)
33 Tweets went out about the plane in the Hudson River before the first police call was made!

FWIW

.


Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Bill Call
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Bill Call » Sun Jan 09, 2011 9:15 am

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Do not get me started.



Riddle: Why is Jim O'Bryan like the Federal Reserve Bank?

Because he takes away the punch bowl just as the pary is getting started!


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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Jim O'Bryan » Sun Jan 09, 2011 9:45 am

Bill Call wrote:
Jim O'Bryan wrote:Do not get me started.



Riddle: Why is Jim O'Bryan like the Federal Reserve Bank?

Because he takes away the punch bowl just as the party is getting started!


Bill

Because we are both privately owned for profit companies?

or

The big difference; I will tell you what is in the punch before you drink it.

You might want to go back and read the post again.

.


Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
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Jim O'Bryan
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Jim O'Bryan » Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:01 am

Bill

It is funny. I used to get calls about how to get on facebook and market. And for a long
time I would ask that people to put a dollar value on their time, and measure their stress
and chart successes and losses. After all it does not cost NOTHING, it's costs in time,
stress, effort are money.

Now many of the calls I am getting and I am sure you are seeing is how do I defriend,
block, even shut down my twitter facebook, etc. account. A growing and very real fear.

I had been harassed by an internet stalker and internet bully that would grab my names,
grabbed my business names, and generally act like a petulant 3 year old. Today he is
working for a local civic group managing their websites. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. This
would be a person that cannot be trusted with any personal information. Now they are
afraid to drop him. Afraid?! Hmmmmmmm? Thanks for giving him access to our private
data! Another non-profit dealing with the poor had to hire 1 or now I hear 2 people to
manage their facebook account? WTF? Am I donating to the poor or two feed some nerds?

You quit facebook, or are not on it, anyone can pretend to be you. ANYONE including the
pedophile, the fraud, the bully, the criminal...

It is crazy.

However I know of at least two groups, that are attempting to bring some order to the
Wild West known as Social Networking. We shall see if they are successful.

FWIW

.


Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Jill Jusko
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Jill Jusko » Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:39 pm

As a user of Twitter, Facebook and other social media, I will add that I have heard of and/or visited retailers/restaurants/businesses because I heard about them from these sources--as well as other online methods.

Had I a business to promote, I'd be using them any which way I could.


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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Jim O'Bryan » Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:11 pm

Jill Jusko wrote:Had I a business to promote, I'd be using them any which way I could.


A smart business person would use all of them, figure out which are providing results, and
find a way to use them with the least amount of effort possible.

As I mentioned, there are 42 different social networking networks out there on a large scale,
and more on the way.

There is a simple equation. How many, how much impact, cost and effectiveness.

One could certainly ask, how much time was spent getting you in. One post, a win. Ten
posts a win. 20 posts with others doing the posts, a win. Hundreds of posts, one filter
through and you go in, I would need to ask what you ordered.

Then there is the good and the bad. While many are crowing about some new Lakewood
eateries, I have read elsewhere some are not as overwhelmed or even happy with what
they got.

Does one need to control the message or let it fly.

But a business needs to know what is out there, how to use it, and how to make it work.

.


Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Missy Limkemann
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Missy Limkemann » Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:54 pm

I use Facebook for both personal and for the rescue. I have a twitter account but honestly I forget about it. Same with Linked In. I don't know if I could handle more "outlets"...LOL. I am not creative enough to post things about the rescue so having more would cause me to sit in a corner and cry. (not that I don't do that on a daily basis as it is)


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David Lay
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby David Lay » Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:00 am



Laura Williams of Lakewood's LaBella Cupcakes talks to WKYC's Flash Mob on how to build a business using Twitter.


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marklingm
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby marklingm » Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:29 am

Jim,

Facebook is what it is.

I find Facebook to be one of many valuable tools in the communication toolbox.

For example, The Lakewood Observer’s Facebook page does a nice job tying both the paper and Deck into the Facebook venue. See, e.g., http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lakewood-Observer/151628958184731.

Matt


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Jim O'Bryan
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby Jim O'Bryan » Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:48 am

Matthew John Markling wrote:Jim,

Facebook is what it is.

I find Facebook to be one of many valuable tools in the communication toolbox.

For example, The Lakewood Observer’s Facebook page does a nice job tying both the paper and Deck into the Facebook venue. See, e.g., http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lakewood-Observer/151628958184731.

Matt


Matt

All of these tools, are important. I am not throwing out anything at this point. As I have
said many times, we are spending money looking into redesigning our software to take
better advantage of what is out there.

At the same time, we are constantly evaluating looking down the road for what we can
use and make better for all here. Do we build in all 42 social networking buttons? At
what cost. Facebook, Twitter, You Tube as easy as they are really pushing their source
code, and sheer numbers make its a necessity.

However, this does not mean people, groups and businesses should not chart the
effectiveness of their outreach. I have sat with many in this town, including you, to
see what is needed and how we can help get messages out. This not in against other
methods over the Observer project, this is in conjunction or not, what is best for the
client or community. Does a non-profit trying to get every penny they can need a person
or two just to manage their Facebook account, or are they missing some opportunities/cost
saving methods to reach out to the same or go beyond.

One interesting question for the future. With businesses no more than ever powering
twitter, and facebook, will the endless stream of invites and "ads" turn even more away?
With the advents of groups, no one can even be sure if anyone is reading their posts.

I still go back to the conversation of one brash Lakewood politician that told me "I have
522 friends" When I asked how he keeps up with them the answer was, "I don't I rarely
read their stuff and block most" When I asked how could he be sure he was reaching all
522 so effectively, and wasn't he concerned he was blocked, the answer was, "Well who
would block me? They obviously want to read about me, they friended me." Which speaks
volumes on so many levels there will never be enough time to go into it.

There is room for everything, and each has its own pluses and minuses.

.


Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
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marklingm
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Re: Facebook & Twitter = Huge Asset to Local Business

Postby marklingm » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:10 am

Jim O'Bryan wrote:I have sat with many in this town, including you, to see what is needed and how we can help get messages out.


Jim,

Very true. And thank you for working so hard to find ways to better spread the good news taking place in the Lakewood City Schools. There is indeed an excellent message to share.

Matt



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