Most of my business comes from word of mouth referrals and savvy networking. Clients recommend me to their friends and colleagues. Vendors contact me with names of customers who can use my expertise. And people who have heard me speak or read my articles often pass on my name to their business contacts – something called “second hand referrals.”
The value of creative postcards in a marketing campaign cannot be overstated. Despite the increase in postal rates these days, postcards are still considered one of the most cost effective strategies for increasing the visibility of your brand. Unlike other types of direct mail, postcards don’t have to be opened, so if they creative enough, they will catch many people’s attention.
Interestingly enough, the common thought that seniors are afraid of computers and that they think the web is merely something that spiders spin is not entirely true.
I just returned from China and have been adjusting to life back in the U.S. According to veteran travelers, it takes one day per time zone to catch up with jet lag. That translates into 13 days of “re-entry” -- and it’s been pretty much the case with me.
China is amazing. The contrast between ancient and high-tech is startling, especially in major cities like Shanghai and Beijing where massive video screens and huge high-def electronic billboards tower over tiny shops and winding alleys. In this nation of 1.2 billion residents, one in every two – more than 700,000 million people – have cell phones. I even saw farmers in some of the more remote regions talking away on their phones as they plowed their fields with their water buffalo. And we think that we’re dependent on mobile technology!
All this has made me think about our own fixation with keeping in touch. Although most of us aren’t Tweeting on the tundra, there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re using social media. As a small business person, you can’t afford to look clueless anywhere on the Internet, but this is especially true on Twitter. Read on if you want to avoid this fate.
China is amazing. The contrast between ancient and high-tech is startling, especially in major cities like Shanghai and Beijing where massive video screens and huge high-def electronic billboards tower over tiny shops and winding alleys. In this nation of 1.2 billion residents, one in every two – more than 700,000 million people – have cell phones. I even saw farmers in some of the more remote regions talking away on their phones as they plowed their fields with their water buffalo. And we think that we’re dependent on mobile technology!
All this has made me think about our own fixation with keeping in touch. Although most of us aren’t Tweeting on the tundra, there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re using social media. As a small business person, you can’t afford to look clueless anywhere on the Internet, but this is especially true on Twitter. Read on if you want to avoid this fate.
