All Touching On The Social Media Discussion

March 7, 2010

One definition of the word revolution is a sudden and complete change in something. A famous example, of course, is the American Revolution. Another is the counterculture revolution of the U. S. and much of Europe in the 1960s. Currently, the social media revolution is spreading the most.

Social media has transformed people from content consumers to content producers. How knowledge and information spread has undergone radical change. In the past, we were used to the monologues of broadcast media: one person delivering information to the rest of us. We know this typically in the form of newspaper articles and TV newscasts.

However, because of the new revolution, these familiar norms are being forced to amalgamate themselves with the unfamiliar new. Now called dialogues of social media, not just one person but also many are now the disseminators of information. We now both gather and produce information, which is why we can be called content producers.

Several forms of this are common. One well-known one is ideas or concepts designed to be easily regurgitated so that they are easily repeated often to others. Another form is print media, which is designed to be reproduced to the masses. A third form is the movement at ground level of direct dispersement, including rallies, demonstrations, and public speaking. A fourth is the mass sharing of information from advanced search-capable Internet and mobile devices.

There are some major differences between social media and mass media, also commonly referred to as traditional, broadcast, or industrial media. First, social media is relatively inexpensive and more accessible. Broadcast media usually requires more resources in order to share information. Second, traditional media production usually requires special training, whereas social media usually does not. In essence, the latter can be operated by anyone or adapted to be easily used by anyone.

Third, response time and relevancy are more impacted, whereas, the time lag in social media can be instantaneous. In industrial media it often takes hours or even days. However, it should be taken into account that as industrial media takes on more and more of social media’s tendencies, there might not be such differences much longer.

Fourth, permanence is treated very differently by the two. In mass media, after an article is printed and distributed, it cannot be changed. Corrections, retractions, and apologies may be necessary, but the article is unable to be altered. In social media, however, changes can instantly be made.

Another interesting note is how the two forms of media are similar. Both social and traditional media reach a small or worldwide audience. A blog post or other such type of social media communication can reach no one or everyone. A television news broadcast can reach the exact same range of people.

Where the future of social and traditional media is headed is anyone’s guess. A prevailing opinion is that the two will intertwine and create a media hybrid using basic parameters of each. In fact, in some circles, this hybridization is more than just theory…it’s real.

Whatever the future brings, the social media discussion is not transient. It is here for good, even as its future direction is still not clear. Will hybridization continue evolving? Will mass media, as we know it, continue? Will the social media tool evolve to the point that it engulfs both the traditional and the hybrid? Keep abreast with your local media outlets as we go forward.

Posted by Guest Post | Filed Under **Internet**, **Marketing**, **Media**, **Motivate**, **eBusiness**, Advertising, Development, Everything Else, Promotion, Writing | Comments

Give Customers An Uncomplicated Path For Payment

December 21, 2009

As very active Internet marketers, we’ve all invested a substantial amount of time and effort into looking for new ways to entice people into our sales funnel. We are always looking for ways to streamline this process and to make it as natural as possible, so that we overcome the resistance and attain a new customer, hopefully for life. All of the details which we learn during this process are specifically designed to bypass as many uncertainties as possible and to make it a “obvious choice” for the prospect or soon-to-be customer. Quite surprisingly however, for many large organizations this process can “run into a wall” when it comes to the actual payment methodology, which often leaves a great deal to be desired!

While you might have done your work to a very high standard to entice prospects into that sales funnel in the first place, and they might even be highly motivated to buy from you, however the actual payment process is yet to be completed. This can be a somewhat traumatic experience for many people and is the point in the whole process where you are likely to have more bailouts than anywhere else. You certainly need to ensure that all elements of security are addressed here for obvious reasons, but you must remove any obstacles and streamline this process as much as possible.

If you are dealing with a first-time client, you should never put too many steps in front of them in the overall transaction. While you must adequately describe your product or service within the body of the site and cover shipping and other questions prior to checkout, do not make prospects jump through any unnecessary hoops. This includes the need for them to register and sign up for an account with you before they can go any further. By all means ask them to do this after they have committed to giving you money, but it has been proven time and again that the more steps you put in the process the higher the likelihood that you are going to get bailouts.

Look at your entire checkout process from a neutral point of view and get someone who you trust, who is not directly involved with your site, to go through the process and give you adequate feedback. The whole thing should flow nicely and it should be possible for the transaction to be completed in an almost subconscious manner. The consumer has generally got a good idea of how these things should work and if your business operation has an unexpected hiccup they will not like it.

You put too much effort into the attraction of a potential client to let him or her disappear due to a cumbersome payment process. If you check your analytics program and see people leaving your site before they get to the confirmation page you need to ask yourself why and find out the reason pretty quickly!

Adam Toren, Co-Founder of Young Entrepreneur, specializes in improving the profitability of under-performing businesses with a unique and ‘bottom line’ program. Adam, along with his brother, have started, bought and sold several companies over the past years. They currently own and operate a successful publishing company and several online companies.

Posted by Guest Post | Filed Under **Business**, **Internet**, **Marketing**, **eBusiness**, Development | Comments

Why Should You Want Virtual Assistant Services?

December 15, 2009

The traditional office space will in all likelihood become an unnecessary requirement as virtual assistant services start to make more practical sense to organisations everywhere. Simply from an efficiency perspective, it just doesn’t make much sense to dedicate your operations to “back office” employees, resources and equipment, along with all the additional expenses and overhead that a back office requires. Employing staff is generally the most significant expense for a business owner, and it invariably comes with an extra set of restrictions, liabilities, commitments and problems.

Over recent years, virtual assistant services have emerged to provide the business owner with by far the most efficient way of administering his or her operation. Now it is no longer necessary to hire a personal assistant or back office staff when you engage the services of a competent virtual assistant company.

Can you afford to not investigate at least a few virtual assistant services? Put aside some time and write out a detailed list of all the administrative tasks that your business usually requires – and you’ll be quite surprised at the length of this list! Pencil in the job description and calculate how much time is involved with each task. Next, write out the specific skills which are required to complete the tasks, and then make a few notes on how you’re currently dealing with these elements. Most businesses have to rely on a fairly extensive list of administrative tasks simply to operate. Internet-related activities are key in order to communicate and, these days, to engage in social media promotions and marketing.

When you make a note of your total administrative and back office costs, make sure that you include all the “hidden” costs, including all those employee benefits you are responsible for, the true cost of your office space rental, insurances and the depreciation costs and maintenance schedules of all that equipment.

Virtual assistant services can take care of all your administration and Internet needs, very cost effectively. You can engage these services on a piecemeal basis or as a comprehensive approach to your overall commitments. Most virtual assistant services, even those that may be somewhat geographically remote from your location, will ensure that they are readily available according to your typical office hours. Due to the speed of Internet connections and a variety of communication methods available through the Web, the virtual assistant can be as close as that personal assistant in your next-door office.

When selecting virtual assistant services, it pays to do your due diligence and to look for testimonials and reviews. You are not necessarily limited to using a VA in your area, of course. To make sure that the match is right for you, you could ask the VA to consider a trial, including only specific elements of their service at the beginning, so that you can see if it all works out to your expectations.

Some may consider online business services to be somewhat revolutionary, but they are sure to become an essential part of the business environment in the years ahead!

Posted by Virtual Miss Friday | Filed Under **Business**, **Internet**, **Marketing**, **Media**, **VMF**, **eBusiness**, Advertising, Development, Everything Else, Promotion, Technology, Writing | Comments

Give Clients An Easy Path For Payment

December 10, 2009

As Internet marketers, we spend a great deal of time and effort trying to seduce people to enter our sales funnel by one way or another. We are always looking for ways to streamline this process and to make it as natural as possible, so that we overcome the resistance and attain a new customer, hopefully for life. All of the details which we learn during this process are specifically designed to bypass as many uncertainties as possible and to make it a “obvious choice” for the prospect or soon-to-be customer. Quite surprisingly however, for many large organizations this process can “run into a wall” when it comes to the actual payment methodology, which often leaves a great deal to be desired!

While you may have done your job famously to attract prospects into that sales funnel in the first place and they may be more than ready to consummate an association with you, the process of payment is still to be completed. This point can be a fairly traumatic experience for many individuals, and it’s certainly the most critical spot in the whole process – and when at this position, more people will bailout here than anywhere else. You certainly need to ensure that all elements of security are addressed here for obvious reasons, but you must remove any obstacles and streamline this process as much as possible.

Look at your entire checkout process from a neutral point of view and get someone who you trust, who is not directly involved with your site, to go through the process and give you adequate feedback. The whole thing should flow nicely and it should be possible for the transaction to be completed in an almost subconscious manner. The consumer has generally got a good idea of how these things should work and if your operation has an unexpected hiccup they will not like it.

Adam Toren, Co-Founder of Young Entrepreneur, specializes in maximising the profitability of failing businesses with his own unique ‘bottom line’ method. Adam, along with his brother, have established, bought and then sold on an assortment of companies in recent years. At present, they own and operate a very successful publishing company and variety of online businesses.

Posted by Guest Post | Filed Under **Business**, **Internet**, **Marketing**, **Media**, **eBusiness**, Advertising, Development, Everything Else, Promotion | Comments