Author: Montrie Rucker Adams

Your Facebook Data – Who Has It?
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During a business conversation with a colleague, the topic of Facebook data came up. Did you know that Facebook users have the ability to download their profile information? At first I thought this was a wonderful idea. What if I lost valuable photos on my computer? If I had them uploaded to Facebook, I could download them. Or, what if I had other content such as Notes, lists of Facebook friends or other special things on my profile – I could just download my profile data and I’d be able to keep it.

The problem with this, she told me, is what’s included in the download. What I found most interesting was how I was being tracked for advertising purposes. For example, did you know that…

  • Ads Clicked – this information shows a list of dates, times and titles of ads you clicked.
  • Ad Topics – this is a list of topics that you may be targeted against based on your stated likes, interests and other data in your timeline.

The European Government has begun to build regulations that would protect consumers’ privacy when using social media and visiting websites, including tracking methods and cookies. The EU Cookie Law, or e-Privacy Directive, is a law which applies to how cookies and similar technologies are used to store information on a person’s equipment such as a computer or mobile device. The law goes into great detail about cookies and personal data; confidentiality of Ccmmunications and spyware; information to be provided; responsibility for providing the information and obtaining consent; exemptions from the right to refuse a cookie; and wishes of subscribers and users.

Large websites, especially those that provide free services, make money by tracking and targeting users and delivering targeted ads. The European Government has been trying to get Facebook to comply with the EU privacy laws for quite some time. The US is far behind the Europeans when it comes to this type of online privacy.

For more in-depth information about this subject, you can read The New York Times article, entitled “Facebook Offers More Disclosures to Users” and  C|Net’s article, entitled “Facebook Profile Download Tool Comes Up Short.”

What do you think?

8 Tips to Consider When Sending Out Email
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We’ve all heard of the email glitches that can happen. There’s the horror story of replies going to the “unintended.” If you’re like me, you’ve written “see attached” numerous times when there is no  attachment.

To help you get through the email snafu’s, follow these eight (plus a bonus) easy tips:

  1. The email you send is a reflection of you and your business. Make sure to spell check, use correct grammar and punctuation.
  2. Be creative with the subject, but make sure it pertains to the content they are about to read. Don’t use a fake subject because you think they will open it faster – it will only cause frustration.
  3. When drafting your content, do not over embellish or use lots of colors or cutesy graphics. Everyone uses different email programs so they may not be able to even see it. Don’t spend a lot of time “coloring” it up.
  4. Get to the point. Be brief and don’t ramble. People hate to read a lot of garble – they want to get to the important part of why you are communicating with them so they can respond.
  5. Your tone is important. Using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS is viewed as YELLING.
  6. If the email is time sensitive, include that in your email. No one wants to miss an opportunity because they didn’t know they should respond in a certain timeframe.
  7. Double check to make sure you have attached any documents that you “attached.” Too often we are in a hurry to hit the “send” button and we forget to include the important document.
  8. Lastly, create an email signature so that they know all the ways they can communicate with you. It’s a good idea to have your mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, website, tagline and even your social media profiles (if you use those for business) in the signature.

BONUS:  Create your email before you put in the recipient. That way, you can make sure you’ve reviewed it, proofread it and attached any pertinent documents before “accidentally” hitting send.

Grow Your Business with Plenty of Tweets
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As the new world of social media thrives, there will always be ways to grow and gain greater experiences from social media interactions. It is a fascinating place, continuously offering something new.

Did you know that advertising can be bought on Twitter? By advertising on Twitter your presence can be increased, new followers find you and your traffic can quickly grow.

Twitter offers two advertising programs:

  • Promoted Tweets: These extend the reach of your tweets to a broader audience.
  • Promoted Accounts: These tweets turbo-charge the growth of your loyal followers.

United States-based advertisers that adhere Twitter’s advertising policies and have 20 or more followers can take advantage of these advertising programs.

To sign up to increase your Twitter presence, click here – https://tweet.twitter.com/TwitterAdvertisingRequest

There’s a video to learn more about how Promoted Tweets and Accounts work. Click and watch.

http://youtu.be/3e5H9b9IM_Q

In This Huge Sustainability World…You Matter
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Almost every day I am reminded of being a good environmental steward.  Public service announcements have President Obama encouraging home energy efficiency from the oval office.  News articles tout the value of water conservation.  In my local community, I can place my recyclable glass, plastic, and aluminum cans for weekly curbside pickup.  Since this is voluntary in my community, it feels good to know that I am doing my part in preserving life on earth.

However, various studies have shown that most utilities have a long way to go on educating consumers about smart energy and water management.  Furthermore, I notice that very few of the neighbors in my suburban development recycle.  Surely, many of my educated and professional neighbors should understand the value sustaining our planet.

The fact is that this entire “green” movement is still abstract to the average person, and it does not resonate to most of us in a way that is immediately personal.  As I engage people on topics of the environment, it has occurred to me that I spend most of the time simplifying the message for people.  At that point, I get the “now I get it” response.

It’s not that hard, but it takes some effort. When President Obama ran for office his second term, there were countless commercials touting the effects of voting. “Yes, in the grand scheme of things your vote does count…” is what we heard. And it does. Every little bit counts. The same goes for recycling. Every bottle you recycle, every plastic bag that gets reused, every light that is not turned on…matters. The people need to know, and need to know the way they understand.

Messaging and strategic communication are critical.  Government entities, utilities, and major community stakeholders have to simplify the message.  We are told to get ready for the Smart Grid or to reduce our carbon footprint.  If we are to really prompt public behavior modification, then we have to put an end to the esoteric jargon.   This necessitates effective public relations and strategic communication planning.  When you can explain to a 93-year-old grandmother exactly how reducing her carbon footprint can require less of her fixed income, now we are onto something. In This Huge Sustainability World…You Matter

Double for Your Trouble – 5 Easy Steps To Get More from Your Blogs
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There’s so much more to the Internet than even five or six years ago. Many new businesses, websites, bloggers, news feeds…not to mention the popularity of social networking like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

There is a lot to absorb. Many people are not reading everything they receive in their email. They aren’t visiting all the great websites and blogs. It’s too overwhelming.

Think of your newsletter as mini websites. Businesses created hard copy versions and mailed them. Then came the electronic versions via email (e-newsletters). People are now blogging the information – writing and sharing via social media tools.

If you are a blogger try these five easy steps for getting two for one…:

  1. Why do the work twice? Create an e-newsletter out of the blogs you’ve written the previous month.
  2. If you have upcoming events, add in a calendar.
  3. Include an RSS feed to your blogs.
  4. Include links to your social media pages and links to past newsletters.
  5. Include photos from the previous month, and a list of upcoming topics on this month’s blog.

Get double for your trouble. The information shared is always valuable. Just because the blog was written, doesn’t mean it was read. Create an e-newsletter and get it back out there in a different way.

The Power of Success…Do You Have It?
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I “officially” started Visibility Marketing Inc. in April, 2000. I say officially because many years before then I was working my passion without having a real business.

Becoming an entrepreneur was a dream since I was ten. I spent many hours with my uncles who were business owners. When I visited my father in Puerto Rico, I spent time with him at his chemical business. I can’t say exactly what made me, a little girl, want to do what she only saw men do, but I did.

It was the women business owners and successful women that I looked to and studied to help me through this entrepreneurial journey. That’s why this video, “Success Secrets of Power Women” is powerful. It’s the snippets of women at the top telling us how they carved their brand of success.

It’s all too familiar when Meg Whitman, Hewlett Packard; Christine Lagarde, IMF; Ann Sweeney, Disney ABC Television Group; Debra Lee, BET; Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post Media Group; Oprah Winfrey, OWN and others talk about how help from family and friends, fear, passion, guilt, balance, desire, the ability to say no, … is what successful women experience and have to work through in order to realize the dreams within us.

Be More Visible – Your Information…Can Visitors Find It?
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I recently visited a website looking for a particular article. I looked throughout the landing (home) page for a “Search Box.” I looked in the header, footer, body, sidebars…nothing!

The site didn’t offer a way to search the website! A search box is extremely important if your website is content-heavy. If new content is added regularly, it’s very important to have a way for visitors to search for information not found on the landing page. Don’t depend on navigation for visitors to locate information. Unfortunately, I didn’t find what I was looking for and I probably won’t go back to that site to look for anything else.

If you blog or provide news, an “Archive Page” is a must.  The archived information is sorted by month and year. A good example would be someone who may remember an article from June. They may not remember an exact date, but by clicking June in the archive, they can quickly browse to find what they need. The archives can be added to the navigation or a jump box (drop down box) on one of the sidebars can provide easy access.

Another great feature is the Site Index or Site Map. A site index (or more commonly called a site map) is an outline of the structure of the content on your website. It’s laid out in a hierarchical form and offers branches from one level to the next. The site map serves three purposes:

  1. To help search engines crawl your website for new or updated content.
  2. To provide an “at-a-glance” view of the website.
  3. To allow visitors to use as a website navigation tool.

There are two types of site maps – one which is seen by the user on the website (HTML format) and one hidden behind the scenes, which is used by the search engines (XML is one popular format). I recommend using both as it also can assist with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

One more great resource, which serves two purposes, is an RSS Feed. Really Simple Syndication is a way to publish updated content such as blogs, news, and headlines in a standardized format. Many web browsers and email programs offer RSS feed capabilities. You will see an orange feed icon when visiting a website. Upon clicking, a browser window will open up a page and ask if you would like to subscribe to this news feed. Once selected, whenever new content is added to the website, it will be sent to your news reader.

Another way to use RSS feeds is as a news aggregation service. For example, you have a favorite blog or news site you follow and would like to share it with your visitors. Some blogging systems offer an RSS widget to use to feed information into your site. By having an RSS feed available to your visitors, they too can feed your information into their websites.

The main purpose of your website is to have visitors see what you have to offer. Your information doesn’t stop at the home page. You have useful information on the inside too.

Your visitors should be able to find it.

16 Ways To Be More Visible
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Tip: Always stay top of mind. Never let them forget you.

  1. Send a card. Any appropriate card.
    • Say ‘thank you.’ This should go without saying. One way to be more visible is to send a thank you card. Send a note to your employees, your boss, your co-workers. Yes, you can send an email, but since people are receiving more emails than snail mail these days, your note will definitely be more visible.
    • Sympathy. Let them know you care. At this time in their lives, all it takes is a brief moment of your time.
    • Happy Birthday! Most people enjoy and appreciate a birthday card or email that reminds them you are thinking of them and you care.
    • Congratulations! They are always appreciated.
  2. Give a compliment. People love to hear how their products or services are benefiting others. Let them know how your experience has made an impact on you or your business.
  3. Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Your friends and co-workers appreciate you taking an interest in their personal/family lives. However, know your boundaries.
  4. Send a post card. For any reason. If you have a new product or service, new or changing employees, helpful hints and tips. Send them regularly. You can begin with every month, every two weeks or every quarter.
  5. Send a newsletter. Let them know what you’re doing – on a regular basis. Tell them about your new products or services, new clients, tips and professional advice.
  6. Send an eNewsletter. Same content as above. With an eNewsletter, you’ve saved on the printing costs.
  7. Enter a contest. You become visible when you enter and even more visible when you win. It’s an opportunity to get your name, business and organization out there as a company whose work is worth recognizing.
  8. Have a contest. You create the rules. Some ideas: Ask for creative ways your clients have used your product, best photos using your product, the most referrals, the best essay on any subject. Again, let everyone know about the contest and the winners.
  9. Win something. And let everyone know about it – on your website, blog, Facebook™, LinkedIn, Twitter and anywhere else…letterhead, emails, envelopes, resume. There are many places to let others know you are an award-winning enterprise.
  10. Have a blood drive. Advertise in the newspaper and electronically. Post signs at your business.
  11. Stick it. Buy stickers to place on envelopes and folders. Yours can proclaim your awards, anniversary, new products or service. You choose.
  12. Plan an event. There are many reasons to host a networking event or celebration. Do you have a new product? Did your company/organization win a contest? Did you receive an award or a new contract? Consider the 100th customer or company milestone. Invite clients, potential clients and community members. Inform the media, your Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

There are many more ways that your company can be more visible. What are you doing to stay top of mind with your clients or future clients? Why don’t you share them on our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/VisibilityMarketingInc

The Celebrity Endorser: Can It Work For You?
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“I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV,” is one of my favorite, most memorable line from a celebrity endorser. It was the mid-‘80s and Vicks 44 used Peter Bergman, who played Dr. Cliff Warner from my beloved soap opera, All My Children to endorse Vicks 44.

Celebrity faces have  represented products and services for over 100 years.  In the early years, one celebrity would characterize one product. From print material to billboards to television commercials – that one celebrity was the “face” of that brand.

Back in 2002, Oprah Winfrey aired her first “Favorite Things” show where she shared products that she felt were noteworthy to her audience . Plus, they would make great gift items. The show typically aired around the beginning of the holiday season in early November. The best part for the audience was that they were given some of those products to take home. Product categories included food favorites, beauty and body care, books, music and home and high-tech discoveries.

Several years later, the segment began to spotlight specific groups. For example, the 2004 audience members were teachers. In 2005, the audience was volunteers from Hurricane Katrina. In 2008, the show aired in May instead of November due to the nation’s economic hardships. In 2009, instead of a massive audience giveaway, Oprah held a sweepstakes where there was only one favorite things grand prize winner.

Oprah Winfrey’s product endorsement can take a business with virtually no website traffic to crashing its hosting services. It means that those businesses can count on making lots of money – just by her mentioning it – and, especially if that product is listed on her Favorite Things.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have access to Oprah, but if you look closely around you, in your circle of influence, you are bound to find someone Oprah-like that has a certain amount of clout.

Do your research. Ask family, friends and even other business associates if they know the “who’s who” in your area. As a matter of fact, see if there’s a “Who’s Who” local directory in your business community. These people could be corporate big wigs or they could be well-known bloggers who write product reviews. Find those people and get your product to them. For starters, ask if they would not mind reviewing your product and writing a testimonial. If you are creating an ad or commercial, ask if they would endorse your product or service.

Check out some of the products that made it to Oprah’s 2012 Favorite Things List. Who knows, one day you may be one of them (wink wink).