Location is becoming more than just a game. More than just how many points or badges you can acquire. It’s becoming useful. Not only can I see where my friends like to hang out, what suggestions they have, I also can see what nearby stores are offering specials. When I went to check in to Biggby Coffee in Ann Arbor today, I noticed that two nearby stores had a small “special” icon below them:
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May
26
2010
Pricing Based on Customer Expectations
Pricing, when done properly, is one of the most difficult tasks any business faces. Yet it is usually only given a perfunctory once-over. Customers have a range in mind that they’re willing to pay, but if you ask them, cheaper is always better. Ask a customer what they paid for something after the fact, and they’ll probably have a hard time remembering exactly. Price something too low, and people wonder about the quality. Price too high, and you’re out of budget. How can you meet your customer’s expectations without directly asking them?
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May
25
2010
How Social Media Changes Your Business
You may think that social media is a great tool for promoting your business. You can get your message out to a lot of people for relatively little money and time. However, if all you’re doing is promoting yourself, people see that. And they stop listening. Using social media selfishly can actually hurt your business. To use social media effectively, you need to change how you do business.
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May
24
2010
A Special Thank You
As you’re probably already aware, I was in Germany for three weeks. Two of it spent studying the business environment of Europe at the WHU and one vacationing with my family. I had a great time and learned a lot, not only from the class, but also about Germany. Spending three weeks away from my desk wouldn’t have been possible without the help of these two awesome people:
Sandi Maki has been a wonderful influencer and influencee in my network for over a year now. She’s a great person to bounce ideas off of and always has a sunny outlook on the day. She agreed to guest blog for me while I was gone and her posts allowed me to spend a bit of time away from the computer (gasp!). Thank you, Sandi, for all your help. It’s very much appreciated! If you’re in the Detroit area, and looking for a place to work outside of your office/home, or if you need a place to call an office, check out Insights Group in Brighton.
I’m not exactly sure when I met Dave Murray, but I’m happy I did. His community-building attitude has helped bring together a lot of interesting people in the social media & tech spaces around Detroit. Dave just started a new job, but took the time to pen a guest post for me, plus promote it through is own connections. Thanks, Dave, for bringing people together and helping out. Meet Dave at the next Social Media Club Detroit event, this Wednesday.
Thank you also to all of you who continue to read this blog, retweet my tweets, and connect with me in various places, offline & off. I really appreciate your involvement and look forward to more conversations!
(photo by RobeRt Vega)
May
21
2010
Effective Web Hosting for Social Media Campaigns
This is a guest post from Chris Reynolds from WebHostingSearch.com, which provides web hosting listings & ratings.
Today, social media sites have come to be a critical part of the world’s web surfing experience. Social media campaigns demand innovative and accommodating web hosting. Due to the variety of social media formats, from forums, weblogs, and podcasts to wikis, web hosts have to be flexible and responsive to their clients’ needs. A common thread among social networkings sites is the sharing and discussing of personal information, so any social media campaign must take this into account.
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May
20
2010
From a Different Perspective
One of the nice things about traveling to new places, other than seeing new things, is the opportunity to get a different perspective. Everyone does things just a little bit differently. Seeing how others approach even the most basic things, can give you some insights on new ways to approach work, leisure, problems, life, etc. Getting out of your comfort zone expands the mind and stimulates thoughts and ideas. Spending two weeks in Germany has certainly given me a taste of how life can be approached from a slightly different angle.
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May
19
2010
The Wrong Way to Market on Twitter
Sending tweets where you’re pretending to have a conversation with someone, or rting something they didn’t actually tweet, or DMing me with promotions or offers is the wrong way to market on Twitter. And you’re missing the point! (and actually hurting yourself).
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May
18
2010
Social Media in Germany
I’m in Germany for three weeks studying “The Changing Business Environment in Europe” at the WHU – along with some site-seeing. While I haven’t been able to make it all around the country, many of the people I have spoken with have very similar social media habits as the people I know in the U.S. Obviously there are differences in regions, demographics and cultures in terms of social media use. Generally, most people are on Facebook, but very few know what to do with Twitter.
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May
17
2010
Help Your Customers Help You
If you have a product or service, and you’ve done a good job with customer service, your customers are probably happy with their purchase. No product or service is perfect, though. There’s always room for improvement. Your customers – the ones who you’re selling to – have ideas and thoughts on what you can do to improve. All you have to do is ask.
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