Tag Archives: Social media

How YOU can Measure your Social Media & In-Person Engagement FREE of Charge?

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Within business and our personal lives, we are continually looking for ways to educate people through things such as email, social media, blog posts, associations, etc in order to show our expertise and/or leadership in the fields we consider ourselves experts in. However, even our best tips, practices, case studies, questions and answers, etc often end up leaving us with no real way to measure our successes. Or maybe not?  
 

Since our agency consults on things such as these, we thought this week we would share a few tips on some of the items, which are out now that could help you measure your online and in-person networking efforts. If you use social media to produce, content (personally or professionally) then you may or may not know about the program referred to as HootSuite. Regardless of the reasons people or companies use HootSuite the most important thing to remember about this tool is that it allows you to control, manage, and analyze multiple online social media mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, etc. The best part of this is that you can add up to five accounts for FREE or subscribe to another plan that starts around $5.99 a month and gives you access (even the FREE accounts do) to analytics such as those found in other programs like Google Analytics or Facebook Page Insights. Please study, learn, and use these analytics if you are not already, as you may be surprised at what you might find out about how your message(s) are being received by your friends, followers, and acquaintances online.
Another must have and know how in the social media or blogosphere realm, which will help you measure your social media engagement that you must learn and utilize are three very similar programs (1) Klout (2) PeerIndex, and(3) EmpireAvenue. Klout, PeerIndex, and EmpireAvenue use data from various networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, Blogspot, Tumblr, Flickr, Google+, etc to measure the different amounts of influence you have on your networks or other networks that are tied to you somehow (i.e. ReTweets, Mentions, Likes, Share Purchases, etc), while giving a user and/or company a number based from 1-100. These mediums should leave a person or company with little ambiguity, as to whether their messages are being received well or not regardless of the mediums, they are using to send the message(s). In other words the higher your Klout, PeerIndex Score, or Share Price the more likely your messages are being received by your network or not.
Lastly, if you are scared on the new ways (analytics) to measure your online effectiveness or engagement of friends, followers, or acquaintances than you can use the old way(s) to judge your material and that is by looking deep into your senses and motivations for engaging users to begin with. OK, so you are asking how can you do that? Easy, if you are like us and strapped for time carry around a little notebook. When you expose something either online (social media) or in-person (personally or professionally) jot down a note when you feel something was received well and other notes when you think the opposite. At the end of a day, week, month, or year review these notes and decide what days, weeks, or months you were most successful and what exactly pleased or displeased your audience and/or audiences. This is old school but still effective even in this new digital age we find ourselves in.
Needless to say, each week we use a variety of these methods (online and in-person) to help determine what others are asking and/or might have questions about, so we can one day become the source you turn to for the advice you seek. Although this week’s tip only tips the iceberg, we can all continue to analyze and melt the ice, along with our works online or in-person in order to tailor our messages to meet the needs of those who seek our advice. Thanks for stopping by, don’t be afraid to speak out to us anytime from anywhere, and we will look forward to seeing you right back here next week with another tip, brought to you… well… by YOU! Until then and as usual, KEEP SMILING

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.


How do you decide on the Right Company and/or Professional to assist in a Buying or Outsourcing Decision?

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As a person or business owner, you may often find yourself asking difficult questions and often coming up with little to know answers. Does this sound like you? If so, how do you know who to trust or how to evaluate a company and/or their credentials in order to decide if they can actually serve you and/or your business needs?
Regardless of the industry and/or business professional, that you may be dealing with most industries have standards that you can use to evaluate not only the staff but the entire business and industry, which may be as easy as performing a Google search. However, the fact is most people and businesses do not actually have the required time to invest and/or research a particular industry (even so called Googling), so they often call on third party facilitators to oversee a particular business or personal purchase decision. These people whom you rely on and  often referred to as consultants, brokers, advisers, etc maybe the solution that you are looking for or are they? The question still remains… and that is how do you really know whom you are dealing with?
Here are some questions you should ask yourself when deciding on the right professional or company to help facilitate any buying decision. Can anyone be a doctor? The answer to this question is simply no, as there is schooling and there are requirements that all doctors must go through before they can actually advise you or prescribe a remedy. And yes, this includes doctors, other than those doctors you go to see for medical illnesses. Can anyone be an attorney? Again, the answer to this question is no and again there are many years of schooling and tests that a person must go through in order to represent you in court, help you start a business, or help you fight for justice. Can anyone be banker? Well, this is a tricky one. There are many good bankers out there that can help facilitate a loan or advise you on a good investment. However, if you want a well-respected and reputable banker (Financial Consultant) then more times then not you would be looking to deal with someone who yet again has had extensive training and/or education; otherwise, their advisements may end up costing you your life or business savings, just ask all those who trusted Bernie Madoff or ENRON with their money.
All too often, even after asking yourself or evaluating a business or professionals credentials or answering the aforementioned questions many people and/or organizations will still move forward with a purchase or outsourcing decision without understanding the real danger that these decisions may pose over the long-term. Much too often these decisions maybe influenced by price, friends, and/or other companies that have done business with these people or organizations in the past. However, rest assured that in this new age of digital communication, well respected businesses and people are here to help advise you on almost any personal or business purchase decision. 
For instance, here at Seven Times Seven, we advise people, organizations, and communities on some of the difficult decisions facing you and/or your business in regards to workers compensation, payroll, Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs), wireless devices, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technologies, website development, and social media. Since we believe in helping our clients make sound buying decisions, we thought we would provide a few insights to our readers and followers, as to what you should be asking yourself before making any purchase decision in these respected segments. 
Workers Compensation, Payroll, and Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs)
Wireless Devices
  • Is the carrier regional, national, or worldwide?
  • Is the device(s) locked or unlocked? Can the device be unlocked if currently locked?
  • Is the device compatible with your other personal or business devices (i.e. computer, tablet, landline, etc?)
  • Will you be locked into a long-term agreement and if so what are the terms if you cannot honor the agreement?
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Is the CRM solution (HOSTED) external to the company such as SalesForce, NetSuite, or Oracle, etc?
  • Is the CRM solution (ON-PREMISE) and runs at your home or place of business such as SugarCRM, Microsoft, Seibel, ACT, etc?
  • Is the CRM solution (HYBRID), which is a combination of hosted and on-premise solutions?
  • How will the CRM company or you protect your confidential data?
  • What are the back-up systems used and where are they located in case of an emergency?
  • Does or will the CRM solution you choose provide customer support?
Website Development and Social Media
  • Is the company and/or person reputable and how long have they been in the business?
  • How compatible is the platform you will be developing with other developmental mediums?
  • What are the true costs associated with maintenance, upgrades, new designs, etc?
  • Are the mediums that you want geared towards your personal or business goals and/or target markets?
  • How do you get questions answered (i.e. are there charges for tech support and if so are they hourly, weekly, or monthly fees?) 
  • Will the chosen mediums increase your Google search rankings and if so how will this be measured? 

As with any service offering there are a lot of questions that go into deciding what service you may ultimately decide on but if not asked prior more times than not you may find yourself using people, systems, or companies that are not part of your long-term goals. Albeit, many time we as consumers make purchasing decisions based on emotion, if you take the emotions out and ask yourself  a few simple questions, in the long-run you will be glad you did even if it turned out to be the wrong decision. The thing to remember is consider a person or businesses experience, credentials, education, and take the extra time needed to look under the hood before making any irrational purchase decision, as we are sure you will be glad that you did. Obviously, the questions stated are only a start, so if we can help you or your company come up with answers that you may have in regards to one of our consulting segments please do not hesitate to reach out or contact us via Phone, Email, Social Media, or connect with David Dandaneaudirectly. After all and as our motto goes, we help you manage your life and business, so you don’t have to manage your processes!

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.


Seven Times Seven- Tip of the Week! Make Sure YOU Make Time for Online & Social Media Activities!

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It seems like each and every day we continue to preach about the importance of social media in our own practice and those we serve, as this is a great way to market services for little to no money! So, remember that you also need to remain dedicated, while investing your time wisely to reap any type of reward(s)… don’t think you can set your networks on auto-pilot and walk away because this could be no further from the truth. Research, engage, and listen to your audience regularly, while being consistent in your interactions to achieve greater success. Remember the more time you allot or the more you do online or with social media, the more likely people will be to trust your opinions and purchase or recommend you or your products or services to others. Perhaps, the old adage and our motto that everyone accomplishes more together should be what you or your company applies directly, so you and/or your online campaign will turn into a real success story. This is the first of our weekly tips for success and long-term growth that we will continue to provide. Please let us know what you think or how we can help and until next week… Keep Smiling

What REALLY is Social Media and How Does it Help a Person and/or Organization?

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Via Scoop.it – Putting Academics to Work through Social Media in order to Solve Real World Business Problems

How will Supply Chain Management (SCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Social Media, and other technological system advancements impact people and other (i.e. Small-to-Medium Enterprises) organizations in the years ahead.
Via daviddandaneau.blogspot.com

Is Traditional Media on the Verge of Death?

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Is Traditional Media on the verge of death or will it simply change? Are blogs and social media taking over the news? Well one thing is certain and that is CNN seems to be doing things right with their integration of iReporting. It’s the best of both worlds. It keeps the content fresh from users, so that CNN has a slight bit of YouTube quality as well and just as well there is user participation. And there is something to actually being on television or in print that changes things for people. The pillars of society are still there. Even Chris Brogan of Trust Agents mentions that he wrote the book instead of doing an e-book, because there is a certain amount of fame and establishment from traditional print publishing that you cannot get otherwise. Perhaps is it then that people who upload these videos to CNN, rather than to some place like YouTube, feel important and that makes them come back? Any Tom, Dick, and Harry can be found on YouTube’s mess (and that’s how we see it – as an unorganized mess that will go away unless they adapt)…. But alas: not everyone can be seen on CNN.

The best bloggers don’t seem to be ordinary. They have special skills of motivation, innovation, skilled wordsmithing, and even sometimes a Journalism Degree. (The book Putting the Public Back in Public Relations notes the TechCrunch site, which was joined by a major journalist). For every great blog which seems to stir, there are thousands if not millions which are mostly ignored. To say that basic bloggers will take over is absurd. However, we do think that the bloggers which are influential and superior would have been just as good or innovative with any available technology, with a few “lucky” exceptions.

In a recent analysis we read a newspaper from the 1800s about journalism and it was surprising how laid back the articles were. Some were even written by regular citizens. Some were half-Ad, half news. In the end, the Professionals took over. Though everyone having a newsprint in their hands were experiencing “New Technology” and regular people would put their words in there, it eventually came to be Modern Journalism as we know it.

Then the radio changed things. Early radio was very weird and weak and sometimes they would interview the dairy farmer down the road. We hear clips from the “great programs” from back in the day, thinking that they were all polished, but this is not true. A great many stations had just regular Joes at first. It eventually became NPR and the “drive home” radio and such. And now it’s becoming Satellite Radio.

We saw the same thing with television as well. Just as Radio was supposed to kill Print, television was supposed to kill radio. None of these things happened. And now… the web was supposed to kill them all (as spoken in some circles). We think that print and traditional journalism will survive as long as mankind. It gets rocky every time there is a new medium, but it’s in our nature to watch and pay attention to the “professionals” in all walks of life. People seem to think that we are moving so fast, but we still have parts of the planet that are unexplored, we visit the moon as often as we visit great uncles, we have yet to feed the planet and there are some parts of the population that live in the same way that humans lived 2,000 years ago and with no technology, no bottled (or even clean) water, no rubber comfort shoes (or any at all) and yes… believe it or not…no Blogs. When people claim the death of print they aren’t taking in the real world and perhaps all it is, is that we are getting a little ahead of ourselves. Let’s face it, with the way things move we will all be talking our Blogs to each other soon enough, which technically will replace the web, YES?

This is our first blog post but one of importance since we are looking for answers that our readers may have on the lively hood of media; therefore, if you could take a minute or two and provide us with agreements or disagreements, we would love to continue this conversation. Otherwise, we will look forward to reporting our views and conversing with others in person and in the new virtual world we all live in. Until then, KEEP SMILING!

David Dandaneau is a Consultant at [SevenTimesSeven]. He specializes in helping business owners “manage their business and not their processes!” For more connect with him via Twitter @ddandaneau or any of the other social platforms you may find him on.