Photo of Presenters: Top- Courtney Taylor, Designer and GCI’s very own Go-to Gal; Bottom- Jenny Zenkner, Designer, Social Media Expert, Web Developer.

There’s no doubt the world has changed. And whether we like it or not, Facebook has become one of the most powerful forms of communication for all age groups. That’s why Howard Burton, Marketing Director at Panorama Retirement in Lacey, decided to host an introduction to Facebook for his residents, to inform and enlighten them to the possibilities. And GCI Marketing & Advertising was happy to oblige.

A crowd of around 80 senior citizens, eager to understand and begin navigating the overwhelming world of Facebook, filled the Panorama Auditorium. Their enthusiasm is in keeping with the trend of over-55’s joining. In fact, 46% of Facebook users are 45 or older.

“We feel by breaking down the barriers about what Facebook is, and providing a forum for Panorama’s residents to have their questions answered, we are fostering an environment where they can truly reap the benefits of Facebook – primarily, the ability to stay more connected with their families,” said Jenny Zenkner, one of the presenters, and a designer / social media expert from GCI.

“Not only is Facebook a way for senior adults to connect to their loved ones and maintain their communities and relationships, but for their communities, family members and friends to easily reach out to them,” says Courtney Taylor, presenter and designer at GCI. “It works both ways, that’s the beauty of Facebook. You don’t have to do a thing, really- just sit back and enjoy a video of your grandchild taking his first steps, or the photos from a reunion you couldn’t make. It brings what’s important to you, right into your living room.”

The presentation covered general Facebook information, including how to safely set up a personalized profile, find family and friends, view and upload pictures, get help, and stay connected through private messaging with loved ones.

“GCI did a great job… I even learned new things,” says Burton.

Taylor says, “Our mission was to take the mystique out of Facebook, and to inspire attendees to take advantage of the spectacular communication tool Facebook is.”

And inspire they did. Attendees left feeling empowered, or at least less fearful of moving forward with their own Facebook profiles. Many said they were going to call family for help and seek assistance at Panorama’s own computer learning center.

If you’re a savvy Facebook user with some less savvy family members (parents, grandparents, siblings…), helping them get onto Facebook might be the greatest gift you can offer them for keeping connected to the rest of your family.

Boredom with your logo is NOT a good reason to update it. In fact, consistency and repetition are actually good things for a brand. So, just because you’re tired of looking at it doesn’t mean your customers are over-exposed to it. However, here are three perfectly good reasons a logo update may be in order.

1. You’re Outdated.

Your orange and brown may have been really popular colors when you first had the logo designed, but today, those colors are more reminiscent of your mom’s shag kitchen décor than the cutting edge company that you are.  If you’re logo is outdated, a fresh look could bring renewed vibrancy and excitement to your brand.

2. You’ve Changed.

Well, maybe not you personally, but certainly if your company’s products, services, target market, or mission statement have changed. At its core, the logo should illustrate who you are as a company. Your logo serves as a first introduction to your company and it should leave a lasting impression.

3. You’re Moving.

Either literally or electronically. If you’re physically moving then it may be a good time to review your company branding. After all, you already have to print new letterhead, business cards, signage and other materials, why not review your brand while you’re at it?

If you are moving online, it can also be time to consider a logo update. Let’s say you’ve been a brick and mortar business, and you’ve decided to foray into the online world. How does your logo and branding translate to an online environment? Is it easy to recognize on a computer screen? Does it still represent the business?

Logo updates can have reinvigorating effects on customers and employees and can add a fresh vitality to your business.

Here are a few examples of some well known logos and their evolution over the years:

Visit our portfolio to view some of our work creating and promoting the TrifteCard.

TOMA = Top-of-Mind Awareness.

Simply put, TOMA is when people think of your company first when they need a product or service. In other words, it’s owning the space between your potential customer’s ears, so that when they’re ready to buy, your company is top of mind.

Hmmm… how do you make that happen?

Consistent, creative advertising, brand recognition, excellent customer service and follow-up.

Traditionally, TOMA has been achieved through our most basic platforms: radio, television, newspapers and magazine, a memorable logo, a catchy tag line or even a jingle. And now companies large and small have been moving towards social media like facebook and twitter, because well, that’s where your customers are; that’s where they talk about their experiences with you.

It’s no secret that today’s consumers are pretty savvy; they gather the facts before making a commitment and, of course, information is readily available. Consumers are also inundated with hundreds of sales pitches and promises, endless choices, and tons of products, which can leave them feeling confused and overwhelmed. But even worse… they may feel forgotten. Therefore, the most effective advertising avenue and platform for TOMA is the most traditional, word of mouth.

Your best customer is a current, satisfied customer. So, stay in touch with them through the phone, mail (not junk mail), and email. Most importantly, provide unparalleled customer service. Ask them about their experience with you and let them know they are being heard. Be a source of information for them without any strings attached. To achieve TOMA, your goal is to create a relationship of trust and an awareness of who you are and what you offer. When your customers finally decide to buy, they will immediately think of you, but even more importantly, they tell others about you. You will not only occupy the space in their heads, but in their hearts as well as that space on the tip of their tongues!

GCI Marketing and Advertising

Gciad.com

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The Timeline layout has new features such as:

• Cover Image - Where you can make an immediate impression by utilizing a large visual space.
• Milestones – You can show your company history and activity both chronologically and visually.
• Admin Panel – All you need to manage your Page in one easy convenient place.
• Custom Tab Changes – New location for custom tabs where once clicked on, the area is larger, but now you can’t have default landing anymore (this means no matter what, visitors to your page will land on the timeline itself).
• Pinned Posts – No longer do you have to keep reposting the same post to keep it at the top of your wall, with pinning your posts you can anchor the most important story to the top of your Page for up to 7 days.
• Star and Hide Stories – You can now choose to highlight or hide stories that aren’t as engaging or relevant to your fans.
• Friend Activity – Now your fans can see how their friends engage with your Page.

Wondering if fully setting up your Timeline is worth the effort? A researcher reports that brands are getting an average 46% more engagement with Timeline. Read about it here.

Does all of this sound great but you don’t have the time to learn or mess with your business Page Timeline? Let GCI do it for you! We have 3 convenient packages set up to match everybody’s budget & needs.

Launch Packages:

Package A: $395

• Set up your cover image with a photo you provide, or one that GCI took at a past photo shoot
• Use your logo as your profile image
• Create the entry for your “founded” (a.k.a. “opened” or “started”) milestone using an image and write up that you provide
• Consider a monthly budget for further building out timeline

Package B: $695

• Set up you cover image with a photo you provide, or one that GCI took at a past photo shoot and apply some simple branding elements like a tagline and colors to it
• Use your logo as your profile image with option to create the illusion that it is integrated with your cover image (see GCI’s Timeline)
• Create the entry for your “founded” (a.k.a. “opened” or “started”) milestone using an image and write up that you provide, GCI will edit if needed
• Add your first milestone – using an image and write-up details you provide (unless GCI worked on a related project to the post), copy can be edited by GCI if needed
• Consider a monthly budget for further building out timeline

Package C: $1,025

• Creative cover image – original design by GCI to reflect branding
• Integrated profile image
• Founded/Opened/Started applied with your provided brief info and provided image, edited by GCI
• Three milestone – image and write-up details provided by client (unless GCI has worked on a related project to the post), edited by GCI
• Consider a monthly budget for further building out timeline

Still have questions? We also provide training!

Training on Timeline Layout: $200

• 45 mins session to walk through new layout & opportunities (1 – 2 employees)

Comprehensive Training: Prices will be estimated on a by-the-project basis.

As always, GCI is available to help you with Facebook maintenance, creative ideas, and Facebook advertising.

Don’t have a Facebook Page? Pricing is available upon request.

Prices provided above are subject to change without notice.

Contact GCI to discuss your job and confirm current pricing and packages.

1) DO YOU HAVE A REPUTATION?

If you aren’t showing up, it’s like you don’t exist.

Traditionally, you should assume that people online won’t go past the first couple of pages of search results, and now we are hearing that unless someone is highly engaged, they aren’t likely to go past the first 3-5 results.

With this in mind, where do you stand? Do you find results about your company with simple searches like your name, company, brand, products, and industry + area.

If not, think of your online reputation as Non-Existent. It’s time to start building one!

2) DO YOU OWN YOUR LISTINGS?

If you don’t control your brand online, someone else will.

Another issue with search results. Going back to the last topic, if you did the simple searches and results about you appear, but you don’t have control of the pages that show up, this is another issue. If you don’t claim ownership of listings from sites like Google Places and Yelp, then other people can update your information as they please. Not only will you be able to ensure more accuracy about your company by owning your listings, you will also be able to gain insights into how people find your online listings and be more aware of reviews people write about you.

This also applies to social media sites. Claim your name on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc. Someone else could have already or may soon take the name you would want to use and it can cause discrepancies in your branding strategies. In a worst case scenario, someone who is upset with you could register your name or be squatting on your name hoping to make you buy it from them.

Each of the sites mentioned above, and many others that may be appropriate places to list your business have guides on how to take control of your listings or profiles. Use their Help or FAQ sections.

If you don’t offer a positive opportunity for people to communicate with you, they can become discouraged and try to interact through less desirable channels.

3) DO YOU RESPOND TO ONLINE FEEDBACK?

People expect accessibility online.

Now, assuming that you have taken control of your online presence, how do you manage it?

Positive Feedback:

Do you have positive reviews out there? Note the good things people are saying about you and keep them in mind as important aspects of your efforts moving forward. If people’s reviews say they appreciate your cheerful customer service, then taking on a snobby demeanor in your ads or other copywriting could estrange some of your most loyal customers.

Negative Feedback:

Are there negative reviews out there?

Own up to the reviews: If someone has a valid complaint, or if a group has similar or “me too!” complaints, do what you can to address the issue and make things right. People want to know that you care about their perception of you and that you take their concerns to heart.

Inaccurate reviews? Did someone say something like- you rescinded on an offer or your service didn’t work as promised, but the issue they are calling out doesn’t match your promotions or service descriptions? Politely let them know the facts. Perhaps they are mistaking you for someone else or didn’t review the terms of your service thoroughly.

Hateful but empty: Is someone saying something mean or angry with no real substance? If there is no real issue to address either let it go, or in the case of places like your Facebook wall, delete it. If you plan to do this, you should have a terms of use tab on your page outlining types of content that are not allowed, such as profane or hateful comments. Never delete a comment about a real issue! This will feel like you just hung up on a customer who called you with a concern. We’re sure you can imagine the negative word of mouth that follows this sort of action.

4) DO YOU HAVE A STRATEGY?

Be cognizant of the impact of anything you post online. Keep your marketing goals in mind and never say anything that conflicts with your brand image. This means you must do things like: avoid petty reactions to others, fact check your information, and include end dates on promotions that you don’t want to offer FOREVER. Mistakes in these areas can cost you dearly.

5)  ARE YOU BEING DILIGENT?

It’s not enough to set things up, you need to monitor them. Make a routine effort to check on your listings, engage through social media, and read your reviews. There are tools to help with this: Google Alerts, Yahoo Alerts, Facebook Alerts and Insights, etc.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Want to read more on this topic? Here are some articles:

http://mashable.com/2011/10/15/protect-small-business-reputation-online/

http://outspokenmedia.com/guides/orm-guide/

http://www.visibilitymagazine.com/location3-media/tarla-cummings/online-reputation-management#

http://www.anvilmediainc.com/search-engine-marketing-resources/search-engine-marketing-articles/online-reputation-management-article

1 ) TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED

Your customers are coming to you and giving you their business. It is important to treat them as individuals, value them, and show your genuine appreciation. This can be as simple as including everyone involved in your e-mails, or sending them a thank you note.

2 ) DON’T COMMUNICATE

It can be easy to get caught up in what you are doing and let communication fall to the back burner, but if you think about how you would want to be treated, good communication becomes very important. This means many things:

- Give updates on the status of the work you are doing, whether it is a milestone or you run into an issue.

- If your customer prefers e-mail and you prefer the phone. Do your best to accommodate them. Little things like that are perfectly reasonable, try to be flexible.

- Don’t make assumptions about what your customer is thinking (you know what they say about assumptions). Ask for feedback!

- Your customers are individuals, not numbers, get to know them. If you are working with more than one person, include all of them as appropriate in your communications, and don’t belittle someone just because that aren’t your “key” contact.

3 ) DON’T FOLLOW BILLING ETIQUETTE

Be clear about costs up front and stay aware of the budget as you work.

Bill on time. Not unexpectedly or later than planned, your customers have a cash flow, and that must be respected. In the case of some agencies, if you miss the timeline for a bill, their hands are tied and they can’t pay you!

4 ) TALK BIGGER THAN YOU WALK

Never make promises you can’t keep. People have little patience for this and having a reputation for over-promising and under-delivering will follow you. Word of mouth is extremely powerful and unfortunately, the fastest way to get it is to do a bad job!

5 ) FORGET INITIATIVE

Never make your customers prod you to do your job! This means keeping your own schedule in check, and goes back to #2, keep your customer informed of your progress and any issues that may arise.

6 ) BE FLAKEY

If you schedule a meeting or service time, keep to that scheduled time! Don’t be late or unexpectedly early and don’t make a habit of canceling. This will quickly color a customer’s opinion of you and damage their faith in your competency.

7 ) JUST SAY “NO”

If your customers are making reasonable requests, do whatever you can to say yes every time.

Move the deadline up 2 days because the customer had something come up? You padded your timeline from the beginning and this fits your schedule, “Yes.”

8 ) NEVER SAY YOU’RE SORRY

Always own up to mistakes. Be humble and do what you can to make things right.

Earlier we said that word of mouth is powerful. This is your opportunity to take a potentially bad situation and turn it into something good. People appreciate it when you do the right thing, and even if they are a bit unhappy about what happened, they will feel like they can trust you. Trust is invaluable.

9 ) ALWAYS BE THE BOSS

Yes, be the boss and be accountable and ensure quality from your staff, but remember the customer. When your customers foot the bill, treat them with the respect and authority they warrant; you answer to them.

10 ) SHOW YOUR EMPLOYEES YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT THEM

It’s simple, when you treat your employees well, they will pass it on to your customers. Be sure to lead by example and offer training/guidance for your standards of customer service.

Hey “big kids,” back to school season had us thinking… are you investing time in your continual learning? To enhance your business it’s necessary to stay up to date on the latest technology, business principles, and marketing techniques. Fortunately for us, there are some great ways to continue our ongoing education without spending semesters on end in a classroom.

Here are a few of the ways to continue learning that we like best:

1) The Internet. Why not take advantage of all of the resources online for enhancing our knowledge?? If nothing more, find a couple of good sites that write or post articles related to your industry and read them. (If you use twitter you can simply follow someone who posts articles of interest to you and they’ll pick good ones for you!)

2) Webinars. Get a great presentation on a topic of interest without leaving the comforts of your home or office.

3) Entrepreneurs’ Groups. Industry groups and leads groups can be great sources for presentations on current information and technology. There are other great local resources like Chambers and Economic Development Councils. They put on events that give great information.

4) Books. This may feel like back to school on a more literal level, but there are fabulous industry related books out there. Odds are you’ll find some extremely useful books in the business or technology section of the bookstores here in town.

5) Online Groups. Whether you find a group with related interests on a major site like facebook or linkedin, or you find a site dedicated to your industry, meeting up with like-minded people online simply breeds learning.

6) The Small Business Development Center. Not only does the local small business development center offer great opportunities for learning (like short classes), if you are running a small business, they will help you make improvements to your business.

7) Publications. Business publications, both local and national, are another great source for keeping up with the ever-changing face of business. Your continuing education should focus on all of the aspects of your business whether it is specific to the goods or services you offer, or to the issues involved in running a business today.

Want to learn more? Here is the article.

-Jenny

Google+ Project is a new social media platform on which sharing and connecting with others is easier than ever. No longer will we be bogged down by irritating Spam links or Aunt Mary’s constant updates about her war against bunions. With Google+, you control which content you want to see from exactly which people. In the same sense, you also have the ability to share your own content to selected individuals. In other words, mom doesn’t need to know how interesting your Saturday night out was but she can hear about how great you think it is that the the library is open late to accommodate studious youths, such as yourself.The point being that we naturally categorize individuals in our every day, why not be able to do that with our social media. Google+ offers innovated tools like Circles, Hangouts and Sparks along with improved privacy settings that really begs the question: is Facebook a thing of the past?

Google+ Circles helps you organize everyone according to your real-life social connections. Then, you can share relevant content with the right people, and follow content posted by people you find interesting. For example, you might post an announcement about your engagement and show it only to people in your friends and family circles, or you may see a post about your favorite author in the circle you created just for your book club.You can also decide to customize your personal profile information for your circles. For example, your contact details, location, and relationship information would be visible to your friends circle, while your employment history and education would be visible to your alumni association circle. Learn more about Circles here.

Google+ Hangouts lets you tell people that you’re online and you want to hangout. You can also use live video chat to put you and your buddies in one room together plus, you also have the option of only appearing online to those people that you choose. Learn more about Hangouts here.

Google+ Sparks brings you stories on the things you love from all across the Web in one easy location. You’re able to search for a variety of interests that only pertains to you. No more hearing about the latest viral cat video when you are really a dog person. Learn more about Sparks here.

With all of that said, do I think everyone is going to jump the Facebook ship and latch onto Google+ just yet? Sorry Google, I don’t think it’s going to be that easy. Zuckerberg and his creation have dominated the social media kingdom for sometime now. Just as with anything in it’s infancy, Google+ has some evolving to do before it can get enough people to accept it is as the new social media king. The real test, especially from a marketing stand point will be how Google+ Business Pages are going to be set up. Google has said Business accounts will be available towards the end of the year, so until then I’ll keep encouraging business owners to get the conversations started by joining Facebook and Twitter. I do however think Google is brilliant for recognizing the most annoying parts about Facebook and solving those issues with new features and better privacy settings. I think Facebook finally does have a worthy contender in the ring (sorry Myspace).

- Carly