“It is exciting to be in a position of growth right now, especially while many others are scaling back. The recent additions to the team reflect Biznet’s commitment to continued growth,” said Kevin Krason, CEO and founder of Biznet. “We are a strong company that has survived 2009 and has big plans to flourish in 2010.”

Doug Menzer is a ten-year veteran of marketing communications with two degrees from Michigan State University in Communications and Psychology. Just prior to his new position at Biznet, Doug worked as a Marketing Manager/Director of Social Media for a Birmingham, Michigan based digital marketing agency.  In his role as Marketing Director at Biznet, he is responsible for research, strategy, planning, project management and oversight of brand awareness and digital public relations for a variety of clients.

Prior to joining Biznet , Patti Swanson, with nearly 20 years marketing and management experience, held numerous positions for the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit including most recently Executive Director at North Oakland Family YMCA, and prior to that Vice President of Marketing and Membership. She has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Marketing and Management from Northwood University and a Master’s of Science Administration in Business and Marketing from Central Michigan University. In her role as Director of Account Management at Biznet, Patti is responsible for account supervision and project management ensuring the highest level of quality and flawless execution while forging new relationships and opportunities.

Jennifer Weesies, a recent graduate of Ferris State University with her Bachelor’s of Business in Public Relations, joined the Biznet team in Oct. of 2009. Prior to accepting a Marketing Coordinator position at Biznet, she worked as an intern at Lambert, Edwards and Associates, a public relations firm in Grand Rapids, Mich. As a member of the marketing team at Biznet, Jennifer develops and carries out digital marketing and social media strategies including content distribution campaigns, SEO/SEM, social media training and digital public relations while monitoring and building client relationships.

David Lemieux began his career at Biznet Internet Solutions in Feb. of 2009 as an intern and was hired on staff full-time in Oct. of 2009. He is currently wrapping up his Bachelor’s degree at Oakland University. In his position as a Marketing Coordinator at Biznet, Dave is responsible for website copy writing and tweaking, search engine optimization, article and video distribution, analyzing metrics, client reporting, social media monitoring as well as forging and maintaining client relationships.

About Biznet Internet Solutions
Based in Wixom, Mich., Biznet Internet Solutions is a full-service Web solutions company, focusing on business and mobile Web sites, advertising agency support and Internet marketing, including search and social media marketing. For more information, please visit http://www.biznetis.net

How can one company have a personal conversation with thousands of customers and potential customers all over the country and the world? The relatively new marketing tool called social media breaks down the old “time continuum” and allows companies to have a conversation with thousands of people all over the country, indeed all over the world.

There is a great deal of talk about social media and special social media agencies have sprung up to take advantage of the growing marketing spend in this medium. But what is social media really and what is the best way to use it?

There is a great deal of talk about social media and special social media agencies have sprung up to take advantage of the growing marketing spend in this medium. But what is social media really and what is the best way to use it?

What Is Social Media?

Let’s start by looking at the latest facts for this holiday season. A new survey by comScore Inc. found that 28% of holiday shoppers said that social media influenced some of their purchase decisions this season. That is a large percentage of people for whom this media directly influenced a purchase. It is clear that smart marketers cannot ignore social media. But what exactly did this survey define as social media? Interestingly, they broadened the definition of social media to include online reviews and articles. Many social media disciples do not consider online reviews and articles to be social media. In fact, most of the social media talk and buzz is about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. But without that broadening of the definition to include these reviews and articles, the results of this survey don’t look so good. Only 6% of consumers were influenced by Facebook and 3% by twitter. The vast majority of consumers were influenced by reviews.

Yesterday I reviewed a newly published white paper on social media. This is a well-researched paper that surveyed 700 marketing professionals who are actively engaged in social media marketing. By a long shot Twitter was the top social media tool used by these professionals followed by LinkedIn and Facebook. So, only a very small percentage of consumers are influenced by tweets but Twitter is the top social media property the surveyed marketers are using to reach their audience.

Content is King

In our blogs we have talked about the value of content marketing, the creation and distribution of articles, press releases, videos etc. throughout the internet. When you create this content not only are you informing the consumer about your products or services but you are establishing link backs to your web site. Done properly your content can have thousands, even hundreds of thousands of link backs from sites all over the net. This has value on several levels. Obviously it creates additional interest in your business but it also has great value for SEO, raising your web site’s search engine rankings.

I’m not saying that Facebook is fallacy or you should be a Twitter quitter. These are very valuable tools that will continue to grow in value over the years. You should use these tools as well as blogging, social bookmarketing, and all other tools available. There will also be new social media tools cropping up and it will be wise to embrace some of them as well. The goal is to have an on-going conversation with your customers. I do believe, however, in using those tools that deliver the greatest results. Content marketing has proven to be a strategy we have had success with for our clients.

So, by all means, embrace social media. Just don’t narrow the definition to the more talked about strategies and consider adding content marketing to your online arsenal.

Just Tuesday morning Ford announced that it has made almost $1 billion in profits in its third quarter and the company expects to be profitably sound in 2011. Could this be due in part to the large chunk of change they dedicated to updating the marketing program to meet customers in the online world? A quick Google search proves to me that I am not the only one who thinks so.

Ford’s Fiesta Movement may be one of the biggest and best displays of how digital and social media can be successfully utilized on a large scale to bring about awareness of a brand or product. Even though the Fiesta is not yet available in the United States, according to surveys by Ford, the level of awareness is 37 percent among Generation Y.

When successful internet marketing programming meets perfectly optimized websites meets a dedicated social media strategy, sparks fly! Creating brand awareness has now become more than traditional advertising and marketing campaigns; it is all about combining these methods with more investment than ever in digital and social media programs. Businesses that are successfully meeting customers online, where they’re already at, will find that they are keeping up with the changing times and are retaining, even increasing, business.

Where are you in the digital commitment decision making process? Have you fully committed to the realization that the shift from traditional media programs to digital and social media programs has occurred? Are you keeping up with this change or, are you lagging behind holding onto “what has always worked” hoping that soon everything will fall back in to place? If so, it is time for some serious strategy revamping.

Every company can benefit from making the digital commitment and if you already have not, now is the time to take the leap.

Please note this is not a complete list. I invite readers to make additions in the comments!

“Choosing to use social media marketing”

Does not mean:

• Throwing up a company blog for newsletter items and press releases
• Using Twitter to syndicate your RSS feeds
• Placing ads on Facebook
• Anything that requires little or no human company representative to interact

Does mean:

• Engaging stakeholders on a one-to-one and one-to-many basis
• Making a time investment in social media
• Sharing content and offering others to use it on your behalf
• Letting go of controlling the message

“–means choosing to update corporate culture”

Does not mean:

• Hippies, cowboys, or exclusively Gen Y’ers running and participating in your media relations
• Your company can continue ignoring what may or may not be said about it
• You will be disrespecting your brand

Does mean:

• Agility (by which I use the wiki reference for agility: the power of moving the limbs quickly and easily; nimbleness; activity; quickness of motion; as, strength and agility of body; A faculty of being agile in body, mind, or figuratively)
• Listening to other users–with our ears more than our mouths
  
• Increasing transparency; not company secrets, but certainly sharing more than you’re used to
• Realizing the market is bigger than your control
• Better integrating your PR and/or marketing professionals into your team’s daily activities

“–and sometimes policies”

Does not mean:

• Lawsuits will be flying at your company left and right
• Sneaking around different departments to gain approval
• Your list of “rules” can/will be all enclosing
• Your lawyers will have a coronary

Does mean:

• Policies disallowing company’s expressing opinions might be altered (Quit shuddering; it’ll be okay. I promise.)
• Sharing media (Really, I mean giving it away. No charging. No rules. Just allowing straight embeddable media.)
• Opening your mind a little more

One of the biggest misconceptions is that updating your Web site costs tens of thousands of dollars.  The truth is, unless you are redesigning your site or adding advanced functionality such as e-commerce or community features (i.e., a blog or forum), most sites need just a little TLC and a few hours of work.  Utilizing your current functions and content, you can get away with simply performing a little design and content modification.

With regard to whether your site simply needs a little maintenance work or a completely new design, research if your Web traffic has decreased dramatically over the last two to three years and why this may be the case.  Basically put, what worked three years ago may not be the best solution today, which is why you should have your site reviewed by a professional at least every other year.

When reviewing your content, determine whether it reflects your current product lines, service offerings and brand, respectively.  You also will want to evaluate whether it is still meeting your business objectives in terms of generating traffic, sales leads and/or purchases.

For most businesses, the general rule of thumb is that your Web site should be updated every two to three years.  However, if generating repeat traffic to your site is your goal, providing fresh, compelling content (i.e., press releases, articles, videos, presentations and/or product or service discounts), which exists both on your Web site and on third party Web sites linking back to your site, is imperative.  Updating frequently also can help your site achieve a higher ranking in the search engines.

Contrary to popular belief, you can use a different Web developer than the person who originally created your site.  If that person is no longer available, hiring someone new enables you the opportunity to have a fresh set of eyes review your current site and offer counsel on possible changes.

Whether you are seeking to have your Web site simply renovated or completely rebuilt, hire someone who is willing to listen to you and understand your business objectives and how you will measure your site’s success.  Prior to meeting that individual, you should be prepared to answer four questions:

1)    Who is your target audience?

2)    What is your business objective?

3)    How are you going to measure your site’s success?  Traffic?  Sales leads?  Purchases?

4)    What is your budget?

By answering these questions, your prospective developer will be able to provide you with the best possible solution.

Finally, after narrowing your list of prospective Web developers, check their backgrounds.  Review the sites on which they have worked.  Reach out to their clients and talk to people with whom you network to provide a reference.  You may even wish to contact a local organization such as the Better Business Bureau or the local Chamber for further information. 

Maintaining your Web site is certainly a lot of work, but, considering you want to capture a prospective client’s interest, shouldn’t you do it right?

Learn more about online marketing in the Biznet Marketing Toolbox at www.biznetis.net/marketing-toolbox

1 - Ability to write a good response does not make a vendor qualified

I can hire the best proposal writers in the world if I want.  I’ve got a stable of contract writers with years of experience doing just that.  The problem is that just because I have good writers doesn’t mean I have the qualifications and talent to produce the desired solution.  I think it’s unfortunate that the responses received from the request often read very similarly but have estimates ranging from that of the purchase price of a new moped to a luxury sports car.  Can these really be competitive solutions?  I think not.

2 - Vendor selection is based on relationship and trust

I don’t consider myself a sales person.  I don’t buy from salesmen so why would I try that approach?  Instead I teach and advise.  An educated prospect will make the right choices.  Sometimes they hire us, other times they don’t. We’ve got to be a good fit and it’s got to be a win-win.  My customer knows that they’ve made smart choices and trust me to lead them forward.

3 - RFP writer doesn’t understand solution potential

Most times, an RFP is not written by a web industry professional.  Instead it is delegated to an internal IT resource or marketing coordinator.  While I have the utmost respect for these individuals, they simply don’t have the knowledge of modern web services and solutions.  Internet development technologies and marketing best practices change almost daily.  I myself find it difficult to keep up with the changes and have a staff of subject matter experts to constantly advise me.   Companies seeking to get the best return on their investment should involve their internet partner in the early strategy and planning stages.  Only then can all client and partner expectations be clearly understood and business objectives met.

4 - There are hundreds of ways to provide the same solution

I often see requests to develop an ecommerce website with little additional detail.  Having built hundreds of sites over the last 15 years, I can tell you that costs and features of an online store range from under $100/mo. to millions.  The proposal details are usually too vague to determine which solution to propose.  Most times, the customer doesn’t even know what the pros and cons of these solutions are or what they really want or need.  Unless I’m clairvoyant, responding to this request is like throwing darts.

5 - Without proper education client expectations cannot be met

In order for a web development or marketing project to be effective, business objectives must first be clearly defined and budget must be allocated.  Developing a strategy to obtain the best solution requires many hours of collaborative conversations with the management, key stakeholders, decision makers, developers, marketers and more.  It takes a team of experts to understand the goals, the strategy, and the approach that will best match budget and return expectations.

6 - RFP’s purpose is to solicit ideas

Sometimes a business prospect will put out a Request for Proposal just to get ideas.  I have friends who are previous technology officers for companies who tell me candidly that often an RFP project is never intended.  Instead, the scharade it enacted only to get ideas from industry professionals.  These are particularly frustrating because you’ll find out afterward that you’ve invested all of your time and energy into something that was never going to generate income for you.

7 - RFP responses are expensive

Probably the most common reason I choose not to reply is that I simply can’t afford to have my best talent working on a proposal for work that I may never win.  Expert web strategists and consultants are expensive. If I’m going to dedicate the 20 to 40 hours necessary to research and provide a quality response, I’ve got to recover that cost somehow.  Since there is no guarantee that I’ll get the business, it may take me two or three proposals before I generate income and it is very difficult to justify adding 90 hours of my top talent billable rate to every proposal just to cover my costs.  As the customer, I’d be frustrated if I knew that the solution price was inflated to cover these costs.

The best definition I’ve heard for SMM is that is mimics face to face networking in a virtual space. It’s word of mouth marketing taken online. It’s part personality and part opinion. To be successful, it must provide value to the target audience.

Social Media Marketing is not like traditional advertising. You cannot push a marketing message out to the masses and expect it to be well received. In many cases, this practice is considered spamming and will be immediately discarded. Those who practice these techniques will find themselves on the wrong end of criticism and lose the ability to garner respect and a following. Advertisers and marketers must first engage their prospect at a personalized level. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the conversation should be about your personal life but rather that you must first establish a relationship built on trust and respect.

There is no clear metric or industry standard for measuring the return on investment from a social media campaign. You must first define the return you seek. Consider these typical measures - Brand Awareness, Conversation, and Sales as a guide. Website analytics will reveal significant details about your reach and reaction. Search engine “Page Rank” is also affected and can be measured quantitatively.

Why should you consider Social Media as a marketing avenue? The most common answer to this is cost. Social Media Marketing has a very low cost of entry. For a small investment in a blog platform and the time to write a few posts, marketers can enter the space. Many who do begin these steps do not follow through and are disappointed by the results. Those who invest more into listening and learning about their prospects needs, and follow through with a longer term strategy, will see rewards in many ways.

Social Media Marketing, when done correctly, provides a new avenue for businesses to create a relationship with their customers. Successful marketers will engage these customers, understand their needs, and extend value. They will be rewarded when these consumers become advocates and recommenders, extending the reach and the perceived quality and value of their products and services.

Social Media is constantly changing. Online properties rise and fall in popularity overnight. Don’t get wrapped up in these tools. Instead realize that 50% of the activity that occurs on social properties is on websites you’ve never heard of. These niche properties have a smaller, more select user demographic. Finding the community that matches your target market and business objectives will provide far greater value than a mass market property like Facebook or Myspace.

On the way into the office today, I was listening to an NPR series part, Michigan’s Hybrid Economy: Helping the Entrepreneurs, and a few things struck me. The first is the comment that the auto industry has continued to suck local investors dry.

“(Entrepreneur’s) main competitors to be honest are automotive based technologies, they’re going to be the big guys.”

It’s frustrating, though understandable, that most Detroit-area investors have sought out auto. Of course, auto has been Detroit’s golden goose, but really? Are we that resistant to change that investors are still drawn to the money pit Detroit auto has become? I’m absolutely all for helping out my hometown’s bread-and-butter, of course I have family deeply embedded, but diversification is an absolute necessity if not inevitable.

The next striking point is the apparent lack of investors in Detroit at all.

He says most of the private investment money, venture capitalists, or even what are called “angel investors”… live in places like Silicon Valley or Boston.

And Michigan entrepreneurs can win investment from those places, but it’s more likely they’d be forced to move.

The article suggests we can attract these investors with tax incentives. I must admit, I’ve felt the pull of out-of-state solutions to better achieve my ambition. It’s irritating our state has done little to better influence these investors. After all, as the report mentions, that is how the auto industry we know today began.

That’s one of the sad realities in Michigan right now. At a time when the state desperately needs to encourage entrepreneurs, there are fewer resources to do so.

The strategy at this point is to target incentives to particular industries, like film or electric car batteries.

That means some entrepreneurs will get less help than others.

So, now that Detroit has learned from the mistake of putting all of its eggs in one auto industry basket, we’re rising from the ashes to put our eggs in only a few new industries. Hm. Really? Sure, we’ve shown some early successes with film and others–just like the auto industry did. But are we really about to take those same steps with no insurance (through diversification) for our future?

All I’m saying is it’d be nice if Michigan would stop pulling the seat from underneath itself and stop screwing over its own future.

What IF we let entreprenuers pursue their dreams and make the business cases for what they know best? What IF our focus was encouraging their development, whatever it may be, and supported the viable business cases that ensued?

(This article is a re-post from Shauna Nicholson’s blog. You can view additional comments here.) ]]> http://blog.biznetis.net/2009/06/02/michigan-should-enable-entrepreneurs-to-pursue-their-ambitions-without-having-to-leave/feed/ http://blog.biznetis.net/2009/05/17/to-tweet-or-not-to-tweet-that-is-the-question/ http://blog.biznetis.net/2009/05/17/to-tweet-or-not-to-tweet-that-is-the-question/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 03:22:57 +0000 Kevin Krason http://blog.biznetis.net/?p=35 I get asked everyday “What is Twitter?” and “Why should I use it?”  Twitter is a micr-blogging website where users share tips, ideas, and personal experiences with their “Friends” (AKA followers.)  The message limit is 140 characters so notes are concise and frequently filled with hyperlinks to websites, blogs, etc.  I encourage everyone to find out more by visiting www.twitter.com.  I also found this video on YouTube that is worth a view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

Why should I use Twitter?  Ask ten people this question and you’ll get ten different answers.  Some use twitter to communicate with friends and family.  Others use it to meet new friends with similar interests.  Some use it as a messaging tool to reach large groups with a single note.  Many use Twitter to learn more about subjects of interest.  By following like minded people, you can share and review recommended links to webpages, blogs and more.

As an Internet Marketing professional, I use twitter to learn more about my industry.  The people I follow often share links to news and statistics that I find very helpful in growing my business.  I also share hot topics with my network which consists of friends, collegues and strangers.  I also use Twitter to strengthen my brand.  Every time I tweet, my business name is present.  I also share tips on Internet marketing trends. 

I believe that no one really cares if I “just took the dog for a walk” or am “having coffee at Starbucks”.  Instead, I seek to provide value to my network every time I can.  If I don’t have a useful note to share, I tweet an inspirational quote.  I measure my sucess by the number of times my followers “Retweet” my message, or share my tweet with their followers, crediting me as the source. 

Active Tweeters do not use the twitter.com website to read and post messages.  Instead, they use custom applications that run on smart phones or the computer.  Tools like Twitterific, TweetDeck and Monitter provide unique advantages over the website.  For example, I can group my followers to make it easier to keep up with those I consider close friends.  I also know everytime someone tweets with my name in the message.  I can search through other’s tweets for topics of interest to me.  I can even geo-target my searches to find friends that are geographically close to me. 

Like it or not, Twitter use is growing rapidly and having a significant mark on the way the world communicates.  Signup for a free account at twitter.com and be sure to follow me at @kevinbiznet!