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By waynekessler, May 2, 2009

As someone who has been involved in the marketing field for many years-I am amazed at how the field of social networking has changed so much in the last couple of years. These changes are allowing users to interact more, in more ways, provide real time feedback to companies, and to reach greater numbers of potential customers.

Most of us in the field of internet marketing are struggling to keep up with the development of new social networking sites, online marketing techniques, and online tools to manage and organize social networking site information, and facilitate communication and integration. Even social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have been making changes to facilitate and enhance the user experience. The main reason this is happening so quickly is because of the fact that unlike previous means of soliciting customer service feedback, such as surveys, focus groups and questionnaires, the existing social media sites can glean real time feedback from their users and each social network service can learn from, and adapting the tools and strategies of the others to enhance their user experience. As with sites like Twitter the global community can create and then distribute virally, their own tools which users can quickly adopt, and if found useful, then spread the word to their followers who then try them out.

The power of this communication lies in its real time interactivity, its direct connection to companies, its global connectivity, and its growing audience (you have seen the astronomical numbers of people who are signing up on the sites everyday). You can even replay previously recorded podcasts, and webinars if you miss them, on your computer, media device, and phone. But what I feel has made social media so effective is its power to bring people together who share like interests, and the growing usage of a multimedia approach to interacting and learning which makes it more convenient and more interesting for people with different learning styles and different levels of comfort in interacting in a public forum.

This is an interesting and exciting time to be online. There are incredible opportunities to learn from the experts around the world, and for users to contribute, and help each other in this global community.  As participants in this process -we are truly pioneers helping to shape the future of communication, and how business and customers will interact in the global marketplace.

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By waynekessler, April 7, 2009

One of the biggest challenges of small business owners that I work with is managing the multiplicity of duties that are necessary for running a small business.  With all that is required of a small business owner- it is no wonder that many business owners work 12-16 hour days, 7 days a week.

With all this activity, it is essential for the small business owner to create a system for organizing their life and work. Many articles have been written about creating filing systems that help track information and documents; however, in my experience, unless filing systems are individually tailored to the lifestyle and habits of the worker-they simply do not work.

In this article-I would like to offer an alternative to traditional filing systems to a model that complements the personality and lifestyle of the individual worker. The ultimate goal in this article is to illustrate how putting into place some structure will help increase efficiency and hence productivity.

One such case example is a recent client of mine, Tony, a manufacturer of home improvement products who came to me requesting help with organizing his office. Tony’s main complaint was not being able to find information he needed in a timely manner and wasting a lot of time looking for information.

One of the first things we did was to set up a filing system based on categories that made sense to Tony. The first file was a “To Do” or “Action needed” file to capture that information that needed action.  We created a “To do” list form that itemized the tasks, completion/due dates, and parties involved so that Tony more consistently met deadlines. This “To do “ file also stored his daily phone log, and printed email request for proposals/quotes that required a detailed response.

Second, was a “Project” file, grouped by project, oftentimes listed by customer name which included his current project plans, goals, important emails, estimates, and any pertinent reference information for the project.

Third was his own “Personal” file that included information about his health, disability and other insurance and benefits, as well as his current certifications.
Fourth, was a “Travel/Expenses” file which included bills/receipts (to help him keep track of all work related expenses) in addition to meeting notes, and travel directions.

Fifth was a “Vendor” account file that had detailed information on his vendors including rates, contacts, product manuals, and merchant agreements.

Although Tony had a software program that tracked customer order information he reported that he needed their contact information more accessible while traveling. To that end-we were able to transfer his customer information from his software program to his handheld PDA device so he could better communicate with his customers. In addition to the information stored in his software program, we were able to consolidate information stuffed in Tony’s desk, his wallet, written on calendars, or on the back of business cards.

We also helped Tony manage information from all of the online accounts that he had established.

I cannot tell you how many of my customers do not have a system for organizing their online account information. It is not uncommon to have different passwords and account names for various online service providers, and much time is wasted trying to find the correct username and password for each.

For Tony and others- I have created a simple Excel form which is to be used each time an account is established to reduce the stress and wasted time involved in trying to find information related to these online accounts. You can create this form on your own, or contact me for a copy. The form has the following headers:  Provider, Account Type, Domain, Username, Email, Password, Created Date, Expired Date and Cost.  This form can be kept in one of the above mentioned files (preferably in a locked drawer).  It can also be stored as a digital, password protected file on your computer. In Tony’s case, because he prefers not to use the computer-he opted for a printed, hard copy of the form that he could fill in by hand each time he establishes an account.

By taking the time to set up an individually tailored system for organizing himself- Tony has reported feeling much more productive, less stressed out, and more in control of his projects.

If you found this article helpful, and would like to set up a free initial consultation-just email me at wayne@waynekessler.com or call (781) 956-9999 to set up an appointment.

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