A2Z Computer Services Inc

Corporate I.T. Solutions, Computer Repair and Web Design in Henderson, KY

Facebook Places Privacy Settings already out

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NOTICE:  Many of you have heard about Facebook Places.  Well regardless whether you have or not, or even have an interest in it, there is something you should know anyway.  
Facebook has already added a setting to your ‘privacy’ settings in regards to this new application.  You should try and understand what ‘Places’ is all about and decide if you want to participate or not.

No matter what you decide on, you need to at least check your privacy settings and protect your privacy as you see fit.

Attached is a link to a video from Facebook discussing what ‘Places’ is, how it works, etc.  If you are familiar with ‘Foursquare’ then you will have the basic concept as ‘Places’ is based on the ‘Foursquare’ concept.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=697692691093

SIDENOTE:  There are also several other videos available to view discussing various aspects of Facebook and its various programs, settings, operations, etc.

If you have questions, contact us.  We will have more information and details tomorrow.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for other updates, news and events.

@MadSkillzMrktng

Why should you use Twitter?

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Twitter, although it may not yet have the largest number of users, it’s the fastest growing social networking tool, growing at over 2,000% annually. You might not see a need for it as an individual, you might not see a need to have it for your business, but the truth is that more and more people are using it, and as a business owner, you should be willing to evolve as communication evolves, and learn to embrace and take advantage of these tools. Also note, that these are a way to further your relationship with your customer, not a replacement to face to face and voice to voice contact.

Here’s a short list of some basic ways twitter can help your product:
-Form a closer, daily relationship with your customers
-Offer “twitter-only” specials and discounts
-Free customer service (to an extent), anytime your customer needs it
-Show your customers you’re more than a brand, but also a person

This is just a taste of  what twitter has to offer (and all for free!) Of course there’s virtually an endless list of what you can do using twitter, but I just wanted to give you a little something think and talk about, please feel free to get involved in the conversation and share your thought, questions, and even innovative ways you’ve used twitter to help further your brand.

A Response on Beginning to Tweet

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Recently, a client asked us how they could get followers on Twitter. Being new to Twitter, they are of course excited to start using this great tool for their business to better connect with their customers and peers in their field, as well they should be enthusiastic about it. In an email, we replied to their question with a few tips and links to resources for beginners.

We decided to share our reply with you in hopes that you too can grow, add your style and needs to this, and pass it along to others as well. Enjoy!

RE: Twitter

I have a few tips and ideas for you on ways to accumulate more followers and connections on twitter, I also have a few links to online articles that I believe will be beneficial to you as well.

A few simple steps would be:

-Promote your twitter account via Facebook and your web site, add links to your Facebook page and twitter onto your site (your web host should be able to do this for you)

-Promote both Facebook and Twitter in your ads, marquee signs, business cards, etc.

-Put up a sign in your stores, perhaps next to your registers, informing customers to find you on Facebook and Twitter

-When someone “follows” you on Twitter, be sure to “follow” them back

-Be personable and natural

-Allow your followers list to grow naturally

-Don’t try to sell people something in all of your posts

Twitter involves a little more patience than Facebook as far as growth goes, it grows more naturally, but don’t be discouraged by this. Even if you only have two followers, treat it with the care that you would give to it if you only had 2,000 followers. Although there are some common courtesies involved with using Twitter, you have the freedom to morph this to fit your business and life. Therefore the more you use it and the more you observe on it, the easier it will become to think up strategies and set goals for your Twitter identity.

Here are a few links and articles that I think will really help you:

http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/best_practices This will help you with some basic practices

http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/learning This will help you understand and learn the lingo.

http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/case_bestbuy On the left hand side of this page you’ll see a list of other case studies to look at.

http://madskillzmarketing.wordpress.com This is our blog that we update regularly

http://deansguide.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/twitter-strategies-and-tips-for-beginning-twitterers/ This is a short article on beginning Twitter strategy

This should effectively get you going, just remember that although there are a few guidelines you’ll want to be aware of, Twitter is completely open and can be molded to fit your business needs.

Social Media will not help your business…

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…if you do not use it correctly.

Just like anything else we use everyday, we have have to know how to use it correctly. If we don’t use a gas pump correctly, it’s worthless. If you don’t use Social Media correctly it will not help your business, if anything it will cause you stress and irritation and drive to possibly even write off Social Networking altogether.

When I say “use it correctly” I don’t mean the technical side of it. It’s not hard to make a post, the challenge is figuring out the content that you need to put in your post. Sure, simply sending out a fact or piece of history of the the business everyday can be nice and cute, it can even work well for some people, but the point of Social Media is getting the word out about business, drawing more people in, and better connecting with your current customers, no matter how large or small that number is.

NOTE: This post will not give you a strategy to copy and follow, the purpose of this article is to make you think and create a proper mindset for using Social Media with your business.

Strategy and goal setting are very important aspects of any successful business. If you run a business, you understand the importance of planning things out and deciding how you’re going to take advantage of different tools to better grow your business…so why would not put that same care into creating a strategy and setting goals for your Social Media usage? Social Media has grown exponentially in the last few years, it’s not just for teenagers anymore (we’ve discussed this in other posts).

You have to get out of the mindset that this is just a cute, static tool.

Learning how to create a Social Media strategy can be done several ways, all of which are useful. You can of course hire a Social Media consultant to meet with you and assess your needs and help you set goals and plan things out. You might be saying to yourself “A consultant to tell me how to use facebook and twitter? Ridiculous.”, but you’re then getting someone to teach you how to use something that will forever be free, which is not a bad deal at all. Another way is to research stories of how other businesses have used Social Media to get ideas and get the creative process started. This is your network, this an opportunity to be completely creative, with very few guidelines. This is your business, your mind, your thoughts, anything goes. You can come up with with specials and coupons to create buzz, you can have have random drawings from your friends lists to give out prizes like a free meal. The sky is the limit, this thing has an endless amount of potential but is completely worthless is you don’t know how to effectively plan and run with it.

A Decree to Small Business Owners

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Here at A2Z Computer Services Inc., our new service called Mad Skillz Marketing has really taken off, and we are not surprised. It’s been amazing helping all of these strong business create a presence in the Social Media world. Many of you reading are fairly new to this “revolution” altogether, some of you have had personal social networking accounts for years, still others are just now discovering the benefits that this whole thing can bring to your company.

Living and working in the Southern Indiana / Western Kentucky area, we’re use to small businesses all around us. It’s nothing new for us to know the business owners at our local coffee shop or restaurant. To put it simply, small businesses are all around, and if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you own one or are part of one.

I believe there’s a dilemma that many small business owners face in regards to social media. A lot of people will look to the big companies like Starbucks, Target, all the big guys, and they see that they have thousands and even millions of followers and they then get discouraged because they only have 35 or 100 fans and followers. A quick word of advice…

Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed!

Don’t freak out and give up, what you are doing is important not only for you, but for your customers as well.

Numbers are great, and I hope that one day you too get thousands of followers, but please understand that you have an advantage that the big guys don’t have. Your small size allows you to really connect and really show how much you care about your customers. You have the ability to say something personal to them everyday, to hear about their bad experience at your restaurant and make things right, to tell them about a special offer just because they’re a faithful customer or to even tell them how much you enjoyed the movie that they saw last night. Be content with the followers you have and allow your network to grow naturally, trust me, it will.

Should you create strategies to grow your network? YES
Should you creat a better customer experience? YES
Should you be proactive in finding new customers? YES
Should large numbers be your main concern? NO

The weekend is almost here, have a great one everybody!

Try to discuss ways that you can take advantage of your small size with your employees and coworkers in regards to your business’s social networking, the possibilities are endless, they just need to be thought up by someone!