Good morning everyone.  I hope this day finds you all well.

Social media has been the talk of the town for quite some time now and for many of the right reasons.  Social media is a great way to keep you in touch with your audience on a continual basis.  However, because social media is rapidly developing, it can be overwhelming and time consuming for a business owner, team member, or individual to learn the ropes and keep up with them.

The positive news is that using many of the social media sites is free.  FREE marketing!!!  Now that is exciting news.  More exciting news?  The more you use social media, the faster your audience will grow.  Name recognition will begin to expand and like ripples in the water, your company name will echo out to reach new destinations.

I thought I would share a  You Tube video that quickly lists the top five tools for saving time on your social media marketing efforts.  It is called “Top Five:  Tools for Saving time on Social Media“.  You can make time for it because it is one minute and four seconds long.  Get your pen handy and enjoy:  http://tinyurl.com/d2kevz4.

When you have a minute, let me know what you think about it.  And remember to connect with me on twitter:  @RoseEstesDorman and @CaseSabatini, on LinkedIn under my name: Rosemarie (Estes) Dorman, and on facebook at www.facebook.com/CaseSabatini.  To help us all continue to grow, I WILL follow, connect and friend back!

Have a lovely day.

Social “What-i-a”?  Social Media!!!

What in the world?  Yes, it’s real.  Although it’s not a replacement for person to person, it’s definitely an enhancement and expansion of it.  Social media is a way of keeping in touch with your contacts in various electronic and creative ways, depending on the source you are using.  For instance, twitter is a short and sweet posting site.  It’s more like a billboard.  You never know who will be driving by, and if you can make it interesting, people may talk about it!  LinkedIn is a site geared for professionals.  If there is chit chat, it’s mostly pertaining to business.   LinkedIn is a valuable tool in expanding your connections by meeting more professionals.   I have found both to be very useful.   Facebook is more of a “social” butterfly.   You can use it for business by having a facebook page for your company where people can learn more about them, but remember to separate your personal facebook page from your business.

My opinion is that in all of them, you do not want to lose your personal touch.  Always gear your posts to the satisfaction of the “end-users”.  Remember that the people who are reading your tweets, are PEOPLE.  The people you are adding on LinkedIn, are also PEOPLE.  People visiting your company facebook page, are also PEOPLE!!!

Sit back, kick you feet up and visit some of my company’s social media sites at:

website:  www.CaseSabatini.com, twitter:  @CaseSabatini & facebook:  www.facebook.com/casesabatini

I sure hope you will like what you see.  Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.  For now, be well and have a great day!

Life is full of constant decisions.  You decide everything in your own life, whether you know it or not.  What time will you wake?  What will you do first today?  What will you have for breakfast, if you decide to have it?  What task will you perform first?  What thoughts will you allow in your mind?  What will you think about while you’re driving?  How will you respond to the other people on the highways?  Will you “sleepwalk” through your morning today; choosing not to think, running on the Wheel of Life?

And, what happens on this wheel?  Like a hamster in a cage, you keep taking steps, but end up in the same spot!  Are you reacting to life, or living life?  One small change in life can bring life changing results.

Have you EVER consciously chosen to smile when you wake?  Have you considered being thankful for all that you have when you wake, while taking that first sip of coffee or tea and enjoying the very moment you are in?  You could be living in that very point of the pendulum that is not swaying to the left (the past) or to the right (the future); living in the exact moment when you are not swinging in either direction; living in the splendor of one second of life that is neither past, nor future and truly living the joy of the present.    Realize that in that moment, the future is not created and the past is for experience only; that all potentials are continually possible for you.  Suddenly, you are not thinking of the problems or worries of yesterday.  You are not contemplating what may or may not happen in the future while feeling helpless as your thoughts seem to be running away at a faster pace than your heart beats while thinking about your lack of control of it all.

One small change in direction can bring spectacular results.   Continue to turn the wheel of your car a slight bit left and without change, you’re hitting a guard rail.  Keep the “cruise” set at 55 mph in the middle of the downtown rush hour and you are going to wreck!  On the contrary, if you listen to the little prompts from your own mind and make small adjustments in your life, your life will change for the better immediately!   How about you?  Have you ever had a small change in your life that made a huge impact?

A good friend of mine, a business coach, and I were having a conversation about effective marketing strategies for gaining new business and maintaining existing business.   I thought parts of the conversation would be beneficial to anyone in any type of business and decided to share it.

It has to do with the effort and time you spend towards growing your business.  10-20% should be spent by staying abreast of current trends and updates in your own industry.  40% of the time should be geared towards attracting new business.  And, at least 40% of the time should be spent nurturing one’s existing business clients!

Many businesses tend to do the opposite.  They spend much more time marketing for new business and do not put much effort into sustaining the lifeblood of their income, their existing clients.  A personal touch is always the best way to nurture existing clients and let them know you care.

Because I work in marketing, I have a history of working with a broad spectrum of clients in various industries.  Although I have to consistently work to find new clients, my existing clients are extremely important to me.  Most of them have become good friends and I sincerely care about them.   I keep in touch with my clients in a personal way by following up after a meeting, sending thank you’s & rewards for referrals, and pick up the phone to touch base off and on throughout the year.   I enjoy meeting with clients and contacts in person over coffee or lunch, going to events such as golf outings, attending association meetings and attending trade shows where we will both be attending.

I believe in value added services, going above and beyond.  One of the things I do is make introductions between people I know that may be of interest to them.  (I have seen this type of personal touch help grow their business and mine as well.)  I work with our email newsletter, website and media boards to connect with our contacts as often as possible so they can inter-mingle and get to know each other.

In these fast-paced times, one should consider a more personal approach.  People can sense when you really care about them.  A good relationship brings people back and simply makes living life more enjoyable.  Take time to smell the roses.  Spend that extra few minutes to really talk with your clients.  Share a cup of coffee with them.  Send them a surprise hello once in a while.

In closing, here is a quote to ponder on.  “The danger of the past was that man became slaves.  The danger of the future is that man may become robots.”  ~ Erich Fromm

In these times, every savvy business owner carefully coordinates their marketing program, keeping themselves visible where people search for their services.

When business owners scale back on advertising with the sole intention of saving money, they may think that people already know them and they will not lose business.  In reality, they relinquish the portion of the market share that they are used to, leaving this new business “there for the taking”.  Why do you think that Coca Cola, Nike and McDonalds continue to advertise?  They are highly successful, yet they still continue to advertise.  Doesn’t everyone know them already?

Be wise, advertise and gain the advantage.  But, consider enlisting the help of someone with experience in advertising.  No sense reinventing the wheel.  Getting sound advice from a trustworthy source can actually save you money, frustration, customers and potentially, your business.  Advertising properly, according to your industry, location and demographics, is not expensive.  Not advertising can be.

Last thought.  Ted Turner was asked what  the key to his success was.  His answer, “Early to bed, early to rise, advertise, advertise, advertise, advertise.”

Greetings!!!  Welcome to my blog.  I’m happy to see you.  I will do my best to have some great information available to those who visit.

After the snowfall we received here in Pittsburgh starting a week ago, my awareness for the plight of victims in weather related catastrophies has heightened.  Therefore, for my very first post, I am wanting to make people aware of how to make a contribution of $1.00 towards Haiti Relief Efforts, actually equal $2.00.   It’s very simple.  For every dollar you donate at the end of your grocery order at Giant Eagle grocery stores, Giant Eagle will match the donation, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000.  This will take place at every Giant Eagle, Get Go, Market District, Giant Eagle Express, and Valu King, with the exception of Columbus, Maryland and Toledo.

These funds will be donated to the American Red Cross Haiti relief and development efforts which includes sending supplies, mobilizing relief workers and providing financial resources.  So, if you are considering giving, why not do it conveniently, remain within your budget, and double your efforts?  Add an extra dollar at the end of your grocery order every time you shop and lets help send them $100,000!

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed your visit and will come again soon.  For now, I wish you joy in your day.