Here are stories published today.
Top 10 investing tips for 2011 | 2011-02-22
As the economy recovers, strategize to manage risk and maximize return.>> http://www.bankrate.com/finance/investing/dr-don-s-top-10-investing-tips-for-2011-1.aspx?ec_id=brmint_newsalert_20110221
12 Major Business Benefits Of The Social Media Revolution
I have been aware of the benefits of social media for a while now and have used this blog as a pulpit and soapbox to shout from this digital hilltop. I have personally experienced the power of this new media to accelerate brand awareness and to spread my stories.
You can exhort and preach to the CEO’s and executives about social media’s power and some will “get it“, but until you start to experience it for yourself the flame will not blaze brightly.
I look at my blog’ s Google analytics from time to time and the Global reach that you can achieve with social media never ceases to amaze me (the current analytics statistics show me that JeffBullas.com is read in 190 countries by 172,443 unique visitors). I don’t know of any other media that could achieve that in less than 2 years without spending a cent in traditional advertising or marketing dollars.
The Harvard Business Review Analytics Services recently conducted a survey of 2,100 organisations and discovered that 79% are currently using social media channels. They also asked them what they saw as the benefits of social media and here are the results and feedback from from the real world.
The 12 Major Benefits Of Social Media
1. Increased awareness of the organisation
2. Increased traffic to website
3. Greater favorable perceptions of the brand
4. Able to monitor conversations about the organisation
5. Able to develop targeted marketing activities
6. Better understanding of customers perceptions of their brand
7. Improved insights about their target markets
8. Identification of positive and negative comments
9. Increase in new business
10. Identification of new product or service opportunities
11. Ability to measure the frequency of the discussion about the brand
12. Early warning of potential product or service issues
What often does scare the CEO is that as well as the benefits that social media does bring, there is a downside encapsulated in this comment by Paul Gillin the author of “The New Influencers”
“Conventional marketing wisdom long held that a dissatisfied customer tells ten people. But…in the new age of social media, he or she has the tools to tell ten million.”
The challenge is to not let the fear of this unknown overwhelm the benefits that the social media revolution can provide to an organisation.
What benefits have you experienced with social media either for yourself or your company?
More Reading:
8 Reasons Why Social Media is Such a Powerful Marketing Medium http://www.jeffbullas.com/2009/08/20/8-reasons-why-social-media-is-such-a-powerful-marketing-medium/
13 Ways to Monitor Your Brand on Social Media: Do You Know What Is Being Said About Your Company Online? http://www.jeffbullas.com/2009/09/06/13-ways-to-monitor-conversations-about-your-brand-on-social-media-do-you-know-what-is-being-said-about-your-company-online/
9 Ways To Convince The CEO To Use Social Media and Enter The 21st Century http://www.jeffbullas.com/2009/08/17/9-ways-to-convince-the-ceo-to-use-social-media-and-enter-the-21st-century/
The 7 Secrets to Ford’s Social Media Marketing Success http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/02/18/the-7-secrets-to-fords-social-media-marketing-success/
30 Fascinating Facebook Facts To Tell Your Friends http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/07/31/30-fascinating-facebook-facts-to-tell-your-friends/
Image by Cayusa http://www.flickr.com/photos/cayusa/
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now :below
http://www.sas.com/events/pbls/2010/las-vegas/documents/TheNewConversation.pdf
The list of can’t-miss speakers at the 2011 CARE Conference & International Women’s Day Celebration keeps growing and growing! Have you registered yet?
In addition to keynote speakers Melinda Gates and Mrs. Laura W. Bush, we’ve just learned that USAID Administrator Raj Shah and Ambassador Melanne Verveer will be joining the lineup. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from some of our country’s most critical thinkers!
This will be an action-packed conference for advocates to learn about a range of CARE’s work and issues, including panels on social entrepreneurship, aid effectiveness and gender norms. You’ll also have the chance to hear from CARE’s overseas staff from nearly 40 countries who will be participating in the conference and share their unique in-country perspective.
March 8: Join CARE in celebrating the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day
March 9: Hear from keynote speakers Melinda Gates and Mrs. Laura W. Bush, as well as esteemed panelists from around the world
March 10: Engage your members of Congress and take an active role in influencing U.S. policy to improve the lives of millions of marginalized women and girls
If you haven’t registered yet, be sure to sign up today at http://www.careconference.org.
We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Helene D. Gayle, MD, MPH
President and CEO, CARE
The palm oil branch of Sinar Mas, Golden Agri-Resources (GAR), just unveiled a plan to stop destroying forests and peatlands in Indonesia. For years their plantations fueled rainforest destruction across Indonesia, but this week they promised to change all of that.
A giant palm oil company in Indonesia just unveiled a plan to stop destroying the forests. We need to make sure they keep their word. Help Greenpeace make sure they follow through with their plan by making your most generous contribution right now.
I honestly can’t believe I just wrote that sentence. This is something that a year ago would have been unimaginable. But here we are. If properly implemented, the plan announced by GAR could be an historic step toward full forest and peatland protection in Indonesia and could also mean the survival of endangered wildlife like the orangutan.
For the last three years Greenpeace has been pressuring GAR by convincing large palm oil buyers to cancel their contracts. It worked. Together we got the world’s largest food company (Nestle) and the world’s largest bank (HSBC), a global restaurant brand (Burger King) and one of the largest buyers of palm oil on the planet (Unilever) to take action. Thanks to supporters around the world, we now have a ground-breaking commitment from GAR.
However, this commitment will mean nothing without implementation. Help Greenpeace make sure Sinar Mas follows through with their plan to save the forests by making your most generous contribution right now.
In many ways, our work has just begun. We can’t protect the orangutan and other endangered species and achieve our goal of zero deforestation in Indonesia by 2015 if Sinar Mas doesn’t follow through with their plan. That’s why we have to make sure they do it. This piece of the work is every bit as important as the campaign that got us here.
And while this is a moment to celebrate, we aren’t out of the woods just yet with Sinar Mas. It’s a massive conglomerate and this deal is only with its palm oil branch. Their paper arm — Asia Pulp & Paper — is still destroying the forest unabated. That is unacceptable, and it is something we intend to change with your help.
Without your support to we cannot continue our work in Indonesia and keep the pressure up on Sinar Mas. Please send us your most generous contribution right now. Together we can save these precious forests and the amazing creatures and people who depend on them.
For the forests,
Rolf Skar
Greenpeace Forest Campaigner
Here are stories published today.
Settling store debt may take sales job | 2011-02-01
Retailers are often willing to work with loyal customers struggling with their charge accounts.
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