Leadership and Marketing

As a leader, main man, top dog or any other pet name you can think of for yourself when referring to your role as decision maker, there will be times you will be faced with when to refocus, redefine or repurpose the financial resources of your organization depending on the challenges you may be facing. Change is all around you, and keeping a steady course during those times is a challenge all in itself. One of the common areas that most entrepreneurs will immediately look at cutting is the area of marketing. As an entrepreneur your budgets (if you follow one) are not normally as flush as those of Fortune 500 companies. As a result, your ability to refocus or repurpose resources becomes a lot more stressful and difficult to do.

We’ve heard of the different types of marketing, and it can be very confusing. I'd like to support you in reducing your stress regarding marketing; there are amazing marketing coaches out there who can support you in creating a full marketing plan, outlining what is specific to you and your organization. But today let's bring your focus back to the basics so when you decide to hire that coach or consultant, you have an idea of what marketing means to you and your business.

So what is marketing, or a marketing budget, and why do you need one? Simply put, marketing is defined as the process used to determine which products or services are of interest to your clients and outlines the strategies best used in the sales, communication and development of new business. Okay, that wasn't so simple; but basically, it means matching your product or service with your client. The budget piece is the estimated cost of running these programs and projects. The "why" is basically all about transparency and empowering you to stay focused and moving forward in the right direction with each decision you make regarding spreading the word about your wonderful products.

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A Face We All Know and Like: Mark Zuckerberg

This month’s influential individual focus is Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, who was Named TIME’s Person of 2010. Need I say anymore? There isn’t a day, hour or minute that passes where something regarding Facebook doesn’t appear in mainstream media.

Amongst an elite few hundreds, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest of the world’s billionaires. When we think of ourselves at the age of 27, how we cannot be amazed at his genius and influence? Zuckerberg is different from those who inherited their billions because he started his own business and built it from ground up to reach the peak. If you’ve not seen the movie The Social Network, then I recommend it just for the sheer joy of watching how Facebook came to be. Well, and of course a few good laughs along the way.

Facebook’s founder was born on May 14, 1984, as Mark Elliot Zuckerberg. This shy and reserved child has an unparalleled brilliance, and according to Forbes magazine Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in the world for 2008 and the 35th richest person in the USA. Mark’s early years were…

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Downside of Social Media?

A tool is as good as its user; that rule applies to social media as well. Though social media is a wonderful and relatively cost-effective marketing tool, it does have a few downsides. Through my experience I have come to realize there are always two sides to every thing, every experience and every exchange. Social media is definitely not an exception to the rule, and the following ideas are just a few alternative perspectives that have come to mind while I have been exploring the wide world of social media.

Time is Money, Honey
Building your social networking pages and writing articles and blogs takes a lot of time and effort. Your business’s brand value depends largely on the kind of content you create. False information, tall and baseless claims, or overtly promotional language can backfire on your business. Therefore, you must use social media with great care. When creating your content, remember it may be the first impression for some and for another confirmation of your brand and message. If you cut corners on the creation process of your message, it may cost you more than just the time it took to create it.

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Goodwill and Social Media

The Internet has provided us with a free platform to market our products and services. Smart marketing, however, involves subtle techniques of convincing people you truly offer the best products or service because you are an expert in your niche. To build this kind of brand value you need to sound authoritative and knowledgeable. For instance, when you send out newsletters and emails, use a tone that says “I know what I am talking about” without sounding arrogant or pompous. Your posts on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites should also carry the same note of authority.

Sounds great, right? I know; it sounds wonderful to me too! As Therapy in Transition continues to move through the ebb and flow of its journey, I have come not only to live and breathe but also love the idea of social media and what it means to us as an organization. Originally I joined the world of Facebook to connect with family and friends who live at a distance, only to quickly learn that as a business we can also be connecting with current clients, potential clients and strategic partners. But navigating these new waters opened up a whole new world. Here are three concepts I’ve learned as a business owner and would like to share to hopefully allow you to embrace using social media a little more effectively.

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