On May 20, we hosted another seminar on Web Strategy and Social Media and took another survey of the use of Social Media by our participants.  You can see the results of the survey below, listed next to the results from our January 14 survey.

What do these new numbers tell us?  For the most part, across the board, Social Media usage in small business is on the rise both personally and professionally. The biggest jump we see is in the use of video.  YouTube usage has gone up 15% since the last Web Strategy event.  Businesses are beginning to understand that by leveraging video, they can connect with customers in a real way.

Some things that were learned at this event:

• Small business leaders are continuing to struggle.  They’re having trouble with getting started with Social Media, with creating a Social Media strategy and implementing it with consistency.
• Everyone is an expert.  Whether you are in a leadership position in your organization, or consistently working in one area, you have an expertise that can be shared with others.  This can be done through various Social Media channels like Facebook or Twitter, writing in a blog, etc.
• Every business does not have to be on every form of Social Media.  The whole benefit to using Social media is to actually meet your customers/clients/members at their point of need.  Find out where they have a presence, and then create a presence for yourself in that environment.
• Content is KING!  When it comes to building a website, running a Social Media campaign, or writing in a blog, content is still king.  Using keywords throughout the website or blog helps to increase your SEO ranking.

Resources

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Web Strategy event.  In case you have any questions or would like to review some of the material we went over, we are making the resources from the event available below.

When was the last time you used Bing or Google to find an answer, versus Facebook or Twitter?  Some people are starting to question the relevance of Search Engine Optimization, because of people’s increasing dependence on Social Networking. 

With the rise in popularity of social networks, it’s a new game now.  The rules of traditional marketing have changed.  Why?

• Word-of-mouth advertising
  People are relying on other eople to suggest what they should buy and where they should spend their time.
• Direct customer interaction 
  Individuals now have direct conversations with companies and organizations and express their opinions on a public stage.
• Reputation management
  Businesses are able to receive feedback and react much quicker and on a more personal level.

In regards to marketing, we can really leverage Social Media because:

• It provides alternate sources to draw interest and traffic into your site compared to SEO.
•  You are no longer at the mercy of the search engines to get around to indexing when your new web site launches.
• It provides a more level playing field when competing in a crowded marketplace or against larger players.

Where does that leave Search Engine Optimization?  Do you abandon your web site and SEO efforts to focus completely on Social Media campaigns?  Absolutely not.

SEO has long been a vital part of ensuring the success of a web site.   If no one can find your site, naturally it’s not going to be able to fulfill the goals you have for it.

Despite the rapid growth of social networks, they cannot compete with the total flexibility you have with your own site, because:

• Working within boundaries that are set by 3^rd-parties can be very restricting.
• You are limited by the features, rules, and changes these networks decide to make.
• Functionality that is common on many business sites, such as online ordering, is extremely difficult or impossible to implement on these networks.

For B2B, SEO is extremely important because the use of search engines over social media is even more lopsided. To bring in this traffic, search engine optimization is vital, and your site should be top-notch in order to keep visitors around.

Every business is different, but it is still important to employ search engine optimization as part of your overall web strategy. Concentrate on providing informative, quality content on a site that is easy to use and your efforts will be rewarded.  

Want to know/see more?

On May 20^th from 11:00am-1:00pm, we are hosting a Web Strategy/Social Media event, where we'll give you practical advice on how you can optimize your website/web strategy, as well as, send you back to your office with basic steps on how to create your own successful Social Media action plan.  Better yet?  Lunch is on us.

Where:   Pinnacle, 4100 Edison Lakes Pkwy Ste320, Mishawaka, IN  46545

When:   May 20^th, 11:00-1:00   (Lunch provided)

Cost:   $0

Please RSVP at http://pinnacleweb.eventbrite.com or call us at (574) 235-8100 to register.

On May 1^st, Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010 will be released to the general public.  With this release, Microsoft has made an exciting announcement.  For a limited time, in order to help businesses get started with their accounting software, businesses new to GP can buy up to three users of Microsoft Dynamics GP for $1.

Offer Details:

• Effective dates:  March 15, 2010 through close of business day Friday, June 25, 2010
• GP Editions:  Offer applies to both the Advanced Management and Business Essentials editions
• Commitments:  Requires 3 year Business Ready Advantage Plan.  First year of maintenance must be paid at time of initial license purchase with years two and three due at the annual renewal date.

Not sure when it’s time to upgrade from a program like QuickBooks to Microsoft Dynamics GP?  Read more here.

Want to know/see more?

On May 6^th from 11:00-1:00, we are offering a preview of Microsoft Dynamics GP, and we'll be discussing how you know when it’s time to switch to a more complex system.  More importantly, we'll give you practical examples of how businesses are actually using this software to streamline HR and accounting services.  Better yet?  We’ll feed you lunch…. on us.

Where:   Pinnacle, 4100 Edison Lakes Pkwy Ste320, Mishawaka, IN  46545

When:   May 6^th, 11:00-1:00   (Lunch provided)

Cost:   $0

Please RSVP at http://pinnaclegp.eventbrite.com or call us at (574) 235-8100 to register.

Water, water, everywhere,
       And not a drop to drink.
The paper piles that I must face, 
       If only they would shrink.
            - Average Office Worker

Puddles, Potholes, or Pools of Paper?

To summarize, the last time we paddled this pond together, the problems presented with retaining so much business information on paper were:

• Physical Space Requirements – Square footage cost and opportunity cost of using valuable office space for paper.
• Time and Personnel Cost -- Filing and retrieving, copying and distributing, finding misplaced documents and recreating lost ones.
• Multi-person and Concurrent Access – Sharing paper documents with others for their review and approval – especially when needed at multiple locations.
• Security and Confidentiality – Restricting access to certain types of documents based on need to know, and still allowing easy access to all else.
• Backup, Archival and Destruction -- Preventing accidental loss/destruction of critical papers, and removing the burden and liability of obsolete ones.

Where Are Your Stormy Seas?

While computer-based electronic records are now the norm for most business systems, paper still remains a very common medium for those transactions which typically require humans to physically read, write and share information.   Some of the most common examples of paper-based business transactions are found in the following areas:

• Purchasing – vendor invoices, purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and receiving documents
• Sales – sales orders, specifications/drawings, customer approvals, credit returns, and cash receipts/remittances
• Human Resources – personnel applications, resumes, insurance enrollments, expense reports and receipts
• General – Contracts, correspondence, complaints and claims

Consider your own organization – where do you see piles of paper or dozens of drawers?  Which of the above business processes involve paper-based documents that seem to take forever to file, find, forward, forbid and forgo?  Is your ship in peril of foundering?

Is There a Life Boat Out There Somewhere?                                        

Typically, most document imaging products are suited for specific purposes.  But just as the problems with paper can affect processes, departments, and locations in many different manners, the answer for an entire organization is often best found by using an approach called a “framework”.

In business, a framework is a “conceptual structure that allows uniform handling of different business objectives according to a common management discipline”.

In systems, a framework describes a “re-usable design comprised of related tools, each of which can be customized to a unique purpose, yet still providing a common user experience”. 

So how can you best address your specific (or perhaps many) problems with paper?  Next time, we’ll explain how a framework can be used to address a variety of document imaging needs.