The Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales have come and gone for another year but in it’s wake this year I have been left with not only an empty credit card but an empty mailbox!  Today’s events have shown me how crucial customer service is to the success of your social media marketing and in fact your business success in general.  Let me explain…..

I’m a sale junkie (ask Mark)!  I’m prepared to plan, research (a lot), plot and wait to get the ultimate bargain.  In fact I hate buying anything that’s not on sale.  I don’t consider myself ‘cheap’ but rather savvy enough to want to get the ultimate value for my dollar, particularly when this is on discretionary goods (ie things I want rather than need).

So was the case with buying Mark a new Digital SLR for Christmas. For anybody following us, you know we were recently married and have held the honeymoon off until the end of the year.  So, with a month long holiday to capture, Mark’s camera became the focus of my bargain hunting activities.

I signed up for Cyber Monday updates, I was on all the mailing lists – I had done my research. I was on watch lists and deal alerts so, when I saw a great package for a Canon camera pack (2 lenses, case etc) at Target, I knew it was fantastic value.  A quick skype conversation to Mark to confirm he was willing to move from Nikon to Canon, and the deal was done.

I knew I needed to make a fast decision to take advantage of a deal that represented hundreds of dollars in savings.  Order placed online, credit card provided, order confirmation received, and camera was on it’s way – or so I THOUGHT?!?!

That afternoon, I received a call from my bank to confirm that this purchase was a legitimate transaction on my credit card as I was using our USA address for shipping (we are global citizens with businesses, addresses and telephone numbers in several countries).  All confirmed and camera was on it’s way – or so I THOUGHT?!?!?

The next day, after 3 emails confirming my order and showing me how to track it’s progress online, I received an email from Target headed, “Your order was canceled.”  The email stated simply, “There was a problem with your order…. as a result, we had to cancel it.  Still want the items you ordered? We can help. Just contact us”. So I used the link to their online form to contact them, thinking the bank authorisation may have been the ‘problem’, to have the order re-processed and the camera would be on it’s way – or so I THOUGHT?!?!?!?

That’s where the frustration and complete lack of customer service begins!  I’ll give you the short version to save your sanity and make my point.  Some 4 emails, 10 Twitter messages and Facebook posts later – we do not have a camera on it’s way to us or the money back on our credit card.  What has infuriated me the most is that 3 days later, the camera is still available for sale on their website at the same price!

So you have to ask, was this really such a great deal or are there hundreds or thousands of “us” out there that have given Target our money for orders that are never going to arrive?

There has been considerable backlash on social media about cancelled orders and orders that are not going to be delivered for 6-8 weeks (well after Christmas).  The social media team has stopped responding – Big Mistake – HUGE MISTAKE!

Now disgruntled customers like me are taking a small legitimate complaint to the internet and making a very big deal out of it.

This could have been handled (I believe) in one well crafted ‘personalised’ email with an explanation, apology and here’s how you get your money back information.  A gift card with ‘please do not let this stop you from shopping with us in the future’ would probably have prompted a blog post and social media exposure on how to turn a bad customer experience around!

Instead I’m writing this post and investigating where else to buy the camera from immediately.  I still have not received an explanation as to why the order was cancelled let alone an apology and/or solution.  Target still has a hold on the funds from my credit card and has not offered to ship the order even though the camera remains for sale on their website – what tha?

To top it off, the only non-pro forma email I have received advised me “Don’t worry” the charge will “drop off your account in the next few business days.”  BUT “If the charge does show up on your next statement, please get in touch

Hmmm - Is This Customer Service?

with us right away.” SERIOUSLY that’s what it said (see screen shot).

How do you think I feel about shopping with Target ever again?  Do you think I would recommend them to family and friends? I have spend thousands of dollars with them in the past – my Son even works for them!  But I have turned from loyal customer to anti-target campaigner in one bad transaction.

Hmm what would you say to Target if you were me? And, more importantly, what are your customers saying about your business and service? And how are you responding?

I ask that last question because I believe, from their side, Target does not feel they have done anything wrong.  For their own (unexplained) operational reasons, they cancelled an order they could not deliver, they will process a refund to my card and I can then go and buy a different product or from somewhere else.

BUT, put yourself in my shoes, or in the shoes of your client, and you see a disappointed, disgruntled person that has paid for an order that was cancelled without notice or explanation, now does not have the camera for a very important occasion, does not have the funds to go and buy elsewhere while sale prices are available, has been frustrated by lack of a personal response on the medium that I chose to order on (online) and am now venting my grievance on social media.

So there is the lesson in this for all business owners.  Put yourself in your client’s shoes and then respond as you would want to be treated.  Take the time to understand their grievances – truly listen and then respond in a personal fashion on the medium that is most convenient for them – not you.

In the era of digital commerce and two-way conversations on Social Media – mass automated, non-committal responses pumped out to prompt customers to chase you for service is simply “Right OFF Target”.

Oh and Target if you are listening,  I’d love you to chose to turn this experience around and happy to report back on the blog if you do….. we’re waiting.

Mark, this means I’m back to looking for the ‘perfect’ camera deal for you – sorry don’t blame me, blame Target!

Tell Us….
Have you had a terrible customer experience?  What did you learn from it to improve your own business? Or how could the company have turned your bad experience around?
We’d love you comments below or on twitter at:
www.twitter.com/MarkandZoe
or share with our Facebook Community at:
www.facebook.com/MarkandZoe

Have an awesome day, I’m off camera shopping…….

My new business cards arrived and, as I was going to a networking event, I popped a bunch in my pocket and headed out. It wasn’t until later that night when I was asked, “Do you know Zoe deLuca?” (while the person looked straight at my card I had just given them), that the value of a name really sunk in for me.

You see my new business cards have my ‘new name’ on them. When I say new name, I should probably explain…….

After 11 years together Mark and I finally got married last week. And along with the ceremony (and party) I also ‘got’ a new surname. So Zoe deLuca is morphing into Zoe Wyatt.

So what? I know lots of people get married each year and take on their Husband’s surname. But, when you have spent the last 8 years building a brand online based on your personal name (as I have) then this becomes a major “issue”.

If a person standing in front of me with my card, did not automatically make the connection that I was the same Zoe then how is my market, and potential clients, going to do this on the internet?

The reality is that I ‘could’ retain deLuca for my professional branding. In fact I still have, www.zoedeluca.com and my Twitter profile is still @zdeluca but do I really want to have to juggle two names going forward? One for personal use and one for professional? What a hassle.

What this has brought up to me is the importance of not just your ‘name’ but your ‘Branding’ in internet marketing (including social media marketing). So, what does your name or brand online say about you and your business right now?

Are ‘you’ your brand? Is your business based around your personal name and, if so, is this optimal for you? You may not be thinking about changing your name any time soon but what if you change your core product or service offerings?

My Social Media services did not even exist 5 years ago and they continue to ‘evolve’ (ie change) rapidly. Imagine if I’d branded as ‘MySpace Specialist’ three years ago, I’d need to re-brand anyway.

Even if your branding is not based on your personal name, the name you chose to brand on is vitally important in business generally, but in internet & social media marketing especially. When developing your online brand consider these aspects:

• Does your brand name accurately reflect your business?
• Does your brand instantly identify what you do/offer?
  If not, do you need to incorporate a tag line to do this?
• Can you secure the .com web address for your brand name?
• Is your brand name consistent across all social media sites?
• Is your brand already in use in social media accounts and will this cause confusion for your clients?
• Have you considered transition of your business? Will you want to sell in the future or pass to a family member?

With all of this to consider “branding” is a huge decision to make.  In fact, to answer my original question, “What’s in a name?” – obviously, in the world of internet marketing, a great deal.

My decision has been to establish three clear brands:

• Social Media ShortCut – for my Social Media Marketing Training
• MarkandZoe – for our virtual, multiple income stream business together.  With the tagline of
  “Make The World Your Office” to make it easier to understand what the business is all about, and
• Zoe Wyatt – for personal social media use and interacting with family and friends.

I’d love to hear of your branding decisions and challenges.  Are you looking to re-brand or overhaul your brand?  Leave your comments here or over on our facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/markandzoe (you’ll notice it says Zoe deLuca at the top that I can’t change )

I’m off to start the great name change……

There had been much hype over the last few days about the number of Facebook users dropping  in a few markets.

It was claimed that users in the US declined  from  155.2 million at the start of May to 149.4 million at the end of the month, and that its’ user numbers in Britain fell by more than 100,000 too.

I wonder if the entities making the claims expect everybody in those countries to sign up for Facebook?

More than half the population in the US and the UK have already done so, so one would imagine that, like any market, Facebook will find its’ level in time.  Does that mean that Facebook is going the way of My Space?

Let’s take a look at the numbers – Facebook is heading for 700 million users. More than half of the current users – somewhere over 600 million – log in every day. Average time spent on the site is between 23 and 55 minutes (^*1).   With an average of 130 friends (^*2) It’s hard to imagine that all those users are suddenly going to abandon it anytime soon. I think many would  find it harder to give up than smoking.

Despite all the criticism about privacy settings and the amount of information Facebook commands, the numbers continue to grow. The reason – Facebook is a social site and we humans like nothing more than to socialise. More and more users share their thoughts, their actions, their likes and their hates with millions of other users.

Is it any wonder that “Angel investors and venture capitalists have showered hundreds of millions of dollars on entrepreneurs with an idea for a new social networking business, but the money is parcelled among thousands of developers.

This is not the dotcom era of a decade ago when you had to invest heavily in servers and computer storage, and blow a wad on marketing to win visitors to your site. Now you pay-as-you-go, renting computers in the vast data warehouses created by the likes of Amazon, while marketing takes care of itself thanks to enthusiastic early users sharing their experience. ^*3.

Facebook – not so liked and less friends – I think not.

What do you think?   –   Mark

1. http://www.quora.com/How-much-time-does-the-average-user-spend-on-Facebook
   2. http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics
   3. Stephen Foley in “The Independent” 15/6/11.

^*Footnote from Zoe

Facebook have been clamping down on dual profiles, particularly where users are setting up a profile for their personal use and then another to promote their business.

I can’t help but feel that the decline in Unique Users is a result of this action and in fact a very good thing.  Weeding out fake accounts and duplicates can only serve to strengthen the use by existing members.

If you currently have both a personal profile and a PROFILE for your business then you need to convert your business profile to a business PAGE immediately.  If Facebook locates your duplicate accounts they will delete both profiles!  And all your hard work in building these will be gone.

The difference between a profile and a page is that people request to be your ‘Friend’ on a profile while members chose to ‘Like’ your page.

Need help with fixing your Facebook structure – let us know in the comments below or pop on over to our Social Media advice Facebook Page at:

www.facebook.com/SocialMediaShortCut

And check out our live trainings to help you market your business with Social Media – the right way!

www.SocialMediaShortCut.com/events

I attended The Creative Collective’s Web Wednesday event last week on Blogging and was inspired by the information the speakers shared.  I got chatting to one of the speakers, Annabel Candy, after the event and we discussed her book “Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps”.  I know that many of you have started blogs or are planning to, so I felt this would be the perfect resource for you. So if you are looking for a guide on how to blog successfully, Annabel’s book is for you.

In a nutshell, Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps teaches small business owners and writers how to effectively market or sell their products online through blogging. The clear tips and well thought out information is designed to save you time and money.

About the Author

Why should you take Annabel’s advice?

Annabel Candy has 15 years experience writing and designing for the internet and an MA Design for Interactive Media. She also has a background in journalism and six years teaching experience but she’s a writer, not a techie so the book is free of technical jargon.

Annabel set up a travel blog called Get In the Hot Spot two years ago which now has over 20,000 readers each month. Realising blogging was a powerful marketing tool she wrote Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps to help other small business owners and writers tap into the power of blogging.

The Format

The ebook is clearly laid out and divided into 12 chapters. It’s available for instant download and looks great on the iPad. Every chapter has thinking points and a check list so you won’t forget anything.

There’s a full list of blogging resources at the end of the book and a bonus chapter on motivation.

There’s also an audio book for those who want to listen instead of read.  I admit that I ‘listen’ to more books than I read as I get through more material that way.

The Content

Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps covers everything from designing your blog to writing content and promoting it. There are chapters on:

• Topic and Goals
• Branding
• Planning Your Blog
• Blog Set Up
• Writing Static Content
• Writing Blog Posts
• Writing for the Web
• Reality Check and Add Value
• Blogging and Social Media
• Online Networking
• SEO, Statistics and Rating Progress
• Guest Posting

Strengths

This is a great introduction to blogging for new bloggers and bloggers who aren’t getting results from their blogs.

The chapters on content creation and formatting are essential reading – for every blogger!

The book will help you plan your blog to achieve your goals and come up with a detailed brief which you can give to a blog or web designer to make sure you get exactly what you need.

Annabel has had guest posts on Copyblogger, Problogger, Zen Habits and other popular blogs and she shares inside information on guest posting.

Weaknesses

There’s no information on the technical side of setting up a blog. The book assumes either you can do that yourself or you’ll get someone to do it for you.  We can recommend other resources if you need help with this.

Final Thoughts

What really sets this book apart from the other blogging books is the lack of technical jargon and a realistic approach real business people will be able to understand and manage.

Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps:

• makes blogging accessible to non-technical people
• will inspire and encourage you to get into blogging
• will help you come up with a clear plan on how to make sure your blog achieves your goals
• will make the process of writing blog content easy and fun

It also offers great value for money and comes with a guarantee so I recommend you check it out.

If you enjoy the book  – then share with your friends that are on the blogging journey too – or want to be

Click here to visit Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps.

Many of us love sharing our photos with the World when we post these on Facebook but do you really want a computer program automatically telling the World who you are based on images posted on the site?

Facebook have been rolling out a face recognition feature for some time, but today it was released outside the USA for the first time.  Called “Tag Suggestions” the software tries to match names with people in photos you upload to the site.

It is turned ON by default – so this is an opt out feature rather than an opt in one.

How does it work?

It scans the faces of people in tagged pictures and matches the data against other pictures so users can tag them automatically. On your facebook settings page the explanation of the feature appears like this:

This feature uses a comparison of photos you’re tagged in to suggest that friends tag you in new photos.

You’re always in control of your tags on Facebook:

• Only friends can tag you in photos
• We’ll notify you when a friend has tagged you
• You can remove a friend’s tag at any time
• Tag suggestions are based only on photos you’ve allowed yourself to be tagged in

For some of you, this may be another feature of the social media site that you would like to have some fun with. For others, it may be something you are aghast at.  So, if you want to put a paper bag over your face…..book, there is a way to do it and here it is:

1. Go to the “Account” tab in the top right hand corner
2. Click on “Privacy settings”
3. Click “Customise settings” (bottom centre of page)
4. Scroll down to “Things others share”
5. Click “Edit settings” next to “Suggest photos of me to friends”
6. Choose “Disable”  from the drop down
7. Click “Okay” in the bottom right hand corner.

Remember that you are in control of all the settings on your Facebook page and you should ensure that the settings are as you want them.  So while you are in your account privacy settings take time to review and decide how all of your information is shared and with whom.

Your privacy is at stake and, like putting a seat belt on when you get into a car, it’s your responsibility to protect yourself.

Share this with everyone you know on Facebook and let us know if you chose to leave this feature on or not.

Discover the Top 10 Secrets to Maximising Social Media Marketing for Business

We know many business owners are in overwhelm mode when it comes to social media right now, all furiously trying to keep up with never ending changes, system updates, apps, tools, releases and spending excessive amounts of time on social networks, without necessarily enjoying the rewards for their efforts.

Others are not even on Social Media networks at all – and if you’re not – you should be. No, as business owners, you HAVE to be (it’s no longer an option if you want to be competitive in the marketplace).

I’m hearing more and more that you’re just plain stressed by social media!

But Where Do I Start?

As a Business Owner, Entrepreneur, Sales Professional or Marketer -  you see the power of Social Media Marketing to grow your business.
You know you should be doing something to embrace Social Media as part of your overall marketing strategy – BUT are you totally confused about WHERE TO START and HOW?

Are you concerned that if you “Do” Social Media Marketing the wrong way – it could actually do more harm than good for your business?

What if you could be shown EXACTLY how to, not only get started with social media marketing, but how to maximise social media to grow your business the RIGHT way.

All without a huge investment of time or money?  Then this is for you……

SocialMediaShortcut Team presents – “Secret Social Media Business”

“Secret Social Media Business” seminars are being held throughout July:

12-July-2011 – Secret Social Media Business Seminar – Sunshine Coast – Morning Session
12-July-2011 – Secret Social Media Business Seminar – Sunshine Coast – Evening Session
15-July-2011 – Secret Social Media Business Seminar – Brisbane
22-July-2011 – Secret Social Media Business – Sydney

Top 10 Secrets to using Social Media Marketing for Business  

VIP Admission – $77.00 (incl GST)
Admission for 1 pax with Front Row seating & Secret Social Media Business Cheat Sheet to take home.

Regular Admission – $47.00 (incl GST)
Admission for 1 pax with general seating only.

Learn the Secrets to using Social Media Marketing to grow your Business without it taking over your life:

• Overview of Social Media Marketing and how it can benefit your business
• Secret to marketing your business in Social Media the RIGHT way
• The top 4 social media networks for business and the Secret to finding which ones are best suited to your business and why
• Secrets to understanding the language of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube – what does it all mean and what are the biggest mistakes to avoid?
• Secret to positioning your business in Social Media professionally and customing your social media sites to incorporate your branding
• Secret to promoting your business using Social Media – including the rules/regulations of each site (get this wrong and your social media accounts could be shut down!)
  
• Secrets on what to post about (and importantly what not to post about) for maximum interaction/results
  
• Secret timing stats on when and how often to post for maximum engagement and secrets sites to find content quickly and easily
  
• Secret to online reputation management, customer engagement and handling feedback (good and bad)
• Your Next Steps (you’re on Social Media – now what?)
• Top Secret to getting all this achieved in the minimum amount of time!

Training by Zoe deLuca - for those of you that don’t know me….

Introducing Your Social Media Mentor – Zoe deLuca

Zoe is a Social Media Marketing Specialist, Speaker, Trainer, Manager and Internet Entrepreneur, operating multiple businesses from her laptop while travelling the World.

With a Twitter following in excess of 50,000, over 60,000 views of her training videos on YouTube plus thousands of friends on Facebook & Linkedin, it’s no wonder she was recently selected to attend the “10for10″ internet marketing training intensive in
New York.

Zoe and her partner Mark, are based on the Sunshine Coast and operate a full service Social Media Marketing Consultancy with clients around the Globe. Zoe is the Social Media Specialist at “The Creative Collective”.  Zoe draws on her experience over the last 3 years of using Social Media Marketing to grow her own businesses and is perfectly positioned as a business owner that has figured out how to maximise Social Media for Business results.

During the “Secret Social Media Business” presentation, Zoe will explain all the ins and outs of the top social media networks, how to manage your social media marketing quickly and easily and, most importantly, how to get the maximum results for your business. Exposing the top 10 Secrets to Social Media Success to get you started in Social Media Marketing – the RIGHT WAY.

“Secret Social Media Business” seminars are being held throughout July:

12-July-2011 – Secret Social Media Business Seminar – Sunshine Coast
15-July-2011 – Secret Social Media Business Seminar – Brisbane
22-July-2011 – Secret Social Media Business – Sydney

Only a few weeks to go for the first of the events, so book now to secure your place!

Stop wasting time messing around on Social Media and discover “Secret Social Media Business” – you and your business deserve this!

See you soon…….

PS Hit the ‘Like’ button or ‘Tweet’ button (If you don’t know what that means you will be the end of the training)  – after all it feels good to share

Facebook is continually changing and quite often the changes can be challenging if you are a business owner trying to market on the platform. But I’m loving “New Facebook Share” features.

Did you know you can now share a post  not only onto your own profile wall, but to a GROUP or to a specific “Friends” wall?

The HUGE news is when you are using Facebook “AS a Page” your specific ‘friends’ walls are those of the Business PAGES that you’ve liked. YES – page to page sharing! Woohoo!

My video explains how and why you would want to use this feature to Market your business effectively on Facebook:

Need help understanding Social Media Marketing for your Business? – then join our trainings at:
http://www.facebook.com/SocialMediaShortCut?sk=events

Let us know what you think of the new features – leave a comment below or join u son Facebook or Twitter.

I was at a work group meeting last week discussing the opportunities for businesses in the “Digital Economy” particularly with the improvement in broadband services across Australia in coming years. It was a real eye opener in terms of how much more innovative businesses are going to have to be to prosper in the next 2-5 years and to maximise the changes in technology.

It also made me realise that Mark and I weren’t really doing this in our own business. That may surprise some of you given that I specialise in Social Media Marketing and am continually updating my skills to stay at the forefront of this rapidly changing media, but what I mean is that our business wasn’t innovating. Our websites had been the same for several years, our services had expanded but really only as a result of customer demand and we have been delivering these services in virtually the same way.

So, back to the title of this post, “The times they are a changing” and it’s time for us to change. But rather than changing “with” the times, as business owners we need to be changing “in front” of the times!  Seeking new opportunities and providing answers to questions that our clients don’t even know they have yet. I’m not talking crystal ball, rainbow and unicorns here but rather seriously considering the possibilities for your business in the digital economy. Who will your clients be? Where will they be located? How will they ‘interact’ with your services? And, most importantly, what will their needs/pain points/wants be?  Only after you have considered this should you then work out how you can best meet these needs and provide your services in the most readily accessible way to your clients in the future.

Already trials are underway of “digital dust” being woven into fabrics to sense changes in our health and report these remotely to doctors. Imagine this technology in food packaging so that your food not only ‘knows’ it’s use by date but transmits this to your fridge to have an order automatically placed via the internet for a replacement product to be delivered to your door! And that’s just the beginning – start thinking about 3 dimensional printing of objects including human organs with ‘ink’ an exact replica of human blood cells and you start to see how far (and how fast) technology is moving!

So what does that mean for our customers and why an I telling you about printing blood cells? As a group, of business, government and educational leaders, we could not come up with an industry that will not be changed by new technology. So as business owners, you need to not only be aware of the changes happening in technology but to start thinking innovatively.

For us, we have decided to “split” our business into two main streams to better service our client base while growing our offerings. This website, www.MarkandZoe.com will be our home base for Entrepreneurs looking to grow a business online. Our focus has always been on teaching “Internet Marketing” strategies but we are expanding this into a complete support site for building your business from anywhere in the World. Mark and I love the fact that we can work our business from our laptops from anywhere we have a reliable internet signal, and now want to share with you how you too can “Make The World Your Office”.

Over the coming weeks we will being adding our top tips and strategies to run a ‘virtual business’ including reviews and training videos on the tools, apps, income streams and services we use in our business. Our innovation is to support all of you that are going to be moving to ‘non-traditional’ business models over the coming years. We see huge changes coming for not only where we chose to work and how we work but, in fact, why we work.  Our plan is to become citizens of the the World not only travelling to every part of the Globe but living in many different places over the next 10 years.

If you are already running, or in the process of establishing, a virtual business we’d love your feedback here on the support you need and questions you have (please leave your comments below).

The second ‘half’ of our business, Social Media Marketing (training, strategy, system design and management), is getting a new home over at www.SocialMediaShortcut.com over the coming weeks. This site has housed our membership group and SocialMediaShortCut training program but, again, with innovation in mind, we are not only expanding our social media services but changing how we deliver these.

We have partnered with The Creative Collective agency and will have the capacity to deliver more regular trainings, social media strategy and system builds across the globe with consultations done via skype and/or video conferencing, and back these up with a new online membership site with monthly training webinars. This will mean that we are able to deliver you the most up to date information on trends and changes to social media marketing AND answer your questions each month via the internet ie without you leaving home! If the timing doesn’t suit your schedule (we are busy business owners after all) then the trainings will be recorded in your membership area.  More details on the monthly webinars will be emailed out to our clients next week, so make sure you have subscribed to our SMSC VIP List at www.SocialMediaShortCut.com for details on how you can access the webinar in May for Free!

The partnership with The Creative Collective opens up a huge group of specialist creative staff to us so that I can do what I do best (and love doing), train and strategise your social media marketing, and then hand the design, technology and management components over to other team members that specialise in these tasks.  We are growing our team of social media managers and I’m delighted to say that Mark and I now have a brilliant assistant, Ms Allsion Todd, supporting us in the day to day running of our business.  In keeping with innovation and maximising new technology, our team are all virtual, and now spread across 4 coutnries with Allison residing in the United States.  After all our clients are from around the Globe and we will be travelling to all parts of it so there are no barriers to where our staff are located (again other than having access to reliable internet connection).

We realise that some of what we share on both websites will overlap – for instance many of our virtual business owners want information on social media marketing,while many of our ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses that we have built social media systems for will benefit from accessing details on our online accouting program etc. When this occurs we will definitely be posting information on both websites and you will notice links to Social Media Marketing (above) here as well.

A good example of this is our upcoming Social Media Marketing for Business Seminars series. Details of these are on the events page on SocialMediaShortCut but we will also have a post here with a link as these will allow you to maximise social media to grow any type of business, whether virtual or ‘traditional’ bricks and mortar.

Our aim is to provide you (our wonderful community) with the information that is most relevent to you achieveing your goals and growing your businesses online. Social Media is becoming integral to our way of life, particularly with the advent of mobile technology, so every business needs to maximise this marketing method. But we understand that not all of you are interested in sharing our journeys around the World, working our business from our laptop, particularly if you are focussed on building clientelle in a specific geographic area and driving traffic to your shop front. Well atleast not right now – but start thinging innovatively and you never know

So our new structure in a nutshell:

www.MarkandZoe.com is for you if you want to build your business from anywhere, anytime via the internet. Highlighting our top tools, tips and tactics to “Make The World Your Office” and sharing our travels and innovations.

• Like our Facebook page for updates at: www.facebook.com/MarkandZoe
• Connect on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/MarkandZoe

www.SocialMediaShortCut.com is for you if you want to learn how to maximise Social Media Marketing to grow your business. Highlighting our top tools, tips and tactis for “Guiding You Through the Maze of Social Media Marketing” while also keeping you updated on our latest Social Media trainings.

• Like our Facebook page for updates at: www.facebook.com/SocialMediaShortCut
• Connect on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/zdeluca

If both services appeal to you, then by all means sign up to both websites.  You will be receiving different e-newsletters and updates but we will alternate these so that you are never bombarded by messages.  Our aim is to provide you with ‘innovative’ cutting edge information to grow your business online and share with you our triumphs and mistakes (so you don’t have to make them) along the way.

So what do you think? Do you like our new plan? Are you changing your business structure in light of new technology? Are you ‘innovating’ in another way? We’d love you feedback below and/or over on our facebook pages.

Some things haven’t changed though – if you like this article please share far and wide with your social networks and, as always, “Have an Awesome Day”.

- Zoe

Ok it may be the best Social Media Marketing Training in Australia and New Zealand

I got carried away because, as Big Kev used to say, I’m excited!!!

In less than two weeks, I get to dust off my SuperGirl cape as we will kick off our ‘Become a Social Media Super Hero’ Australian tour, this time with stops in Auckland and Wellington as well!

We know many business owners are in overwhelm mode when it comes to social media right now, all furiously trying to keep up with never ending changes, system updates, apps, tools, releases and spending excessive amounts of time on social networks, without necessarily enjoying the rewards for their efforts.

Others are not even on Social Media networks at all – and if you’re not – you should be. No, as business owners, you HAVE to be (it’s no longer an option if you want to be competitive in the marketplace).

In the past month on Facebook alone there have been several major updates and their “Pages” are changing completely as from Friday. You can see an overview of some of these changes in this video in a previous post.

We know it’s often not realistic for you to keep up with all of these ongoing developments and articulate them into effective marketing strategies and activities.

I’m hearing more and more that you’re just plain stressed by social media!

That’s where I come in and why I have teamed up with:

• Wendy Moore, the founder of Savvy Web Women and creator of the Savvy List Building Blog who is the ultimate resource on Facebook, and
• Yvette Adams, CEO of The Creative Collective, who is a LinkedIn Legend and has thousands of contacts on Facebook and Twitter as well,

to deliver ONE POWER PACKED DAY OF SOCIAL MEDIA IMMERSION to help you
Become a “Social Media Super Hero”.

Whether you are new to social media marketing or are already well on your way, this workshop will make you reach your true ‘super hero’ potential.

Topics covered at the full day Social Media Super Hero workshops include:

• Recent major updates to all three networks and where it’s going into the future
• How to professionally position your business, and grow and manage lists on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter
• How to separate your Business and Personal accounts and why this is so important
• How to customize your Twitter background, and Facebook Page for professional branding
• How to obtain your vanity URL on Facebook and why this is so important (it’s more than just a name)
• What to write about, how to write it and when to post it for maximum results – so it actually gets read
• Online reputation management including how to handle negative feedback
• How to know when people are talking ‘about’ you, your company & your products and respond quickly
• The importance of, and how to design, an effective social media strategy, policies and schedule

and oh so much more!

Yvette Adams will be covering Linkedin, Wendy Moore will cover Facebook and I will share my insider tactics on Twitter that have allowed me to not only build a following in excess of 50,000 people but to connect with key people to create joint ventures, speaking opportunities and (most importantly as business owners) sales!

In fact, this seminar series has been a result of contacts made through Social Media and I originally ‘met’ Yvette when she sought me out for a speaking engagement after finding me on Twitter.

Yes, use Social Media the right way and your best clients and business partners will find you!

We’ll also share our top syndication and scheduling tools to allow you to get the maximum results from social media marketing in the minimum amount of time.

Most importantly all three trainers are business owners that are using Social Media Marketing to effectively grow our own businesses.  While our training has taken place all over the World, we ‘Walk Our Talk’ right here – each and everyday.

We’re not just going to overwhlem you with stats and facts but give you real, actionable steps to take away and immediately apply in your business and we will be drawing on examples from the participants in the room.

We have deliberately kept numbers small for you to get maximum results from the day – so you will need to book quickly before the events sell out!

See when the “Social Media Super Hero” team will be coming to a town near you:

21-Mar-2011 – Become a Social Media Super Hero Full Day Workshop – Sydney
22-Mar-2011 –  Become a Social Media Super Hero Full Day Workshop – Newcastle
24-Mar-2011 – Become a Social Media Super Hero Full Day Workshop – Brisbane
12-Apr-2011 – Become a Social Media Super Hero Full Day Workshop – Perth
13-Apr-2011- Become a Social Media Super Hero Full Day Workshop – Melbourne
14-Apr-2011 – Become a Social Media Super Hero Full Day Workshop – Canberra
18-Apr-2011 – Become a Social Media Super Hero Full Day Workshop – Auckland
20-Apr-2011 – Become a Social Media Super Hero Full Day Workshop – Wellington

This is the SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP OF THE YEAR with 3 of Australia’s Tops Social Media trainers giving you 3 times the value of other events.  I do not expect that we will be able to repeat this series as it’s been incredibly difficult to co-ordinate all of our schedules. This could well be your only chance to have all 3 of us training you at the one event.

I hope you can make it and would be delighted if you will help me spread the word by sharing this with your friends, business contacts and, of course, through your existing social media sites!

Only a few weeks to go for sthe first of the events, so book now to secure your place!

Stop wasting time messing around on Social Media and get the training to ‘Become a Social Media Super Hero’ – you and your business deserve this!

See you soon…….

PS Hit the ‘Like’ button or ‘Tweet’ button Super Heros in training – after all it feels good to share

You have heard about hashtags on Twitter but don’t really understand what they are let alone how you set one up for your event or business?

This video takes you through step by step on what is a Hashtag on Twitter, where do you find out what a hashtag means, how you register your own hash tags (and where), and then how to use this hashtag to grow your community interractions at live events or in support of your business.

In the video I ‘define’ a hash tag of #SMSH for our recent Social Media Super Hero seminars. I consider the setting up of hash tags as a more advanced Twitter training, but you can get my complete Twitter training live by joining me at the “Social Media ShortCut Seminars” – look for the hashtag #SMSC on Twitter

For full details go to:
http://www.facebook.com/SocialMediaShortCut

My mission is to not just teach you social media marketing to grow your business but to give you the “ShortCut path through the maze of Social Media” getting you the maximum business results from social media marketing in the minimum amount of time!

And watch for the hashtag #SMSC spreading through out Twitter – oh and we’ll use it a lot at the events but I’ll explain more in the events.

Found this video useful? Like all of our Social Media Marketing trainings, please share far and wide. After all it feels good to share