Social Media Day Sharpens Effective Online Skills
As the Internet makes its way to the forefront of our lives, it’s important for businesses to keep pace and more importantly to keep up.
An effective online presence has been proven to be the marketing magic potion that helps businesses stay up to speed; hence the birth of Social Media Day.
Recently business owners, and advice seekers alike filled the Phoenix Ritz-Carlton with hopes of being enlightened on topics ranging from getting the most out of websites to landing a dream job in social media.
Marketing experts were present to cover every angle of social media. As the world gears up for a social media takeover, this may be just what the Valley business community needed.
How exactly are business-marketing strategies put into play online? Event experts all agreed that a website is the easiest and most important step to a business’ online presence.
Helix House co-owner Michael Donato went a step further to say the website should be what people want.
“Remember that your competition is just a click away,” Donato says. A hard-to-navigate site, he adds, doesn’t do your business justice in any way.
“Meet the expectations that people have,” Donato says. “That means better search engine optimization and visible contact information.
Donato says he believes that contact information is key to the credibility of a business website. If it’s hard to find, the consumer may be turned off.
Not only should you promote your business online, you should promote yourself. Paige Dell’Armi, Starbucks social media manager, says she believes that this can land you your dream job. A native of Arizona, Dell’Armi never imagined she would be working for the Starbucks headquarters in Seattle.
“I chased my dreams,” Dell’Armi says. “I had passion and I showed that to employers.”
Just as businesses raise awareness for themselves on the Internet, people can attract attention as well.
“It’s important to be wise in what you do online because employers are watching you,” Dell’Armi says. “You promote or demote yourself through your online actions.”
According to Dell’Armi, this promotion must be intertwined with passion, patience and perseverance.
“If you’re passionate, it shows,” Dell’Armi says. “You have to show that you really want the position because there are hundreds of other people applying for it.”
Passion is important, but Dell’Armi says she believes it’s nothing without a little patience and a lot of perseverance.
“I had 13 interviews with Starbucks before I got the job,” Dell’Armi recalls. “It took a long time but it was worth it.”
Through successfully promoting yourself online and the three P’s – passion, patience and perseverance – Dell’Armi says she believes you can score the job of your dreams.
An important aspect of fulfilling your business dreams is successfully utilizing deal sites such as Groupon and Deal Chicken. While a website is good, it may not be enough.
“Deal sites aren’t to be feared,” says Andi Barness, Doozy of a Deal owner. “They can be beneficial to you.”
According to Barness, deal sites can be just what a business needs to get people through their doors and spread the word.
“When you create a special for your business and it’s featured on a deal site, it spreads the word,” Barness says. “It’s a great marketing tool and it can create long-lasting customers.”
In return for Doozy of a Deal featuring various specials on its website, companies give it half the profit of the special.
“Some people think it’s lame and wonder why they should have to lose that money,” Barness says. “What they don’t understand is that they are investing in their business.”
