Is Print DEAD? [InfoGraphic]

Is The Printing Industry Being Crushed By The Internet?

Source: www.Sketchee.com

8 Facts About Facebook’s $33 Billion Valuation [InfoGraphic]

Did you know Facebook’s recent valuation is estimated at a whopping $33 Billion? Here’s an interesting Infographic by AllFacebook.com to put things into perspective:

Source: www.AllFacebook.com

Social Media For Insurance Professionals: VIDEO

Am super EXCITED!!!, as after hours of to-ing & fro-ing, writing the video scripts, browsing for the ‘right’ music, giving my video guy a hard time ;-) …etc, finally, the short VIDEO for our Social Media For Insurance Professionals book is ready!!!…must say, I like the end result

We would like to thank Mari Smith, Matthew Sapaula, Rod Drury, Barry Read and Melissa Cibelli for their kind words of appreciation.

And thanks to Erik Qualman for all the cool stats.

Statistics source: www.Socialnomics.com

Social Media Ad Spending [InfoGraphic]

Social Media Ad spending is on the rise and I guess, rightly so! Check out this interesting InfoGraphic by Flowtown:

Source: www.Flowtown.com

StumbleUpon: Did You Know? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Social Bookmarking has come a long way and the following StumbleUpon InfoGraphic may surprise you to say the least and will make you start “stumbling”:

Source: www.Penn-Olson.com & www.BlueGlass.com

FACEBOOK FACTS: You Probably Didn’t Know About

Some interesting stats & facts about Facebook:

Craigs-List Stats: Did You Know?

Here’s some interesting, fascinating and SHOCKING stats about CraigsList you probably didn’t know about:

How the INTERNET works – InfoGraphic

Another awesome infographic by Online Schools:

Top 10 lists of interesting trivia information

RGRBZY8QGMQW

Geography

Countries

Vacations

Automobiles

Business & Consumerism

Miscellaneous

Social Media For Professionals: Book Foreword by Mari Smith

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn…you’ve been hearing about these online social networking sites on a daily basis and may be wondering:

Social Media is a fundamental shift in how we function on the planet on both a personal and professional basis. As Socialnomics author Erik Qualman states, “Social media touches every facet of business and is more a function of good business ethics.”

The widespread adoption of social media, which began making mainstream traction in 2007, is the largest paradigm shift in how professionals approach their potential clients… and how consumers approach businesses. We’re literally getting to the point where, if your prospects cannot find you on Facebook or Twitter at minimum, you may as well not exist in their eyes.

Yet so many businesses are still stuck using “old media” because they simply don’t fully understand the power of new media, nor how to effectively integrate it into their overall marketing plans.

If we look at old media – traditional marketing – it’s interruptive; we’re constantly interrupted while watching TV, listening to radio or even while driving. In fact, “old style” internet marketing with pop-ups, pop-under’s, forced opting in, and big flashing banner ads is also interruptive and generally not effective any longer.

By contrast, new media marketing involves and encourages participation by both the professionals and their target audience. Old media is flat, one-way; there’s no interaction. The message is typically designed and delivered with zero input from prospects or clients. Whereas social media is two-way – multi-way, even.

Companies like Starbucks and Best Buy are leading the way in engagement through social media marketing. Nike, Vitamin Water and Threadless are great examples of “crowd-sourcing” – having your target market actually help you co-create products!

Together, we are literally reinventing and redefining communication and how we market and sell our products and services.

Social media is the dynamic new marketing phenomenon that has changed the business landscape and it is absolutely here to stay. Successful social media marketing puts the focus directly on your prospects and customers; the emphasis is on building relationships in creative ways.

A few stats of two of the most popular social networking sites:

Facebook:

• Over 480 million active members.
• Predicted to be over 600 million by 2011… or sooner.
• The 2nd most trafficked website in the world – second only to Google. Facebook has, on a few occasions, ousted Google and taken the #1 spot. [Source: Alexa.com]
• The largest photo-sharing platform. Two billion photos are uploaded per month.
• More than 50% of Facebook users in the U.S. are over 35 years old. [Source: ComScore].

Twitter:

• Popular social network, news source and viral marketing tool.
• Grew by over 1900% in 2008 to 2009.
• Over 100 million members.
• Politicians, brands, big companies and celebrities now embracing Twitter.

These numbers and stats are staggering. If you’re not active on the top social networks, you risk being left way behind and you’re may well be losing business on a daily basis. You simply must get active now, at least on social media giants like Facebook and Twitter.

But there’s a right way and a wrong way to approach social media marketing. If you do it wrong, you could risk your reputation, and potentially do more harm than good. I’ve certainly come across a number of horror stories out there – some by renowned companies too, who just didn’t “get” social media!

I’m delighted to introduce you to my friends Ash and Brad – their book will help walk you through the crazy morass of conflicting information and easily put you on the right path to social media success.

Mari Smith
- www.MariSmith.com
– Social Media Speaker, Trainer and Consultant.
– Author, Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day (Sybex, May 2010)
– Dubbed the “Pied Piper of the Online World” by FastCompany.com.

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CLICK HERE to find out how YOU too, can leverage the power of
Social Media, to build credibility, generate leads for free
and increase revenues in 60 days or less!

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The Social Network: Movie Trailer

YES, a movie based on the FACEBOOK story:

– Eisenberg will play Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg;
– Timberlake will play Sean Parker, the Napster co-founder who became Facebook’s founding president; and
– Andrew Garfield will play Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder who fell out with Zuckerberg over money.

The Modern Day Version of A-B-C

This is quite interesting :o)

Social Media For Insurance Professionals: Book Foreword by Matthew Sapaula

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one MOST RESPONSIVE to change” says the biologist Charles Darwin.

This is probably the only thing I will agree with him on, yet it well-describes the financial services industry undergoing reform and especially, change.

Insurance professionals and financial advisors alike must be able to continually market and brand their services, in a highly ethical and compliant manner, to continue helping clients reach the goal of financial security, freedom and control.

Phonebooks, billboards, newspaper ads, direct mail, seminars, radio and TV advertising are not only extremely expensive but also, have lost their draw and effectiveness. These continue to be the most costly methods to test your message in your target market and it’s doubtful whether they engage in your call-to-action.

Although still important, spending hours upon hours of continuing education and obtaining multiple financial designations does not have the same impact during these times, unless you are constantly communicating your ongoing value proposition or unique competitive difference. Simply having alphabet soup splattered on your business card does not get your phone to ring any faster than the agent of the future who updates his status on Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Financial planners and insurance professionals have been reduced in the perception of many as commodities and people to be avoided…sad, but true!

This is an age where people expect information at the speed of light, on-demand and assume you are ready to deliver. If not, your competitors always are.

Hopefully, Finance and Insurance Professionals can look back upon their education and employ, not only the skills learned in math class, but also their English class as well. Being able to write and effectively communicate years of serving families with wisdom and experiences at a fifth grade level is a skill taking precedence in the Influence and Recommendation Age.

Somewhere along the line, we have zoomed past the Information Age. People are looking for the financial services professional that can organize the masses of news clutter that is out there…and tie current events along with financial solutions to make sense to them, their friends and peer group.

Today’s consumer is internet savvy and utilises social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for not only entertainment but also, for researching answers to their personal problems and help make important buying decisions. Operating your practice in this day and age without establishing a footprint in these mediums is like running a business without a phone, email or address.

Don’t be invisible. What you do on a daily basis changes peoples’ lives for generations upon generations. Since you have this individual capability, you now have a responsibility to market your product, services and message in one of the most powerful ways combining the power of newspapers, radio and TV. And do you know what the cost is for you to use this potent platform?

Nothing…it is free.

The only cost is the time for you to upgrade your marketing skills, train your staff in using these social media platforms and without hesitation, begin a marketing transformation that gives the small guy a shot, and being as influential as the corporate titans.

Facebook, Twitter, blogs and video sharing sites have given us the capability to stay ahead of change and be the change that our communities and bottom line desperately need.

It’s the social media strategies that allowed us to become the #1 ranked Chicago-based independent financial services firm in Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. I also have been using these predictable strategies to help coach other financial, mortgage, legal, accounting and real estate professionals become the obvious choice in the eyes of their clients and community.

It took us almost two years of tweaking and testing to figure out what worked. But thanks to Ash and Brad, your business can now change in months.

To your success,

Matthew Sapaula
Chartered Financial Consultant
Financial Strategist, Speaker, Chicago Talk Radio Show Host, TV commentator.
www.MoneySmartRadio.com

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CLICK HERE to find out how YOU too, can leverage the power of
Social Media, to build credibility, generate leads for free
and increase revenues in 60 days or less!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

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