How will you grow your business in 2010?

by Juli Barcelona on January 3, 2010

For those of you who may not know who Jeffrey Gitomer is, Gitomer is defined as a creative, on-the-edge, writer and speaker whose expertise on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development is world renowned (according to www.gitomer.com). I have read quite a few things by Jeffrey Gitomer. I was turned on to his writing by my Dad, who on a somewhat regular basis will send me, and my brother and sister, Jeffrey’s weekly e-zine - Sales Caffeine. Others may know him for his very popular “Little” books.

I was doing some reading today, getting into gear for 2010 after having a few days off from work, when I came across an article my Dad gave me by Jeffrey Gitomer from the Grand Rapids Business Journal. The article is entitled “Social media - the new cold call; do you want to play?” I was going to share it by just simply bookmarking it on our company’s Delicious page, but instead, I decided I needed to write about why I liked the article so much and share that with you.

To summarize, the article talks about how one by one, the non-believers of social media are being converted by the social media believers. I find this to be true in the work that I do everyday. Clients, who were once skeptical, are now becoming believers and beginning to see the great value and possibilities offered by social media tools. They are turning to us to help them incorporate social media into their overall marketing strategies - and seeing great success in doing so.

According to Gitomer, “the big six - Facebook, You-Tube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Ning and Flickr - pretty much dominate the market. If you’re going to play in the social media world, those five are the sandbox.”

He goes on to talk about how millions of businesses have social media logos on their websites and the numerous business opportunities that are afforded through these tools. I love that he makes this point because when I talk to business owners - individually and in the groups that I speak to - this is one of the biggest points I touch on. Businesses still fail to realize the doors that social media tools can open for them, and what an important investment their company website really should be. Facebook fan pages can be used by brands to engage with and attract friends and customers. Twitter can be used to share valuable tips and messages, while YouTube affords business the ability to create a company channel to post tips, commentary and customer testimonials, as well as build trust and loyalty in their brands.

Gitomer writes, “The key right now is to build a base of connections and consistently deliver value messages to attract more.”

This is such an important point, and social media allows individuals and businesses to spread word of mouth further and faster than ever - without breaking the bank.

This is a great article by Jeffrey Gitomer and I’d like to include my favorite part. In a few short paragraphs, I think Gitomer does a great job of “hitting the nail on the head.”

Gitomer writes, “The largest element in social media or social networking is you: what you do, what you post, what you tweet, what you shoot, what you record, and the work (dedication) to make your personal message and your personal brand attractive.

Like anything else in business there will always be a small percentage of idiots and zealots doing the wrong thing: Ignore them. Don’t let the actions of a few spoil your outlook to advance and grow.

There’s billions of dollars of new business being generated by social media. How much of it will you get?

Maybe you need to get a bit more serious about being a bit more social.”

As we begin 2010, it has never been more important to consider the marketing channels your business uses, the dollars your business invests in marketing, and the return you may or may not be seeing and take action to improve. Consider whether you are taking full advantage of the opportunities that social media can afford your business. And, if you are still a social media “non-believer”, maybe its time to really ask yourself WHY?

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A Joyful Two-Car Parade to the Food Pantry

by Tom Barcelona on December 1, 2009

One year ago, when we hoped that hosting an open house and food drive was a good way to bring good people together and help local families in need, I’m sure most of us thought that by this holiday season, the need would not be as pressing. With all area food pantries experiencing an even greater demand this year, we thought it was appropriate to host “Turkey Talk 2″ this past Monday, November 23rd. The response from our clients, friends and local business associates was so great that last Tuesday, the two littlest Barcelonas, Zach and Sam (here from Minnesota for Thanksgiving) helped us count $50 in cash contributions and more than 660 non-perishable items, topping our 2008 collections.

When the tally was complete, Juli Barcelona and I boxed everything up, packed our cars and delivered all your donations to the Palos Township Emergency Food Pantry offices on Roberts Road in Palos Hills. Township Supervisor, Colleen Schumann, and other members of their limited staff were overjoyed, saying they are now confident in their ability to take care of needy families during the Christmas holidays.

From our entire team, thanks to all who came and many who could not attend but were thoughtful enough to deliver a contribution in advance, plus Abby of Abigail Harenberg Photography, Beth Fahey and Becky Palermo of Creative Cakes in Tinley Park and BCG’s own Linda Barcelona, who donated the delicious cake, breads and cookies. Photos will be available on our website soon and even though Caprio’s Pizza was great, you just can’t have “Turkey Talk” without dessert!

Finally, I’m proud to inform you that we hope to host “Turkey Talk” on the Monday before Thanksgiving every year. If our local food pantries are full to capacity (we hope), we’ll ask you to “talk a little turkey” and kick off the holiday season by responding to another very worthwhile cause. In the meantime, please accept our sincere thanks for your support and our best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season.

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Breaking Down Walls With Social Media

September 29, 2009

Over the past couple months I have been presenting “Marketing on a Shoestring” to several different groups of business owners. The purpose of my presentation is to show business owners how incorporating new media into their traditional forms of marketing can help businesses build greater awareness of their brands and engage their communities in a [...]

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Shame On Me & A Blogging Lesson Learned…

September 16, 2009

I have been talking to my Dad for a while now about how I can’t understand why every one of our local Chambers of Commerce hasn’t jumped in to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as a way to add value to their members and help promote businesses in the community, as well as [...]

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Moving On Down, To The West Side…

September 2, 2009

September is now upon us and as Barcelona Creative Group said goodbye to August, we also said goodbye to Suite #305. That’s right, “we’re moving on down, to the West side”… of our office building that is! The good news is we said Hello to a smaller, fresher space and we [...]

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Tweeting Up with Publicity Club of Chicago

August 17, 2009

On Wednesday, August 26th, Barcelona Creative Group (BCG) will co-sponsor a Tweetup with the Publicity Club of Chicago (PCC), with promotional support from Big Teeth Productions. The Tweetup will be held at Rock Bottom in Chicago from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. (Click to RSVP)

How did this partnership come together? TWITTER, of course!
I have been a member [...]

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How Do You Survive the “Dog Days of Summer”?

August 10, 2009

I don’t know about you, but I am a person who loves to be outdoors during the summer. You’ll often find me poolside on weekends, and if I’m not there I might just be lucky enough to be out on the golf course.
A good friend and client of Barcelona Creative was in the office last [...]

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Be a part of the Barcelona Creative Group “Extreme Makeover”

July 27, 2009

A few weeks ago I posted a blog entry about how a company’s website can no longer be just an online brochure. (Click here to read.) Today’s fast paced and demanding world is challenging businesses to become part of the consumer’s community of reliable resources. Static websites must evolve to provide solutions and offer content [...]

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Can Saying “Thank You” Make You Unique?

July 21, 2009

Today’s world is so fast paced and forward moving that it’s often easy to forget to stop and actually say “Thank You” in a meaningful way. In fact, remembering this small, but important, gesture may now actually make you unique in this world!
Just last week I was invited to have lunch with a colleague to [...]

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