You yourself might be asking the question on how best to use the marketing dollars that you have in your budget. Where can you get the biggest bang for the buck?

I have some good news for you. And by the way, stick those marketing dollars back in your coffers, because the strategy I’m about to share with you is virtually free. Well… it is going to take an hour or two a week of your time, but other than that, it’s free.

I want to make the case for you, that spending time each week on your social media marketing, is very smart business.

So what is social media? Social media is an umbrella term that refers to the technologies and practices that are used to share information, opinions, and thoughts online.

Social media can take many forms, such message boards, blogs, wikis, podcasts, pictures and videos.

With 70% of people researching online before buying a product or service (which includes local service businesses), and 51% of internet users spending most of their time reading and watching personal content that is created by other people, you’ve got to have an online presence. But, it’s not just about having a website. You need to make sure that your business is in the path of where your target audience is spending their time online.

Here’s another little known fact. According to ongoing research from the Online Publishers Association and Nielsen//NetRatings, US Internet users will spend less than 5% of their online time using search, versus nearly 50% of their time on content sites (social media). Yet, most marketers are putting most of their online marketing dollars into paid search.

Marketing Experiments did a 12 month study, in which they compared the effectiveness of a Google Adwords campaign, to a social media marketing campaign. They created several sites in different niches to gather data from. They compared:

1) Hiring an employee at $10/hour to blog, create content, and in to work to drive traffic to the sites.

-to-

2) Using Google Adwords to drive targeted traffic. (They paid up to .75/click in their adwords campaign).

Result: Social Media Optimization yielded a 1427% greater return on investment!

WOW!

The numbers speak for themselves. But before you jump into social media marketing, be sure that you do your homework. There is a right way to network, and there is a spammy way to network. You want to educate yourself so that you are being effective in the way that you use these online communities.

With the current economic conditions, it’s smart to put your marketing efforts where you get the greatest return on investment. Social media marketing may well be your solution.
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Visit SnapMonkey.com for additional help in marketing your business.

Here’s the results of a BBC poll on how most countries want Obama in office:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/09/2360240.htm?section=world

Here’s an excellent post about how other countries are feeling:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/10/uselections2008.barackobama

Here’s a video worth watching about McCain and his perspective on war:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdJUCU1UH2w

Here’s a video showing  McCain getting the borders of the middle east mixed up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC0Y7zMcn_4

Here’s how McCain gets the Shiites and Sunni mixed up  http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/03/18/2008-03-18_john_mccain_in_shiitesunni_snafu_during_.html

Here’s how even military officials are very concerned about McCain’s temper
McCain’s temper

Here’s an excellent video about the Real McCain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c

Here’s how McCain will get our country in more debt than Obama:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/11/news/economy/candidates_taxproposals_tpc/?postversion=2008061113

Apparently the Democrats vetted Palin in 2006.  Here is a copy of their vet docs:
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/palin-vetting-documents-from-2006-for-hard-core-palin-addicts-only/

Here’s some real concerns about Palin and her lies:
http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12066224

Here’s is a front page article of the New York Times, that details how Palin fires qualified people, and replaces them with unqualified people from her high school and church who are very loyal to her.  Additionally, it talks about the policy she initiated to use private email, so that communications between her loyalists would be confidential and not subject to subpoenas.
Palin’s hiring /firing / email history

Here’s the supposed ‘Truth Squad” of women that McCain is sending to Alaska to keep things hush hush about Palin:
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/behold-the-mccain-palin-truth-squad/

Here’s how people are getting promoted in Alaska when they change their stories for the press:
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/how-to-get-promoted-in-palinworld/

Here’s a letter from someone who has known Palin since 1992 and who has sat through most city council meetings:
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/354444/the_word_from_wasilla

Here’s a list of the different issues, and the voting records of McCain vs. Obama
Voting Records

Here’s a graph, that shows how you will be taxed in your income bracket - McCain vs Obama
http://images.dailykos.com/images/user/426/GR2008061200193.gif

Here’s the real deal on taxes - read what the former Director of the Congressional Budget Office says http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/the_mccain_tax_increasescontin.html#trackbacks

In light of our current ecomomic situation, read about the The Keating Five McCain was involved in related to the S&L crisis in the late 80s:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1989-11-29/news/mccain-the-most-reprehensible-of-the-keating-five/1

Voters in Michigan ( swing state ) may not be able to vote if they forclosed on their homes:
http://www.michiganmessenger.com/4076/lose-your-house-lose-your-vote

600,000 votes in Ohio ( swing state ) may be purged:
http://www.truthout.org/article/nearly-600000-voters-subject-possible-caging-ohio

As a woman entrepreneur, a mom of a 3rd grader, a board member of our school’s PTA, and of someone who loves our country and the opportunities it presents, you would think that I could relate to this pick… but I can’t!  To me, it’s a slap in the face to women!

I thought for sure that John McCain would pick Mitt Romney.  McCain is weak on economic issues, which is something he has stated about himself.  He feels that he is strong on international politics.   The natural fit of course would be to bring in someone who is strong on the economy.

But instead, McCain has chosen a woman… just because it’s a woman.     If this person was a man with the same skill set, the person would be completely looked over.  Sarah Palin is going to have to take a crash course in international politics, and a crash course in economic issues.    Sure, she has taken down some corrupt politics in Alaska by bringing media attention to the offenders.  Although that is admirable, does that qualify her?  ( You really should read this post about the Alaskan perspective!)

Now… I know she is the VP pick and not the presidential pick.  But, McCain is 72 years  old, so we have to look at her as a potential presidential pick as well.  

Sarah Palin says she’s a hockey mom and a PTA mom.  I’m on the PTA board, and there are many bright women.  Do I want any of them to be president?  NO!  

Because Sarah Palin is a mom of 5 kids, and because she didn’t have an abortion for her 5th child, does that qualify her to be president?  NO!  ( In fact, I’m curious where she finds the time to be mom?   It certainly would have to be quality over quantity.  They must have a good nanny).

What insults me as a woman, is that men like McCain must believe that we as women are people of little depth, and that  we just want to see a woman in the Presidential  or VP seat, rather than care about the qualifications of that woman.   Wrong!   I’ve got news for you McCain.  Women want qualified women!

I doubt that Hillary supporters will just come running to Sarah Palin because she is a woman.  Yes… it makes great media and the pundits have a lot more to talk about.  But Hillary was a highly qualified woman. There is no comparison to Hillary’s qualifications, to those of Sarahs.

I’m insulted!

In the last 5 years, I have gone several times.    The first time I went was shortly after we started SnapMonkey (2003).   The connections I made there were impactful, and helped me to grow my business.

In 2004 I went as an instructor, to teach people how to market their website on the internet.   I had a great time doing that.   Bernie Dohrmann was kind enough to invite me back for the following forum, but because I am a mom of a younger child, I like to keep my traveling to a minimum.

I have also gone to network as a returning graduate just for the weekend.

Currently, I am going back for a week as a student.  My intention is to grow SnapMonkey, and to find affiliates for a new online registration program we are kicking off September 1st.  This new program will be for people who need a web-based solution for their customers to register online.   It will help businesses such as dentists offer an online appointment scheduling system,  restaurants to have an online reservation system,  businesses and bands to sell tickets for an event, associations who are putting on meetings, etc.   The current solutions are very expensive, and we are offering a new alternative that is very affordable.   Our affiliate program will have a monthly payout, so it’s a great way for someone who wants to sell for us to have a residual income.

I’m also going because I want to create a co-op, or brand, of green businesses.   I’d like to do the internet marketing for these green businesses, and market them as a group.   I still need a little clarity on how to structure all of that, and I still need to locate and select the businesses that would be part of this co-op, which is something that CEO Space will be able to help with.

I’ll report back on my experience.

Our servers are located at The Harbour Centre data center at PEER 1.  PEER 1 has been advised by the Harbour Centre building that BC Hydro will restore power at approximately 3pm PST.

Although backup power for our servers have kicked in, there is not an internet connection currently available to those servers until the city lifts the power outage.

You can read more about the fire here:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=92275acb-1e0b-4ff8-b2b6-f0731881009a

Please know that all the information on your websites remain safe and secure, and your website will be running normally once the citywide power outage has been lifted.

Keep up on the website support blog

Our telephone number is 303-338-1552

Rita Wilhelm

UPDATE:   I hear that BC Hydro will restore power any minute.  Currently it is 4:11pm MST

UPDATE:   Websites are running normally again as of 5pm MST

Harder and harder to be green
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
The environment has fallen down the list of priorities for three-quarters of Americans and two-thirds of Britons, the Imagepower Green Brands Survey shows. …

Green Conference a ‘Come as You Are’ Affair
AdAge.com (subscription) - USA
“I know that the environment might not be the thing that springs to mind when you think of our brand,” she said. “[But] part of our overall DNA has been to …

Timberland’s Earthkeeper to reinforce the importance of ‘living green’
Fibre2fashion.com - Ahmedabad,Gujarat,India
In response, Timberland’s Earthkeeper campaign will reinforce the importance of ‘living green’ and also help to make it easy and fun for people to make …

Who’s in Charge of Green?
AdAge.com (subscription) - USA
In brand-centric companies, it is the CMO who is the leader of the environmental strategy effort,” says Mr. Esty, who also runs his own consulting company, …

 Innovation key to build brands – Leo Burnett
Daily Mirror - Colombo,Western,Sri Lanka
It can always be seen as a chance to explore the limits of potential,” said Leo Burnett Asia Pacific President Michelle Kristula-Green. …

 Green Wonders At Computex 2008
itVARnews.net (press release) - Delhi,Delhi,India
During the fair, Intel unveiled Intel Atom Brand for new family of low-power processors, which will give new directions to the emerging low priced ultra …

I just did a search, and found it on YouTube. Thought I’d post it here.

Statcounter just sent out an email to their customers who pay for the upgraded
program via Paypal.

It sounds like Paypal has been having many issues with regards to double
billing and delayed invoicing. For those of you who use Paypal for your
recurring billings, you may be experiencing a similar situation as to what
StatCounter is experiencing.

Here is a copy/paste of their email they sent to all Paypal users:

We at StatCounter are having ongoing, critical problems with Paypal.

http://blog.statcounter.com/?p=88