Lip-Sticking

Friday Musings - What is wrong with people?

by Yvonne DiVita

I'm surrounded by caring people who go that extra mile, each and every day, so when confronted with the gross negligence and ignorance of 'other' people... I find myself wondering, "What is wrong with people?" 

I'm serious. How can anyone...any sentient being...cause so much pain and suffering - so much abuse and terror? I guess some of these people are just plain mean. Or they have no souls. I guess some of them start out meaning well and fall into...tough times, without knowing what to do or who to turn to. I guess some are just stupid. No, not stupid, uneducated. It's not the same thing.

I'm talking about people who perpetuate cruelty and anger on animals. On innocent beings that exist for no other purpose than to love you. Innocent beings that have no voice but live, breathe and FEEL, just as warmly, deeply and purposefully as you and I. It will baffle me now and forever to know this cruelty exists.

Grab Opportunities With Both Hands

Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

When an opportunity comes a-knocking do you answer the door? Do you know what to do with that opportunity once it's presented itself? Many times we find ourselves in the midst of opportunity but are unclear on how to capitlize upon it. 

Here are my top five tips to making the most of what life offers you:

Share of Mind & Heart - An Interview

by Yvonne DiVita

I miss my Smart Woman Online and Smart Man Online interviews. I did them regularly back in the early days of blogging. I reached out to some amazing social media professionals, some awesome authors, and just generally found interesting people doing fab things online that were worth an interview. I should revise that... 

Thinking about that led me to this interview, today. Upfront, I'm the publisher of this book. I love promoting my authors. But, in the end, the reality is that the book is worth reading by everyone in business today - because we're all marketers and we all bring a share of our hearts and our minds, to our work. The book is Share of Mind, Share of Heart: Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits by Sybil Stershic

Enjoy!

Yvonne: Why are you focused on nonprofits – isn’t all marketing the same?

Friday Musings - The Cost of Doing Business

by Yvonne DiVita

Our pet blogger community continues to grow, with new members registering daily. I'm amused by the spammers - they register but don't supply enough information to be approved. Perhaps they feel that an automated software system is in place. It isn't. I approve or deny all who submit a registration form. So, the spammers are sent away unsatisfied.

It's encouraging to see how many people feel pets are worth their time to blog about. Photo above is from our 2011 conference where hurricane Irene tried to put us out of business! Noticed everyone looking scared - NOT!

We're attracting a number of folks from the likes of the UK and Ireland and Australia, also. Some of the blogs are so outstanding I get caught up reading them, during the approval process. We certainly are lucky to have so many devoted pet parents on board.

Dealing with Hate Mongers

by Yvonne DiVita

Some people just don't like you. Reasonably or unreasonably, no matter what you do, they will find fault with you. On the Internet, hate is easy to share - after all, as the saying goes, "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog."

I've had more than my share of hate mongers. A few years ago, I was attacked by a rather distasteful blogger who accused me of running a scam business with my print-on-demand company. He got all his writer friends to post nasty things about me - even though he and I had not only never done business together, we'd never met. He happened to read an article I wrote on another blog - showing the growing trend of traditional publishers to tapping into bloggers. No amount of proof I presented would change his mind - I was a scam artist and anyone who worked with me was throwing their money away.

International Women's Day - For the women you are and the women you know

by Yvonne DiVita

This blog started out as a marketing to women online blog - my intent was to help companies reach the women's market. To that end, we were pretty successful from the get-go. Over time, this blog has evolved into much more than a marketing advice column. You, the reader, have taken it to new levels - creating attention to women all over the world, and to the issues all women, here and there, struggle with on a daily basis. After all, those of us who are entrepreneurs aren't sitting in a corner trying to run our businesses by ignoring our personal lives. We're embracing all - bringing the personal together with the business, focused on making the world a better place - and that's what I'm going to talk about today.

If you're a regular reader, you've seen Mary Schmidt's posts urging us to Adopt a Village and make a difference in the lives of women in third world countries. It doesn't take much. A few pennies a day. A commitment to making a difference. A recognition that we're not alone in this world. That women everywhere count. I did it. I adopted a village. How could I not? I'm totally committed to helping - helping my fellow women, to helping children, to helping pets, and a million other things in between. For only $12/mo, I knew I had to take Mary up on her suggestion and adopt a village.

Do You Network Face-to-Face or Online Only

Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

Where do you market? If you’re like  lot of entrepreneurs, you find it much easier to simply network from the comfort of your keyboard than to wear something other than sweatpants and slippers, right? Well, if you’re not “out there” shaking hands, passing out business cards and talking about your business face-to-face, you’re missing out on some great ways to network and grow your business; there is no better way to interact with potential clients and business partners than with face-to-face interaction.

Even with the ease and speed of social media networking, to truly brand yourself and your business you need to have face-to-face interaction.  Networking at business events means you will have to perfect your “elevator pitch,” shake hands and hand out business cards, it is a great way to meet potential clients.

Cultural Shock Contest Helps Rail Europe Grow and Engage with their Facebook Fans

By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna's Promo Talk

Back in November I helped launch a contest on Facebook for our client, Rail Europe, called Cultural Shock. The contest invites fans of their Facebook page to submit an entry that describes an experience that they may have had while in Europe which exemplifies cultural differences between the European and American lifestyle. Rail Europe is asking people to share their experiences that may have been awkward, unexpected, inspiring or just plain interesting. An example Rail Europe offers is that you ordered steak tartar in France and you thought that you were going to receive regular steak; instead you received a plate of raw meat.

The objective of the contest is to get people to share their submissions with their friends and family on Facebook and invite them to vote for their submission. At the end of the two-week contest period the person with the most votes wins the grand prize for that round. A new contest round starts every two weeks. Currently we are on Round 4 which will be ending on Sunday, Jan. 15. Round 5 is scheduled to start on the following Monday, Jan. 16. We're hoping this is going to be a year-long contest. However, that will depend on if the level of interest and engagement continues to be strong. So far the results have been impressive.

Going viral and rewarding customers with value

By Amanda J. Ponzar

What’s been on my mind this week: rewards programs. Let’s see what rewards/membership/loyalty cards are in my purse:

Starbucks gold card. Cosi. Hallmark. Panera Bread. Babies R Us/Toys R Us. Family Christian Stores. Regal Cinemas Crown Club. Waterfront café. Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter, Balducci’s, CVS, Petco, Petsmart, Borders, Hair Cuttery. And let’s not even start on the hotels and airlines.

That doesn’t include all the email lists (no card) so I get free movie rental codes from RedBox, plus coupons and sales updates from Bath and Body Works, Old Navy, New York and Company, Amazon, Chili’s, Kohl’s, 10,000 Villages, Forever 21, Target, Walmart, Shutterfly, Pampers, Lean Cuisine and more.

It feels good to be rewarded for loyalty, and I often go out of my way to shop or eat somewhere when I know I’m getting something I value (free Starbucks drink after 15 transactions, 20% off coupon, etc.). Tropical Smoothie Café used to give me a free smoothie after a certain number of transactions and I went out of my way to hold business and personal lunches there. Once they stopped the rewards card, I stopped going. I can walk to smoothie places right near my office and pay the same price.

I’ve also been thinking about audience engagement. Every organization (company, nonprofit, individual) wants to “go viral” with their content, campaign, website or widget. But how?

Are you keeping up with the latest and greatest?

Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

By now, you've probably heard about Google+, right? The "Facebook Killer" is one of the many things it's been called. Gaining an invite into the beta Google+ was something I was looking forward to simply because I love to be part of whatever new gadget or technology is available. 

I did get into the new social media site and now I am trying to build my Circles, as they're called there. With a Circle you can add professional contacts, family, friends, acquaintances or whatever Cicle names you'd like to designate for yourself. You can add people to multiple circles and in Google+ people can add you to Circles without first sending a "friend request" as they do through Facebook -- is that a good or a bad thing, I haven't decided quite yet. With Circles you certainly have the opportunity to widen your reach and get to "know" and interact with more people than you might have access to through other social media platforms.