Posts Tagged ‘Social’
From Network Marketer To Social Entrepreneur!
Post by Daniel And Victoria Matea
The initial rule to a productive Network Advertising company is to add value to people’s lives. Without value you become like the other thousand MLMers out there who want absolutely nothing a lot more than to offer you. They don’t treatment no matter whether you make it or not, they just treatment that they make their quota for the month. You can not be like this if you desire to begin a profitable Network Marketing and advertising enterprise!
We reside in a world exactly where folks attempt to offer us anything at all and every thing. We are consistently bombarded with stuff that we require to acquire and upgrades that we want to get, and for the most aspect we are suckered into such bargains. Nonetheless, a resentment in the direction of these issues is starting up to build in the men and women now days. We are starting to see how we are not taken care of like clients any longer, but rather greedy customers, and perhaps we are in a way greedy customers, but we are surely starting to wake up from our hypnotic state! No longer are we just performing things to do issues. We want to feel like we did something crucial with the selections we make, and we want to make a difference in people’s lives.
A new phrase that you will right here from us from now on is Social Entrepreneur, since it is the core of what we are and what we do. A Social Entrepreneur is a organization individual who constructs his enterprise about not only adding value to people’s lives but also supporting individuals in require. It really is sorta like a humanitarian working a company. A Social Entrepreneur essentially sets up every building block of his enterprise to not only make revenue but also to assist people all around us who are less lucky than us. To be a Social Entrepreneur you ought to be in a position to go from the grain and reach out to people all around you in every thing you do.
So how is it feasible to incorporate a organization model with a humanitarian mind? Properly, for it to be productive you ought to commence or locate a company who has the identical beliefs as you do, and that might be tougher than it looks.
There are very couple of corporations that genuinely care about the folks all around them, and even much less who are inclined to get to out and try to make a difference. Confident there are some who pretend to aid. They go and give meals and h2o to needy children, but you have to request yourself are they genuinely trying to repair the problem or are they making it worse?
If you have study any of my spouse and I’s content articles than you probably know by now that Malnutrition is a thing very critical to us. We realize how bad Malnutrition is in the entire world and how several individuals are affected by it daily. In reality, we have constructed our entire businesses close to fighting it, but what you most likely didn’t know is that we use Social Entrepreneurship to battle it as effectively. We teamed up with a firm that tries to fix the dilemma, and it definitely doesn’t deliver nutrition depleted, above processed, meals to hungry little ones We realize that offering children meals with no nutrients in it doesn’t assist the difficulty it can make it even worse! They are starving not just from a lack of meals, but from a lack of the important vitamins they need to endure, so why would we give them food that has no vitamins in it. That would be dumb of us, however most companies these days do just that.
It is time for a wake up get in touch with! We ought to be asking ourselves what we can do to aid somewhat than sitting by and watching it get out of hand. Men and women this is not just a issue abroad. It is an world broad epidemic, and it can be fixed with a joint work of Social Business owners just like you! You may not have actually heard of that phrase ahead of, but I know that most of you are Social Business owners waiting to break out of your shells. Now is that time! Team up with us and lets try out to make a distinction one particular man or woman at a time!
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Social Media – Business Gets Social
Social Media – Business Gets Social
Here is your crash course in small business marketing in 2008 – Web 2.0 for business.
Lets start with a few society trends to give the REALLY big picture.
Society trend number 1: People buy differently now than they did 10 years ago
Remember 10 years ago, when having a website was a “BIG THING”. Now having a website is considered as essential as having a telephone. People’s shopping style has changed. Most people go to the net to research new purchases or potential companies to work with.
I can’t stress this enough. People buy differently now that they used to!
Unless you have a solid web presence, you are sending out a message that you are “old fashioned” and you are missing out on customers.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with that if that’s what you are comfortable with. I know a hairdresser in our local community who doesn’t own a fax or email and she still does OK for trade.
In my book a website is number 1 priority for small business – it ranks right up there with business cards in terms of importance.
When I am talking with businesses I usually categories websites into about 4 different levels of websites:
1. Intro level – Simple graphics, basic text, possibly a contact form
2. Getting your feet wet – More fancy layout and design, autoresponders, basic e-commerce
3. Getting funky – This is where you add interactivity to your site – blogs, forums, online chat, fancy e-commerce
4. Serious business – You have your website as a portal to membership areas, private areas, serious information management systems behind your site
Most small businesses start with a level 1 or 2 website and then after a short time they upgrade their site.
When you are getting a website done, it pays to shop around. Not all web designers can do what you need them to do. Most can do good intro level sites, but as you go up the ladder there are less and less web designers who can honestly do what is needed.
Some key tips for level 1 & 2 Websites:
* Kill flash. If you want to be found by search engines generally stay away from flash intros. Google can’t index flash so you can kiss being found on anything closer than page 456 goodbye. Like everything there is a work around for this problem – but most web designers of intro level sites don’t have the skill to do this.
* Words are king. The search engines look at the words on your page to work out what the page is about. You need to have your keywords (the words people type into Google when looking for someone like you), scattered throughout your copy. I usually recommend the most important words within the first 90 characters on the page, highlighted in the first para as well as in the last paragraph. By clever use of keywords you can have your site found on page 1 of Google – not buried in the depths.
* Get help writing your copy. Many people make some really simple mistakes with their words. They talk about themselves and how wonderful they are (customers only want to know how you can help them), they don’t give proof they are as good as they are, there is no call to action, they don’t define their keywords.
Having someone help them write their copy increases customers and conversions.
Society Trend Number 2: The rise of the expert
Once you have a basic website you are ready to embrace society trend number 2. Everyone is an expert in something. The trend is we now value experts more than generalists. Think about the last time you went into an electrical store to buy a new computer. Did you want the junior casual or the experienced salesperson?
Not only do we want experts, we want to get to know our experts as people.
In the past we would read the dust cover of a book with a short author bio and that would be enough. Now we want to get to know who they are, what they think and do. We want to get a sense of their personality. Think of people like Joe Vitale, Deepak Chopra, Kevin Rudd (what a weird juxtaposition of names!) Each of those people we know as people and not just as a short bio.
This is one area small business has it all over the big guys. By our very nature we can be experts and people can get to know us as people. But how do you do this over the net?
Tips for getting expert
* Play to different communication preferences – there are visual, auditory and kinesthetic people in the world (a few other smaller groups but these are the main three). Getting expert you need to engage the three different groups of people.
* This is where article writing, Hub Pages, Squidoo pages, blogs and a host of others come into play. You write an article sharing information about your expertise. People looking for some information find your article, read the content and recognize your expertise. Make sure you talk from your heart and give people a sense of who you are as a person in your writing.
* Set up a You Tube video about your niche. You don’t even have to be seen on film – PowerPoint’s with voiceover works just as well. One of my colleagues just used photos and music with the last slide pointing to his website (and got massive traffic).
* Podcast or teleseminar – technology has made sharing your information via sound much more accessible. This works well for auditory people.
* Do one thing at a time to completion. My kids have that embedded in their brains (and I am sure I will have some expensive therapy in years to come over this one). Pick one thing on this list and get it right, before moving onto the next thing. That way you will avoid the overwhelm that this sort of thing can cause many people. Of course you could do what I do – leap into the deep end and swim like heck!
Society Trend Number 3: The rise of the community & shared expertise
In the past 5 years we have seen a change in society towards people wanting to belong to groups and communities. This is happening off line with people sea-changing to country towns, the rise and rise of networking groups and stronger parochial ties to towns, cities and countries.
This is also happening online. Wikipedia – the encyclopedia built by everyone is a great example of people wanting to share their knowledge. What has also happened is people are forming communities online. They want to be part of something bigger with similar interests.
There has been a massive rise in special interest forums and blog communities around niche topics. Find a niche and you will find a forum (support group) to help you deal with, learn or share information.
Why do people go there – they feel understood. They feel accepted. They feel part of the group.
Enter sites like My Space and Facebook. They are places where people can go to catch up with friends, hang out together, play games, share information. They are virtual country towns.
Sometimes online moves offline. I am part of a Brisbane Small Business Facebook group that meets for lunch and networking once a month.
There are business versions. If you have a small business you should be on LinkedIn. Business people from around the world freely share knowledge, referrals and resources. Where else could you put up a note “anyone know how to write a marketing plan?” and within a few days have highly skilled people helping you out with information and advice.
Tips for communities
* Before you run out to these places and ask questions – remember back to school. What did people say if a new kid muscled into the game and tried to take over the rules or only talk about themselves. Communities work on the same rules – share, give and take. Get this wrong and you are ostracized.
* Watch before leaping in – get a feel for how the place runs.
* Giving freely of your advice builds your credibility as an expert in your industry (and that is what leads to more business).
Society Trend Number 4: I’ll have what she’s having or everyone’s a critic
The next trend is people now prefer to buy from recommendations from their friends, peers (or community). If they are going to buy a car they will ask their mate “I’m thinking about a go-go mobile – what have you heard about it?”
People can now spot sales pages at a thousand miles. Lots of social media help people to share their recommendations. If you have ever bought a book from Amazon you read other people’s reviews and it helps to make a decision on what you will buy.
There is a huge range of social bookmarking sites where people get to give thumbs up or thumbs down to articles, websites or content. Their friends read their reviews and it helps them to make a decision on whether or not to bother with reading the content or visiting the website.
Sites like Digg, Technorati, Stumble, Propeller, Mr Wong and a host of other sites are examples of social bookmarking. They are communities also – so the same rules for community apply here.
So – once you have your website, started to build your expert status and joined in a community then it is time to move into social bookmarking. Why? It boosts your Google rank and your community can find you.
There are lots of variations within each of these levels and they are not exactly linear – but I promised you a quick and dirty lesson.
I haven’t even touched on things such as pay per click ads, joint ventures etc as this article is purely focused on the social media.
So in answer to the original question are websites dead? No – they are just the foundation for the rest of your online marketing strategy.
Ingrid Cliff is a Freelance Copywriter, Business Development and Human Resources Consultant to Small Businesses with her business Heart Harmony. Ingrid writes a free weekly small business newsletter and Small Business Ideas blog for small businesses.www.heartharmony.com.au
Socially Responsible Investing 101: Invest in Social Good and Your Portfolio
By understanding the performance of socially responsible stocks, individual socially responsible stock, the socially responsible investor can gain the profits of socially mindful investing, either through individually socially responsible investments, or by engaging with socially responsible investment funds and socially responsible funds. In addition, the article also confers the sustainable investing approach in investing with ethics, green investing, values investing, and socially responsible investments.
Although socially responsible investing has expanded dominance in the last numerous decades, countless socially responsible investors are still under the feeling that to invest in social good, they must decline certain levels of portfolio performance. However, with the confirmation escalating that socially responsible investment funds strictly match, if not surpass, their market counterparts, many socially responsible investors are capitalizing their earnings – and their involvement to social good.
Long-term vs. short-term corporate focus
Socially responsible investing (SRI) takes the long term vs. short term investment discussion to a socially alert investing level. In comparison to countless corporations who take advantage of natural assets and human labor for short-term profits, a socially responsible stock drives under long-term natural sustainability, lending itself well to green investing. For example, the oil magnates such as Exxon-Mobile and Chevron have experienced exponential expansion in the last numerous years. However, where will these corporations be in 10 or 20 years – when the oil rigs are pumped dry and clients have switched over to hydrogen-fuel cars? In stark contrast, green investing stress the long-term sustainability of corporate social responsibility on the environment, society, and monetary well-being.
Overarching SRI principles
The extensive investment ideology of socially responsible investing are conceptualized based upon unstable techniques of social investing analysis. The execution of social investing in Europe is usually diverse than in the United States, but the underlying essentials are based upon using a set of foundation values. Depending upon the socially responsible investments portfolio or socially responsible funds, the SRI analysis may be based on one or several of the following criteria:
1. Sustainability Practices : This socially conscious investing perspective analyzes whether a company’s business practices are sustainable in the long term. If the business operations negatively impact the environment, economy, communities, or human welfare, then it is not considered sustainable investing for long term profitability.
2. Corporate Governance : This socially responsible investing component analyzes the company’s policies on employee, community, investors, stakeholder, and environment relations. Social investment’s mutual authority analysis is a separate process from the company’s financial outlook.
3. Religious Beliefs : Considered the original father of socially conscious investing, religious beliefs have screened many portfolios. For example, a Catholic screened socially responsible investing portfolio may divest companies that produce contraceptives. Both Christian and Muslim screened socially liable funds are prevalent, imparting strong religious beliefs onto the social investing analysis of opportunities.
4. Public Policy : Geared for socially responsible stock portfolios that include international holdings, the public policy filter analyzes foreign governments’ actions, either on an individual country case-by-case basis, or based upon an international mandate, such as a ban by the UN or NATO.
Socially responsible investment funds’ performance
Beyond the desire to contribute to social good, socially responsible investors are seeking SRI investment performance. Values investing demonstrate that socially conscious investing can be done quite profitably. In fact, in some market conditions, socially responsible funds outperform their market counterparts.
The Domini 400 Social Index (DS 400), the socially responsible investing industry benchmark, has outperformed the S&P 500 since its inception in 1990. According to KLD Indexes, as of November 30, 2007, the DS 400 has enjoyed 11.75% annualized returns, leading ahead of the S&P 500’s 11.21%. The DS 400 screens its index for socially responsible stocks based upon environmental, governance, and social filters, and within its index, there are 250 S&P 500 represented companies, 100 companies not on the S&P 500, and another 50 socially responsible stocks that have demonstrated significant strength in social investing filters.
With the sustained long-term SRI investment returns in the socially responsible investment funds, such as the DS 400, socially conscious investing can match or outperform its market counterparts – dispelling the myth that a socially responsible investor must sacrifice performance for social consciousness.
The risk exposure of socially responsible stocks
However, when comparing SRI indexes against market benchmarks, the question begets: does the performance of socially responsible investment funds come at a higher portfolio risk than its market counterparts?
Considering the rigorous screens of socially responsible investing portfolios, the socially responsible stocks are naturally geared towards companies with smaller market caps. Theoretically, the lower market caps contribute to a higher volatility and beta for the overall socially conscious investing portfolio. For example, the Domini 400 has a weighted average market cap of 83% of the S&P 500.
Beta Coefficient: measurement of an investment’s volatility against the market
However, instead of reducing the overall beta, the socially responsible investments screens minimize the individualized corporate risk. By evaluating a socially responsible stock based upon its governance, sustainability and relationship with stakeholders, social screens reduce the economic risk of the individual corporate holding. For example, by not choosing to invest in tobacco, socially responsible investors shield their portfolios from the negative performance factors of lawsuits. Or, by selecting companies that have good relations with their employees, the negative financial reprimands of strikes are curtailed from the socially responsible investment portfolio.
Risk and volatility are not necessarily synonymous in the world of financial portfolios. Whereas beta may be a good indicator to evaluate the short-term probability that a negative event may occur, this does not specifically analyze the individualized corporate risks. Though socially conscious investing portfolios may have higher betas, the risk of the socially responsible stocks in the portfolios experiencing financial degradation is more limited than the market benchmarks.
Alpha: risk-adjusted measurement of an investment’s excess return over “risk-free” instruments
One of the most compelling factors of socially conscious investing is that despite its demonstrated increased returns, the risk does not necessarily increase. Social investing may be one of the few exceptions to the risk-to-reward ratio. In fact, the performance of the socially responsible funds may not be fully indicative of its true earnings, once the lowered individualized corporate risk is weighted. After adjusting for both short-term and long-term risk, social investing’s alpha may be stronger than the numbers indicate. For more information visit our website http://www.sristocks.com