Thanks again to everyone who attended our Business Is Personal Webinar! You can view the slides for this webinar on personal branding, and we also have a list of our other videos that are available to watch for free. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us or leave a comment!
Thanks again to everyone who attended our Personal Branding webinar! If you have any additional questions that we didn’t get a chance to answer, please feel free to leave it in the comments below and we’ll respond how we can there! Check back next week for video clips of the presentation.
90% of customers go online 
before making buying decisions. Are they finding your business? This one-hour webinar will discuss how local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps local businesses increase website traffic and build sales. Dollar for dollar, local SEO is a much better buy than the Yellow Pages. Too many companies spend a disproportionate amount of their marketing dollars on Yellow Pages advertising — both online and off. To learn how to increase website traffic, save money and grow your business with Local SEO, sign up for our free webinar on Thursday, September 24 at noon.
Business IS Personal
It’s a new brand world out there. In this webinar, 
we examine how to promote the brand called “You” without competing with or compromising your company brand. Personal branding is the process by which we market ourselves to others, and thanks to today’s social media tools, anyone can build a personal brand online. To learn why and how to build your personal brand, sign up for our free webinar entitled Business IS Personal on Thursday, August 27 at noon.
Thanks again to everyone who attended our Business Is Personal Webinar! You can view the slides for this webinar on personal branding, and we also have a list of our other videos that are available to watch for free. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us or leave a comment!
Thanks again to everyone who attended our Social networks webinar! If you have any additional questions that we didn’t get a chance to answer, please feel free to leave it in the comments below and we’ll respond how we can there! Check back next week for video clips of the presentation.
Debbie loves “The Traveler’s Gift” by Andy Andrews – It is a great, easy read that discusses the seven decisions that determine personal success. The narrator has lost his job and is at his wit’s end. In a nod to Dickens’ Christmas Carol, the author takes his narrator on a fascinating odyssey through time to visit seven famous people who have encountered significant obstacles in their lives. People like President Truman. Christopher Columbus and Anne Frank. I thought it was particularly apropos for these difficult economic times. If you need a pick-me-up, give it a read. You will look at life a little differently when you’re through.
Nathan loves TweetLater’s Reply / Keyword Digest – TweetLater’s digest allows me to easily quantify at the end of the day and the month just how many replies and retweets we received for our social media metrics.
Susan loves “Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far” – This artful masterpiece masquerading as a book by Stefan Sagmeister is one of the coolest I have ever seen. Humorous sayings from the author’s diary have been transformed into typographical works of art that graced billboards in France and sign-toting inflatable moneys in Scotland. The front cover is laser cut to reveal different patterns on the author’s face depending on which section of the book is on top. Make sure you check out the video for a demonstration!
Debbie loves the Huddle House 45th anniversary promotion – I saw this promotion Fox & Friends on Wednesday, July 15: Huddle House created an outdoor diner just outside the Fox Studios, complete the counter, stools and full kitchen. The HH staff prepared free breakfasts for New Yorkers and gave out free T-shirts and other swag. The Fox & Friends cast talked about Huddle House repeatedly during their morning broadcast and the Huddle House CEO was on hand for a live interview. Fox & Friends even used the outdoor diner as a mini-set, conducting interviews with other morning show guests from the diner barstools. I have never eaten at a Huddle House, but now I’m motivated to give it a try. Those omelets looked tasty!
Jennifer loves Taylor Cuisine, Cafe and Catering – An article in the recent issue of Wilma magazine reminded me of this amazing little cafe located in the heart of Southport. I was introduced to Taylor’s a couple of years ago while working on a project in that area. The cafe offers cozy seating both indoors and outdoors, and this is one of those fun establishments where the chef mingles with the customers. Upon my first visit, I had a hard time deciding what to order between the selections on the menu and the daily specials board. I went with the highly recommended fried chicken salad. This is not your everyday salad. The best fried chicken I’ve ever tasted was served over a bed of fresh greens and sprinkled with candied pecans. It was outstanding. All this Talk about Taylor’s is making me hungry. I think it’s time to plan a visit to Southport!
Nathan loves the Inside Facebook blog – It’s probably the best blog for keeping up on what’s going on specifically to Facebook, new, innovative ways people are using it, and where the next trend on Facebook will be.
Shawn loves blogs on logo design – Recently I have been inundated with logo design projects with several more looming on the horizon. As many designers would agree, logos are one of the hardest projects of all. In fact, I use to whine, cry and procrastinate but that has, fortunately, gone by the wayside. Not because logos are any easier. I’ve just worked on so many that the process has become quite familiar and a lot less stressful. Ten common mistakes in logo design is a great quick read to make sure you and your logo designs are on track. I think the only mistake I may be a little tiny bit guilty of is #7.
Susan loves Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince – As an avid reader and writer, I’m always fascinated to see how books are translated into movies. And as a huge Harry Potter fan, I could not wait for the latest Potter installment that premiered at 12:01 this morning. Despite having to be at the office at 8:30 a.m., I was sitting excitedly in the theater from 10:30 last night to 2:45 this morning surrounded by other fanatics who adore the Harry Potter brand as much as I do. A lot of companies could look to the publishers and Warner Bros. for a lesson in how to keep their brands invigorated and keep their audiences singing their praises.
Why
social networks? Because used properly, they can stimulate word of mouth buzz about your company. And with 80% of consumers reporting that they trust recommendations from friends and acquaintances when making purchasing decisions, word-of-mouth is the most effective marketing money can buy. To learn how social networks like Facebook, Delicious and Flickr can help you grow your business, sign up for our free webinar entitled Social Networks 101 on Thursday, July 23 at noon.
Preparing for a job interview is a job in itself. You must make sure to have your resume and portfolio in order, an appropriate outfit selected and that you are ready for any question that might be thrown your way. While preparing for an upcoming job interview I realized there are countless ways to prepare and wanted to share a few that you might not have thought of.
Read more than just the website. While it’s common knowledge that visiting a prospective employers website is necessary in preparing an for an interview, companies are putting out information through blogs, Twitter, Facebook fan pages and LinkedIn. These pages are likely to be updated more frequently than a company’s website. The interviewer will likely be impressed if they can tell you have dug deeper for information about their company than just visiting their website.
Find key players and decision makers online. If you know the names of company executives or people who are likely to influence the hiring decisions look them up on social network sites. Pay attention to their interests and what they are talking about. Then if you have the opportunity to talk with them, you can really engage them.
Know what others are saying about the company. Read what bloggers and journalists are saying. This can help you to identify issues the company has and so you can figure out how to position your talents and skills as an advantage.
Stay current on trends in the industry. Has there been recent legislation that will affect the industry? Read the newspapers, industry magazines, journals, blogs and even follow key industry folks on Twitter. The more you know the better you’ll look to the interviewer.
Get comfortable answering questions. Once you have done all your research, print a stack of interview questions off the Internet and have a friend practice with you. Even though there is no way to know what questions an interviewer will ask, the more you practice tailoring your answers to the company, the smoother they will come out during the interview.
Talk helps businesses in the Carolinas attract new customers, mitigate issues and increase profits.
| My Love Affair with Facebook is Over |
| Why You Should Pay More Attention to Issues than Crises |
| Why Some Users are Shunning Facebook |
| June | Use Blogs to Grow Your Business |
| May | Avoid A Crisis by Planning for One |
| April | Get Online or Get Left Behind |
| Sept 24 | Local SEO |
| Oct 22 | Crisis Management |
| November 19 | Facebook 101 |
| Dec 17 | Twitter 101 |
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