North San Diego Business At Large

North San Diego Business At Large

Show Notes: July 16, 2010

Rick Itzkowich, Linkedin For Dummies, is the co-founder and Vice President of Productive Learning & Leisure. PL&L is an organization that offers unique courses, learning adventures and products that promote self-development and enhance people’s success in both their business and personal life. As a small business owner himself, Rick understands the cost of marketing. Over his 20 years in the industry, he has identified and designed highly successful online and offline strategies to cost-effectively market a business’ products and services.

As the creator of the 15-video tutorial LinkedIn Power Success Program, Rick has created live presentations and products that meet today’s demand for tools to use with social media. His marketing articles, podcasts and blog messages regarding how to add LinkedIn to a company’s marketing plan, as well as his QuoteActions or web-based quotes and actions to keep your brand “top of mind” are in high demand. The LinkedIn Power Success Program video series and eBook, Social Networking for Business Profits, educate the solopreneur and small business owner in powerful referral marketing strategies. Most recently Rick was a presenter at You Learn Twit Face, an international social media conference held in Dubai. Rick is also a featured columnist for The National Networker (TNNW). His column is titled — Being There When It Matters.

The second half of the show is dedicated to answering your questions about Linkedin and using it to grow your business. I’ll be interviewing Joe Binning, Medcor, about his Linkedin strategies and the success he’s found on Linkedin. He’s a real business owner finding success with social media.

Send your question to debra(at)northsandiegobusiness(dot)com.

North San Diego Business At Large

North San Diego Business At Large
Show Notes: June 25, 2010

I am often asked  about using social media in business. Most of my fellow business owners are wary of spending time with Facebook and Twitter, especially Twitter.

Today I’m answering a lot of those questions, sharing why, or why you wouldn’t want to use social media. I know you’re hearing that you HAVE to use it or be left behind.

Social media can be a tremendous benefit to your business, but to a certain degree you have to participate. So, I’m letting you know that you DON’T have to participate, but…participating can bring you, and your business, tremendous rewards.

This is an ongoing series, so if you have any questions, use the contact form and I’ll add them to the list. Check out the Upcoming Show Details post for the schedule of topics.

Let me know how you are using social media. I’d love to hear success stories. Feel free to comment!

Words of wisdom from David Ogilvy..do you agree, or not?

This is a video about selling and promotions from the famous copywriter David Ogilvy. It may be dated, but the content is still very timely.

North San Diego Business At Large

North San Diego Business At Large
Show Notes: May 21, 2010

My guest this episode was Felena Hanson, Perspective Marketing.

Felena Hanson brings over twelve years of marketing and management experience to the table. She’s not only an industry expert but also a marketing professor, author, and international speaker.

Her background includes, marketing plan creation and implementation, marketing management, brand management, product positioning, market research, marketing communications, web marketing and customer relationship management.

She has worked as an Account Director for PremiereGroup, a marketing agency in Los Angeles, California, where her responsibilities included managing marketing communications programs for clients such as DIRECTV, SunAmerica, Fox News Channel, Washington Mutual and Epson.

North San Diego Business At Large

North San Diego Business At Large
Show Notes: April 23, 2010

What a great interview with Lynn Pittman on developing your business brand. We talked about building your tribe, determining your brand, some branding mistakes and how to build relationships with your clients and customers.

Lynn shared one of our great small business resources, outside of Mind Masters Entrepreneur Association, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at 1823 Mission Ave. in Oceanside.

We also spoke about the upcoming Project Management Institute May 12th – 14th event. The 7th Annual Leadership and Education Conference Mission : : Success with Apollo 13 Flight Director, Gene Kranz.

This is the premier business conference featuring national speakers, hands on workshops, tutorials, seminars, networking events and more featuring the latest in technology, program management and leadership skills. The Project of the Year Award Winners Will Be Announced at the Kick Off Celebration May 12, 2010. For more information and to register for the conference visit conference.pmi-sd.org

North San Diego Business At Large

North San Diego Business At Large
Show Notes: April 18, 2010
Special Episode

I interviewed Sheryl Roush, Sparkle Presentations,  about her role as Emcee for the upcoming Women In Business Symposium being held May 20, 2010 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Sheryl has been one of the keynote speakers in the past and was asked to come back this year to bring a bit of “sparkle” to the day.

In addition to Sheryl as Emcee, Dee Sanford and Judy Carter will be the two keynote speakers. There will also be two sets of 30 minute roundtables presented by experts from the business community on a variety of topics important to running our businesses and our lives.

North San Diego Business At Large

North San Diego Business At Large
Show Notes: April 16, 2010

Today I interviewed Vicki Garcia, Marketing Impressions, about small business marketing. Vicki has over 20 years experience with all aspects of marketing a small business.

Some of the tools we covered were:

• ISSUU a site that allows you to upload pdfs then turns the pdfs into ebooks with pages that flip. It includes a widget bookshelf that you can put on your website.
• EzineArticles a site that let’s you publish articles that are available for bloggers, webmasters and others to use as content on their site. It also gives out an “Expert” badge for your site.
• SlideShare is a site that you can upload your PowerPoint presentations to and share them with bloggers and others.
• Meetups for Small Business Marketing, San Diego Speakers Guild and Numbers At Work
• San Diego Airport Green Build Contractor Sign Up

Facebook is currently the most “searched on: brand in the U.S. according to Bill Tancer at HitWise.com. HitWise Intelligence is a leading source for insights about online marketing, e-commerce and industry trends.

If you have a small business, you need to seriously look at having a Facebook Fan page.  It’s a valuable, inbound link from a site with much higher authority than many of ours. If you are blogging, you can import your blog into Facebook, syndicating your content, or your passionate message, even further. It’s another way to grow a “community” centered around your message, your niche.

Sign up for access to the video on How to Create a Facebook Fan page. If you need hands on help with the details of creating your Facebook Fan page, check out Syndicating Your Content Webinar Schedule for a “hands on” course designed to get the fan page FINISHED!

Need A Website?

• Do you find yourself answering the same questions over and over?
• Do you want to build an email list for your business?
• Do you want to create passive income with your website?

Digital download products are the answer! And, you can learn how to create a digital, downloadable product for your business! Debra Simpson, Syndicating Your Content, is holding her monthly webinar on Creating and Marketing Your Business With Digital Products on Wednesday, March 24th.

Whether you need to build your list, show your expertise, “pre sell” your prospects, a digital document that can be downloaded from your site is the answer. A digital product creates online visibility, elevates your perceived level of expertise and can bring you passive income.

Learn how to create digital products and how you can use them to leverage your business, especially online.

My Life Tees

The San Diego Business Showcase is being held Thursday, March 11, 2010 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The event is sponsored by several of the local Chamber of Commerces and Business Associations in San Diego County.

I spoke with Scott Ashton, Oceanside Chamber of Commerce and Colm Kelly, Smarter Small Business about the expo on North San Diego Business At Large. They shared some of the details of the afternoon, including the drive through free electronic recycling at the event.

I’ll be there for the Tweet Up.  Will you??