How Social Media Gives You Leverage

by Jeremy Bise on February 1, 2010

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Let’s talk about leverage, which can be defined as a strategic advantage. You want a strategic advantage, right?

Imagine you’re a restaurant owner and you receive a poor review by a local newspaper. In a previous life, you might just have to suck it up.  You didn’t have the reach or ability to immediately get your loyal customers to work supporting you. Today is different. Today, if someone reviews you poorly, with social media you can decide to fire back immediately.

That’s just what Macado’s did when they received a poor review from a food critic at The Roanoke Times. Macado’s asked its 7,400+ Facebook fans to overwhelm the critic’s inbox since their menu overwhelmed him so much. They took it a step further and offered a $10 gift certificate to a random person who shared their e-mail to the critic on Facebook. The request has over 50 comments on Facebook indicating their opposition to the critic’s review and their support of their favorite sandwich.

How is that for leverage?  Macado’s was able to mobilize its fans immediately. Shouldn’t you have that kind of leverage too?

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Welcome The Cannon Kit

by Jeremy Bise on January 26, 2010

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Please join us in welcoming online the latest member of the ThoseGeeks family, The Cannon Kit. The Cannon Kit is the product of Rutledge Machine Shop in Blountville, Tennessee, enabling serious woodworkers to build their very own replica civil war cannon.

Visit Cannon Kit >>

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Welcome Home Offsets

by Jeremy Bise on January 20, 2010

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We’re pleased to announce the launch of a new e-commerce site, Home Offsets. The site helps individuals identify, reduce, and offset their carbon footprint. Home Offsets is the baby of Michael Biggs of Bristol, Virginia.

Visit Home Offsets >>

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Car Dealership Commercials

by Jeremy Bise on January 20, 2010

I have an observation to communicate about car commercials. Here is what I know:

  • Dealers scream and yell at me
  • They flash and animate their [supposedly] low prices at me
  • They point their fingers and wave their arms at me
  • They tell me that if I don’t get down there right away, I’m making a mistake

All of this to grab my attention. But how much attention do I really pay? I completely tune the television out once I hear these commercials begin. You can tell within a split second when one begins. I’d be willing to bet money that nearly each and everyone of you have the same reaction. After a commercial has passed, you couldn’t tell me who the dealer was or what their special was–because you tuned it out too.

Not long ago I saw a great exception to these commercials. [click to continue…]

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House Rules

by Jeremy Bise on January 6, 2010

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When we enter a new place in the real world, we’re very observant. We look at what others are doing so we can behave according to the norm. We look for and try to determine the “rules.” Online communities have their own rules too. [click to continue…]

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Clear Online Identity

by Jeremy Bise on December 29, 2009

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I recent Fan requests several times a day for various pages. Some I become fans of, some I don’t. Sometimes though, I think I might want to become a fan of something, but I can’t quite figure out what it’s all about because the information isn’t there. Here’s an example and some ideas for improvement.  [click to continue…]

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Get Set Up In Google Local Business Center Search

by Jeremy Bise on December 21, 2009

In this article, we show you how to get set up in Google Local Search. If you’ve ever searched on Google for a business within a geographic area, you’ve likely seen the Local Search results at the top.

You want your business to be there. [click to continue…]

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10 Offline Places You Want Your Website Address To Be

by Jeremy Bise on December 21, 2009

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Websites, like any other sales channel have to be promoted in order to be effecitve. Are you doing the most you can possibly do to get your website out there? Consider these ten offline places you want your website address to be. [click to continue…]

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Still On The Fence About Facebook? Just Do It.

by Jeremy Bise on December 20, 2009

I got a new laptop with a built in webcam last week, so I thought I’d give a shot at recording a video post. In this video, I talk about how Facebook got the word out about TriCitiesMenus.com pretty quickly and how you should give it a shot for your business as well.

And for those who are wondering whose legs are in the background, that is my wife’s Marilyn Monroe poster on the wall. :)

So what do you think about the video format? Should we do more of it, or do you prefer written posts? Share in the comments…

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Dropbox Is Awesome

by Jeremy Bise on December 18, 2009

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The right tools make your job easier or can even save your butt from time to time. Dropbox is one of those tools which has done both for us.

Dropbox does several things. First, it syncs files from your computer to your online account, where 2GB is actually free! If you have multiple computers (say at home and at the office, or even more than one computer at home), you’ll be able to access those files from any computer on which you’ve installed Dropbox.

Secondly, you can share files with others. For a recent client project, I needed an InDesign document which was over 350MB in size. That size file won’t go through e-mail, or even Basecamp, so Dropbox saved the day. The client was able to upload the file to Dropbox and then share the link with me to download.

Go get it — 2GB is free!

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