Agrotising, Inc.

5 Things Social Media Can’t Do For You

Guest Writer — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:28:45 +0000

Social Media have changed our way of life completely. There have been visible changes in our interactions, the way we speak with each other and even in the manner we conduct our business. Now we very often come across words like “tweet” and “friend” in our daily parlance. But should we rely so much on social media? These are important communication tools, no doubt, but they are hardly the replacements for the old-fashioned way of speaking to each other en face. The social media can definitely help us to improve the marketing and customer relations program but there are certain things which it cannot do. For example, it cannot
1) Deliver quick success
You just cannot expect overnight success with social media. You just cannot expect that you will set up a Facebook or Twitter page and the results will come in 2 weeks. Do remember that at least 3 months are requires to lay the very foundation in social media. In this period you should not expect any results. The results will surely come but it will take time. Remember the turtle and hare story?
2) Replace the old-fashioned communication
Social media has changed the face of marketing and can prove powerful for small business owners who have limited resources. But business owners must be aware that any conversation representing the company must be strategic in nature. In these situations having a conversation over a cup of coffee is more fruitful than a Facebook post or a tweet.
3) Promise a following
Social media is not about the individuals or the business owners. It is what you can do for the many readers and the customers. You will find that the audience does not care about you; they just want to know how you can help them. If you are very helpful and readily available then they you will find value in your business and in you. Your results will be much better as soon as you realize these facts.
4) Ensure publicity
A small business owner may find very difficult to get noticed in this world of cut-throat competition. Most likely you will be one small fish in a vast ocean of established business concerns like Walmart, Targets and Amazons. Social media will help you to get noticed but if won’t guarantee your survival. The responsibility of social media ceases to exist as soon as you are in the eyesight of the consumer. But in order to survive in the business world the owner must develop customized strategies and better offerings.
5) Hide who you really are
If your business or products are not up the required standards then no amount of social media will save you from this. Social media is all about marketing your products and services; it does not guarantee quality of those. The quality of the products and services will depend a lot on the business owner. If there is no improvement in the standard of your products and services people will simply walk away.
It is beyond doubt that social media has made the task of individuals and business owners a lot easier but it does not imply that we can take things for granted. Social media is just a tool to complement our efforts to make the products and services of highest quality.

About the author: Diana Maria is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology. Beside this she is fond of Gadgets. Recently an article on Soundproof Windows attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on Geeky pillows.

Image courtesy of Social Media Mafia.

Great lead generation tutorial using WordPress

Chris Agro — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 03:29:47 +0000

I was blown-away at this year’s Wordcamp Miami 2012 by a presentation given by Syed Balkhi, founder of WPBeginner titled Lead Generation with WordPress.

Mr. Balkhi told the packed auditorium of how he

“…got over 30,000 likes using a simple lead generation technique. Took my website to 5 Million pageviews, and more.”

The process he explained was a combination of clever strategizing and his effective use of WordPress plugins. The results he reported were nothing shy of amazing – 27,000 likes in one month. Better still, the total outlay for this campaign was $705.00, that’s a cost of just .026 per prospect!

Interested in seeing how he did it? Click here to read the step-by-step instructions with screen captures of the promotion.

If you love WordPress, you must check out WPBeginner. The name implies that the site is for beginners, which it is, but it is also for anyone who wants to benefit from a great resource about WordPress.

WordPress Update Released – Version 3.32 focuses on security updates

Chris Agro — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:34:41 +0000

WordPress News announced on April 20th the release of WordPress version 3.32. This version addresses three external libraries that received security updates

Plupload (version 1.5.4), which WordPress uses for uploading media.
SWFUpload, which WordPress previously used for uploading media, and may still be in use by plugins.
SWFObject, which WordPress previously used to embed Flash content, and may still be in use by plugins and themes.

You can update to the latest version from your dashboard but remember to backup your database first and be sure to follow the recommended procedures from WordPress to ensure a smooth update.

Visit WordPress.Org for the full details.

Guerilla marketing spotted in Plantation FL

Chris Agro — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:50:35 +0000

I saw these stickers attached to light poles in my Plantation neighborhood. The owner is a painter who lives nearby. He puts his signs (which have the same branding as seen in this photo) in front of the houses when he paints. Guerilla marketing can be very effective. This is a good example.

Clean office – Agrotising studio in Plantation FL

Chris Agro — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:26:10 +0000

Just got done vacuuming the office and thought I would take a picture.

WordPress posting from smartphone

Chris Agro — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:02:36 +0000

I just connected my WordPress blog to my android smartphone using the WordPress app. Now I can post on the fly! This post was created from my smart phone – from taking the photo to writing the content. Too cool.

Getting started with Google+

Chris Agro — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:40:19 +0000

Here are some basic steps to get you going with Google+. If your business has a web presence and you want to help with the marketing of it you want to get involved with Google+.

Got Google?

If you already have a Google account then great, if not, sign-up for a free Google account by visiting Google.com.

Google article about Google+ – Start with setting up your profile:

Getting started with your profile on Google+

Here are few key points to be aware of when setting up your profile:

Changing your name in your profile changes your name in your Google Account as well. This change will be reflected in other Google products you sign in to with your account, like Gmail and Docs.
Deleting your profile won’t delete your Google Account.
People who have your email address could see a link to the profile that’s associated with that email address.

What does a Google+ page look like?

The best way to answer this question is to view a Google+ page. Click here to visit Google’s Google+ page.

What’s new with Google+?

Here’s a link to the Google+ update page. Postings are organized by month. This is a great way to stay up with the latest developments from Google.

Google+ Page for Business

This is a great article complete with video tutorial on Google+ for business.
Get Closer to Your Customers with Google+

When you are ready to create a Google+ page for your business, start here:

Two things you need to know before attempting to create a Google+ page for business:

You will need to be signed in to your Google account.
You will need to have a Google+ profile associated with your Google Account.

Create a Google+ Page

Adding a Google+ Page badge to your wesite

From the Google Help files, here is a step-by-step guide to add a Google+ Badge to your website.
Add a Google+ Badge to your website.

And that is just the beginning. Google+ is still evolving and I am just getting started myself. What can you add to my list? Tell us something more about Google+ by posting a comment.

Agrotising Launches Newest Website Design

Chris Agro — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:20:51 +0000

I just finished custom designing another WordPress website. This one was created for Dr. Cathy Waltz, a Psychotherapist located in Fort Lauderdale who also conducts Continuing Education Workshops. Previously to this redesign I had setup her e-commerce website which allows for attendees to her workshops to sign-up and make payments.

The new WordPress website features live Twitter feeds and seamless links to Dr Waltz’s e-commerce site by CoreCommerce. I also imported her blog postings and comments from her old blog on WordPress.com.

Thanks to Dr. Cathy Waltz, Ph.D., LCSW for choosing Agrotising as her Web and Graphic Design firm.

The Past, Present and Future of OpenID

Chris Agro — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:30:49 +0000

Janrain Social Login Widget

Have you every noticed how some websites that require logging in allow you to do so by using credentials from another site like Google, Facebook, etc? Well if you ever wondered what that was all about you might be interested in reading this article about Open ID, written by the folks at Janrain.

Data Driven Social Media Marketing Webinar

Chris Agro — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 04:10:12 +0000

I attended a very informative webinar recently that I wanted to share. It was presented by Eric Boggs of Argyle Social, a Social Media Marketing Dashboard that combines social publishing, customer engagement, and social analytics into one platform. Joining Eric was Jason Falls of Social Media Examiner. On the website, Jason is described as “a leading educator, public speaker and thinker in the world of digital marketing and social media”.

The webinar was a mix of facts and trends uncovered by data collected and aggregated by Argyle over a period from December 2010 through May 2011. The insight that these two professionals brought to the conversation was very informative. I enjoyed their observations, advice and down to earth approach in harnessing the power of social media marketing and applying trends uncovered in a “makes sense” approach. The webinar is now available for all to watch. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.