Random Posts we’re using to increase our Facebook Following.

OK, this may not be all that informative or interesting to you, but as you may have already gathered, I entertain myself quite nicely. Below you’ll find some of our posts that are geared towards gaining new Facebook followers. By the way, you should really consider it. It’ll do ya some good.

For your convenience, I have splattered the link to our FB page throughout the post. You can also follow us on twitter, and get a little more info about us at our website.

So here it is, our facebook marketing campaign:

1) Please tell your friends, family, cousins, uncles, cats, Great Granny’s, and that Crazy old dude who lives down the street and is always yelling at Kids to get off his grass.

2) Free puppy…just sayin

3) It would probably serve you and yours well to tell your friends about us…just saying. It will give you warm and fuzzy feelings for knowing that you did something extremely cool.

4) Kinda simple. Click the link below then click like at the top of the page. Then, you’re one of the cool kids. How hard was that?

5) Good morning face folks…we love ya! Not in a weird and creepy kind of way, but in a really groovy kinda way! Share the news about us with your friends!

6) Hey you with the lips, follow us! We’ll love you just like your mom used to…(Above post was not intended to insult anyone who may not lips. If you are missing your lips and were offended, we sincerely apologize. Wes, our owner, has very small lips if that makes you feel better. Again, sorry!)(Also if your momma has truly stopped loving you, we again apologize and meant no offense.)

7) Thanks to all who have liked us so far…Those of you who haven’t liked us yet are starting to give us a complex. You don’t want something like that on your conscience do you?
Just go ahead and click the link below; Like us and help out our esteem. C’mon! It’ll make ya feel warm and fuzzy about yourself. PLUS: there’s that chance to win (not really) a free puppy that you’ll never actually get because it’s just a ploy to get you to like us, but if you really want a puppy, we can point you in the right direction.

Hopefully this will have given a chuckle…I know I crack myself up. Would love to hear your comments, concerns and discussion. So, follow us on Facebook, subscribe to this blog and so on and so forth. Have an awesome day!

What Happened to Ole Fashion Conversation

Mixed Messages

Being a “real” person in the digital age is becoming a dying art. More and more, we seem to be hiding behind our little electronic devices, computer screens, and social media. Although people are sharing a heck of lot more than they probably should, I really do believe that communicating in this manner is a way for us to enjoy a pseudo anonymous life. Our devices create this invisible wall for us to hide behind, and even though we’re sharing many personal things about our life, we’re still hiding our emotions and feelings from others. Unfortunately, written communications can never adequately convey what the human voice and body can.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a social media junkie. I am hooked on texting, twitter, facebook, and linkedin, and I Spend entirely too much time on all of them. As you get to know me you’ll realize that much of what I write in these posts are as much for me as anyone else. That being said, I believe that digital or text related communication can be good and bad. On the good side: we’re reading more, catching up with old friends from years past, and even getting the scoop on a cousin’s prostate exam. What we’re truly missing, however, is the emotional and social bond that comes from good ‘ole fashion conversation.

As it relates to business and sales:

Digital tools are essential to developing business relationships, but should never be a replacement for true contact. Listed below are 5 reasons why true human interaction is essential to your business and sales.

1)      As I have already mentioned, an emotional bond is essential to building relationships. In running a small business, your clients should be your friends and without voice to voice/face to face interaction, this will never truly happen.

2)      Emails and text fail to adequately convey emotion and as a result, can often be misinterpreted. Not everyone shares the same level of reading comprehension, attention span, and grammatical skill. As a result, it is always best to deliver bad news or sensitive info via a phone or in person. The contact will be appreciated, will strengthen your relationship, allows for immediate communication on the topic, and as a result, immediate closure.

3)      Sharing belly laughs: You’ll recognize LOL, LMAO, ROFLMAO as those nifty little text acronyms that tell us that we are sharing a laugh, being laughed at, or the like. Laughing alone while envisioning someone else laughing can never replace the sounds of someone else laughing with you. Think about it! A shared laugh is one of the all time coolest things that friends, clients, and family can share. It adds to your enjoyment of the situation, and if you’re like most people, you rather hang out with folks who share your sense of humor.

4)      Loyalty: Your clients, friends, and acquaintances are more likely to remain loyal to you when they feel emotionally tied to you and your business. As humans, we have a natural tendency to be more forgiving of faults, shortcomings, and innocent idiocy when we are emotionally tied to someone. I cannot tell you how many times I have been in sales situations where I had a better product at a lower price and the prospect remained with their current service because of a friendship.

5)      It’s good for you! We all need to be in the company of others from time to time. Sharing thoughts, feelings, emotions, ideas, and smiles are not luxuries but necessities. Yes, we can do some of this via social media, texting, and email, but these can never contribute to our emotional well-being like face to face contact.

In conclusion, I seriously believe that human contact is essential to business and a healthy personal life. Social networking, text, and emails can be great for catching snapshots of information, but if you truly want to be known or know someone, then get off your duff, go make some friends, share some belly laughs, and grow your business. And, If you ever want to chat, just give me a call 850-710-5256.

Why Fat Guys Love Sweater Vests!

Prologue: This article is way off topic for this BLOG, but it will give you some insight into the way my mind works…and by the way, I do love my sweater vests.

Ever notice how fluffy guys seem to really enjoy wearing their sweater vests? There’s a spring in their step, a bit of self confidence in their demeanor, and from all appearances they even seem to be actually living that “jolly” stereo type.  Being one of those fluffy fellows, I am going to let you in on a little secret; fat guys love sweater vests. Yep, that added jolly thing is brought about by the magical power of the half sweater.

This wonderful piece of clothing was invented for the sole purpose of helping a chubby guy have a world of self confidence without having to worry about exercise, salads, or lighter beers. Most fat guys even believe that there is a mystical power held deep within these magical bits of thread that even decreases cholesterol.

That being said, I have compiled a list of why us gravitationally challenged body types love our sleeveless sweaters:

1)    Duh! They are warm and cozy.

2)    They wear up or down. Suit, polo, or t-shirt… If it’s less than 72 degrees, time for a vest…and thanks to Ralph Lauren inventing a light and breathable appearances only model, they can be worn year round.

3)    They give beer bellies a uniform appearance. Better than the girdle or that “fat squeezie garment” for women, this heaven made tapestry of wool can be used without the unhealthy and uncomfortable stuffing of flesh into a piece of panty hose.

4)    For those of us over 40, looking like Adonis or Brad Pitt is well…umm…unlikely. The over 40 fat guy’s next closest role models are Santa and Norm from “Cheers.” The sweater vest allows us to pretend to be both. Nothing says groovy fat guy like imagining Santa and Norm about to tee off in an Argyle sweater vest…think I’ll start calling it the cool vest from now on…

5)    Speaking of cool. The cool vest offers the grooviness of a sweater without those Geeky sleeves. Let’s admit it, sweater sleeves are cumbersome and for all practical purposes, not cool. With the cool vest, you never have to worry about soaking up half the world’s water supply when washing your hands or getting nacho sauce on your sleeves when you’re reaching for a dip of cheesy goodness.

6)    The cool vest also gives the illusion of intelligence. Think about it! When you see a guy (fat or thin) in a cool vest, you automatically think to yourself, “that dude is really smart. He is staying warm while having his arms unencumbered by the bulkiness of wool. I want to emulate that. “

7)    Finally, the cool vest is kind of like the old mullet hair style: Business on the body, but party on the arms. Oh, wait! That’s just another way of describing its coolness. Oh well…I digress.

8)    It’s manly. Nothing says fashionably dressed man’s man like a cool vest. It also conjures images of wilderness survival, bench press abilities, and someone who can use a hammer to effectively build or break something.

So as you can see, cool vests aren’t your normal addition to a closet. They are versatile, practical, and did I mention, cool. The next time you see anyone, including me, wearing this God anointed article of outer wear, be sure to say, “Man, I really like your cool vest.”

If you enjoyed this article, please rate it and share it. If you didn’t, then you can go watch Jersey Shore or something.

A Newbies take on Social Media tools!

If it’s not already obvious to you, I am relatively new to the social marketing realm. I just built a website a few months back and just started using twitter regularly. The learning curve has been pretty short, but I have no doubt that I have a long way to go before I have a small percentage of Justin Beiber’s or Guy Kawasaki’s numbers. I do believe, however, that I have been fortunate enough to have picked two of the most useful tools for any newbie looking to expand their reach into the social networking universe.

Social Oomph

Social Oomph has become a complete necessity once I started picking up daily followers. There are several time management features that have allowed me to make the best use of my Social marketing time. You can pre-schedule status updates and even set up automatic direct messages and auto-responders. In addition, you can manage multiple social accounts from one place. These features alone make it worth a premium, but they offer these features absolutely free.

Social Oomph does have a premium section that includes some pretty neat features like tweet keyword searches that allows you to search for conversations relative to your interests; status ignore features; and social media anti-spam tools. If you can afford to sign up for the premium content, I highly recommend it. They offer a 7-day free trial, so there is really no reason not to use it the first week.

Tweet Deck
Another Great tool for organization, Tweet Deck, is a downloadable program that runs in a dashboard environment. They offer many customizable features like a listing of all new followers, and alerts when you have a new tweet from a follower. It’s free and you can also download an app to your Smartphone for those tweeting, facing, or whatever on the go. I am still learning all of the features, but the ones I have picked up have been quite useful.

I have checked out other applications, and I am sure I have yet to discover some great ones, but Social Oomph and Tweet Deck have really allowed me to be more productive in my networking efforts. If you’re looking to expand your reach, these tools are a necessary part of any twitterer’s breakfast.

I would love to hear your suggestions, so please feel free to comment or visit my website at here.