Here is a perfect example of how the misuse of social media can backfire badly. If you are going to use Facebook or any other Social Media to promote your business, then call in some expertise to get you started or at the very least get some training. It could save you a lot of embarrassment and money.
From Zero to 86,000 Weekly Facebook Reach in Six Months.
Since November 2011 I have been involved in an Integrated Internet Marketing campaign to help promote a seaside holiday resort, Courtown Harbour, which had not seen much Internet Marketing since 2006. This meant that while we were not starting from scratch, we were starting from a very low base. Last November there was a static website for Courtown that due to lack of funding had only been updated sporadically in the previous five years. While a Facebook Page and Twitter account had been created, they were essentially dormant with no entries, which meant there was no co-ordinated Social Media presence for Courtown on the Internet. The first thing that we did was decide who the target audience was. It’s very difficult to meet the requirements of your audience if you don’t know who they are or you are trying to be all things to everyone. Extensive research was done to establish who was searching for Courtown on the web, what exactly were they searching for, when were the searching (people look for different things depending on the time of year) and where the people searching for Courtown were located. Based on this research we decided to build the Social Media
Electricity Generating and Cloud Computing.
I was talking to a client recently and he was asking me “What is this Cloud Computing all about?”. So I was explaining that, instead of maintaining your own servers at your own offices, you use servers and applications that run on systems which are in remote data centres. That means that, while you do need to administer the cloud based applications, you don’t have to buy expensive servers and pay for hardware maintenance. Instead the costs are spread evenly and you can scale the cloud based apps as your requirements grow or shrink. He then said to me, “So Cloud Computing is like electricity then! While you could buy your own generator and produce electricity for the factory, it’s much more cost effective to buy your electricity from a provider. Then you only pay for what you use and you don’t have to buy and maintain expensive generator’s as your needs change.” That is by far the best explanation Cloud Computing I have heard.
Overall Global Consumer Confidence Rose in 68% of Markets in Q1 2012
Interesting survey results from Nielsen. If consumer confidence is rising then economic activity is likely to follow. Overall Global Consumer Confidence Rose in 68% of Markets in Q1 2012
Some practical advice from Local Accountant
A fellow member of my local BNI chapter (BNI Falcon, Gorey), recently circulated his newsletter which contains some very useful and practical tips. Definitely worth a read. Fitzsimons Howick McEvoy Newsletter Issue 2, 2012 Fitzsimons Howick McEvoy
STARTUP ADVICE: 10 legal rules for your website
Given all the hype and controversy about the household charge and the fact there is no national property database and that the Dept of Environment does not have automatic access to the ESB’s database due to Data Protection requirements, here is a useful article from The Sunday Business Post. These are basic things that all of us need to bear in mind when using the Internet to promote our businesses. STARTUP ADVICE: 10 legal rules for your website
3 out of 5 Irish internet users trust Irish content sites
Some interesting research in an article from The Journal on how Irish people view Irish Content web sites. Food for thought when looking at our own web sites. 3 out of 5 Irish internet users trust Irish content sites
IT investment has more impact on profit than R&D
Interesting article from TechCentral.ie on the impact of IT Investment on a companies profits. IT investment has more impact on profit than R&D
Pilot Competitive Feasibility Fund for South East Region
If you have a good Business Idea and are looking for funds to investigate further, then this might be worth checking out. Pilot Competitive Feasibility Fund for South East Region
Wexford Chamber helping Local Businesses to Export.
For all those struggling to grow sales, why not look to Export Markets. Wexford Chamber is authorized to stamp Certificates of Origin, a document proving the place of growth, production and manufacture of goods. Wexford Chamber helping Local Businesses to Export
