Video for Your Business 3: In New Year, Think Video, Tell Your Story Online

December 31, 2011

Here’s 12 tips for 2012, and they begin and end with video for your business:

1. To connect with more customers, think video. Show them what you do. Show them how you do it. Show them work you’ve completed. Show them — and let them hear from — your customers who are thrilled with your products and services.

2. Introduce yourself, and your employees. There’s no substitute for meeting in person, shaking hands and talking to get to know the person you’re considering doing business with but remember that customers want to check you out online before they decide to talk directly with you. Increase your opportunities to be found online and get that in-person meeting by using video online so that customers can see and hear you. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Chris Celek

Video for Your Business 2: Who do I put in front of the camera and what do I have them say?

November 22, 2011

Ron Harper, is back for part two of his tips for businesses that want to use video online.

Ron’s an award-winning producer and copywriter for radio, television and the web who owns Video on Your Website, Ron is also a voiceover artist who has worked with many Fortune 500 companies. If that’s not enough, he has written and hosted a nationally syndicated radio feature, and co-wrote an episode of Laverne and Shirley.

You’ll want to ask Ron about ways video will help you show your products and services to potential customers. Before you do, listen to this next video as Ron explains why there’s no better way to say hello and introduce yourself and your business than with video online. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Chris Celek

Video for Your Business 1: Showing customers is way better than telling them

November 9, 2011

Meet Ron Harper, an award-winning producer and copywriter for radio, television and the web. Owner of Video on Your Website, Ron is also a voiceover artist who has worked with many Fortune 500 companies.

He has written and hosted a nationally syndicated radio feature, and co-wrote an episode of Laverne and Shirley. Ask him who’s funnier, Lenny, or Squiggy.

You’ll also want to ask Ron about ways video will help you show your products and services to potential customers. I’m sure you’ve got a killer sales pitch, well-produced brochures and likely an up-to-date website. Good for you. These are all the basics. But if you want to grab the attention of someone who’s checking you out. use video. There’s no better way to say hello and introduce yourself and your business. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Chris Celek

Why bother with social media?

July 7, 2011

Chris Celek article in CinDay B2B how why businesses should use social media.It’s simple: Your customers and competitors are spending their time with it — so you should, too.

Here’s my answer to the head of an engineering consulting firm in Mason who leaned across the table during breakfast, and got right to the point.

“Why should I spend any time on social media?” the business owner demanded to know.

He’s not the first to ask that question. The line of owners who doubt whether social media is right for their businesses, honestly, is quite long. And my answer is always the same. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Chris Celek

What basketball has to do with your business and how you use social media

March 31, 2011

Twitter #UDrise Screen shot 2011-03-31 Here’s what I learned by spending the day on a college campus today, listening to college and pro basketball legend Bill Walton tell many of the smartest investment bankers and finance students how the lessons he learned in sports apply in their world.

The day’s lessons also apply to businesses that use social media to meet, connect and communicate with customers. Here’s how:

Walton played at UCLA for another legend, coach John Wooden, who Walton reminded the financial education conference participants, taught him that it’s never about how good a performer you are individually. It’s always about how good your team is.

The take-away for businesses is that they should not rely on one person to handle all of the duties on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube and where ever else the company needs to reach customers and partners. Can’t be done, not if you want to improve, grow and attract more friends, fans and followers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Chris Celek

Why your business marketing plan should include social media to be heard above competitors

February 22, 2011

Chris Jensen, president of Audio Concepts in Bath, OhioChris Jensen has a simple idea that is really tough for many of us to pull off well.

“When 60 seconds just isn’t enough, podcasting is the innovative way to be heard,” Chris says.

He ought to know. He’s worked in radio and TV for years, and his business at Audio Concepts in Bath, Ohio, is to help businesses sound their best. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment | Business, Customers, Facebook, Podcasts, Social Media, Video, You Tube | Permalink
Posted by Chris Celek

5 things you can do for your business to start the new year

December 31, 2010

Forget the best-of-what-happened-in-2010 lists and top trends to watch in 2011. I’m tired of remembering and forecasting. Let’s focus on five steps to take now to grow your business.Happy New Year 2011

Yes, 4 of these 5 tips are actions to do online. They are things you can do. Now. With little or no cost, except your time. So, here’s how to kick start the new year:

1. Tell people you exist. Otherwise, they won’t find you.

There are lots of ways to accomplish this with websites, blogs and social media but my must-haves include Google Profile for individuals and Google Places for your business; and the Local Listings Center on Yahoo and also on Bing. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Chris Celek

Use web video to introduce yourself, show off your business to attract customers

October 14, 2009

Video is for national brands with budgets big enough to buy network television time. Right?

Jeff Zaret videoWell, sure, but it’s also for your local business. It’s affordable and a compelling way to introduce yourself and your business to customers online. Companies like Schmidt Heating and Cooling in Cincinnati smartly use video on its web site and in its Yellow Pages advertising as a virtual way to shake hands and say hello. Minuteman Press of Lebanon (Ohio) created a television commercial and also posted a version on Google Video to quickly demonstrate all of its services and equipment. The Cincinnati Museum Center announced winners of contest with video on its Facebook Fan Page. And Jeff Zaret, VP of sales at National Processing Solutions in Centerville, Ohio, shares tips not about his company’s credit card processing but instead about ways to improve your customer service. He posted a series of three videos on YouTube.

Each of these approaches is different but they have this in common — their image and sound quality is professional. These are good-looking videos that send a clear message about each of the businesses. So I asked a pro how businesses can get this quality and how they should consider using video to connect with customers. Here’s what Mike Cornett, owner of Visual Media Concepts in Dayton, had to say: Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Chris Celek

Where to begin

March 20, 2009

Your daughter or son say it’s creepy that you want to be their Facebook friend. Don’t believe them. People over 25 now dominate the most-popular social networking site.

You should use Facebook for your business.

Same for Twitter, Linkedin, You Tube, Flicker and any of the dozens of other social media available on the Web and in mobile versions.

Why? That’s where your customers are, and that’s where the people and companies you want as new customers will be found.

What’s social media and why should you spend time on it?

Traditional media, including newspapers, TV, magazines along with advertising and public relations, broadcast information one way. They tell readers and viewers what the sender wants them to see and hear. Social media are the new, fast-growing homes for conversations in which networks of people share their ideas, questions, interests and knowledge. They’re talking about your business, or looking for the goods and services you sell.

What you need to know

These digital tools are not just for kids. Starbucks, Ford Motor Co., the American Red Cross, MSNBC and the Obama for President campaign successfully use social media to listen, engage and influence their audiences. We will help you learn how to do it, too.

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Posted by Chris Celek

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