I wrote the newsletter in a very conversational tone so the reader would feel as if I was there talking to them. I tried to include some interesting and useful tips and tricks that my reader could put to use immediately. I edited the newsletter over and over trying to get rid of all extraneous words and content. It’s important that the newsletter is short and sweet. People don’t have time anymore for cutesy stuff. The last thing was the design. I wanted it to be very clean looking– interesting without busy.

Check out the DonnaTechDesigns Newsletter (Vol. 1) and let me know if there’s anything you would like included in next month’s edition!

Brad contacted me because he had a blog but wasn’t happy with how it looked and he was struggling with writer’s block. He wanted to maintain the blog but he just wasn’t sure exactly how to manage it or how to promote it. The first thing I did was give him a whole new design. A design that cast him as the true professional in the eyes of his audience.  Once the new design was in place I made sure there were links to his Social Media profiles and to his newsletter sign up form. Once the Social Media links were in place I made sure each profile was optimized. The Twitter profile got a customized background that matches his Buy and Sell Business Blog and I optimized his LinkedIn profile by creating an attention getting headline and fleshing out his summary section. I made sure all the profiles were linked together so when he posts a blog his Twitter gets updated as does his LinkedIn profile.

The last thing we did was sit down for a two hour session in which I took him through the new blog and showed him how to read the site statistics. We went through his different profiles and I showed him how to maintain them. We brainstormed on blog and Twitter topics and methods of prospecting via the profiles. And before I left his office, I handed him a to do list of homework items.

I am going to be keeping track of his progress and helping him along the way. How about you do too? You can subscribe to his blog and to his Twitter profile!

Here’s a Before and After shot of his Blog:

If you listen closely, you can hear the image whispering, “I lost 50lbs of Blog ugly and YOU can too!”

Another Chamber Success Story

Right after my To Tweet or Not To Tweet presentation at the Lower Bucks Chamber of Commerce, I was asked to write a quick little testimonial on my involvement and experience  with the Chamber.  It was easy for me to write a testimonial because so much of my business comes from the Lower Bucks Chamber of Commerce and I love all the educational events they host, especially the Sharpen Your Edge Seminars and the Technology Forums.  I included the requested head shot and thought nothing else of it until my mom called me.

I am absolutely bowled over that it actually ran in the newspaper!  And in such a prominent position!  I thought it would be just a small little blip on a back page if it actually even made it in the paper.

Thanks again to the amazing Lower Bucks Chamber of Commerce for helping us small businesses get the word out about our services!  You guys are terrific!

Exploring Social Media Presentation

The workshop took place at Rosemont’s Center City Campus.  I spoke to the group about the various Social Media Networks and we discussed demographics, finding their target audience and then we talked about how to create a strong social media presence.  Afterward I answered their questions and we brainstormed on how they could use Social Media to market their businesses.  It was a blast!

At the end of the workshop, Rachel presented me with a gold paperweight in the shape of a star with the Rosemont seal engraved on it.  I actually got a little choked up accepting such a lovely gift.  The star is sitting here on my desk and I can’t help but see it and smile.

Thank you so much Rachel for this wonderful opportunity and thank you to those of you who braved the cold weather and Philly traffic to be there for my presentation!

The site is now live and Merle is happy with the results.  If you are in need of holistic services such as learning healthy breathing, clinical hypnotherapy, guided imagery, learning the intention process, learning the LifeLine Technique, taking meditation lessons, preparing for surgery, partaking in reiki therapy, spiritual sharing, or learning how to manage stress, visit Mind-Body Healing Arts and email Merle today!

Did you know 3 out of 4 Americans use Social Networking? I can attest that not only my mother but my 80-year-old neighbor ARE BOTH ON FACEBOOK! It may be hard to believe but visiting social networking sites is the 4th most popular activity on the Internet after search, portals and PC software applications. Social Networking displaced EMAIL!!! My friends, that is HUGE!

What are some ways you can use Social Media?

* Public Relations
* Customer Service
* Loyalty Building
* Collaboration
* Networking
* Thought Leadership
* Customer Acquisition

It’s a way of engaging your customers and prospects like never before.

Let’s define your company’s Social Media Strategy TOGETHER!

You don’t have a Website? It’s 2009, you know! Oh, so you do have a Website, except it doesn’t update and looks kinda unprofessional? Either way I can help! Whether it’s creating something from scratch or recreating something that already exists, I got skills for you! My Websites are all powered by a content management system (or CMS for short). What this means to you is that it’s easy to update and add to it… and for most changes to the original site, you don’t even need me to get involved! Yes, you can do it yourself!

In addition to a cleanly designed Website, I also offer Video Production services. Why? Because if a picture is worth a thousand words then a video must be worth a MILLION! What does that mean? Well, it means having video embedded on your Website will get your point across even better than words. My own favorite use is for before and after shots. Heck, watch Bralor Construction rehab an old ugly shower! Isn’t that cool? I don’t know about you but I feel like I know Ray already and I know he does great work from watching this video!

What else? Ahh, there’s a ton of stuff… just read the bulleted list below to see more:

• Website Consulting
• Domain Setup & Hosting
• Content Management System Installation and Configuration
• Custom Website Design
• Custom Logo/Header Image
• Page Creation with Custom Copy
  • A clear message
  • Good navigation
  • Appropriate design
  • Well-written, properly formatted content
• Customized Video
• Search Engine Submission and Optimization
• Training on Website maintenance & administration
• Social Media introduction, Twitter, Facebook, etc…
• Technical Support and Updates

Other services are available upon request

Let’s do an experiment, shall we?

Open a new tab on your browser and type in: http://www.google.com Got that in there? Good! Now we’re going to perform a couple searches.

Type in the NAME OF YOUR BUSINESS and click the I’m Feeling Lucky button. Did you get to your Web site? The I’m Feeling Lucky button takes you to the very first site listed in Google’s results. If you found yourself whisked away to your Web site, AWESOME! If not, that’s alright. This isn’t going down on your permanent record. Let’s keep moving.

Okay, how about typing in YOUR NAME. Let’s just click Google Search this time. What do the results look like? I want you to realize your prospects are googling YOU– and this is what they are finding. No results mean no reputation. No results mean no business. Negative results mean loss of business. You want to make sure that when someone googles you, they find a good professional page that portrays you in a good light. This is their first step at trying to create a relationship with you! They want to know more about you! (Admit it, you’re feeling special!) Let them find something… something good! Make them want to work with you! So you want to talk about practicing what I preach? Go ahead, google me! Donna Serdula. I made sure the results that came up were results that made me proud. And my hope is after browsing through that Web site, you are going to want to do business with me.

We are not through with this experiment yet! I want you to now google WHAT IT IS YOU DO AND YOUR ZIP CODE. That could be Plumber 18966 or Accountant 19067. Click Search Google. This is what many people are doing today rather than running into their kitchen and looking for that big, heavy, food-splattered Yellow Page Directory. And rather than thumbing through inked pages, Google returns the business listings from Google Maps that match your search. Are you listed? Do you have any reviews? How about your competitor? Was that a punch below the belt? KA-POW! I’m sorry!

Has this been an eye opening experience for you? The good news is, it’s easy to fix these issues. Give me a call! I can help! 215-436-9520

I am happy to report an article was written and it didn’t once make mention of my clumsiness! It’s a really nice article and I am so pleased! You can check it out in this Sunday’s Courier Times, Money section, page 12. Or you can read it online, Social Networking Sites Good for Business.

Social Networking Sites Good for Business

By: JOHN ANASTASI
Bucks County Courier Times

It’s a way to connect with new customers, communicate with a target market, and increase sales, advises a speaker at a business technology forum.

It wasn’t all that long ago that people were wondering whether setting up e-mail accounts and Web sites for their businesses would be worth the trouble.

Today, business owners are asking the same questions about social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Just as it was then, the answer today is “yes,” according Donna Serdula, of Northampton-based DonnaTechDesigns.

Serdula told professionals at a Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce Business Technology Forum Friday that there are definitely ways businesses can use the medium to connect with new customers, communicate with their target markets, and increase sales.

“Social media is conversation that takes place on the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Serdula. “Word of mouth is taking off at a much faster pace than before.”

Twitter allows users to submit short, concise text-message style posts, or “Tweets” that are published at twitter.com

and can be viewed by all but are specifically aimed at members of a network of “followers” the users collect.

Facebook, the fastest-growing social network in the world, allows users to build Internet pages to share information, photographs, and activity updates while allowing their “friends” to comment on virtually everything they post.

LinkedIn is a social network that caters to professionals. While online, users can post resumes, share their work history and build a list of contacts who can post professional recommendations for each other.

Serdula told the forum’s participants not to spread themselves too thin by trying to maintain a presence on every social networking site. Instead, she encouraged them to find out where their customers are hanging out.

“If your audience is on Facebook, why are you Tweeting?” she asked rhetorically.

She said Twitter users tend to skew young and male; Facebook boasts a larger percentage of women; and the average LinkedIn member is slightly older and better paid than the other two sites.

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Once businesses figure out where they should focus their efforts, they should start expanding their networks.

“Don’t get the impression that if you build it, they will come,” Serdula said. “Start telling people. Put it on your business card: Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. We are so miniscule in this ocean. We have to splash really hard.”

Even larger companies do that, she said.

For example, Reedman Toll Auto World in Middletown advertises its Facebook page on customer invoices.

Companies can use social networking to talk about their products and services, find out what their customers are thinking and gather feedback.

“There’s always going to be someone who’s unhappy. Even if you’re not there, unfortunately things are still being said, so wouldn’t you rather be there to see it and respond?” said Serdula, who added it would be worse if one of the company’s competitors saw it and responded.

William Blacker, of Home Instead Senior Care in Middletown, uses LinkedIn. He acknowledged the importance of keeping up with the times, but worried that businesses could use a slickly produced social media presence to make the company look more-reputable and more professional than it really is.

“I’m a fish out of water with this,” he said. “I want to learn more because it is what is. But I think it gives the opportunity for companies that don’t have a lot of substance behind what they do to really create a following.”

Serdula responded that companies can be dishonest on their pages, but the good news is that customers’ ability to comment on the business using the social media sites can expose such dishonesty.

Following Serdula’s presentation, Bucks First Federal Credit Union’s Gary Balakoff walked participants through Twitter’s Web site and showed them how to register and use the service.

The credit union uses social media sites to aim a new financial literacy initiative – Project Flipside – straight at young people.

“The best advice I can give is that social media should complement what you’re already doing,” he said. “It shouldn’t replace it.”

January 10, 2010 02:47 AM

My favorite part is where he quotes me saying, “Start telling people. Put it on your business card: Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. We are so miniscule in this ocean. We have to splash really hard.” That little remark was said totally off the cuff and once it was out of my mouth I remember thinking, that’s pretty cool, I’ll have to remember it; but looking around, no one seemed to think it was as clever as I did… so I am really happy Mr. Anatasi caught it and felt it was worth repeating!

Thank you John Anatasi for reporting on the presentation and thank you Bucks County Courier Times for printing it! I appreciate it!

I have to thank the Chamber of Commerce, especially Sean Condron from Syncratech who asked me to present and Kim Bloemker from the Chamber who did a fantastic job of coordinating the event and Bruce Diamond from Computer Helpline who made sure everyone was able to connect to the Chamber’s Wi-Fi!

Thank you so much! And if anyone has any questions about the presentation or wants to discuss anything further, give me a call! 215-436-9520