At least, at the destination that was listed on the Boarding Pass.

The flight was for a conference, so I took the opportunity to do some networking while we were all sitting patiently in the Terminal.

Then I got to my seat.

And for the first time in forever, had one of the best conversations.

I’m not one to “chat it up” on a flight.

Mostly I work. It seems more efficient.

But this seamlessly lead to some great industry talk, to the point where I didn’t even realize we were sitting on the tarmac for an additional 45 minutes.

So now we “seat mates” have opportunities that we didn’t know existed prior to cancelled and delayed flights.

And we talked with each other like two equal human beings. One in the aisle seat. One in the middle seat (the guy in the window seat was snoring and drooling).

And that leveled the playing field. That allowed us both to really listen. That allowed us both to really be honest.

Whodda thunk that a bunch of weather and airlines delays could lead to a level playing field, incredible opportunities and an arrival at a destination yet to be determined.

Now I don’t even care what the Boarding Pass said.

I don’t argue with them. I don’t see it as my job to drag people kicking and screaming into the 21^st century to utilize technology so it works FOR them and not AGAINST them.

I see my “job description” falling closer in line with empowering people to leverage both technology and their brands together for maximum leverage and opportunity.

“But I’m just Sally Smith” I hear people say. “I’m not McDonald’s or Coca-Cola. I don’t need brand management”

 WRONG.

Everybody is a brand. That’s just the truth of the marketplace today.

And if you don’t manage your online reputation – someone else will. And it won’t necessarily be in a light that is pleasing to you.

If you have no online presence, if nothing shows up when someone enters your name in Google or on platforms like Facebook, that spells trouble to me.

Why? Because if you haven’t created a voice and image for yourself, anyone can steal your identity and start posting and sharing things about you that aren’t accurate or that you would prefer to keep private.

Then you’re playing defense in a very challenging and unpleasant way. Have you ever tried to get something removed from Google? Good luck with that.

So while I’m not really one for being “paranoid” (or even overly cautious), I believe in and reap the benefits of being pro-active. I’ve been managing my online reputation and brand for years and it serves me well both personally and professionally.

And if you still don’t think it will ever be a problem for you, then tell me why companies like Reputation.com are popping up to help people with these kinds of problems. And why they will charge you $3000-$5000 per year to help you if your reputation “needs defending”.

I suggest you start on your own TODAY by initiating actions that are free on free platforms like Facebook and Linked In and start managing your online presence.

You might just need to look for a new job someday………..

Now you’re ready for more – here’s your link to success – click on it to register

http://bit.ly/MarketingToolbox

I’m at the gym to attend a morning Pilates class and they’re rockin’ it like it’s 1999. Not just when I walk in the door, but in the locker room as well.

I go to the gym for zen. I go there to clear my head and hear my own thoughts. And to allow new ideas and solutions to challenges that I’m currently working on – often related to my business.

So when I go back downstairs after class to ask the front desk to please lower the volume – JUST in the women’s locker room –  the “manager” at the counter tells me she will ask the manager. I ask her if there’s a manager there, because I will be happy to talk with him/her.

That’s when she tells me that she is a manager, but that only he (the other manager) can touch any volume controls on the music – that he is “the hand of God” – her words.

So I go back up to the locker room and rock myself through a shower and blow dry and leave there very unzenlike and really bothered by this “noise”.  And this is not the first time I’ve been bothered by it.

Or that I’ve really wanted “the hand of God” to intervene on my behalf and make things better.

Later in the day I hear a beeping sound in the bedroom that would not stop. I thought it was the high winds outside, but after much “unplugging” and searching – I found a device whose battery was dying and it as beeping….every few seconds….beep……beep…..

I’m bothered by the noise.

Again.

Today.

So I gotta ask myself – what’s this about? Why I am being so bothered by noise today?

Answer: because it’s symbolic of the crazy noise that’s going on between my own two ears that’s keeping me from allowing in all the things I want to allow in.

Shhhhhhhh……………..

And I agree. Some days it’s hard to keep up.

Ok. Most days – it’s hard to keep up.

So how do you know what to do and not to do? What to pay attention to? Where to best spend the small amount of time you eek out of your schedule?

Honestly- social media – when used properly – is business development.  That’s the long and short of it. Yes, it can be fun (so please, consider letting yourself have some fun with it). But it’s also essential to leveraging your brand and connecting with your customers.

I’ve had some conversations with business owners recently who have said things like “if I could just do a large ad spend, I could get myself out of this tight spot and back in to the flow of things.”

This makes me cringe. It’s not that I’m against advertising. I just have to question if you’ve done an analysis to see if that is the best place to spend your resources.

Wouldn’t you rather have a stream of repeat clients versus one-offs that are shopping you on price like you’re a commodity?

Let me help you learn more – seriously. Check out some of my videos on You Tube.

Sharing goes beyond splitting your cookie or sandwich in half or dividing the domestic chores with your partner.

In 21st Century Marketing Terms -
Here’s What It Means And How It Can Help You:
Facebook has “share” and “comment” buttons. All social media platforms have “social sharing buttons”.
BUTTONS THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T PUSH!
Which is crazy because they are truly the BEST ONES TO PUSH! So leave your spouse alone and go push on social media platforms – seriously!
Let’s say you’re reading a blog post on Closets Daily (hopefully one of mine!) or even something interesting on Facebook.
I’d advise you to click on the “share” button. A window will pop up that will allow you to share this content. It also allows you to share it from whatever “voice” you want – so if I’m logged in to Facebook as Denise Butchko but want to share information as Butchko and Company, I can easily do that by selecting that business page from my drop down menu. Then I can write a quick comment (or not) and click “share”. It’s just that quick.

I’m telling you, this is an easy way to SAVE TIME and still grow your audience by participating in the different platforms. It’s also a great way to connnect with people you’d like to do business with – or get to know better – as they will often notice this and start to follow you back.
Do you have a better way to get J-Lo to follow you on Twitter????? Because that’s what happened to me after I shared the post about Katie Couric touring Jennifer Lopez’s closet. There’s just no way this can be a bad thing!

Bottom line: There’s no magic bullet.

As millions of recent Powerball purchasers chanted as they stood in line to buy their dream come true ticket – “You gotta be in it to win it”.

And just how do you “be in it” and still keep up with the demands of your business?

Strategically, grasshopper.

Here’s the bad news:
Automated Facebook content gets 2 ½ times fewer clicks and 3 times fewer likes that content posted manually onto your page (according to a recent study by the team at Hubspot).
I’m not surprised by this. I’ve never been an advocate of automating Facebook. I don’t think it’s the best and highest use of that platform. People want a more intimate level of communication when they’re on Facebook.

So automating your presence on Facebook doesn’t seem to be an effective strategy.

Twiiter? Go ahead? Automate your posts. It’s a dominant mode of communication on that channel.

Now that I’ve given you the bads news (that you’re not going to get results by just throwing stuff onto your Facebook timeline from a 3rd party API and that a time commitment is required.), I’m sure you’d like some good news on how to achieve better engagement.
I suggest you divide and conquer. Create a team. The team can be employees (if you have them) or it can be colleagues. Agree to share content and participate and comment. It’s like your own social media tribe. And it makes the whole Facebook thing easier and more enjoyable.

Plus, to be truly effective, your social shift needs to be cultural as well. So whether that involves just you changing your mindset, or you leading the charge to change your whole company mindset – socially significant companies are successful because everyone in the organization has a positive affinity with social media platforms.

Curious about what’s behind the way Facebook decides what content shows up in your feed?

Here’s some insights from the study:

Facebook’s algorithm for selecting which content becomes visible to Facebook users is called EdgeRank. EdgeRank decides what is most important on Facebook for a specific user by taking into account three components:

Affinity: The number of times two people (or a person and a page) have interacted
Weight: The number of times users have interacted (commented, liked) with the content in question
Recency: The time since the content was posted

Your net take away:
Get your people – and yourself – to participate.

To keep on top of ideas and best practices for posting on social media – join me in the space! Click on the image below to join me on Facebook and we can start a discussion.

Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32124/Facebook-Content-Published-Via-Third-Party-Tools-Suffers-234-Fewer-Likes-New-Data.aspx#ixzz1qtsUly4X

This started a flurry of fear and conversation by Pinners worldwide. Yikes. What seemed so simple and beautiful now seems complicated and icky.

So let’s do a little Stephen Covey and begin with the end in mind.

Here’s the bottom line – share stuff – don’t steal stuff.

Feature your expertise and be a curator of all that’s cool as it relates to your business. Don’t steal people’s sh*t.

I asked the question about people stealing my design ideas about five years ago when I was working on my website and startig to post things to places like http://www.HOUZZ.com.

The answer I got was “Well then Denise – if you don’t want people to steal your ideas – don’t have a website”

We all know that’s not an option.

I let that fear go.

So then – why am I bringing up Pinterest fears?

1) Because I’ve seen lots of talk about it lately and

2) Because the Pinterest terms of agreement state that users are ultimately responsible for any and all expenses associated with any copyright infringement. You can read the specific terms of use on the Pinterest site - http://www.pinterest.com

However, federal copyright laws state:

Copyrighted work can only be used without permission when someone is criticizing it, commenting on it, reporting on it, teaching about it, or conducting research.

So taking a nano second to make a comment as you re-pin seems to cover the copyright issue.

Do you really think Martha Stewart is going to come after you for re-pinning something from her website that links directly back to her website and that you’ve indicated is a super cool organizing or design solution?

I’m no Martha Stewart – but I’d be happy about the increased traffic to my website.

And if you’d like to read the article by the attorney/photographer who’s concerned about breaking the law - here’s a link to the article:

http://linkd.in/x9vPTL

I hope she doesn’t sue me for sharing it.

The Basic “How’s”
Whether you’re looking to log ideas for yourself – or have people log the idea of doing business with you, Pinterest is the easiest, most visual platform to date. And its’ power is wide reaching. In January of 2012, Pinterest drove more traffic to websites that Linked In, Google+, Reddit and You Tube combined.
I know. Hard to believe. You read it twice didn’t you?

So – Let’s Get To It!
1. You need an invite to join. You can do a couple of things to get an invite. One, ask a friend who’s already on Pinterest to send you an invitation. Two, use your Facebook profile or Twitter page and post a request. Surely someone loves you enough to invite you in!

2. If you’re a business, use your business name as your user name. Currently there’s no distinction for business or brand accounts, but you can set yours up with this focus.

3. Complete the “About” section. It will appear underneath your profile and give people a better idea of what you’re about. Don’t forget to put your URL in the profile for better searchability.

4. Install the “pin it” button. It’s super easy. You can’t blow up the site and it makes using it a million times better.

5. Create some Boards…..as in Pinboards. And be both relevant and clever when naming your boards so people don’t get “bored”. You want to spark interest and “re-pinning” (which is way better than getting pinned by a frat boy!).

6. Follow the leader. Look for people who are bigger names in the games you play or the areas you’re interested in. No worries about time or effort – connect with everyone.

And look for my next message with more insights and steps to take to help you leverage Pinterest. I want you to get started with a few simple steps. We’ll add more as we go!

And as you “go” – connect with me on Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/denisebutchko/