Chad Ochocinco Surprises Grieving Widow With Twitter Invitation To His Wedding

English: Photograph of Chad Ocho Cinco during warm-ups before the opening game versus the Ravens on 9/10/07. Taken by myself from the stands. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chad Ochocinco Surprises Grieving Widow With Twitter Invitation To His Wedding:

NFL star and Twitter celebrity Chad Ochocinco has been up to his old tricks on the micro-blogging site. And by ‘his old tricks’, I mean reaching out to complete strangers and trying to help them in some way.

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver (previously of the New England Patriots) has over 3.5 million followers, and has a history of being very good with his fans and helping where he can. For example in January this year he flew a fan out to watch one of his games after he discovered that this follower had been tweeting him for two years without received any form of response.

But this most recent story has a much sadder point of origin. Cheryl Minton from Franklin, Ohio, tweeted @Ochocinco about losing her husband of 30 years. This is what followed on Twitter:

So there you have it. A grieving woman reached out to a sports star with probably no expectations of even a response, let alone an all expenses covered invitation to his wedding. This is not to say by any stretch that his actions will magically cure Cheryl Minton’s grief, but it will surely have helped lift her spirits at a time when she must be feeling unimaginably low.

As I said in my January blog about Ochocinco flying Victor Gonzalez out to watch his game, it is so refreshing to see those in privileged positions using their wares to help others – even if it is a temporary or token gesture. Prior to inviting Cheryl Minton to his wedding on July 4th, Chad Ochocinco treated 200 of his Twitter followers to dinner at a New York City restaurant.

With acts of kindness such as these, it’s easy to see why he has millions of people following him.

=========================================

Well, for me reading this article was like a breath of fresh air.  Wow, there really are caring people out there providing an unexpected gift at an unexpected time, just out of the goodness of their hearts.

Chad, had just #ReafirmedMyFaithInManKind !!  Maybe I'll even watch a game or two ...just for kicks.. probably not though, just not a sports watching fan. put a ball and bat in my hands though and I'm really to go!! Happy Sunday All!!
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Klout for Good: AIDS Walk SF

Klout for Good: AIDS Walk SF:
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Klout believes everyone has influence, and influence comes with responsibility. Klout for Good aims to help leverage your influence to make the world a better place for everyone.
Every year in July, people from around the San Francisco Bay Area gather at Golden Gate Park for the annual AIDS Walk San Francisco to help raise greatly needed funds for HIV/AIDS programs and services throughout the Bay Area. In 2011, more than 25,000 people from all over the Bay area participated in the AIDS Walk San Francisco and raised $3 million dollars.



This year, Klout is proud to be one of the first tech startups to officially walk the 10K course and raise funds to help support the local community, but we need your help. Support Team Klout and the AIDS Walk SF by donating your influence on Klout for Good. Each Tweet will push the Klout team 2.5 meters towards the finish line of its digital race, and closer to ending AIDS as we know it.
Also, stay tuned as we’ll be giving you live event updates and photos on our Twitter and Facebook page on July 15th, so you can take part of the experience with Team Klout. We thank you for your support!
Register with our blog and create your own posts here.

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*The Graphics Fairy*

Image via Wikipedia

*The Graphics Fairy*

While I was out and about the net today, I found, what I believe would be a good resource for alot of the ladies out there, this is a very cute blog and I wouldn't be sharing it, if I didn't think it would be useful. :)
~elaine

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Titter Dee, Twitter Dum, I smell the blood of being Over done!

Twitter De, Twitter Dum, I smell the blook of something being over done!

5 947

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Ranking The United StatesThis is my follow Friday Score, twitter says if you recommend more than 10 people on any give Friday you are in essance cancelling out their score.  Now Favorite Friday was created to share your thanks with both the people who are following you and the people you follow.  So by only being able to recommend 10 people, you're leaving ALLOT of hard feelings haging in the air with this.  

Twitter also says you should mention one person Per Tweet on your Follow Friday, else the score is divided by the number of users you mention.

Somehow between #FF Creations and #FF in reality the two creatures have yet to meet. It's been my experience while on Twitter you name as many of your twitter collegues as fast as you can and reply to any whom have done the same to you.  No So accourding to the Follow Friday Rules.  Please check them out there.
http://www.followfriday.com/
Now where is that cute little bird when I need him...ummm.....

Christmas Email Campaign: 5 point Checklist

                         Image via Wikipedia

A five point checklist for Christmas email campaigns

Now that summer has retreated into autumn, the focus of many email marketing departments turns to Christmas and the early part of next year.

There have been some interesting changes in the market over the last twelve months and during this key planning period it is important to take stock.

Here are five key pointers to allow you to run a quick health check on your current email campaigns and help you define your KPI’s ensuring your Christmas and New Year campaigns are a success!

1. Make sure you know where your emails are going

Delivery rate is a bit of confusing metric. It’s more like how many cars left the starting grid in a race, rather than how many made it to the finishing line.

Delivery rate is the amount of emails the receiving ISP indicated....read more....

Klout Perks - Passing Along the Invino $10.00 Discount

Image by harrisonweber via FlickrJust passing on my Klout Perks with everyone.  Enjoy $10.00 off your next purchase at Invino.com by following this link.  ~elaine.
     Sorry This Perk Has Expired.

To See More Klout Perks Click Here
Klout Perks:

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Use Email Marketing And Social Media As Part Of An Integrated Marketing Strategy

Use Email Marketing And Social Media As Part Of An Integrated Marketing Strategy:

Businesses that combine email marketing with social media marketing are more successful with their integrated marketing campaigns than those who use email alone.

That was the conclusion gleaned from a study conducted by email marketing provider Constant Contact and absolutely came as no surprise to me because I am huge believer in the fact that an integrated marketing strategy is vital to success and anytime I hear the word “integrated” or “integration” in the context of marketing and advertising, it catches my eye and gets my undivided attention. Unfortunately it would appear, at least from recent surveys and findings that the majority of marketers and marketing type folks are not practicing integration – be it integration of offline and online tactics or any other form integration.

The title of two of my most recent posts say it all…

Marketers Still Not Integrating Their Marketing Strategy & CMO’s To Increase Spending On Social Media But Integration Still Lacking.

However, there is hope… hope that marketers will realize the need for integration across all channels and all departments and eliminate those silos that threaten their very existence. Yes, that was melodramatic but I meant it to be as

I believe the lack of integration is that serious. And there is hope that marketers, – B2B Marketers, B2C Marketers, CMO’s will see results of surveys such as this one and realize that integration is key.

And from the looks of the findings integrating email marketing with social media marketing can prove to be very beneficial…

Constant Contact examined results data from small businesses and nonprofits that have combined their email marketing with social media marketing to those using only email marketing. Key findings include:

• Faster list growth: From June 2010 through August 2011, those using both social media and email marketing saw 14.43 percent list growth, while those using only email marketing saw 8.96 percent list growth.


• Larger average list size: Those using both tactics have email lists that are 53 percent larger on average than their email-only counterparts.


• Higher click-through rates: The average click-through rate for those using both email and social media marketing was 59.3 basis points higher than for those using email only.

Now, I realize this study dealt with “small” businesses but… I am confident that larger companies would see similar results. I also agree with Rick Jensen, chief sales and marketing officer for Constant Contact who, when asked whether to use email marketing or social media marketing said “… it’s not either/or; it’s both. Use email to communicate with your current customers and social media to reach new customers.”

I’m sure, however, that Mr. Jensen is also a proponent of renting mailing lists of prospects and not just using email marketing for existing customers but he is right in so much as your current customers are, one would assume, accustomed to receiving emails from you, hence the assumed higher click rate, whereas prospects may not be as receptive to email. They may, however, be more apt to engage via social media, which lends itself to a more personal experience, especially during that all-important first-impression part of any relationship.

What do you think? Do you use email marketing? Do you use it alone or with social media marketing? What has your experience been with email marketing and/or social media marketing?

Source: Constant Contact, Google Images, The Star Group, Use Email Marketing And Social Media As Part Of An Integrated Marketing Strategy

Facebook profile timelines

Facebook profile timelines:

You've probably all seen the images from the recent conference discussing the profiles being changed to a timeline basis but it's always better to get first hand experience ..



If you want to get involved in the developer beta (goes live 1st October .. apparently) then follow these steps:

1. Click the Developer footer tab


2. Click 'Build Apps on Facebook' (middle right hand side of screen)


3. Click Apps in the top nav


4. If you already have an app then click 'Edit Open Graph'


5. -- If not 'Create New App', fill in random information and submit the form


6. -- Click Open Graph


7. Fill in what people do on your app 'watch' - 'videos', then click Get Started


8. Click 'Save Changes' and do the same on the next page but 'Save and Finish'


9. Go to your profile page and you should get some new boxes to accept an invite

Steps stolen and simplified from .. HOW TO: Get The New Facebook Timeline Right Now



Makes Google+ look a little outdated?

How to Attract Your Ideal Clients More Easily

How to Attract Your Ideal Clients More Easily:
Do you have enough clients? Are they your ideal clients? And, how hard are you working to secure them as clients?
In this webinar we’ll explore how you can stand out from the crowd and stop being just another service provider competing on price and constantly chasing clients. We’ll present a big idea and some practical tips for you to implement straight after the event.

How to Create Your BIG Idea

How to Create Your BIG Idea:
The key to attracting your ideal clients more easily is to be known for a BIG idea. An idea your clients use to produce results in their lives/business.
In this webinar you’ll learn:
• Which of the Four Big Ideas is best suited to you
• Create a context that takes your performance to new levels
• Invent the rules that make you an expert in your field.

Why Business Cards And QR Codes Are Important

Why Business Cards And QR Codes Are Important:

Some say that Business cards have gone the way of the dinosaur. I disagree. Much of my business comes from handing out business cards when I am at a show, the post office and just about anywhere. Places like Vista Print and Moo.com offer free business cards. But in all honesty, they are not really all that expensive. Spending $30 can make you hundreds in return.

The information you put on your cards is vital. You need your Company Name, your name, an email address and at least a website address. An address is not as vital as it once was but you can add that as well. Another thing that can be added to your business card is a QR code. It is a Quick Response code or 2d Bar Code. When scanned it acts like clicking a link on a web page.

QR codes can link to any website. Any cell phone with the app for reading QR codes can be taken directly to the link. It is a great thing for your business cards and thank you notes. I suggest creating one for your next set of business cards. Google's URL Shortening service makes it really easy to make one. Just go to http://goo.gl and put in the URL you want the link to go to. After you create the shortened URL copy it and paste it into your address bar and add ".qr" to the end of the address and hit enter. Use your snipping tool or save the image as a .png or .jpg and you are done.

I created this one that takes you directly to my Facebook fan page. It took me less than two minutes to create. So, create one for your next set of business cards. But don't stop there, put it on your thank you notes and your web pages, in your shop, even on a bumper sticker. You never know when someone might scan it.

If you have questions please let me know. I am also open to suggestions for new topics. Just leave a comment and I will reply as soon as I have a moment.

How To Get Your Shop Noticed

How To Get Your Shop Noticed: It would seem that there are a lot of artists, crafters and vintage sellers all after the same bit of disposable income out there. How can you get noticed enough to get a leg up on the competition. There are several things that you can do. You can do free advertising. You can spend some money on advertising. You can write press releases and interviews and submit them to the media.

Free advertising is the only option some of us have. We are already living on a shoestring budget and just do not have the money to advertise. Social Marketing is one really great way to help spread the word about you for free. Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and many more sites allow you to spread the word about you and your product for free. Some do not allow actual links to a shop but any exposure you can get can be a good thing. Trial and error here is free of cost but can take a lot of your time. Time is money so try and make sure you are getting your money's worth.

Paid advertising is good if you can afford it and if you can track the results. Back in the days before the internet the only way to track if advertising was working was an increase in revenue. With all the stats available today you can see how many times your ad was viewed and how many times it was clicked on. Being able to track a paid advertising campaign is great because if it is working you may want to extend it and if it isn't working you will want to move on. Trial and error can be expensive here. Ask your fellow shop owners what has worked for them and try to get as many details as possible.

Lastly, getting interviewed for a blog, newspaper, magazine, radio or TV can really help boost your brand and your sales. Look at the team forums on Etsy and forums on ArtFire or anywhere that a large group of bloggers hang out. Bloggers are always looking for things to blog about. It seems that blogs about people seem to do very well for all involved. Many times it is just a matter of letting a blogger know that you are interested in being interviewed. You can also write up an interview type letter asking and answering interesting questions about you and your business. Make it so easy on the blogger that all they have to do is copy and paste!

Writing press releases and articles and sending them to your local media is a great way to get some exposure. When writing press releases make sure that it is for something that is press worthy like a craft show or fund raiser and how you are donating a portion of your proceeds to a local charity. As for articles, most newspapers have a spotlight on locals. Be sure to send it to the appropriate editor. Make your story concise and to the point and include high resolution photos. 300dpi is usually good enough for print. Be sure the photo is in CMYK because this is generally the color scheme that is used in print. It is also a good idea to send a B&W version of the photo as well. If you are emailing this is easy, if not be sure to either not expect your photo back or send an S.A.S.E. with your submission.

Free advertising is great! Remember to watch how much time you spend on it. Paid advertising eliminates the need for a lot of time being spent on it but can be costly. Writing articles and press releases take time but can get huge amounts of exposure. Remember that the more work you do for the editor the less they have to do. If it is written well enough it will go in the media right away, but it might sit until there is a need for it.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

How to Be A Featured Shop

How to Be A Featured Shop:

I love to feature my fellow artisans! I am always on the lookout for shops that sell beautiful handmade gifts. Do you have a shop and want to be featured on the Artisan Crafted Blog? Here's more info!

What kind of shops can be featured?

• items must be handmade by you

• items are of exceptional taste and execution

• the use of unique or interesting materials

Beautiful photographs are a must. Your photos must be:

• feature-ready, and a minimum of 450 pixels wide. Most times I can copy these from your shop.

• crisp, clear and showcase your items

• well-lit, free of flash spots and harsh shadows

• interestingly cropped, fun angles are a plus

If you are selected, all I ask in return for being featured is that you use social media (facebook, twitter, blog, etc.) to announce your feature when it posts.

Ready to Submit:

Advertising Your Business

Advertising Your Business:

You have to spend money to make money, or so they say. "They" must not have seen my bank balance. A lot of us are in the same boat. We want to make money so we can advertise more so that we can make more money. It is a never ending processes. One which you will have to eventually start if you want to be a successful business. Even companies like Coke and Pepsi spend millions and millions of dollars every year to advertise their products.

This blog has AdWords ads. Small ads appear on the page and if you click on them I make a few cents. Actually even if you do not click on some of the ads and enough people read my blog and have an ad in front of them I might make a few cents. There are two ways that AdWords work. Cost per view and cost per click.

Cost per view means that you pay a small amount for your ad to be shown. It could be clicked on many times but you still only pay a flat rate per impression. Usually you pay per 1000 impressions. The other way, your ad is placed as many times as it takes to get a click, and you only pay for the click, not the amount of times your ad shows up.

Facebook and Google AdWords both are very similar. You are generally bidding for the impression or the click based on the popularity of the key words. The really great thing about both of them is that you set your budget so that you do not go over a certain amount of money. The other great thing is that you can get very targeted in who you advertise to.

One person I know has his ads targeted to only show up on Facebook pages of people who like his competition. That is about as targeted as you can get. It really seems to work for him too. He started out with a $50 a month budget and he is up to a $200 a month budget because he is making back his advertising dollars in a big way. The more he spends the more he makes.

Google and Facebook are just a couple of ways to advertise. You can also buy impressions on blogs or on webzines. I could talk about the different ways to advertise until the cows come home but what it really boils down to is this:

1. Set a budget
2. Target your market
3. Track your progress
4. Rinse and repeat

My advertising campaign, when I can afford it, will consist of placing some ads on Facebook and in magazines that fall within my target market. There are several Renaissance themed magazines that I could advertise in and I will more than likely pick the ones that give you an ad on their website as well as in print.

I would like to hear what advertising has worked for you. Please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email to marketmyshop@gmail.com

Word Of Mouth Advertising

Word Of Mouth Advertising:

The very best form of advertising is word of mouth. You just cannot beat it when someone recommends your product or service to someone. This gives your shop an endorsement of someone who has dealt with you. This is the kind of advertising that we all want. How do you get it?

It does not matter if you are in front of your customer at a show or emailing half a world a way, there are some important things to always remember. The customer may not always be right, but they should always be treated with respect. You cannot make every customer happy but it should be your goal to always try.

Always be up front with them. If you set a time for delivery of a custom product, either deliver on the day stated or contact them BEFORE the deadline to let them know if there is a problem and find out how they would like you to proceed. People are much more forgiving if you let them know that there will be a delay before a deadline. That way, if the item was a gift or time sensitive they have time to figure out if they will have time to get it to the recipient or if they need their money back. Even if you end up issuing a refund, chances are you have not burned any bridges and the customer will remember your honesty and order from you again one day.

The point is, you must go above and beyond at every step of the way to help your customer to remember just how good you and your product are. The better you treat them, the more likely they will be to spread the word. I leave you today with a few tips that may not always help but surely couldn't hurt.

1. Put more than one business card in every order you send out, especially during the holiday season.

2. Take the time to write a thank you note in every order. If your handwriting is hard to read, at least print off a note. Either way, sign it by hand.

3. Offer a discount code to customers that spend money with you. If they buy a $2 product or if they buy a $500 product. 10% off isn't going to break the bank for you and it could mean a repeat customer.

4. Answer questions as soon as you get them.

5. Ask your customer if they would like to be added to your mailing list for snail mail or email or both. Believe me, getting a Holiday card in the mail will be something your customer will remember forever.

6. Follow up. After you are sure the package has arrived, send an email asking how they liked the product and maybe remind them to enter some feedback for you.

7. Be polite. If you are a grumpy person before coffee, answer emails after coffee.

Please feel free to help add to this list with some comments.

Google Insights for Search - Web Search Interest: handmade jewelry, handmade jewellery, beaded necklace, beaded jewelry - Worldwide, Last 12 months

Google Insights for Search - Web Search Interest: handmade jewelry, handmade jewellery, beaded necklace, beaded jewelry - Worldwide, Last 12 months:

'via Blog this'

Behind in Tagging

Hi all, Just wanted to let you know I'm pretty behind in "Lables" on the posts. Might want to look to the Archive, or search on the keywords listed to the left to get a full listing of postings.

Stay Safe & Be Happy
~elaine

Bringing Influence to Your Site | Klout Widgets

Bringing Influence to Your Site | Klout Widgets: ""

'via Blog this'

Market My Shop: How To Get Your Shop Noticed

Market My Shop: How To Get Your Shop Noticed: It would seem that there are a lot of artists, crafters and vintage sellers all after the same bit of disposable income out there. How can y...

Market My Shop: How To Take Better Pictures

Market My Shop: How To Take Better Pictures: "How do I take better pictures?" That is the second most asked question I get. The answer is simple, I really don't know. I am not a photog...