Trent Jordan's Blog

Many small business owners are very excited about their new companies. They have a million things on their minds. Mainly they are concerned with ways to bring in more money. Few are thinking about the marketing side of running their new company. This is an unfortunate truth which can and should be easily corrected.

Trent Jordan believes that in order to get your business to start making a steady stream of money you are going to have you get your name out there. Trent Jordan also believes that there are few people who are using the most cost effective means for doing this. The most cost effective way to market your new company is to use the power of social media.

The social media outlets have become widely popular among people of all age groups. They are a fun place for people to get together to share pictures, thoughts, ideas, or just how their day has been going. Trent Jordan says that is is also a place where a lot of business marketing is done. When your friends on one of these social networks tells you about a new business that they just love, you are likely to act. This is the kind of word of mouth advertising that is done in the virtual world. Businesses, particularly small businesses should take advantage of this recent trend and start getting their name out there in the virtual world.

Trent Jordan reminds us that most social media sites allow you to sign up for free to use their sites. This means that the potential cost for some social media marketing is $0. Trent Jordan believes that this is just about the best that you can do in the world of small business marketing.

The disaster in the Gulf Course is a tragedy that hasn’t been seen in the United States since the World Trade Center attacks during 9/11. Millions of people are being effected, from the fisherman who can not fish anymore, to the business owners who are forcing to shut their doors because there are no customers to serve. Luckily, there are people out there that are helping, and Trent Jordan knows that certain social networking platforms are helping the victims of the Gulf Coast oil spill.

Apps

There are many apps available on the iPhone and iPod touch that let the user report oil if they see it. This is great because oftentimes the oil washes up so fast that the government and others in charge of cleaning up simply cannot keep track of it all. With regular people able to report the oil that problem is completely erased. Trent Jordan knows about this wonderful method, and now you do too.

Adopt a Beach

This is similar to the popular “Adopt a Highway” program used in many states. When you adopt a beach, you are in charge of cleaning it up, but you get the pride and satisfaction of knowing that you made a difference in many people’s lives.

National Wildlife Federation

The National Wildlife Federation is utilizing several social networking platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, to organize the efforts of thousands of people in order to help clean up the beaches.

Great New Orleans Foundation

Trent Jordan also knows that the Greater New Orleans Foundation is turning their website into a virtual “command center” in an effort to expedite help to the Gulf region. The organization is using Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and various blogs in an effort to raise money for the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund. Utilizing these Social Networking sites he is able to reach thousands of people without a lot of cost.

Trent Jordan was intrigued to hear that Google could be gearing up to release their own new social media platform, to be called Google Me, and has been listening to the rumors as they spread. It appears that there may be some truth behind the current batch of rumors, although this is not the first time that people have speculated the Internet giant Google was up to something.

Some of the more credible sources on the Internet have recently been sharing stories about Google Me, which makes Trent Jordan place rather more faith in these rumors than in some of their predecessors. Multiple sources have been claiming that the rumored new social networking media platform from Google is very real and could be very close.

Trent Jordan has been aware for some time that Google has been looking for a way to challenge Facebook. They have been making promises to Internet users that their Twitter style social network, Google Buzz, will soon be improved. It may be that Google Me will be this improvement, as well as their challenge against Facebook.

Facebook has been receiving bad press in recent times due to problems with security and privacy settings on the site. If Google really wants to launch a social media platform that will compete with Facebook, then this could be the time and the way to do it. By offering a networking platform that provides the security and peace of mind that Facebook has been found to lack, then Google could set themselves up as the next big thing in social media.

There is as yet very little information about what Internet users can expect from Google Me. Other than the name, which could itself very well be changed, there are few clues about what the platform will do and what it will be like to use. Without knowing more about the platform, it is impossible to tell whether Google Me will actually pose much of a threat to Facebook.

One aspect of running a small business that is often overlooked is the ability of that business to stay connected with its customers. Fortunately for the small business owner this is usually easier to do than it is for a larger business. However, even many small businesses neglect to pay close attention to the demands of their customers. Trent Jordan tells us that one way to amend this problem is to use social media marketing.

The social media outlets have millions of ordinary people logging on every day. These are the people that you are actually selling to. They are the ones who keep your business running. This is Trent Jordan says you should open a social media page to hear what they have to say. You would be surprised by the amount of feedback that you can get from customers if you are willing to come to them through the medium of their choice (social media).

Trent Jordan likes the fact that you can sign up for most social media sites for free. This means that you will be able to get the feedback that is so valuable to you at no monetary cost. All you have to do is be willing to put a little time and effort to keep your page updated. If you throw in some discounts to customers that visit your page online then you are almost certain to get some visitors. These visitors may leave you feedback or talk to their friends about your products or services. Trent Jordan believes that this is one of the greatest tools that any small business owner can possibly have. Trent Jordan says that all small business owner should utilize this free tool that is available to them every day of the week.

Social media advertising is a new way for small businesses (and large) to advertise their products and services. Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace attract as many as 1 billion users each year, creating an advertising campaign on one of these sites can greatly increase the traffic that is funneled to your website and the amount of business that you receive. Trent Jordan knows how you can utilize social networking sites for their fullest potential – why shouldn’t you?
The reason that social media advertising is starting to become more popularand widely used is because social networking sites are increasing in popularity at an extraordinary rate. As a reference point, in 2008, Twitter had about 500,000 tweets sent per day. Today, there are about 65 million tweets sent per day. Trent Jordan recognized this amazing growth of social networking sites and has capitalized on it, reaping extraordinary results.

There are many benefits associated with advertising on social networking sites. Below are some of the main pros associated with them.

Lower cost – on average, the cost to advertise on social networking sites is lower than to advertise using more traditional platforms such as Google Adsense

More people – there are many more people who will be able to view your ad on social networking websites

Easier – advertising on social networking websites are easier than other platforms. All you do is pick your ad and pay the website, and they will do the rest.

Trent Jordan recognizes all of the advantages associated with social media advertising, and that is why he advertises with social networking websites. It is one of the most efficient and cheap forms of advertising available on the net, with results comparable to other forms of advertising like Google Adsense, but much less expensive.

Rumors have been circulating online that the Internet giant Google is getting ready to take on another of the biggest names online, Facebook. Apparently, Google is preparing to launch its own social media and networking platform in a bid to take a share in the increasing popularity of social media websites.

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Social media may not be the first means that springs to mind when an oil spill needs to be cleared up, but Trent Jordan has discovered a number of online tools that have been using social networking media to help in the effort to clean up the gulf coast.

Trent Jordan understands how social media can be harnessed to organize activity at a grassroots level. Various non-profit organizations and groups of interested people have made use of the Internet to help solve the problems caused by the Gulf oil spill.

These online tools show just how powerful social media and the Internet can be. Trent Jordan was very impressed by the efforts that have been made online to help the gulf coast.

The Oil Reporter application, created by Crisis Commons has been helping people to keep up-to-date with the crisis by providing them with real time data about what is happening on the ground. Users of the app are able to upload their own images and videos and to use it to report sightings of wildlife in need of help. The data that is gathered is also being used at the visualization center at San Diego State in order to create new visualization tools.

Crisis Commons has also been working with the San Diego university visualization center to organize the Adopt a Beach program. This initiative allows anyone with a computer to help process hi resolution images of the beaches in the area affected by the oil and to report any oil or distressed animals that are seen. The data that is gathered will be made available to people on the ground who are working to clean up the oil.

The website of the Greater New Orleans Foundation has been converted into a command center for the crisis. The site is being used to spread the word about the disaster, to help people in the area take an active role in coping with the problem, and to generate donations that will be used to help commercial fishers along the coast.

The National Wildlife Federation has been running a social media campaign to raise funds and to organize volunteers to help clean up the oil or to help with the online fundraising and administrative work.

A recent report published by the online research specialist Nielsen has confirmed the belief held by Trent Jordan in the power of social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter. These sites are among the most popular on the web and they can have a powerful influence over the way people shop. Any business that is interested in reaching customers online should pay attention to social networking and media sites if they want to succeed. (more…)

There are many changes that social media has triggered in the business world thanks to pioneers such as Trent Jordan who have paved the way for businesses of all sizes and varieties to market their goods and services and keep track of their online reputations through social networks. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networking sites have not only changed the way people connect and communicate with one another, they have also changed the way businesses connect with customers. And many experts, including speakers at the recent North Bay SocialBiz 2010 Social Media Conference, believe the value in these sites from a business perspective is still largely untapped. (more…)

If your business has begun to utilize the enormous potential of the various social media sites, then you may have already noticed a huge increase in your profits. Every day, many businesses are discovering how they can skyrocket their profits by interacting with their customers and prospects on sites like Facebook and Twitter. However, most of these businesses haven’t even begun to tap into the huge profit potential that is available by using social media websites. They haven’t yet realized that social media can transform their business from a modest domestic company into an international stalwart. (more…)