3 Reasons to Consider G+

Over the past few months, we have seen Google try once again to broaden their focus into the social

Getting Started in Social Media: Answering the Vital Questions

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Google+, Digg, Flickr, Reddit.  You have been tasked with takin

How to Create a Group in Sage SalesLogix

Description: Groups are a collection of accounts, contacts, opportunities, or tickets that share a s

 

3 Reasons to Consider G+

February 2, 2012 in Marketing, SyncSite U

Over the past few months, we have seen Google try once again to broaden their focus into the social space with Google+.  Last month, Google reported G+ now has over 90 million users (announced here).  As many still remain skeptical, it is key to look at 3 reasons Google+ might be a fit for your business.

Most of the marketing beliefs shared here are based on the idea that social, mobile, and video are the three growth areas for marketers in the near future.

1.  Social, Search, Video, Email, Analytics – How long did we honestly believe all of the Google platforms would stay independent?  As a marketer, we should be calling for Google to integrate these platforms in some degree.  Imagine small businesses being able to manage keyword advertising (Google Search), video advertising (YouTube), social advertising (G+), and tracking progress (Analytics).

2.  Search Engine Optimization – There has been some outcry about Google promoting content recommended by friends or pages ahead of other social platforms like Twitter and Facebook, but would you have it any other way?  It makes sense that they would show related opinions from your contacts just as much as they tailor keywords to your search.  The more information we receive while we search should produce a faster and easier search experience.

Side note: for all of the people upset about Google incorporating social into search, be aware that Facebook is surely working on incorporating search into their social network.  Have you noticed how your search for certain terms will show related accounts on Facebook, recent posts, and Bing results from the web?

3.  Analytics – The Google Analytics platform might be one of the best things offered to the business community.  Gaining insights into website visits, clicks, and conversions is vital in optimizing content and planning future marketing campaigns.  If Google opens up the platform to integrate with YouTube channels and social profiles, marketers won’t have to worry about limited access to profile data and rely on analytics that some of us aren’t sure what it really means (insights).

If you are wanting to get started and not sure how, learn how here.

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Getting Started in Social Media: Answering the Vital Questions

December 1, 2011 in Marketing

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Google+, Digg, Flickr, Reddit.  You have been tasked with taking your business social.  A few weeks ago you had it all figured out and then Google decides to drop a bomb on your plans with the launch of Google+.  The one naysayer in the organization is telling you why social media is unpredictable, useless, and offers no ROI.

The problem I have seen is that businesses are approaching social media from the wrong view point.  The social platforms are a way to simply engage with your fans.  Get away from the email spam mindset.  It is all about supporting your customers by responding to questions, receiving feedback and connecting on a deeper level.

Let’s look at some of the popular questions we see being asked:

What platforms do I join?  If your job is to use social media to care for your customers, you should join the platforms where your customers currently communicate.  If you think your user base is not using social media, make sure you do your homework, and possibly help them navigate the social media waters once they are ready.  Do the research and find out where the conversation is happening.

How much content should I post?  I was at a conference recently where I heard a speaker say that you shouldn’t tweet more than once per day.  If social media is about having conversations, that would be like asking a friend to a coffee shop and saying one sentence the entire time you were together.  The amount of content depends on the conversation.

What is the ROI?  Companies are wanting to know the direct impact of social media for an organization.  Take it back to thinking about social media as a platform to offer stronger customer relationships.  My question back is a simple one, “what is the ROI of customer service?”

Social media is only a bubble, so why get involved?  Some believe that we are only going through a phase where we will one day drop all social platforms and return to the old ways.  Really?  When was the last time you got in your car and said, “I really want to trade in my car for a horse and buggy?”  or “I want to get rid of my iPhone and get a car phone.”  The individual platforms might change over the coming years (Facebook to Google+), but using technology to better connect to your customers and prospects isn’t going to change.

Ignoring the importance of social media might be as dangerous as Blockbuster ignoring Netflix or Borders thinking Amazon was irrelevant.  Agree or disagree, either way join the conversation.

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How to Create a Group in Sage SalesLogix

December 1, 2011 in SyncSite U, Tips & Tricks

Description:

Groups are a collection of accounts, contacts, opportunities, or tickets that share a specific condition or characteristic. Groups are used to work with a subset of accounts, contacts, opportunities, or tickets, select data to print on reports, and to send mailings, e-mails, and faxes using the mail merge feature. An account, contact, opportunity, or ticket can be a member of more than one group. Groups can be shared among users.

There are two types of groups:

Standard Groups: (usually referred to as a ‘dynamic group’)
A group based on a specific set of conditions. Each time the group is opened, the accounts, contacts, opportunities, and tickets are re-evaluated using the defined conditions. For example, to target specific accounts for a sales campaign featuring a specific product line, a conditional statement can be built to look for active accounts that purchased related products during the past year. Accounts that meet these conditions are placed in a group and a mail merge can be used to send promotional material to the accounts in the group.

Ad Hoc Groups: There are also times where there is no clear set of conditions to define the correct accounts, contacts, or opportunities for a group. In these instances, an ad hoc group is created. Unlike groups based on conditional statements, ad hoc groups are static: the contacts, accounts, opportunities, and tickets remain the same unless the group is edited. For example, there are 20 tickets to a golf tournament and 19 contacts are invited. It is potentially difficult to create a set of conditions that selects the 19 contacts. Instead, select the contacts from the Contact List view and save the selected contacts in an ad hoc group called Golf Tournament.

Possible Resolution:

To create a Standard Group using group manager:

  1. In list view, right-click and select ‘Manage Groups’
  2. Highlight the group category (i.e. Accounts, Contacts, etc)
  3. Click the ‘Add’ button
  4. Click the ‘Properties’ tab
  5. Enter a NAME and DESCRIPTION for the group
  6. Click the ‘Conditions’ tab
  7. Create one or more conditional statements to select the data
  8. If necessary, use any of the following Query Builder tabs:
    1. Layout tab – Used to define which data appears in the list view
    2. Sorting tab -  Used to define how the data is sorted
    3. Appearance tab – Used to define the fonts, colors, and so on
    4. Defaults tab – Used to define ownership criteria
  9. Click the ‘OK’ button
    The Group Manager dialog box reappears, displaying the new group
  10. Select ‘Hide Tab’ to prevent the group tab from appearing in the list view
  11. Click the ‘Close’ button

To create a Standard Group from the List view:

  1. Right-click any group tab and choose ‘Add Group’
  2. Click the ‘Properties’ tab
  3. Enter a NAME and DESCRIPTION for the group
  4. Click the ‘Conditions’ tab
  5. Create one or more conditional statements to select the data
  6. If necessary, use any of the following Query Builder tabs:
    1. Layout tab – Use to define which data appears in the list view.
    2. Sorting tab – Use to define how the data is sorted.
    3. Appearance tab – Use to define the fonts, colors, and so on.
    4. Defaults tab – Use to define ownership criteria.
  7. Click the ‘OK’ button

To create an Ad-hoc group:

  1. From the Account, Contact, or Opportunity List view, highlight one or more records
  2. Right-click anywhere in the grid and choose ‘Add Selected Members to New Group’
  3. Click the ‘Properties’ tab
  4. Enter a NAME and DESCRIPTION for the group
  5. If necessary, use any of the following Query Builder tabs:
    1. Layout tab – Use to define which data appears in the list view
    2. Sorting tab – Use to define how the data is sorted
    3. Appearance tab – Use to define the fonts, colors, and so on
    4. Defaults tab – Use to define ownership criteria
  6. Click the ‘OK’ button

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Twitter 101

December 1, 2011 in Marketing

Basic Overview from Twitter – Twitter gives this brief intro about it’s platform

Twitter is an information network. Millions of people, organizations, and businesses use it to discover and share new information.

On Twitter, anyone can read, write and share messages of up to 140 characters. These messages, or Tweets, are public and available to anyone interested in them. Twitter users subscribe to your messages by following your account. Followers receive every one of your messages in their timeline, a feed of all the accounts they have subscribed to.

When you combine messages that are quick to write, easy to read, public, opt-in, and accessible anywhere, you have a powerful, real-time way of communicating.

Mention – The easiest way to communicate directly with other users is through a mention.  In speaking or referencing another user, simply add the @ symbol before the user name.  Example: Excited about @syncsite implementing our BI and CRM solution this week. 

Retweet – With Twitter being based on communication, you will find yourself wanting to share others tweets to your users.  The act of tweeting another tweet is called a retweet.  Click the Retweet button to share tweets with your followers.

Message – Not everything is meant to be public, so when you need a bit of privacy, you can send direct messages to users.  Although you can mention or retweet about any user, you can only message users who follow you. To send a message, place a D and the user name at the beginning of your tweet.  Example: D syncsite What time do you want to get coffee today?

Hashtag – Having conversations around certain subjects is easy with the ability to use hashtags.  Hashtags can be as organized around events or activities or used to portray feeling in a tweet.  Example: Great to be headed to #SageSummit for a week of learning and networking.

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