Socialfix founder Terry Tateossian recently had the pleasure of traveling to Cork, Ireland with Leading Women Entrepreneurs & Business Owners and B.I.G (Believe, Inspire, Grow). The experience was great as it shows that LWE is becoming a globally recognized organization for their strong women’s empowerment message. You can read all about the trip published by North Jersey Woman magazine by clicking here.  Check out photos from the trip below.

We would like to take the time to say thank you to Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, New Jersey for allowing us to shoot the 2014 Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneur Interviews. We were privileged to meet and shoot 25 of the most influential, and successful women entrepreneurs from the New Jersey/ New York area. Not sure how we are going to top the location for next year!

SmartCEO Webinar by Socialfix Media

Whether in daily life or digital marketing, we are sure you know actions speak louder than words.  Far louder, the greatest action you can take as a creative leader is to inspire your team.  Once tapped, a source of inspiration can spread like a winter storm blanketing everything in its path.

But you must first be that source, and we are here to show you that inspiration is an open door.  Just as the best education can be teaching, you must first be inspired to become inspiring yourself.

Let’s stick with the concept of winter for a simple comparison.

Have you ever tried to learn ice climbing?  Hard to imagine, hanging from a frozen waterfall on a mountainside, fifty-something feet in the air with nothing to hold onto but the picks in your hands and the spikes on your feet.  Yet confidence in your guide is confidence in yourself, and ultimately you will be rewarded with one of the most exhilarating experiences imaginable.

Now imagine that your guide is disinterested, as though he’d rather be elsewhere?  Perhaps he is overly critical, or perhaps he’s only interested in showing you how good of a climber he is instead of teaching.   Even worse, perhaps he’s not a good climber at all, merely a beginner and in no place to be entrusted with your life.

As that climbing student, it’s going to be pretty hard to feel confident as you’re hanging there in the freezing cold.  Your confidence will soon be replaced by insecurity; and eventually inspiration’s greatest nemesis will take hold: doubt.

A good guide knows that getting his team to the top is not about how well he can climb, but how well he can keep his team climbing.

In the office it is no different, as a creative leader must realize that his best work is achieved by helping others to be their best.  It is the number one way to ensure that a team will deliver the best results.  The key to this is to remember that a leader works for his team, not the other way around

In the unforgiving terrain of winter, ego can cost lives.  In the office, it can cost you your livelihood.  Too often talent has been squandered by the ego of a leader who mistakenly believes the team’s job is to serve him.

One doesn’t need to top out triple pitch ice climbs to be inspiring after all!  It’s far less complicated, and can be summed up in six tiny letters: W-h-a-t –  I-f?

Try it on for size.  What if there was a way to climb on ice?  What if we built the tools that could allow a human to climb on ice?  What if we sent a team out into the Himalayas with these tools, and that team wound up standing on the highest mountains in the world?

Starting to get the gist?

Beware that doubt, inspiration’s arch nemesis, can manipulate those six letters to his own will.

Doubt will try to use “What If” to get you to focus on fear of risk, rather than the strides forward that can occur when a risk is taken.  Fear is doubt’s greatest ally, and they will work together to destroy an idea by replacing inspiration with insecurity.

Yet when nurtured, inspiration can create amazing things in the face of doubt.  Just remember: you can’t ask your team to be more creative.  It’s like asking them to get younger by simply not aging anymore.  It just doesn’t work that way.

Instead, inspire them to create by giving them the tools they need to do so.

Give your team the equipment they need to climb.  Help them into their harnesses, and tie into the rope together with you at the lead.  And when you hit the crux of your climb, hoist them onto your shoulders so they can see the top before you do.  We guarantee that these are the actions that inspire.  And we’re pretty sure that everyone will enjoy the view from the top.

Socialfix Media is a full service digital marketing agency that offers over 200 years of combined business, marketing, design and development experience, our team will deliver out-of-the-box online branding, strategy, web development, and social media outreach. We are not just consultants with nothing vested. We’ve tested and implemented our methods on our own businesses and always have our eye on our customer’s return on investment! Give us a call to see what we can do to bring your business to the forefront!

Socialfix knows that the social media elements of building a successful brand are like a swirling storm threatening on the horizon. Darcy Gaetcher knows a bit about storms as well, having just become the first woman in history to kayak the 4,000 plus miles of the Amazon River in a single, 148-day trip. Through dedication, an idea first scribbled on a cocktail napkin was mapped into a well executed plan that eventually catapulted Darcy into the history books.

Just like Darcy, Socialfix knows the daily battle it takes to navigate the storm of brand building to keep your company moving forward, and by following the map below, you will be sure to get farther than you ever imagined possible.

Definition
It may not be the Amazon, but your brand needs a destination to begin the development process. Nike’s brand destination is to “Just Do It,” while T.G.I. Friday’s promises that “In here, it’s always Friday!”
This is not just a clever statement, but also a promise of what will be delivered and experienced when a customer chooses your company or product so, it is important to maintain the following standards:
Honesty: Promise only what your brand can successfully deliver.
Inspiration: Your brand should inspire and improve both the lives of your customers and the world around them.
Concision: There is a reason companies find a way to get their point across in five words or less. Make sure your brand destination can do the same.
Develop
Just like the Amazon, you must map your brand’s destination with landmarks to keep you on track. Keep your eye on these four:
Trust: Ensure that your brand delivers the product or experience that is consistent with your brand destination’s promise.

Remarkability: Find ways to do things better than the competition, such as free shipping or a better warranty.

Unmistakability: Make your brand unmistakable by setting yourself apart from the rest.

Irreplaceability: Establish an emotional connection between your brand and customers so that they perceive it as irreplaceable.

Deliver
Just as the Amazon was carefully navigated, a brand is built with each positive interaction with your customers, and hindered by each negative interaction. Keep your brand growing by always delivering results consistent with what you have promised. These are your key elements:

Employees: Representing your brand daily, they should know what it stands for and why your customers love it.

Messaging: Your customers must experience a consistent brand message from the beginning to the end.

Technology: keep your software content and interactions with customers consistent.

Diagnose
The Amazon often forced Gaechter’s team to re-assess and adjust their plan. Continuously monitor your brand and make necessary adjustments as needed by keeping your eyes on the following:

Customers: Social media is a great advantage to monitor interaction between customer and brand.

Stakeholders: What are those who work for, with, or sell your brand saying about it?

Competition: What differentiates your brand from the rest?

Website: Is your website up to date, accurate, and turning visitors into leads?

Messaging: Keep your brand message consistent across website, social media, and email.

Just like the Amazon River, Socialfix is here to help you navigate the storm of building a successful brand. Along your journey, remember to follow the guidelines above, and you will find your branding adventure an unparalleled success!

Hundreds of professionals gathered together to share their knowledge and experience last Wednesday at the third annual NYC Finance Expo. The expo is the only one in New York that focuses solely on the areas of banking, finance, and real estate. It’s a great opportunity for businesses to learn more about their fields from experienced and accomplished professionals, while providing excellent networking opportunities. Founders and CEO’s from companies involved in areas like mortgaging, accounting and even social media all gathered at  the historic Roosevelt Hotel in New York City to share their knowledge. Some of the speaker’s included Ann Kayman, CEO of the New York Grant Company, David Hansel, President of Alpha Funding Solutions, and Terry Tateossian, founder and lead technical engineer of Socialfix Media. The expo is a great place for businesses and exhibitors wishing to expand their brand. Not only did the panelists discuss in depth knowledge of their field, but covered many upcoming trends foreseen in the markets.

Among many of the presenters and exhibitors of the expo was Socialfix Media, which hosted their own networking and social media room. Terry Tateossian, the founder and lead technical engineer of Socialfix, gave presentations about how to best use social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to represent their business. There was also a presentation about how to use video marketing to get clients, by Socialfix’s CMO and lead digital strategist Ken Krysinksi. The panel also included presentations from other professionals such as Deena Baikowitz, the Chief Networking Officer of Fireball Network who gave a workshop on networking skills andJulie Duquet, a design consultant from Nomadic Display that gave a presentation on the essentials of branding.

The social media website is re-designing the way its users profile pages are set up.

Twitter has decided to create an all-new design for its users profiles. Currently the update is only available to select high profile users, but will soon be open for everyone. The process of applying for this new profile is extremely simple, requiring a user to only visit a new section of the Twitter and click a button. The change is optional and those that wish to keep their current profile layout still can, however it is very likely that in the future the new style will become mandatory. Facebook also went through a similar profile design change that began as optional but eventually became required by all users. Twitter seems to be going down the same path.  The new look of the profile also resembles the layout on Facebook. Background images will no longer be see and instead users will be able to display a larger profile picture as well as a header picture, which will take up the whole width of the screen.

In addition to the new look the profiles will also have several new features. One of these features is Best Tweets. The messages that have received the most interaction will be larger so they can be easily distinguished from less popular messages. Users can also pin a message to their page so others looking at their profile can easily view it. Users will also have the option of filtering their messages based on whether or not they have photos, videos, or replies attached to them.

All over the world people have taken to social media to express their opinions

For over one hundred days now three reporters from the broadcaster AL-Jazeera have been held prisoner in Egypt.  Thanks to social media their case has been spread all over the world. Ordinary people with no connection to the reporters, their network or even their country now have been given access to the information about their situation and the power to do something about it.  A campaign on the social media site Twitter has recently emerged to try and help release the three men.

According to Ahram Online “The campaign on Monday – under the hashtag #FreeAJstaff – featured journalists from the BBC and various Al-Jazeera channels, who posted photos on Twitter with their mouths covered with tape while holding banners reading “Free AJStaff” and “Journalism is not crime.” Even among the mass amounts of information on the internet, the Twitter hash tag allows everything about the AL-Jazeera case to be put together and easily accessible. Its trending status allows it to be easily seen, followed and has spread to people all over the world, giving then an accessible outlet to voice their opinion.

The mass spread of the information on the subject has sparked real world action. Many have gathered outside BBC’s building in London (BBCnews) and  several have arranged protests in South Africa (The Independent). When enough people support a cause it can have an enormous impact. Social media allows people to become more involved in affairs all over the world and express their opinions, creating movements that would not have been possible in the past. Protestors can gather hundreds of miles away  and still create a massive effect.   Every individual has the power to help change the world and social media gives them the perfect opportunity to do it.

How to respond to the new surge of mobile searching

Google has recently stated that by the end of the year, the amount of searches made on mobile devices will exceed those made on desktop computers. (Fishkin).  With this knowledge some business may be eager to try and enhance their mobile experience or be fearful if they have none at all. Before making any drastic changes these businesses should know that even though mobile searches are greatly increasing it does not mean the end of desktop searching.

One of the reasons that mobile searches are suddenly becoming much more popular is because new up and coming areas of the world are starting out mobile. All of these new users are coming into the market and instead of starting with desktops like many other areas did, they are immediately going to mobile devices. Another large group going straight to mobile devices are the younger generations. The great rise in mobile searches is coming from emerging groups and is not taking away from those who use desktop searching. If a businesses target audience is not in any these groups then they should not worry too much about this news from Google. However if a business does wish to improve its mobile SEO, MOZ.com has a few tips to help them.

“You want visitors who come via these channels, who come via mobile search, in particular, to want to come back later, and that means providing an experience, providing a brand experience, providing a message that’s really clear about what your company, product, information can offer them and why they should return in the future, why they should like you and trust you, why you’re a good site for them to check out in the future when they might have more of those transactional things, because chances are they’re not going to do them on that first mobile experience.” (Fishkin).

When a user first visits a mobile site they don’t actually make any purchases or do anything too in-depth. They get a feel for the site and its features and if they like what they experience they will return and go deeper. A mobile site that is fast, responsive, and provides a pleasant experience for the user, will give it a higher rating with Google. A common mistake that  sites make is forcing users to download apps or use overlays to advertise. Both of these things can be extremely obnoxious to viewers and will negatively impact their experience. The best thing a site can do for its SEO is make sure it provides its viewers with the best experience possible.