Your old-fangled marketing on new-fangled channels comes across as spammy and you know how much everyone detests spam. 
Free PowerPoint templates and backgrounds from Presentation magazine. A wide range of free professional and business quality Power Point templates.
I'm always on the lookout for new, interesting, and professional PPT templates so I can build my storied presentations to fit each context I'm working in.
So here's another resource for free templates. I poked around and found many I liked. I hope you find some great ones also! Via Baiba Svenca, Karen Dietz 
Unfortunately, when it comes to your small business website, image is everything. 
This well thought out post by John Jantsch of Ducttape Marketing helps to put new tools, like Pinterest, into perspective for small businesses.
He says "it’s the search for the next big thing that is hurting many businesses" and I agree. He goes on to say "You know what the next big thing for every business is? Find a way to clearly differentiate what you’re doing and how you’re doing it and why you’re doing it from everyone else that says they are doing what you’re doing. That’s the next big thing. Pinterest then might actually be used as a tactic to support that, but never the other way around." 
From Karen: We all get stuck sometimes coming up with new business stories we can share on our blogs, in our presentations, in our websites, newsletters, and the like. So what to do? Follow these ideas to get your story juices flowing again. Thank you fellow curator Michele Smorgon for this article!
By Danny Iny - http://bit.ly/xF6Hkm @DannyIny Sometimes you’re just flat out of ideas. It’s not a matter of talent — you’ve written great stuff in the past. But lately, when you go back to the well for a fresh idea, it’s coming up dry.
This happens to the best of us — even veterans who consistently produce quality content have their off days.
Yet they continue to write.
They do it by pulling out the well-worn toolbox of strategies for creating awesome content.
This is what we do with our Best of the Web - http://bit.ly/y5q4dr - feature, and there are lots of other examples: Via maxOz, Karen Dietz 
Every day I’m asked how companies can create content that will be engaging enough that people will take the time to consume and then share it with others. 
Pinterest, the scrapbooking site that’s suddenly on everyone’s lips, is like a gift from the social media gods for style-conscious retailers. 
As a freelancer, twitter is without doubt an important tool to spread your word across the web. If you need advices about how you can do it, this post is perfect for you. [note Martin Gysler]
Social media applications such as Twitter can be effectively utilized as a tool for freelancers like yourself to promote your services. In a time when the world is connected through the internet, failing to employ such a simple strategy to connect with your potential and existing clients is a waste of opportunity. Remember that you are promoting to the rest of the world each time you post something in Twitter.
The content then, is what matters. You can update your existing clients on your latest projects and network with freelancers like yourself. In your Twitter, you may link your followers to your professional blog where they can further explore your work and even better, re-tweet it to their own network. All these can bring you more business in the long run as these people go on to recommend you to potential clients.
Here are five possible ways to make good use of Twitter for your freelance business:...
Read more: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tips-leverage-twitter-for-freelance-business/ Via Martin Gysler Pinterest is a virtual pinboard where you can organize and share images and videos you discover on the web. Via Beth Kanter 
Some months ago I was waiting heart-in-mouth to run a corporate story session for eight alpha-males preparing to sell their extremely lucrative data analytics business. They had convened at 8.30 for a high-level strategy meeting before starting my session at 9.00. Would I be able to convince these men they needed stories? Would I be able to facilitate these techy geeks to find their stories? Loud testosterone fuelled laughter emanated from the boardroom and I heard the golden words from the CEO, "before we start let me finish my story".
The author goes on to discuss the power of business storytelling, and the danger for companies as well.
This is a very well balanced article with good cautions and tips. Enjoy! Via Karen Dietz 
RT @pamdyer: How luxury retailers can use Facebook's new features http://t.co/Bj2QXykv Brands will be able to create more engaging content... 
I selected this because the Timeline on Facebook because their rollout is continuing to move forward and there are important links you should know about.
As we all know, the Facebook timeline is the new way to Tell your life story through photos, friendships and personal milestones like graduating or traveling to new places.
Selected by Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Business and Beyond"
See article here: [https://www.facebook.com/about/timeline] Via janlgordon 
If promoting your company is your task and yours alone, here's your to-do list. |
I want to acknowledge Alison Harrison a fellow curator on Scoopit who did an outstanding job of curating this video.
Useful presentation from Shel Holtz that shows actual examples of curation for internal communications.
Needless to say, there is a ton of useful, practical information in this presentation. It is an hour long ( including Q&A) but it's definitely worth it!
Selected by Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Business and Beyond"
See video here [http://vimeo.com/30168580] Via Alison Harrison, janlgordon 
In our social entrepreneurship series, The World at Work, Mashable interviews the faces behind the startups and projects that are working to mak…... 
Great article by Julie Rogier of Rogier Communications on the key website questions to ask to ensure your sanity and success. Pass along to anyone looking to build new or refresh their website. 
Personal Branding is not a new concept and not just a strategy for high profile individuals anymore. Social media has changed all of that and each and everyone of us needs to shape how we're portrayed to the world. Otherwise, the public will do it for us. This article opens with a great quote by Tom Peters from 1997 that really hits home the message that personal branding is a fundamental state of mind for all entrepreneurs and job seekers.
I don't often curate articles that explain why storytelling is important but I simply could not resist this Prezi presentation!
It is a terrific example of turning what would normally be a typical blog post into a visual presentation. It's creative and instructional with lots of great material and tips on business storytelling -- and video examples imbedded into it!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :) Via Karen Dietz 
Infographic from CopyBlogger Gives You Both Inspiration and Practical Tips 
The social media world is changing daily. In other words, we must be alert and aware of the new tools that could support us in our approach. This interesting article speaks about some "new" tools that can also help us to go towards to success. [note Martin Gysler]
It’s time to teach that old dog some new tricks.
That old dog I’m referring to is social media.
Sure, you’re already blogging, and on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, and more. Great.
But I’m telling you — there’s more to social media than meets the eye. The final chapter on social media hasn’t been written.
When I kicked off my writing business in April, I decided to use social media my way.
I approached these overused networks as if I’d never heard of them. I made my own rules. I set different expectations. You could say I wrote my own chapter on social media marketing.
Read more: http://www.copyblogger.com/creative-social-media/ Via Martin Gysler Social media is a source of endless discussion. With the advent of new tools and / or platforms every day, keep up has become a challenge. But some among the many are the undisputed leaders and decide largely on what will be the future. This slide presentation may give us interesting information on the trends and what might we expect in 2012 and beyond. [note Martin Gysler]
Social networking is the #1 activity online. Even though Google gets the most visitors, Facebook is where most of us are spending our time. And it’s not just about Facebook anymore. We are spending a lot of time on LinkedIn, YouTube, Tumblr and Twitter. While there are some clear major players in the social space, the social media universe continues to expand and 2011 was a banner year for the idea of an "Interest Graph."
In 2011, we saw Google launching Google+ and Pinterest grewing at an astounding rate. Facebook launched "Timeline" and "frictionless sharing" with partners like the much anticipated Spotify. Facebook also acquired design companies and the team behind Gowalla, showing the company’s intent to provide a consistent experience across devices and becoming a more prominent player in the mobile space.
Via Martin Gysler 
When you're marketing your small business you often find yourself recalling different situations and moments that best illustrate what you're trying t (I agree.
OK -- after watching these 3 videos I only counted 1 story among all of them -- and it was a story fragment at that. Bummer, because I was really excited to listen to some great storytelling based on the blog author's descriptions.
So what are these videos? Profiles. Full of concepts and information. Please don't do what these folks did. Tell stories!
Each one of these videos could have been dynamite if the owners had shared the defining moment that got them to start their business.
Each one of these videos could have been awesome if they had shared a customer story.
Each one of these videos could have been riveting if the owners had shared their vision of the future.
Those are the kinds of stories we want to hear! And that's what builds customer loyalty -- not profiles. Via Karen Dietz 
Does your organization tell compelling stories, or recite facts?
Here's a great article with great examples and great resources!
It clearly makes the case for bringing stories into marketing, sales, and fundraising plus gives some great resources to get started.
The article is written for nonprofits, but don't let that stop businesses from checking this out.
The author Linda Ziskund is a fellow curator, and Jan Gordon, another curator here pointed me to this article. Thank you ladies! Via Karen Dietz 
This wonderful piece was written by Lisa Barone on Outspoken Media. I loved reading this because her insights are right on the money. How do I know? Because I've been on Pinterest for a week and this social network takes you beyond all the buzzwords, the how to articles and lets you connect with others in ways that have the potential to create deeper engagement that can is definitely beginning to show ROI in more ways than one.
Feel free to follow me on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/jangordon/
or visit my topic on content curation at http://www.scoop.it/t/content-curation-social-media
Here's an excerpt that captures the essence of what she is saying. I highly recommend you read the comments as well.
Excerpt:
"Anyone who knows me will tell you: I’m completely commitment phobic. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the world of emerging social media networks. I cringe whenever a new one is released because I simply Can’t.
"For me, the social network doing that right now is Pinterest.Wait? Pinterest? Is that really anything more than an outlet for pictures of sleeping cats, fancy home décor and items deemed orange?
It is.
I’ll tell you why I love it and why, as a brand, you should love it too.
****One of the great things social media has done is that it’s undeniably changed the way businesses and consumers are able to interact.
****It broke through an imaginary wall that had long divided the two and allowed businesses to share parts of themselves which, in turn, allowed consumers to seek out businesses that are weird in the same way or that believed in the same things.
Last November I spoke at TEDx about how through the Web, weird became profitable.
****Weird became something businesses could leverage. To me, that’s where social media is most effective –
****when businesses use weird to be strategically authentic and show customers their essence. It’s when they let certain parts of themselves hang out so their customers can get to know whose behind the product or service that they love so much.
And that’s what Pinterest does really well. It epitomizes what is right and powerful in social media. Sure, Mashable may still use it to hoard marketing infographics for page views, but that’s not how it’s most effective.
Curated by Jan Gordon covering "Pinterest Watch"
Read full article here: [http://outspokenmedia.com/about/lisa-barone/] Via janlgordon This piece was written by Lee Oden for his blog Top Rank - I selected this today because information overload is a challenge we're all facing. The author has some great insights and shares with us how he filters out the noise and stays abreast of things in his world.
Information filtering and finding meaning for others is the first step to being a great curator.
Here's what caught my attention:
**Value comes from identifying bigger picture patterns and synthesizing that information into practical business advice.
**"I like what Christian Adams said in a G+ thread, “When you have information overload across multiple channels you start to pick up on common threads and trending topics”.
**This is the essence of curation that creates value and there’s no substitute for human filtering.
**As a professional, it’s essential for you to filter signal from a mass of noise to grow expertise in your core discipline as well as others.
**The question is, where do you get the information to stay current? How do you filter out the noise?
The author has some excellent suggestions on how he stays on top of this challenge that we all are facing.
Curated by Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Business and Beyond"
Read full article here: [http://bit.ly/AhC5tz] Via janlgordon |
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