Social Media is to SEO as Peanut Butter is to Jelly

 

Social Media is to SEO as Peanut Butter is to Jelly

            Some people want to take the word SEO and alienate it from the phrase Social Media that I believe is completely wrong. When Google Plus launched many people were saying that SEO is dead or its going to die. The truth is if you take away SEO you will have to take away text itself. All SEO does is make websites searchable for the terms that people are typing. As long as people are searching for something on search engines like google, bing, and yahoo, there will always be SEO. In fact the more people socialize on Social networks the more necessary it will be to have SEO.

             I believe anyone who wants to capture a particular demographic should have their website optimized in addition to having Social Networks tailored to their website. I believe it should be a mandatory that anyone seeking to capture a certain audience has at least Facebook and Twitter created for their website with links to these networks. If one has social networks but doesn’t have the site optimized they may capture a portion of their audience but by not doing the SEO for your website one is making a Peanut Butter sandwich with no jelly.

Emerge with Emerging Technology

As a child I have watched the technology continue to grow into bigger and better things in a shorter time span. I was born in the 80's and I have seen the type of Tv's we watch change, the phones, the computers, and the communication methods change tremendously. I was born into the era of the internet and yet there are those who did not know that life existed without the use of internet prior to their conception. I have seen the days in which cell phones did not exist to the era where house phones are becoming extinct due to the vast amount of people who have cell phones instead. In the industry that I am in which is the entertainment industry the technology developed adversely effects the industry.

Since the methods that the content is watched on has changed the industry must adapt to the change or they may get left behind.We live in an age that people want their content quickly and they don't believe in waiting long for it. Which means if you want to win their business you must have the technological abilities to satisfy their needs. I am building a company in the TV sector and the methods which viewers watch their TV has changed immensely. People not only watch TV on TV sets but now they watch it on the internet, mobile phones, and now tablets. Technology is constantly evolving and expanding into different platforms that consumers tend to buy. According to isuppli.com "Shipments of mobile broadband devices in 2011 are projected to climb to 157.9 million units, up from 100.1 million units in 2010." This is just one facet of communication technology that will effect my industry. So if businesses do not emerge with emerging technology they are sure to submerge from falling behind in the technological current.

Sources:http://www.isuppli.com/Mobile-and-Wireless-Communications/News/Pages/Tablets-to-Power-Growth-of-Mobile-Broadband-Market-in-2011.aspx

Funding Options for the Future

   America is a land of opportunities, Thousands of people come to America in hopes of fulfilling their dreams, getting a better an education, or starting a business. There are so many resources and programs available to those with interest in starting their entrepreneurship endeavors, but the amount of options can be overwhelming. Some great resources that I would deem as advantageous to beginning entrepreneurs are: Opportunity Finance Network,  Cfed, Association for Enterprise Opportunity, and the Community Development Venture Capital (CDVC). I found these organizations in particular very useful because they all share a common goal which is to empower communities and economic development. There are plenty of opportunities available to entrepreneurs to get knowledge about entrepreneurship, funding sources, and gaining access to mentors. The Oppurtunity Finance Network seeks to help finance businesses that help "low-income, low wealth, and other disadvantaged people and communities have access to affordable , responsible financial products and services." www.oppurtunitydfinancce.net
   To qualify for some of these financial resources it has to serve certain communities and bring a benefit to communities in underprivileged regions. For instance the AEO- Association for Enterprise Opportunity seeks, "to assist underserved entrepreneurs in starting, stabilizing, and expanding business".www.aeoworks.org For other organizations like the Community Development Venture Capital (CDVC) funding is provided to "..companies with strong management, good ideas, impressive growth potential, and the promise of high financial returns." www. cdvca.org
   So different organizations have different qualifications depending on their various objectives. A lot of these sites also have statistical information of the success of the funding and the jobs created through businesses. CFed.org even has video testimonials of entrepreneurs that have utilized resources and been able to establish successful businesses in their communities. Overall there is nothing an entrepreneur has to lose by looking up this resource, because you can benefit your self as well as your community by using these sites. This is yet another great advancement tool for urban communities and those who aspire to help the youth who are truly our future.

Business Plan Advice

             In my last article titled "Business Plan Tips" I discussed some great tips from two stars of the show "Shark Tank", Daymond John and Barbara Corcoran. From them I learned some techniques and principles I can apply to my business plan to make it more effective. Daymond John mentions that one must do some homework and completely research their business and the industry they are entering into. If the person doesnt know all there is to know about their business he states, "Why should I be interested."www.daymondjohn.com/power_journal/carving-out-a-niche/ I have done some research on my business and industry but, I could definitely do some more research. I feel that there are areas that I do not have much knowledge of my business which is something I need to do to make my business plan better.
        The insights I also learned from Barbara Corcoran have been a true insightful in helping me perfect my business plan. She stated that when starting a business an investor wants to know: “What problem are you trying to solve? Why are you uniquely qualified to solve it? Is it a good business? What’s it going to cost? And how long is it going to take? http://barbaracorcoran.com So I have taken thought of these questions and made sure that my business plan answers these questions clearly.
        I have taken a lot of good advice from these experts and I still have plenty more areas in which I could improve my business plan. Reading through the article http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/    I would have to agree with Dr. Guy Kawaski on his point of view that the Executive Summary is the most important aspect of the business plan. I have taken this advice and have been working to perfect my Executive Summary so that it will be concise and appealing to the reader. Dr.Kawasaki views that it is the most important element because it is the first component of the business plan the investor sees. I also believe that it gives the investor a snapshot of the whole business plan because its everything summarized concisely. These tips from these business experts have been very helpful to me and I look forward to the continual knowledge I will gain from experts such as these. http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/   


Sources:
www.daymondjohn.com/power_journal/carving-out-a-niche/

http://barbaracorcoran.com 

http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/   

Business Plan Tips

After reading through a lot of the industry experts on business plans and business development, I have come to the conclusion that I must invest a significant amount of thought into producing a solid business plan. I have learned a great deal of information from experts in this field and plan to apply them to my own entrepreneurship endeavors. I observed two well-known entrepreneurs Daymond John and Barbara Corcoran who are both on the ABC show “Shark Tank”. Daymond John is the founder and CEO of the iconic brand FUBU and is a branding and marketing expert. Along with being a strong presence on Shark Tank, Daymond owns several other companies and has authored some business books. (http://www.daymondjohn.com) Sarah Corcoran is a real estate mogul who turned a $1000 dollar loan into a 5 billion dollar real estate company, which she then sold for 66 million. Barbara continues to build her entrepreneurial portfolio along with being an author, and a motivational speaker. (http://barbaracorcoran.com)

Daymond John recommends that a person write out a business plan with all the strengths and weaknesses. Then find out the costs of hiring those people for doing the weaknesses you have in business. I like the statement that Mr. John makes regarding a business plans which is, “Think of it as roadmap, personalized just for you, that is going to guide you from where you are now, to where you want to be”. (www.daymondjohn.com/power_journal/carving-out-a-niche/ )The perspective that Barbara Corcoran has is that a business plan should be a list of items that need to be attended too and items that do not. She describes a business plan as, “It's a daydream in living color. Then I make a simple "to do" list of what's most important to make my dream a reality”.( abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank/tips/)According to bpexperviews.blogspot.com Real Estate guru, Sara Corcoran also states the three most important questions to an investor, which are: “What problem are you trying to solve? Why are you uniquely qualified to solve it? Is it a good business? What’s it going to cost? And how long is it going to take?” These tips on a business plan are very useful and can give any entrepreneur starting out a firm foundation.

Sources:
http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank/tips/

http://barbaracorcoran.com

http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/

http://www.daymondjohn.com/power_journal/carving-out-a-niche/

3HP Records Utilizes Social Media for Christian Rap

I have been following 3HP Records for over 2 years now. 3 HP Records is a Christian Rap label that started out as a radio show called 3 Hours of Power in Baltimore D.C. As the CEO and Founder Troy Edwards started working with a lot of artists then this label grew into what it is today. 3HP Records serves in various ways such as marketing, promotion, magazines, e blast,fliers, radio shows, award shows, event planning,music production and much more. Not only does 3HP serve in capacity on many levels they are widely spread across the internet through social media.

I first came across 3HP records due to their immense use of Social media outlets and networks. I was online and came across their Ning site: http://3hprecords.ning.com/ which has a very professional look and design. This was around the first time I heard about Ning websites which I saw were very good for getting a message to go viral while building a great online fan base.3HP Records has a growing social media presence with sites like facebook and twitter but, as far as the utilization of Ning and Blogspot they have mastered that. I look forward to seeing more from 3HP records and as always Urban christian Media is on the rise!

Sources:
http://www.dasouth.com/interviews/2141-troy-edwards-ceo-of-3hp-records
http://3hprecords.ning.com/
http://3hppromotions.blogspot.com/

Urban Christian Media Survey