Motherboard - The Most Important Component of a PC

Are you planning to build your own computer? Instead of going for a branded computer, it is always better to build the PC on your own because here you have the liberty to choose each and every component. But before you start, you should have sufficient knowledge on all the components of the computer such as Motherboard, RAM, Hard Disk, etc. In this article we have discussed about Motherboard. If you face any difficulties to build PCs, you can get in touch with a computer repair service provider for technical help.

Do you know what motherboard is and what it its functionality? All other hardware components in a computer system are connected to motherboard and it also takes care of important system functions. Technically speaking, motherboard is the underlying circuit board of a computer. The central processing unit (CPU), hard drive(s), Random Access Memory (RAM), disk drives as well as optical drives are plugged into interfaces on the motherboard. Additionally, you can also add a video interface and sound card to motherboard expansion slots.

While shopping motherboard for your computer, you will find they are of diverse configurations to fit different needs and budgets. Intel, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, etc are some of the most popular motherboard brands. As per your requirement and budget you should choose the motherboard. For instance, if you want to play a lot of high-end computer games, they you should be ready to spend more bucks than that of a normal one. There is a BIOS chip which control setup of the motherboard.

You must also know what type of CPU the motherboard will support. There are a number of motherboards that support AMD CPUs and many motherboards also support Intel processors. So, as per your choice you need to choose the motherboard. Another important thing is that there are different grades of CPUs such as 64-bit processor and 32-bit processor. So, before buying, verify whether the motherboard is compatible with the particular CPU or not.

DDR3 RAM is now very common in the market. It has got better performance than its predecessor DDR2. So, while buying motherboard check whether it supports that particular RAM type or not. The amount of RAM is also another important factor that you should bring under consideration. Always go for a motherboard that supports more RAM than your present requirement. You can add more RAM in future as per your requirement.

The number of PCI slots, SATA ports as well as USB, and Firewire ports vary depending on the motherboard. You should get detailed information about all these ahead of purchase. Some motherboards also have sound and video capability built-in but you can disable it and add superior third party cards for better experience.

There are many computer services companies that will offer you remote tech support. Call any of them while building your own PC.

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Weighing Out a New Motherboard - Here Are Some Important Points to Consider

Contrary to an integrated motherboard system the non -integrated motherboards are more expensive than in comparison. There is considerably more room to expand upon one of these computer parts. Among its many features, a good non-integrated motherboard has room for at least five peripheral component interconnect expansion cards and the motherboard always has an accelerated graphics port for connecting a personal computers video system. There should be room on a non-integrated motherboard for at least five Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) based expansion cards. The motherboard will always includes an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) for attaching the personal computer's video system. Most of the new motherboards that have a non integrated setup will have a PCI Express slot for the AGP interface. The PCI Express has become the newest generation for the expansion buses and because of this has the fastest type of bus available.

The onboard devices are a great way to free up extra slot but aren't as powerful. Sometimes they are soldered into a motherboard and require extra chip sets which are controlled through the operating system. A chip set is a line or series of chips on a motherboard that have pre-determined knowledge that show how it will function. It works within the chip set and operating system components to create a more effective experience.

Your better motherboard designs do not include on board devices at all. They are also more expensive. It will also have more PCI express slots and more PCI expansion slots. With this more expensive motherboard it will leave room to adding on to your current system without having to completely start from scratch. For these reasons it's best to spend the extra money if your into having a up to date system.

Max has been writing computer articles for over 4 years now. Not only does he specialize in computer topics but he has a new site with more info on refurbished desktop computers which details the best desktop computer tips before making a computer upgrade.

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Motherboards - An Important and Crucial Component of Any System

Intel is a company that is always looking for what they can do next. They are always moving forward to what new advancement in technology they can do. They always strive to meet or preferably exceed customer's expectations. Intel makes all sorts of products and Intel motherboards are one of those products.

A motherboard is the central circuit board of the computer. This is where one can find all of the crucial components of the computer. A few other names that the motherboard goes by are a main board or system board. The majority of the motherboards created today are for computers that are IBM-compatible because the majority of computers are IBM-compatible.

A motherboard is made up of many different components. The vast majority of motherboards all have the same components. One of those components is a socket. A socket is where many different microprocessors are inserted. These microprocessors can be things such as external hard drives, game controllers or photo drives. There are also slots on the motherboard where additional memory can be installed if the computer were to ever need it.

Motherboards have chipsets. These are chips, or integrated circuits, that are created to work together. This forms the interface between the central processing unit, the front sac bus and the main memory. A front sac bus is what carries information between the central processing unit and the north bridge. The amount of data transfers per cycle will be what determines bandwidth.

A non volatile memory is the part of the computer memory that will still store information even when there is no power turned on to the computer or no power even connected. This enables the computer to store information for long periods of time.

Intel motherboards can be purchased directly from Intel. The website will give you all of the information you need to make sure you are getting the correct one. If you need additional help, there is a customer service department that can be contacted for additional help. A search on the website can also be done to find a store locally where a motherboard can be purchased.

A motherboard is a very important part of a computer. Without a motherboard the computer will not be able to do any of what it was built to do. Intel is a great company that is always striving to do more. They are a leader in the technology industry and are always trying to take it to next level and they rarely disappoint.

Matthew Kerridge is an expert in electronic products. If you would like more information about types of motherboards or are searching for a reputable motherboard retailer please visit http://www.ebuyer.com

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Social Media Training - Why It's Important for Survival in Business Right Now

Would you like to know the newest way to create new business leads and increase customer loyalty in your business?

Would you like to know a way to expose your business thousands of customers locally or millions of people worldwide?

Then it's time you discover one of the fastest growing marketing mediums in recent history...it's known as Social Media.

The fact is if you're not on Facebook it's costing you money. If you're not using Twitter, you're missing out on connecting with customers online. If you haven't got a promotional video of your business on YouTube then you're losing customers to your competitors daily.

Consumers now EXPECT to do business with you online; they want to find you, interact with you, give you feedback, talk about you, tell their friends about you and much much more.

"But I don't know anything about computers or the internet" you say? Will this mindset grow your business?

If you're open-minded about improving yourself and growing your business there is now an opportunity you can't miss out on...

You can now enjoy Social Media Training via several channels such as a webinar, seminar, In-house training or directly from a consultant.

If you wish to invest in training for your business here's what a good course, webinar or seminar should include:

- How to create the ideal Facebook page for your target market

- How to know what your customers want and how to give it to them

- What to write on your Facebook and Twitter status updates so you give customers real value

- How to present your business online in a way that people want to do business with you

- How to deliver valuable information that Helps your customers solve their problems

- How to become an authority in your industry by educating prospects and customers

- How to 'monetize' the traffic coming from your social networking pages to your business's website

- How to build your database online and leverage it to minimize costs and maximize income

- How to fit social media into your workday, work smarter, not harder

You can expect to pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars for Social Media Training depending on the length of the training course, the speaker, the company running the course or the follow-up and/or mentoring offered.

If you'd like to expand yourself and your business and discover an untapped source of new business leads then this is definitely for you.

Before you sign up for training for your business it's best that you have a goal or objective in mind.

Do you want to learn how to...?

-Gain more customers for your business

-Learn how to convert leads to sales

-Learn how to turn Facebook 'fans' into paying customers

-Learn what to say and what not to say on Facebook

-Discover how to build online relationships with prospects and customers

-Manage your online Social presence

-Create a strategy that you can apply to your product or service

-Know how to monetize Twitter

-What to create videos about for YouTube

There's no end to what you will learn with this new marketing paradigm. The most important thing to realize is that the Social networking landscape is forever changing. The speed at which Social Networking has penetrated society with such a dramatic impact has never been seen before.

The implications for business are astounding. Various experts are openly saying that if you're not involved in Social Media for your business, in three to five years time you won't have a business.

What we do know for sure is that your customers and potential customers are using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube regularly if not daily. And if you don't have a presence on these websites this means that your competitors are likely communicating with your customers and potential customers. What does this mean for your business? Time will tell.

So what steps can you take moving forward? The first step is certainly to educate yourself and your employees through Social Media Training. Whether you decide to log into a webinar, attend a seminar or have a consultant come into your business to train your team collectively, it's essential that you begin taking steps in this direction immediately if you're to ride the wave of Social Media.

Matt Adams is a Social Media Consultant in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. His company, Paradigm ProjeX assists business with Social Media Training, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Strategies, Social Media Management and Social Media Consulting.

Matt can help you create and implement a Social Media Marketing Plan with integrity. One that creates a targeted social network that you can leverage to build relationships with both existing and future customers. Having challenges keeping up with Social Media? Paradigm ProjeX can manage your entire Social Media Marketing plan so that the work is done for you and you can focus on running your business.

http://paradigmprojex.com/services/social-media-training

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Why Social Media is Important For Small Businesses!

Business is changing and the internet and social media offer opportunities only dreamed of years ago. Businesses are backing off aggressive advertising campaigns in favor of directly connecting with their customers and the general public. Small businesses really benefit from social advertising, which expose you to a worldwide audience at very little cost.

It's important to become involved in social media both for exposure and to interact with your customers. Twitter and Facebook have many businesses, big and small, that use that media to provide customer service, product education and to forge a more personal link with their clients.

When you interact with people on social media sites you can get immediate feedback on your products, the way you do business and even your employees. Since social media is fast becoming a daily part of our lives, maintaining an online presence can be a very cost effective way to put your business out there where people can see it.

The secret to a successful social media presence is to put your product aside and interact with people. They already know you own a business and they can familiarize themselves with your product through your website. What your website can't do is put a human face and personality forward. In this impersonal world, people are more apt to do business with someone they know than a stranger. When you interact with the public through Facebook, Twitter or other sites you become human and accessible.

Social media also allows you to speak directly to your customers. Many large companies are now parking their customer service departments on Facebook and Twitter for good reason; people are increasingly impatient with long waits and time consuming attempts to get hold of someone to help them. Being available on social media lets them contact someone immediately-instant gratification!

Social media will also allow you to answer questions about your product, educate people on how to use it or keep them advised of new uses and developments in the field. Some very successful entrepreneurs use social media sites to talk less about their product and concentrate on helping the people know the company and its people. For instance, you can twitter about a cause you care about and link to a relevant website. The people who support that cause will give you their business because they feel a kinship with you.

You'll also be able to find out what people think of your business and your product or service. People will often post a message on the internet when they would not call on the telephone or write a letter or email. Knowing how the public views your business will clue you in on what you're doing right, things you should change and what you should do more of.

Twitter can be used to advertise your brand to a world-wide audience. Not only that but your twitter username will appear in search engines and gain you even more exposure. Sites like Yelp let you create a local listing for your business so people can find you. Local social networks like this are great for business. And businesses in North Georgia and Western North Carolina are no different. Businesses in these areas from Murphy, NC to Cartersville, GA, Blairsville, GA, Gainesville, GA, and everywhere in-between should be taking advantage of these social media outlets. There are companies that can help you with your social media in North Georgia and Western North Carolina. Find one you like and have them help you with your social media campaign.

North Georgia Small Business Blog was founded by Scott Rich, President of SirWebby Development and Optimization with the purpose to help inform and educate small business owners about the importance of a well developed website presence and social media marketing strategy.

Scott, having owned a small business of his own, began his quest to help small business owners with the transition from traditional marketing outlets to internet marketing. In today's economy it has become apparent that traditional media no longer holds the same value to the consumer as the emerging internet possibilities.

As Scott saw this transition within his own business he found it difficult to find someone knowledgeable in social media marketing. What started as a need progressed into a hobby, then a passion, then a business opportunity, leading to the decision to put his business up for sale and start SirWebby Development and Optimization.

Scott writes for the North Georgia Small Business Blog and welcomes any small business owner who would like too submit a story or post one of their own. Please visit http://northgeorgiasmallbusiness.com

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Why it is Important to Be Social in Social Media

If you are like me, you have become fascinated with the popularity of social media and the diversity of its involvement into the mainstream of our lives.

All you have to do for social proof is to take a look at the Alexa ranking of the Top 20 most visited websites on the Internet and you will see that 5 of these sites are social media sites (#2 Facebook, #4 YouTube, #12 MySpace, #15 Twitter, #20 Bing)

So I think it is comfortable to say that social media is here to stay and if we are waiting to see if it is a fad or a force, I am here to help, it is a FORCE.

Now if your thought is to get involved in ALL the social media sites, you are biting off more than perhaps you can chew. Why? Because there is literally hundreds of social media/bookmarking sites available to us that offer similar and in some cases distinct options.

My recommendation would be to join three to four at the beginning and really master the use of the site before moving on to the next one and the next one.

One of my observations as I virtually travel through these sites is the lack of "social" etiquette used by some users within these communities.

What I mean by this is that each and every social media site is a community within itself. It has its basic structure and rules and regulations. The community as a whole will help others stay within those guidelines using various methods such as; gentle hints in posts, deleting of comments and in some cases pretty nasty communication.

So if we are interested in joining a community, then it is my recommendation to learn the dos and don'ts of that community.

The first thing I recommend that you do when you join a social media site is to fully complete a profile and upload an appropriate picture of yourself.

I don't know how many people on a daily basis try and offer me, sell me, connect with me, etc... within a social media community and do not even have a picture uploaded.

This actually boggles my mind.

Why would I want to connect or do business with anyone that does not have the decency or credibility to upload an appropriate picture of them?

Answer: I wouldn't. For me any communication I receive from another member of the social media site that I am a member of that does not have an appropriate picture uploaded is immediately deleted.

Now let's talk about what an appropriate picture is within a social media site. Well that depends on what you are using that site for. If you are using the site strictly for social interaction and non-business connecting than any picture that you choose to represent you is of course at your discretion. In some examples that I have come across, some people do not necessarily use any discretion.

So, the question that remains is what is an appropriate picture for one to use within a social media site if one is choosing to conduct business?

Answer: A picture of you that your grandmother would be proud of.

We have all seen the examples of pictures used on a social media site that are at best questionable and yet the individual is expecting to have credibility with their audience.

Personally, when I coach someone about personal branding, the first two things that I review are the picture and the information being used in a profile.

It starts with your picture. That is the first thing that people see of you. It should represent you in a positive manner. Now, I am not suggesting that it shouldn't be fun, what I am suggesting is the "one" picture that you choose to represent yourself in that social media site should be appropriate for your chosen use for that site. Hint: I recommend putting the fun pictures within the appropriate sections of the profile.

In closing, the most important part of social media is to be "social." Think of it as you walking into a room of people that you have never met, but want to get to know. Ask yourself this question, "How should I present myself if I want to attract people to me?"

A great way to learn how to attract people is to Google some of the top earners in MLM/network marketing and look at what they are doing.

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Harnessing Social Media - 3 Important Rules

I enjoy receiving questions and input from viewers and even though the two questions received below are regarding dentistry, they can apply to businesses as well. Here are the two very interesting questions:

1)What are the top three rules for harnessing Social Media to the advantage of a dental practice?

2)What are three most effective things a dentist should do with his or her FaceBook or Twitter account?

Social media is still relatively new in the realm of using it for business and offers an incredible opportunity to get to know your target market. Social media is a bridge that gives you access to people, information, and even companies/businesses you didn't have access to in the past.

Word of mouth advertising is the best form of advertising and social media IS word of mouth advertising...on steroids!

Used correctly, it isn't something that can be done quickly, it does require strategy, a plan of action, and like anything else you are building...it takes - time.

To a degree, because it is relatively new, the rules are still to be figured out. However, there are some rules that are already in place if you want to use SM correctly for building your business/practice. In answering your questions:

What are the top three rules for harnessing Social Media to the advantage of a dental practice?

1) Social media sites are NOT about making sales, they are about making contact, building (profitable) relationships, and establishing value, credibility, and trust.

The above is first and foremost with social media. Gone are the days when the print medias (yellow page advertising, magazine ads, flyers) were leading or "selling" the consumers. Users (consumers) are in control now and it's a total mind change. Today's consumer is Internet savvy and is not going to be "sold", they want to be educated first in order to make informed decisions.

Today's business owner gives the consumer the information they are seeking, helps solve their problems, and along the way, the business establishes themselves as the thought leader in their field. Having taken the time to establish credibility, given value, and developed a relationship between consumer and business, the consumer will naturally turn to you when it's time to purchase.

Enter Social Media sites...the most effective and most efficient way for business owners to get their information to savvy consumers and to develop those relationships.

2) Authenticity and Transparency: Whatever is done must be done with quality. Be transparent and authentic, you are developing profitable relationships. Everything you do should have a strategic intent.

These sites aren't about making sales, they are about building relationships, credibility, value, and trust and that's done using your two strategic keys: Being Authentic and Transparent. Then those contacts tell everyone they know, who tells everyone they know...about you, your business, product or service. This is viral word of mouth advertising, people telling LOTS of other people.

3) Online Reputation Management. Social media makes it easy for you to share information as you network with your community. You have something to offer...remember? That's why you went into business. Social media is conversation and makes it easy for you to engage in discussions about what you may be able to help them with. This is where you can establish yourself as a thought leader in your area of expertise.

Social media also allows you to monitor and be more responsive to your target market. Paying attention to questions being asked and statements being made by your target market about you, your business/practice, your brand, your products and services...good and bad.

With your community, being "visible" online can also bring out negative comments as well (there's always one in the crowd). The reality is angry customers are already talking whether you are online or not. But at least when you are online, the person and comments are "in your space" and can be addressed.

You can't always "control" the conversation, but a lot of site applications allow you the option to post or not to post their comments. But even if posted, it can be addressed.

Also, clients/patients genuinely appreciate seeing how businesses and practices respond to legitimate criticism and many times will come to the aid of the business/practice with their our positive responses. This is called Online Reputation Management.

What are three most effective things a dentist should do with his or her FaceBook or Twitter account?

1) Repeat #1 and #2 above- These are first and foremost with Social Media. If you don't understand this, you will miss the incredible opportunity with Social Media.

2) Build a quality local network/community and build your brand. Target your local area, your clients/patients. Found out what their problems are, what you can help them with. You want to establish you not only have their solution, you are their solution. Establish yourself as the thought leader in your area of expertise.

As you build your brand, you don't have to be a McDonalds or a Starbucks. It can be as simple as your avatar (picture), your logo, a tag line, or even a specific color. Point is - when used (viewed) regularly, each impression strengthens peoples awareness of who you are, your practice, and what your services and products are about. You are being seen.

3) Be consistent with your time, your content, and your marketing. Not every person on your social sites are going to be members of your target market, but by providing good solid content, helpful links and information, and regularly contributing something of value and useful to your community, the viral nature of social media will get the message to those who are looking for you.

**Side Note: Make sure you have created your social media guidelines and policies (and possible training program) if someone else within your business/practice or outside your business/practice is creating/posting your information.

In summary: Use social networking to add value, build your credibility, and develop trust. Value + credibility + trust turns an observer into a follower, a follower into a fan, a fan into a lead, and a lead into a patient/client!

What are your thoughts? What do you think qualifies as a "top rule" for harnessing Social Media to the advantage of a business or dental practice?

Still not sure about Social Media and what it can do for your business? Read this & get your Free Special Report [http://bit.ly/19y45w]. Livvie Matthews, Copywriter and Social Media Specialist, Blogger, Author, and Speaker helps businesses, dentists, coaches, consultants, and individuals grow their business and increase their Online visibility through building profitable relationships, providing customer solutions, and social media marketing. Visit http://www.WriteBusiness.net

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Why Media Planning Will Become More Important in Your Future Marketing Plans

What's the worst job in Marketing ? Media planning has long been a backwater:  unglamorous, driven by arcane algorithms, and frequently relegated to afterthought status. The Marketing team spends weeks debating and gaining agreement to the annual marketing plan goals, key initiatives, advertising, etc. And then, whoops--almost forgot--we need a media plan ! But, media planning is at the edge of a virtual revolution.

The media changes build on existing trends to more performance based Advertising Agency compensation models by Procter & Gamble, Coke and others. Reach, frequency and gross rating points are now giving way to a world where program and ad impact have as much currency as impressions. GRP's as we've known them will become relics. What's driving the change?

Exploding Digital

It's obvious but needs restating: the marketing world is moving from a TV centric model to a web centric model. The brand web site is becoming an increasingly important platform for engaging both prospects and customers. Social and other web-based media options continue to grow and evolve at an accelerating pace:  forums, webcasts, podcasts, blogs, Twitter, webinars, etc. Spending is shifting on-line as well. And more digital means more measurable. Click thru, site visits and conversion rates are only the beginning as marketers become increasingly sophisticated with digital measurement. All this means that future media plans will be more creative, complex and measurable. A good guide to this area is "The Online Advertising Playbook: Proven Strategies and Tested Tactics From the ARF."

Program and Ad Impact Innovation

Advertisers have long done pre-market testing of ads.  But with the advent of very large web-based consumer panels like Nielsen IAG, companies have the ability to measure consumer engagement with individual programs. No longer does a basic demographic define the media buy. Two programs with the same demographics could have vastly different consumer engagement. Are consumers more engaged with "The Office" or "Lost" ? Now we know. And this means that the same ad performs better in some programs than others, based on program fit and viewer engagement. Is your ad more effective in "The Biggest Loser" or "American Idol"? Now we know.

Mike Kleha, Director of Media & Metrics at Merck and Co. says:  "IAG's data allows us to go beyond the rating point, and gives us a deeper insight into the mind of the consumer. This allows us to do a better job of targeting our messages to where they will be more effective and provide the most consumer value."  Simple demographic driven media plans will no longer suffice. CMO's will demand media plans that take into account both quantity and quality.

Creative & Media Integration Trends

Big advertisers like Unilever are increasingly going directly to media companies even before creative development with a set of objectives and asking them to create an integrated plan which helps deliver the brand objectives. This "reverse upfront" media planning process is designed to keep costs low and better integrate creative and media buying. Media companies will increasingly develop a media plan concept that matches the brands objective, and this in turn will drive both creative and usage of the full gamut of TV, digital, mobile, interactive, in-program placement, etc.

This new media landscape demands new constructs and new skills, as in surveys CMO's say they are nowhere close to realizing the opportunity in new media.  GRP's and TRP's will need to evolve to measures which incorporate both quantity and quality--something like  ERP's:  Effective Ratings Points. Marketing organizations will need new capabilities to negotiate this increasingly complex world. Welcome to Marketing in the brave new media world--a place where you ignore the heightened role of media planning at your peril.

Randall Beard (http://randallbeard.wordpress.com/) is a senior Marketing and Product Management executive with over 25 years of global experience across consumer packaged goods, financial services and high-touch service brands, including Procter & Gamble, American Express, and UBS Wealth Management. His expertise is in building and turning around ailing brands, building stronger organizations, and improving profitability during times of crisis and growth. He has a reputation for delivering results thru vision, disciplined strategic focus, product, marketing and customer experience innovation, and people enablement. In sum: Randall is all about "Marketing with Impact."

Randall has worked and built business and teams in virtually every major market in the world, including USA, Canada, China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, UK, Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil.

Randall currently serves on the Advisory Boards of University of Virginia Darden Graduate School of Business, CityExplorer TV, a privately held company whose TV networks provide an insider's guide to the greatest cities of the world, the UBS Art Collection Advisory Board, and the CMO Council.

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10 Important Benefits of Social Media

I use social media- a lot. Not only do I use it for myself to maintain personal connections with friends, family, clients, colleagues and old acquaintances, I also use it to promote my business and my clients. The benefits of social media for both my personal life and business are obvious to me. But I'm finding out as I talk with some in the small business community that they are not aware of social media's many benefits or sold on its effectiveness. So I've decided to do a little research and write some articles presenting the benefits of social media. Here is a recent article from my December 2009 newsletter listing what I believe are the top 10 benefits of social media.

Awareness

The first major benefit of social media is that it brings awareness. It is a low-cost way to get your name or the name of your organization on the web and into the minds of customers, patrons, and prospects. Anyone can set up an account on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Merchant Circle, Plaxo and dozens of other sites free of charge. The only cost involved is the cost of your time.

Identify Customer and Prospect Wants and Needs

Once you have established a presence in social media your business can connect with and stay in touch with customers to identify wants, needs, and problems- and communicate your solutions. Ask questions to find out what customers are looking for. Create forums on your Facebook fan page for fans to speak their minds about likes and dislikes. Since space is limited on social media sites (especially Twitter) when you need more detailed information, create surveys and questionnaires with a free tool such as Zoomerang or Survey Monkey and simply post the link on social media sites asking people to take the survey. Used with survey tools, social media is a great place to watch trends and get feedback from customers and potential customers. Bonus tip- if you want to get a bigger picture of the marketplace by knowing what your competitions' customers want, check your competitor's sites. Follow them on Twitter and join their Fan pages. Sign up for their emails. This is a good way to pick up on trends and get ideas for new product or service offerings. It's also a great way to discover how you compare to your competition so you can know how to further differentiate yourself from them.

Listen In

The third major benefit is that you can monitor what your customers and others are saying about your brand. Sites like Yelp let customers post reviews of businesses. You can use Yelp and similar sites to find out what is being said about your company or brand and respond through social media. In fact, some companies are using Twitter as a customer support platform because of its ease of use and real-time updates. Likewise, you can monitor what your customers and others are saying about your competition's brand. These types of conversations used to go on out of listening range of business owners and managers. Rarely did they know what a customer said about them- good or bad. However now, with so many taking their thoughts, complaints and comments online, we have the privilege of being able to "listen" in on these conversations and respond accordingly.

Increase Online Exposure

A fourth major benefit of social media is increasing your online exposure. The Google and Bing search engines pick up Facebook and Twitter posts and updates and include them in search results. If your website in referenced in your Facebook or Twitter profile (and it should) people who visit your profiles can see and click your website link and be taken directly to your business' website, increasing your traffic directly. Indirectly, these searches put extra eyes on your business name, your name, and/or your brand name thereby increasing your exposure. Additionally links from social media sites back to your organization's website often increase your website's page ranking by being associated with a well-known and trusted website such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Merchant Circle. Kind of like the instant boost in credibility or coolness nerdy high school kids get when a member of the cool crowd accepts him into his group.

Generate Targeted Traffic

A related benefit is that businesses and other organizations can generate traffic to their website, blog, or events- by posting relevant information and links to your website, blog, etc. right in their social media posts. Twitter is a terrific tool for this and I use this when appropriate. Not every post can contain a link to your stuff or a plug for it or you won't have fans and followers for very long. But after you have earned the right to promote yourself this is an excellent way to let people know about your business or cause.

Generate and Nurture Qualified Leads

Through search features and third-party sites like Twellohood, Localtweeps, iPhone apps, and even TweetGrader, you can generate and nurture leads. Just use the tools to find people by place, title or interest to follow them and connect with them on Twitter. Check their Twitter profiles to see what other social media sites they belong to and look for ways to connect with them there as well. Here is a link to a great article on Mashable about finding local fellow tweeters http://mashable.com/2009/06/08/twitter-local-2/.

Make Announcements

Social media networks are a good place to toot (or tweet) your own horn. You can announce new products, services, enhancements, awards/recognition, etc. on social sites to spread the word more quickly. Just be sure to mix in helpful advice and conversation and not to toot your own horn too frequently.

Partner Up

Find new business partners, vendors, suppliers and business opportunities and stay in touch with current business partners, vendors, and suppliers. I've met a few business associates through both LinkedIn and Twitter and did so within only a few months of using each service. I was not looking for this, it just happened naturally. If that is your goal, however, there are strategies to follow to make your search more productive and efficient. Check out Jennifer Davies' article on joint ventures and partnerships later in this newsletter.

Educate Yourself

Learn- people post all sorts of information on social networks that are helpful to small businesses such as marketing advice, management advice, customer service advice, and personnel advice. You just have to know how to find it. One excellent way is to use Twitter's search feature and search for words or phrases using the # (hashtag) symbol. Use hashtag directories to understand what abbreviations mean and find useful hashtags. Twitter recently unveiled a service that lets you organize and follow lists tweets that are relevant or interesting to you. You can create the list using your own criteria. The great thing about these lists is that you don't have to follow people to follow the topic. All the tweets are grouped together and you can keep these private- meaning no one can see the list you have created- if you like.

Build Trust and Credibility

And the one that I think is most crucial to small businesses- especially if you sell a product with a long sales cycle that takes multiple touches with your customers, is that social media helps you build trust and credibility. Customers want to buy from people they know, like, and trust. Social media is a wonderful tool to get to know customers as people, become personable to them and get them to like you. Using social media is a convenient, and even fun, way to develop and cultivate relationships with your customers and prove your credibility and trustworthiness.

Used the right way social media holds many benefits that will help your business find customers new and old, better understand their needs/wants and purchase drivers, and develop long-lasting relationships that result in satisfied and loyal customers- and a healthy bottom line for you.

Copyright 1st Position Marketing 2009

Gavin Head is a marketing professional and owner of 1st Position Marketing. He shows businesses how to get more sales and earn more profits through the power of smart marketing. His passion is teaching small and medium size business owners how to position their businesses for success and compete to win.

Be sure to get more marketing tips and advice delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for Gavin's FREE monthly newsletter. Sign up is easy, just visit http://www.1stpositionmarketing.com and fill out the simple form.

You can also follow Gavin's blog at http://positionforsuccess.blogspot.com

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Media Planning Vs Media Buying: Which Is More Important?

A media planner is like a writer who creates the screen play for a film. A media buyer is like the actor who brings the film to life. A politician with a good message who fails to get out the vote loses the election. And a good media idea, poorly executed, might as well have been a bad idea. Sometimes execution is everything.

A media plan might be brilliant, but will it be executed with equal zeal? Will the plan be executed on budget with the right media vehicles, in the right place, at the right time and with maximum communications impact? If not, the plan might not look so brilliant any more. Media planning, media buying, and media selling are all equal communications partners in driving ROI.

Why is Buying Underestimated?

Since all of the disciplines (planning, buying, selling) are all of roughly equal in importance, I have always wondered why media textbooks dedicate only a few pages to the art and science of media buying and no pages to media selling. Clients probably place the highest importance on the cost effectiveness of the buys negotiated on their behalf. Agencies can lose clients on the basis of poor media buying performance, bu I don't think I can ever remember an agency losing an account because of a media simulation model.

Perhaps some academics believe that media planning is more conceptual, more creative, more research oriented, and provides better mettle for the mind. But these assumptions aren't necessarily so. Media buying at its best requires honed negotiation skills which could be a course in psychology. Buying also it requires an understanding of the communications process that rivals media planning. And media buyers need a knowledge of the research documenting how different media variables, such as commercial affect performance and advertising effectiveness.

It is ironic that so many clients have the opposite belief where buying is more important than planning. After all, that is where the rubber hits the road and the dollars are spent.

In the 21st century, media buyers won't just be responsible for buying TRPS or clicks at the lowest possible price, but must learn how to "buy communication, not TRPS, according to many experts. Beyond CPM, how can a buy's communications effectiveness be maximized? Program involvement, attention levels, contextual considerations, commercial positioning and a host of other factors have a greater impact on communications effectiveness than media weight and CPMs. TRPS are not TRPS.

Where the Jobs Are

Students interested in a career in advertising need to study the art and science of media buying because it is an important part of th business and because jobs in buying are more plentiful than jobs in planning.n the 21st century, students also need a point of difference to help them land a job in every competitive arena. Unless they go to work for a mega agency, where are students going to learn about media buying including negotiating strategy, the role of program involvement, commercial positioning, and context --if not in the classroom?

Everyone in the marketing communications business needs to develop a good understanding of the convergence of planning and buying and selling. Media is transitioning to Integrated Marketing.

Ronald D. Geskey CEO, 2020:MarketingCommunications LLC and author of "Media Planning & Buying in the 21st Century." marketing2020@aol.com

"Media Buying & Planning in the 21st Century" is an excellent primer for those looking for a job in advertising. The book discusses many career opportunities, and will help readers understand the advertising media business so that they can more intelligently pursue media job opportunities. The book covers topics from a practical "how to" standpoint, and unlike some media books, explains issues in plain English and real world examples. The author, Ron Geskey has over 30 years of experience at major advertising agencies. He has a B.S. and M.S. from Southern Illinois University, doctoral work at Texas Tech University, and Executive Education at Wharton School of Business, Northwestern University, Michigan State University

Websites: http://www.21stCenturyMediaPlanning.com - http://www.MediaPlanningBuyinginthe21stCentury.com

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