7 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting A Social Media Campaign

Starting a social media campaign for your business is like entering into a relationship. For it to succeed over the long term you must be committed to it and have realistic expectations as to what you'll get out of it.

Current statistics show that that 73% of Twitter registrants have posted fewer than 10 messages and one third have posted none at all.

The majority of Facebook fan pages give visitors no incentive to "like" the page. As well, they rarely develop ongoing communication campaigns catered to their fans.

These trends are a clear indication that both people and businesses are participating in social media with either no plan, no goals, or no idea why.

So before you make your first tweet, create a Facebook fan page, or start searching for Linked In connections, ask yourself these questions. The answers may help you better focus your time, resources, and better understand how to include social media into your company's marketing program.

Why do I want to participate in social media?

With social media "experts" declaring that any business not tweeting or without a Facebook fan page is losing business to competitors, many entrepreneurs feel compelled to participate out of fear. This just leads to frustration when time and money is spent on setting up accounts and custom pages, only to not see any measurable results. The fact is that social media is like any other marketing tool and may not be right for every business. Even so, it must still be used effectively, perhaps as part of a bigger campaign, for any benefits to be seen.

Do I have the time and resources?

Unlike conventional marketing such as ads in a newspaper, direct mail, or even a web site, social media requires continuous attention. Depending on your business, this could range from a few minutes a day to over an hour. Do you have the time, desire and patience to make regular and relevant tweets or update your Facebook page? And while you could have a staff member or virtual assistant do this for you, that means allocating resources and money that you may or may not be able to afford, or could better be used elsewhere.

Can I continuously come up with great content?

Unlike a blog where you can post content on your own schedule, making social media work means posting interesting and relevant content on an ongoing basis. Depending on which guru you listen to, this can mean a few tweets a day to more than 10 per hour. Can you keep up this pace? And do you really have enough to say? Even sharing a mix of personal anecdotes, relevant links, retweets, and business information can only go so far before you start getting mentally exhausted - and frustrated.

What are my goals?

Unless you're involved in social media for purely social purposes, it's likely that you are hoping to get some form of financial return out of it. The goals of attracting more clients and more sales is what drives most businesses to social media in the first place. So let's be realistic - from a business perspective, followers, friends, fans and connections are really nothing more than lists. And if the names on those lists are not the kinds of clients you would like to attract, then you may be preaching to the wrong crowd. The best thing to do is decide what your goals are from the start. For many businesses, clients can come from any geographic area or be any demographic, so social media may be ideal. Think about if you're trying to create awareness for your company, product, or just you

What are my alternatives?

Social media is just one of hundreds of ways to reach people. Depending on your goals you may find some old fashioned methods produce better results with less resources. Trade shows, direct mail, email, seminars, networking events, newspaper ads, or publicity stunts can still garner the kinds of result you may be looking for. Many companies have successfully used social media to build word-of-mouth "momentum" that originally started from a conventional marketing campaign. Remember the old spice guy? That campaign started as just a television commercial and went on to become the most successful social media campaign ever.

Do people really care?

The open forum concept of Twitter, Facebook and Linked In groups allows for huge numbers of people to talk about common interests. But let's be honest here. Is your business worthy of discussion? A client of mine who is a self employed dental hygienist was disappointed when her tweets and Facebook postings garnered little response. While they were quality posts, it seemed teeth cleaning was just not a big draw for online discussion. It can be tough to hear, but sometimes the world does not share your passion about your product or service.

How do I measure success?

While many web designers and consultants will point to Google Analytics when asked about return on investment, the fact is that ROI can only be measured in dollars and cents. Your time and resources are worth something, so you must put a value to them and factor that in when developing your social media campaign. If you make $80.00 an hour doing what your core service is, then investing 10 hours in social media will cost you $800.00. If you don't make that money back in a reasonable period of time, then you will have a negative return. Factor in other costs such as a graphic designer or marketing consultant, and your costs will be even higher. Success should be defined by a set of criteria before you begin your campaign - social media or otherwise.

Think of social media as just one tool in your marketing toolbox. And the most effective marketing campaigns come from knowing what tools to use and when to use them, either alone or in combination.

Marc Gordon is a professional speaker and marketing consultant based in Toronto, Ontario. He is also the host of the online video show, http://marctv.net. His firm, Fourword Marketing, specializes in helping businesses create a brand identity and developing effective marketing campaigns. Marc can be reached at (416) 238-7811 or visit http://www.marcgordon.ca.

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10 Essential Questions to Ask When Setting Up Your Social Media Marketing Campaign

The first step in setting up the right social media campaign for your business is to do an audit of all your social media marketing activities up to the present day. Once that is determined, your current state, you'll have a starting point from which to create the right plan and implement the proper strategies for your social media marketing campaign.

When conducting the audit, here are some essential questions to answer so you'll start you social campaign on the right road - eliminate wasted time and money.

1. What is the end result or goal of your social media marketing that you'd like to accomplish? More leads, more followers, more sales, more customer loyalty/confidence, more control over your companies reputation online.

2. What tracking methods will you use to determine if you have the right strategies in place to achieve the goals that you set? These are a few that are free to use and their invaluable... knowem.com, SocialMention.com, HowSociable.com

3. Do you need an in house social media manager (an employee), or is outsourcing the duties a better fit? Are you able to keep a full time employee on payroll which would probably include paying medical benefits, vacation and dealing with sick time...or is it better to find a social media management company and let them handle all the duties.By using a social media management company, you would only pay a set hourly/weekly/monthly fee and also have a custom package designed especially for your business.

4. What do your followers see as far as the sites or pages that you are directing them to from you social media networks? Are your profiles set up to deliver your followers, and potential customers, to a page that will get them to submit their name and email address (squeeze page offering a free eBook or special report) so you can start building a relationship with your list? No matter what site or page you're sending them to, be sure that there is a call to action on that page. If you're just directing them to your home page and hope they'll stick around and find the info they came for, you will be disappointed with your results. The average website surfer will only give your site 8 to 20 seconds to determine if it's what they're looking for.

5. Do all your social media marketing efforts link to each other and do they work in synergy with each other? Are your websites, blogs and social sites setup to interact with each other and work together to create a more viral effect? You have to make it easy for your subscribers to navigate around your site and share things on your site with others that they find valuable, interesting and important.

6. What other experts in your niche can you network with, and how do you find them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc...Are you networking with other people and groups within your niche market that may be already considered experts in the field? If you do, not only will you learn a great deal, but you'll also be able to develop relationships with these experts and therefore raise your own businesses status in the social communities. By aligning yourself with these experts that are already much respected in the social communities and within their niches, you'll gain an almost an instant respect and credibility. When this happens you'll see your subscriber numbers go through the roof because you'll have a great number of your subscribers share your sites and info with others.

7. What tools and software will you use to automate a portion of your social media marketing? There's a lot of programs and software to automate portions of you posting and tweeting with you followers/customers, most have a free option or trial as well as paid versions that will handle a lot more duties. Some of these include... Socialoomph.com, Socialblaster.com, Socialposter.com (submit to up to 250 social and bookmark sites at once!)

These sites provide a great way to give your followers and customers a constant drip of information and keep them in tune with what your company is doing. While this may seem like the ideal way to 'set it & forget it' be aware that the whole point of social networking is to answer and support comments and questions in real time. These automated systems can certainly help, but there is always going to be a need for a 'real person' to monitor the going's on.

8. Is your current social media campaign currently providing valuable information to your followers that is different then your competition? Just as in the early days of email marketing, the key to get people to become subscribers and followers was to give away high quality, valuable information in the beginning and expect nothing back in return. This is the stage of relationship building, and it's one that must NOT be overlooked. People only buy from those they know and trust. It's not only OK to stand out from the crowd...it's imperative! You must give without want in order to receive.

9. Is your website setup to allow interaction amongst your followers? Now a days most all websites have their own blog. Is you website allowing for your followers and subscribers to interact with each other? Having a very interactive site will allow followers or subscribers to build some of the content for you, as well, you'll be able monitor the conversations taking place so you'll know exactly what your subscribers want and need. Once you know the problems they are asking for solutions to, you'll be able to deliver laser targeted information to them.

10. How are you handling the input that is being contributed by your followers? Is there a dedicated person to perform this duty or is it shared? If this task is handled by a number of different people, you may find that there is no consistency when they respond to a comment or question from your subscribers on your site. By having all this monitored by a social media management company, or a single person, you'll be able to gain that consistency...not only in the responses, but also allowing the personality and manner of speaking of the company shine through. This will give your customers a greater sense of trust and confidence in your company.

These are just a handful of relevant questions and some valuable insights you, and/or your social media marketing manager should be answering in order to create a needed starting point, as well as an ever growing, consistent, ongoing social media marketing campaign.

Whether you have a social media manager, or you outsource the duties, there's no denying the time is now to start a social media marketing campaign...because you know that your competition already has.

Ron Richardson is the CEO of http://Social-Media-Management-Experts.com with dedicated, passionate people to handle all your companies' social media marketing needs! A consistent, comprehensive social networking and marketing campaign every day/week/month to dramatically increase a steady flow of website traffic, leads, referrals, better SEO rankings, word-of-mouth, name recognition, reputation management and of course new business. Grab your free copy of 'Social Media Marketing Explained'...Click Here

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Ten Questions You Must Ask Your Media Sales Rep

Advertising, as you probably already know, is simply one element of your overall marketing plan. But what an important element it is. It's how most business owners expose their business opportunity to the masses, even if those "masses" are in their own backyards. Traditional media companies such as newspapers, radio and TV stations, magazines and outdoor billboard/signage firms hire sales people to sell their products to the business owners in their territory. They are hired and trained to sell their product. Let me repeat that for emphasis. They are hired and trained to sell their product. That means therefore, that they are NOT hired and trained to sell your product or service. They are NOT trained as marketers. They are NOT skilled copy writers. They make their money selling:30 and:60 second increments of time; space in column inches and outdoor exposure in blocks of weeks. That is what they get paid for. Sell the time and space, and get paid. End of story. Poor media salespeople have very skinny kids.

Despite these facts, I regularly see business owners turning their marketing and advertising responsibilities over to these uneducated, uninterested and altogether unsympathetic commission focused sellers. I can say these things because I've spent decades as one of those reps. I started out, as do most reps, with the Yellow Pages being told to "go out there kid and make your fortune". I know what it's like for my family to be totally dependant on my ability to convince someone to buy my stuff. And I'm really, really good at it.

Over the decades, I've learned that media sales reps can only be truly successful long-term if they personally take control of their education and development. The goal is to become a sustaining resource for their customers and/or clients. Again, the training programs most media outlets offer their sales people (if they offer one at all) are unbelievably bad. According to a recently published Harvard Business Review article, only 10% of the population can be considered "learning centred". We're the ones that seek out education by means of classes, lectures, CDs, DVDs, books, magazines and so forth. Logically, the remaining 90% of the population needs to be prodded, cajoled and externally motivated to learn something new on a consistent basis. That's what sales managers are for.

I'll say it again, business owners must stop handing their marketing and advertising responsibilities over to their media sales reps and start becoming accountable for the results themselves. I know that as a small business owner, time is tight. You're overworked and often lack resources. You wake up early in the morning and go to bed late each night exhausted. But it doesn't matter. Business owners must educate themselves with respects to marketing effectiveness and advertising strategies if they expect to generate the kind of profits required to "live the good life".

Here are 10 questions you can ask your media sales rep to determine if they have made the transition from a sales amateur order taker, to a "sustaining resource" - someone you can count on for accurate and valuable advice to help grow your business in the years to come.

1. What marketing books have you read in the past 90 days?

Doesn't it make sense that a well read media sales rep could be a real advantage for you? The local Chapters or Amazon book store is overflowing with excellent books on the subjects of advertising, media and marketing. Your sales rep needs to stay on top of the best-seller business charts. They need to know what is hot, what is working and what strategies have fallen by the wayside.

2. How do you keep yourself up to date with the changes taking place in the world of marketing?

This question will help you to understand how proactive your media sales rep really is. Encourage them to share magazine articles with you. What seminars or conferences have they attended? What do they know about the changes taking place in your industry? How are other businesses in other locations solving the challenges and problems you face with your business in your small town?

3. What are the top 10 marketing books I should have in my library?

I know, more reading. But it's important. Ask your rep to provide a list of some of the best books on marketing and advertising for your personal library. Ask them to submit a brief book report and take the time to review it with them. You should have books on copy writing, direct response marketing, internet marketing, basic sales strategy, ad layout, marketing theory and alternative marketing strategies you can implement in your market.

4. What type of ongoing marketing educational material will you provide so I can continuously improve my skills?

Put the onus on your rep to provide you with educational material to expand your horizons. What is being done in other, totally unrelated industries that you can adapt to your own? What ideas can you beg, borrow or steal to make your marketing and advertising more effective? Asking the question also forces your sales rep to begin procuring information they can share with you. It forces them to become more aware of the world outside their office walls and encourages them to expand their own horizons.

5. What information will you provide for my staff to improve their sales skills?

Every small business owner needs help teaching and training their staff to become more effective sales people and better communicators. Media organizations have an inexhaustible supply of information available to them from supporting associations that you need to tap into. Ask your rep to collect articles, course material and industry-specific resources to help you with your staff training issues. Bring your media rep in-house and ask them to prepare a lunch time training session for your staff on selling best practices. If they won't or can't do it themselves, ask them to help source someone from the business community who would be willing to do it.

6. What is the name of your personal website?

Not the media outlet site. I'm talking about your sales reps personal website. Having a content rich website for their own customers and clients is the sign of a forward thinking, customer focused sales rep. It provides valuable information that you as a business owner can access according to your timetable. Much of the information your rep has collected can be made available on this site so the next time it's 3:00 am and you can't sleep, you can go to the site, download an article or two and educate yourself at your own pace.

7. What guarantees are you willing to make?

Ouch, this one hurts. If there's one question a sales rep NEVER wants to hear it's, "What guarantees will you make?" Here's one guarantee you need to hear. "Your ad will run as promised and if for any reason we screw it up, you won't have to call us...we'll make it right!" Understand this. The sales rep cannot guarantee results. The best copy writer, the best photographer, layout designers, producers...they can't guarantee results either. But you can certainly stack the odds in your favour. There are countless examples of advertisers who have successfully gone before you. I've found that many business owners don't know the purpose of the ad they're purchasing. They don't articulate what the ad is supposed to do. And so they spend the money, fail to get a response - because they don't know what to look for - and come back saying, "That ad you sold me didn't work."

Read my lips. Advertising ALWAYS works. It always does what it's supposed to. And that is...It delivers your message. End of story. It is NOT the media that doesn't work...it's your ad! (Don't believe me? Try this. Call your newspaper sales rep and ask them to insert a one line advertisement ANYWHERE in next weeks' paper offering to pay $100,000.00 cold, hard cash to anyone who sees the ad and brings it into the store. Go ahead, try it...I dare you. You'll find that newspaper you say "never works", will work indeed!) Carve out the time to educate yourself how to write headlines that instantly grab the interest of your prospect and compel them to take action. Your body copy should flow in such a manner that it leads your engaged listener, viewer, or reader to a predetermined action. What exactly is it that you want your prospect to do? Find you online? Fill out a form or ballot? Drop by the store? Dial a phone number? Request a free report? Visit your website? Those are the types of specific, planned outcomes you can aim for.

8. Historically, how successful have other businesses in my category been when advertising with your media?

If absolutely no one in your business category has ever had any success generating a specific result or outcome using the salespersons' recommended media, what makes you think you'll fare differently? I'm not saying you can't, I'm just saying "give me some data to support your proposal!" At the very least, the question will encourage your sales rep to do some research on your behalf. Ask your rep to find similar advertisers in other towns, maybe even in other countries that have had success. Radio stations and newspapers often have access to sales reps in different markets. Request their customers' phone number or email address and begin a conversation with them. Agree to share your findings, your personal experiences - successes and failures - and in the process grow your own business network.

9. Please take a look at my last 3 ads (or scripts) and tell me how they rank on headline, body copy and call to action. What would you change?

This is a test. It's another way of finding out if your media sales representative has ever taken the time to educate themselves on the finer points of marketing and advertising. Plenty of resources are available that will teach you how to evaluate the strength of your offerings' headline, copy and call to action. I know of some copy writers who will write 20, 50 or 100 headlines before they even begin to write the body copy of the offer. How many headlines have you written, evaluated, discarded and adopted? You want your sales representative to help you, but you don't want them making the final decision for you! This is your company, your product or service and no one knows more about it than you. I'm stunned when a client says, "I'm too busy to write an ad today. You do it and I'll read it over before it goes to print (or air)." What do I know about styling hair, repairing a transmission, making cheesecake or neutering your pet? Squat is what.

Imagine you and I are in your jewellery store talking about an upcoming marketing campaign and a well dressed lady steps in and approaches you, obviously wanting some information. What business owner in their right mind would ask their media sales rep to handle the customer? "You talk to her, I'm too busy to sell a diamond today". And yet that same business owner regularly asks their media sales rep to speak on their behalf to hundreds if not thousands of existing and potential customers.

10. How often will you be in contact with me during the next 12 months?

You have a right to establish your contact schedule with your media rep. It doesn't always have to be a face to face visit. It could be an occasional lunch meeting, a weekly email update, a monthly ezine or sales call, but it should be planned with a definite outcome in mind. If a rep ever says, "What have you got for me today?" you should send them packing; call their sales manager and demand a new customer focused sales representative to care for your precious account. There you have it.

10 Questions You Must Ask Your Advertising Sales Rep To Boost Response and Save Big Money.

By now, you've probably come to realize that this isn't easy. This is going to take time. You can't implement everything at once, but you should be able to ask your sales rep a couple of questions during future meetings together and expect them to act upon their answers. The success of any marketing or advertising campaign you choose to put in place is 100% your responsibility. As with every professional service provider you engage, you should expect your media sales rep to take you seriously and provide you with the best advice and assistance possible to boost response and save big money!

Stephen Feswick teaches small business owners how to utilize tested and proven direct marketing strategies for their business. You may contact Stephen directly at: SpeakerTeacher@shaw.ca

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Frequently Asked Questions about Avaya Media Gateways

What are Media Gateways?

Avaya Media Gateways are one half of a powerful communications system: by

working in conjunction with Media Servers, they to provide every branch office

complete and total access to the central network.

Once the Media Gateway/ Media Server combination is installed and

configured, every employee will only be an intercom away and have access to the

same array of telephony features and applications.

What is the benefit of installing a Media Gateway?

An Avaya Media Gateway provides a seamless transition between the existing

investments and advanced IP telephony, allowing branch offices to benefit from

enhanced connectivity and security and increased productivity.

The benefits from Media Gateways are a two- way street: branch offices

receive enhanced communications while the central office enjoys simplified

administration.

Media Gateways integrate multiple functionality into a single box, greatly

increasing efficiency and savings: telephony, routing, and data switching have all

been combined into a single unit, simplifying operations and reducing maintenance.

What size of businesses can use Media Gateways?

There is a Media Gateways for all sizes of businesses, from ones who have 4

employees, to ones with 400.

The G150 and G250 supports 2 and 12 stations, the G30 supports 8 to

40 employees, and the G750 supports up to 450 employees.

Who should use Avaya Media Gateway?

All types of business and enterprises who have branch offices can benefit from

installing a Media Gateway.

Media Gateways fill one of two niches for businesses: ones who want to

integrate telephony capabilities and to take advantage of advanced business

applications, and businesses who's productivity and efficiency is bogged down by

their obsolete communications system.

Are Media Gateways hard to set up?

Not at all, in fact making branch offices operational is an quick, cost effective

process; a skilled technician can install and configure a Media Gateway from the

central office.

If a Media Gateway connects a branch office to the central network, what

happens if there is a power failure at the company headquarters?

There's nothing to worry about; every Media Gateway is equipped with a Local

Serviceable Processor (LSP), maintaining complete functioning and ensuring

continued productivity during WAN power outs.

Additionally, Media Gateways have an Emergency Power Transfer Relay

(ETR), allowing emergency calls to 911 during complete power outs.

Cameron Elliott is an Telephony specialist at avaya voip phone systems [http://www.phone-systems.biz/voip.php] where he extols the benefits of Avaya Phone Systems

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Frequently Asked Questions about Avaya Media Servers

What is an Avaya Media Server?

A Media Server forms the backbone of a flexible communications system

for growing companies. It allows your company to take advantage of the increased

functionality of an IP network without replacing your existing infrastructure.

What does a Media Server do?

Media Servers work in conjunction with Media Gateways to provide a

streamlined voice and data network throughout your entire enterprise. Media

Servers and Gateways provide a network built on an industry- standard operating

system that supports distributed IP networking and centralized call processing.

What is the relationship between Media Servers and Media Gateways?

A Media Server works by controlling the Gateway; the Gateway allows branch

offices to connect to the network, and the Server powers the network.

Can Media Servers power more than one Gateway?

Absolutely. The total number depends on the model, but Media Servers can

support several Gateways, expanding with complete ease. In fact, the S8700 can

support up to 8,000 Media Gateways, offering up to 36,000 stations.

Can any Media Gateway work with any Media Server?

The S8300 Media Server only supports the G700 and G350 Media Gateways,

but both the S8500 and S8700 Media Servers support all Gateways. Both the G700

and G350 Media Gateways are compatible with every Media Server.

What are the benefits of installing a Media Server?

The immediate benefits are increased productivity, efficiency, and savings

across the entire enterprise. The branch office has access to the same features and

applications as the central office, and the Media Server consolidates multiple

systems into a single server, enabling you to manage the entire communications

infrastructure from one location.

What size of businesses can use Media Servers?

One of the hallmarks of Avaya Phone Systems products is scalability; Media

Servers can function as a single unit powering a single office, and Media Servers can

support an entire global enterprise.

Cameron Elliott is an Telephony specialist at avaya voip phone systems [http://www.phone-systems.biz/voip.php] where he extols the benefits of Avaya Phone Systems

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Journalists Cull Questions for Obama's 'Twitter Town Hall'

To get the conversation started for today’s first Twitter Town Hall at the White House, Twitter executives turned to a handful of journalists from across the country to help generate questions about jobs and the economy for President Obama.

Dorrine Mendoza, 42, the online editor for The North County Times, a daily newspaper outside San Diego, was among the journalists invited by Twitter late last week to help find questions. “I am deeply honored to participate,” she said. “I believe Twitter can be the great equalizer. It allows anyone to ask the president a question.”

Ms. Mendoza said most of the questions she is getting from her Twitter followers reflect concerns from military families who live in the region and worries about the economy, expiring unemployment benefits and the California state budget, especially the impact of cuts on education.

Steven Norton, 21, editor of The Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina, said he has been focused on trying to get questions from people living in the South and from college students who are wondering about job prospects after graduation.

“The questions that I hope will reach the president will be a lot about job trends, what jobs will be available for seniors coming out of college and what initiatives are being taken to provide job opportunities,” he said.

Mr. Obama is expected to answer questions from Twitter users for about an hour, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern time. The conversation will be displayed in real time on two gigantic screens in the East Room. Questions will be chosen in advance and during the event by Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and executive chairman who recently returned to the company.

The event will be streamed live at http://askobama.twitter.com and http://wh.gov/live and regular updates will be posted on @townhall on Twitter.

In addition to the help from journalists, Twitter is also using its own curation tools and working with a partner, Mass Relevance, to help identify the most popular and relevant questions on the platform that use the hashtag #AskObama.

Twitter officials said they looked mostly to journalists as curators to help make sure questions reflected geographic diversity. The journalists include Kara McGuire, personal finance columnist for The Minneapolis Star Tribune; Kim Quillen, business editor of The Times-Picayune in New Orleans; and Drew Cline, editorial page editor for the New Hampshire Union Leader in Manchester.

Mr. Cline said that he was flooded with questions from Twitter users within a few hours after he made a few posts on his Twitter feed, saying he was asked to be a curator.

“It’s an interesting mix of people expressing their anxieties and fears about their own economic future, people grinding axes, and people trying to ask something that might be noticed amid the deluge,” said Mr. Cline who began using Twitter about two years ago.

The Twitter Town Hall is the latest effort to use social media platforms to help Mr. Obama hear from people outside of Washington, according to Macon Phillips, special assistant to the president and director of digital strategy.

Mr. Obama took questions from Marc Zuckerberg, the chief executive officer of Facebook, at the company’s headquarters in California earlier this year. The event was also streamed live and the questions and answers were displayed on Facebook.

In addition to the @whitehouse Twitter account with more than two million followers, there is a @barackobama account on Twitter with nearly nine million followers. That account is now being operated by members of Mr. Obama’s campaign team.

Campaign officials announced last month that Mr. Obama would post his own updates from time to time to the account, signing them – BO. So far, he is not tweeting regularly.

View the original article here

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Two Quick Questions On The Implications Of Not Raising The Debt Ceiling

1. If Wall Street pricing is based in large part on expectations, and if the common wisdom on the street is that the debt ceiling will be raised before the August 2 drop dead date projected by the Treasury, how big will the market reaction be if the ceiling isn't raised by then or its estimate of what will happen doesn't change.

2.  Greece's GDP is a rounding error compared to the size of the U.S. economy.  So if the possibility of a default by Greece roiled financial markets last week, what will the increasing possibility of a technical default by the U.S. do to investors?

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