This will be a busy and fun week for me as I travel to California for the #OCSMS.  Honestly, I can't wait!  Taking part in the Summit, learning from peers and meeting friends face-to-face for the first time is going to be a great experience!  This type of an event, combined with meeting these friends is what fuels me; I love meeting and networking with people that share similar passions that I do.

I finally have the opportunity to meet @RochelleVeturis, @HaleyVeturis and @ChelseyVeturis in person, along with several other Twitter and Facebook friends!  Saying I am excited is a huge understatement!

Over the next week, I plan to publish posts about my trip and this experience, along with an ongoing video series about my California adventure.  I hope you will join me and enjoy the #OCSMS as much a I will! We can all learn from the best in the social media and marketing industry!

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ watch my videos on YouTube and connect with me on LinkedIn. 

 

You may have seen some Tweets or posts recently that included #OCSMS or references to The Orange County Social Media Summit. If you live in or around Orange County, California, you should sign up and attend!   The Dynamic Duo of Rochelle and Haley Veturis created this event for the social media in Orange County.

I am beyond STOKED and EXCITED to be part of this amazing event! Through the graciousness of Rochelle and the entire team that created #OCSMS, an invitation was extended to me to be part of the Summit.  In addition to meeting the other keynote speakers and panelists, I get to meet several virtual friends in person for the first time. I can't wait!!

Unlike most events, this is a social media event created by the social media community. 

• Created by the social media community, for the social media community in Orange County, enjoy speakers and panelists who started at ground zero, and have found their voice—in different ways—through the “socialmediaphere.”
• No one started off as a huge brand, with a large list of contacts.
• Driven by their passion for people and new media tools, they’ve experienced business success, personal growth, increased web traffic, and scores of other benefits, from simply being present, and being themselves in social media.

Our commitment to you, is to provide a safe and authentic learning environment, where you can come, take notes, ask questions, and connect with people who care. Speakers will lay out their strategies for you, step-by-step. You’ll learn how to think bigger and outside of the box to create breakthrough results.

From blogging, to making videos, to posting tweets and Facebook updates, we’ll cover:

• The top social networks, and benefits and tips about each
• Shortcuts, lots and lots of shortcuts—we’ve worked hard to uncover these secrets, and we’re ready to share them with you
• How to listen to your customers/potential clients, and repurpose their feedback in meaningful ways
• How to create content that will bring you qualified leads
• Easy, ready to use techniques you can employ as you explore, get engaged, and find your personal groove online—whether it’s for business, a favorite cause, or to create your own, solid brand.

Wondering about the keynote speakers?

• They are the real deal; no snake oil salesmen—here.
• Between them, they amass more than 225,040 Twitter followers, 7.6 million friends on Facebook, 627,000 views on YouTube, and more than 10,000 connections on LinkedIn.
• They have each used their power and influence to support worthy causes, that benefit and serve others outside of themselves, including: the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Compassion International, Gavin’s Groupies, Stand Up To Cancer, Cameron Siemers Foundation for Hope, American Red Cross, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Irvine Public Schools Foundation, HomeAid Orange County, Baldwin Park Dogs, and the Amanda Foundation, to name a few.

We look forward to serving you through this fun and informative, full-day event. If you can't attend, you can watch the event via a live stream using the link below. 

Event Hash Tag: #OCSMS

OCSMS Event Registration - http://bit.ly/JUOiLg

OCSMS: Livestreaming link - http://saddleback.com/ocsms

Volunteer Event Producers: @RochelleVeturis and @HaleyVeturis (two-thirds of the O.C. Triumvirate).

Join us in Orange County or via the streaming link!  Connect. Teach. Share.

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

 

It was quite interesting that I received two packages in the mail on the same day. Why? To me these two packages perfectly highlighted Old Marketing versus New Marketing.

To be fair, the Old Marketing I am referrring to, the Yellow Pages Book, was not techically delivered; it was thrown on the ground, near my mailbox in a plastic bag.  But, I digress.  It arrived the same day as a sample of chocolate from Montazuma chocolate.

This is the Old Marketing

When someone mentions the Yellow Pages to me, I comment that I use the book once per year; when I pick it up out of my yard and dispose of it in the trash can.  Not that it doesn't have it's uses; it can be recycled, used to prop something up, hold up books on my bookcase, and other non-essential tasks.  But, as an effective method to market a business; not so much.  The Yellow Pages can work for some businesses as a marketing tool; but that number is decreasing rapidly, along with the number of users of the book.  The majority of our population own smartphones and computers.  Anything that you can find in the Yellow Pages book can be found, along with a substantial amount of other information on a business, via a Google search. This fact combined with the increasing number of homes that have eliminated home phones makes my argument that The Yellow Pages is Old Marketing. 

This is New Marketing

On the same day, I received a sampling of Montazuma Chocolate from Abes Market. Their dark chocolate sample was sinfully delicous. It was fresh and just the perfect combination of chocolate  and sweet, but not too sweet.  The other sample, the Jungle Fever Milk Chocolate with Fruits and Nuts was beyond words!  Simply the best chocolate I have ever eaten!  And yes, I have eaten a lot of chocolate!

So why was this sample New Marketing?  Their representaitve contacted me on Twitter after we started following each other and after they noticed some Tweets about coffee and chocolate.  I provided my address to them privately and before you know it, I have a free sample in the mail.   This is a perfect example of how social media can build a loyal audience!  NOT the free part, but reaching out to individuals and turning them into brand ambassadors! I am a believer in their products and have become a shopper, and obviously a raving fan. Social media is not about free or about which platform a company is on; it's about buiding a community of brand ambassadors.

Social or New Marketing works. Simple as that. 

This is from their website, AbesMarket.com  Follow @AbesMarket on Twitter and try out their products today! 

Abe's Market is the online marketplace for great natural products. We connect buyers seeking amazing natural products with the people who make them. There's no need to prowl the Internet for a broader natural product selection than can be found at your local natural market. At Abe's Market, you can get all your natural product buying done in one place.

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

 

You haven't been able to be on social media sites in the past week without seeing news about the upcoming Facebook IPO.  With Over 800 million active users – more than half of whom log in on any given day and interact with over 900 million “objects” (pages, groups, communities, etc.). Over 250 million photos uploaded every day, over 70 languages on the site. The stats go on and on, and anyway you look at them, the numbers are huge.

There is no argument that Facebook is a major player in social media, and the impending IPO could be HUGE financially for those willing to invest in stock in the leading social site.

So, why is this good news as it relates to free enterprise. it is a shinning example of how one individual can create something that becomes a platform used worldwide.  Think about it, Mark Zuckerberg decided to start the site on his own. He didn't go to his local or federal government for help.  He made the decision to start the company, albeit for reasons not connected to success (check out the movie The Social Network - http://www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com/  for more on that); but that is not the point.  The point is, one individual created what has become the leading social media site with over 800 million active users!  That is amazing by itself; but now thinking abou the company going public and the money that it will generate for Facebook is staggering.  The point is too that he did this in a free market, free enterprise environment that we have here in the United States.  We should all be thankful that it exists and should support it as much as we can.

This also means that Facebook's perfromance, their profits and losses will be key due to the fact that shareholders will expect results.  It should be interesting to see how that impacts advertising revenue and future changes to Facebook

Good luck to Facebook and it's investors. Will you be buying stock in Facebook?

 

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

 

 

Recently during a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon while working, I turned the T.V. on for background noise.  Since I was tired of my music library, my thought process was that the T.V could provide something to tune out while I worked.  See mom, I still do that; it worked in high school and it works now! Well, for the most part; read on to see what I mean.

Facebook announced exciting changes during their live video conference today.  Do you believe these are improvements? Announced today:

1. Video Calling with Skype
2. New Chat Design, complete with Buddy Lists
3. Group Chatting

The partnership with Skype was something necessary and a natural next step for the two companies.  It solidifies Skype's place in the social environment and it helps Facebook to continue to grow in the wake of Google + 1. Do you see these changes as improvements?  For businesses that use Facebook to connect and stay in communication with their client and potential clients; this is HUGE!  Imagine interfacing with fans and clients directly off of your Facebook Business Page!  Holding a Group Chat Session with employees in other locations!  It's all about being connected, being responsive and humanizing business. How will these compete with Google + 1 ?  Too soon to tell; and in reality, it is two different situations; but it does raise the bar for both Facebook and Skype in our social environment.

At the outset, I apologize to the readers of my blog; my updates and posts have been very sporadic lately and I committed to blogging more frequently. While life sometimes throws us curve balls that we don't see coming,  most likely these pitches allow us the the opportunity to knock one out o the park! That's a good description of what has been happening in my life and in my business.  Changes that I will explain more completely soon, but opportunities for partnerships and strategic alliances have arisen that otherwise I wouldn't have been able to embrace; trust me, it's all good! So, while we may not always expect the changes; we should roll with them and embrace what is going to happen next!  We should Roll With the Changes. Saddle up friends, it is going to be a fun ride! Oh, and if you love classic rock, you know why I used the REO Speedwagon album cover; if not, click on the  link in the picture to listen to the song. As my Twitter brother @VincentHunt would say, et's GO!

Guest Blogger – Phil Tucker, Internet Marketing Strategist & with Tucker Hosting

Welcome Phil Tucker, an Internet Marketing Strategist, to JohnLusher.com. I have known Phil for several years and have the pleasure to speak with him often at local events.  Phil knows the Internet and has been helping businesses harness it's marketing power for years.  Long before we all hung out on Facebook and Twitter together! If you are curious as to what QR codes are and how they can be beneficial, check out his post below.

Thanks Phil!

 

What is a QR code?

QR Codes are 2 dimensional barcodes that are easily scanned using any modern mobile phone. This code will then be converted (called "dequrified") into a piece of (interactive) text and/or link. For instance, you walk around in the city and notice a poster for an event that seems interesting. You take out your mobile phone, scan the QR Code and will instantly get more information and a link to a website where you can book your tickets. You don't have to type or remember anything and because QR Codes can be very small, this saves a lot of space on the product as well. The QR Code was patented by the Japanese company . Rather than strictly enforcing the patent, they chose to create an international standard with the QR Code and allow anyone to use or generate them without requiring a license or fee. QR Codes can be used to store all sorts of information including website URLs, map locations, contact information, text notes, and product identification. I first starting seeing practical uses of the QR Codes when Google Maps create a promotion in 2009 for business owners by sending them display stickers that say "We're a favorite place on Google" and offer a QR Code for cell phone users to scan and easily add the business Page Place to their phone. You can see the sticker Google sent to business owners on the front door of one of the Google Places I set up for. What to do with QR Codes? By creating your own QR Codes (called "qurifying") you can make whatever you want more interactive. Put one on your business card, on flyers for a party or poster to promote your products or services. Or use them to help sorting your books or CD's, put them on your keys or tools so you know what they are for. Just qurify any text or website url, put the QR Code on a product and make everything you have more interactive! So, are you ready to start generating your own QR Code yet? The is a Google Code project that creates QR Codes for maps, URLs, calendar events, and more. But I found BeQRious, which is a company is based in New York City & Europe that has a very slick and robust online QR Code Generator: generator BeQRious.com is focused on supplying news, information, technical solutions of QR codes. They seem pretty passionate in what we do and evangelize the World in possibilities of use QR Codes. So what will you use QR Codes for?

I posted on Facbook this morning that you never know where a connection can lead.  My dear friend, referral partner and all around incredible soul, Suni Heflin, re-posted and added to my comments.  As you can see from the comment flow below, many people believe in connecting, building relationships with integrity and the power of networking; especially in a smaller community. This got me to thinking; how many times do we underestimate the potential power of a connection.

• Do we overlook someone due to the way they dress or look?
• Do we miss a potential connection because we are too wrapped up in our own world?  Or our smart phone?
• Do we avoid connecting with someone because we didn't agree with a Tweet or a Post or a Blog Article?
• Do we realize the potential power of others network?

Every person we meet could be a potential connection, an opportunity to assist or help or a business opportunity. If I hadn't connected with Suni, I would have missed an incredible friendship and the opportunity to watch her write the next chapter of her life and career!  Stay tuned for more on that! Put yourself out there; in person, and online.  Make a connection; never underestimate where it can lead. Those are my thoughts.  What about you?  How have you seen the power of connections enrich your life?                                              

Guest Blogger – Julia Rosien, Social Media Strategist & Chief Idea Officer

Friends, please welcome Julia Rosien, social media strategist, to JohnLusher.com. I have been fortunate enough to know Julia for the past couple of years through social media, and my life is richer because of it. Her energy, enthusiasm and lust for life is inspiring. Maybe you are new to social media and social networking, or possibly you consider yourself a veteran; either way, Julia has great advice in Building Your Online Network.

The Screen is yours Julia!!

Just because you build it, doesn’t mean they’ll come

I’m a self-proclaimed social media evangelist – I spend too much time there and have more fun before 6 am than some people do all day. But even though I’ve been on Twitter since 2007, doesn’t mean I believe it’s for everyone. Twitter is like visiting Saudi Arabia if you’ve never stepped foot out of North Carolina – the culture shock can be a bit of a hurdle. Social networking is no longer an option for most of us today. It’s where we need to be to grow our businesses, continue learning and connect with people who can help us do both. If you’re considering using Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn (or one of the 27 other networks cropping up) understand that everyone uses social media differently. My mom is on Facebook because she wants to share in her kids’ and grandkids’ lives. My former boss used LinkedIn for a different reason…I’m on Twitter to learn from others and share my work as well. Before you sign up for Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, ask yourself some serious questions – because starting in social media and abandoning it is more damaging than not starting at all.

• What do you want get out of social media – sales, brand awareness or maybe community building? (And yes, even if you’re not a business you can build your personal brand on social media.)
• How much time you have to devote to it? Can you spare ½ hour a day? Do you have more time on weekends but nothing to spare Monday to Friday?
• Where are your peeps hanging out? If your industry thinks Twitter is a tween thing, LinkedIn might be a better bet.

Now start looking at which network best suits your needs, time availability and social skills.

Twitter ~ Social media soirée

From the moment Twitter launched in 2006, it was a cocktail party. It’s evolved into many things since those early days but it’s still a social space where sharing is top priority. Regardless of how big your network is, the average tweet has a shelf life of 1 hour. But it can be a powerful way to connect with a wide variety of people across many networks. If you’re a connector and like sharing, Twitter might be for you. And remember, it’s not just for geeks. One of my favorite people to follow is a local farmer who tweets from the tractor, the chicken coup, whenever he can grab 5 minutes. He’s got a wicked sense of humor and knows that relationships with his local community start with making friends.

Facebook ~ The full meal deal

For many folks, Facebook is the easiest network to understand and contribute to. It allows you to post pictures, chat with friends and co-workers (at a slower pace than Twitter) and share information about your industry or concerns. Facebook can be a great place to test the waters of social media because of its speed. Couple things to remember:

• Take time to get to know people – networking is about sharing, not self-promotion
• Share yourself – people want to get to know the real you. If you’re using Facebook for business and personal, think of it as the company picnic. Have fun but behave.
• Remember John’s pay-it-forward philosophy and talk to your friends about what matters to them. It will come back to you.

LinkedIn – Your best foot forward

I’m always a little amazed when people tell me that LinkedIn is only for job seekers. That would be like saying you only nurture relationships when you need something. A relationship, like communication, is a two-way process that takes care and nurturing. Recently on LinkedIn, a job opportunity came my way that wasn’t right for me. I passed it along to my contacts and connected the employer with someone looking for that particular specialty. Although the players were in different countries, they found a way to make it work. Further proof that John’s pay-it-forward philosophy is the best way to navigate through social networks. If you’re testing the waters of social media, it’s time to jump in with gusto. Pick a network and start building your profile. What are you afraid of? Success? Got social media questions?  Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn – I’m always on.