Northwest Data Networks » Northwest Data Networks, Business IT Solutions

Building Brand “YOU”

robw — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:01:02 +0000

I gave an impromptu presentation on QR Codes and their uses in business when a thought occurred to me. Anyone who has heard me probably doesn’t realize that much of the time my outlined topic of discussion leads to questions that inspire my next presentation. This lead me to ask the question “What is your most important asset right now?” A few people answered “My house”, “My IRA” or “My business assets”. The correct answer is “You.” You are your brand. People connect with brands everyday Nike, Betty Crocker, NBC. Take it one step further though and realize that your name is a brand. Let’s see you probably know the name Kardashian. As polarizing as this name is the family branded themselves using television, product placement and the use of websites, tabloids and social media for better or worse we all can probably associate something with the name Kardashian.

You can brand yourself and manage your image and you don’t need a publicist to do it. If you’re working for a company do not rely on them to build your brand. If you work in a heavily regulated industry that won’t allow certain types of advertising such as Financial Investment advisors or insurance you can still build your brand and stay within legal guidelines.

A perfect example you are a financial advisor working with stocks and securities. Obviously you can’t offer advice on a website or through the use of social media. However your company probably gave you a business email address and you probably have a “Linked In” business profile. These two things will come up in search engines such as Google and Bing. However if you want to maximize your ability to be found, why not start a blog on your favorite hobby? If you love snowboarding for example start a blog using WordPress. Add pictures and content with your posts. Don’t mention your work or your company. Promote your blog via social media twitter, Youtube, Facebook. Maybe create a custom QR code that promotes your blog and post it on a separate business card that says simply “Trevor’s Snowboarding Adventures”.

As your audience grows people will associate you as the “Expert” in your hobby. They’ll want to chat with you. People prefer to do business with people they like and identify with. Your name will rise to the top of search engines as both a financial advisor and a Snowboarder. As you grow your presence with your blog and social media Brand “U” becomes more and more important. Manage it carefully. Keep your blog and social media up to date with the latest photos and stories. Include pictures and tips with your posts that will keep your audience wanting more.

Rob Wessels

New Business Development
www.northwestdatanetworks.com
www.epicqr.com

Add Videos to your Facebook

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:46:29 +0000

In this video tutorial we will show you how to install an application that will link your youtube video collection into a button on your facebook fanpage to allow all of your Facebook followers to check out your youtube videos right there on your Facebook page. This is a powerful thing to do since your viewers will be logged into facebook for SURE when they are watching your videos that they found on Facebook.

Getting your followers to share the word about you is all about getting them to like you (which they already do) and making it easy to share about you. There is no easier way to share videos on facebook than sharing videos that are ALREADY ON FACEBOOK. Long story short, get those videos on there.

Check out our quick video tutorial that will show you how you can have your videos installed on your fanpage in less than 5 minutes.

Enjoy. (And then like us and share on Facebook!)

Setting up Facebook Timeline

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:35:29 +0000

Timeline is here for Facebook fanpages, and it will be here in a week or so for personal pages as well. If you’re unfamiliar or hesitant to jump into Timeline, have no fear. It’s simple and if you set it up properly, it can be gorgeous.

Check out our quick how to video tutorial to see how to setup your Facebook page for Facebook Timeline!

How to Take a Screenshot

admin — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:21:29 +0000

People ask all the time “How do I make a screenshot?” A screenshot is a snapshot image taken of exactly what is on a screen. This is great for taking quick pictures to use on your blog, or to save a picture of what an error looked like on your screen to show your computer guy (call NorthwestDataNetworks.com for support for your business). We put together a quick video to show you how to do it.

We do recommend video editing software. In this video we show you how to use Picasa which is a free video editing software distributed and owned by Google. It’s fantastic. Get it at http://picasa.google.com/

Now check out our video tutorial:

How to Create a Facebook Fanpage

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:49:14 +0000

Your Business Needs Fans!

Creating a Facebook page for your business or organization is quick, easy, and most of all FREE. Having a presence on facebook can open up new avenues of advertising for your business. With a little ingenuity, you can leverage this free resource to get more clients and more repeat business.

Most people in your shoes have two main questions: How do I make use of Facebook for my business? How do I create a FaceBook page for my business?

This tutorial will deal with the latter. Click on the video below to watch a quick walk-through we made to show you how to do this yourself, or check it out on YouTube.