Don't Be a Secret Agent". . I am going to put a Marketing Tip on the front page of my Website ww.carolhaaz.com every day. I hope you will add your tips also. We can all learn from each other.
 
Tip #24
Every once in a while we all feel like we are taken for granted, that we are working just to pay the bills, or that no one really cares so why bother. Before you get to that day again buy yourself a notebook with lots of clear plastic sleeves and when ever you get a thank you note or a kind reference letter put it in the notebook. When you are having a bad day get the notebook out and read what people really think of you. It will brighten your day. Happy 2012 everyone....see you next year

These days, it’s almost obligatory for every small business to maintain a social media network. For small businesses, social media opens the door to long-term relationships with customers. If you use social media for marketing campaigns and relationship building, you should measure your activities to determine what’s successful, and how you can improve.

Social media metrics shouldn’t be kept just for the sake of records. Metrics are great tools to track activity over time and are necessary to understand the general attitude towards a brand or company. Metrics can also be used for short-term measurements and for single campaigns. 

These are early days in digital marketing and analysis, so there is no set standard for measuring social media success. As you navigate the uncharted waters of social media marketing, follow the tips below to ensure you learn as much as possible from your business’s social activities. 

Set Goals

Analytics improperly measured can be messy and overwhelming. Before you start measuring each tweet, Instagram photo share, and Facebook comment, think about your goals for your business’s social media network. As you build communication channels with customers, consider the following questions: what are you trying to achieve, and which channels are most relevant to your goals? 

of a housing market on the road to recovery. Figures released by the Census Bureau show that homeownership fell during the first quarter as more Americans lost homes to foreclosure and chose to rent homes. During the first three months of this year, the homeownership rate was 65.4 percent, down from previous year’s first quarter rate of 66.4 percent. 

Released in March of this year, the homeownership rate is the lowest it’s been since the first quarter of 1997, down nearly 4 points from high-flying days of the housing boom in 2004. Sales of previously-owned homes in January and February marked the best winter in five years. Despite disappointing sales in March, a recently released report tracked the number of signed contracts to purchase homes, which is the highest it’s been in two years. If the past 100 years of real estate tell us anything, it's that the housing market is one that continually adapts to economic, political, and social changes. History shows us that opportunity awaits on the other side of this 15-year-low. Now that the market has found the "bottom," prices will soon bounce back, houses will be sold at market value, and the construction industry will experience renewed demand for new homes and commercial development.

Whether you are a parent or a coach, you know how serious a concussion can be.  Any trauma to the head can cause serious damage, even years later.  While you may not be able to prevent every injury to a player, there are some precautions that can be taken to protect the head from damage.

Prior to the Start of the Season

Make sure that there is a policy in the league or school on concussions.  It should include a statement about maintaining safety, procedures in place to prevent concussions, and when a player can return to play following a concussion.  This statement should be signed by all parents and/or players before the season begins.

Educate players, coaches, and parents on concussions.  Before the season begins, there should be training on how to identify a concussion, how to prevent one, and possible long-term consequences of them.  

During the Season

Once the season begins, there should be teaching and monitoring for safety procedures.  Each sport has their own procedures on how to protect against concussions and these should be followed throughout the year.  For instance, in baseball it can be required that players wear helmets in batting practice.  Cheerleaders would only perform tumbles on mats.

Wondering if you have what it takes to own your own business? Here are the traits that connect all great business owners. 

You’re motivated by the Bottom Line

You are the type of person that likes to see results, and you will adapt your business plan to get those results. You look to others for advice if you are not getting the desired outcome from your efforts, and you’re willing to change.

You Can See the Big Picture

You understand the importance of attention to detail, but you don’t get so caught up in it that you forget the overall picture. You are willing to do the extra work needed because you are focused on the goal. This may mean working some long hours and weekends to get the business off the ground. You may also end up doing others’ tasks just to keep things going.

You Work Well with People

Whether it is working with employees or customers, you like people and enjoy interacting with them. This may form the bulk of your job at times. You will have to be visible in the community to market your business. Employees also need to hear that they are doing a good job, and there will be times when they need a morale boost.