Look out Groupon! Everybody wants to be LivingSocial

Social media websites keep popping up like wild flowers. Groupon emerged in recent years as a unique kind of social media concept. You get incentives to get your friends to set up accounts at Groupon.com. Each morning you receive an e-mail deal from Groupon, typically half off a product or service, based on your geographic location. Here’s the catch—in order for you to get the deal, enough people have to buy in so everyone can get it. So essentially Groupon gets friends talking on other social media sites, like Facebook, about products and services in their community.
LivingSocial is now on the scene utilizing a similar model. They’ve recently made a name for themselves partnering with Amazon. Here’s their story and what you, as a small business owner, can take from their recent success.
Partnering with popularity.
LivingSocial went to Amazon, part owner of LivingSocial, to make a daily deal for all markets—one day, $20 gift cards for $10, over 1.3 million sold. When you’re trying to make a name for yourself, it can be beneficial to partner with a more known and respected brand. What brands in your local market can you partner with to mutually boost your businesses?
Spending money to make money.
It is reported that LivingSocial purchased the Amazon gift cards at full price to make this deal. But now the company has 1.3 million people attached to the LivingSocial brand. Of course the gift card investment cost them, but now they’re banking on repeat customers to get a return on the marketing investment. As a small business owner, you have to think about the objectives of your marketing efforts and ensure that you can realize measurable results.
What works for your competitors…
Late last year, Groupon took in more than $11 million on a similar Gap campaign. LivingSocial decided to work with a bigger brand to get more customers. So, as a business owner, you need to keep an eye on your competitors. How are they marketing their business? How can you do it better?

Building Your Business on Your Personal Brand

When people think of marketing they often think of a television commercial, a magazine ad or a billboard. While these are certainly great ways to market your company, there is another—and maybe even more important—way to promote your business. Building a personal brand is an easy and inexpensive way to get your business in front of people. Here are a few tips to build your personal brand.
Assess Your Assets
What are others saying about you? It’s not what you say, but what others are saying about you. That’s what influences your reputation. So you need to get to know yourself and how you want to portray yourself—and your business—in the community.
See and be Seen
Get out there and show off your personal brand. Go to the events and places where people that you want to influence gather. Make sure you have your 15-30 second elevator pitch of what you do and how the people you meet can benefit from your business. Remember to have several versions of your pitch so you can tailor the message to the person you’re meeting.
Get Social
Your company probably has a Facebook and Twitter account but don’t forget to use your personal social media pages to talk about your expertise and your business. It’s probably more effective than your company page, because it’s a person talking to another person about topics that interest both parties.
Manage and Deliver
When you make a promise, deliver on it. That’s the most effective way to maintain your reputation and build your brand. Be true to who you are and continue to make investments in developing the person you want to be.

College Students Prepare to Enter the Workforce

College graduations are looming for thousands of students across the country. That means students will be looking to enter a competitive job market. If you’re one of those students, it’s time to prepare for the real world. Here are a few things you should be doing now to gain an advantage over your fellow classmates.
Update your resume
Resumes are still the ticket to getting an interview in most careers. Make sure your resume has current and compelling information. Most importantly, have a few professionals proof read it for grammar and spelling. One mistake and your resume will end up in the trash. You’ll want to customize your cover letter and resume for each job application. While you’re at it, open a LinkedIn account. It’s the Facebook for professionals.
Upgrade your wardrobe
Sweatpants and hoodies may work for the classroom, but won’t cut it in the business world. Research the industry you’re looking to break into to get a sense for the dress code. You will need at least one business suit and good shoes for interviews. You’ll want to get something versatile so you can accessorize in case there is more than one in-person interview. It’s time to start building your business casual wardrobe as well.
Prepare for interviews
Interviews can be scary, but if you are well prepared you can get through them like a pro. Google interview questions and come up with common questions to expect. If you have some ideas on how you want to answer some questions—even if they don’t ask the common questions—you’ll be ready. Don’t forget to research the company granting you an interview and mention concepts they practice that you appreciate.
Don’t sell yourself short
If you haven’t already, start networking now. If you plan on staying in the community where your school is located, search out a young professionals group and also find out where industry leaders hang out. If you’re relocating, get on LinkedIn and use the connections of professionals in your community. Chances are they know people in other cities that can help you land an interview.
Don’t get discouraged. You’re entering a competitive job market. Aim for your goal, but be prepared with a back up plan. Find a job that provides you with necessary experience so you can eventually land that dream job.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage, Along Comes a Lifestyle Brand

Your relationship with a company’s brand is like dating. You may try out a few different brand names at first, then over time you become more loyal. Eventually you find out that you become hitched to a particular brand. In essence, you’ve fallen in love. A lifestyle brand becomes a part of you.

When you see a swoosh you instantly know it’s Nike. But lifestyle brands are beyond mere brand recognition. Lifestyle brands, like Nike, have a way of connecting to a person and making the brand a part of a person’s life. Achieving lifestyle brand status requires time, but the effort can pay off in a big way. Through the following examples, you too can become a lifestyle brand that will make your company something to love.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.
A lifestyle brand gives people a chance to be who they want to be. The Ralph Lauren brand allows people to associate themselves with a higher class. When you walk into a Ralph Lauren retail store, you walk into the lifestyle of Ralph Lauren himself. That’s something very few can relate to, but many aspire to be. Take a look at your brand and see what can make people aspire to be more.

Apple
A lifestyle brand becomes ubiquitous in a person’s life. Apple has some of the most loyal customers. A customer starts with the iPod or the iPhone and suddenly they need the iPad and a MacBook. Soon they’re searching Google for someone to leak the next big release from Apple. They tend to seek out others using Apple’s devices just to talk about Apple. This type of loyalty creates early adopter mentality and typically higher financial returns because they’re willing to pay a premium. Take a look at your products and services and think about ways to make them irresistible.

Looking to these enormous lifestyle brands may have you thinking that there’s no way to achieve that status. Remember these brands started small. Nike sold shoes from a trunk of a car. Apple sold computers from a garage. If your goal is to remain local, take a look around your community. There are local lifestyle brands around you. All you have to do is have a vision, share it with your employees and share with the community through advertising. Deliver on the promise of your vision and soon you’ll have suitors lined up at your door.