The Retail World is Changing

The Belk store at NorthPoint mall, which is located in Alpharetta, GA has plans to close down the weekend of Labor Day this year. The store did not meet their financial expectations and therefore is closing.

Unfortunately, this store employs 73 individuals who will be out of a job. The company has stated that they are going to try and put these individuals in other Belk stores around the city of Atlanta. Representatives from Belk did however state that this is the only store in the Atlanta area that they have plans on closing.

It is interesting to see that although the NorthPoint Belk may be closing that this company has opened two other stores in the Atlanta area that are stable currently.

Now, a vacant space will be open in the NorthPoint mall in Alpharetta. I am sure that all of residents of Alpharetta and surrounding areas are curious what business will take the chance and put their store in that empty space.

Any ideas of what might take Belk’s place in the current state of the economy?

For more information about this store closing see the full article: http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/06/01/daily56.html?ed=2009-06-04&ana=e_du_pap.

Is Twitter Right For My Business?

Among the most common questions I am asked daily is "what is twitter and how can I use it as a business strategy?". Depending upon your desired results, measurement, and communication plan will you be able to determine how effective twitter is for your business. Here are a few reasons you may want to use twitter.
1.Drive traffic to virtual front door.
2.Make new business contacts.
3.Establish yourself as an expert.
4.Contribute to “trending topics”.
5.Spread good news about your business.
6.Get ideas for blog posts.
7.Provide live event coverage.
8.Find and share resources.

Facebook Applications For Business

Facebook is for your business especially if you are a consumer brand. The more your customers interact with your web page, the more you'll learn about their specific interests and needs. So be prepared to manage your site or find a company like ours that develops and manages marketing plans including social media.

Here are a few of our favorite things about Facebook:
Create links to Twitter, LinkedIn, and your Blog.
Join relevant groups or start your own group.
Share video/photos.
Post free or fee based events.
Add or create new applications.
Conduct Polls.
Manage Calendar.
Purchase targeted ads.

Share your favorites applications with us!

Don’t Do Everything – Just Try Something!

Many minds are swirling as they attempt to understand the world of social media. My thought is you should not try everything at once but at least try one of the leading social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. Here are a few pointers to get you started.

1. Social Media is a tool that can help sell your products or services! It is not intended to be "the" solution to building your business.
2. Please understand that although access is free management is an investment of either your staff's resources or outsourcing this service.
3. Identify goals, how you will measure your investment of time and money, know where your target market is spending time, and then create a plan.
4. You will benefit by getting started with a profile on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and then build your marketing strategy using each medium.

Let us set up your profiles and mangage them for you.