If you need a way to play recordings on the web, look no further than Evoca.  This is a product we have found so user friendly that it’s worth recommending!  Seven Waves Marketing* has been able to use this player system to broadcast prayer services, to play radio commercials, and even for grassroots political campaigns.

Evoca is always branching out and just announced they are now working with Hospice patients to capture their stories as a family keepsakes.  The Evoca system allows you to record on any hand held phone, which serves as a microphone.

Simply upload to an Evoca account directly from your phone device and later grab the code for a player and park right on your blog or website. It’s also easy to post your recording link directly to Twitter from your account.  For a look at the web players in action, visit The Cradle of Prayer Listening Room.

There are so many ways this unique system can be used, and I’m told that recordings have been made on cell phones right in the midst of disaster, such as the Haiti earthquake, and on the mission field to report back to headquarters in an effortless way.  Teachers even use Evoca to test students remotely who are taking a language class.

Since the world is so mobile and smart phones are the primary source of communication, Evoca makes it easy for business opinion polls or user driven call-in recordings.  With a free 30 day trial offer, it’s hard to think of a reason not to use this unique system. http://www.evoca.com

*Seven Waves Marketing is the founder of The Marketing Dock.

If there is anything we all learned from American Idol, it was Simon and the team saying “Make the song your own”.  Sure – we all get ideas from one another, but it’s probably a good idea to make the concepts you read about from others totally your own and not plagiarize.

Providing a practical business or social media application is one of the best ways to create brand new content – especially after you have tested.

So the art of stealing other’s ideas on the web has certainly been going on for quite some time, and now there are even personal attacks going on within the blogging community in response to tweets.  Isn’t it amazing how people react and respond to the written word?

Make your words count and blog with purpose, while not getting caught up in the fray of criticism of others.  Here are suggestions

1.    Offer insight and tips for social media users.
2.    Share a piece of knowledge from your industry.
3.    Have you made a new software discovery?  Let others know how it worked for you.
4.    Write about a service you provide and why others need it.
5.    Tell others about the benefits or unusual features of the products you sell.
6.    Show photos of real people using and enjoying your products.
7.    Write about how you solved a difficult customer problem.

Yes, the rule of thumb is to make blog entries novel length and blog a lot, but contrary to the normal rules, life at the Marketing Dock doesn’t seem to work that way and surely we don’t want this reputation:

From the Urban Dictionary Blog Definition 1. “A meandering, blatantly uninteresting online diary that gives the author the illusion that people are interested in their stupid, pathetic life.”  And Bloggers= “Modern day hippies”.
Blog #2 “those written by people who are experts on a topic they’re writing about, and their posts can be very useful to other people who are working on similar things. Such blogs are very informative, and have a purpose.

While reading a summer novel, I nearly choked when I ran across these lines: “ A blog.  I see.  Well, to my way of thinking, all blogs do is put all your thoughts out there for anyone to steal for their book or their magazine article.  You’re just giving it away.  Maybe.  Ain’t no maybe about it.”  …  “but everyone blogged – everyone with too much time on their hands that is.”   From Return to Sullivan’s Island by Dorothea Benton Frank.

Is your blog really a place for others to steal ideas?  Maybe (more on this later) – but why not take the risk and get your story out there.

At Seven Waves and The Marketing Dock – we know blogging opens the front door of your business, inviting people inside to see what you do.  It’s a great way to tell success stories, promote your clients, and even interact and attract future business partners.

Who can tell the news you have better than you?  Don’t wait to be interviewed – tell the story of your business in a blog and be sure to share some photos.

What are you waiting for?  Tell your story.

Summer always reminds me of Mexican jumping beans – that’s when we would find those little clear boxes of hip hop beans at the local 7-11 counter when we were kids.  Every night I would watch the beans jump inside the box while doing the evening dishes.  Of course the novelty wore off when the beans ran out of gas (oops – the larvae died).

Do you find yourself zooming around the net looking at new graphics, applications,  and ways to manipulate Twitter like a jumping bean?  I know I do and really have to talk to myself to shut off all the distractions, Facebook time drain, and alerts to get any writing or web work done.  It’s the ADD syndrome for sure.

In her latest note, The Barefoot Executive brings everything back to “Focus: Business is business. (shocker) Online, Offline, Onphone, Onstreet…Business. Period. FACT: You must have a product, service or knowledge that someone is willing to give you money in exchange for.”

Focusing on what is important, long term and not just glitzy is the key, whether doing freelance work or working for a big corporation.  The question remains – what will yield the most benefits of my time?

So how do you plan on spending the rest of your summer?  Will you be energized and focused on business goals or hop along like a dying bean?

I spend a lot of time on Facebook and run into small business pages that have a lot of basics missing.  Here are a few tips to make your page user friendly, while offering more visibility and interactivity for your small business:

1. Right on the home page above the Info box – be sure to put a clickable link to your website by using this format:  http://www.

2. If you have a retail location -  put the address to your shop in the info box to save a step for users.

3. Make it easy for people to get in touch with you – you can also put an email link in the info box.

4. Be sure to add some photos of you or your operation.

5. Take photos of people who come into your shop or restaurant and tag them on Facebook.

6. Make it fun – Take photos of people at events you attend, upload them on Facebook and tag ‘em.

7. If you have a restaurant – create a tab and have your menu part of your Facebook page.

Yes, the Soup Nazi from the famed Seinfeld show is back.  After opening several restaurant concepts across the U.S. he is back in NY with what made him famous.  What’s interesting is to become an original SoupFan, you  sign up as a Soupie on their website:   originalsoupman.com.

The concept is to become a soup fan and when you visit the store, you pick the soup you want and have your money ready.

It seems there is no Facebook  page driving people to the store (there are some group pages and one public figure page).  It will be interesting to follow along to see what really works as a seller for them – as there seem to be more shops on the horizon.  Facebook or no – the local concept will most likely be a hit.

This week I received a jumbo post card in the mail from a local political candidate – a variation of the one I received last week from the same guy that landed in file 13.  I wonder if the candidate knows I already have a sign up in my yard showing my endorsement?  How much money do future politicians spend on all these printed materials and mailings?  What about the huge 11×17 fold-out that landed in my mail box last week from a candidate for governor? I don’t happen to know this guy, although he seems to have a friendly face.  With the amount of money he spent to send this around the state, it makes me wonder how he will manage my tax dollars.   These run of the mill print pieces really make my eyes glaze over with very little call to action.  Direct mail is still an effective tool if used creatively, but if you want me to meet you, why not spend your campaign dollars on producing an interactive video which can be done quite cost effectively.  Park the video on your website and on Facebook.  If it’s unique enough to become viral you won’t even need to spend money on TV.  The bottom line for politicians:  what are you telling the voters about your money management skills and what are you doing to streamline the waste in your campaign?

With a good marketing strategy put into place, promoting a restaurant both online and offline can work together for success.  Online marketing through Twitter and Four Square can be virtual promotions and coupons based on real time to tourists.  Offline marketing can easily be directed to the online efforts – but targeting your audience, whether locals or tourists is the key here.  Locals can certainly generate enthusiasm for your venue by sharing with their own visitors and online friends.  Targeting offline promotions toward locals easily generates marketplace buzz for your menu and making it fun will make sure the word can spread.  The attached photo shows an offline promotion for a Canadian coffee shop in the heart of an indoor city market aimed at the local businesses and office workers who travel back and forth in an adjoining mall.  Happy marketing.  More offline marketing ideas here:  Link

When a restaurant is celebrating a significant time of doing business such as a 50-year anniversary while telling new and old customers about the longevity of their business – what’s the best method?  We all love old photos, but marketing your business exclusively with your original logo and old photos may be a mistake.  Ask yourself, does this reach out to new customers?  Does this show how your company has evolved or changed with the times?  Does this image tell others you are innovative by integrating new menu items with the famous in-house recipes?   How about some colorful celebration photos?

Your Image. Take a look at your interior design – does it look exactly the way it did the day you opened the door?  Are you telling new visitors you are doing business the way things have always been done?  Perhaps it’s time to consult a graphic designer to freshen up your logo and compliment your interior displays.  Promoting the longevity of your company with historic photos inside the restaurant helps generate trust.

Making it Easy.  For new visitors to town, have you made it easy for others to find you?  Some restaurant owners who need to be reading this don’t even have a website.  What better place to display your restaurant reviews, directions, and show off enthusiastic customer photos?  Traditional print advertising is always a compliment to all the web has to offers.

Social Media. Restaurant marketing through Facebook and Twitter is one of the most effective uses of social media we have seen.  The reason?  It’s happening now and people love to eat and talk about food.  It’s easy to track the effectiveness of social media through food and drink promotions which creates the buzz and word of mouth marketing that is truly priceless.

Creator of the Modern Day Party Line

The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, has been blasted across the internet – to the point there is now a mass exodus planned on May 31st.  Trying to cover all points of the internet you surf and corralling it into once place is part of the anger and upheaval.  Many feel Facebook has taken over their lives and Mashable is now conducting a poll to see if you will leave (when I took it, the results seemed mixed).

As lawsuits bubble under Facebook corporate headquarters, the founder is now accused of stealing the original idea from fellow Harvard students, selling out all users by sharing their data information to advertisers, basic privacy violations, consumer groups filing complaints with the FTC, and censorship in foreign countries.

Upgrades and changes without considering what the public thinks (who by the way can turn against them immediately) seem to be the obnoxious trait of this management team.  I imagine they are facing wars of their own inside their own organization right now as new concepts are rolled out without thought for what consumers will think.

Kids have called it “creepbook” because there are people always watching what they post – adults have called it a party line. The phenomenon has divided families, yet managed to reunite and connect friends and long lost relatives.  Does the good outweigh the bad?

Interesting that AOL was at the top of their game years ago with their instant messaging, then came hotmail and classmates.com.  All things we thought we could not live without.  My have times changed, yet we still have choices – especially when one application wants to have control and be the “end all be all”.

Perhaps it all revolves around numbers and statistics … with Facebook having a site ranking number 2 only to Google searches allows them to do what they want.  Marketers, including yours truly, will continue to chase the numbers as long as the people are there.  While this may be true for now, there are new applications on the horizon and the connectors will be testing and reporting.