By Kathy-Ann Fletcher

I sit here reflecting on the recent G8 and G20 conferences and it hits me, rules and regulations are not going to solve the problems that led to the global economic downturn. The solution stands not in regulating the superficial arms of the problem but affecting change at the root of the issue.

The solution? Social Entrepreneurship

The blame is being placed firmly on the shoulders of corporate greed and its exploitative nature that harms employees, customers and global economies. The solution for this practice is social entrepreneurship which encourages companies to consider more than the bottom line when designing organisational policies and objectives.

How would social entrepreneurship be the solution?

Reorganise priorities

Many companies place their priorities on increasing profits and shareholder returns. Adding social entrepreneurship principles would cause the companies to put the provision of the solution to market and society’s problems above the yearly increase of profits.

Change insular approach

The pressure to increase profits year-on-year causes companies to be removed from their employees, the very same customers they aim to serve, and their community. In times of trouble and decline, they consider not the community they serve, the employees who have been loyal in service to them, nor the economy. Instead, they think only of themselves and how to retain their profit increase objective. Social entrepreneurship encourages a community approach and more inclusive and inventive means of solving organisational and social problems.

Modify corporate structure

The top heavy corporate structure is also a serious hindrance to companies truly serving their communities. With every member of this structure looking to get a piece of the pie, the concern for the other stakeholders in the company (employees, customers, community) to be disadvantaged in times when the fortunes of the company are not as bright as before. Simplifying the structure will enable all stakeholders from executive to society to benefit even in leaner times.

Focus on sustainability

The traditional practice of commerce did not explicitly encourage sustainable practices. Therefore, companies mistreated employees, sources and even the environment which is a major reason some firms go into decline after a period of prosperity. Encouraging sustainable practices will develop wise use of scarce resources, ethical treatment of valuable employees and the respectful use of our fragile environment.

These practices would thereby ensure a better future for all stakeholders including the company and the community. The company will see profits and the community will see sustained improvement in standard of living from a through collaborative effort with the private sector and the society.

By Corey Graham 2.0

Last week, we took a look at five ways to jazz up your social media profile. Here, we offer five more suggestions. 

1) Add like-minded people - Network 

In building up your profile and fan base it’s important to go out there and network with the people you want to attract. You might need to be the one to introduce yourself to them even that means you are the one to invite them to your page on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. You can join groups in your industry and choose a few people periodically to reach out to and find out more about them.

3) Easy to remember custom URL

I suggest creating a URL that is easy to remember. If you wish to add your profiles to your business cards, develop a unique URL that can fit on business cards or email signatures. This URL also helps persons find you easily. 

4) Share good content & keep fresh

Seek to share good videos and articles that are relevant to the people you want to attract to your profile. Share a mixture of new developments and older acomplishments as both help to build a connection with followers. Great, engaging and consistent content keeps you on everyone’s mind. 

5) Participate in Group discussion and activities

‘The internet doesn't require your permission, just your participation’, Stephen Pierce

Your profile is the thing that identifies you, and allows you to interact and share with people around the world. It’s important to remember that you are a part of what is happening on these networks ... if you want to be. Don't allow yourself to become a spectator and just watch what is happening. You should aim to participate. You can interact with others as I started in tip #5, by adding comments on your friends pictures and statuses etc. You can take this one step further and you might want to lead a movement online or lead a petition. 

By Kathy-Ann Fletcher

Recent communications in the media showed me that several financial companies have developed products for the fifty-plus market. I find this quite interesting, as in the past in seemed that most companies, including said financial firms, have shied away from this market for one reason or another.

What’s stopping us from pursuing this group?

We are hesitant to approach the so-called senior market because we may not understand the dynamics of the market. We are somewhat unsure of how commercially viable this market is and therefore resist it to pursue “surer” markets.

However, considering that many of this age group have paid of their mortgages and car loans and may not have the awesome overheads that some younger persons carry, this target has on average more dispensable income than previously thought.

We are also guilty of being unable to communicate with them. We figure that they may not be where our current trend of new media communication takes our promotion efforts via the internet. This is in itself not true. However, I would suggest that the same way you research the lifestyles of other targets and communicate based on the where they gain their information, follow this method with this segment.

Why pursue this market?

This commercially viable target has needs and wants just the same as any other segment of the market and it is up to the enterprising business person to create the means of fulfilling these demands.

I observe that there are potentially strong relationships to be built with this valuable segment of the market as well. Their expectations are higher from the products and services they use; however, if you can meet or exceed these you can generate a more loyal customer than a younger one who may prove to be fickle.

How-to pursue this market?

I would advise against lumping all seniors into one segment and treating them as a homogeneous group.

They are individuals and despite the being in the same age-bracket, have different needs, lifestyles and financial and societal positions.

Therefore, I believe the best way to pursue this potentially lucrative market is to put out of your head whatever you previously thought and approach them with the same methodology as you would another market. That is, you provide a product/service that meets their external and internal needs, e.g. Financial independence and housing; and communicate with them where they are whether it is through their organisations, TV, radio and yes the Internet.

I hope that we see that this is segment has great potential just as any other in our market and are enterprising enough to resist the urge of ageism and stereotyping to provide relevant and useful products and services to this valuable segment of our market.

By Corey Graham 2.0

Twitter does not give you alot of space to write a very descriptive biography, however, you can communicate some of this info via your image as done by PixLD.

Your status messages and tweets are great tools for attracting persons with similar interests as well as customers and business associates. By sharing your thoughts and actions you are building a relationship with your followers which enhances their buy-into your product or service.

Stay tuned for more suggestions in Part 2. 

By Kathy-Ann Fletcher

If Location, location, Location is the real estate agents’ mantra, then perseverance, perseverance, perseverance should be the entrepreneur’s refrain. While location means everything in the sale of a property, perseverance is instrumental in the success of a business.

It is easy to give up at the first hurdle – throw our hands up at the first mistake and say ‘oh well it’s not meant to be’. However, if we look back at some of the most successful people, their achievements are their persistence in the face of mistakes. Instead they will try again in a different way.

It’s not as easy as it sounds to persevere when you make what may seem a crippling mistake but I provide a few tips to inspire you to persist in the face of disappointment.

1.       Retain your enthusiasm – If you lose your enthusiasm for what you are doing, it’s easy to get disheartened and walk away from your dream. Enthusiasm is the drive you need to keep you on the path to your accomplishments.

2.       Trust your instincts – Your ideas are your gateway to achieving success. When you have found that one that makes you happy trust your instincts and keep going as long as it takes to be successful.

3.       Master your craft – Mistakes are easy to make when you are new to a particular field, so minimise these risks and recover from these blunders, take steps to become more knowledgeable about your area.

4.       Be dedicated – Staying dedicated is hard but the rewards pay off tremendously. Jane Austen made the biggest mistake – a bad first impression – however, she persevered to become a revered author.

5.       Take it step-by-step – Henry Ford made a lot of mistakes but learnt from them and in sharing the secret to his success explained that perseverance consists of approaching your business one small job at a time. That is the source of many of our mistakes we try to break off more than we can chew and often become overwhelmed. In that case the answer is not to give up but to resize your operations so that you are taking your steps in an order that you are able to handle.

I end by saying on the road to success remember these three words: Perseverance, perseverance, perseverance.

By Kathy-Ann Fletcher

The emergence of digital technologies such as the computer, iPhone, iPad and the Blackberry together with the Internet has seen traditional avenues for advertising such as TV, radio and the print media lose a great amount of appeal. Add social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and we are able to see that we have witnessed what is possibly the greatest transformation in media use ever over the past decade.

This change has implications for the communications model that companies have used to reach the market for decades. Instead of general impersonal one way advertisements based on a hit or miss model, new media allows companies to have more targeted two-way conversations with their consumers.

While many may use the benefits of new media to turn our backs forever on what now seems like the derelict traditional channels, I would not be in a rush to completely remove traditional tools from my marketing budget. As with anything in this life, the answer to this new marketing question is balance.

What do I mean when I say balance? I simply mean you should combine both approaches when designing your communications to maximise the broadcasting benefits of traditional media with the cost-effectiveness and conversion rate of new media marketing.

How do I do that?

I saw that question coming. My answer is to integrate and build relationships with your traditional and social media. Integrate your new media and traditional media channels so that they draw attention to each other and to your brand message. For Instance, if you have a newsletter, don’t drop it for a Facebook page. Instead put teasers of your message on Facebook that can draw your target back to your Newsletter which supports your brand image.

My second suggestion: Build a relationship with your subscribers on Facebook and other social media platforms. This relationship can be used to strengthen your presentations in traditional media. For instance, if your product or service requires a lot of event marketing for example at trade shows and TV events interviews etc, before hand ask your subscribers about what they want answered or shown during your time with the show.

Incorporate their responses in your presentation and be sure to make mention of your subscribers on Twitter, Facebook etc. Following the suggestions of the portion of your market that you actively interact with in social media will help you develop the content that reaches your target within the traditional media channels.

By Corey Graham 2.0

Before you get started in Social Media marketing, there are a few things that you need to appreciate. 

By Corey Graham 2.0

I believe in order to take advantage of a business opportunity you will need to figure out exactly what is a business opportunity. 

• Clearly Identifying The Opportunity 
• Seizing The Opportunity

• Is it a "win-win" deal?
• Are all the critical persons involved benefiting from it?
• Is there anyone losing from the deal? Who are they are why?
• How long will this opportunity last? 
• Is it in an emerging market ?
• When must you decide on it? 
• Does this opportunity align to philosophy?
• Is this something that you can commit to and do the extra homework needed to make it successful?
• How does it impact the people around you?
• What happens if it falls through?

By Corey Graham 2.0

There are several reasons people become entrepreneurs. Some people are somewhat forced into it due to the loss of a job and the inability to get a new one. Others are graduates who cannot gain employment in their chosen field while yet more people are fulfilling the family legacy of entrepreneurship. For some visionary people with strong ideas, goals and visions, their ambitions could never be achieved working to the tune of someone else’s music.