A group of a dozen or so organizations including BP, the EPA, the U.S. Department of Interior, the Department of Defense, and OSHA have set up Deepwater Horizon Response, a “Unified Command” established to “manage response operations.” This also involves several social media accounts.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/12/facebook-ads-socia-recruiting-tool/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

However, it's just one of the many ways that companies are utilizing Social Media for Recruitment.

As Wave is a woman owned businees this article touches on our core philosophy of how to run our business and how we strive to support and grow our "much valued" staff. 

Well, it's because it's "All About Mobile" and small, medium and large companies need to make sure their sites are mobile ready as well as figure out what their customers want to learn about them and how to best communicate this information on the smartphone.  For instance, is it just updating the site to be Web 2.0 / mobile functioning or is it through a clever phone application that then drives traffic to site and results in sales or could it be to capture quality talent for those tough to fill positions.

Whatever the reason for upgrading your Web and Mobile approach is for your organization, everyone should review the following statistics on where the "Web 2.0 and Mobile Rage" is at and where it's going

By Ashish Sharma On 2010/02/22 

What is M-Commerce and why do we need it? This question is quite simple but the answer to it may differ depending upon your business needs. M-Commerce is the latest trend in which business firms looking out for online expansion choose to have a mobile website for faster business promotion. Some of the examples where M-Commerce website is presently being used are: iPhone, Nokia N-Series, Samsung Devices and Google’s T-Mobile G1 with Andriod OS.

What is M-Commerce?

M-Commerce is a term used for transactions conducted by mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) for promotional and financial activities using wireless internet connectivity. Mobile Commerce, commonly referred to as M-Commerce, brings the newest possibility for small business to sell and promote their products and services through the medium of mobile devices.

Ten benefits of having an M-Commerce Site.

1.  Mobile Usages Increased: Nowadays, mobile usage has increased rapidly due to the evolution of Internet and other mobile technologies. This change has provided seamless opportunities for various online businesses.
2.  Reach your Customers: Having a mobile commerce site means that you can reach your customers even when they are shopping offline. This makes the shopper more aware of your services and products.
3. Compete with Competitors:  Do not let your competitors ride onto you by not having an M-Commerce website. Head start you business promotion with a mobile website to stay ahead of the competitors in the market.
4. Appeal to an affluent audience: As a recent survey on mobile internet adoption says that, 42% of mobile internet users earn over £40,000 a year, and spend more on their mobile bills.
5. Low Development Cost: A mobile website takes very low development cost.
6. New Sales Channels: A mobile site creates various new sales channel for you. The more number of marketing channels you have, the higher is your possibility of creating a strong brand name in the market.
7. Get Shoppers to Local Channels: By having a mobile site that displays various business details, retailers can attract more local traffic.
8. Shoppers like Comparisons: Often customers like to see detail information and price comparisons of products before purchasing. Reevoo & Scoope displays such information in their mobile website. Hence, it is better to optimize your mobile website accordingly to increase your chances of having a successful mobile marketing campaign.
9. Smart-Phones are Latest Fashion: Technology has changed the way people use their mobile devices.  Most of the people do their shopping by using their mobile device to gather information or to communicate. Hence, by having an M-Commerce website, you make sure that you create your mark amongst all active shoppers.
10. M-Commerce is essential part of Business: M-Commerce is now turning out to be an essential part of Internet marketing strategy. With the increased use of Internet in mobile devices, having an M-Commerce website makes a huge difference to your online business campaign.

These Reasons are good enough for any business owner to opt for a mobile website while planning for business expansions. However to implement the above features more effectively Mobile SEO needs to be done.

We sincerely want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe New Year!

The Wave Team

but I can't help but wonder - is Facebook smarter than we think? There are a lot of examples of technology that has become stagnante because it is afraid to scare away its loyal fan base. But a company that continues to evolve and then listen to the feedback of its fan base could be exactly the type of technology destined to progress and live for quite some time. 

“The problem is our sales are too low.”  Nope, sorry, that’s not the problem.  That’s the result of a problem; a symptom of a problem.  You aren’t selling enough because you have a problem with one element of your marketing mix (pricing, or promotion, or place (channel), or product).  Perhaps you’ve priced your product or service too high, scaring off budget-minded buyers.  Perhaps you’ve priced your product or service too low, failing to appeal to status-minded buyers.  Perhaps the word is out that your product is shoddy.  Perhaps you’ve targeted the wrong segment; perhaps your advertising medium of choice isn’t reaching your market segment; perhaps your retailers get better margins selling your competitors’ product…there are a lot of problems to consider!  But, “low sales” isn’t one of them.  

“The problem is we need to develop a communications plan that establishes our brand in the marketplace.”  Nope, sorry, that’s not the problem, either.  That’s a solution to a problem.  In fact, every business needs to develop a communications plan that establishes its brand in the marketplace.  You might have promotion problems that a tweaked communications plan might solve.  Or you might have problems completely unrelated to promotion–maybe you have price, product, or place (channel) problems.  Again, there are a lot of problems to consider.  But, “we need a communications plan” isn’t one of them.  

Think of it this way.  You go to the doctor with a symptom: “I am endlessly thirsty.”  So, your doctor looks at your lifestyle, reviews your family history, checks your existing prescriptions, runs some tests, and then identifies the problem: you don’t keep yourself hydrated.  You and the doctor then formulate a solution: proper diet, less coffee and alcohol, and more water.  You wouldn’t want your doctor to confuse your symptom (endless thirst) with the wrong problem (diabetes) and immediately shove a prescription for insulin at you!  Neither would you want to skip the doctor altogether and jump to a solution (the wrong solution: buying insulin off the Internet).  Having your doctor home in on the problem is the only way to develop the proper fix. 

So, before you start working on fixes for your business problems, make certain you have clearly identified those problems.  Good luck!

This first appeared July 17, 2007 at www.kupandsourcer.com/blog.

One weekend he stopped by the grocery store with visions of sugar-free pie dancing in his head.  No pie!  He searched and searched until his frustrated and disappointed countenance compelled a bakery worker to come out from behind the counter and ask him if he needed help.  Full of woe, my husband explained to her how he could no longer eat sugar; thus he could no longer enjoy his favorite treat: pie.  Oh, how much he missed pie!  Then, to his utter delight, he discovered that the store started carrying NO SUGAR ADDED pie; and, once again he was joyful.  But, his joy was fleeting; it must be that there's not enough market for sugar-free pie, as he hadn't found it in the store in six weeks or so. 

Not so, proclaimed the proud bakery worker, feeling like Mrs. Claus bringing cheer to a sad soul.  She then walked him over to a large stack of pies.  What?  No NO SUGAR ADDED label splayed across the box; what cruelty was she trying to wrought?  Oh, worry not, she soothed.  Then, she pointed to the sole, small label with very small print:

PIE BERRY NSA 9IN

OK, he nodded, it's a berry pie; but he's looking for n-o  s-u-g-a-r.  (Certain he now was addressing someone who didn't "get it," he thoughtfully began to speak slowly and e-n-u-n-c-i-a-t-e  c-l-e-a-r-l-y.)  Oh, but the pie is no sugar added, just look at the "NSA."  NSA...n-o  s-u-g-a-r  a-d-d-e-d (now she was e-n-u-n-c-i-a-t-i-n-g).

NSA 9IN...huh?!!?!  How many times had he walked away from those nine-inch (9IN) pies assuming they must have sugar in them?  He wanted to scream, tormented by thoughts of pies gone uneaten.  Then he also thought of his friend who cannot eat sugar substitutes because they give her migraines; how many times had consumers like she bought those pies, assuming they must have sugar in them? 

The whole situation amazed me because of the simple marketing blunders behind it.  It was the NO SUGAR ADDED super-sized label that first caught my husband's eye (as he balefully stared at the forbidden boxes in front of the bakery counter).  And, it was the lack of the NO SUGAR ADDED super-sized label that convinced my husband he was, once again, out of luck.  When you have a product different from the norm--and most people would consider sugar in pie to be the norm--you need to advertise that fact; play it up; lead with it.  Consumers have all sorts of products vying for their attention (not to mention real-life problems and concerns like mortgages and jobs).  So, you have to break through the noise and slap ‘em in the face with what you're offering.  In this case: NO SUGAR ADDED.  Are you losing customers to a small NSA notation?  Don't let buyers' assumptions define your business; tell ‘em what you're offering that's not the norm.

This first appeared on December 12, 2007 at www.kupandsourcer.com/blog.

Once you actually do something, you need to take the time to evaluate what you’ve done.  Be painfully honest and ask questions in more than one way.  Questions like:

Did we hit the mark?

What value did we derive from our actions?

What could we have done differently in order to achieve a better result?

Was the benefit worth the cost?

Don’t do this exercise in isolation.  Be certain to solicit the opinions of others, including experts in other fields.  Sometimes “fresh eyes” can see the forest behind the trees that your experienced eyes lock on.

Call it a post-mortem or a project review.  Make it a formal exercise or a no-holds-barred free-for-all.  Develop an instrument you can email around for others to complete when time allows or simply jot down notes during impromptu phone interviews.  However you do it, just do it...and do it every time.

Albert Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  Surely futility is doing the same thing over and over again and ignoring the results.  Perhaps wisdom is recognizing futility and insanity are two sides of the same coin.

Seems it would be wise to make a habit of planning just enough, actually executing your plan, and then assessing not only your plan and how you executed it, but also the value of your results.

Earlier this week I stopped at Walgreen's to buy several greeting cards.  The greeting card aisle is about mid-store, right beneath the ceiling speakers.  The music was L-O-U-D and S-H-R-I-L-L.  Some female voice was trilling up and down, apparently trying to find a note the singer could somewhat hold.  It was agonizing.  After finding only three cards, I gave up.  I fully intended to buy at least six cards, but I simply could not take the racket any longer.

I practically ran to the check-out counter, where the clerk asked, "Did you find everything you need?"  To which I hissed, "No!  This music is torture; I can't take it anymore!  I wanted to buy more cards, but that screeching is about to give me a headache."  The clerk rolled her eyes and said, "You should try working an entire shift listening to it.  Some days I can't get out of here fast enough!"

Maybe the Walgreen's manager thinks s/he is making shopping more fun.  Maybe most customers like the music and it stimulates them to buy more.  I sort of doubt it.  I think the world is so noisy in general and there is so much music piped into every office, restaurant, and store, that the majority of people just tune it all out.  Maybe the Walgreen's manager thinks s/he is making work more fun.  I know for a fact at least one of the store clerks finds it annoying at best.  Whatever the Walgreen's manager is thinking--if s/he is thinking at all--the music is just too loud and too distracting for me.  I would love to be able to just shop in silence for a change; so I can actually focus most of my brain cells on my shopping.

When's the last time you gave any thought to your customers' environment?  Do you want them weighing the merits of going to the competition just because your facility is too loud, too bright, too whatever?  When's the last time you gave any thought to your workers' environment?  Do you want them rolling their eyes at your customers and saying it's actually worse to work there than to shop there, dine there, whatever there?  How much are those oversights costing you?   

Allen was visiting a quarryman with whom he’d worked numerous times before.  They looked at four different stones for Allen’s new home.  With each option, the quarryman offered his reasons for considering the stone and then listed its pros and cons for the project; several times Allen commented that the quarryman had a good point or a point Allen hadn’t considered or wouldn’t have considered without the quarryman’s insight.  After reviewing the fourth option, Allen said, “I think this stone is beautiful, but I think maybe that first one with the tumbled edges will work better since we’re going to paint it…what do you think?”  The quarryman replied, “I think you’re the boss, Allen, and whatever stone you want we’ll get to work on right away.”  Ya think that’s why Allen does repeat business with this guy?

This post first appeared in Percolating! by Kup & Sourcer (www.kupandsourcer.com/blog).

We marketing types—including our sales brethren—have faced this misperception since commerce began thousands of years ago.  But, the point of this post is not to elicit your sympathy or even your respect.  Rather, the point of this post is to motivate you to take your own marketing efforts seriously.  Do your market analyses, do your break-even analyses, plan your pricing strategies, run some financial models for three-year and five-year sales projections, analyze your competition…there really is a lot more to marketing that writing jingles and planning photo shoots.

This first appeared in Percolating! by Kup & Sourcer (www.kupandsourcer.com/blog) on August 3, 2007.

This is an exciting time as real life situations are positively impacted by current technology. It creates an optimism in myself that this new age of transparency is going to bring great things - once busineses open themselves up. Of course, this means they need to rid of all of the 'issues' they are hiding behind currently.

That seemed darkly-funny and true to me then, and it comes to mind on a wide variety of occasions now.  But, it frequently comes to mind when discussing relationship marketing.  Discounts, points, and prizes don’t build brand commitment; they just teach customers to expect “stuff.”  American car manufacturers learned that after a couple of years of giving rebates…and more rebates.  Now customers don’t buy without a rebate; they have learned to just wait until the car makers sweeten the deal.  And, whichever car maker offers the sweetest deal gets the buyers.  More or less.   American car makers haven’t changed buyers’ perceptions about quality or value and they haven’t developed any bonds with buyers—Jimmie hasn’t learned the rightness of non-violence.  American car makers have simply taught buyers to only get their wallets out when and if special deals are offered—Jimmie has learned how to get candy. 
 

It is very difficult to change a behaviour once you’ve cultivated the wrong one.  Once entrenched, an expectation is about as easy to modify as a smoking addiction is to break.  But, that doesn’t mean relationship marketing is wrong or foolish in and of itself.  It just means that relationship marketing alone cannot build brand commitment.  So, before you start throwing “stuff” at your customers and prospects, think about Jimmie.  If your program were applied to child therapy, would Jimmie develop the conscience you want or would he just learn to perform for rewards?

This first appeared in Percolating! By Kup & Sourcer (www.kupandsourcer.com/blog) on February 5, 2008.

Take email and websites.  Electronic communications are immediate communications.  So, if you aren’t going to respond within, oh, two hours, then you’re not using the tool right.  Your customers email you or use an online form because they want an immediate response.  When a company takes days to get back to an electronic inquiry, they’ve usually already lost to a company that is more responsive.  And, what about customers without access to the Internet?  Be sure whenever you market your electronic communications you also include other tools; don’t leave ”unplugged” customers out in the cold. 

Another example is voicemail and auto-attendants.  The phone is a personal medium; you speak to people on the phone.  When your customers call you–and, hey, you gave them your phone number–they expect to speak with someone.  Forcing customers to trudge through endless choices for this department or that problem category isn’t using the tool as it was intended, nor as people want it to be used.  And, certainly, forcing customers to leave voicemail so you can get back to them (when it’s convenient for you; so sorry it might not be convenient for your customer) isn’t what they expect when they pick up the phone to call.  The only happy ending to that scenario is an almost-immediate call-back, no more than two hours delay.

Whatever communications tools you use, make certain they are appropriate to your audience and that you put in place the back-end support structures to make the tools work effectively.  Otherwise, you will not enjoy the success these tools promise.  It’s no different than trying to drive a screw with a hammer or fold egg whites with a fork.  Can you say “exercise in frustration”?  Well, your customers can probably say, “I think I’ll try the competition!”

This post first appeared in Percolating! by Kup & Sourcer (www.kupandsourcer.com/blog) on August 18, 2006.

Quality of hires – A business is its employees, even if the business produces product as opposed to services.  After all, who makes the product?  And, who serves the customers who buy that product?  So, clearly mistakes in hiring impact the bottom line.  But there’s also the issue of overlooked talent.  Sure, a business can miss out by hiring people who don’t work out for one reason or another, but sometimes businesses forget that they can miss out by not even considering hiring people of exceptional ability.  How can that be?  I’m guessing plain old bias, whether conscious or subconscious.  In today’s economy, many people are unemployed or underemployed.  I have been in on numerous conversations of late involving highly seasoned professionals who cannot find adequate employment (assuming they can find any employment at all). Yes, by ‘seasoned’ I mean ‘having 20 or more years of experience’; specifically, 45- to 60-year-olds.  I don’t know if the recruiters and/or hiring managers think these people will want too much money or, after years at management-level positions, they will be a little rusty in terms of their technical and hands-on skills, but it certainly seems like recruiters and/or hiring managers are overlooking potentially major assets.  I know a large number of people in that age range with undergraduate degrees in engineering, computer science, mathematics, business, education, you name it—many with graduate degrees (mostly MBAs)—who are not even receiving acknowledgement of their applications or inquiries, let alone invitations to interview.  These people are:

• supremely dedicated (used to working 50 and 60 hour weeks);
• extremely savvy (able to quickly offer and evaluate a half dozen solutions to any problem, decide on the best alternative, and execute it effectively); 
•  consistently professional (happy to ‘dress for success’ and ‘play’ by the classic rules of the corporate-America game, yet comfortable with those who’d rather not);
•  thoroughly flexible (able to apply decades of life experience, work experience, and natural curiosity to any challenge, be it technical or cultural); and,
• endlessly enthusiastic (excited about exploring different career options and enjoying the later years of their careers without so much of the emphasis on ‘success’ that might have driven them in the early years of their careers (now they are driven by the work, not the trappings of success)).

A computer scientist who has had a more managerial role in recent years only needs a course or two in the latest technologies—perhaps even just a quick read-through of a couple of technical texts—to become an IT department’s dream employee.  All that fresh technical know-how plus the years of experience to know how to fix (or avoid altogether) mistakes, get along in a team environment, work cross-functionally, speak to clients…all for such a small investment in coursework/books and a few weeks or months of time!  Compare that to hiring a recent grad and then grooming her/him in the ways of corporate America…s/he won’t resemble the ‘senior’ for decades, whereas the ‘senior’ will resemble the recent grad in mere months.

So, don’t make costly assumptions about applicants.  Call that seasoned professional who can hit the ground running in so many ways!

Impact on overall image – The same seasoned professionals who are not even getting acknowledgement of their applications, let alone invitations to interview, will eventually land positions.  They might very well be senior level positions, since it seems so many companies do not want to consider them for anything else.  And, they will remember the less-than-professional recruitment practices of the companies who couldn’t even bother to say, “Thanks, but we chose another candidate.”  After applying for a position s/he was uniquely qualified for, following up numerous times, and never getting any response whatsoever, including no notification that the position had been filled, a highly respected and heretofore successful IT consultant recently said, “Not to sound like sour grapes, but maybe that’s all proof I wouldn’t want to work for that company, anyway; if they aren’t professional enough to acknowledge serious candidates, then I think it’s more than possible that they aren’t professional enough to acknowledge clients.”  So, when that applicant does move on to secure a position as senior manager, VP, or CIO, what are the odds s/he’ll want to do business with the company that ignored her/him?  Not out of spite, but just out of valid concern that the company might not be sufficiently strategic-minded, might not be sufficiently client-oriented, and, perhaps worse, might not be hiring the best people in the marketplace.

That same candidate’s spouse/significant other, friends, family, former co-workers, former classmates, hair dresser, accountant, insurance agent, banker, and you name it, most likely will also be made aware of companies with less-than-professional recruitment practices.  Maybe all those people will start wondering about how strategic-minded and client-oriented those companies are; maybe all those people will start wondering about whether or not those companies are hiring the best people in the marketplace.  Maybe one or more of those people will comment about it all on Facebook or LinkedIn.  Maybe when someone they know Tweets about being on the way to apply at XYZ Company, they will respond, “Don’t bother!  XYZ doesn’t care about people!”  Maybe a flurry of frustrated XYZ-bashing will begin at lightning-fast Twitter speeds.  Maybe someone in a fit of pique—throwing all caution to the wind and deciding there are no bridges to burn where no bridges have even been allowed construction—will create a damning YouTube video about XYZ.  There’s a lot of damage that could easily have been prevented by simple communications practices (many of which are easily automated).

So, don’t lose customers by ignoring applicants.  Treat everyone who expresses interest in a position as you would treat everyone who expresses interest in a product or service!

“Smart people without energy aren’t half as effective as less-than-brilliant candidates with the drive to get where they want to go.  Energy compensates for most shortcomings and bridges a lot of gaps in someone’s resume.  Energy and drive can’t be taught, but you can feel it when you first meet someone." ---Guido Rietdyk, CEO of EVS Sports in Rancho Domingues, California, in “Students look to execs for insight,” by Betty Beard, The Arizona Republic (June 24, 2009).