Meet the Candidates Forum

All candidates running for U.S. Senate in the Republican Primary have been invited to speak to the Independence County Republican Women’s Club on March 11, 2010 at Western Sizzlin Restaurant in Batesville. Candidates confirmed to attend are Randy Alexander from Fayetteville, Curtis Coleman from Little Rock, Fred Ramey from Searcy and Col. Conrad Reynolds from Conway. All are announced candidates and have been actively campaigning for the office of U.S. Senate.

The program will begin at 12:00 noon and each candidate will be provided the opportunity to speak and answer questions. Dutch treat luncheon will be available beginning at 11:00 a.m. or after the program concludes. The public is invited to attend this event.

Social Media For Small Business

Small Business owners are constantly looking for new, cost-effective ways to communicate with customers and to develop a distinctive edge. Social Media Marketing is exploding as a viable option to connect with customers. However, many of our small business clients are unsure about what social media really is, whether it is just a fad, or even how to use it. If you are wondering whether Social Media Marketing is worth the effort for your organization I suggest you take a minute to watch this short video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhPgUcjGQAw
and come to your own conclusions. If you have problems with the link just go to YouTube and search for Social Media Revolution, it is worth the effort.
What really should hit home to small businesses about this video is the sheer size of the potential audience you can access. For example, if Facebook was a country…it would be the 4th largest nation in the world! Another interesting point is how quickly social media has been accepted by users.
• It took radio over 38 years to get 50 million listeners,
• television took 13 years for 50 million viewers,
• even the Internet took 4 years to get 40 million users
• But… Facebook added 100 million users in under 9 months
The fact is your customers are using social media to connect and look for information about your business. The real question is… are you there to link up with them or are you letting your competition make the connections?
Watch the video then let me know what you think. Over the next few weeks I will spend some time talking about how small businesses can use social media, develop effective social media marketing plans and target potential customers. In the mean time send me your comments; ask questions, we will get you answers. I look forward to hearing from all the readers between now and next Thursday. Let me know what you think of the video. Comment here, send me an e-mail hlawrenc@astate.edu or comment on the ASU SBTDC Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/asu.sbtdc