What character are you ... Bugs, Batman, Rango, Superman or YOU?

Last week I asked my colleagues to identify themselves with a
cartoon character and some of them obliged. It was very easy for
them to pick one. I think Bugs Bunny is the perfect character to
represent me because of his can-do attitude, snarkiness and big
smile. Nate is very well represented by Superman because he likes
taking on the big challenges. Valentin is represented by the
chameleon Rango because he can change to any color. And Kyle is
Batman, the strong silent crusader.

I know you have to adapt yourself for your customers. As I said
last week, some of them are white ships, others are black ships,
some of them are good, some of them are not as good as you
expected.

In your effort to keep all of your customers you might want to
consider one thing. DON'T ADAPT! BE YOURSELF! Let others find in
you a very strong character that appeals to them. People buy from
local businesses because of the "character" in them and running
them. They are buying from YOU.

Make your logo, your service, your product or your name one that
others want to be associated with. Make your business more about
you and your character!

Which Social Media is best for your business?

It's hard to believe Facebook has been around since 2004. Twitter
began in 2006. LinkedIn launched way back in 2003! The whole
social media and marketing conundrum is driving local businesses
bonkers. Which ones should I have? What do I do with it?

Social media is a powerful marketing tool. It further extends
everything you do into the public eye. For local businesses, it
reaches far more consumers than your sign out front. There are
one billion Facebook users. That's one seventh of the world's
population.

According to Harrison Painter, director of business development
for BLASTmedia, most companies view social media as either a
waste of time or the solution to their marketing problem. If it
is going to be a solution and worth your time, education and
commitment is the key. Here's something for you to look at as a
handy point of reference. CMO.com, along with SEO firm 97th
Floor, have created a chart showing which social networks are
best for various marketing goals.

http://mashable.com/2011/03/11/social-media-marketing-chart/

Restaurants & Family Services Top Local Search - How did you do?

Restaurants are still #1 when it comes to local search with the
biggest gainer being Family Services, up 164%. In fact across
multiple devices (cell phone, tablet) Restaurants are the most
saught after business locally.

Mobile local search is growing very rapidly and will conitnue to
have a major impact on consumers decision making.

Check out all fo the results at
http://searchengineland.com/yp-restaurants-remains-top-local-search-heading-medical-the-top-spending-ad-category-126699

What Are You Thankful For?

Amidst our daily lives rests certain occasions where we reflect
on ourselves, our current situation and how that compares to what
we really want in life. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time because
it is an entire day to bask in our thanks for what we have, now,
that is important to us: family, friends, FOOD, shelter and
everything that allows us to be who we are.

What are you thankful for? I believe all of us have something
that brings us happiness. To me, being thankful is truly
appreciating the existence of whatever it is that makes you
happy; without it, your life would be less joyful. Identify these
things and think about what it would be like without it. We all
have plenty to be thankful for.

We, at EggZack, would like to say "Happy Thanksgiving". We hope
your day (and stomach) is filled with delicious food and all the
people and things that are most important to you.

What kind of sheep are your customers?

Recently we spoke about how you can make business fun and it
appears that many people like this subject.

While running a business, you face different types of people and
situations which can sometimes be no fun!

Dealing with all fo the types of customers reminds me of an old
joke.

There is a joke about a shepherd.

A TV reporter who came to visit him and asked:

- Hello mister shepherd. Nice sheeps!

- Thank you, mister stick with cord!

- They look good! Which one is good for milk?

- The white sheeps!

- What about the black sheeps?

- They are good for milk, too!

- And the wool, Which one is good for wool?

- The white sheeps!

- What about the black sheeps?

- They are good for wool, too!

- And for the meat?

- The white sheeps!

- What about the black sheeps?

- They are good for meat, too!

- Well, you allways speak first about the white sheeps. Why?

- Well, the white sheeps are mine.

- What about the black sheeps?

- They are mine, too!

Point of this joke is that you have different types of customers,
good customers and no so good customers too, yet they are all
your customers.They all matter so try to realize they are
different adn anticipate theri diffrences, it will help you enjoy
the ride. Hold on to them for as long as you possibly can!

Facebook Shmacebook

On top of all the things you do daily, you need to find time to
market your business and NOW you have to get on board with social
media. When will it stop? Unfortunately, it won't.

When a new social media platform comes out, it isn't apparent how
it will impact business. Facebook has blown us all away; it has
become a virtual representation of everything under the sun. Even
pets and stuffed animals have Facebook pages. So, why is Facebook
important to your business???

To properly market your business, you have to be visible where
people are. Observe the conventional methods... a billboard in
high-commuting areas, a radio ad during rush hour or a prime-time
television ad; you're making yourself visible to the most people
you can in a set period of time. The internet is no different!
Facebook recently hit one billion users.

You personally may not like or use Facebook, or other social
media, in general, yet think of it this way… one billion people
have access to what you do, who you are, where you do business,
and what you're all about. You may spend hundreds or thousands of
dollars in advertising where Facebook is free and can do the same
thing!

This is not about Facebook. It's about you and promoting your
business to the best of your ability.

Here's some useful info on how to get more likes on Facebook!

http://mashable.com/2012/06/19/how-to-get-more-likes-shares-on-facebook-infographic/

Bakery.com & EggZack to change Baking Industry - kickoff at All Things Baking in Houston

Bakery.com and EggZack have partnered to help integrate the
baking supply chain drive more local sales to local bakeries.
EggZack CEO, Jon Zack is seen here with John Stricker, CEO of
Bakery.com, Sergio Caballero of FoodTools and Deb Blaylok of BEMA
celebrating the kick off.

Avoid the whipping post, whoop the competition, not yourself!

Nowadays, search engines are rewarding those who publish content
regularly. Meaning, the more you publish, and the more relevant
your content is to your business, the higher your business will
rank with search engines. This is a very important piece to your
marketing puzzle.

Sometimes, publishing content after a long day (or many long
days) of work can feel like being strapped to the whipping post.
How many lashings until you're done? But, posting regularly
online is what will drive your business to the top of search
engines. Make it fun! You can publish anything. Post pictures of
a recent event. Post information about a new product or service.
Your customers like to know what you're doing and all consumers
like to learn of a new place to eat or purchase from, locally.
Technology is making this easier and easier for us.

Turn your whipping post into a posting post; a place where
publishing information about your business isn't painful. Create
enjoyment when promoting your business online. It does take some
time and effort, but it really works! These tactics will increase
your visibility and direct more consumers to your business.

Post content and whoop the competition, not yourself!

The power of a hot shower!

In the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, I was out of power, heat
and water at home for 7 days. The thing I missed the most was my
hot, morning shower. It's a part of my normal routine and psyche,
without it life felt weird, disorganized, NOT normal. It also got
me thinking about how a local business affects a person's normal
routine and how they could take advantage of customer routine.

We thrive on our own normalcy or routine so we can better cope
with the chaos that life throws at us. A local business can gain
a huge competitive advantage by becoming a part of that normalcy
by creating regular customers.

Regular customers may buy daily, weekly, monthly, or even
quarterly, the point is that they buy with someregularfrequency.
The key to gaining more regular customers is to identify what
products or services you provide that they can use regularly and
then focus on gaining their "regular" business with them. Good
communication is also key in attracting and keeping regular
customers. Providing them with special services or information is
also another way to make them want to become regular customers.

Regular customers are more loyal, less price sensitive and less
likely to shop elsewhere when your business is a part of their
normal.

The main reason customers become regulars is that you are making
their life easier or better, figure out how and you will have
more regular customers, and a healthier business.

Fun is good business!

Hello, my name is Valentine, and I was born in Eastern Europe
with four hands and a hidden extra-eye. Before I was one year
old, the communists robbed me of my extra-hands and were unable
to find my hidden eye. This eye gives me super-powers to fight
against the forces of evil, sadness and boredom. Instead of
searching for the robbers of my extra-hands, I joined the EggZack
team as product manager to build the most powerful weapon against
the horrible experience of nothingness.

WE MAKE IT FUN!

Perhaps I should back up and explain what I mean by fun.

I am not suggesting you turn your product into a joke (unless, of
course, your client is a joker).

I am simply suggesting to make changes that add a bit of fun into
the interactions or elements of a design.

I encourage you to create more enjoyable tools, graphics or
elements for your customers

Fun is not "silly. Fun is memorable.

The trick is knowing how much fun to add, where is the best to
add it, and when to recognize that you've gone too far.

I am sure that there is room for fun in a bank website and for
seriousness in a game website.

It is good to allow the users to personalize their experience and
help to remember what they to make it their own.

Inspirational video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw

PA Governor & Mayor Visits with EggZack

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett and Bethlehem, PA Mayor John
Callahan paid a recent visit to Ben Franklin Tech Center and
spent some time with EggZack's Founder & CEO Jon Zack to
discuss tech start ups and entrepreneurship. The Governor and
Mayor are big supporters of the local tech scene in Behtlhem, PA.
The visit was sparked by Lehigh University's recent acheivement
of top 25 university in the US.