So it’s been a year since we launched the Organic Marketing Tic Tac Toe Game. You can now find the concept on webinars, cds, and lectures with the InSights Group. Let’s take a peek at an original post about the new idea:

Today was another amazing example of how Insights continues to blow my mind. I am sitting here at 10:15 pm still pondering what happened today. There is nothing but possibility in this incredible world I find myself living in!!!
For starters, the day began with our 7am meeting which lead into a few private meetings that focused our energies toward something much larger than we are. At 1pm we started to lay out the marketing program that will revolutionize how things get done. Those of you that choose to be involved will not be disappointed. The first lady is definitely on fire. She has a brilliant mind so get ready! Stay tuned as this concept starts unrolling itself.

If you have stayed tuned you will know that our CD series now includes two Organic Marketing Programs, and the Tic Tac Toe concept is being used for new product and business launches around the country.  Our two day setting your Media Strategy Boot Camp also follows the program.

How exciting!!

(photo by ocean.flynn @ Flickr CC)

Recent polls at InSights show that about half the people in the room at a local networking event have at least heard of twitter. The other half laugh at the word. You have to admit, at first it sounds kind of silly. For the purpose of this discussion, let’s start with what twitter is:

Now that you’ve seen the video, here are my top five tips to using twitter.

1. Identify the reasons you are going to twitter, once you have a goal, you can work out a twitter plan, otherwise you might use all of your time surfing and playing, without getting closer to your purpose
Are you hoping to connect with friends and family?
Do you want to promote your brand or blog?
Do you want to meet new people?
Use it for netwokring?
Keep tabs on your brand, image, or company?

All of the above, and more, are great reasons and uses for twitter.

2. Tweet
Jump in with both feet. You will build a great twitter network through your activity. If you post interesting things, people will be inclined to follow you. Share useful information, fun facts, and add some of your personality. That’s what it’s all about! Give people a reason to follow you. Be interesting, not overly shamlessly self promoting.

3. Follow other Twitter users. Follow people because of their interesing posts. Target conversations near you if you are looking to grow in your geographic area. Expand your reach if you have a futher reaching goal.

4. Reply, Retweet, and have those conversations!
Reach out, share information, and let others know that you find them interesting. Asking questions is a great way to get some answers! Respond to others. Use the reply feature or the @username to have those two sided conversations.

5. Practice restraint and Twitter Etiquitte
Avoid spam. Promote content that is interesting. Don’t bring in the band and banners declaring yourself the next best thing since sliced bread. Insert your personality, interests, and yes promote yourself, but do it in balance with everything else. Share other’s links and information. Be the person in the party that listens as well as they talk.

I could go on and on, but would love your opinion. What is your best advice for the next Twitter user?

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

1. _____!!! (you fill in the blank with what you think I’d say!)

2. The community that has embraced the InSights philosophy, and who are willing to share positive energy with others.

3. Reading the book Tribes by Seth Godin and realizing that we’ve got an awesome tribe right here, right now.

4. Finding a moment in time to just be.

5. Freshly falling snow, especially when I can stay inside and look at it from this side of the window.

6. Sunny days.

7. Blogs and discussion posts that make me laugh out loud, smile, or learn something new.

8. The silence that happens when my kids turn in for the night.

9. Finding a great new author who has a series of books to get involved with (I’ve got to include the Amazon Kindle with this list).

10. Blogging and discussion posts at 11:00pm because the internet never sleeps! (and apparently neither do I ;o)

11. Spell check, because it is 11:00 at night!

What’s on your list?

(photo by Walkabout Wolf, @ flickr cc)

How does social media automation work?

The basic social media automation roadmap:

The theme of the week here at InSights is what are you waiting for. We recently lost a friend that was close to us and our families. I think this past week’s events have served as a pretty significant reminder that we have a gift each day that we are here. Everyone has aspirations, goals and intentions. So often we hear reasons why people are not reaching that which they intend. My question is what are you waiting for? Ask yourself that question and listen to the answer, no matter how significant or seeminly insignificant. Reflect on that, and when you have run out of things that you are waiting for (or even before you get to the end of the list). Move! Take Action! Make right here right now the time that you will decide to take the action. After all, what will happen if you continue to wait? You’ll continue to get what you have always gotten. Look around you, isn’t that where you already are?

What are you waiting for?

CONTACT:               Victor Banta, Photographer,  734-417-1930

                            Victor@VictorJBanta.com,  www.VictorJBanta.com

 “FROM HELL TO HAITI”

Humanitarian Aid Volunteers to Give Visual Presentation

Hell, MI—A presentation sure to touch the hearts of all who experience it, titled “From Hell to Haiti” and featuring emotional photos and videos taken during an eight-day humanitarian mission just three weeks after the earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation, will be given at 6:30pm, Saturday, March 6, 2010, at InSights Group, 7187 Grand River Road, Brighton, Michigan. The free presentation is open to the public.

When the 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti near the town of Port-Au-Prince on January 12, 2010, the destruction was severe, with an estimated 750,000 Haitian children orphaned, three million Haitians left homeless, and another 200,000 dead. Soon after the earthquake hit, Hands of Light in Action (HOLIA), a local nonprofit grassroots organization established to assist Haitian earthquake survivors, went into action and sent a team to help wherever they were most needed. Five HOLIA volunteers made the week-long trip to Haiti on February 2, 2010, assisting victims in a MASH-like disaster hospital and visually capturing the devastation.

Among the volunteers were physical therapist Nancy Malone of Canton, Michigan, HOLIA’s president and founder; photographer Victor Banta of Hell, Michigan; physical therapists Tiffany Bacon of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Kerstin Benya of St. Louis, Missouri; and Ashley Brewer, also of St. Louis, Missouri.

“Two future HOLIA trips are planned for June and August 2010, during which we will provide medical care and offer any other assistance that becomes a priority,” said Malone. “Beyond going down for that initial week, our team is committed to help for months to come.  We’ve learned that when you open your heart and give, you can touch many, many people.”

Malone began assisting in disaster relief following 9/11. A single parent of three and a physical therapist in home health care, she drove to New York City alone, with just construction clothes and boots. Discovering no victims were coming out of the tragedy alive, she stayed and hauled debris with the firemen, performed basic medical care, and served food for four days, working around the clock and resting only for short periods. During her breaks, firefighters sat with her and told their stories, many in tears. When the news of Katrina broke, she again traveled south as a volunteer. Following the earthquake in Haiti, Malone decided to expand her mission and established the nonprofit that would enable others to give generously as well.

Banta joined the first response team of HOLIA volunteers in Haiti to increase awareness through his photography, by sharing captured moments of the relief efforts. His photographs tell the tragic Haitian story in a way words can’t in an effort to encourage ongoing assistance for Haiti’s earthquake victims.

“It’s hard to sum up what it was like to spend time in Haiti after the earthquake,” Banta said. “The trip was intense and rewarding. While it was hard to witness the injuries, it was a positive experience for me to see the HOLIA team spreading joy and happiness throughout the hospital camp.”

Donations will be accepted at the presentation and will go to Hands of Light in Action. One hundred percent of all donations will be used to directly assist Haitians in need. Learn more about the presentation and how to help the people of Haiti at www.HandsofLightinAction.org or email Nancy Malone at Nancy@HandsofLightinAction.org.

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Resources:

Victor@VictorJBanta.com

http://www.VictorJBanta.com 

http://www.HandsofLightinAction.org

http://www.InSights-Group.com

Related story: From Hell to Haiti: “It’s not like anything you’re used to” (with photo gallery)

http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010100218003

This is a how to video going step by step through importing your Blog into your Facebook Fan page.

What else would you like to know how to do? Video tutorials are produced on demand, so let us know what you need!

Click here to reserve your seat at the March 18th-19th 2010 and kick start your social media strategy!

SO many marketing choices. What is the right way to promote your business in today’s market? How can you spend your time and money in the best way possible, to get the best results with a minimal dollar investment?

Find out how to navigate all your media choices, and start achieving your specific results by attending the Setting Your Media Strategy 2 Day Boot Camp at the Insights Group, and rewrite your advertising and marketing rules. You’ll find out how to create a personalized system to get you top results with a low investment. Develop a strategy that will build your business, grow and change as you do, and respond quickly to market conditions.

Overview of topics covered in this involved 2 day, hands on, guaranteed

business building course with emphasis on the Psychology of Marketing

Click here to reserve your seat at the March 18th-19th 2010 and kick start your social media strategy!

Setting a Media Strategy Boot Camp Program Testimonials

Boot camp has totally revolutionized my brain. We celebrated personal strengths, identified our target market, got tools and skills to design a step-by-step practical strategy to take our goals to the next level. Complete with follow-up support and accountability, all while connecting with like minded, inspirational professionals among the best in their fields! Super fun-not only the information “priceless,” you will walk away believing, knowing success is for you. -Jen McClure, Senior Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics

I went from “I don’t want anything to do with social media” to “how exciting is this!” I can’t learn the skills fast enough. Website, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, YouTube, my vision for my business went from local to worldwide! How belief blowing is that? Plus I am scaring my kids! Always Fun! -Sherri Richards, Rise Consulting

I believe that the social media scene is in its infancy stage. Attending the Social Media boot camp at InSights with Sandy and Al was such an eye opening experience for me. Until the boot camp experience I could not see the big picture and the value of social media in my marketing mix. The information they presented should be heard by all. I could have not figured this out without the InSights Team, their help and guidance. Thank you Sandy and Al, you’re the best!  Great program! -Linda Houston, Houston Photography

It gives you the tools to market your business while also educating you about why you are in business and reminds you what you are passionate about. -Besty Rackliffe, Smiling Eclectic Designer of openDesigns

Running a business can be so overwhelming. Boot Camp helped me create a picture of what I wanted my business to be and how I could get there. It helped connect all of the pieces of marketing to create my message, therefore creating MY brand! -Christa Braun, Coupons4Livingston.com

Traditional marketing is not working. Boot Camp gets you to think out of the box. Social Media is intimidating and InSights is a great home to learn how to use it. -Amy Iverson, Finished Basements Plus

The reason to come to boot camp is because you leave having a more specific idea of who you are, what you do and why you do it. The education on social media is just icing on the cake. -Nicole Doyle, Entertaining at Home

The people that believe the statement “You can’t teach an old dog a new tricks” have not yet attended the Insights Group Marketing Boot Camp with Sandi Maki and Al Curtis and trust me they should! I don’t consider myself “old”; however, I am experienced in the marketing field and thought I knew everything about marketing until I attended the boot camp. After working for a large corporation as a Marketing Specialist, I knew how to market but with the support of a large budget. Now that I am a small business owner, my marketing budget is limited.  At boot camp I learned how to market my company in an organic way that fits within my budget.  The information that is taught at boot camp is so impactful and a great way to benefit any company.  I highly recommend  boot camp as it is an outstanding program that teaches how to market  in an organic, low budget and very powerful way. Great job Sandi and Al for developing a program that will help business owners reach the ultimate dream of having a successful company. –Marcy Hornsby-Mohr, Solutionologist, Your Insurance Solutions

We have so much fun here at InSights with all the fresh, fun and interesting things we get to do. We had our first meeting of the InSights Speakers Clubhouse today. It’s Toastmasters, Public Speaking, and Improv training all rolled into one fun filled hour for people to practice and become more comfortable in front of a group.

I was reminded during today’s meeting about standing your ground. When I first started speaking in front  of a group I had a mental game in my head going on that I was taking time up in front of the group and I didn’t really deserve to be there. One of the tips we talked about in today’s meeting was standing your ground. Own the land under your feet when you are in front of the group. When people have given you the floor, make it your own for the time that you occupy it. You do deserve to be there, your message is important, and we want to listen. This also goes for your blog site, your videos, and anytime we might meet you in person.

You will be amazed at what the simple switch in your own mind will do to your presence as we listen. Give it a try!

Do you stand your ground?

If you would like to learn more about the speakers clubhouse, visit our calendar. The club meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday mornings from 10am-11am, and the Toastmasters Club at InSights meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays from 6:30-7:30pm. We’d love for you to join us soon.