Kay Green, Author at She Owns It

Photo Credit: Nervegna Tommaso via Compfight cc

by Dr. R. Kay Green | Featured Contributor

We can’t deny it. It’s everywhere we go, it’s everything we see. It’s social media and it symbolizes where we are as a society: Interconnected…and it is here to stay.

Social media is a marketers’ dream. It allow your audience to watch you – as a brand – develop, grow, and evolve. Many of your most loyal fans and followers are engaged in your lives and businesses through social media.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or corporation, social media provides multiple no-cost platforms to connect with your target audience. They follow your companies, your brands, your experiences, through the good times and the bad times. Your audience gets to know you, like you, and build trusting relationships with you.

The most recent facts on social media indicate that not only is social media the latest, greatest phenomenon; but, it is also predicted to remain a part of our lives for decades to come. How do we know this to be true? Let’s consider the most recent facts on social media:

FACT: Currently, marketers allocate 7.6% of their budgets to social media. CMOs expect that number to reach 18.8% in the next five years. (Source: CMO Survey)
FACT: Marketers spend an average of 4-6 hours a week on social media. (Source: Social Media Examiner )
FACT: 79% of Marketers have integrated social media into their traditional marketing activities (Source: SocialMediaToday)
FACT: Social media is the top driver for relationship building (Source: SocialMediaToday)
FACT: 37% of brands would like to use social media engagement to create customer-tailored marketing campaigns. (Source: Social Media Today)
FACT: 33% of consumers cite social networks as a way they discover new brands, products or services (Source: SocialMediaToday)
FACT: Facebook users spend 6.35 hours each month on the social network via their desktop (Source: SocialMediaToday)
FACT: Instagram has more than 150 million active users (Source: SocialMediaToday)
FACT: 15% of Internet users are on Pinterest (Source: SocialMediaToday)
FACT: 25% of consumers who complain about products on Facebook or Twitter expect a response within 1 hour. Peer Influence + Bad Reviews = Brand Killer. (Source: SocialMediaToday)
FACT: 51% of the top 20% of B2B marketers generating leads through social media use social sharing tools, compared to the industry average of 39%. (Source: Aberdeen)

The Takeaway? If you are not active on social media, you are missing a world of opportunity for engagement and connectivity in your market, both domestically and globally. The key word here is Opportunity. Plain and simple, social media is EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE.

If you are currently active and visible on social media, strive to make your brand more relevant than ever before. The key word here is Engagement. Try new platforms and new ways of engaging your audience…they will follow.

Social media is about being SOCIAL. Have fun with it, be creative, engaging, and connected. Remember, always communicate your message clearly, consistently, and constantly.

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Dr. R. Kay Green – Marketing Expert from RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. from Atlanta, GA.

Dr. R. Kay Green is the CEO/President of RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. With over 190,000+ Twitter followers, 35,000+ Facebook Likes, and the Top 1% LinkedIn profile designation, Dr. Kay, a self-motivated trailblazer, is the Quintessential “New-Age” Professional Woman, and PhD Marketing Pro. She earned a Doctorate of Business Administration in Marketing, and has completed PhD coursework in Leadership and Organization Change. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing and Management, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, and an Associate of Arts in Marketing Management.

She is affiliated with several prestigious universities and has instructed over 350 courses online. A popular speaker on Marketing and Business topics, Dr. Green is currently featured on Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Black News, The Network Journal, Business Review USA, Digital Journal, College View, Business New Hampshire Magazine, Bay State Banner, Reader’s Circle, North Dallas Gazette, Harlem News, Top News Today, One News Page, NE Informer, Women in Business PR News, Consumer News Today, Women PR News, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Daily Herald, The Miami Herald, and Book News Articles.

Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn

Kay Green

http://www.drkaygreen.com

by Dr. R. Kay Green | Featured Contributor

…And we’re off! The New Year has officially begun and now its time to make some very important decisions in your professional life. Where do you see yourself in say 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now? Have you taken the time to analyze your current career? That is, where you are v. where you aspire to be.

While you have achieved some of the goals you set last year, are you still on the fence about your current profession? Have you considered leaving the corporate arena for entrepreneurship? Have you considered saying “Good-Bye” to entrepreneurship and “Hello” to Corporate America?

As we all know, some of us excel in corporate environments; while others excel in the entrepreneurial arena. Climbing the corporate ladder is not an easy task. On the corporate side, 70% of US workers do not feel engaged or inspired at their jobs and feel that they are not reaching their full potential (CBS News, 2013). This statistic indicates that 7 out of 10 employees are not “satisfied” with their current career in the corporate arena. Entrepreneurship is certainly not the easiest task either. On the entrepreneurial side, an entrepreneur’s life may be riddled with ambiguity, long hours, sacrifice, and setbacks (Forbes, 2013).

While there is no “perfect” environment, rather corporate or entrepreneurial, we must be honest with ourselves when selecting the path that works for us. In order to survive, in either arena, you must possess, or at a minimum, develop the relevant survival skills on a corporate or entrepreneurial level.

For many of us, our careers, whether corporate or entrepreneurial, imposes a chain-link effect on our personal lives as it relates to family, relationships, friends, social groups, etc. Selecting the right path for you cannot be taken lightly. Rather, this decision dictates your own personal fulfillment, pursuit of happiness, and overall satisfaction. Let’s consider the following seven questions to ask yourself as you analyze your profession and select the path that works for you:

Are you more focused on “Who do you know?” (Corporate) or “What you know?” (Entrepreneurial)
Do you step up when appropriate? (Corporate) or Do you step up at all times? (Entrepreneurial)
Are you most concerned with achieving the Work-Life Balance? (Corporate) or Are you willing to sacrifice the Work-Life Balance? (Entrepreneurial)
Are you Planning-oriented? (Corporate) or Are you Action-oriented? (Entrepreneurial)
Do you prefer External Motivation? (Corporate) or Do you prefer Internal Motivation? (Entrepreneurial)
Do Play the “Game”? (Corporate) or Do you Create the “Game”?
Are your more focused on doing your part? (Corporate) or Are you more focused on doing all parts? (Entrepreneurial)

If you selected most or all of the first choice for each question, chances are, the corporate arena is right for you. Oppositely, if you selected most or all of the second choice for each question; entrepreneurship maybe your niche. Corporate America or Entrepreneurship are both choices; that is, you have the right to choose which path serves your best interest.

Always remember, choosing your path, whether corporate or entrepreneurial, is not a popularity contest. It is instead, a life-long decision that has a significant effect on both your personal and professional lives. In brief, think logically, strategically, and choose your path wisely.

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Marketing Expert – Dr. R. Kay Green from RKG Marketing Solutions Inc. from Atlanta, GA.

Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn

Kay Green

http://www.drkaygreen.com