Rose, White & Blue Parade 2013

Ruby Stone from Stone Media Consulting

Here at Stone Media Consulting we strongly believe that volunteering in your community should be a priority. This is our second year involved with the Rose, White & Blue Parade and this July we took on a much bigger role. Stone Media Consulting took control of all their email newsletters to participants and volunteers. We also ran their Facebook and Twitter to access a larger portion of the community!

Taking our advice, the Rose, White & Blue Parade applied for and received a Google Grant for AdWords, Google's online advertising tool. Google Grants empowers nonprofit organizations, through $10,000 per month in in-kind AdWords™ advertising, to promote their missions and initiatives on Google.com. This year, we set up and managed their Google AdWords that helped increase their website traffic by 1,000% just in 3 months time!
advertising. This is the nonprofit edition of

We would also like to thank the Rose, White & Blue Parade for our award and we are very thankful that this year was such a big success!

The Power of a Group

Santa Clara Power Partners

I belong to the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce.  I joined for an unusual reason, to get out from behind my computer.  Most of my clients are out of town and the other people on my team work remotely. The solitude was getting to me, so I joined.

Boy was I in for a surprise! I joined the Wednesday lunch group called the Power Partners. A passionate, outspoken, intelligent, comedic, successful group of local business people.  We talk about our successes and challenges and give each other advice. Recently I was having a challenge with communication with one of my clients and a member of my group phone latter that day with amazing suggestions. We refer each others businesses because we know that if we do whoever we refer will be taken care of.  We rejoice in each others achievements and hold each other accountable. Every Wednesday I am renewed and ready to go back to my business.

If you are a business owner and think you are the only one going through the challenges that you are, know that you are not alone. We all face similar problems no matter what the industry.  I highly recommend joining a local chamber or networking group.

Thank you to my Power Partners for all your support!

Old School Social Media

March Marketing Madness

This week I was asked to do a talk about Social Media Tips at the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce for the Power Partners Group on Quick Tips for Social Media.
While I was putting these together I did laugh out loud several times as I caught myself not following my own advice for my own company even though I do it for my clients.

Facebook

• Do you need to be on?  Why? If yes then:
• Have a separate business and personal page
• Use pictures every time so that is shows up in the newsfeed better.
• Use customizable links. (For example http://bit.ly/PowerPartners instead of http://www.santaclarachamber.com/cwt/External/WCPages/WCEvents/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=768)
• For every 5 posts you do, do 3 post about something industry related or that shows your personality and then 2 about your business

Twitter

• Do you need to be on? Why?
• Set your profile photo
• Pick username that is easy to remember
• customized your background 
• follow industry leaders

Blogs

• Can be short, about 2 paragraphs and a picture
• Link back to your website or other social media sites

Pinterest

• Do you need to be on? Why?
• Build boards industry themed
• Pin images that link back to your website or blog
• Use it to help find interesting images to post on Facebook

LinkedIn

• Get good pictures
• Complete your profile
• Add skills
• Join groups
• Link with people after mixers or events

I hope what I came up with is helpful, and please let me know if you have any tips of your own.