We’re health conscious crew here at WRIS Web Services.  Here are the activities we like to participate in, as well as advice for those just starting out.

Charlie: I run and do some moderate weight lifting.  I think my advice would be moderation and consistency.  If you are sporadic with exercise you end up starting over every time you go out.  Don't over do it, if it hurts then you probably shouldn't be doing it.

Debbie: I do yoga, bike, cardio and weights/fitness bands.  I believe you need a balanced approach to a fitness program.  Try to do something every day and keep a log of what you do.  When you see it in writing it keeps you motivated.  It takes 3 weeks of doing something consistently to make it a habit.

Bonny: I run, lift weights and do the AbGlider baby!!  If you want a cost effective and quick solution to working out that helps you tone up AND loose weight- AbGlider IS the answer:) [Editor’s Note: Bonny was not compensated for her endorsement of AbGlider]

Salli: I do nothing except try to keep up with my kids.  Not sure that really counts, but unfortunately I have never been athletic...at all!

Carmen: I’m an endurance junkie so I mainly run, swim and bike.  I also do P90X as my resistance training.  My best advice is to set ambitious, but achievable, goals.  I find having something to work towards gives me motivation to get the workouts in.

Sandy: Right now I do yoga and walking. My advice: try different yoga styles till you find one you like.

John: I like to run. It takes time to become in shape and to reap all the benefits of running, and I think most people quit before they ever get to the point where running is fun for them and not something they dread or have to do to keep the weight off.

This is the fourth installment in our on-going series on Social Media for Manufacturing.  This is an extension of a recent seminar Web Marketing Manager Carmen Fontana gave on the topic for the Cleveland manufacturing association, WIRE-net. While geared towards industrial companies, many of the principles can be applied to businesses of all types.

Even if you do not plan to engage in all (or any!) of the major Social Media channels soon, you should still claim your spot on them.

Why?  It’s simple.  If you don’t do it, someone else will.  “Someone” could be a competitor, an unrelated company with a similar name, or even just a well-meaning customer or employee. 
In the first two instances, it can be a long and painful process to establish your rightful ownership and regain your spot. 

In the later instance, you could lose control over the messaging and content.  In our experience, regaining ownership from an employee or customer is sometimes more difficult than regaining it from another company.

Here are a few tips to get you started on claiming your spot in the Social Media space:

• Blogging – Check with your company’s web master to see if your website software platform already has blogging capabilities.  If not, sign up for a very economical blogging package such as WordPress or Tumblr.  Either way, make sure your IT team sets up a custom URL for your blog. For example, blog.acme.com or www.acme.com/blog
• LinkedIn – If you do not already have a personal account, set one up.  Once that’s done, set up an account for your company at set up an account for your company
  
• YouTube – Set up an account on YouTube.
• Twitter – Set up an account on Twitter.  If possible, try to use your full company name.  If it’s too long or already taken, try a common abbreviated version.
• Facebook – If you don’t already have a personal account, set one up.  Once that’s done, create a "Company" page .  After you have 25 “likes” you can request a custom Facebook URL.  For example, you can request that your company Facebook URL be www.facebook.com/acmecorp instead of the default www.facebook.com/dsfksdfh?/efksdfsdf/acmecorp/asfcksf.  Not only is it easier to remember, it looks more professional on printed materials.

Next installment: The Social Media Process: Step 2, Listen & Learn

This is the fourth installment in our on-going series on Social Media for Manufacturing.  This is an extension of a recent seminar Web Marketing Manager Carmen Fontana gave on the topic for the Cleveland manufacturing association, WIRE-net. While geared towards industrial companies, many of the principles can be applied to businesses of all types.

Social Media is still evolving, as is the process to implement it.  However, most experts agree that it is something that should be done deliberately.  In other words, don’t just start doing a bunch of social media things without giving thought to what makes sense to your organization.  Take your time in order to do it right.

With that in mind, we recommend the following process for implementing a Social Media campaign. 

Step 1: Claim
First and foremost, make sure you have established yourself on Facebook, Twitter, etc.  if you don’t claim your name and spot, someone else will

Step 2: Listen & Learn
Watch what your counterparts and competitors are doing.  The best way to learn the nuances of Social Media is by observing those who do it well (or not so well).

Step 3: Engage
Once you feel comfortable with the tools and protocol, start getting yourself out there with blog posts, tweets, etc.

Step 4: Schedule & Streamline
After just a short time “Engaging”, you will realize that Social Media can be a major time drain.  There are shortcuts and methods to making it more streamline.

Step 5: Integrate
Social Media does not exist in a bubble.  Make it part of your overall marketing strategy.

Step 6: Evaluate
As with all business initiatives, take a hard look at what’s working and what’s not. 

The next installments of this series will delve deeper into each step providing action items, caveats and helpful tips and tricks.

Next installment: The Social Media Process: Step 1, Claim

The stores are jam packed with mini fridges, dry erase boards and shower caddys.  That means only one thing – it’s back to school season for college students.

This week WRIS Web Services is also headed back to college.  (Well, more in a “reminiscing” way than a term paper and final exam kind of way)

Where did you go to college? What was your favorite part of college? What class do you wish you would have taken?

Charlie: I went to Denison University in Granville, Ohio.  I think my favorite part of college was developing relationships with new friends that were from different parts of the country.  I should have taken a technology class or two and maybe I would have appreciated networks and computers a little sooner.

Bonny: I too went to Denison University (with Charlie).  The favorite part of college for me was the life long friendships I gained.  In addition to my friendship and working relationship with Charlie, I have maintained a tie with a group of woman that I went to school with.  Even though we do not speak on a regular basis or even stay connected through Facebook, we meet every 2 years for a Girl's weekend. Every reunion is amazing and it is as if we had never parted. Ironically, even though I majored in Spanish, I never really "learned" it.  If I could do it again I would like to have been fluent.

Salli: I went to Cuyahoga Community College on scholarship and then to Kent State University.  My favorite part of college would have to be the friends I made.  It probably would have been good if I had minored in computer programming or French.  I took classes in those areas, but not enough.

Sandy: I went to The Evergreen State College and the University of Washington.  My favorite part of college was learning to be independent and learning assembly language programming.  I wish I’d taken some theater tech classes.

Debbie: I started at University of Akron, but transferred and graduated from Cleveland State University.  My favorite part of college was being out on my own.  I probably would have chosen a different major and gone into Education to teach high school.

John: I went to John Carroll University.  My favorite part was meeting new people and having fun.  I would have like to take more international business classes, seeing as our economy has become so global since I graduated.

Carmen: I received both my Bachelor’s and Master’s from Case Western Reserve University.  The friends I made while there (including my husband!) were one of the highlights.  I also really enjoyed participating on the cross-country and track teams.  I wish I would had room for some accounting classes.  I’ve had to teach myself (or bug Debbie!)

This is the third installment in our on-going series on Social Media for Manufacturing.  This is an extension of a recent seminar Web Marketing Manager Carmen Fontana gave on the topic for the Cleveland manufacturing association, WIRE-net. While geared towards industrial companies, many of the principles can be applied to businesses of all types.

Social Media dominates the headlines.  From LinkedIn’s huge IPO to the latest and greatest from Facebook and Google, it seems we can’t escape it.

That said, does it make sense as a marketing tool for Manufacturers?  Let’s start by looking at the cold hard facts.  The following graph compares data on Social Media adoption rates between manufacturers (Source: GlobalSpec) and small businesses in general (Source: MerhcantCircle)

I think the data speaks for itself.  Social Media has not been embraced as quickly by manufacturers as it has by other small and medium businesses.

Social Media is still evolving for industrial companies.  Right now, it should be a complimentary item to the rest of your marketing strategy.  Be aware of it, start testing the waters, but don’t abandon all you tried and true methods just yet.  However, Industrial Internet Marketing, and Social Media in particular, is changing rapidly.  Six months from now, the story may be completely different.

That’s why WRIS is recommending that our manufacturing clients get exposed to and start testing out the Social Media waters.  If (and more likely, when) it becomes universally adopted by the industrial sector, those early movers will have a distinct advantage.

Next installment: The Social Media Process