Google Alerts is a free tool used by website owners to monitor their name, brand name, key industry terms and competitors.
Why Receive Alerts?
Google Alerts enable you to easily monitor the Internet for desired keywords, sending you email messages when these terms are being used.
For example, I use Google Alerts to monitor the word “Jarosz” along with “Lone Keep Internet” and “JerseyShoreCoupon.com” It’s one way to find out where news of me, my company and websites is popping up.
Google Alerts are useful to webmasters who don’t have the time or resources to be proactive about monitoring the Web for specific mentions. Google does the searching for you!
When signing up for Google Alerts, you can select the type of content you want Google to look for (e.g., blogpost, news articles, video, etc) and how often notifications are sent.
Give it a try it's Free! All you need is a Google account and that's Free to!
Richard M.J. Jarosz on LinkedIn
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Monday, December 19, 2011
People aren't afraid of success. They are afraid of the extra work success will bring!
Yes this quote is by me. In my line of work I'm always asking prospects and clients where they want to take their businesses. The answer is always the same. "To make more money but if my business grows so will my workload." So my next question to them is "If business is slow and income is down. What exactly are you spending your time on?" That is where the conversation usually ends. They would rather spend the time complaining about how bad business and the economy are instead of doing something, anything about.
For you college grads, "A body at rest will remain at rest unless an external force is applied to it." Thank you Sir Isaac Newton! Makes sense in Physics, exercising and even business! So if anyone is inclined to so something in the New Year about themselves or their business we at Lone Keep Internet are having a Dream Board session. It will be New Year's Eve at our offices in Asbury Park. Click here to find out more about our Dream Board session.
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
For you college grads, "A body at rest will remain at rest unless an external force is applied to it." Thank you Sir Isaac Newton! Makes sense in Physics, exercising and even business! So if anyone is inclined to so something in the New Year about themselves or their business we at Lone Keep Internet are having a Dream Board session. It will be New Year's Eve at our offices in Asbury Park. Click here to find out more about our Dream Board session.
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
Friday, December 2, 2011
‘Tis the Season!
Happy Holidays my ass! Wikipedia, the free internet encyclopedia, defines Political correctness as a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense. I don’t know about you but I take offense from the term “Happy Holidays”. My response is always “Which one?” And why don’t we use “Happy Holidays” in February when there are even more holidays? Should we not use the term “Happy Birthday” because a lot of us don’t want to be reminded that we are getting older? Of not! So why are we afraid of use the name of the actual days we celebrate?
Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends and clients. Happy Boxing Day to my English clients and friends. Happy Victory Day (Dec 16, Bangladesh) to our waiter in Venice, Happy Monkey Day (Dec. 14), St Stephen's Day (Dec. 26), Happy International Solidarity Day (Dec. 31), Happy Saint Nicholas' Day (Dec. 5), Happy Saturnalia for my pagan friends, Happy Winter Solstice Stephi and Connor, and for the rest Merry Festivus! This list can go on… But don’t they all deserve the respect to acknowledge something that may be near and dear to them.
What does this have to do with business? Glad you asked. Everything! If my friends, vendors and clients don’t know what is important to me should I feel good or bad about? Or maybe they should just say nothing like any other awkward social situation. But no… they jump in there and feel they have to say something because everyone else is.
Remember when your mother use to say “If all your friends jumped off a bridge would you?” Actually I did once… but that is another story. That saying never made any sense to me as a kid but now it makes perfect sense. I will not follow the crowd into the Political correctness abyss but be my own person and say what I feel.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Richard M.J. Jarosz on LinkedIn
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends and clients. Happy Boxing Day to my English clients and friends. Happy Victory Day (Dec 16, Bangladesh) to our waiter in Venice, Happy Monkey Day (Dec. 14), St Stephen's Day (Dec. 26), Happy International Solidarity Day (Dec. 31), Happy Saint Nicholas' Day (Dec. 5), Happy Saturnalia for my pagan friends, Happy Winter Solstice Stephi and Connor, and for the rest Merry Festivus! This list can go on… But don’t they all deserve the respect to acknowledge something that may be near and dear to them.
What does this have to do with business? Glad you asked. Everything! If my friends, vendors and clients don’t know what is important to me should I feel good or bad about? Or maybe they should just say nothing like any other awkward social situation. But no… they jump in there and feel they have to say something because everyone else is.
Remember when your mother use to say “If all your friends jumped off a bridge would you?” Actually I did once… but that is another story. That saying never made any sense to me as a kid but now it makes perfect sense. I will not follow the crowd into the Political correctness abyss but be my own person and say what I feel.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Richard M.J. Jarosz on LinkedIn
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
Labels:
Merry Christmas,
Political Correctness,
Wikipedia
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Importance of a Mission Statement
We all understand the value of a tag line – a neat one line statement that others can use to remember what you do. However, a tag line does not always completely describe what you do or how you do it.
When more description is needed what do you do or what do you say? We all ramble on saying what we think the other person wants to hear or we can offer our “elevator speech” which is often nothing more than an extended tag line.
The best way to avoid the rambling is to generate a living Mission Statement. The actual act of writing a living Mission Statement forces you to think through an explanation what you do that will resonate with the prospect.
The Mission Statement will often:
- Contain a phrase reflecting standards
- Contain a phrase reflecting a unique approach
- Is written so that it can be provided and understood by the prospect
- Serves as a daily reminder for you and your staff
- Provides focus
Several examples of Mission Statements:
“The Comfort Keepers mission is to provide our clients with the highest level of quality of life that is achievable. We shall treat each of our clients with the respect and dignity they deserve, as though we were caring for a member of our own family.”
“The Potter Pest Control mission is to provide chemically safe, personalized and scheduled services that focus on prevention of infestations and to follow through in response to all requests for help until the client’s problem is eradicated.”
"The Ives & Associates mission is to fully understand and then capture the essence of what a company does and how they do it in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing, factually accurate and useful for branding and marketing purposes.”
“The mission of the Atlantic Center for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine is to enhance that quality of life of every patient through the provision of alternative treatments and therapies and to assist the patient in identifying live style changes that may reduce the frequently or intensity of illness and discomfort.”
My thanks to Rob Robison, of Comfort Keepers, for letting me use his idea for this post. He presented this as an Educational piece at one of our BNI Shore Money weekly meetings.
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Currently working on the Mission Statement for Jersey Shore Coupons
When more description is needed what do you do or what do you say? We all ramble on saying what we think the other person wants to hear or we can offer our “elevator speech” which is often nothing more than an extended tag line.
The best way to avoid the rambling is to generate a living Mission Statement. The actual act of writing a living Mission Statement forces you to think through an explanation what you do that will resonate with the prospect.
The Mission Statement will often:
- Contain a phrase reflecting standards
- Contain a phrase reflecting a unique approach
- Is written so that it can be provided and understood by the prospect
- Serves as a daily reminder for you and your staff
- Provides focus
Several examples of Mission Statements:
“The Comfort Keepers mission is to provide our clients with the highest level of quality of life that is achievable. We shall treat each of our clients with the respect and dignity they deserve, as though we were caring for a member of our own family.”
“The Potter Pest Control mission is to provide chemically safe, personalized and scheduled services that focus on prevention of infestations and to follow through in response to all requests for help until the client’s problem is eradicated.”
"The Ives & Associates mission is to fully understand and then capture the essence of what a company does and how they do it in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing, factually accurate and useful for branding and marketing purposes.”
“The mission of the Atlantic Center for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine is to enhance that quality of life of every patient through the provision of alternative treatments and therapies and to assist the patient in identifying live style changes that may reduce the frequently or intensity of illness and discomfort.”
My thanks to Rob Robison, of Comfort Keepers, for letting me use his idea for this post. He presented this as an Educational piece at one of our BNI Shore Money weekly meetings.
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Currently working on the Mission Statement for Jersey Shore Coupons
Labels:
BNI,
Mission Statement,
self promotion
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Personal Brand Statement: 5 Winning Steps to Creating One
List your attributes
The goal here is to find the one or two things that separate you from your competition and make you unique. Keep in mind that the brand statement is only supposed to get people interested, and not say everything about you or your business.
Choose an audience
Creating a statement that is too broad and undirected to any particular group will most likely be wasted on any of your prospects. The purpose of a personal brand statement is to briefly list your primary skills, so it is necessary to target the industry where those skills are most useful.
Make it memorable
The statement of your brand should be something that others can remember easily since you need to be able to use it whenever a networking opportunity arises. Try telling it to a friend or current client one time and see if he or she can easily recall the entire sentence. If so, you’re off to a very good start.
Make your self-impression = other’s impression
If you have trouble brainstorming personal skills, ask close friends or current clients what they think your strengths are. Even after you have decided on a statement, it is a good idea to check with a friend to make sure that your idea of yourself matches what others think of you and your business.
Market yourself
I cannot emphasize this fact enough, when looking for clients you have to be willing to be your own advocate. A personal brand statement will not help you much if you are not telling people what it is. Make sure to keep it consistent across platforms, however, because using the same sentence every time will help others remember it and associate it with you. Having a short brand statement means that you will be able to market yourself quickly whenever a chance for networking arises.
Don’t procrastinate creating your statement. Since it is such a powerful marketing tool, you are going to want to spend enough time on it to make it fantastic and ensure that it projects exactly the image of you and your business that you want.
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
The goal here is to find the one or two things that separate you from your competition and make you unique. Keep in mind that the brand statement is only supposed to get people interested, and not say everything about you or your business.
Choose an audience
Creating a statement that is too broad and undirected to any particular group will most likely be wasted on any of your prospects. The purpose of a personal brand statement is to briefly list your primary skills, so it is necessary to target the industry where those skills are most useful.
Make it memorable
The statement of your brand should be something that others can remember easily since you need to be able to use it whenever a networking opportunity arises. Try telling it to a friend or current client one time and see if he or she can easily recall the entire sentence. If so, you’re off to a very good start.
Make your self-impression = other’s impression
If you have trouble brainstorming personal skills, ask close friends or current clients what they think your strengths are. Even after you have decided on a statement, it is a good idea to check with a friend to make sure that your idea of yourself matches what others think of you and your business.
Market yourself
I cannot emphasize this fact enough, when looking for clients you have to be willing to be your own advocate. A personal brand statement will not help you much if you are not telling people what it is. Make sure to keep it consistent across platforms, however, because using the same sentence every time will help others remember it and associate it with you. Having a short brand statement means that you will be able to market yourself quickly whenever a chance for networking arises.
Don’t procrastinate creating your statement. Since it is such a powerful marketing tool, you are going to want to spend enough time on it to make it fantastic and ensure that it projects exactly the image of you and your business that you want.
Richard M.J. Jarosz
Lone Keep Internet, Inc.
Labels:
Branding,
self promotion
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Personal Branding: Is It Right For You?
I get asked how an individual can brand themselves. Personal branding can single an individual out as an expert in their field. If you believe in your talent, in your skills and ability - it's easier to sell what you believe in. Your image is already created - you just have to market it.
How do you market yourself? You must become: A pro in your industry; an expert in your field. When branding yourself you must create a strong and consistent brand. You cannot skimp just because it's about you.
Strong brands are clear about who they are and what they are not. Which is why branding yourself can be an easy process. You already know who you are and what you are not. Strong brands are also consistent. It's easy to be consistent in who you are.
By branding yourself effectively you will:
- Establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field.
- Build a solid reputation within your industry.
- Increase your notoriety/visibility
- Improve your perceived value in the marketplace.
The key to successfully branding yourself and doing it effectively is to first establish a personal brand identity, message and/or look. Once you have done that focus that message on who you are and what you stand for within your chosen field or industry. Your final step is to get the word out through a variety of media channels that are viewed by the people most likely to be interested in your message.
As people begin to see your name and become aware of the benefits and knowledge that you offer, before you know it hundreds of people will not only know who you are but they will begin to seek out your services and expertise. They will identify with your brand which is YOU.
Richard M.J. Jarosz on LinkedIn
How do you market yourself? You must become: A pro in your industry; an expert in your field. When branding yourself you must create a strong and consistent brand. You cannot skimp just because it's about you.
Strong brands are clear about who they are and what they are not. Which is why branding yourself can be an easy process. You already know who you are and what you are not. Strong brands are also consistent. It's easy to be consistent in who you are.
By branding yourself effectively you will:
- Establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field.
- Build a solid reputation within your industry.
- Increase your notoriety/visibility
- Improve your perceived value in the marketplace.
The key to successfully branding yourself and doing it effectively is to first establish a personal brand identity, message and/or look. Once you have done that focus that message on who you are and what you stand for within your chosen field or industry. Your final step is to get the word out through a variety of media channels that are viewed by the people most likely to be interested in your message.
As people begin to see your name and become aware of the benefits and knowledge that you offer, before you know it hundreds of people will not only know who you are but they will begin to seek out your services and expertise. They will identify with your brand which is YOU.
Richard M.J. Jarosz on LinkedIn
Labels:
Branding,
self promotion
Friday, August 12, 2011
Gain a Competitive Edge by Establishing a Personal Brand
You can, by establishing a personal brand that allows you to differentiate and position yourself from the competition. Most businesses today are viewed as commodities, unless they provide some unique value, which competitors do not share. Your goal is to stand out.
Your Personal Brand
Defined: Your total perceived value, relative to competitors, as viewed by your audience.
Elements of your Personal Brand
Personal Appearance - Including Logo, Business Cards, Presentation Material even clothing.
Personality - Your values, goals, identity and confident behavior.
Competencies - These are cognitive, business, communication and technical skills.
The Differentiator - Offering a unique value proposition or benefit to your target audience.
Media Channels - Ways to introduce your target audience to your Personal Brand.
Constructing a brand with a mixture of these elements will have a positive effect on the people around you and your business. After producing a personal brand, with these elements, you must weave them into a message that can be consumed by your audience.
Growing Your Brand
Personal Branding is an ongoing development that exists throughout an entire life cycle. As your experience and competencies grow, your brand will become enhanced, much like in a product-lifecycle. Creating, maintaining and evolving your brand will help you command your prospective audience and positively communicate your perceived and unique message.
Corporate branding and personal branding are very well connected and for most consultants they are the same. The only apparent difference is that instead of marketing a product or service, a person is being promoted and sold to your target audience.
Treat yourself as the product and sell it!
Your Personal Brand
Defined: Your total perceived value, relative to competitors, as viewed by your audience.
Elements of your Personal Brand
Personal Appearance - Including Logo, Business Cards, Presentation Material even clothing.
Personality - Your values, goals, identity and confident behavior.
Competencies - These are cognitive, business, communication and technical skills.
The Differentiator - Offering a unique value proposition or benefit to your target audience.
Media Channels - Ways to introduce your target audience to your Personal Brand.
Constructing a brand with a mixture of these elements will have a positive effect on the people around you and your business. After producing a personal brand, with these elements, you must weave them into a message that can be consumed by your audience.
Growing Your Brand
Personal Branding is an ongoing development that exists throughout an entire life cycle. As your experience and competencies grow, your brand will become enhanced, much like in a product-lifecycle. Creating, maintaining and evolving your brand will help you command your prospective audience and positively communicate your perceived and unique message.
Corporate branding and personal branding are very well connected and for most consultants they are the same. The only apparent difference is that instead of marketing a product or service, a person is being promoted and sold to your target audience.
Treat yourself as the product and sell it!
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