http://carltonzone.com/blog For the Hottest Discussions on Business, Technology, and Marketing Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:55:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 en hourly 1 ©Carlton Flowers 2003-2006 carlton.flowers@gmail.com (Carlton Flowers) carlton.flowers@gmail.com Business Marketing 1440 technology, gadgets, business, social media, marketing, sales strategy, advertising Technology, Business, Marketing discussion with Carlton! A fun podcast centered around the discussion of technology, gadgets, business topics, and marketing strategies from a business owner's standpoint. Join me to keep up on the latest trends, and for great ideas on helping you to market your business and expand your customer base on a shoestring budget. Carlton Flowers Carlton Flowers carlton.flowers@gmail.com No no http://carltonzone.com/blog/uploaded/images2/c-zone-itunes-podcast-box.jpg http://carltonzone.com/blog 144 144 http://carltonzone.com/blog/blogging-basics-your-business-as-a-news-source/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/blogging-basics-your-business-as-a-news-source/#comments Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:37:28 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/?p=1129 http://carltonzone.com/blog/blogging-basics-your-business-as-a-news-source/feed/ 0 http://carltonzone.com/blog/dirty-twitter-follower-list-building-tactics/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/dirty-twitter-follower-list-building-tactics/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:42:46 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/?p=167 http://carltonzone.com/blog/dirty-twitter-follower-list-building-tactics/feed/ 2 9:07 TWITTER LIST BUILDING - TAKE THE DIRTY SHORTCUTS, OR BUILD NATURALLY? In today's podcast presentation we'll talk about building your following on Twitter. Do you prefer ... TWITTER LIST BUILDING - TAKE THE DIRTY SHORTCUTS, OR BUILD NATURALLY? In today's podcast presentation we'll talk about building your following on Twitter. Do you prefer to ramp-up the speed of your follower list growth artificially, or do you prefer "organic" follower building methods? With artificial Twitter follower list building, people hire consultants to handle the grunt work of collecting masses of new followers. Others pay an outright fee for a bulk amount of followers. But with organic building, these Twitter citizens prefer to meet and connect with others based on common interest and 1-on-1 interaction. We will discuss the difference between the two methods, along with the following topics: When Twitter becomes nothing more than the Chicago phone book What happens when cheaters, scammers, and con artists all get together in one community The advantages to organic Twitter follower list building Why trust is vital to Twitter marketing for businesses The "Instant Rock Star Bait-and-Switch" dirty Twitter tactic As always, feel free to post your comments and questions below, or call our Google Voice line at (636) 377-0006 and leave a short message to voice your opinion!Download Dirty Twitter Follower List Building Tactics ##QuanSiteCats## Carlton Flowers no No http://carltonzone.com/blog/seizing-social-media-opportunities/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/seizing-social-media-opportunities/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:49:26 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/?p=117 http://carltonzone.com/blog/seizing-social-media-opportunities/feed/ 1 http://carltonzone.com/blog/measuring-the-effectiveness-of-traditional-media-advertising/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/measuring-the-effectiveness-of-traditional-media-advertising/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:09:42 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/measuring-the-effectiveness-of-traditional-media-advertising/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/measuring-the-effectiveness-of-traditional-media-advertising/feed/ 0 11:18 IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE METRICS OF "STONEHENGE MEDIA" ADVERTISING WITH WEB 2.0 LEVERAGE How do you currently measure the success of your "Stonehenge" media advertisements? What type ... IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE METRICS OF "STONEHENGE MEDIA" ADVERTISING WITH WEB 2.0 LEVERAGE How do you currently measure the success of your "Stonehenge" media advertisements? What type of feedback or response do you use to gauge the effectiveness or success of a newspaper ad, radio spot, tv commercial or billboard? In today's podcast, we'll talk about traditional performance metrics for Stonehenge media and how you can leverage your response rate with the addition of social media marketing. Additionally, we'll discuss "click tracking" as a method of evaluating effectiveness, and whether or not this is a dependable indicator. Listen to the podcast and post your questions and responses below!Download Measuring the Effectiveness of Traditional Media Advertising ##QuanSiteCats## Carlton Flowers no No http://carltonzone.com/blog/the-truth-about-twitter-list-building-for-businesses/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/the-truth-about-twitter-list-building-for-businesses/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:40:32 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/?p=66 http://carltonzone.com/blog/the-truth-about-twitter-list-building-for-businesses/feed/ 1 9:41 BUILDING A MASSIVE TWITTER FOLLOWING - IS THIS THE BEST WAY TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS? In today's podcast, the topic of discussion centers around Twitter marketing. ... BUILDING A MASSIVE TWITTER FOLLOWING - IS THIS THE BEST WAY TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS? In today's podcast, the topic of discussion centers around Twitter marketing. Is it really advantageous to spend time building a huge Twitter following for business exposure? We'll discuss the pros and cons of Twitter "list building", and whether or not you are really getting the most bang out of your buck. Also up for discussion: paid list building services and what you really get for your money. We are now seeing everything from website sales pages to even eBay auctions promising to add a certain number of followers to a Twitter account for a certain fee. Some are even charging an exorbitant amount of money for their service, but what do you end up with? What is the quality of the list that you have paid your hard-earned money for? And who's to say that the list sellers aren't pulling a scam on their customers? As easy as it is to create fake Twitter accounts, I would be cautious about the validity of purchasing guaranteed followers. Even with real accounts, there's still no way to qualify the list members. I caution any sales professional or business owner to seriously think about delving into list purchasing before wasting their money. Many Twitter community members now frown on others who participate in artificial list building. In the end, you may not be able to "buy" your online reputation back if your fast-track idea turns sour. Last but not least, I give my insight on what metric you really SHOULD be tracking instead of the size of your Twitter following or the number of clicks you generate from your link posting. Most marketers gauge success by the number of clicks they receive for an online advertisement or pitch. However, there is one metric that goes far beyond click counting. What is it, you ask? You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out! Click the podcast icon below to listen in and then share your thoughts, questions and comments on the blog!Download The Truth About Twitter List Building For Business ##QuanSiteCats## Carlton Flowers no No http://carltonzone.com/blog/the-carlton-zone-now-available-at-podcast-alley/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/the-carlton-zone-now-available-at-podcast-alley/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:50:31 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/?p=64 http://carltonzone.com/blog/the-carlton-zone-now-available-at-podcast-alley/feed/ 0 http://carltonzone.com/blog/local-small-business-twitter-marketing-strategy/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/local-small-business-twitter-marketing-strategy/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:53:50 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/?p=63 http://carltonzone.com/blog/local-small-business-twitter-marketing-strategy/feed/ 0 7:59 A WORKABLE TWITTER STRATEGY FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS I've seen this many a time... a local business owner signs up for Twitter to begin a new ... A WORKABLE TWITTER STRATEGY FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS I've seen this many a time... a local business owner signs up for Twitter to begin a new media marketing campaign with dreams of instant stardom, only to struggle with it for a month or two and then quit. What makes business owners give up on their Twitter efforts so easily? Lack of feedback. When the Twittering fails to bring people in the door who buy their stuff, they see it as a waste of time. However, armed with the right strategy and realistic expectations, Twitter marketing for local business owners can prove to be fruitful. In today's podcast, I give a step-by-step strategy for business marketing on Twitter that can lead to results, and even be multiplied exponentially by merging new media marketing efforts with traditional media advertising that not many people currently are pursuing. If done correctly, this marketing strategy will not only produce results, but it can actually be tracked and evaluated down to the detail. Listen to the audio podcast and post your questions below, or chime in with your very own social media marketing tips that you have found to work for your small business or sales career!Download Local Small Business Twitter Marketing Strategy Business,Consulting,Services,,Marketing,Strategy,,Podcasts Carlton Flowers no No http://carltonzone.com/blog/new-media-marketing-podcast-for-10-5-09/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/new-media-marketing-podcast-for-10-5-09/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:43:16 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/?p=62 http://carltonzone.com/blog/new-media-marketing-podcast-for-10-5-09/feed/ 0 8:57 TODAY'S TOPIC - PAYPAL SHOPPING CART, REAL ESTATE MARKETING, GOOGLE WAVE Hi folks, For the October 5th, 2009 podcast, I talk about Paypal Shopping Cart abandonment ... TODAY'S TOPIC - PAYPAL SHOPPING CART, REAL ESTATE MARKETING, GOOGLE WAVE Hi folks, For the October 5th, 2009 podcast, I talk about Paypal Shopping Cart abandonment issues, the big marketing mistake that I often see real estate agents making in Twitter marketing, and an introduction to Google Wave. The podcast is only 9 minutes long and straight to the point. You can make comments about these issues right here on the blog, and feel free to ask questions. I'm also open for topics that you would like to see me cover in the future. Enjoy today's information, and don't forget to drop your comments and suggestions below!Download New Media Marketing Podcast 10-5-09 ##QuanSiteCats## Carlton Flowers no No http://carltonzone.com/blog/introducing-the-carlton-zone-social-media-podcast/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/introducing-the-carlton-zone-social-media-podcast/#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:39:33 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/?p=61 http://carltonzone.com/blog/introducing-the-carlton-zone-social-media-podcast/feed/ 0 5:21 THE CARLTON ZONE SOCIAL MEDIA PODCAST IS NOW AVAILABLE! I'm very excited about starting my first official podcast series! The main topic of my shows will ... THE CARLTON ZONE SOCIAL MEDIA PODCAST IS NOW AVAILABLE! I'm very excited about starting my first official podcast series! The main topic of my shows will center around social media marketing and strategy, but I will also be reporting on general communication strategy, industry market trends, and communications technology. Each show will be 5 to 10 minutes in length, and I will encourage listeners to participate via Twitter (send comments to @carltonf) and possibly Google phone. This will be a great resource for sales professionals, business owners, managers, and those who work in community organizations. Get ready to learn and have loads of fun along the way!Download Social Media Podcast by Carlton Flowers Podcasts Carlton Flowers no No http://carltonzone.com/blog/the-death-of-the-yellow-book-cometh/ http://carltonzone.com/blog/the-death-of-the-yellow-book-cometh/#comments Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:41:54 +0000 Carlton Flowers http://carltonzone.com/blog/?p=50 http://carltonzone.com/blog/the-death-of-the-yellow-book-cometh/feed/ 0