The Power of Social Media

In the space of just one week, 47 year old Susan Boyle 0f West Lothian, Scotland has taken YouTube by storm. The latest count is over 33 million views since her stunning performance on Britain’s Got Talent earlier this week.  She is already a front-runner and favorite to win the competition and they haven’t even gotten through the audition stage yet.  Move over Paul Potts!

Already there are several fan sites up and running with clips of interviews she has given the local news agencies since her meteoric rise to fame. I had to smile to myself watching one of the clips. The interviewer was so bad it was comical. With the speed that this story has hit the world scene, the small town local reporters have no doubt been caught off guard and will likely find that they have to brush up on their skills in a hurry.

I must admit I have probably watched this video about 100 times. I can’t seem to get enough of the reaction of the audience, the judges, particularly Simon Cowell and the hosts of the show to say nothing of her stunning rendition of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables.  The clear lesson: Never, ever judge a book by its cover.

But I am curious…what is it about this woman that has people flocking to YouTube?   Is it that we truly want to see the underdog triumph or is it that social media applications like Twitter and YouTube have made her story instantly accessible and we now have the opportunity to share in the experience and contribute to her success and notoriety by proliferating the links?  Would we have known about her or been this enthusiastic if these applications didn’t exist…?  Social Media has allowed us to shed light in every corner of the world and to actively participate in stories as spirit-lifting as this one and I think the answer is a lovely combination of the two.

Whatever the case, as Oprah Winfrey said: It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.

May Susan Boyle be a shining example of that! You Go Girl ! And we clearly want to help you get there!

What do you think?

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, she is virtually yours anywhere….

Thinking Outside the Box

I love thinking outside the box.  I am told I have a flair for the creative and I love using it not only in my home life but in business as well.  There is something very satisfying about taking a problem or challenge and turning it on its head to come up with a workable, interesting solution.

Take my friend’s tree for example.  She had an ornamental tree in her front garden that unfortuately did not survive.  She cut it down and had it sitting in her scrap heap ready for recycle day.  Well, I looked at that thing for a minute and instead of seeing a dead tree, I saw a chandelier! Crazy? I don’t think so.  What a wonderful opportunity to re-purpose nature’s beauty.

I took it home, adorned it with low wattage lighting and hung it under my pergola.  Now when guests come over, we have a softly lit dinner table that fits in beautifully with our natural woodland setting.  My biggest problem now is keeping the robins out of it come nesting time!   Even they think it’s wonderful!

I also used some shower curtain material which naturally repels water and mounted them on spring-loaded curtain rods (so as not to damage the wood decking).  This created a cafe-like feel. It’s very private and very cozy and in the winter time, I can easily remove them.  Both of these projects were easy on the pocket-book but high on the impact scale.

It was a great opportunity to extend our living space, and we have so many wonderful memories of dinner parties with close friends and family.   What could be better than that?!

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, she is virtually yours anywhere….

Planting the seed..Is it time for a Virtual Assistant?

Spring is a time of fresh beginnings and new hope.  The winter has been long and hard here in Ontario.  It’s time for warmer weather, the return of our Canadian Geese and the perennials to poke their heads above the ground and face the sun.

It’s also a good time for business owners to take a fresh approach to the way they operate especially in these challenging financial times. Are you looking for opportunities to cut down on your overhead?   What better way than to outsource some of your administrative or marketing admin workload?

A Virtual Assistant can take many of these tasks off your plate and it’s a cost effective way to do business.  Furthermore, VAs come with a variety of skill sets.  You can use one or many!  Many of us come with a great deal of business experience and a willingness to help our clients grow.  And we can do it without taking up office space and with little or no training. Visit my website to find out how I, Joanne Burgess , can help you.

It’s time to stop stressing yourself out and join the many business owners who have discovered the world of Virtual Assistants.

Say goodbye to all those long hours struggling with all those details!!

Isn’t it time for your fresh beginning?  I can’t wait to hear from you. Let’s make that connection!

Happy Easter…

The New Marketing Landscape

It continues to surprise me when people say they don’t understand the appeal of Social Media.  I can’t remember any job that I have ever had where relationship building wasn’t a key criteria to the success of the business relationship.  I remember back in the day (ok, I am dating myself  lol), where you would take your client to lunch. Business was definitely a topic for discussion, but so was family, vacation plans and hobbies. You actually knew their spouse’s name, how long they had been working at that organization and maybe even what their career aspirations were.  And through all that discussion and a few extra pounds, a relationship grew and trust developed.

Where has the trust gone?  I’ve watched the pendulum swing to the opposite extreme.. I am a participant in this new generation of consumers who buy products and services online without ever meeting the seller.  Money changes hands without a handshake.  I myself have been spammed and scammed.  Who are you really dealing with?  Can you trust it? I understand the wariness and I am tired of the lack of human touch. Maybe we all are.

And so, the pendulum has shifted to the middle.  Technology certainly isn’t going away, but at least with the introduction of Social Media, we now have the opportunity once again to connect, to build some kind of community and build trust. I welcome the change.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a brick and mortar company or sell your products and services online. Here is an opportunity to showcase our personalities along with our products and services.  As a Virtual Assistant, I am asking for clients to trust that I will be honorable, to act in their best interests, to help them grow their business even if I am not on-site under their careful watch. So, for those who are still wary, please follow me on Twitter, read more about me on LinkedIn and by all means become my friend on Facebook.   The tools are all there!  All it takes is a little time and a little trust. Let’s make that connection!

Joanne