Belle Tire to Host First Tire Man Tweetup with Detroit Pistons

Belle Tire is hosting the first ever Tire Man meet and tweet with Detroit Pistons player Jonas Jerebko March 30, 2010 from 3p.m. to 4:30 p.m.at the Belle Tire at 770 Brown Road in Auburn Hills.

ALLEN PARK, Mich., Mar. 24, 2010 – On Tuesday, March 30, 2010, Belle Tire is hosting the first ever Tire Man Tweetup featuring Detroit Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko. Belle Tire will host the meet and tweet with this Pistons star, fans and friends at the location at 770 Brown Road in Auburn Hills, Mich.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 from 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Belle Tire, 770 Brown Road, Auburn Hills, Mich. 48326

At the Tweetup participants can enjoy giveaways from Belle Tire as well as hot dogs and refreshments. Detroit Piston Jonas Jerebko will be signing photos for fans and Tire Man will be on location. One registered attendee will win a set of tires courtesy of Belle Tire.

What is a Tweetup? A Tweetup is a meet up event for those who use Twitter as a communication tool. It is a great way for those with similar interests who actively communicate with each other online to “meet and tweet” offline. Even those who are not familiar with Twitter can use this great opportunity to meet some new friends, and everybody can come and meet Detroit Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko in person.

Organized by @Tire_Man on Twitter, this Detroit area Tweetup is a chance for all of those who Micrblog in the Detroit area to network, have a little fun and meet a Detroit Pistons player. To sign up, please visit the Tire Man Tweetup Event Page on Facebook….

Also, join the conversation by becoming a fan of Belle Tire on Facebook, following @Tire_Man on Twitter and those attending the event can feel free to add pictures to the Belle Tire – Tire Man Tweetup flickr pool. This is simply a group where members share their photos. Visit the Tire Man Flickr pool...

If you’re interested in following along from home or any other virtual location, the event’s hashtag is #TireTweetup. Include this in all tweets pertaining to the event.

About Belle Tire
Allen Park, Mich.-based Belle Tire was founded in 1922 when it opened the first Belle Tire location in Detroit, Mich. Today, the company has expanded to 80 locations across Michigan and Ohio. Belle Tire offers discount tires and variety of car care needs, ranging from auto glass repair, auto glass replacement, brakes, alignments, batteries, shocks and struts, exhaust system repair, batteries, and oil changes. For more information about Belle Tire, visit http://www.belletire.com/. Join the Belle Tire Advantage today, http://www.belletireadvantage.com/.

HomeAid Helps Those Who Are Suddenly Homeless

HomeAid Helps Those Who Are Suddenly Homeless

The transitionally homeless need most of all, a fresh start, the time and assistance to rebuild their lives. This begins with transitional housing where they can shelter as they address their issues. Help get a family back on its feet with donating as little as $1/month. http://www.homeaid.org

The Parts in Your Car Make a Difference

By : Jenn Weesies

Frugal consumers have been a big story this past year. The average consumer has been searching for bargains. Coupon usage is way up as are sales of private label consumer goods. With household budgets strained, it is imperative that consumers get the best value for every dollar spent. One area where consumers have saved is in car purchases. Many consumers have delayed a new car purchase or bought a used vehicle rather than a new one. In addition, millions of late model vehicles are coming off warranty so the repair and maintenance of these vehicles is now the responsibility of the consumer.

While it is a wise fiscal decision to retain a current vehicle, the repair decisions that consumers make can save them money as well as insure the safety of the vehicle. Certainly, a consumer is wise to maintain a car properly. Putting off scheduled maintenance can cost more in the long run delaying vital maintenance can result in very costly damage. It is wise both financially and from a safety standpoint to take good care of vehicles as they age. A well maintained car will last longer, deliver significantly better gas mileage, be friendlier to the environment and, most importantly, be safer for you and your family.

By far, independent repair centers offer the best value in car maintenance. There are more independent repair centers than dealerships in many convenient locations. Their technicians are just as well trained in fact, today’s independent shop technicians are better trained and more skilled then ever. And, most importantly, automotive service is their sole mission.

A consumer’s local repair facility is usually the best choice for everything from minor maintenance to major repairs. Oil changes are a good example. A full service repair shop can change your oil and check out other vital components tires, filters, radiator, transmission for just a few dollars more. Those few dollars can add thousands of trouble-free miles to your car and better gas mileage, too!

One thing consumers should be aware of is the brand of parts being installed in their cars when repairs or maintenance are being performed. Consumers should insist on quality parts from recognized and respected parts companies.

The same rules associated with consumer products do not apply to auto parts. There is no list of ingredients to compare one product from another as with consumer goods. They may fail prematurely, costing consumers more in the long run and may even pose significant safety issues depending on the critical nature of the part.

Cheap auto parts have been flooding the country and it is wise to be aware of this so you can direct the repair shop to install quality parts from full service suppliers those automotive parts manufacturers that provide essential services such as product specifications, quality control, product liability, research and development. A smart consumer will always ask about the parts when repairs are being performed. Most shops will be glad to share this information with you.

So save on maintenance and repairs by using a good independent repair shop but always “know your parts.” That is the smart choice that will save you money in the long run and will insure your safety as well.

The Automotive Aftermarket Supplier Association is a trade organization representing North American Automotive Aftermarket suppliers. Visit http://kyp.aftermarketsuppliers.org for details on the “Know Your Parts” campaign.

Life Distracted From Living

“Don’t blink son. One day you’ll wake up, take a good look in a mirror and be an old man, like me.” Don’t blink, eh? Simply put but not very easy these days. This was some of the great advice my father gave me on my wedding day almost seven years ago. Yet, I recently told him – I think I’m blinking, dad! For example, my four year old grew and inch and a half since November and I had to take a double take recently when I looked at her because she has changed so fast.  Right before my blinking eyes!

After having some good conversation with my friend Dr. Paula Dore-Duffy on a weekend ski retreat (a few weeks ago), we both were reflecting on this blinking stuff and what it felt like to actually enjoy some time away from the “distractions.” Paula works as a Neurologist by day and moonlights with a growing business called Tree In A Box, LLC. After we were both explaining our increasingly productive and busy schedules, she intrigued me with one of the books that she was reading on our trip called Distracted, that I am going to be reading next.

With all of the information at our disposal and knowledge that we seek at our finger tips while juggling other tasks, we are more networked than ever. Yet we tend to communicate even with our friends and family via instant messaging, email, and passing face-to-face moments that are postponed and then interrupted when they do occur with more multitasking, pings, tweets and distractions.

Teaching my little girl to ski.... no distractions.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. Businesses today are understanding the value in strong digital marketing strategies with business objectives and sales results beyond just being excited or “distracted” about social media. I am passionate about delivering a wide array of savvy marketing strategies for many great clients. I thrive on delivering results.  But what about having a life distracted from living? We need to balance our lives, work hard/play hard. Stepping back and relaxing – removing the distractions is not only healthy but can cultivate greater ideas and creativity.

Growing up, I liked to read a quote that my sister painted for my dad, which he then framed and hung in his work area in our basement.

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” ~Henry Van Dyke

Whether I am spending my time with family, friends, clients, prospects, ect… I want to make the most of it all.  I want to work hard and play hard. But I have to say, if I keep blinking, I think that I’m going to notice a few more gray hairs too! I certainly don’t want to miss out on my kids growing up.  After recently listened to a sermon on a Father’s wisdom, balancing work and family….  Kids will not remember how much money you made but will remember the time you spent with them. Remember to balance it all out. What are some things you do to handle the distractions and stress of today’s world?

This Social Media Thing Must Make Good Business Sense

This is one of my favorite social media ROI presentations:

Overcoming Obstacles to Social Media Integration

View more presentations from Olivier Blanchard.

Many times we can spend a majority our time with clients and prospects detailing:

a.) Why social media is not free

b.) The variables that highlight the resources (equaling 100% of the budget):

1. It takes people – it takes a team (a virtual “pit crew” each with a specific job to do – “the sum of all parts equals a whole” – “there is no ‘i’ in team”)

2. It takes technology – this is constantly changing

3. It takes time – “time is money”

Business leaders understand that “this Social Media thing” must make good business sense and it is our job to not just demystify it but…. help them measure ROI (e.g. the financial impact) that business leaders expect.

I like to deliver more traffic, such as logging into Google Analytics and seeing all of those green arrows including: but there is so much more to deliver. It’s not just measuring media, impressions and eyeballs.

Prospects and clients hire us not just because we sound smart – they hire us because they trust us to help improve their bottom line. Business leaders trust that we are the experts (that we say we are) and that our strategies are created to help them profit from continual growth. We can use many tactics, depending on the business objectives and needs:

• Online and offline consultation
• SEO
• Social media strategies
• Clearly communicated user experience
• Content marketing
• Digital advertising (e.g. display, sponsored search)

However, I find that they want real metrics that they “can sink their teeth into.” That is the what I thrive on and there is nothing better than hearing from my clients – “Social media is going to stick around a while longer after all!”

Biznet Internet Solutions Experiencing Growth in Challenging Times

Original Post found: http://blog.biznetis.net/2009/12/28/biznet-internet-solutions-experiencing-growth-in-challenging-times/

Biznet Internet Solutions, a Wixom, Mich. based full-service Web solutions company, focusing on business and mobile Web sites, advertising agency support and Internet marketing, announces four new full-time hires including Marketing Director, Doug Menzer; Director of Account Management, Patti Swanson; and two Marketing Coordinators, Jennifer Weesies and Dave Lemieux.

“It is exciting to be in a position of growth right now, especially while many others are scaling back. The recent additions to the team reflect Biznet’s commitment to continued growth,” said Kevin Krason, CEO and founder of Biznet. “We are a strong company that has survived 2009 and has big plans to flourish in 2010.”

Doug Menzer is a ten-year veteran of marketing communications with two degrees from Michigan State University in Communications and Psychology. Just prior to his new position at Biznet, Doug worked as a Marketing Manager/Director of Social Media for a Birmingham, Michigan based digital marketing agency.  In his role as Marketing Director at Biznet, he is responsible for research, strategy, planning, project management and oversight of brand awareness and digital public relations for a variety of clients.

Prior to joining Biznet , Patti Swanson, with nearly 20 years marketing and management experience, held numerous positions for the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit including most recently Executive Director at North Oakland Family YMCA, and prior to that Vice President of Marketing and Membership. She has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Marketing and Management from Northwood University and a Master’s of Science Administration in Business and Marketing from Central Michigan University. In her role as Director of Account Management at Biznet, Patti is responsible for account supervision and project management ensuring the highest level of quality and flawless execution while forging new relationships and opportunities.

Jennifer Weesies, a recent graduate of Ferris State University with her Bachelor’s of Business in Public Relations, joined the Biznet team in Oct. of 2009. Prior to accepting a Marketing Coordinator position at Biznet, she worked as an intern at Lambert, Edwards and Associates, a public relations firm in Grand Rapids, Mich. As a member of the marketing team at Biznet, Jennifer develops and carries out digital marketing and social media strategies including content distribution campaigns, SEO/SEM, social media training and digital public relations while monitoring and building client relationships.

David Lemieux began his career at Biznet Internet Solutions in Feb. of 2009 as an intern and was hired on staff full-time in Oct. of 2009. He is currently wrapping up his Bachelor’s degree at Oakland University. In his position as a Marketing Coordinator at Biznet, Dave is responsible for website copy writing and tweaking, search engine optimization, article and video distribution, analyzing metrics, client reporting, social media monitoring as well as forging and maintaining client relationships.

About Biznet Internet Solutions
Based in Wixom, Mich., Biznet Internet Solutions is a full-service Web solutions company, focusing on business and mobile Web sites, advertising agency support and Internet marketing, including search and social media marketing. For more information, please visit http://www.biznetis.net

Written by: Jenn Weesies

Elf Yourself and Tule Tool… Interactive Holiday Fun

OfficeMax Goes Live with Elf Yourself for its Forth Straight Year

Last week, my wife spent about a half-hour one evening on OfficeMax’s Elf Yourself adding viral content to her personal Facebook page. It was an instant hit with all of her FB friends and family, as usual – traveling through her familiar circle.

Elf Yourself has gone live in its fourth straight year this 2009 holiday season. OfficeMax has enhanced the fun application this year with new features and capabilities allowing consumers to customize their videos of dancing elves with their own pictures. The Facebook Connect tie-in allows users to upload pictures from the social network and to post their Elf Yourself videos directly to their profiles, as my wife did. That social element goes beyond the application itself drawing laughs from many of our friends and family members.

Hastings Entertainment Provides Free Social Interactive Yule Tool

Then we came across another fancy free social interactive that enables a user to personalize a full-motion e-card video starring themselves and their loved ones or even celebrities in either a “Naughty or Nice” greeting, which is available at http://www.yuletool.goHastings.com.

The user can attach their own personal sentiment and send it to anyone they’d like via email. The Yule Tool was created and developed by Capitola Media of San Francisco, California. The free Yule Tool e-card is designed to be a fun interactive way to celebrate the holidays. This brings up the question… Why haven’t audiences grown tired of interactive tools such as these? Maybe it is not so much the tool as what users can apply to it that keeps it fresh and relevant.
For example, after showing my colleague Dave Lemeiux this Yule Tool, he sent me a pretty funny version of his personalized Yule Tool greeting that he made using Kwame Kilpatrick his wife and girls, seen here: http://yuletool.gohastings.com/card.php?id=1431177947.

This silly personalized message, states: “I’m with both my girls!!!” For those that live in Southeast Michigan, this is probably more of a sad display of our rough history rather than a funny joke. However, that is a nice feature of this Yule Tool… the ability to add a personalized text message in the greeting, which is one advantage over the Office Max Elf Yourself rendition to spread Holiday Cheer to your friends and family.

Twitter users can also follow YuleTool on Twitter.com/YuleTool
@YuleTool’s last Tweet: 13 Days, 12 Hours, 39 Minutes until Christmas of ’2009 – ‘Is It Okay to Give Used?’ http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/11/prweb3255854.htm“.

New Jobs in Michigan? Yes Please!

Biznet Internet Solutions has hired several great people including Jenn Weesies, Patti Swanson and Dave Lemieux due to our young entrepreneurial drive and diverse acumen in business matters.

Recently , Jenn and I were profiled on Metromode Media, an online weekly publication that highlights the positive happenings in the Metro Detroit region (go to www.metromodemedia.com) to learn more.

Metromode has recently launched a new Talent Retention Program to highlight available opportunities and profiles of professionals who have landed or created jobs in the area. I love how Metromode is disputing the myth that you have to leave Michigan in order to find a job! This is an ongoing initiative and they are always looking for new people to profile. So give them a shout if you are creating jobs or have landed a job here in Michigan recently!

Click here to read the profile of Doug Menzer on Metromode.

Click here to read the profile of Jenn Weesies on Metromode

Marketing Evolution – Talk with Customers, not at Customers

I love this video…

The Marketing Capability: The Future is Digital

“Customers have dreams… and they have things that they want to do in their lives. One of the things that technology does; it can make those dreams come true.” – Barry Judge (CMO, Best Buy)

Keep Building Trust…

Biznet Blog » Making the Digital Commitment by Jenn Weesies

It’s the fourth quarter in 2009 and a Michigan based company just reported a $1 Billion profit in the third quarter.  Pinch me – I must be dreaming, right?  Nope, Ford Motor Company – a company founded by an entrepreneur and built by the hard working people that thrived on his ingenuity and the passion that it bred, just reported this news last week.

Read more in Jenn Weesies’ recent post, she is the newest addition to our team at Biznet. Let us know what you think….

Biznet Blog » Making the Digital Commitment. by Jenn Weesies

Moving ahead is tough, especially in the absence of certainty but today there are many young intelligent people stepping up, going against the odds and making a difference.  Making the digital commitment is not simply about spending 25% of your budget on “new media”… it is about new ways of thinking.  Bringing sexy ingenuity back…  “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

I admire how Ford Motor Company is thinking “more intelligently” – once again.

Jenn recently posted on Twitter (in response to the article in the picture) – @weesiesj Dear Business Week, u are the most depressing magazine & do nothing for the American spirit. I found a job in MICH! http://twitpic.com/lfbcn

Jenn demonstrates the American Spirit that I admire! The lost generation?  Sure, there are many that are lost (most likely) and I am sure that is not new to this young generation…  But those people that are lost (in my opinion) aren’t willing to roll up their sleeves, fail a few times before they succeed and move ahead gracefully…

“90% of social media is simply showing up” – Scott Monty

Young leaders are not simply just looking for work, they are creating it and/or finding positions within great companies where they are carving out their own success. Showing up, getting “baptized by fire” and having the will to take on whatever challenges lie ahead is how our country became great. Let’s keep it going!