Mediaboss Marketing

Manta's survey of 4,700 small businesses in the U.S. (fewer than 10 employees) found that only 49% had a Facebook Page. The main objectives for having a Facebook presence were cited as being awareness, attract new customers (by phone or by website traffic), and customer retention.

However, half of those SMBs with a Facebook Page were seeing a positive ROI, found Mantra. This might be explained by other findings of the survey such as 58% spending less than an hour a week on Facebook marketing and only 9% posting daily (the majority (58%) posting "a few times a month").

Manta interviewed social media experts to come up with answers to common questions asked by business owners about Facebook. Regarding the topic of post frequency, Allison Baker, social media and marketing coordinator for H2O Media Inc., recommended one to three times per day.

"You don't want to bombard your followers, but you don't want them to forget about you either," advised Baker. "Having a consistent, daily presence is extremely important on social media. Even if you're only posting something like an inspirational quote, your followers will still see your business name and logo, and this will keep you top of mind."

Earlier this year a survey of small businesses by B2B ratings and review firm, Clutch, found that many small business owners are not using social media, instead harking back to marketing headlines from several years ago that expressed doubt in the value of Likes or Tweets.

"They are missing out because of their own viewpoint on the topic, [made] from believing five- to six-year-old headlines and not recapturing the maturation of the space," said Joshua Dirks, CEO of Project Bionic, a Seattle-based creative marketing agency.

Tags: marketing, research, small business, social media

Original post:
51% of U.S. SMBs have no Facebook Page - Social Marketing ... - BizReport

May 13, 2017 at 8:06 pm | Print View

Having a sense of humor can help your brand standout exponentially. Nothing delivers connection and meaning faster than making someone laugh.

As comedian Louis CK notes, The goal of comedy is to just laugh, which is a really high-hearted thing, (about) visceral connection and reaction.

In addition to comedy, C.K. knows a thing or two about branding and marketing. Advertising Age ranked him at the top of their Digital A-List in 2012 for rethinking how artists interact with their fans. A recent Nielsen study found that 47 percent of global respondents said that humorous ads resonated the most.

Why Humor Helps

For scrappy businesses, Humor can help you stand out in a crowded world, says Tim Washer, creative director at Cisco. In this role, Washer produces hilarious videos for the B2B software brand including a popular ad introducing a new server as the ideal Valentines Day gift. (Nothing says I love you like six times the mobile backhaul capacity.)

In rolling out their new mail-order service, Dollar Shave Club needed to cut through the clutter of the billion-dollar razor industry. They did so with a hilarious 90-second video that offers a mix of on-target product benefits conveyed in a distinct brand voice.

Forty-eight hours after the videos debut on YouTube, Dollar Shave Club was laughing all the way to the bank with 12,000 people signed up for their service.

Theres no limit to who can use humor. You arent bound by size, industry, budget or any other constraint. So how do you get started?

Start with the Right People

BarkBox has a lot of fun with their marketing. For an example, check out their posts on #HumpDay which takes on new meaning when your business is dog products. So how do they do it?

I dont find myself to be the funniest person in the room. But because of that, Ive only hired people on my team who are genuinely funny, says Stacie Grissom, Bark & Cos editor-in-chief. Humor is something that needs to come naturally. And if it doesnt come naturally to you find someone to help you out.

Create a role like Cisco did or simply hire for humor. Bottom line surround yourself with the right people.

How to Tell Funny (Brand) Stories

Most comedy tells stories. As such, many of those same story elements are critical in telling a funny story for your brand.

l Plot Kurt Vonnegut famously called them story shapes but ultimately there are only a few different common plots out there. What kind of story are you trying to tell?

l Character Your main character shouldnt be your brand it should be about your audience.

l Conflict Most comedy comes from pain. In many cases your customers are in pain and you can help them. Humor allows you to explore this by casting pain in a comedic light.

We werent laughing at the Wheres the beef? lady in the Wendys ads. We were laughing with her at the sad state of the fast-food hamburger.

l Voice Humor has to fit your brand voice. For years, Charmin embraced a family friendly voice in talking about bathroom business. Thats why they regularly use scatological puns and the hashtag #tweetfromtheseat to weigh in on current events and pop culture but still in a G-rated context.

I dont think theres any brand that shouldnt be funny, says Eric Munn of Onion Labs, the content services division of the venerable comedy brand, The Onion, which works with brands such as Audi, Bacardi, and Overstock to create engaging and humorous content on their platforms.

Surround yourself with funny people and use the tools of storytelling archetypes, characters, conflict and voice to find a way of embracing humor that fits for your brand. Go forth and be funny!

l Nick Westergaard is founder of Brand Driven Digital; nick@westergaard.com; @NickWestergaard

We make it easy to stay connected:

See the original post:
Social Media: How to use humor in your marketing - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines

Special to the Daily Mail

The week four session of the Nevada Police Departments Citizens Police Academy on April 26 featured guest speakers Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lynn Ewing and Nevadas Animal Control Officer Ben Douglas.

Ewing went over the requirements of our police officers training in criminal procedure and the extent to which they had to comply when making an arrest or obtaining a warrant.

He explained how police officers are like lawyers on the street. Making split second decisions as to what can and cant be done according to criminal law and our Fourth Amendment rights. The Fourth Amendment is the linchpin in making an arrest. He went on to tell us when a warrant is necessary and that they can only be issued by a judge.

We learned that if a report is made by a witness or citizen and too much time passes before a warrant is requested that it is not usable information anymore because many things may have changed since the report was made. So time is of the essence in reporting a crime.

Ewing explained probable cause and the degree of probability.

We were told where and when an officer is allowed by law to search or seize a person or property.

He explained that a stop and frisk is not an arrest, but can escalate into one.

Ewing told us how inspections and regulatory searches could result in evidence being passed on to police for a warrant. If the inspector or person supervising a group of children or persons sees something suspicious or harmful to the group that they can be considered mandatory reporters.

He talked about consent searches and what is allowed in this type of search.

We learned about wiretaps and the exclusionary rule of the Fourth Amendment. This takes a warrant by a federal judge.

He covered the interrogation and confession, when it is allowed and the privilege against self-incrimination as well as a waiver of rights.

We were told the difference between a person working for the police or someone volunteering information in a specific incident, referred to as Color of Law.

He went over the Miranda rights and when it is necessary. First, a person has to be in custody and second, is being questioned by the police. Voluntary information is admissible without the Miranda being read.

City, county, state, and federal officers are all governed by the same Constitutional rights and laws.

We all have a right to due process of the law.

The second speaker was Ben Douglas, the animal control officer for the city of Nevada. He has been Nevadas Animal Control Officer for nine years.

You should know that he doesnt like being called the Dog Catcher.

Officer Douglas qualifications and training are extensive. Animal control association, Certified Humane Investigator/ACO, member of the National Animal Control Association, chemical immobilization certified, collapsible baton certified, euthanasia certified, Taser qualified, OC (pepper spray) certified. He is a member of Missouri Animal ASPCA training in blood sports investigation and cruelty investigation.

The position of Animal Control Officer is a division of the police department. He has a variety of duties:

Handling all animal calls .

Pick up large animals.

Trap nuisance animals.

Issue citations.

Assist vets in euthanizing animals.

Ensure compliance state and federal.

Provide mutual aid to county if requested.

Supervise city animal shelter and employees.

Adoptions.

Reclaims.

Surrenders.

Administer and en-force chapter five of the city code.

License, stray, livestock in town, animal noise.

In addition to his regular duties, Douglas procures supplies for and maintains the animal shelter and oversees the employees and the budget.

The animal shelter is considered a kill shelter. After 15 days it is OK to euthanize an animal. But here they try to keep them healthy if they can and pass them on either to homes or facilities that can care for them.

In the state of Missouri, animals are considered property, therefore, it is difficult to do more than fine offenders. There is a leash law in Nevada and owners are responsible for the animals actions when not on a leash.

Every animal bite (which breaks the skin) has to be reported to the state.

The biggest problems they deal with are neglect, abandonment, and abuse. The second is puppy mills. We found out that you only have to be licensed if there are three breedable females and you are breeding them and selling the babies.

Four hundred forty two animals were brought into the shelter in 2016. The live release rate for that same year was 84 percent.

All animals over six months old are spayed or neutered, treated and given shots and exercise.

In 2016 there were, 945 calls for service, 25 of which were for animal bites.

So far in 2017 there are only 14 bites.

If you are interested in finding out about the animals at the shelter, you can go by and visit or you can go to http://www.petfinder.com or Facebook.

Here is the original post:
Citizens Police Academy, week four - Nevada Herald

New York Times

Hackers Hit Dozens of Countries Exploiting Stolen NSA Tool New York Times The attacks on Friday appeared to be the first time a cyberweapon developed by the N.S.A., funded by American taxpayers and stolen by an adversary had been unleashed by cybercriminals against patients, hospitals, businesses, governments and ordinary ... NSA-created cyber tool spawns global attacksPolitico An NSA Cyber Weapon Might Be Behind A Massive Global Ransomware OutbreakForbes Ransomware Cyber Attack Using NSA Tools Hits Russian Government, Global Firms and HospitalsNewsweek TechCrunch -Sacramento Bee -The Providence Journal -NHS Digital all 1,870 news articles »

See the original post here:
Hackers Hit Dozens of Countries Exploiting Stolen NSA Tool - New York Times

In mid-April,an arsenal of powerful software tools apparently designed by the NSA to infect and control Windows computers was leaked by an entity known only as the Shadow Brokers. Not even a whole month later, the hypothetical threat that criminals would use the tools against the general public has become real, and tens of thousands of computers worldwide are now crippled by an unknown party demanding ransom.

An infected NHS computer in Britain

Gillian Hann

The malware worm taking over the computers goes by the names WannaCry orWanna Decryptor. It spreads from machine to machine silently and remains invisible to users until it unveils itself as so-called ransomware, telling users that all their files have been encrypted with a key known only to the attacker and that they will be locked out until they pay $300 to an anonymous party using the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. At this point, ones computer would be rendered useless for anything other than paying said ransom. The pricerises to $600 after a few days; after seven days, if no ransom is paid, the hacker (or hackers) willmake the data permanently inaccessible (WannaCry victims will have a handy countdown clocktosee exactly how much time they have left).

Ransomware is not new; for victims, such an attack is normally a colossal headache. But todays vicious outbreak has spread ransomware on a massive scale, hitting not just home computers but reportedly health care, communications infrastructure, logistics, and government entities.

Reuters saidthathospitals across England reported the cyberattack was causing huge problems to their services and the public in areas affected were being advised to only seek medical care for emergencies, and that the attack had affected X-ray imaging systems, pathology test results, phone systems and patient administration systems.

The worm has also reportedly reached universities, a major Spanish telecom, FedEx, and the Russian Interior Ministry. In total, researchers have detected WannaCry infections in over 57,000 computersacross over 70 countries(and counting these things move extremely quickly).

According to experts tracking and analyzing the worm and its spread, this could be one of the worst-ever recorded attacks of its kind. The security researcher who tweets and blogs asMalwareTech told The Intercept, Ive never seen anything like this with ransomware, and the last worm of this degree I can remember is Conficker. Conficker was a notorious Windows worm first spotted in 2008; it went on to infect over 9million computers in nearly 200 countries.

Most importantly, unlike previous massively replicating computer worms and ransomware infections, todays ongoing WannaCry attack appears to be based onan attack developed by the NSA, code-named ETERNALBLUE. The U.S. software weapon would have allowed the spy agencys hackers to break into potentially millions of Windows computers by exploiting a flaw in how certain versions of Windows implemented a network protocol commonly used to share files and to print. Even though Microsoft fixedthe ETERNALBLUE vulnerability in a March software update, the safety provided there relied on computer users keeping their systems current with the most recent updates. Clearly, as has always been the case, many people (including in government) are not installing updates. Before, there would have been some solace in knowing that only enemies of the NSA would have to fear having ETERNALBLUE used against them but from the moment the agency lost control of its own exploit last summer, theres been no such assurance. Today shows exactly whats at stake when government hackers cant keep their virtual weapons locked up. As security researcher Matthew Hickey, who tracked the leaked NSA tools last month, put it, I am actually surprised that a weaponized malware of this nature didnt spread sooner.

Screenshot of an infected computer via Avast.

The infection will surely reignite arguments over whats known as the Vulnerabilities Equity Process, the decision-making procedure used to decide whether the NSA should use a security weakness it discovers (or creates) for itself and keep it secret, or share it with the affected companies so that they can protect their customers. Christopher Parsons, a researcher at the University of Torontos Citizen Lab, told The Intercept plainly: Todays ransomware attack is being made possible because of past work undertaken by the NSA, and that ideally it would lead to more disclosures that would improve the security of devices globally.

But even if the NSA were more willing to divulge its exploits rather than hoarding them, wed still be facing the problem that too many people really dont seem to care about updating their software. Malicious actors exploit years old vulnerabilities on a routine basis when undertaking their operations, Parsons pointed out. Theres no reason that more aggressive disclose of vulnerabilities through the VEP would change such activities.

A Microsoft spokesperson provided the following comment:

Today our engineers added detection and protection against new malicious software known as Ransom:Win32.WannaCrypt. In March, we provided a security update which provides additional protections against this potential attack. Those who are running our free antivirus software and have Windows updates enabled, are protected. We are working with customers to provide additional assistance.

Update: May 12, 2017, 3:45 p.m. This post was updated with a comment from Microsoft.

Update: May 12, 2017, 4:10 p.m. This post was updated with a more current count of the number ofaffected countries.

Here is the original post:
Leaked NSA Malware Is Helping Hijack Computers Around the World - The Intercept