The Five-Step Guide to Social Media Security

Engaging with your customers and potential customer through social media isn’t without its risks.

Of course, stepping back from social media isn’t an option. You customers and prospects are already using social networks to engage with, talk about, and buy from their favorite companies and brands – including yours.

So how do you practice safe social?

The Five-Step Guide for Better Social Media Security walks you through some of the key strategies for safeguarding your social efforts, including how to:

• Effectively slash the chances of an inappropriate post getting out – without bogging down your response rate
• Mitigate the risk of granting access to social accounts to entry-level employees or interns
• Respond quickly and effectively during a crisis in a worst-case scenario

The guide examines the most common social media security challenges – and provides simple, proven solutions to reduce the risk of them happening to your company.

To learn more about the concrete steps you can take to safeguard your social efforts, just fill in the form on the right side of this page, and you’ll get instant access to The Five-Step Guide for Better Social Media Security.

Evaluating Enterprise Social Media Platforms

As social media becomes a more important channel across your organization, finding an enterprise-strength social relationship platform (SRP) that works across your entire organization is crucial.

Without the right tool, it’s tough to take full advantage of the benefits social can offer. At the enterprise level, you need a platform that’s powerful enough to bridge continents, time zones—and departments.

Plus, you have compliance and security issues to be managed, and need a platform that will work within your existing IT infrastructure.

To give you a framework to find the social relationship platform that will meet the social needs of all stakeholders in your organization, we’ve written a guide to evaluating enterprise social relationship platforms.

You’ll learn:

• How your organization’s social needs map to what social relationship platforms offer
• The 10 essential capabilities of an enterprise social relationship platform
• How to evaluate SRPs based on the long-term needs of your organization

For help finding the enterprise-level SRP that’s right for you, just fill in the form on the right side of this page, and you’ll get instant access to your Evaluation Guide: Enterprise Social Relationship Platforms.

8 Tips for Social Business

The idea of a Social Business is new enough that best practices for how businesses use social media are still being carved out – the standard for enterprise integration of social media has yet to be drawn.

That means social media presents significant opportunities for companies that get it right early on.

So if you’re serious about becoming a more social business, then our white paper8 Tips for Social Business will help you lay a solid foundation – from evaluation to execution – to give you a head start.
The white paper includes practical, actionable tips like:

• Collaborating to keep your messaging consistent, intelligent, and brand-appropriate
• Organizing effectively by centralizing control over your social platforms while decentralizing the conversations you have over them
• Measuring what counts (Hint: It’s not just the number of followers) so you can track the path – and revenue – from social message to conversion

To learn more about how to position your organization to succeed as a more social business, just fill in the form on the right side of this page, and you’ll get instant access to 8 Tips for Social Business.

Top Social Resources for Financial Firms

Build stronger business relationships while ensuring a secure, compliant social media presence.

Download Hootsuite’s Toolkit for Financial Service Organizations and learn how to:

• Secure your social assets and protect your brand with the Five-Step Guide to Better Social Media Security
• Align your social outreach with your business objectives in the Financial Services Guide to Creating a Social Strategy
• Use social data to make smarter, faster business decisions with Turning Insight Into Action: The Journey to Social Media Intelligence

Social Selling Action Plan

Social media has had a huge impact on your customers’ buying process.

Buyers now have instant access to a trove of information and advice through online professional networks and social media.

You need a social selling action plan to keep pace.

So we’ve developed one: Social Selling Action Plan: Closing the Loop from Relationships to Revenue.

This exclusive Hootsuite guide will help you maximize your sales efficiency, using five key concepts that span the entire sales cycle, including:

• Building deeper relationships with your prospects by discovering shared contacts, interests, and other common ground
• Leaving a trail of compelling content that brings prospects to you
• Catching the real-time buying signals that tell you when prospects are primed for contact

Our guide also goes beyond strategy to introduce the specific tools that help you put each concept into action effectively.

To learn how to be more engaged with your prospects at the critical moments of their decision-making process, just fill in the form on the right side of this page, and you’ll get instant access to your Social Selling Action Plan.

Connect Your Enterprise World

Did you know that enterprise organizations that have integrated social media into everyday business processes generate on average 20% more revenue and 60% higher profit growth?

Different teams or departments in your organization may be using social media to support their own initiatives, but if your social media strategy isn’t supporting your high-level organizational goals, you’re cheating yourself out of ROI and the chance to grow your business.

Read Connect Your Enterprise World: Weaving Social Media into the Enterprise Technology Ecosystem to learn:

• Which tools you don’t need anymore — and how to recognize the ones you do
• How to weave social media into current business processes and prevent the chance of future siloing
• Red flags to look out for when you’re considering integrating another app into your workflow

Are You Getting Seller Leads from Social Media Yet? Here’s How

Social media in general can be over-whelming.

So many platforms to choose from.  Too many “terms” to learn.  What the hell is a hashtag?

BUT it is a necessity in today’s business world and it’s a “must have” on your digital marketing plan.

My first suggestion …

Keep it simple.  Don’t take on too much too soon.  Pick a platform that you are comfortable with or makes the most sense to you.

Next …

Make a plan. Having it doesn’t do any good if you don’t use it.  And use it consistently. That could be once a week, but always on the same day.  Or twice a week … for example > one post (on Tuesday) is a link to an article you thought pertained to your business and one post (on Thursday) was a business tip or a question to your followers.

And then ..

Engage with your fans.  This is an excellent opportunity to build trust with your followers. To learn more about them so you can market to them. And turn them into brand evangelists. If they trust you, feel like they know you, they will support you. It’s important to be transparent in your posts and in your responses.

We created a social media cheatsheet to help simplify the platforms and help you identify with the one (or two, or three) that may suit you best.  We included best times to post and helpful hints on how to use each one.

You can also download your own copy here for future reference.

Hope this helps.  Don’t hesitate to throw out some questions you may have down below.

P.S.  If you’re looking for more tools and training on how to use social media to market your business, you should check out our Commando Leads System (CLS).  It is a comprehensive training program that includes step-by-step instructions on how to drive motivated sellers TO your business using digital media.

Talk soon!!

Learn How Your Credit Score Affects Your Life In 5 Key Areas

Your credit determines your financial life... your credit score is used by lenders almost exclusively to determine what you will pay for a loan.

It doesn't matter if you have money in the bank or a well-paying job.

If your credit score isn’t excellent then you will pay a huge penalty on a mortgage, refinance, auto loan, credit cards, or any other type of loan.

How much more? Take a look to the right.

About The Credit Solution Program

Mike Roberts is the founder of the Credit Solution Program. He has seen how important understanding credit has been in improving his own life. And because of this Mike has dedicated himself to teaching others how to improve their lives by raising their credit score and taking control of their personal finances.

The Credit Solution Program is a unique system that aims to educate with engaging videos that are both informative and fun to watch. The content on the site and in CSP products is created by Mike Roberts and a team of subject matter experts. Learn more about us here.

We hope that you enjoy learning here.

Good Credit Can Help You Save Money

Over your lifetime the cost of higher interest rates can really add up.

That’s money paid out to lenders that you could use to live a better life – take more vacations, cover college education costs for your children, live in a bigger house, drive a nicer car, or invest the savings for retirement.

And it’s even worse if you have bad credit, considered by lenders to be anything below 620. It’s extremely difficult to get a mortgage, car loan, or a credit card at all with a credit score below this mark.

Luckily there are steps you can take to improve your credit – and in many cases improvement can be seen relatively quickly³ when you have the right education to guide you.

What Steps Will You Take With The Credit Solution Program?

So, the 1st step is awareness – take stock of your current credit situation, and this means understanding everything that’s on your credit reports today. You may be surprised at what you find. Now, once you know what is on your credit report, the question is…why does it matter? And more importantly, what can be done to have the biggest impact on your score right now?

You’ll learn how to interpret the 5 factors that affect your score. To see what’s holding you back from having the highest possible score, you need to know how credit scoring works. Are you doing the right things to improve your score and keep your credit score high in the future?

Finally, you have to understand how to deal with any problems on your credit report. What kind of problems? Negative items like inquires, late payments, collections accounts, judgments, or even bankruptcy.

These may be reported in error.You’ll learn how to approach each negative mark based on your own report.

What Happens When You Follow
The Credit Solution Program?

We train you on the importance of credit.

Here we lay the foundation, so that you have the proper mindset to continue. This is not just about money either, employers, landlords, and insurance companies all use your credit score to make decisions that can have a big impact on your life.^{3, 4, 5}

According to MSN Money personal finance columnist Liz Pulliam Weston in her 2011 National Best Seller “Your Credit Score” – a series of small mistakes with credit can add up to $2M due to high interest rates over a lifetime.

And there is more that happens once you really understand what a great score is worth.

Understand what factors affect your score

Do you know all the factors that go into calculating a credit score? When you understand the 5 factors that are used to determine your score, you are able to begin working on each to improve your score.*

Most people with great credit have no idea how it got that way. So even if you have great credit already, this is a lesson you will not want to miss if you plan on keeping your credit high in the future.

Learn to interpret your credit report

You will learn where to get your credit reports and scores online, and how to understand each section of your report.

We will walk you through an exercise to classify any negative items according to the CSP system. This provides the framework from which you will form a personalized action plan.

Many people are confused about how to understand each section of a credit report. It’s no surprise really… did you know that if you have a lengthy credit history, your report can be over 20 pages long?

Understanding how to interpret all of this information about you is the first step toward improving it.

Regain control over your finances

In the past 3 years, we have provided education to over 1.2 million people about credit and financial health topics. Over that time, we have received many tens of thousands of blog comments and support emails from visitors to this site. Because of this, we have an in depth understanding of the variety of problems that you may be facing with your credit.

Find out how to deal with late payments or accounts that have gone to collections. You will learn how to evaluate your options for any debts that you have outstanding, and how each choice may affect your credit score. You’ll also learn what actions are the most important if you want to qualify for a loan in the near future.

Shape your actions to keep your score up

It’s frustrating to most people when they find out that just paying bills on time is not enough to insure that you will have an excellent credit rating. The credit scoring model is looking for a responsible use of credit, and while paying bills on time is a big part of that – it’s not enough.

What is the proper way to structure your credit history going forward?

Yes, in order to have the highest possible score, you have to actually plan out a strategy that the credit scoring model views as low risk. This means having the right number of credit cards and mix of credit types. We’ll show you how to use your credit effectively in order to score well.

Real Estate Marketing Doesn't Have to be SPOOKY!

Marketing yourself, your business, and your listings doesn't have to be scary -- or expensive! With the right tools, for the right people, at the right time, you can connect competitively and consistently without breaking the bank.

Bookmark this page for budget-saving promotions and to see what's new each month.

Head over to our Master Marketing Schedule to download the Action Items for this month, and call our team today - toll free - at 866.405.3638. They are ready to help you set-up your marketing plan today!

BONUS! Mail any postcard between now and November 2nd and SAVE 10% (excluding postage) with the offer codes below:

BOO10 - standard size, mailed First-Class
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Click any of the links to our RESULTS-PRODUCING postcard campaigns below and see what Top Agents are using!

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The 12 Best Cities in the World to Start Your Career

Thankfully for all you recent college grads out there (and your parents), the job market's looking up for folks who've recently gotten their diploma. More employers plan to hire recent college graduates in 2015 than in previous years, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

And for those of you about to graduate, things are looking good, too: Two-thirds of employers who responded to NACE's "Job Outlook 2015 Spring Update" survey reported they expected to increase or maintain current hiring levels for the Class of 2016.

Woohoo! But ... where do you actually go about finding these jobs?

When college graduates decide where to move to begin their careers, they aren't just packing up and heading in droves to the usual suspects, like New York and San Francisco. In recent years, a surprising number of cities both in the U.S. and around the world have shown they can offer more entry-level job opportunities, higher incomes, better quality of life, lower cost of living ... and in some cases, all four.

We've scoured the web for studies, reports, and news stories to find some of the best places in the world to start a career after college graduation. Whether you're aiming to begin a career in technology or finance or healthcare, or at a huge company, a startup, or a nonprofit, check out our favorites below, which are listed in no particular order.

1) Austin, Texas

Austin is one of the top tech hubs -- not just in Texas, but in the whole of the U.S. It's home to offices of some of the country's top employers, including Google, Apple, Facebook, Cisco Systems, eBay, Blizzard Entertainment, Samsung, and more.

"Entrepreneurs say it's easy to start a business there, networking is top-notch, taxes are low, regulations are light, and hiring is a breeze," writes Jose Pagliery for CNN.

But Austin isn't just a twin of San Francisco: First of all, it has a low cost of living compared with other capital cities in the U.S. Notably, it was #1 on WalletHub's list of cities to start a career based on quality of life, #3 for population growth percentage, and #11 for entry-level opportunities.

If you're intrigued by a lively music and cultural scene, Austin's friendly, funky vibe might just be the cherry on top. It's a liberal city in an otherwise conservative state, and ranks #1 for "small business friendliness" according to a survey from Thumbtack. Its annual South by Southwest event -- an annual set of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences -- is a great example of the interesting mix of tech and art the city's population holds dear.

2) Amsterdam, Netherlands

If you've ever been to Amsterdam or know someone who has, then you've likely gotten a taste of how beautiful and unique it is. With its gorgeous, 17th-century canals, parks, and paths, it's a big city with a small-town feel. 

It has very bike-friendly roads -- WIRED ranked it the second most bike-friendly city in the world in 2015, after Copenhagen. Plus, it's super easy to get from Amsterdam to pretty much anywhere in the world: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has repeatedly been voted one of the best airports in the world, and it has high-speed trains connected to cities all over Europe.

Beauty aside, Amsterdam's economy is also thriving, making it an attractive place for young career-seekers. It has one of the lowest costs of living in Europe, and the Netherlands' excellent tax laws are attracting tech companies to move there -- and with them, job opportunities. It's one of the most competitive business locations in Europe and host to a variety of industries, including a flourishing start-up scene. The Expatcenter works with the Dutch government to help highly skilled migrants and their families with residence permits, work visas, and taxes.

Another reason to love Amsterdam? The culture. In the Netherlands, the Dutch refer to their culture as "Gezelligheid," an abstract noun that has no true English translation. "It can mean quaint, cozy, friendly, warm, and/or welcoming," writes Lisa Miller for The Huffington Post. The friendly community, the vibrant culture and nightlife, the great job opportunities, and the healthy work-life balance all make Amsterdam a great choice for starting your career. 

3) Santiago, Chile

Although it might be far from home for most of you, hear me out. Not only does Santiago have relatively low corruption, low debt, and some of the lowest business and income taxes in the developed world, but it's also quietly positioning itself as a new hub of entrepreneurship and innovation in South America.

Because it's a pretty small country, Chile only graduates about 1,400 engineers every year -- and most of that talent ends up going into natural resource industries. After all, the copper industry accounts for almost half of the country's income.

Chile's government has recognized the need to attract talent from abroad -- and made changes to accomplish that. The innovation strategy it's been building is meant to attract the best and brightest from all over the world. One way it's doing it? With the Startup Chile program, which it implemented with the goal of transforming the Chilean entrepreneurial ecosystem.

4) Washington, D.C.

For college graduates interested in public policy, government, nonprofits, and a growing startup scene, Washington D.C. is a great place to start and grow a career. Mashable gives it the #1 spot for networking opportunities. College grads will also be in great company, as almost one-third of the city's population is between the ages of 20 and 34.

WalletHub ranked it #3 in both quality of life and professional opportunities. And according toFortune Magazine, it has a "reasonable cost of living for a city of its size." The well-functioning public transportation system also spans to close by Virginia and Maryland, which have even more affordable housing options.

If that hasn't convinced you, then here's the kicker: D.C. was named the best U.S. city for single people, scoring highest in the U.S. in "mating opportunities," according to WalletHub. After all, with 58% of the population being single, there are plenty of fish in the sea.

5) Denver, Colorado

The combination of plentiful entry-level opportunities for young professionals, quality of life, and a gorgeous setting makes Denver a great place for young people to live and grow their careers -- especially those who love the great outdoors.

According to WalletHub, Denver is #8 on a list of 150 cities for professional opportunities for entry-level workers, and #13 for quality of life. WalletHub also found the "extraordinarily varied local economy generates lots of jobs, relatively high starting salaries, and robust income growth."

The city's also well known for its vibrant art scene and the virtually unlimited list of things to do outside, including skiing, snowboarding, and hiking at over a dozen nearby local mountain resorts. It has a whopping 300 days of sunshine most years, and 80 miles of trails within the city limits alone.

6) Houston, Texas

Houston was #1 of 150 cities on WalletHub's list for the highest starting salaries adjusted for cost of living. In fact, the median annual income there is 3X higher than in Honolulu. And although Houston is the United States' fourth most populous city, its real estate prices don't reflect that, according to CNN.

The city has a great entrepreneurial business climate with little government intervention. The Atlantic called it "America's #1 job creator" in 2013 after it became the first major city to not only regain all the jobs lost in the downturned U.S. economy, but also the first city to add more than two jobs for everyone one it lost after the crash. That's just impressive. Its most lucrative industry? Energy, as you may have guessed, given its proximity to oil.

7) Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is one of the smaller cities on our list, but it's become a go-to spot for college graduates interested in financial services, software, energy, retail, and its famous "Research Triangle." The triangle is formed by three cities: Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill -- all three with major research universities. You'll also find the 7,000-acre Research Triangle Park here, too, which is one of the best tech research and development centers in the United States.

Along with a solid economy, it's been rated with a high quality of life (it's accessible to both beautiful mountains and beautiful beaches) and low cost of living. Although the cost of living is beginning to creep up: One study found that a little under 72% of Raleigh-area homes are deemed affordable at the median income level.

But many people who move to Raleigh after college end up settling there, which speaks to how attractive a place it is to live. Forbes named it the #1 place to raise a family in the U.S. 

8) Montreal, Canada

If you want to live affordably in a big city and you're willing to learn a little bit of French, then Montreal could be the perfect place to launch your career. The cost of living is lower than many North American cities, including other major Canadian cities like Vancouver and Toronto. Plus, the city's employment growth rate is among the highest for major U.S. and Canadian cities. Its key industries are information and communications technologies, aerospace, and creative industries, according to Montreal International.

Montreal is also one of the most culturally rich cities in North America, with a thriving live music and arts scene and a significant percentage of the population coming from cities and countries around the world. It has the second most diverse population in Canada after Ottawa-Gatineau. 

And let's be honest ... any city that dedicates an entire week to poutine (a delicious combination of fries, cheese curds, and gravy) and an entire month to igloos has their priorities straight.

9) Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is host to students from more than 100 colleges and universities including Harvard, MIT, Boston University, and Boston College -- many who end up sticking around after graduation. In recent years, the city has "gone to great lengths to stop young alumni from fleeing to bigger cities," according to Thrillist. And it's worked: Now, the city has the highest concentration of people ages 20 to 34 of any major U.S. city.

Despite a higher cost of living than most of the cities on this list, salaries in Boston are overall attractive, sitting at 34% above the U.S. average. It's a great place for college graduates who want to live in a big city, but who are overwhelmed by huge, sprawling cities like New York and Los Angeles. It's also a great place for sports fans.

(Oh, and did I mention HubSpot's hiring in our Boston-area office?)

10) Dallas, Texas

That's right: Another city in Texas made the shortlist. Why? Because of its many opportunities for entry-level employment, along with a healthy balance of low cost of living, high salaries, and low unemployment, according to a study by Apartments.com and CareerBuilder.com.

Dallas is home to the headquarters for a lot of major corporations, including J.C. Penney, GameStop, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Dave & Busters, Frito-Lay, and Rolex. Its most thriving industries? Telecommunications, technology, and manufacturing. But And CNN reports thatstartups have been flocking there because of its low taxes and minimal government interference.

11) Minneapolis, Minnesota

With its stable economy, low cost of living, and relatively high salaries, Minneapolis has earned its place as one of the best places to start your career after college. It was named one of Fortune Magazine's top cities for finding a job, and is host to many well known companies like Target, 3M, General Mills, Wells Fargo, and the Mayo Clinic. According to NerdWallet, "Minneapolis is young, affordable and thriving economically, making it a solid choice for recent graduates." The most popular industries for job seekers are in marketing, banking, and retail. 

Not only is rental housing affordable, but it's plentiful, too: More than half of homes in the city are rentals, and about 5% of them are unoccupied. NerdWallet found that Minneapolis residents with a bachelor’s degree who are 25 years old or older will spend 21.8% of their income on housing, and in many cases, rents are under $1,000 a month.

If you're into staying fit, then you'll fit right in, as that's something the city's well known for. It ranked #2 in the American Fitness Index's list of fitness cities, and more than 80% of the city's residents say they engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day. It's no wonder, seeing as the city's full of parks and trails that encourage an active lifestyle. You'll have to stay motivated through the freezing winters, though.

12) Sydney, Australia

The thriving startup community, cosmopolitan spirit, and high quality of life are the biggest allures of Australia's largest city. According to Virgin Entrepreneur, "Sydney is now home to a raft of start-up accelerators and incubators, which have resulted in a rapid expansion in microbusinesses in the city. ... Australia produces some great talent and creative and innovative people -- and in the tech sector, these people gravitate to Sydney. The Australian lifestyle also attracts smart people from around the world."

Alongside a strong but friendly business culture, you'll find an excellent lifestyle and a culturally diverse population. The downside? A pretty high cost of living in comparison to other cities in Australia. It's a tradeoff for an arguably better quality of life, if you think about the proximity of beaches and national parks to the city center. (And good news: HubSpot's hiring here, too.)