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I am not a member of the so called “Tea Party”. I have however, been to a couple of the Tea Party gatherings. I think this movement has a lot of good things to say, things that absolutely need to be said. The Tea Party movement is a conservative movement. If you just consider the name, I think you’ll get the jist. They want lower taxes, smaller government and personal responsibility. That’s what they are all about, and I would be hard pressed to argue with any of that.

There have been accusations made in the media, and more specifically from a couple of pin head (to borrow a term from O’Reilly) celebrities, that the Tea Party movement is actually about racism. They have some how managed to mangle the message of the Tea Party movement to say that we don’t like this President because he happens to be black. The fact that President Obama is black has nothing to do with the fact that he is raising taxes. It has nothing to do with the reality that most people in this country do not like his brand of health care reform. Being black has nothing to do with his belief in global warming, (even though it has been dis-proven time and again) and his Cap and Trade bill that will cripple small businesses and families if it ever passes.

The Tea Party is about lower taxes, cutting government spending, cutting government in general. The Tea Party took it’s name from the Boston Tea Party. Garafalo and O’Donnell accuse the Tea Party of being “anti-intellectual”, and state that they have no idea what the Boston Tea party was all about. Guess what ladies, it was about lowering taxes on the people, it was about defending the people from an overpowering government. Get a clue, or better yet, a history book. I say the Tea Party Movement, with it’s peaceful intelligent protests, it’s stand for just taxation, smaller government and personal responsibility, is acting just as our founding fathers intended.

Side Note: Personally, I think it’s great that we have a black president, I just wish it had been Condi Rice or Ken Blackwell! Maybe next go round…

I have done the research for you, folks. I have found sound bits of advice, to do lists, and marketing tips just for you. I have scoured the net and brought back to you a wealth of small business marketing information. OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but there are some great quick reads below.

1.The first post I have for you includes 9 tips for Small Business Bloggers. Very interesting read:
9 Tips for Creating More Small Business Blogging Ideas

“We all know by now that consistent small business blogging can drastically improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and overall web presence. Additionally, a small business blog can increase your opportunities to interact with (and highlight) your customers and provide an additional occasion for you to share your expert knowledge.

Unfortunately, nothing stops a would be small business blogger faster than a perceived lack of time, and the frustration that comes with a lack of ideas to blog about.”… I don’t want to repost the whole thing here, so follow the link I have provided, but you get the gist, the author has some really great ideas for you!

2. You all know that I think LinkedIn is a great marketing tool. This gal has a great post on 5 methods to getting the most out of LinkedIn.
Here’s a tidbit from her post which I have linked to above: “LinkedIn, however, stands apart from the crowd. The roots of popular sites like YouTube and Facebook are founded on the entertainment side of things. But since its creation, LinkedIn has been geared toward the professional business crowd.”

3. The basics of social media marketing: Face book and Blogging. Lee Odden did a great post about this back in September. His post Social Media Marketing Basics: Facebook & Blog Promotion has a lot of relevant information for Fan pages of small businesses. Check it out when you’ve got a few.

4. Here is a great post from over at Mashable – Top 5 Business Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them This post also has a great list of other posts at the bottom that you might want to check out. This is common sense stuff, but it can’t hurt to hear it again.

5. This post is also found on Mashable, I wanted to include it because it lists all the best places to promote your blog. Really a great resource! Top 20 Ways to Share a Great Blog Post

Of course this isn’t all the knowledge of the web, but these bits and how to’s will give you any needed boost for your business blog. It’s a great tool when you know how to use it, so get your studying done! I’ve already done the research!

I just finished writing an article for our upcoming newsletter detailing the reasons why Facebook and Twitter are not the be all and end all of search marketing, then this comes out! Google is going to be including Facebook status updates in real time results (finally decided to catch up with the newbie – Bing).

This will be important for businesses, and of course cleaning up your page on Facebook and getting it ready are all good recommendations. Fine, go do it then. But you have to remember that your site is only as good as the effort you put into it. Your business site is an extension of your business. Your Facebook page is only meant to promote your website, not replace it.

There are some things that should be happening before you ever bother with a Facebook page. The number one thing is SEO. If you have covered your bases with a good, thorough approach to organic optimization on your site, then perhaps it is time to add social media. Let’s not forget, however, that SEO is an ongoing process that continually needs to be assessed and tweaked.

Have you joined LinkedIn? This step is not only good for your business, but it is good for your career in general. Making the effort to fill out a full profile, and perhaps add to those of people you have worked with and for might not be as fun as Facebook, but should give you a better ROI of your time.

Google including Facebook status results will probably provide a small boost for some, but why not take matters into your own hands and make sure your site has all the bases covered. Invest in some quality SEO. The tried and true will never fail you.

This is kinda humorous, so I though I would share:

Ben Stiller Attempting to explain Twitter to Mickey Rooney. To me, this is the epitome of how society has embraced this new form of communication. The Middle age folks actually took to Twitter first, then the younger generation, and now, some of the older generation are starting to check out Facebook and Twitter, but many find it less interesting than actually speaking to someone. Maybe they have a point. Maybe actually talking to the people around you is more important than Tweeting or Texting someone else. I know I have nieces that would rather text whoever than sit and have a good conversation with the people right in front of them, and while this make shock you, I think it is pretty rude. I think maybe we need to step back and remember the REAL people in our lives, not just the “cyber” people, even if some of the real ones are your “cyber” friends. Just saying…

All that being said, watching Ben Stiller try to teach Mickey Rooney how to Tweet is pretty funny, don’tcha think?

You heard right! We are still looking for a few talented folks to fill some available positions here at TKG.
TKG has a lot to offer the right talent! We have a pretty laid back environment, friendly atmosphere, and the ability to wear jeans to work everyday. And if that weren’t enough, we also have a competitive pay scale, great benefits, and some advantages you won’t find anywhere else!

We are currently hiring for two positions:

IT Customer Support
and
Graphic Design Manager

The IT Customer Support person we are looking for needs to really enjoy people and communicating with them as much as they enjoy all things tech. We try to provide our clients with the best possible customer service, so this part is even more important to us than your technical skills.

TKG is also looking for a Graphic Design Manager who wants to be a part of a team. You need to have at least two years experience designing for web and print. If you’re interested, we’d love to see your stuff, so pass along your portfolio when you submit a resume.

Benefits include medical insurance, life insurance, 401k, paid vacation and holidays, a bonus system, great team members, and the occasional game of pool, foosball or darts! More information on both of these positions can be found at the links above or inquire with Stacy Hoffman. We look forward to making you part of the ever growing Karcher Group!