Online Content Management

At the center of Building Bridges for Business’s U can B Program is the mission to provide essential skills and programs to high schoolers, offering coursework and experience that enhances students understanding, their skillsets, and their preparedness for life after high school. An exciting partnership was formed between Aziksa, Inc. and U can B to provide access to Life Learning Courses for high school students in the Pittsburgh region. Aziksa is a cloud-based learning platform that allows students to take courses online, and use curriculum easily and inexpensively – they can take advantage of courses in entrepreneurship, science and technology, green and sustainable science, and a variety of trades. Earlier this year, Aziksa, Inc. established a multi-year contract with U can B to provide a blended learning system that expands students’ access to courses. Available online and on mobile devices, the Aziksa online platform (www.aziksa.com) is easily accessible. Beyond that, the courses provided through Aziksa are deliberately curated to maximize teacher-student interaction through tools Virtual Classroom and Virtual Lab. “We are committed to offering easy to use classes to young people and this partnership will allow more students to take advantage of the U can B offerings,” said Aziksa President and CEO Santosh Jha. With this blended learning program, students can sign-up online and participate in the courses from their homes or on the go all the while still taking advantage of the benefits of interacting with fellow learners and their instructors. U can B’s reach is amplified by innovative services like Aziksa, now able to provide affordable and accessible educational material to a larger range of Pittsburgh students. “We are very pleased to be working with Aziksa. They really understand how best to deliver online learning in today’s world and I know students will benefit from the increased interaction” comments Linda Handley, U can B. The curriculum offered through U can B connects students with entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and nonprofits like Building Bridges, and engages them with the professional experiences of life after high school and college. U can B promotes student development and exposes young people to essential life learning courses, offering curriculum built to best fit a school’s needs. Courses provided through U can B cover themes such as entrepreneurship, web design and SEO, graphic design and animation, veterinary study and animal related careers, sustainability and environmental issues, green technology, and career preparation and networking education. Beyond engaging students with excellent curriculum, U can B also incorporates their proprietary Coffee With film series, a program that showcases industry leaders, politicians, and entrepreneurs sharing their stories and insights from their careers. Partnered with Aziksa, U can B is now accessible to more students than ever. More information about the U can B program is available at the Building Bridges website. Learn more about Aziksa, Inc....

How to Leverage Pinterest for B2B Pinterest is a visual social media platform. You can find the latest and greatest wedding ideas and recipes. You can search decorating tips, up-to-date fashion and vacation spots. Not to mention hair-dos. But if you are a B2B company, how do you leverage Pinterest to your advantage? Start by creating a business account. This will give you tips on how to succeed with Pinterest. It will also give you a board widget, follow button and Pin It button for you to use on your blog or website. Design an infographic. They are very popular on Pinterest. Design one with any relevant company information you might have. The more information you can add, the better chance someone will repin it. Make sure you have a link back to your company website on your infographic. Have a “People” board showing those who work at your company. Start with a headshot and description of the person. You can add photos of those people at company functions or community events. Any type of community involvement will show how your company impacts the community. If you have a blog, make sure you post to Pinterest as well as Facebook. Add graphics that connect to your blog information so those viewing Pinterest will be interested in clicking on the picture to see what else in included. Are you a service provider? Why not have a “Testimonials” board. If you have satisfied clients, they will gladly provide you with a picture of themselves to include with a testimonial about your services. Keep in mind that Pinterest is social media. The main goal of social media is to build relationships. As a B2B you don’t want to sell on Pinterest, you want to get your company in front of as many people, or other businesses, as possible. You need to find a way to put your company out there so others will have interest in finding out more about it. Hopefully these suggestions will get you started. Happy Pinning! Pinterest is a visual social media platform. You can find the latest and greatest wedding ideas and recipes. You can search decorating tips, up-to-date fashion and vacation spots. Not to mention hair-dos. But if you are a B2B company, how do you leverage Pinterest to your advantage? Start by creating a business account. This will give you tips on how to succeed with Pinterest. It will also give you a board widget, follow button and Pin It button for you to use on your blog or website. Design an infographic. They are very popular on Pinterest. Design one with any relevant company information you might have. The more information you can add, the better chance someone will repin it. Make sure you have a link back to your company website on your infographic. Have a “People” board showing those who work at your company. Start with a headshot and description of the person. You can add photos of those people at company functions or community events. Any type of community involvement will show how your company impacts the community. If you have a blog, make sure you post to Pinterest as well as Facebook. Add graphics that connect to your blog information so those viewing Pinterest will be interested in clicking on the picture to see what else in included. Are you a service provider? Why not have a “Testimonials” board. If you have satisfied clients, they will gladly provide you with a picture of themselves to include with a testimonial about your services. Keep in mind that Pinterest is social media. The main goal of social media is to build relationships. As a B2B you don’t want to sell on Pinterest, you want to get your company in front of as many people, or other businesses, as possible. You need to find a way to put your company out there so others will have interest in finding out more about it. Hopefully these suggestions will get you started. Happy...

Once I start getting a #cashflow, how can I continue to grow? Once again, you need a plan. How can you reinvest that cash flow in the best way to get you to next level? It might be in hiring the right people. Every business needs great team to grow. What skills augment yours? Hire someone who brings added value to the biz so U can focus on what you do best. It’s what I call the mytop theory. Mytop stands for multiply yourself through other people. In addition to people need to invest in technology. Technology gives smallbiz a competitive advantage; and it levels the playing field. What are some ways I can get to know my customers better? Customer surveys are an excellent way to understand and connect to your customers to learn what they are thinking. There are survey resources online. Some free, but my favorite is MailChimp. Customer advisory councils also good way to learn what customers think & how you can enhance service even add new products. I think face-to-face contact is important. Lunch, coffee, Make it about building rapport not selling and build a bond. E-newsletters that are informative are a good way to keep connected and once again Social media keeps communication open. Don’t forget customer loyalty programs – reward customers for their...

Social media is best way 2 promote you and your business – just like traditional networking build relationships. You can become a celebrity in your industry with social media. You must make commitment to social media to succeed. Engage with people. Start and participate in conversations. Don’t use it to sell. People will block you. Build trust. Provide helpful information. Become the go to person for advice in your business via social media. There are many success stories. How do I get on track to become a #milliondollar business? Most small biz fail because think too small. Think big & decide what you want your business to be. What’s your vision ? With vision in mind, think about the building blocks you’ll need to get there. Then start to build. Like a blue print. There is a big difference between a self-employed job with income stream and a business. Business has value without you. Think first about your exit strategy. Start with big vision and build your legacy. How can I position myself as an expert in my marketplace? You can become a celebrity – a 3rd party expert brand. Create a blog, fan page, etc. Also define your value so you stand out from competition. Leverage the media. use http://www.helpareporter.com and respond to reporter queries. Don’t sell – be expert. If you blog, make sure you commit to regular posts. Build your following and people with see you as the expert. And in some cases podcasts and blog talk radio shows can be a good marketing tool too. Watch for another blog with more great...

Glen Meakem Forever Featured on Coffee With… Glen Meakem, Founder & CEO of Forever.com, is a successful entrepreneur and business leader who has founded and built a number of companies, but his passion for preserving important information and memories goes back to 1991 when he returned from serving as a U.S. Army officer in the First Gulf War. That summer, Glen and his wife, Diane, recorded videos of their grandparents talking about their lives and values. Watch Glen Meakem discuss Forever now! Ever since, Glen has thought about how to permanently preserve and share those videos and other family treasures. After many years, these thoughts led to the founding of Forever in May of 2012. It might have been a picture in an old shoe box, or a story told by a beloved grandmother, or a recipe card that’s starting to tatter, but there comes a time when we think about our loved ones, the mark they’ve left on the family, the things they’ve left behind. What will happen to those old albums and home movies? With Forever™, you can secure and share those precious moments for generations. Forever is the world’s first permanent online photo storage and sharing service. Forever guarantees it will save and enable sharing of photos (and soon documents and videos) in Permanent Member’s Accounts for the member’s lifetime plus 100 years, with the goal of thousands of years. Forever does not sell or disclose its member’s personal information to advertisers or any unwanted third parties; you retain complete ownership rights. Permanent members of Forever pay a one-time membership fee and also pay up-front into the Forever Guarantee Fund for permanent storage. The Forever Guarantee Fund acts as a permanent endowment, generating income and gains which pay for storage, sharing and data migration to new file formats over time. Sign up today for your FREE 90-day Intro Membership! Visit Forever.com for more information or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or...