By: John S. Pitts

What does being thankful mean to you? Nov. 15 marked Tekcetera’s 10-year anniversary, 10 years of dedicating, creating, building, fostering and succeeding – something I couldn’t be more thankful for.

In the past, I’ve written about why it is important for the technology industry to get loyal, why establishing best business practices is integral to success, why understanding value and motivation is so important, and why communicating is the make or break of a company. Why? Because it is what I know, it is what these past 10 years have taught me and it is what I practice day in and day out. I am incredibly thankful for that knowledge.

From the day Tekcetera was founded, Orange County has been vital to our success. When we started discussing how we wanted to celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we were passionate about finding a way to give back to the community. This is what launched our 10 Months of Thanks initiative. For the past 10 months, we have been out in the community volunteering at many wonderful organizations.

When we started the initiative, we felt that it was an awesome, honest and fun way to say thank you. Now that the 10 months are over and we have had time to reflect on our experience, we see it as so much more than just a way for us to say thank you – it was another reason for us to be thankful. The individuals we have met with throughout the past 10 months have been inspiring and we are truly honored to have worked with each and every one of them.

Ultimately, what these past 10 years and our 10 Months of Thanks initiative have done, is provided our team with the ability to truly understand what“thank you” means. It is not just simple words that get muttered out of obligation, but instead a deep feeling of gratitude.

So, I bet you are wondering how the Tek team celebrated? With a party of course. We’ve included some of the evening’s photos here – thank you to everyone who came out and made our 10-year anniversary something we will never forget.

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OC Business Owners: you have the opportunity to establish a new client and a long lasting relationship by reaching out to the new resident population  shar.es/rXHqC

Need more exposure for your small business? Advertise with OCRG and Welcome Express!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AB 341 to Take Effect on July 1, 2012

ORANGE COUNTY- JUNE 26, 2012 — Beginning July 1, 2012, Governor Brown’s recently signed legislation AB 341 will take effect, requiring both businesses that generate more than four yards per week of solid waste and multi-family complexes with five units or more to have a recycling program in place.

“While California leads the nation in solid waste diversion, businesses and property owners are being encouraged to be more proactive in doing their part to increase those diversion rates,” said Charissa McAfee, Director of Community Affairs and Public Relations of Waste Management. “Increasing recycling means more material will be kept away from local landfills as we help to conserve earth’s natural resources.”

The company is working with municipalities throughout Southern California on programs to support commercial customers and multi-family complexes in meeting the AB341 requirements.

Tips to Maximize Your Success: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Whether you have an existing recycling program or starting from scratch-here are some quick and easy tips from Waste Management to help property owners and their tenants make California greener:

Appoint a recycling champion: Identify someone in your office building, apartment or condominium complex who will take ownership of the AB 341 process and coordinate participation.

Recycle: Place a desk-side recycling container (an empty copier paper carton will suffice) at every desk. Collect paper, bottles, cans, and cardboard/paperboard from all your employees or tenants. Recycle old printer cartridges using mail-back containers from the supplier. Collect batteries, compact fluorescent bulbs and tubes, along with e-waste for convenient recycling by mail (www.thinkgreenfromhome.com).

Reduce: which may help lower your monthly trash bill. Think before printing a document. E-mail information instead of using a hard copy. By reducing the amount of material going into your trash bins and increasing the level of recycling, you will have immediate impact on your monthly trash rate.

Reuse: Encourage employees and tenants to re-use. Use paper already printed on one side for notes or printing drafts on the other. Bring your lunch to work in reusable containers. Drink coffee out of mug or bring a travel mug with you to the coffee shop.

Compost: Organics comprise nearly one-third of the materials found in the trash. Starting a food scraps program helps eliminate food from the trash and contributes to the creation of compost helping to conserve natural resources.

As North America’s largest provider of waste and environmental services, Waste Management is on a quest for environmental performance, to maximize resource value and minimize environmental impact. Waste is a valuable resource. Waste Management takes innovative steps to maximize and recover the resource that is in waste. To learn more information about Waste Management, visit http://www.wmorangecounty.com/ or www.thinkgreen.com. Or, engage with Waste Management on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information contact: Eloisa Orozco at 619-778-6303 or eorozco1@wm.com

A fabulous weekend event, OC Tastefest and OC Marathon, will be taking place May 5^th and 6^th and you can take part as a 2012 Event Sponsor!

Here’s the scoop on the OC Tastefest:

“Prepare your palate for a collection of culinary delights as we bring together restaurants from all parts of Orange County for the Inaugural “OC Tastefest”.  This event will showcase the diversity of global cuisine from dozens of our favorite OC restaurants in the “Heart of OC,” at the OC Fair and Event Center. The two-day food and wine festival will be held concurrent with the OC Marathon weekend and Cinco de Mayo, and will feature continuous live music on the “Tastefest Stage” located in the Hangar Building in the newly renovated Main Mall at the OC Fair and Event Center.  The event will also feature a family friendly area with games and activities for the kids!”

Here’s the scoop on the OC Marathon:

OC MARATHON begins at 5:30 am
OC HALF MARATHON begins at 6:15 am
OC WAHOO’s 5K begins at 7:30 am

“If you are interested in reaching tens of thousands at the event and many more through our extensive online and print media marketing campaign, please contact us to help you tailor a sponsorship to meet your company’s objective.”

A limited number of naming opportunities also are available.

Contact Info:

• info@octastefest
• Gary Kutscher (714) 330-8048
• http://www.octastefest.com/sponsors.html
• http://www.ocmarathon.com/sponsors.aspx

Orange County Advertising involves more than just getting our own company’s name out there for the consumer’s consideration.  We also need to look for causes to support and opportunities to give back to the community.  Today we present to you a worthy cause and invite you to engage in a number of ways.

Join us in supporting this year’s “Survive and Thrive Run Walk Health & Safety Expo”.

This year’s event will be on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at the Orange County Sheriff Regional Training Academy in Tustin, Ca. The purpose of this event is to bring awareness, prevention and survival to all surrounding communities while offering resources and services to victims of crime so they may walk away empowered with the tools to survive and thrive.

There are opportunities available for sponsorships, vendor booths, form a team or show your support and participate as an individual participant or volunteer for the cause.

Sponsorship Opportunities http://www.surviveandthriverunwalk.org/sponsorship-opportunities.htm

Vendor Booth Form http://www.surviveandthriverunwalk.org/vendors.htm

Registration Flyer – Pre – Registration guarantees you a shirt, goody bag, medal, chance for cash prizes, vendor booths- free samples, entertainment and much more. REGISTER TODAY!http://www.surviveandthriverunwalk.org/registration.htm

Charity Teams  http://www.surviveandthriverunwalk.org/teams.htm

Team Form  http://www.surviveandthriverunwalk.org/team-sponsor.pdf

Volunteer Information  http://www.surviveandthriverunwalk.org/volunteer.htm

For more information:
Crime Survivors, Inc, at (949) 872-7895

crimesurvivors@aol.com

http://www.crimesurvivors.com/

For a quick snapshot of the Welcome Express Family of Products: http://www.facebook.com/WelcomeExpress

Twitter, just like any other Social Networking site, is largely used by people from across the globe. The more people who follow your tweets, the greater your chances are of reaching potential customers. Your followers, however, are somewhat pre-qualified; if they are not interested in what they see in your tweets, they will quickly un-follow you.

So, the question is, how do you most effectively communicate with your audience? SocialOomph makes it easy by offering tools that automatically respond to your Twitter followers and schedule tweets for future dates or times. Along with those features, SocialOomph also includes;Twitter ~Keyword Tracking
~Set up what’s known as an auto-DM (When you get a new follower, SocialOomph automatically     sends them a DM which you previously wrote)
~Automatically follows those who follow you, and un-follows anyone who un-follows you
~Finds you new followers while eliminating spammers in the results
~Includes an integrated console to manage more than one Twitter account

The Disadvantages of using SocialOomph

Before you type socialoomph into your browser, there are a few things you should know first; for one, you do not get all of the features listed above unless you sign up for a professional account. When you first sign up, they will offer you a week’s free trial, which includes all of the professional features listed above, and then they will ask you for a subscription fee. If you do not pay the subscription fee, you can still use SocialOomph, but on the basic package they offer. The professional package is pretty pricey, but if you use Twitter for Marketing purposes, it could well be a worthwhile investment. You should also be aware that SocialOomph recently changed their policy due to Twitter claiming that repeating tweets are a breach of the site’s Terms of Service. Duplicated content is considered spam, basically. This means that using the same URL in different tweets is considered spam.

All in all, SocialOomph is a very effective way to help save you time and maximise the effectiveness of your Twitter Marketing. It’s up to you to decide; go have a look.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_M_Williams

To see how Welcome Express can help you in the social media arena, click HERE

Orange County Business Owners Turn to Marketing Tips in Tough Times.

First and foremost, stay in the game!  Design an integrated advertising campaign that will drive consumers to a purchase decision.  EX:  Your prospects might see a magazine ad or gift certificate that sends them to a website, which in turn leads them to make a purchase.  This approach generates sales in slow times & pays even larger  dividends after the economy recovers.

Convince consumers to spend on you:  People still spend money in a down economy, but only if you convince them that spending their money with you makes sense on an emotional & practical level.  In the absence of proactive marketing on your part, consumers’ preferences, perceptions & desires for products/services will naturally drift to someone else who is being proactive in their marketing.  This means you will have to spend more time, money & energy in the future to win them back

Emphasize price promotions vs. cuts:  Two-thirds of shoppers are more likely to use gift certificates/coupons during a slow economy. The resurgence of gift certs/coupons is a strong indicator of a trend toward price-specific promotion.   Generate  promotional offers — avoid full scale price cutting, which can hinder your ability to survive & grow during a recession.

Market to newcomers & current customers:  Replace the 20% of customers you lose  every year with newcomers, while working to upsell or resell your current customer base.  Offer more services or product features.  Reach out to the customers in your database with e-mail, snail mail or sales calls.  Vary your tactics, so you maintain mindshare without wearing out your welcome.   

As the leading Orange County, California Directory and Resource Guide, we provide newcomers and established residents with essential OC information at the city and county level. Explore details on Dining, Shopping, Entertainment, Traffic, Weather and Job Search options. With more than 160,000 registered Business Listings, this Orange County Directory is rapidly becoming Orange County’s # 1 choice for Local Search.

Join 160,000 other Orange County Businesses. List your company in our online Business Directory. Listings are FREE but premium listings show up at the top of the page–just like Google–and start at $29.99 per quarter. Click HERE for more information.

It is estimated that there will be 2.9 trillion text messages sent before the end of 2009. Therefore it is no surprise that Text mobile marketing is experiencing the fastest growth of new media!  Check out this youtube video for some fascinating facts about the cell phone! 

Interested in reaping the benefits of new media — without all the effort? Welcome Express can help you implement several of the BASICS and leap into the social media arena!

The economy is down. Make the most of it by reading the signs. Call it economic uncertainty. Call it a full blown recession. Call it opportunity comes-a-knocking, especially for those companies with vision, a remarkable message and the desire to grow.

When the business winds blow south and everybody gets tight with marketing, advertising and selling, what does your company do? Hunker down, cut to the bone, hope and pray you’ll ride it out? That’s your cue to step in and step up, snatching your competitors clients. Slow and steady isn’t going to win this race. Neither is short-term business think.

There is a massive amount of research to support this kind of thinking. A McGraw-Hill study of 600 companies showed that those who cut advertising during the recession of the early 80′s, saw sales increase by 19% between 1980 and 1985. Companies that continued to advertise, market and connect during the recession had sales increases of 275% during the same period. That’s right, a whooping 275% increase. Now what are you going to do?

Think about it. When your competitors decide to hide in the woodshed, it’s time for you go for the remarkable connection and win the competition. Because if you decide to hide out along with them, you’re going to suffer, right along side them. If you decide to wait it out, there is one thing you can depend on – companies that wait during the downturn, spend more money over a longer period of time just to get even.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_S_OGrady

Segment your Market -
All customers are not the same. They have different needs, preferences, and budgets. Segmenting the market into a group of similar customers can help you develop a successful marketing strategy. Trying to satisfy every customer with the same approach is not going to be effective and profitable.

Examples of ways to segment your customers:
- location
- age
- income
- education
- previous buying habits
- how they respond to different advertising promotions

Competition -
Make a list of your competitors. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Who are the major competitors in this market?
- How different they are in delivering their products and services?
- How do they make money?
- How much they charge and what they offer to the customers?
After you answer these questions ask yourself what they do better than you do.

Value Proposition / Unique Selling Proposition (USP) -
In order for your market approach to be successful you have to offer something different. You need to develop an effective value proposition or unique selling proposition. In your value proposition you will list your products and service features and the benefits they deliver to your customers.  Now you need to communicate your value proposition to your target market by:
- Advertising: print media, TV, radio, internet ads, search engine optimization, website marketing
- Public Relations: press releases, events
- Sales Promotion: special offerings, discounts, customer loyalty programs
- Community Involvement: sponsorship

Marketing ROI -
Key to effective marketing is measuring your promotional activities. For example, how many customers do I get from my ad in newspaper and how much did it cost me to get these customers. Now you can compare different alternatives and improve your marketing return on investment in your next promotions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ivo_Legenda

As more people become aware of the need to conserve natural resources and keep our environment clean, recycling old computers has become incredibly popular. But what is computer recycling, exactly? Why is it so important? And where can one take a computer to be recycled?

What is Computer Recycling?
Computer recycling is the process of extracting valuable secondary raw materials from obsolete computers. The EPA estimates that 30 to 40 million personal computers are ready for recycling each year. But because of the source material used to make them, simply throwing away your old computer can be dangerous and harmful to the environment. Depending on their age, computers can contain such toxic materials as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and radioactive isotopes. They also contain valuable materials worth recovering, such as gold, tin, aluminum, iron, silicon, copper, and an array of different plastics.

Why Recycle Computers?
It is estimated that an average computer monitor may hold more than 6% lead by weight. When you discard a computer monitor or circuit board, most of that lead leeches into groundwater, or pollutes surrounding air if the monitor is incinerated. Some companies ship their outdated computer monitors and circuit boards to developing nations that have weak environmental protection regulations.

This only moves the problem. It doesn’t fix it.

Computer recycling and repair companies are the only sure way to know that your old monitor or circuit board will be properly taken care of.

Where do I Recycle Computers?
Consumer recycling is a popular option for recycling computers. Consumer recycling involves returning machines to their manufacturers, donating them to charitable organizations, or sending the separated components to environmentally responsible recyclers. There are a number of national and local organizations that help with consumer recycling. The Computer TakeBack Campaign and the Electronic TakeBack Coalition are both decentralized coalitions of organizations dedicated to minimizing so-called “e-waste” by helping people properly dispose of their old computers.

Many organizations also help connect computer donations with charitable organizations that may use them. The Donate Hardware list on the TechSoup website is a great resource for finding nonprofit and school-based recyclers in your area. They also list commercial recyclers, which are better suited for broken computers or models over five years old.

Of course, some computer companies offer take-back programs. These programs allow you to send your outdated computer back to the manufacturer where it will be repaired, refurbished, or properly disposed of. Hewlett-Packard is one company that offers such a service. To enhance their take-back program, HP also often offers a coupon good towards the purchase of a new computer or computer components. Many companies offer such benefits as a way to encourage computer recycling instead of dumping.

The best way to be sure if a nonprofit or commercial recycling organization is properly disposing of e-waste is to make sure they have signed the Basel Action Network (BAN) pledge. Among other things, the BAN pledge states that companies or charitable organizations will not allow hazardous waste to be sent to landfills, incinerators, prisons, or developing countries. These companies and organizations also pledge to support forward-thinking toxic-use reduction programs and legislation.

Luckily, getting rid of that older model doesn’t mean you have to negatively impact the environment. Look for the computer recycling program nearest you and feel good knowing you did your part to help eliminate e-waste.

~Ben Nystrom, 2009

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Nystrom
 
For a list of landfills in Orange County that accept e-waste click here