Zing Consulting Group

Are You an Extraordinary Boss?

Zing Consulting Group — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:03:14 +0000

Have you ever had a boss that made each day a little easier, a little better and a little brighter? Or how about one that made you hide your head under your desk ever time they walked through the hall? Inc. Magazine shows us the fundamental differences between an extraordinary boss and those that are just “average”. Which are you going to be?

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/8-core-beliefs-of-extraordinary-bosses.html

Is Google Plus Actually a Minus?

Zing Consulting Group — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:11:28 +0000

Remember when “+1″ meant that you had to ask your sort-of cute next door neighbor to be your date to a wedding? Well, not anymore … “+1″ has taken on an entirely new definition. When Google launched its own social networking site, Google+, it seemed like no one took notice. Perhaps that was because the 845 million of us were too busy updating our status updates on Facebook. However, when the king of search announced that their social network was going to start affecting search rankings – not only did marketers take notice; we ran straight to the source to … well, Google it.

Google’s new service “Search Plus Your World” takes the idea of social search and integrates its new social network into the service that Google does best: online search. For example, when a user is signed into their Google+ account and they do a search on “cute kittens” – they will now see photos and posts of “cute kittens” from their friends who have shared them through Google’s social network.

What this means for both businesses and consumers remain to be unseen, especially as controversies arise claiming Google’s “social search” is unfairly promoting Google’s products over other online information.

So far, it seems like no matter how many shiny new toys Google comes out with, it just can’t compete with Facebook. A recent survey by Social Media Examiner asked over 3,800 marketers about their social media usage. The results showed that only 40% are currently using Google+, while over 90% are using Facebook.

However, only time will tell if Google+ and Search Plus Your World will be a success – as we all know, in the world of social media: “What’s shiny and new deserves a look, but the question is, can it outdo Facebook?”

Zing CG Awarded Project from California Apartment Association

Zing Consulting Group — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:14:17 +0000

Zing Consulting Group Partners with CAA to Update its CCRM Educational Series

BELMONT, CA (July 2011) – Zing Consulting Group, a marketing, training and communications firm in the Bay Area has been selected by the California Apartment Association (CAA) to assist in updating its California Certified Residential Manager (CCRM©) certification program.

In response to demand for updated content, CAA decided to revise and modernize its CCRM program, which included updates regarding recent legislation affecting the industry, technology trends, social media marketing and new multifamily management trends, techniques and operation strategies.

“As a continual supporter of career development and ongoing education, it was an honor to be chosen tolead this project for the California Apartment Association. CAA offers some of the best opportunities in the industry for individuals to advance their career and the revised certification program will help professionals learn new skills and technologies to do just that,” says Lisa Young, Vice President of Zing Consulting Group.

CAA appointed an exclusive task force to work with Zing Consulting Group on the CCRM series update. Members included: Adam Goldfarb of Manco Abbott, Inc., Dave Brackett of Archstone, Laura Khouri of Western National Property Management and Jim Lofgren of the Rental Housing Association of Sacramento Valley.

Updates were made to both the instructor and student guides, which included a restructuring of the courses, as well as course attachments, instruction tools and course exams. The California Certified Residential Manager (CCRM) program is CAA’s primary educational series which provides training in all aspects of property management.

About the California Apartment Association: The California Apartment Association (CAA) is the nation’s largest statewide trade association representing owners, investors, developers, managers and suppliers of apartment communities. Since 1941, CAA has been dedicated to protecting its members’ investments through political advocacy in the halls of state and local government, assisting them to comply with new laws and regulations through knowledge and information and educating members on emerging trends, legal issues, risk management and best business practices. For more information, please visit www.caanet.org

About Zing Consulting Group: Zing Consulting Group is a hybrid marketing, training and communications firm assisting companies of all sizes and across all industries with their marketing and educational needs. Zing Consulting Group provides a variety of services, ranging from brand identity and innovative marketing campaigns to consumer research and customized training solutions. For more information, please visit www.zingcg.com

Mobile Marketing Continues to Thrive

Zing Consulting Group — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:43:31 +0000

PQ Media, a research company focused on global and emerging media, announced today that new data shows mobile and social media revenue increased 30.2% in 2011. Not a truly surprising statistic considering every time you step outside, you see a cellphone being used as a mp3 player, GPS navigation, video game device, status updater and so much more. As our cellphones become more like portable computers, it is also not shocking to hear that estimates expect the mobile and social media sector to grow at an additional 30.8% in 2012.

PQ Media CEO, Patrick Quinn expects mobile will reach the $100 billion mark in revenue by 2015 due to its strong growth, device penetration, mobile content launches and the continued use of mobile devices by consumers and businesses.

The new report backs-up the forecast that mobile advertising and marketing will be a HOT trend for 2012, especially for social networking, mobile search advertising, mobile videos and location-based advertising.

The Internet Protest

Zing Consulting Group — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:19:17 +0000

As many of you may have noticed, the internet just isn’t the same today. Google refuses to show their logo, Craigslist is blacked out and Wikipedia wants us to imagine a world without free knowledge. We aren’t seeing people chained to a tree or a crowd bouncing signs on the street – we are in the middle of an internet protest.

And it seems to be working. According to the New York Times, two Senators have already backed out their support of anti-Internet piracy legislation and have asked Congress to take more time to study and review the measures. The bills up for vote were the “Stop On-line Piracy Act” and the “Protect Intellectual Property Act”.

Many of us use the Internet as a daily part of our lives – get up, brush teeth, check email, eat breakfast, check Facebook, get ready, look up Google Maps on our phone, have lunch, surf the web, take a walk, check Facebook – Internet usage pops up throughout our daily lives – EVERYDAY. So, when our sites abandon us, not only does it make headline news, but it makes us take notice. News about this anti-piracy legislation has been going on for months, but many people woke up today not knowing a thing about what was going on. Many immediately went to Google and thought “what’s with the black square,” which immediately lead them to Google “why?” And now the Internet has made millions and millions of people aware of the legislation and has asked them to take a stand.

So, will the Internet black out make Congress rethink their vote? Is it enough to make the public take action?

We will just have to wait to Google it tomorrow.

Sales and Marketing – Should They Work Together?

Zing Consulting Group — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:08:38 +0000

Zing Consulting Group’s Vice President, Lisa Young, recently wrote an article for Apartment Management Magazine about the importance of your sales and marketing departments working together.

You can read it here: http://lb2.ec2.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/CADS0411/index.php?startid=34#/32

Top 5 Trends for Search & Social Media Marketing in 2012

Zing Consulting Group — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:24:45 +0000

Top 5 Trends for Search & Social Media Marketing in 2012.

Social Media Trends for 2012

Zing Consulting Group — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:13:03 +0000

Now that the new year is upon us, it’s time to start discussing what’s hot and what’s not for social media in 2012. For those of you already engrossed in the world of SMS, QR Codes and the FB – you can expect social media and social media marketing to expand in ways we couldn’t imagine in 2011. For those of you waiting for the social media “fad” to disappear – will unfortunately find yourself slowly disappearing in the world of the consumer. Fortunately, staying “front and center” with your consumers is not as difficult as you may think with the help of new services, tools, products and resources soon to develop and expand in the social media world. Below are a few predictions for what twenty-twelve will hold:

1.) Facebook is not going anywhere anytime soon and will remain at the top of its game in terms of being a social networking giant in the new year. Expect to see the company come out with further site updates and changes, while adding new features and services for both the social media marketer and the consumer.

2.) Customer service and interaction will be primarily focused on a “Nice to Tweet You” instead of “Nice to Meet You” approach. More and more businesses will begin using social networks as a way to assist and reach out to customers who contact them for support.

3.) Mobile marketing will continue to expand its reach with enhanced QR codes, custom applications, SMS marketing and mobile online purchasing – Giving businesses yet another way to reach and market to their customers 24/7.

4.) Expect to see some sophisticated social media ROI tools pop into the market – proving both the value and success of social media outlets.

5.) Email marketing will see a regeneration with new products, services, features and sophisticated programs enter the market. Yes – email marketing is nothing new, but with the new tools being integrated in to their platforms – customers will take notice.

Zing Thing of The Week – What’s the Most Valuable Social Media Network?

Zing Consulting Group — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:18:14 +0000

We all know that social media is gaining in popularity, with new users popping up on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn at astounding numbers each day. So, we wanted to know – which social network is the most valuable in today’s world? The numbers show that Facebook continues to hold its number one spot as the most frequently used social network, however a recent study by ROI Research showed that LinkedIn has become the most valued social media tool. The study found that 70% of the nearly 3,000 participants surveyed logged onto Facebook at least once daily, compared to 20% on LinkedIn. However, those surveyed agreed that LinkedIn was the “most important site to have a profile on.”

Arizona … Here We Come!

Zing Consulting Group — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:32:39 +0000

As we finally wind down from celebrating the success of our Reno seminar, we are getting ready to take off again – and we are going from snow to sun! The month of May brings us to our double-seminar event, as we head to Tucson on Thursday, May 19th and Phoenix on Friday, May 20th. Our Multifamily Sales & Marketing seminar will help attendees rediscover the art of selling and help them break down the new social media marketing tools available in our industry. A very valuable and rewarding event for all who attend! Interested in catching some sun with us? Call 650.802.1660 to register or send us an email at getzingd@zingcg.com. We look forward to seeing you there!