Getting to Know the Real Me

A couple years ago, I had a vision pop in my head which would not go away. I became so obsessed with it that I pulled out a blank piece of white paper from my printer along with a box of colored pencils and drew this design.

I shared this design with colleagues, friends, and family. One colleague told me it was my interpretation of my “family crest”. Another said, “It looks like the result of a 2 week Indian-sweat retreat.” Another close friend took this design as well as the meaning to me behind it, and created the logo below, which I use to this day for my marketing consulting practice, Sparks Ouroboros, http://www.sparksouroboros.com/.

So, as my way of allowing you all to better understand who and what Scott Sparks is all about, here are my beliefs in the meaning and purpose for my design and existence.

With regard to the design, the snake eating its tail is Ouroboros, which has been used to represent many things over the ages, but it most generally symbolizes ideas of cyclicality, unity, or infinity. More recently, it has been interpreted by psychologists, such as Carl Jung, as having an archetypal significance to the human psyche. It's also my Chinese Sign and is part of my fraternity logo at Sigma Nu. Talk about coincidences.

The purple and bright yellow in the center of the design, represents sparks igniting an idea or thought. After all, scientists have said the universe was created by a single spark of energy.

The orange diamond represents my favorite number - 4, which is my birthday and also my Numerology Life Path number. And the diamond itself depicts an inward focus to being the spark to ignite ideas and create unity full-circle. As you see the orange lines run inward towards the snake, each of those lines represent my immediate family members (Mother, Father, Sister,
and Brother). The diamond also represents my passion for building relationships and helping others improve what they want to achieve. The first orange line starting from the bottom and going up to the right represents Trust, from the right to the upper middle represents Needs, from middle to left represents Help, and from left to lower middle represents Support. These are all four vital things people need when building and maintaining relationships.

The 2 red lines outside represent my astrological Sun Sign - Gemini, and further demonstrate my duality and desire for balance in my life with work and play.

The outside ring in purple keeps it all together and balanced symmetrically.

As for the color scheme, the green/yellow snake represents my passion for nature and being
down-to-earth. The purple and yellow in the middle and purple outside is the positive energy within the nucleus and outer edge of my being. The orange is inspiration and motivation to deliver on my life's mission. The red is for keeping me balanced to achieve, perform and deliver results. And lastly, the blue represents desire for peace and serenity within me.

I guess what I have learned over the past several years is that we all have questions and are in search of answers to better understand our identify or true meaning of life and purpose. And it does not happen automatically or instantaneously, but by connecting with the right people at the right place and right time, we eventually discover our true essence that fortifies our being mentally, physically and spiritually.

I am a Sparks, it is within my being, so why not take my being and put it to good use for the betterment of the world. Just like Nike, Google, Twitter, Apple, etc., Scott Sparks has always been a distinct brand unto himself, but it just took me time to finally have a few "Eureka" moments to really begin sharing and leveraging my existence and purpose in this world.

So, there you have it. What do you think of the real me now?

Spark on!

Why You Should Incorporate Online Social Site Outreach In Your Marketing Mix

Online social marketing provides businesses and organizations a way to engage more with online communities to generate additional exposure, opportunities, and sales. On social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, people are opting-in to follow sources most relevant to them and their interests in real-time, as it happens, from breaking news to updates from friends.

Based on a survey among 880 responding marketers, a Social Media Marketing Industry Report was published in March of 2009 entitled “How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Business”.
http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/

Below are key findings and associated highlights within the report.

1. Top Benefits of Social Marketing (Ranked in Order of Highest % Response)

Generate Exposure – 81%
Nearly all marketers who've been doing social media marketing for years report it generates exposure for their business and a significant 65% strongly agree.

Increase Traffic and Growing Opt-In List – 61%
At least 2 in 3 participants found that increased traffic occurred with as little as 6 hours a week invested in social media marketing.

Establish New Business Partnerships – 56%
62% of people who have only invested a few months in their social media marketing report new partnerships were gained.

Improve/Enhance Search Engine Rankings – 52%
A rise in search engine rankings was reported by more than half of participants. Improved search engine rankings were most prevalent among those who've been using social media for years with nearly 80% reporting a rise (and most reporting a strong improvement).

Generate Qualified Leads – 48%
After only a few months and with as few as 6 hours a week, more than half of marketers have generated qualified leads with social media marketing.

Reduced Marketing Expenses – 45%
The only financial cost of social media marketing is the time it takes to gain success.

Helped Close Business – 35%
It takes time to develop relationships that lead to actual business. However, a large percent of marketers who take the time find great results. For example, 62% of marketers who have been using social media for years report it has helped them close business. More than half who spend 16 or more hours per week find the same results.

2. Top Social Marketing Tools Used

Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn and Facebook were the top four social media tools used by marketers, with Twitter leading the pack.

Another interesting finding was that men were significantly more likely to use YouTube or other video marketing than women (52.4% of all men compared to only 31.7% of women).

3. Time Commitment for Social Media Marketing

A significant 64% of marketers are using social media for 5 hours or more each week, and 39% for 10 or more hours weekly. It is interesting to note that about 10% spend more than 20 hours each week with social media.

Sparks Ouroboros Takeaways

Based on the findings in this report, I believe the real key to achieving success and connecting with a following through Social Marketing is to reach the right people on a frequent basis with relevant content for them and their interests on a consistent basis. It does take time to build a following, but once you invest in the time and achieve a solid group of people following your business through this medium, there will be opportunities to monetize and build upon their lifetime value as customers.

Some verbs to consider utilizing and maximizing to achieve success for your buisness through online social sites, in no particular order, are…
· Educate,
· Inform,
· Entertain,
· Share,
· Touch,
· Connect,
· Network,
· Participate,
· Engage,
· Learn,
· Guide,
· Explore,
· Nurture,
· and Evolve.

In closing, I find one of the most famous quotations coming from Shakespeare’s Hamlet quite applicable to social site outreach.

“To be, or not to be: that is the question.”

But what should you be?

I say “Be There, Be Real, Be Genuine, and Be Yourself!”

Spark on!

What I Have Experienced Lately

Last night, I attended the Richmond, Virginia Town Hall Meeting on Health Care Reform hosted by our 3rd District Representative, Robert C. “Bobby” Scott.

I decided to attend, keep my mouth shut, and merely observe, listen, and orient myself on an issue that has divided our country. Over the past several weeks, I have seen posts, messages, and notes by friends on Facebook, watched the news coverage from several sources to include CNN, MSNBC, Fox, CBS, and ABC, and discussed the issue with my family and friends face-to-face. My goal is to gather information from a variety of sources and review all options before making a decision and acting upon it.

The meeting was set to start at 7:00 p.m. I arrived at 6:45 p.m., went through the security check, signed in, and just as I was about to enter House Room D, an officer put up his hand to stop like they do when directing street traffic, and said the room was at full capacity, so I’d have to wait until people came out before being allowed to enter. Certainly acceptable to me as I did not want to violate any fire regulation codes that may put people’s lives in jeopardy should there be an emergency of some sorts.

As I stood there waiting for my turn, several others were pouring into this waiting area and within a few minutes, approximately 50 people were behind me and more were coming in only to discover their need to form a line and wait like the rest of us. Pretty soon, the line began to resemble those waiting their turn for a roller coaster ride.

At 6:55, we were cleared to go in with the understanding that we needed to enter and go to the left because it was standing room only. Standing didn’t bother me, I was just happy to get in to listen and observe.

I made my way to a standing spot against the back wall of the room and immediately saw a room packed with people. My guess is 400 + people were there.

Before the meeting started, several people were milling and mingling through the crowds and creating flurries of discussion about the bill, H.R. 3200. Here’s a link to the bill. Who has read it? http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090714/aahca.pdf

Some people had handouts to convey their points, others mumbled and fumbled their words and thoughts about abortion, transgender operations, states’ rights, and constitutional versus unconstitutional.

There was a man to my left and he continuously mumbled words trying to invoke fear among those around him. I had a notebook, and was writing down things I was observing, and one of the things I wrote and intended for him to see was “This dude next to me needs to STFU!”

I also felt that this man was sent there by people, who want just to do that in these types of forums, which I believe is not the way to go. But that type of behavior was prevalent throughout the meeting. Some people in the audience could not keep their mouths shut while others had the floor to speak. I guess none of them are familiar with “Robert’s Rules of Order”. www.robertsrules.com/

There was disrespect and neglect to allow the elected officials and others at the head table to say anything without some brief interruptive outburst like “Maybe you should get out then!” which was directed to Rep. Scott while he was trying to review the components of H.R. 3200.

After Rep. Scott’s presentation, a couple others sitting at the head table were given time to convey their thoughts and stories about Health Care Reform.

One woman was a doctor who had been practicing for 29 years as a small business owner. She has experienced the challenges with the current health care system as a doctor as well as a small business owner dealing with rising costs to provide her employees with affordable health care coverage.

The other was a woman who had worked as a CNA and MedTech, but now was providing Home Care Services making a whopping $8 per hour. This woman also had to get an operation which cost her more than $120,000, which she acknowledged she can’t repay even though she wants to, but can only do what many others face and must do when medical expenses are so more than their hourly wages or annual salary – declare bankruptcy.

After each woman finished what they had to say, some in the audience clapped while others did the hiss and boo. My “bud” next to me continuously mumbled away, as they spoke, saying things to the affect of “that’s your problem, not mine”, “states’ rights”, “reform is unconstitutional”, “I think I hear a violin playing”. By now, I believe totally in my initial thoughts of his presence at this meeting as one to instigate and instill anger and fear. I did take a moment to turn to my left and give him a look of disgust with his tactics. But that’s all I did. I kept my cool, took the high road, and refrained from getting into it with him. Diplomacy was in me.

The floor was then open for questions and comments from the audience. People who wanted to have the opportunity to address the meeting were given blue tickets, and the numbers were called at random by Rep. Scott. Even the way this process was handled disturbed and disgruntled some in the audience.

Initially, few questions were asked. Most were comments or declarations in support of or against H.R. 3200. And the comments ranged from bringing up IMAC and the death panel to others sharing their horror stories with the current health care system.

Overall, my experience at this meeting was worthwhile. I did get to hear thoughts, ideas and comments from a variety of sides and angles.

So, what do I think about it all now?

I think I need to read H.R. 3200 to its entirety. I have downloaded the bill to my desktop and intend over the next several days to review and read all 1,017 pages, start to finish. I’m also going to continue observing and orienting myself before making any decision or taking action.

However, I do believe our country needs to be more open-minded, collaborative and respectful to one another regarding this issue and many others.

And I do believe, we can come together to create a plan that will lower the costs, provide more choices, and allow quality health care that’s affordable and accessible to all.

But, we need to have healthier conversations.

“Information is the currency of democracy.” - Thomas Jefferson