Dear President Obama,

Our communities are more connected than ever.  According to the New York Times, Facebook members have a 4.74 degree of separation.  The “Three Degrees of Influence Rule” (research published in the book, “Connections”) shows that you have influence over your friends’ friends’ friends.  No joke.  If your business is doing well, there’s a higher likelihood that businesses on the outer ring (three degrees away from you) are doing well too.  And so are their families, neighbors, and communities.

We pull each other up – or down.

As a United States resident, you currently contribute roughly one-third of everything you earn in your partnership with the United States government for the privilege of living here and enjoying our freedoms. Our freedoms are maintained through the collaboration of those who live here. We need to come together around three things:

1. Expectations.  Whatever we expect to have happen, generally does.  People have lost faith in Washington.  We don’t expect clear answers any more.  We don’t expect progress any more.  We don’t expect EXCELLENCE because we no longer think it’s an option.

   Excellence is not an option, it’s a NECESSITY and something we all need to live up to.

2. Engagement.  No man, woman or business can afford to wait and see what happens – to let someone in Washington figure out what’s best for our country without the context of your perspective.  We have a call to arms right now in this country to get involved.  We must share our needs, our priorities, our ideas, and our participation to make a difference.  Only by being a part of the conversation can you ensure that your voice is heard.

   Participation isn’t just a right.  Participation is mandatory for success.

3. Emotions.  Human beings continually explore, discover, innovate, and refine in an attempt to improve the status quo.  Change is often uncomfortable and unavoidable – and it is always necessary for our survival.  We are masters of change and we recognize that emotions run high during times of extreme change.  We need to accept the emotional struggles that are very real and very painful and then move through them.

   Consider “The 10/80/10 Rule” mentioned in the book, “The Survivor’s Club,”:

   In any crisis, roughly 10% of people are leaders: they have a vision, create a plan and take action.  Leaders continually look for other leaders in order to discover the latest strategies, best practices, tools and resources.

   Approximately 80% of people are followers: they are looking for leaders to follow. (That means that 90% of people with a similar problem are looking to you for answers!  This is an unprecedented opportunity for leadership!)

   The remaining 10% of people are so overwhelmed and so caught up in their emotions that they are in a state of pure panic.  They will not survive because they literally cannot see the help that is available to them.

   We are very fortunate that the United States is a nation of leaders. In low moments, remind yourself that you are not alone.  That help is at hand.  That we care about each other.  That every person in our country is just 4.74 degrees away.  When any one person experiences progress, it pulls the rest of us a little higher too.

Currently, roughly one-third of what you earn is given to the government through Federal taxes and sales taxes (assuming 28% Federal; 7.5% sales tax).  That means that you are in partnership with Washington and you should expect a lot for your money, engage in the discussion and vote, and acknowledge and celebrate the wins of engagement.  The more people participate and promote whatever they believe in, the better off we all are because it encourages education and dialogue around complex issues that require collaboration.

Standing up, sharing your voice, contributing your ideas, and making an effort to serve always makes a difference and inspires others to do the same.

While I don’t always agree with your approach, I deeply appreciate your efforts to lead our country.  It’s not an easy job.

Thank you.

Naturally, my next thought was, How do I add more value? What else do busy business women need to know about Social Video?

The business results from video are too good – you have to be a part of this super cool new trend.  Here’s a snippet from my upcoming article so you can see what I mean…

Online Video Business Results:
Studies show that video improves online visibility and drives viewers to take more action:

• Viewers engage more after watching a video, with clicks for more information increasing by 30-40% and phone inquiries by 16-20%.  BIA Kelsey Group study.
• You are 53 times more likely to appear on page 1 of Google’s search results if you have video on your website. Forrester Research, January 2009
• Video in email marketing increases click-through rates by 96%. Implix 2010 Email Marketing Trends Survey
• Shoppers who view video at Onlineshoes.com are 45% more likely to buy.  Internet Retailer, February 2010
• Press releases that include video components receive a 500% increase in views.  Eloqua, April 2010
• Having a video on a landing page, even if it’s not played, increases conversation rates in the average range across the web of (10-30%).  Shopper conversion rates increase 50% when a salesperson (your video) has a conversation with the shopper. ReelSEO.com and “Why We Buy” by Paco Underhill

Probably the biggest stumbling block to creating video is just getting started and DOING IT.  So I’m going to share my adventures in going through this process.  You’ll get to avoid my mistakes, see how you can quickly create your own videos, and discover what works best at generating response.

Do me a favor and send me your questions.  Let me know what’s stopping you from using video to support your business and I’ll find a way to help you get what you need to get going.