Oct 14

Preparing For a Social Media Consultation

By matt Consultation, Facebook, Social Media, Strategy No Comments

Preparing for a social media consultation ~ The Importance

Preparing for a social media consultation is just as important as your social media efforts, which is why most people are so unprepared when they meet with us. I recently got an inquiry from someone I met in one of my many classes I teach and I offered to meet with them to help hone in on where their efforts should be focused. A few days ago I received a Facebook private message from them with 3 documents attached. I downloaded the documents and read them over a cup o’ joe in the morning. I was blown away at how incredibly prepared this client was. They are prepared to not just meet with me, but prepared to win and with a warriors heart. I have so much information on this client including background, strengths, weaknesses, and most of all their passion. I know and fully understand the why behind their product. That is incredible! It is also incredibly exciting for me! I learned and began to believe their why, I understand the marketplace in which they are trying (and will I might add) dominate. I understand their competitors and what they offer and I can see how their passion will override any product out there. I can see clearly what their vision is of success and what they would like to happen in the digital space. That is where I come in, they just don’t know where to start and how to get there.

Respect the process

I am currently going through a transformation of our business where we are saying no to projects that don’t fit our area of expertise, I am trying to better manage our schedules to be more efficient. I have turned down several offers and clients in the past few weeks and am finding it hard to fit in the consultations. Well, what a breath of fresh air when I got this information from the client. It showed me that they value my time, they value my expertise and they value me. Yep, I want to work with that client, no doubt. Not only do I want to work with them, I want to watch them succeed and be amazing. That is so inspiring! I appreciated not only their dedication to their product and their success but the respect for my time is what really inspired me.

What should you do?

So what does it all mean? Am I saying that I don’t want to take on new clients? No, not at all. Am I saying that if you aren’t prepared then I won’t meet with you? Nope, not that either. What I am saying is that you will get such a better result if you actually take your meeting with someone you want to manage your brand and social media online much more serious than just a quick meeting where you ask for social media management pricing information. I want to help you, but you have to want the help, not just the relief of knowing it is done. I can’t tell you how many times I say to someone in our office ~

“I can’t care about their business more than they do”

When you do take the time to realize that you need to outsource your social media and hire someone to do it be prepared! Here are a few tips and questions to ask yourself before you meet with someone or an agency to handle your brand in the digital landscape. *Side note, if you have these questions prepared and the agency or person looks at you like you are crazy and pulls out a rate card – RUN! RUN BABY RUN!!!

Who are you and why did you decide to start (product line, service, etc)
Do you have a personal attachment to this? What is your passion?
Why would consumers care about your product and what is the feedback you have received so far?
What does the competitor market look like?
What do you know about the digital landscape? (you don’t have to know everything, that is what we are here for)
What digital successes have you had so far?
What is your 3 year plan or goal for your company/product? (yes 3 years because social media and digital media take time)
How comfortable are you personally in the digital space? (social media, search engines, etc)
What have you done to make sure your business is successful besides just meeting with me?

In Conclusion

Meeting with a social media manager or a digital manager is time and time is money. Get your poop in a group and make the most of it. I love helping people and I love watching their business grow, but more importantly I love meeting with people who value my time and respect my profession. It inspires me to want to work hard for them and be a digital honey badger. If you read this and think, I want help! I want to get off my bum and quit hoping and start doing then we should talk. Be a warrior, have a warriors heart and let’s discuss your success and what it looks like in the digital world. Fill out this form for a free consultation and watch what can happen with your brand.

Oct 01

Love0

Quit wasting your time with social media

By matt Facebook, Social Media, Strategy No Comments

There, we said it! Quit wasting your time with social media. If you don’t have a strategy, a plan, and a focused result you are looking for then YES! You are wasting your time. You know you are “supposed to be there”, says who? The person who doesn’t even do a good job at it themselves? You are also supposed to be doing a lot of things. For example, you know you are supposed to exercise and eat right, but do you? Probably not because you don’t have a strategy or a focused result you are striving for. Just because someone says you are supposed to be there doesn’t mean that you should. Going to the gym and walking aimlessly on the treadmill is pointless if you are trying to build your arm strength. Get it? Same applies to social media marketing, don’t just “be on Facebook” because some expert told you that you should be. You should be on Facebook or any social media platform for that matter because you want a specific result from your efforts. Do you want to build relationships? Do you want to grow your online presence? Do you want a tribe or community of people who view YOU as a the expert? Then great, you should be on social media platforms….. but that isn’t all. You should actually BE THERE!!! Not just with a profile and a cool pic, be there, and be active.

Just quit already.

Nothing is more annoying to myself and your viewers than when you post some really good stuff for a week and then boom, nothing….. hello?? Bueller….. Bueller…….Oh well I guess they are gone. Then OH you’re back… umm ok where did you go? That is extremely annoying and frustrating to the people who have chosen to connect with you. So you post a few more things and connect with more people and then do it all over again. Those efforts are futile and pointless, and you should quit wasting your time with social media You do more harm than good when you are not present and active in your social network. So quit wasting your time. I do a lot of education and the #1 excuse I hear for not being active on social networks is….. drumroll….. I don’t know how it works” Let me clue you in really quick….. it works if you work it, that is how it works. It works like real life, you connect with people, you provide value to their lives, and you build a relationship, shocking I know! How well do you think that relationship would be if you made a new friend and all of a sudden you fell off the face of the earth? Doesn’t come across as very reliable right? You are there, then you aren’t, then you are, then you aren’t. Not reliable at all. Is that the message you want to send? I don’t think so. Any time you have spent on social media is completely wasted and gone when you quit with your efforts and forget your focused result you want.

In conclusion.

So there you have it, you have my permission to quit wasting your time with social media. Now, if you want to rock it and get some outstanding results with your social media and you don’t have time or desire to learn to be consistent then outsource it. (I happen to know a great company wink, wink,) If not, then no worries mate, move on to something else. Whatever you decide to do just do it, don’t kinda sorta do it, just do it. Are you In or Out? Leave a comment below or share this on your favorite social media site and let’s start a conversation!

Aug 19

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The impact of social media over several businesses

By matt Business, Facebook, Social Media, Strategy No Comments

The truth is that there are many marketing strategies, one being more successful than the other. This means that you have multiple ways to promote your business in order to succeed. As you can see, it is easy to promote your business, and yet you need to act carefully. If you want to have a truly successful business you should think about using social media as well as possible, finding a way that actually fits your overall marketing strategy. Nowadays there are many people who have used social media in order to promote their business, being able to succeed. Following their example you can easily find success, being able to raise above your competition.

Everyone knows that social media plays an important role in the evolution of any businesses, but the truth is that each individual is responsible for this evolution, and therefore social media has only a partial influence with this process. Therefore the impact of social media over a business depends in some way on the business owner’s activity, and not only in using social media in a random way. The truth is that there are many businesses that have used social media, failing at the end because they did not know how to use it properly. Therefore, if you are in the situation when you need social media marketing in order to save your business, you should really think about using it properly.

As you well know, social media websites play an essential role in the marketing strategies, having a great influence on the branding process. Therefore, it is no wonder that there is an increasing number of businesses that have decided to use social media for this purpose. For instance, there are many startups that are using social media, some of them without even knowing what to do. Therefore they create a Facebook account hoping that this will do the trick.

Since social media websites are very important in the development of a business, there has been conducted some research concerning this subject. It has been found that a great amount of the businesses that were using this marketing strategy have managed to develop in a considerable way, and therefore nowadays every business has a website where one can find several social media websites attached. In this way the customers are able to find all the information they need.

Now that you know the true importance of social media marketing and its influence over any business, it is time to start using it. This is not a difficult process and therefore you should get it right. However, if you feel that you need help you should hire someone professional who can handle the situation. No matter how you will use social media, the important thing is to keep using it for a long time, reaching your target audience. In this way you will be able to attract more customers, having the power to increase your overall profit.

Jun 02

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Facebook Ads – Worth it or Wasteful?

By matt Business Services, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy No Comments

We are constantly asked if Facebook Ads are worth it or wasteful. While this is focusing on Facebook Ads, you should really ask that question of any advertising you are doing, is it worth it or wasteful?

Despite the fact that Facebook was not designed to provide businesses with a marketing platform, it has grown to be a social media advertising giant. In 2013, the firm made more than $5.6 billion from ads. Facebook allows businesses to purchase ads according to the marketing strategy or method they are implementing because the ad options are objective-oriented. This means that the strategy Facebook uses for advertisements is based on a firm’s marketing goals and objectives.
This ensures that the chosen ad option by a business will bring them a higher return on investments. Unlike in previous years, Facebook has improved its social context to ensure that every user can see the businesses their friends have liked. These strategies have been improved by Facebook trying to enhance the value of its ads so that businesses can attain great results.

Is this really Worth it or Wasteful?

Yes, it is sure worth it. According to a survey conducted by Hubspot in 2013, 74% of marketers integrate Facebook in their lead generation campaign initiatives, and 52% said they got a buyer through the social media platform. Datalogix (a firm that records the behaviors and habits of shoppers in more than 100 million households in the U.S) and Facebook partnered in 2012 to determine the Facebook ads’ effectiveness. The study showed that 60 distinct Facebook campaigns realized great results: 50% of the campaigns realized a ROI 5 times higher while 70% received 3 times ROI on their investments.
Hashtags, likes, the ‘boost post’ button and the ‘build audience’ button are some features of Facebook used for advertising. The ‘Ad Manager’ feature allows businesses to monitor or track their campaigns in addition to getting reports.

One quick way to make it wasteful is to not have a clear objective in mind or a clear understanding of your budget. If you have questions about your Facebook advertising or want to get started. Contact us below and let’s get in touch!

Oct 21

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Top 10 Reasons People Don’t Have A Social Media Strategy

By matt Marketing, Social Media, Strategy No Comments

The top 10 reasons people don’t have a social media strategy is just the beginning when I sat down and looked at all the reasons I have heard over the last 5 years. Education is key, but when I do education I still continue to hear the same excuses. I figured that if the people who come to my classes feel this way, others probably do too! So I have compiled a list of the Top 10 Reasons People Don’t Have A Social Media Strategy and we are going to break them down and provide solutions over the next few weeks. But first, let’s look at the list compiled together and see what the common theme is. There is usually one solution to a lot of questions, but the delima is if people will hear the solution and be willing to jump when the answer is presented to them. I have to look at some of these and laugh a little on the inside, but never the less, here we go:

Top 10 Reasons People Don’t Have A Social Media Strategy

I don’t know how it works
I don’t have the time to learn how it works/or to actually do it once I know how it works
I don’t know what the benefit to me or my business is
There are too many platforms/it is confusing
No one cares what I have to say
It is just for kids, I want to reach MY customers
It is always changing and it frustrates me
I tried it once, nothing happened
I don’t want to say something stupid/ I don’t want to look stupid
I do have a strategy, my neighbors kid does my social media

What is the common theme?

Do you see a common theme? I do, I see fear. Let me ask you this Mr/Mrs. Business Owner, were you afraid when you started this business or you knew everything that was going to happen? You knew that you wouldn’t have any competition, or training issues or changes in software, or changes in the economy, or your customer base would change, or you wouldn’t be confused or frustrated? I bet you did, but you figured it out right. Or did your neighbors kid figure it out for you? On a side note ~ hiring the neighbors kid is NEVER a good idea unless that is what they do for a living. Would you trust them with your books? Then why would you trust them with your online reputation and communication with potential customers? I digress….. Fear is not a reason to not have a social media strategy. Get with a pro, get some help and get out there! If you don’t want to do it yourself, then outsource it. For example, I don’t want to do my taxes or keep my books on a daily basis so I outsource it. (and not to the neighbors kid)

Stick with us, I promise it is worth the wait.

If any of the reasons/excuses up there looked familiar to you then please come back and keep your eyes out for our new blog series where we will address each one and provide solutions with a video blog! If you just can’t wait becuase you don’t want the fear to live in you anymore then click here and let’s start a conversation right away!

Strategy