Everyone especially business professionals (rightfully so) keep talking about how to monetize social media and social networking. As of now, you should know how out-of the box my thinking is when it comes to business. I assure you that during these times, I am not the only business professional trying to think outside the box for innovative strategies. For better or worse, I am really going out on a limb on this one. Let me know if i am going over-board on this.
I will predict what the future holds (and how we can all make some money from not only social media consulting services for firms that “get it”) but possibly off things we are “Passionate” about. Besides, who wouldn’t want to make some extra money right now right?
Now hypothetically, lets say you drive a Prius. And you love it, you tell your friends how much you love it on facebook, twitter, linked-in, etc. So in a sense, you are now a brand ambassador for the Toyota prius. Now because you are so much in love with your prius and you happen to be marketing it for them “online” whether you know it or not, why couldn’t you reach out to Toyota, state your case, and charge them a small fee to write something about your experience (like or dis-like) about your Toyota prius fully disclosed of course? Believe it or not, that is what Ted Murphy @Izea has done and it is not a bad idea. I give him credit for coming up with this concept and starting to put bloggers in touch with corporations to write fully disclosed reviews. Brilliant!!
I would even take it a step further and really start reaching out to companies and demonstrating the power of these “word of mouth” brand ambassadors by providing case studies. This is already going on. Maybe even get a sales team doing B2B. This is writing on the wall for more business models that will monetize social media because at the end of the day, we don’t want all this hype to implode like the 2001 dot com bust right? If businesses don’t get educated on social media soon, they may not be around next year when things start to pick up again.
As for facebook, here is what i would tell Mark to do. Start charging a small fee for businesses to use facebook (just like twitter should do) because this demonstrates to business people the value of social media and social networking tools for corporate use. Those business leaders who STILL DO NOT see the value, will continue to be lost in translation. Or maybe schedule some twitter training from one of our internet marketing strategists by going here for our twitter for marketing training: Just one mans opinion. What are your thoughts on this post?
Many business and marketing people keep talking about social media and social marketing and how businesses can get into this new online marketplace, but I have some actual non-theory lessons from ACTUAL consulting on about 12 client projects we have worked on over the last seven months.
Social Networking for business is hard stuff. You have to be both technical, psychological, sociological, business savvy, marketing savvy, sales savvy, a good communicator, good writer,…… The list goes on. 1 full time employee or college intern handling social media marketing will not cut it I guarantee it.
My TEAM (together everyone achieves more) of Business consultants and I have been doing workshops, tweet ups in Carlsbad, tele-seminars, conference calls, coaching, training, blogging, strategy building, assessments, webinars, and consulting on social media and social networking for business for the last 7 months. (I have been doing various business and technical consulting for about 10 years)
I remember my first blog post on how i predicted that social media and social networking will save small business and STILL stand by that prediction and remember it like it was yesterday. I also remember each and every client experience, where WE went wrong, and what changes we made in our “process” to improve. I must say right off the bat that I could NOT be in this “Social CEO” position with out my twitter network. I learned more on twitter in 2 months from just listening, paying it forward, and helping others achieve what information, resources, or knowledge they cared about which in return they taught me what I needed to know to help formulate Social Networking San Diego. Consider it a PHD in internet marketing from twitter for FREE just 20 days a month on-line till 4am investing my time (video proof here).
I laugh at the colleges now trying to charge thousands of dollars for certificate programs for social media marketing and internet marketing (even Masters Degrees) when all people would have to do is just apply themselves a little bit, spend some time doing internet research, and start LISTENING! Also, we are in a HUGE recession, and colleges are in fact a BUSINESS too trying to stay on the trends and make MORE money off students. But I digress…..
Here are some tips about what to be careful of in the trenches of social media and social networking consulting for businesses:
1.ROI- If they ask you “what will be my ROI”, ask them, “what is your CURRENT ROI on marketing/ advertising?” Tell them to give you a fraction of that (at least 10%) show them some results in the first quarter or six months, and then ask them for a larger budget (if you can perform)
2.Don’t under charge- Your time is valuable, and just because they might not see the REAL value in social media and social networking for business development purposes and lead generation, you still want to attract the clients who have a “perceived value” in social media. This can be hard, but where are you looking??? Our first couple accounts we did FULL SERVICE for less than 1000$/ month AND worked on these accounts probably 80 hours per month. Talk about hustling! And you know what, they left because they didn’t want to “spend the time” in social media because they were too impatient and wanted overnight success. And they felt the training was something an intern could do. Do you really want an intern handling your corporate message and controlling your brand perception online???? Let me stress to you that being in the trenches now for 7 months, this will require your client to commit to 9 months to 1 year to make it worth your time. That is if you provide a comprehensive and holistic approach to social media and social networking for business. This is VERY time consuming and a lot of work I assure you but the BEST practices approach for building a lasting community around your client’s products and services.
3.DON’T DO PAY BY PERFORMANCE- Do you like working for free? I sure as hell don’t, and we tried that and learned NOT to do it again! On a few clients, we agreed to pay by performance model and you know what happen, we worked our A$$ off, did the research, the set-up, got them leads, and they still weren’t happy. (we don’t work for the company, we get you leads, its up to you to close your deals, we are not your sales team) I would advise AGAINST bartering as well, tried that too
4.Social Media and Social Networking is not for EVERY client- Every business is different so be sure you analyze the prospect in depth BEFORE taking them on as a client. If they have a 4 year old website, why would we want to drive traffic to it? So we recommended a new website FIRST, then we will drive the traffic. (they thought they could get a good site done for 500$ so I said be my guest, then they came back for a full word press site from us)
5.Make your deliverables clear- Make sure you specify where the hours will be allocated for the project so the client is clear about what THEY will bring to the table, and what YOU will bring. We ask our clients to commit to X amount of training per month, X amount of content submissions, articles, etc.
I hope this helps clarify what life has been like for the non-theory preaching social media enthusiasts (I used to be one too, and still am a little, but businesses need help so we are rolling up our sleeves and helping what businesses we can, and who have the budget of course)
Any thoughts on your experiences? I know we have many readers who are in this industry, so feel free to leave some insight or feedback on your experiences in the trenches of social media consulting,
Thanks JustinRFrench
CEO Social Networking San Diego
Have any questions- hit me up on the G-Voice 760 – 576 – GOLF oh yeah!!
P.S. Get a copy of “Social Media Survival Guide for Business” The FAST TRACK
$9.95Click Here to order: (if you have time to read it) But this will be a helpful guide for you and your business as you journey into Social Media and Social Networking for Business. Enjoy
Secrets Revealed on social media marketing- to be successful in todays business environment requires innovation, creativity, change, technology, and of course competitive edge. These secrets will help you out- I guarantee it!
This post may be short- but small is the new big right? This is SOOOO Powerful! I have helped hundred of business people and taught them some of these tips and tricks and it has grown there business exponentially compared to other marketing tactics.
1. Act as if you are going to a virtual party (Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In are the parties- you shake hands in these virtual online networking groups to get them back to your home/business/blog/website)
2. You build relationships (Help others, givers gain, and pay it forward. By helping others gain information on things they are looking for or by becoming a resource to others you will build your community. Think of this as building brand equity (as Gary Vee Says) or investing sweat equity in your business. You are providing customer service)
3. Invite others to help you out (or to visit your home- which again is your website or blog) Consider my technique i use on twitter and linked-in: 1: how can i help you? 2: You can help me by…… This is Networking!
4. Then after the relationship is established, people potentially do business together/ refer you
What do you think? I am interested in your feedback. Do you have any tips that have worked for you? Please share your thoughts on this (leave a comment)
Thanks, Happy Networking
JustinRFrench
CEO Social Networking San Diego
“Justin has done business and Internet consulting for us, and we have been pleased with his abilities and results. He reviewed our processes by interviewing each employee, then came up with recommendations for improvement. He was right on target. His technical background, research and studies have given him an insight into what it takes to succeed with an all-encompassing Internet Marketing campaign. He doesn’t waste time; he gets right to the point.
Harold Nevin Language Translation, Inc. San Diego” March 17, 2009
Top qualities: Personable, Expert, High Integrity
hired JustinRFrench as a Social Media Business Consultant in 2009
P.S. I have personal coaching sessions i am doing so if you’d like more 1 on 1 coaching or training on how to leverage social media marketing to help grow your business: Click Here To Email Me Personallyand put in the subject coaching inquiry. I will contact you personally with more details about scheduling
2. Our country is built on small and mid-sized businesses and because of the Internet, companies are now able to compete on-line with large fortune 500 companies with an even smaller budget. It’s all about having the right strategy. It levels the playing field and enables a communication channel that would have never been possible in traditional marketing or media. We have now seen that a small business with a great product or service and the right strategy can achieve huge economies of scale on-line. Look at what has happened with twitter. Our current business model leverages twitter to be used as a business tool for our clients to achieve some of these business objectives: PR, customer service, branding, marketing, and of course developing lasting business relationships. Twitter has enabled corporations to get back to the foundations of doing business in a digital age which is much needed right now. Being more transparent, not always selling things, and building an on-line community culture around community. Remember- people want to do business with people. Think of this new way of doing business on line as social marketing. If someone from company A does something good for me, say help me out or point me in the right direction, or does a good job on a project, I am going to tell 10 of my friends and just like word of mouth referrals, the same happens now online in a virtual setting.
Social Marketing is a new buzz word going around. Social marketing basically means word of mouth marketing using online tools such as social media, social networking, and other online PR tactics. You know how powerful word of mouth can be, just imagine what it can do for your products and services! Social Networking San Diego has been able to achieve great success for our clients, and the way business is conducted today is very different from the 20th century. Consider our 21st century marketing methods which you can see here:
1. Even though businesses are going through some tough times due to economic conditions, this does not make it ok for management and executives to do nothing. Good leadership in all companies is needed to find innovative ways to be resilient during these times and figure out ways to cut costs where necessary (not employees) streamline operations, upgrade technology, and invest in an online marketing strategy. Why? Because online marketing strategies can mean a more cost effective advertising and marketing approach than traditional marketing efforts and can even reach a more targeted market in a shorter amount of time. Having your company set up on twitter, linked-in, or face book is one thing, but how are you using these tools? This is where you need an online marketing strategist to develop the right creative campaign that can then track results, measure progress, and show good ROI. The economies of scale are much greater with an on-line marketing approach as opposed to off-line. Consider this: an inbound marketing campaign, or inbound marketing system in which we help formulate and execute around your business model. We do the back-end work for our clients on social media and social networking and train them on how to leverage these tools for business development purposes and how to build business relationships online. We function as the out-sourced virtual marketing department and partner with our clients for long term contracts for long term business strategy success.
As extremely busy executives, we know the following:
-budget allowances are gone
-competitive forces are growing
-layoffs and cuts have been made, and hopefully not a second round
-sales are down
As the VP of marketing goes into the CEO’s office Monday morning and says “I just spoke to a company on Linked-in who is doing social media and social networking consulting for business development and lead generation and I think we should consider it. This could be our chance to get ahead of our competitors and shift some of our off-line marketing budget into on-line marketing and advertising. The CEO says “That on-line marketing crap has never worked before, what makes you think it will work now? We don’t even understand how the hell it works! Do they even have case studies? What was the ROI?” VP Says “I spoke to a company who seems very credible from their recommendations, has case studies, video testimonials, and has developed a proven system and strategy that really seems to make a lot of sense. I think it leverages social networking and social media sites for business development and lead generation purposes. It really gets back to the old way of doing business by developing relationships with customers first, earning their trust, and then it’s just a matter of time before they do business with us. Plus, the viral ability with online marketing makes word of mouth referrals spread much quicker when they see how great our products are they tell their friends, family, and colleagues. What do you think? CEO says “Well, maybe this couldn’t have come at a better time because sales, marketing, and IT have never seemed to be on the same page, what we are currently doing isn’t working, and this may be a chance for us to gain a competitive advantage. How do we move forward? Well, they offered to do a FREE Webinar for us on the growing trend in social marketing to see if we may be a good fit for the program. I think we should do it. The CEO says “let’s check it out”. 3 months later……Progress has been made, ROI is up 15%, and employees at the various departments are shifting gears and getting re-educated/ re-trained on how to use these social tools and how to sell in a digital age.
“When is your VP of marketing going to take a NEW innovative direction for your firm? Give the CEO some hope so he can sleep”
What is your feedback on this story? How many think this ACTUALLY happened? Please respond below. Leave your comments. I look forward to your guesses- JustinRFrench CEO & Chief Internet Marketing Strategist
Social Networking San Diego http://www.socialnetworkingsandiego.com
You have a valuable product; you are selling it at a fraction of the price as compared to the competition and you’ve built yourself a really great website to sell your products on the internet! But no one seems to be buying! You know that your product is the best in the market but simply because you haven’t learned how to do internet marketing, you are losing out on big, big money! Competition is getting fierce on online shopping even if the world economy is slowing down. But how do you ensure that customers do come to your site? How do you ensure that you get reliable customers and not just site tourists who are simply browsing?
You have to have full control over the customer market who visits your site by targeting them in the terms of internet advertising and sales. E-business is a professional marketing world where you will need professional and experienced help and that’s where Social Networking San Diego is the best choice for the internet marketer inexperience in online sales techniques.
Tapping potential customers via internet marketing through social networking sites, blogs, twitter and wikis is now made easy with Social Networking San Diego . This innovative internet marketing company will help you achieve the required outsourced marketing through the internet. They are professional and well equipped with the right methodology, tools and personnel to help you in social networking through internet sites. Your ROI (return on investment) will soar as traffic is diverted to your site and you are flooded with clients. The company can start an advertising campaign and an affiliate network for a negligible cost to promote your product all over the globe in the form on online internet marketing! Compare that with the money you have to shell out for print and media ads and you will realize the huge benefits that you are getting for a pittance when you use www.socialnetworkingsandiego.com.
Social Networking San Diego internet marketing will help also ensure that your product and your profile will pop up on internet search engines, high-readership blogs and twitters that are updated instantly with relevant latest content. With this type of internet marketing strategy, your consumer or client will be in touch with you throughout the day; something which could never have happened in the traditional methods of marketing.
Social Networking San Diego is the perfect company to check out your website and ensure you do get business. Of course, if you don’t believe me you can get a free website evaluation done to find out what you’re missing!
Here is a reminder of the scientific method with the spin for a social marketing strategy:
Steps of the scientific method:
1. Ask a Question -what goals are you trying to achieve with your on-line marketing efforts? On-line branding, customer service, online PR, increase traffic, increased visibility, increase website ranking, better conversion, marketing a new product or service….
2. Do Background Research -we research your competition, identify what keywords are best to use, and formulate an online marketing strategy/ plan tailored around your particular business model (this can NOT be a one size fits all approach to on line marketing!)
3. Construct a Hypothesis -based on our research/ assessment- we hope to achieve these types of results with this on-line marketing campaign…
4. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment -we will assign the right team, implement the strategy, and market test and confirm our on-line marketing campaign (either 100% outsourced or a joint effort (best results are achieved with a joint effort- we do training, coaching, and educational instruction on who does what in the on-line marketing strategy)
5. Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion -quarterly reports using analytics, benchmarks, deliverables, goals met, and other ROI measurements compared to alternative marketing efforts
6. Communicate Your Results -we will report to the executive team what results were achieved, areas we suggest for improvement, and best approaches moving forward.
We work in these 4 capacities:
Hourly Consulting
Monthly Retainer
Per Project Basis
Monthly Subscription
Hmm… Do you every wonder why there are so many articles on the internet about internet marketing? Is it any different than ordinary marketing and why? I mean, if you are planning to sell your products on line then a little marketing becomes essential to ensure that people buy your product. But other than setting up a website what else can you do?
It’s not that simple! Large companies have now learned that no matter how good your product, you have to be connected with the latest information and any other events that are happening within your industry circle. You also need to ensure that your product and your website is promoted on different blogs, and even free video sites like Youtube to get regular traffic or customers. And you don’t want just any customers; you want customers who want to buy and are serious about sales! And that’s what an outsourced marketing campaign can do for your website. It can get you “friend” connections with people of the same industry, high level relevant traffic of customers from the same industry and even contacts with a buyer or wholesaler from a completely different country. Outsourced marketing campaigns if done by a professional company like can Social Networking San Diego boost your business trends and make you many more useful connections in the industry over night.
Social Networking San Diegois a professional company that will help you implement the perfect marketing strategy based on the company’s specific needs, costs and budgets, marketing and sales department structure and various other requirements. They will also help you in social networking as they have a special internet marketing department staffed with professionals just for that purpose.
It does not matter if you are a small or big business; setting up an internet marketing campaign can be cumbersome due to the complexity of the World Wide Web. Blog marketing is a intricate balance between outright selling and plain content. And readers have come to expect valuable and reliable content from blogs. Direct selling by large companies through vigorous blog promotions can confuse readers and sometimes even put them off completely. Why waste so much time when you already have a niche internet marketing professional ready to help you out in an instant? It may cost you a small amount but its well worth it in the long run! Social Networking San Diego already has the network, the professionals and the expertise to do your work for you at a minimal cost!
Phone calls and telemarketing, billboards, pamphlets and newspaper advertisements are all old fashioned. The latest technology for advertising is social networking through the internet. Although traditional forms of marketing are still popular, the Internet has now become the latest source of entertainment, news reports and business too. The latest and fastest growing trend in the virtual world is simply, OUTSOURCED MARKETING VIA THE INTERNET.
This internet marketing system is used to drive traffic to company websites and derive the maximum profit from the visitors who visit the site. Almost all businesses now have a website created for them to increase awareness about their products and to showcase their business in detail. Companies spend huge amounts of money on these websites. But no matter how pretty your site is, no one’s going to visit it unless you ensure that the site is marketed on the internet. A site which no one visits is a waste of money and time. Social Networking San Diego is an internet marketing department that deals with making social networking simpler and more meaningful in a few effortless steps.
But don’t be fooled, internet marketing is not really that easy. You need some one who knows the ins and outs of marketing with in the least time possible. Social Networking San Diego is a site that is known not only for educating businessmen on the growing trends in the social network and internet marketing world for business but it also helps businessmen achieve a profit by optimizing their websites .
Social Networking San Diego also helps businesses to build up their brands with the help of internet marketing and social networking on a large scale. They have a professional marketing department that can place your advertisements or your company’s profile in prominent sites in such a way that it cannot be missed by search engines, blogs or high traffic sites like You-Tube. Readers and visitors of these popular sites will then get your reference for the product on reliable sites. The larger amount of visitors who realize and enquire about the product you are selling, the more the number of clients or customers who will visit your site with a serious intention of buying your product .
This process of social networking will soon replace all the traditional forms of marketing and advertisement. Social Networking San Diego is just one online company that is breaking new ground in this field. You can rest assured that your company and your product will enter world of internet marketing with Social Networking San Diego. Social Networking San Diego will help in fulfilling your advertisement goals through the internet. Just visit the official site and learn more about internet marketing and social networking.
Call 760-500-6043 to schedule a 10 minute appointment!