Feeling a little overwhelmed?

It began as social networking, evolved into social media marketing and has pulsated to social business.
Everywhere you turn people are talking about it, you hear of businesses that are making money on it and you are amazed at how many people are becoming overnight sensations on it.
There are those that love it, hate it, are indifferent about it and yes there are some that haven’t even heard of it. 
And it is more overwhelming than ever – Is it social?  Is it business?  How do you wrap your arms around it?  To put it simply – it has always been about the conversation and it still is!  Now, more than ever! 
Where do you start?  It begins with taking action!  Know what your competitors are doing, determine where your customers are hanging out, and listen.  Then plan out your tactics with an easy to use Action Plan for you to use to map out your Social Media strategy.  Remember to always provide relevant and valuable content that both your customers and prospects are searching for, be consistent and responsive.  This begins the conversation, which will then enhance the relationship and lead to the expansion of your network and business!

Taking Social Media in the Right Direction in 2012

As the year draws to a close I have begun my planning for 2012 and have turned my focus towards next year’s social media trends. We have most definitely seen a shift in social media usage by businesses this year as more have been persuaded to jump on the social media bandwagon, however there are still too many that really do not understand how to ‘do’ social media. What holds most people back when it comes to marketing on the social network channels are fear and not knowing where or how to start. My mission is to simplify social media so that it will work for you, and trust me there is no need to be scared, just do it! 

I have witnessed several businesses experiment with different social platforms, listen and watch what others are doing, and have even taken a few risks but did not attain the results they had expected. I assure you social media works, it does take time but there are businesses every day achieving success. 

Three trends for social media in 2012 that I believe are going to be catalysts for the growth of businesses that use social media are; Education and training, Integration of offline/online media, and Facebook as a leading advertising vehicle. 

Education and Training 2012 will be the year that companies realize to be the leader in their industry they are going to have to embrace social media and learn to take it more seriously, possibly even seek outside consultation and guidance. Training the full staff will ensure your company is fluent in social media and will be at a competitive advantage. Discovering how to tap into the social media platforms, understanding there is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution and learning how to ‘engage’ with the customer will grow your business. 

Integration of Offline/Online Media This year brought the introduction of the QR code (bar code) which has made print marketing interactive, but there will be an even greater shift towards the integration of all marketing in 2012; Print to Social, Radio to Social, TV to Social, Email to Social, 1 on 1 Networking to Social, Mobile to Social and Social to Social. Social Media will be an extension of all your marketing efforts and will attract prospects to your business that will get involved with your Brand. 

Facebook as a Leading Advertising Vehicle Facebook has rapidly grown into the largest website in the world with 8 million active users. During the coming year social networking is going to be more about business marketing. With the maturation of monthly visitors to corporate Facebook pages vs. website visitors we will see more companies advertising on Facebook, experience a positive outcome and become more confident with using social media to market their business. 

If you have a business it is no longer a question of whether or not you need to be involved in social media and those companies that learn how to master the power of social media in 2012 will end up as winners, it is said the ROI of social media is whether or not you will be in business in 5 years, so don’t get left behind!

 To Your Social Media Success! ~ Cheri

The 3 ‘P’s Formula for Social Media Success

I’m often asked what the secret is to attracting customers to ones social network sites. Sorry to say there is no ‘secret formula’ but there is a Success Formula that if put into play, will perform. The first thing to know is that before you dive into Social Media place some thought into what your PURPOSE is. Why do you want to set up sites on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? How do you want to use YouTube and Blogs for your business? Do you want to build relationships, talk about key services, expand your reach or perhaps build brand loyalty? Use caution, as your actions may either build up your brand or weaken it! Without determining your actual PURPOSE, there is no need to go any further.

Once you have determined your PURPOSE you then begin developing your PLAN, without established objectives in mind how will you know if you’ve achieved success? When strategizing, chart how you are going to approach the Internet by exploring what others are doing. Decide what social platforms to use by finding out where your audience is hanging out; this is why it is vital you know who your client is! Choose what tools you are going to use to measure your Social Media campaigns. Having a PLAN of action in place to measure your successes and catching your errors will help you to meet your goals.

You have your PURPOSE and your PLAN, now what? The first two steps are absolutely necessary ingredients in the formula but without this third step the PLAN will not work, it’s all about the execution of the POST. You must determine who you are talking to, what you will communicate, how you will say it, how much time you’ll allocate to each social network, establish if it is about you or them (I wisely recommend you realize it’s all about them), and then begin engagement. Creating relevant, interesting and engaging content that is keyword rich will bring you online visibility and generate profitability. The POST is the secret in the Success Formula.