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Facebook Graph Search is here and it’s being rolled out pretty fast.
I know social media can be overwhelming. Like finances can be, if you don’t take control. When you take control, you control it. It no longer controls you. There’s freedom in that.
What does graph search do for brands? Well, for one, if you’ve been on Facebook for a while and have built up a nice fan base, you’re more likely to show up more prominently in searches than those with less fans. Second, those brands who have high engagement with their fans have a clear advantage because search results are in the order based on the strength of those connections. 
For instance, if someone searches for a restaurant in their area, search results will list the restaurants that are most popular with their friends first. So if you’re not engaging your fans, it’s not too late to start now.
Some quick tips that will help you show up in the Facebook Graph Search results:
The bigger the base and the more engaged they are, the higher you’ll show up in the search results. I like using Facebook ads and Google AdWords to drive people to my Facebook page. I suggest creating a landing page with a fangate so two things happen: 1) You just grew your audience and 2) You just increased your engagement.It’s not too late to grasp the power of social media. It’s not going away. It’s growing. Fast.
I understand that social media can be extremely overwhelming and seemingly complex but it’s not if you take control. It’s nothing but pure power. Harness it.
Need help? I do offer social media (and mobile) training for all levels. The cost is reasonable and gives you all the power. Here’s what I charge:
$350 for 3 hours of training up to 5 people or
$600 for 8 hours of training up to 5 people.
It’s a teeny investment for huge results and a whole lotta power. To learn more and to see recommendations, click here: Manire.
More common than not, businesses say that they don’t see the ROI in social media. That’s because they are looking short-term. Well, that’s one of the reasons. Other reasons are not defining ROI goals or still holding on to the one-way messaging that was so 5 years ago.
Anyhow, here’s my experiment. Most likely, you don’t know me. Can I influence your buying decision? Let’s see.
I bought this product (see video) for my iPad 2. I love it so much. One of the things I like about it is that it makes the iPad so much more user-friendly.
I made a short video showing you the product. Can I influence you? Watch here:
Looking forward to your feedback.
A great social media strategist will help you strengthen your presence across social media platforms, blogs and mobile. They will help you improve what you’re currently doing and/or show you how to add what you’re not doing but should be doing.
Using our cost structure as a guideline, I have outlined a good estimate of what you should except to pay a social media strategist or marketing company, but, please, for the love of god, do not hire your teenager because he’s good with computers.
I have also outlined what a first month would look like and the amount of hours it could take.
Lastly, I am pitching us; providing several social media case studies along with testimonials because we want you to hire us. If you don’t ask, you don’t get, so I’m asking.
Costs are an estimate and should not be guaranteed until client outlines his or her objectives; but, they should help give you an idea of what to expect.
SOCIAL MEDIA COST
Social media strategy, planning and project management may be billed at a predetermined hourly rate, however, many strategists offer discounted fixed price packages after client objectives are clear.
I have broken out the cost into four categories:
Be wary of anyone that immediately offers you a price. It’s a sure sign of inexperience and that could hurt your business. A great strategist will want to know more specifically what’s involved in order to provide you with a price.
1. A LA CARTE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT.
Blog:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Social Media Strategy:
2. SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTING AND TRAINING.
Note: Hourly rates are usually based on buying just hour of time, per person (if applicable). Most great social media strategists will also offer consulting in blocks of time. As an example, below is what we offer for those who buy in blocks of time.
Note: Keep in mind that we will invest several hours of prep time in assembling and customizing your training materials for you. So while you might buy a full-day workshop, the total time investment (including the workshop) could easily be 20-40 hours.
3. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING.
Media planning and buying:
Media plan only:
4. SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT PACKAGES:
Option 1
One-time set up fee = $1,000
Monthly maintenance fee for one location or brand = $3,500
Option 2
One-time set up fee = $750
Monthly maintenance fee for one location or brand = $2,500
Option 3
One-time set up fee = $450
Monthly maintenance fee = $1,200
EXAMPLE OF HOURS FOR FIRST MONTH
| Hours | Task | Cumulative hours |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Strategy overview with client – suggested sm sites, ads, content, goal setting | 2 |
| 1 | Gathering assets/info from client | 3 |
| 3.5 | Social media audit | 6.5 |
| 1 | Set up various emails as needed | 7.5 |
| 8 | Adjust and/or set up profiles on targeted social media sites. Provide relevant info/pix* | 15.5 |
| 8 | Adjust and/or set up profiles on targeted social media sites. Provide relevant info/pix* | 23.5 |
| 2 | Resize images/videos | 25.5 |
| 2 | Create several ads for FB, demo targeting, geo targeting to align with goals | 27.5 |
| 1 | Set budget for ads. Set based on goals. | 28.5 |
| 1.5 | Create several ads for LinkedIn, demo, info, geo targeting | 30 |
| 2 | Manage Yelp reviews | 32 |
| .5 | Act as a liason between fans, reviews, followers, etc. | 32.5 |
| 2 | Fill in event calendar(s) – copy and pix and/or vid | 34.5 |
| 1 | Connect accounts as needed | 35.5 |
| 2 | Create several ads for Google, demo targeting, geo targeting dep on goals | 37.5 |
| 3.5 | Work with 3rd party apps to custom app box for FB page, apply to FB, art direct | 41 |
| 1 | Set up various auto dm for new followers on Twitter | 42 |
| 1.5 | Target keywords for potential people to follow, create follow list, follow, unfollow | 43.5 |
| 1 | Check all SM accounts/respond as necessary | 44.5 |
| 1 | Organize all passwords, emails, usernames, etc into excel sheet | 45.5 |
| 2 | Manage Yelp reviews | 47.5 |
| .5 | Act as a liason between fans, reviews, followers, etc. | 48 |
| 8 | Define relevant content and create content calendar one month out | 56 |
| 6 | Schedule posts one month out | 62 |
| 1 | Review content (pages) and respond/ add to as relevant | 63 |
| 1 | Identify FB pages you support and actively interact as your page | 64 |
| 1 | Find and “like” other FB pages you support as your page. | 65 |
| 1 | Review content (pages) and respond/ add to as relevant | 66 |
| 2 | Set up LinkedIn Groups/company – products/services (different than prof set up) | 68 |
| 2 | Manage Yelp reviews | 70 |
| .5 | Act as a liason between fans, reviews, followers, etc. | 70.5 |
| 1 | Review content (pages) and respond/ add to as relevant | 71.5 |
| 1.5 | Identify YouTube channels, subscribe, post content | 73 |
| 2 | Set up mobile platform / opt in options / calendar | 75 |
| 3 | Create flyer to place at location for opt ins | 78 |
| .5 | Put content out on SM/engage | 78.5 |
| .5 | Answer fans/followers – act as liason between them and client | 79 |
| 1 | Review content (pages) and respond/ add to as relevant | 80 |
| 2 | Manage Yelp reviews | 82 |
| .5 | Act as a liason between fans, reviews, followers, etc. | 82.5 |
| 2.5 | Schedule mobile texts based on calendar and other goals | 85 |
| .5 | Put content out on SM/engage | 85.5 |
| .5 | Answer fans/followers – act as liason between them and client | 86 |
| 1 | Review content (pages) and respond/ add to as relevant | 87 |
| 2 | Pin on Pinterest / create boards | 89 |
| 3 | Create customized application box on Facebook | 92 |
| 15 | Overall estimated hours per month for posting content, responding to fans/followers, research, etc. | 107 |
| 8 | Reporting** | 115 |
| 3 | Measure ROI after 1st month. Measure against goals. | 118 |
| 2 | Adjust strategy as needed moving forward. | 120 |
| Total approximate hours 1st month | 120 |
Now, granted this is a snapshot of what it could look like based on my experience. Every client is different and requires different things. I would also say that while it’s great that you can schedule content ahead of time, I would not make this a rule. I would schedule content around events, offers, holidays, promotions, etc. ahead of time but life happens everyday and it’s crucial that you interact on a regular basis. You can determine what that means for you; coupled with the fact that topics are trending on social media daily and I would highly suggest participating in some of those trends to offer your expertise, voice your opinion, share relevant and timely information, and more.
SELF-PROMOTION AND PROVEN TRACK RECORD
SELF-PROMOTION
Who is Manire?
Manire is a strategic media and communications firm that creates powerful, lasting connections between companies and their target audience. We do it with originality, ingenuity and expertise. Our talented team of strategists and creatives are here with one goal in mind: to deliver a brand experience that’s uniquely yours and expressly profound. We have extensive experience working with clients on a local, regional and national level.
Our services are not limited to social media but staying with the topic of this post, that is what my focus is on here. To know more about our other services, click here.
What Can Manire Do For You?
Manire is comprised of a multi-faceted team of high-level professionals with a demonstrated ability to shift with the changing landscape of the global market. We have more than 25 years of strategic marketing and communications experience.
Each of us comes from a unique background and each of us has a specific set of skills to bring to the entire process. Together, we are able to produce original, effective approaches to brand engineering and development, social media marketing, mobile, strategic and media planning, trend forecasting and analysis, creative/art direction and graphic/image/product design.
Why Choose Manire for social media?
PROVEN TRACK RECORD
CASE STUDIES (5)
Case study No. 1
Kirsten Proffit – Singer/Songwriter
Project Description
Increase exposure and engagement on several social media platforms while increasing fan base and followers.
Objectives
Dramatically increase fans and followers, specifically on Facebook and Twitter.
Increase organic SEO.
Engage fans.
Increase ranking on ReverbNation.
Challenges
Train and manage client to consistently engage with her fans and followers.
Have client embrace social media as an extension of her art.
Dramatically increasing her fan base while maintaining quality and minimal budget.
Get fans to share content.
Approach
First we did a social media audit to see where she was. After the audit, we made the necessary adjustments and changes to enhance her current Facebook and Twitter pages. This included design, content, timing of content, custom pages, photos and so forth.
To increase her fan base on Facebook, we created over fifty ads targeting specific areas, time zones and demographics all over the world. We tested different ads in different areas to see which pulled better and had the least CPC. These ads drove people to her Facebook fan page where they landed on her ReverbNation tab. This gave people a quick summary of her, her music, upcoming events, videos, photos, opt in and content sharing.
Next, we used third party software to increase her followers on Twitter. Using specific keywords, we identified a quality target list that would help us reach our goals. We also set up three different direct messages for new followers that had a call to action. We added relevant pictures, videos and music to give her Twitter profile a richer user experience.
To help increase organic SEO, we set up a Flickr account, streamlined YouTube and ReverbNation.
We spent several weeks creating a content calendar and training client so she could feel comfortable seamlessly interacting with her fans.
Results
Facebook fan base increase by 1200%, Twitter followers by over 400%, relevant content increased engagement by 150% and her ReverbNation ranking by moved up several thousand and she is beginning to organically show at the top of search engines.
As an added bonus, many new fans are attending her live shows, recording video, taking pictures and sharing with their friends all over the web.
Case study No. 2
The Original Pizza Cookery – Social Media and Mobile Management
Project Description
Leverage the power of social media, online marketing and mobile to create more conversation and a more powerful online presence for The Original Pizza Cookery, a local restaurant in Los Angeles.
Objectives
Gain new business, increase consumer interest and build customer loyalty.
Get the word out about their extensive gluten-free and vegan menu items and generate conversations in those blogs and forums.
Challenges
Make social media, online marketing and mobile more accessible and understandable entities for a traditionally brick-and-mortar business.
Comfortably transition the client and their brand into the realm of social media, online marketing and mobile.
Approach
We first familiarized the client with social media, providing a general overview of what it is and how it can impact their business. We then outlined its various tools, and explained its emergence and presence as a powerful promotional vehicle for building business and customer loyalty.
Based on their needs, we recommended they launch into social media via its two most prominent sites: Facebook and Twitter. We also suggested we manage their brand on consumer review sites, like Yelp.
Next, we worked hand-in-hand with them to determine how to communicate their brand’s personality to the online and mobile community. We emphasized the importance of creating genuine, conversational and engaging content. We asked them what they wanted to tell their customers about their business, about their menu, about themselves. Once we answered questions like these, we were able to build a strategy that made their brand both personable and inviting.
Next, we started building their pages. This included customized pages such as “fan of the month”, mobile deals and welcome page. After building and launching their pages, we began identifying and pursuing potential fans on Facebook and followers Twitter who would be interested in their product. We also leveraged Facebook’s behavioral targeting ad tool, and increased their fan base by developing five different ads that effectively reached five different audiences.
Recognizing that mobile is now a powerful tool, we incorporated it into their strategy to increase customer loyalty, sales and data capture. The first thing we did was reward people who “checked in” on Facebook and Foursquare by offering them an exclusive deal.
The next step we took was a formal texting campaign where people texted pizzacookery to (an easily recognizable short code) 90210 for mobile coupons, specials and announcements. This helped them gain a large database of opt-ins so we could easily market back to them at anytime.
Lastly, we provided content across the web on other sites such as YouTube, Google and more to increase organic SEO.
Results
Visibility instantly increased: customers mentioned—and responded positively to—seeing the Original Pizza Cookery on social media and mobile platforms. The Original Pizza Cookery continually grows their fans and followers at a rapid pace, many who are new customers.
Through our efforts to manage their brand reputation on Yelp, business and customer loyalty increased dramatically. We successfully turned many poor reviews into positive reviews because of our strategic approach.
Case study No. 3
Maria’s Italian Kitchen – Regional – 10 restaurants throughout Los Angeles
Project Description
Increase exposure, consumer engagement and Google search results using the social media platform for Maria’s Italian Kitchen, a chain of 10 restaurants throughout Los Angeles.
Objectives
Challenges
Approach
We clearly defined what works in social media, what doesn’t and why. Next we walked them through what they were currently doing in social media and showed them where they were most vulnerable.
Next we asked a lot of questions, gathered information and developed a clear strategy. Based on our findings and experience, we suggested three social media that Maria’s could benefit from immediately: Facebook, Twitter and Yelp.
We studied their business practices and the owner, in particular, since she is actively involved in the day-to-day business and sets the tone for the entire organization.
We then created several customized pages for their gift cards, data capture, downtown, reservations and so on.
Next we restructured their current 10 different Facebook friend and group pages into one professional, yet accessible business page. Then we set up Yelp business pages for each location so we could actively communicate with each reviewer on behalf of the owner. Lastly, we made some adjustments to the existing Twitter page.
After restructuring, building and (re)launching their pages, we identified potential customers who would want to engage with Maria’s and either asked them to become a fan or began following them on Twitter.
To increase exposure and fans, we incorporated Facebook’s behavioral targeted ad campaigns that brought people back to Maria’s Facebook page. We created several different ads that were targeted by keyword, demographics and geographic location.
Next we incorporated a Foursquare strategy. When customers’ check-in at their locations, a special was offered to the Mayor. To take it a step further, we suggested each location have a sign posted welcoming their Foursquare Mayor by name.
We set up a Flickr account and began posting professional and amateur pictures from Maria’s restaurants and family. Some go back to the 1920’s.
Lastly we utilized LinkedIn’s group and company tools to promote their specials, seasonal dishes and gift cards.
Results
Fans and followers seemed a little gun shy at first, but because we consistently posted relevant content and responded to fans and followers in a timely manner, they began interacting much more and telling their friends about things that were going on at Maria’s. Their fans and followers grew by 60% in less than a month.
Foursquare check-ins increased by 167% in 3 months. Customers soon started competing for Mayor title.
Conversations between customers and their own friends started happening at a rapid pace which made a big impact with search results and decision-making.
Flickr’s photo sharing capabilities brought Maria’s way up to the top of search engines.
Answering both good and bad reviews on Yelp got customers talking. We effectively turned around many poor reviews into positive ones by making personal contact with each reviewer.
Case study No. 4
Rick Dees – Entertainer, Radio Personality
Project Description
Streamline his social media efforts to connect to his fans all over the world.
Objectives
Challenges
Approach
First, we asked a lot of questions to determine primary, secondary and tertiary goals. We then did a social media audit, outlined what was working, what wasn’t and what needed to be added.
We defined what would work best for his brand to connect to his audience and explained why it would be effective.
We restructured their current social media into a more organized format where fans were clear on where they could connect with him.
To help increase his fan base on Facebook, we incorporated several variations of ads, constructed a promotion for an iPad 2 giveaway, customized a page that also allowed for data capture and posted relevant and engaging content.
On Twitter, we identified a target audience and began following them and they followed back.
We also utilized other sites like You Tube to give people a behind the scenes look at his show, antics and report trending news.
We consistently interacted with fans on a personal level, provided relevant content across all social media platforms and created an intimate online community.
Results
Our strategy was so successful, that his fans and followers grew at an expediential rate and people started engaging, sharing and retweeting.
Soon Twitter lit up about Rick Dees that this post was made on a blog by a fan for Lee Dewyze:
Younger audiences started connecting with Rick Dees, data capture increased and soon an email campaign was born as another point of contact.
Case study No. 5
Kelly O’Neil International – Author, Public Speaker, Coach
Project Description
Train Company on social media best practices, implementation and strategy direction.
Objectives
Engage fans and followers on a deeper level.
Create relevant content and content calendar.
Give staff a clear understanding of social media, its power and how to use it as an effective marketing tool.
Challenges
Refocusing efforts to create a two-way conversation instead of a one-way conversation.
Approach
Conducted a social media audit and, based on goals, determined where she needed to be to meet them.
Had initial meeting with Kelly to give her and overview of our approach and experience and helped her outline her social media goals.
Presented team with a thorough outline of our findings along with a ‘to-do’ list and held several “go to meeting” training sessions to help her and her staff implement their new strategy in a clear and organized fashion.
Because each employee had different levels of experience with social media, we also conducted one on one meetings with each member that allowed for more intense training and q and a.
Held meetings once a month with entire staff to measure strategy implementation against objectives and talk about next steps.
Results
After implementing our strategy, audience engagement increase dramatically. Her weekly reach is consistently over 100,000 and social reach over 2 million on Facebook and Twitter followers are over 15,000 and followers are actively engaged and retweeting her content.
Her YouTube channel has been streamlined with an increased subscriber base and video views.
She also took our advice and implemented our strategy across the suggested networks and sites which helped increase her exposure organically around the web.
TESTIMONIALS
“Michelle has been invaluable to us and our music marketing campaigns. In a marketing world that changes its methods, tricks and opportunities almost hourly, it’s a huge comfort to know Michelle has our back and is out front leading us where we need to go. We’ve benefitted greatly from her recommendations, decision-making and her speed of implementation. Our artists love working with her, and in the incredibly fast world of online marketing, Manire really helps us keep up.”
Thad Wharton, President, Broken Arrow Records
“Michelle is amazing! There are a lot of people out there who claim to know strategic social media marketing… Michelle actually does! Loved working with her!”
Kelly O’Neil, CEO, Kelly O’Neil International
“Michelle is the most creative executive I have ever met in her field, not to mention fun to work with. She is conscientious, trustworthy, and effective at understanding her clients’ needs while keeping a strong-hold on the bottom line. She is an artistic genius – a true visionary and someone I would hire again and again.”
Melinda Dilger, Audio Circus
“Manire is a leader in strategy, marketing and branding. We are excited to work closely with them to help us reach our marketing objectives. Manire was chosen because of their expertise in strategy and authenticity. It’s not enough in this day and age to have overall marketing knowledge. You need to be authentic with the way you deliver your message on all platforms; and Manire has what it takes.“
Kevin Dees, President of Creative Development, Dees Entertainment
“Manire really helped us cross the threshold into the social media, marketing and mobile world. We were comfortable with things like newspaper advertising because it was familiar; even though we knew it was a dying breed. Manire is a true pioneer, stays ahead of the curve and took us to a level we never dreamed possible. We cannot recommend them enough. They have integrity, knowledge and perseverance.”
Barbara and Jordan Klempner, Owners, The Original Pizza Cookery
“Manire continually exceeds expectations with creativity & innovation and a keen sense of effective project management. I imagine we will work together for many more years to come.”
Women in Cable Telecommunications, Corporate
“Manire is brilliant! I was so lost in the social media world. I thought I was doing all the right things and found myself totally frustrated. I hired Manire and WOW! The training I received was top-notch. Even though they’re not musicians, they know social media and marketing and quickly acclimated themselves to my music, personality, message and goals. The results I saw were astounding and have really expanded my exposure on the web. If you’re thinking about hiring them, do it. They know what they’re doing.”
Kirsten Proffit, Singer and Songwriter
Thanks for reading. Text manire to 90210 for my mobile business card.
The End.
Facebook has announced that all business/brand pages will automatically move over to the new Timeline format on March 30, 2012.
Here’s what you need to know:
Default landing pages are gone.
The default landing page has been removed by Facebook. So if you had a landing page, you’ll need to create a new one. The new size is 810 px. Make sure you design it in this width.
You can now receive messages from your fans.
Messages will appear in your new admin panel at the top of your screen when you open your page.
You can publish it now or wait until the mandatory change on March 30th.
Facebook has given you the choice to publish your new Timeline now or you can wait until March 30th when it will change automatically.
You can pin any post to make it larger and move it to the top.
Just hover over any story or photo and click on the star icon to make it wider or click on the pencil icon to pin it to the top of your page, change date, hide or delete post. A pinned post will stay at the top of your page for up to seven days if you don’t refresh it before then. And if you’ve pinned something but change your mind, you can use the same hover technique and unpin it at any time.
Milestones.
If you want to highlight an important moment in your business, you can create a Milestone on your page. Click on the Milestone button on the top of your page and enter the information and photo. Once you save it, it will appear in the correct place on your Timeline. Milestones have a larger story format and are a great way to highlight the defining moments in your business.
New Admin panel.
Much easier to keep track of your activity with this new admin panel. Located at the top of your page, you quickly get a snapshot of activity, messages, new likes and insights.
In March, Facebook will release more admin controls that will let you set different permissions for each admin.
Photos, Likes and other apps are at the top of the page.
Photos will always stay in the first place but you can arrange the others in the order you prefer. You can show a max of twelve apps but I would suggest putting the ones of most importance first.
Cover photo.
Cover photo cannot contain any form of advertising, promotional text, contact information (put in about section), sharing, like or other Facebook features or calls to action. Cover photo should be a photo of something that gives the best visual of your business.
If you want to know more about the new Timeline for Facebook pages, here are some great resources:
Tell us what you think.
Talking with many local and regional businesses about social media, so many say that their social media is all taken care of using Reach Local. While I like so much of what Reach Local has to offer, they are not a social media company. They offer several great products like putting out relevant content on the web to help search engines organically bring you to the top of Google, and that is important.
They do offer social media marketing, but it’s an afterthought and since ‘social media’ is all the rage, they’d be silly not to offer it. For many, social media is overwhelming, complicated, time-consuming and confusing. If they feel like they have it covered on some level, they’re okay with it. Well, my friends, that is a huge mistake. Pay attention or pay the price down the road.
Like it or not, social media is it’s own entity and not an afterthought. Like I’ve said so many times before and I’ll say it again, social media is a two-way conversation that gets people talking about your business. Real Local does not do that. I’m not trying to bad mouth them here because, again, they have a lot of good things to offer and it’s worth a look, however, social media experts they are not. I’m here to help educate you the best I can.
Reach Local offers you so much for one low price. Sounds amazing right? Too good to be true? Yes. It is.
Every single person I’ve talked to using Reach Local for their Facebook page has absolutely no engagement, people talking about it and an average of about 50 likes, maybe; coupled with the fact that they’re putting out the same content across everything and promoting sales and one-way messaging. When you do that, people begin to hide your feed and you’re not left talking to anyone at all. So that low package price they offer you including the social media is actually hurting you.
Leave social media to the people who know it best and if Reach Local is a good fit for your company in their areas of strength, I urge you to use them. As far as social media, I cannot recommend them. Be careful and check out their own Facebook page. You’ll notice it’s not as cookie cutter as yours. They put a lot more effort into their own page to do it correctly (I didn’t say it was correct but it’s a bit better than what they do for their customers).
Do your homework, ask questions, define your goals, then make your decision. Cost is always a reason, yes, but if it can hurt your business, $1 is too much.
I talk to a lot of people about social media. They all want it, know they need it and are often overwhelmed by it. Most just want to hand it off to someone and not think about it; and for a while I was managing it for businesses. My average cost was between $2,000 and $5,000 a month depending on what needed to be done; and it could easily exceed that.
First, social media is not an ambiguous figure stuck in the corner of a dark room that you poke a stick at, sometimes. It’s a serious and effective marketing tool that can grow your business. There are many components to social media such as setting up profiles on at least 4 or 5 social media sites, setting up a relevant content calendar, designing pages to coincide with your brand message, creating events, interacting with fans/followers, answering reviews, being the intermediary between customer and owner, timing posts, understanding third-party software, creating promotions, content marketing, organic SEO, video streaming, a little knowledge of HTML, photo sharing, blogging, social bookmarking, social message across multiple platforms. . . .only to name a few. Social media should be handled by persons who understand strategy and people who have enough smarts to find their way around a computer.
Social media is and will continue to be an investment. I don’t see this as a passing fad. At least not now.
In my years in marketing, I have heard small, local businesses complain about big box stores having a lot of money to be able to reach a lot of people through their marketing efforts. While those same big box stores still do that, small and local businesses now have more power than possible even five years ago. They can talk directly to their customers and potential customers at a fraction of the cost of any local ad. I don’t know how it gets better than this.
So let’s take a small, local business – many would not flinch at spending $2,000 – $5,000 a month (and sometimes a week) on average to advertise in something that may or may not work or even been seen; such as newspaper ad, television commercial, radio spot and so on.
Now let’s look at social media. You can talk directly to your customers. You can talk directly to your potential customers. You can get both of them to talk about you to their friends. You can write content to bring you to the top of search engines organically. You can ask your customers what they want and they WILL tell you. You can track almost everything. You can set your own ad budget and spend as little as $1.00 almost anywhere on the web and can hand-pick your demos and geographic limits . . . I see a whole lotta I cans no I cants here. So my feeling here is that it’s your fear that is holding you back and the only way to overcome your fear is to walk into it. Think about it this way – your competitor can always outspend you on traditional media such as print, tv, etc. But if you’ve been building relationships with your customers through social media for the last year, your competitors are already one year behind.
Now, I’m not saying you should hire me to manage your social media, in fact I probably would turn you down. What you should hire me for is to show you how to do it so you have control and you can hire someone internally to manage it for you. Keep in mind, this will be a full-time person(s), not someone who has a full-time job with you that you’re throwing this on top of. No no.
You can always call on me as a consultant to oversee your efforts and make sure you’re on the right track.
You can contact me right here.
Happy New Year!
Quick posts are great to enhance your organic SEO. Like this one, said Michelle Manire (use words that people will probably search). I love marketing and advertising and now I’m really into the mobile revolution. It’s gonna be ginormous. Text manire to 90210 so you can see what all the talk is about.
I guess being a creature of habit is innate in us humans. If so, then why do we change things? Probably because we get bored. It’s one of life’s greatest oxymoron’s. I say change is excellent and although it may cause anxiety, it’s best to run toward it instead of away from it. Running toward change (or anxiety) actually reduces the anxiety and promotes growth.
I, personally, love all the changes Facebook is making. MZ is progressive, unafraid and moves things forward. I doubt Facebook will lose anyone because it’s where all their friends are and although we fight against change of any kind, we love it because we also get bored with the same old routine.
A few years ago every brand was clamoring to get on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Then their focus became building up their fans and followers, which has a double-edged sword because 1) your ego is no place for social media 2) if you are looking for an investor, book deal, etc, those on the other end are going to count how many fans/followers you have and judge you by it.
So how can you do both without making it about you? Well, for starters invest in Facebook ads and when people click on your ad, have them go to a landing page which requires them to like your page before they can see your content. Like I did here:
Now, the key is, once they “like” your page, you must give relevant content, which means you need to make it about THEM, not you. I get that – that is a hard pill to swallow because for the last 100 years marketing as been about you. Well, not anymore. So run into your anxiety and turn a profit.
Next, give relevant content (I realize I’m saying this twice. It’s THAT important). Now, I know I’ve talked about that a lot over the last couple of years and hopefully you’ve taken the ball and ran with it so you’ve already developed good habits. As Facebook launches their new Timeline, you will have to be clever and give even more relevant content than ever. If you don’t, your posts won’t show up on your fans’ walls because no one is interacting with them and yes, that will hurt you. So you can say, wait, but I have 1 million fans. If they’re not seeing your posts, what’s the point?
Walk the line of increasing your fan base by carefully targeting your demographics and give interesting, clever, funny, human content. Remember this: There is one thing we all have in common: a heart. Appeal to that and you will be relevant.
Go. Make it happen. And prosper. mm
I was reading Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk and came across something he wrote that resonated with me: “Skills are cheap, passion is priceless”. So much so, that I had to stop what I was doing and write this post.
Growing up, I was always different. Not in a poor me kind of way, but in the way I processed information. One plus one never equaled two for me. It look more like this: 
As you can imagine, I thought, for sure, something was wrong with me. Soon, I figured out that I like the way I think. I like the way I am and damn it, I’m passionate about it.
Cut to years later, I earned a Marketing degree and let me tell you, I gave my professors a run for their money. I would not conform or follow their methods but when I came up with the result, it was almost always over-the-top and forward-thinking but nonetheless adopted by students as well as faculty members. For instance, I liked to surf. I would hit the beach in the morning, come to class in my wet bathing suit, a towel wrapped around my waist, and a baseball hat over my dripping wet hair. I would get up, make my splashy presentation while my Marketing professor would hold his face in his hands and shake his head. I had everyone engaged, people asked lots of questions, challenges were made and ideas were formed. I got an A but not because I used any formalized skill set, but because I was passionate and I knew what I was talking about.
Passion is a burning desire in your gut to do what you do best. It’s rising above other people’s judgement, standing alone, failing and finally making it (by your own definition).
I am passionate about ideas, particularly in marketing and communications. I love all aspects of it. Let’s get busy – talk to me – tell me everything and I will shower you with ideas. I get sooooooo stupidly excited about this. My mind starts looking like the above picture with ideas. I often find that I have to slow myself down because I’m well aware of the Manire ‘charm’ that many can find overwhelming. This is why I surround myself with analytical people who get me and can carry out my vision for our clients. It’s no coincidence my staff has suggested we turn my office into a giant fish bowl and offer tours. Funny, they are, but I did stop and think about it for a second.
Anyone can be perfectly dressed and make a nice and neat presentation but honestly, how many of us fall asleep or check out what’s going on-on Facebook? Now get someone in front of us who is exploding with passion so much so that you can grab their energy right out of the air, put it in your pocket and carry it with you, now. . . .now you’ve got our attention. True or false?
Don’t be afraid. Do it. If you’re authentic (so over-used, I know), people will love you and buy from you. Really. Now embrace who you are and get out there and make it happen.
