social media secrets- Top 10 trends of social media for small business
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
Posts Tagged ‘Business’
Social Media Saves Businesses Like Cisco 250,000$
Sunday, December 5th, 2010By now, I am no longer trying to sell people on the idea of needing social media. I’m over it. It’s a waste of time. I now speak to people (and businesses) that already see value in social media. This creates a more equal level playing field to have an intelligent conversation about what social media can do for their business. They have to see a need. If they are banking on social media to save their company their not ready.
Special thanks to my good twitter friend @markshaw in the UK for posting this video. I wanted to share this with all of you for 2 reasons:
1. I am a CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Administrator from my previous days while running my old IT consulting firm (for 8 years while going to college full time) and am always keeping an eye on what Cisco is up to because they are a company I greatly respect & admire.
2. This video represents the top reasons why businesses should be using social media as part of their business strategy because of the cost savings associated with it compared to purchased or traditional media.
Please Re-Tweet this and share this with others in your social circle, I’m sure they will get some value fro this video.
Cheers,
Justin “Results” French
Why Entrepreneurs Are Like The Long Shot At Del Mar
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
Entrepreneurs starting businesses in the current economic climate have a real challenge yet an opportunity at the same time. It separates them from others who would never take risks, especially when times are very tough. This sets them apart from the competition. Entrepreneurs start a business usually for one main reason: They see a problem, they are passionate about solving that problem, and will do everything necessary to achieve their goal of finding a solution to that problem.
My current start-up Social Networking San Diego was founded in January 2009 on the premise that majority of small business websites don’t generate traffic. I estimate 80% of small business websites don’t generate traffic. So with my technical, business, and entrepreneurial spirit, I vowed to solve this problem because o am passionate about helping the small business community. So far things are going great and we are helping many clients solve this challenge & all while increasing sales of their products & services and saving money. Like Barack Obama says “Small business and Entrepreneurs will be the driving force of getting us out of this recession”, and I couldn’t agree more.
As for how this analogy relates to horse racing, Well 90 to 95% of Entrepreneurs fail because lack of funding, lack of leadership/ management, lack of sales, or lack of proper marketing. Usually at the horse races (another passion of mine- I live 20 minutes form Del Mar Racetrack) I tend to put money on the long shots once in a while if I like the kckey, study work out times, know who the trainer was, etc. I do my homework first. Just like in business, when starting anew business venture, do your homework, and if you have a little luck or know the right people, you may just have a big pay day 😉
If you would like to see more about Social Networking San Diego solutions for Social Marketing for business, check out our solutions page here: http://www.socialnetworkingsandiego.com/solutions/
social media minute – Monday roundup of top social media news
Monday, September 13th, 2010This social media minute Monday roundup is brought to you by
We use this productivity tool ourselves & many clients do too. Click Here To Boost Your Productivity On Twitter!
Second big news of the day worth noting, Pennsylvania’s Harrisburg University of Science and Technology will enact a week-long social media blackout for all students. full story details can be found here: http://bit.ly/c5QffO
If your business is interested in sponsoring our weekly social media minute, please contact us here http://www.socialnetworkingsandiego.com/contact/ and mention “sponsor” and we will get back to you with openings in the schedule. This is EXTREMELY valuable for local & national businesses that we have relationships with and helps to get some additional exposure with a trusted firm. See you next week for next week’s social media minute.
san diego businesses use mobile marketing and social media for success
Sunday, September 12th, 2010
mobile marketing and social media are HOT topics right now in the internet world, but is your business taking full advantage of these services yet? Most likely not which is why you should be taking a class on this and “upgrade” your business development skills because if you don’t, you will have a hard time being in business five years from now. Mira Costa College has a class being offered that I teach called Introduction to marketing your business online that will help you lay the foundation for your online business development success. Consider this online marketing 101 for the 21st century business [professional. You will not be disappointed. Details can be found here:
Click this link to reserve your seat http://bit.ly/c0lNsy
p.s. special thanks to @journik for the Posterous idea- testing it out 😉
How your business can succeed with social media marketing education
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
Hello Friends, Colleagues, Clients, & Partners,
This month is very exciting because it marks the 4th semester of our CEO Justin “Results” French teaching a class at one of his alumni Mira Costa College. As you can probably already tell, Justin is EXTREMELY passionate about teaching social media to local businesses. Why? Because social media levels the competitive landscape for small businesses wanting to build their brand, generate local awareness about their products, services, or retail location, & even makes business development fun again!
If you are like most small businesses, you probably dread marketing, hate cold calling, and have worked with firms who have produced unsuccessful results. We at Social Networking San Diego are focused on results. Our minimum campaign for monthly engagements starts around $1000 per month.
We deploy the most cost effective marketing tactics that get you results in the least amount of time, so we can EARN that extended budget for additional campaigns. Each social media marketing campaign is carefully backwards engineered & crafted with achieving your business goals. We focus on building long term business relationships. Don’t take our word for it- let’s hear from actual student/ small business owner
Video Testimonial Here
If you are a local small or mid-sized business owner or professional ready to explore the trenches of social media then I highly suggest you partake in this semesters Introduction To Marketing You Business Online class at Mira Costa College. Registrations are filling up quickly so reserve your spot today!
Click this link to reserve your seat http://bit.ly/c0lNsy
You have the social media plan but are you executing properly?
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010Another discovery I found was that most companies do not have the internal staff to handle their social media execution (I have been doing a little social media staffing too 😉 or they do have the staff but they’re just not familiar enough with the social media tools so there’s a very select few people in the industry who are speaking, consulting, or teaching in this space who actually have track records such as myself who come to the rescue.
As I continue to develop my authority in the social media space, I realize the importance of having an actual social media plan. It cannot be a template. It is not a one-size-fits-all. Every single company is different. Every single company has a different corporate culture. Every single company has a different executive team with different priorities and so you need take that into consideration when you’re developing your social media strategy for your business. I have about 20 case studies that we’ve done over the last couple years I’d be more than happy to share some of these case studies with you. I want to also point out that if you are a small business, social media is a way to get a leg up on your larger competitors if your willing to put in the hard work required. I’m telling you right now social media is leveling the playing field for your small business and you can get the word out online about your products and services just as easily as any other company. This is a huge opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs to really gain traction. Weather you are building a personal brand or a company brand, you now can take advantage of having a competitive advantage and being the early adopter. I’m also reminded of the old BNI networking group saying “companies don’t plan to fail they fail to plan” and this really applies to social media. So get started if you haven’t already and if you have be sure to subscribe to this blog for FREE tips, tricks, tools, and most importantly advice on social media success stories.
Speak to you tomorrow-
Justin “Resilient” French
Is your social media strategy working?
Monday, August 30th, 2010Does your business have a social media strategy in place? What is it?
To increase customer retention? Increase sales? Decrease lead acquisition costs?
Increase visibility?
I read a statistic today and I’ll try to find the link but it is important for you to know that only 50% of companies have an actual social media strategy or social media plan in place. And even LESS are measuring the results or ROI of their social marketing campaigns. Why? Because there is so much customization involved to develop and determine the proper key performance indicators, backwards engineer the campaign, and then establish the tools & tactics needed. Believe me when I say it- social media campaigns are extremely complex & customized around each clients business model and we LOVE a challenge. Something we love even more is when clients get results like winning the San Diego’s best green product installer contest or selling all their tickets for their fundraising event. Simply put, when your clients see results in social media and can measure ROI, they finally see the true value in social media that it can bring to their organization:
1. decreased online advertising expenditure
2. increased customer retention & satisfaction
3. much higher conversion rates than paid advertising
because of the trust factor (through facebook & twitter communities)
4. much cheaper lead acquisition compared to paid online advertising
What type of ROI have you demonstrated for your clients using social media? Are you a business using social media yet? What have been your results? I’d love to hear from you!
Cheers,
Justin “Results” French
The Top 3 Lessons Learned From Zenyatta’s 18th Win
Sunday, August 8th, 2010
The Biggest thing I love about social media is that you can record real-life instances real-time and share with the world, or at least share with your friends & colleagues you are connected with.
I had the good fortune yesterday of being able to see history unfold in front of my eyes while watching the race horse Zenyatta being rode my the great jockey Mike Smith at Del Mar Racetrack. For those of you who don’t know, another passion of mine (among many) is horse racing. Even as a little kid going to the track with my father and uncles once in a while was a huge treat. Now, this day would be a fun filled family outing that will talked about for years to come. The reason? This female horse has won 18 races in a row! She remains unbeaten and I had the privilege of being able to experience first hand the excitement and energy of a full house at Del Mar cheering this horse on.
So here are the Top 3 Lessons Learned from Zenyatta’s 18th Win
1. Social media and social networking is much more popular among women than men (this is a fact) and if we analyze this one might see women as being more sociable, creative, and more “giving” than men.
2. Energy is contagious, and I sense that although the Trainers and others were a bit nervous for the 18th win, at the end of the day it was the heart of Zenyatta coming through at the end from all the cheering and excitement of the venue. This tells us to always lead with our hearts in ALL we do and I can attest that being in business, social media, and high tech management over the years following my heart has been crucial.
3. Legacy is greater than currency as Gary Vee says, and thanks to social media, we now have ways to share with future generations our passions and sharing a piece of history like Zenyatta winning the big race at del mar will live on!
What are you doing to follow your heart? Are you doing what your passionate about? Talk Soon- Justin “Results” French
p.s. here is a video clip of the win to get a sense of how much energy was filled in the air
Top 5 Website Mistakes Our Team Has Fixed For Small Businesses
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
1. Fails to Reach the Proper Target Audience
2. Generate Targeted Traffic
3. Have A Proper SEO Foundation
4. Have A Blog
5. Have An Integrated Social Media Marketing Plan
Yes, it’s there, it’s pretty, but is anyone looking at it? Is it bringing you new business? Is it generating leads? What is your conversion rate? Whats is your ROI on your monthly online marketing budget? Are you paying for online marketing software every month and seeing a return on this investment? Is it exposing you to a new market? Building your brand? Are you monitoring your personal or company reputation?
“Your website is only a billboard. You can have the most beautiful website in the world, and without traffic, it might as well be a billboard in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa.”
Contact us today and see how a social media marketing campaign can drive targeted traffic to your website while increasing click through, conversion, and decreases online adversing expenditure.
With internet marketing, you make your marketing dollars work more effectively online by establishing a CONSTANT presence on many sites. Over time, your customers will either do business with you or purchase from you when they are ready. We help your website pop up on search engines; you should have blogs on your website with updated content meant specifically for your prospect. Suddenly you’re a trusted source for information on your products/ services. You have a Twitter feed that keeps the consumer updated throughout the day on news and events pertaining to THEM and their specific interest- reminding them that YOU are their dependable source.
Ultimately everything comes down to the bottom line – drive revenue, lower traditional marketing costs by using Internet Marketing to generate traffic to your website, measure your ROI, and have a sustainable online marketing system that becomes more powerful over time.
So it’s time. Time to make that website work for you, time to embrace the future of social marketing with a company like Social Media San Diego that has the integrity, credibility, and track record of results to help build your online brand and improve your companies performance in all areas. Time to get online. Time to get it done right!
Social Networking San Diego will get you there- We offer the Fast Track
Call 760-576-4653 to schedule a FREE Discovery Session!