I hope everyone is having a great week. This has been one of the busiest weeks for us in a few months, and we are working on some VERY exciting products and services (systems) that are going to revolutionize social networking and social media for business. As you know, Social Networking San Diego has been taking you though the social media and social networking FOR BUSINESS journey since January 2008 when we started our first Squido lens (HERE) to setting up our website/ blog on word press. Don’t forget our CEO Justin R French on twitter, who has been paying it forward since Day 1.

The reason for this blog post is to let you know what a typical day is like for a Social Media Strategist to see if you may be ready for this type of position OR even have the business background and the technical know how to provide such services to clients.

If you are a business considering using a social media strategist or a social media consultant, please watch this video FIRST that will clarify some Frequently Asked Questions about The Top 5 Questions when considering Social Networking & Social Media For Business

I am NOT saying you have to be a programmer with a computer science degree OR be an MBA graduate from Harvard (Cal State San Marcos is just as good and cheaper in my opinion but I digress)

All I AM saying is that to be a Social Media Strategist or a Social Media Consultant, you must have a certain level of education, experience, and technical understanding to be able to provide such comprehensive and holistic solutions. As our CEO Justin R French quotes “It is extremely rare these days to find a web design company who can handle ALL areas of development, content writing, training, marketing, strategy, integration, system implementation, and measuring who have a full understanding of business as well. I remember in my old It consulting firm Perfect Integration that I founded, many technicians just were not business savy. I focused on being business savy FIRST, then technical. It has paid off for me big time, and that is why our team is currently able to help many small and medium sized businesses with social media consulting through my hands on coaching and training program which I provide to our team members.”

My apologies but I will continue tomorrow with the post on the typical day of a social media strategist because I am just soooooo burnt out from the long day. My brain is fried, so thank you for your patience and please check back tomorrow for A Day In The Field As A Social Media Strategist For Small Business

Any comments for us? See below and leave a message- thanks
Social Networking San Diego

Social marketing campaigns are the current trend but what are some key points your business can follow?

Social media and social marketing campaigns have become the norm today. Social marketing campaigns such as Twitter, linked-in, and Facebook and have given people the chance to communicate with family, friends and colleagues too without spending a single penny. Individuals are also making use of social marketing campaigns for business and to make new friends who are like minded and share the same information as them.

Online marketing and social media have come along a long way. Industry professionals have come to realize this potential and social media agencies are now targeting certain sections of individuals to market products, services and even clients to various people who do show some interest.

The whole idea behind social marketing campaigns is that an effective social marketing campaign should give the individual users the resources so that they can share topics or any related data and information with other like minded people. Blogs, videos and even images are some of the ways to use the social media to get the interest of the targeted individuals.

If you have made up your mind to start a social marketing campaign, then here are a few points that you should note beforehand:

Key Point #1
Sit peacefully and decide the purpose of your social marketing campaign. What is the scope of this particular social marketing campaign? Do you want to change the attitudes or beliefs of a certain group of people? Does your campaign affect the masses or does it target specific group of people?

Key Point #2
Make a team and set your target and goal. Assign responsibilities right in the beginning and clearly define your goals. You have to do a bit of research even though you are not trying to sell a tangible product or belief. Statistics and facts have to be gathered and try to talk with industry experts so that you get valuable information that will help you later on.

Key Point #3
Product, price, place and promotion are 4 “P’s” that will go a long way in making this social marketing campaign a grand success. You should first target the required population for a successful social marketing campaign. The social marketing campaign should be highly personal. The message should be effective and target the required audience. Identify the key gatekeepers and stake holders who will partner with you this campaign. Position the product effectively i.e. understand the target audience’s views in order to maximize benefits. If the product is properly positioned the correct awareness in created and the desired message is sent across effectively. It should of course have a direct call to action.

Key Point #4
Last but not the least you have to get financial support for your social marketing campaign. You can take the help of an ad agency, a social media marketing team of consultants, or a government organization and sell your social marketing campaign concept to them and hope to raise the sufficient funds. Getting the funding these days to run a successful campaign are most seen with the big brands like university of phoenix, whole foods, jet blue, zappos, etc. But for small and mid-sized business which we focus on helping with social media, we continue to work on campaigns and are developing and improving upon our turn key systems for this market, so please stay tuned.

Is there anything that you are currently doing in your social media campaign that you need help with? Contact us today HERE and let us know any struggles you are having. We have been in the trenches consulting on these projects now for 9 months.

P.S. here is some feedback on a “Social Networking 101 for Colleges” workshop i did through Mira Costa College and the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (You Can click Here for a copy of the Brochure)

Any Feedback, just drop us a line below, thanks- Justin R French

Are you keeping an eye on your competitors? What are people saying about your company? Do you keep up-to-date on the latest news on your industry? Are you getting constant feedback on your products and services form your existing and potential customers?

Here are 3 Simple ways to set-up a Business Intelligence System using social media.

1. Set-up Google Alerts to notify you of any activity on keywords you are following. For example, i have a keyword alert set-up for social media because i want to know the latest happening in this market because this is my current focus.

Here’s a quick how to video for you:

2. Set-up an RSS Reader (or i prefer Google Reader) to keep you up to date on the most influential blogs in your industry. The quicker you can read the news for your industry and respnd with your knowledge and insight will help build up your authority (this will not happen overnight i assure you)

here’s a video on how to set up Google Reader (and filters which are EXTREMELY helpful):

3. Set-up a twitter account (to aggregate) dedicated to just your competitors so you can keep an eye on them (video to come)

What else would you like to see me demonstrate? Please let me know, i am here to help, thanks
Justin

Entertainment has taken over our society and we need to get back to education. A fellow twitter friend Jeff Perry w/ One Coach really touched on some good points that i elaborate on.

Listen to CEO Justin R French explain this important concept

Warning: This is kind of a rant- BUT I try to touch on some important things. Please forward this blog post to a friend you may now who needs some motivation or personal development.

Social Media for business is still the current trend and for us to stay competitive in our businesses, we must know the “who’s who” in the social media world. We all know, to be the best, we must study and learn from the best.

So who are the Top 3 Social Media Authorities you follow? Here are mine in no particular order. I will explain reasons as to why i choose these Top 3 as my favorites because first and foremost, after learning from literally thousands of social media authorities over the last couple years, I can honestly say these 5 really communicate in a way i can relate to not only personally but professionally and i appreciate their story.

It is important to know that everyone has a unique story, and i mean everyone. Social media and social networking allows every one of us to have a voice, to let our story unfold on a blog, and build our businesses through relationship selling or as i like to call it “educational selling”. Think of this as you are investing time and building your personal brand. And know that as you go through this social networking and social media for business journey, your personal life and professional life continue to come together online. You suddenly see you start to associate with and migrate to good people online who share very similar passions / interests which is the foundation of social networking.

Here is a list of my Top 3 and the date (according to www.twitterholic.com when they started on twitter)

1. Chris Brogan
Date started on twitter: 10-23-06
Why? One of the first blogs (extremely valuable information) on social media and social networking for business I started reading last year and consider him a mentor. Plus he is one of the nicest and genuine guys you can meet online, and Chris actually engages, interacts, and converses with you. Just amazing how he keeps up with all his comments on his blog and followers on twitter. P.S. I just started his new book Trust Agents and it is awesome! (Video review to come- stay tuned)

2. Justin Parks
Date started on twitter: 6-08-08
Why? One of my closest / very first friends on twitter, and we constantly keep in touch and help each other out by exchanging global economic news (he is in Spain) and things we are experiencing in our businesses and how we can improve in service delivery, performance, and customer satisfaction. Not to mention, I consider him an SEO guru.

3. Gary Vaynerchuk
Date started on twitter:5-04-07
Why? I saw his web 2.0 video from last year and another ah-ha moment again. His passion somehow transferred into me and I haven’t looked back since. Plus I got to meet him at Harvard Gravity Summit and he is just one of the most brilliant Entrepreneurs of my generation that I am just amazed by. I can only aspire to be as successful as Gary Vee someday, but in the mean time, I’m working on crushing it!

Now, who are your Top 3 social media authorities and why? Please leave a reply below, I am really interested in hearing your choices
Thanks for sharing
Justin R French
CEO Social Networking San Diego

Want to connect with me on linked-in? Go here

we will never forget

I take this time out from all the business talk, the tech talk, the healthcare talk, the reality shows, and all the social media talk to reflect on a day that I will never forget. I remember this day of infamy that will haunt me for the rest of my life. It was a disaster on a scale that was un-imaginable to any 21 year old at the time.

I had just moved into my new place, started working as a customer service rep at a local skin care manufacturing company in Carlsbad, and going to Mira Costa College full time. Things couldn’t have been going better for me.

I woke up that morning around 6:30am i think to my daily alarm which is the news station on my TV (though now I usually check twitter first) to a picture of a burning building. My first thought was “am i watching a movie clip or something?” I was still trying to wake up all the way (I’m not much of a morning person i must admit) so it takes me a few minutes to get myself going and become alert. After a couple of minutes, i started switching to some of the other local news stations and the same picture was on the screen. This cant be real! I turned the volume up to listen attentively to the reporters as they start to repeat timelines of incidents unfolding, the plane that hit the first building, and on-going concerns of planes being un-responsive. After a couple more minutes into the events, i see right in front of my eyes the second plane collide into the other tower. At this point, my heart has sunk to the floor. I am absolutely beside myself. I call my mom immediately to express my shock and emotional distress. I then call into work and they say everyone has the day off and should be spending time with their family. I did just that.

It was one of the most depressing days our country has ever experienced, yet the events that followed would be ones that came to a shock to me as well. The days ahead caused Americans to act very differently. I have never experienced strangers holding doors for other people going in and out of convenient stores. I had never seen so many people just going out of their way to be nice or strike up a conversation with a stranger. It was as if our country united around this tragic event and caused people to appreciate their lives more, have a certain respect for others, and really come together as Americans. This collectiveness lasted quite a while, but as we know, people heal over time and forget over time. I guess in a sense I have never forgotten that tragic day and still try to look through all of the pain and suffering in the world, the hurt, the bad economic times, the depressing news, and try to be optimistic in our future. I must say that after getting onto Twitter, it really gave me back that sense of collectiveness on a global scale, forming relationships with strangers on common interests, networking, helping others, and it seems to have given people their own personal communication tool. It allows others to provide their opinion of the news, discuss topics openly and thoughtfully, and even add some positive and inspirational news for once.

A country can only take so much negativity before it really starts getting to people and something needed to be done. I say Twitter in a sense is bringing people together again not amidst a tragedy, but one of the worst economic crisis’s we have seen in a very long time. We will prevail through these tough times, just as we did as Americans after September 11th 2001. This is my reflection.

Please reflect on what you were doing on September 11th 2001 I am very interested in hearing others stories.

Also, if you’d like to use the hashtag on twitter #Reflection i will put together a series of posts of other American’s reflecting on the day. I look forward to your reflections
Justin

How are you building your online business brand or personal brand? I have had the privilege to connect and communicate with Brian Solis on MANY mediums such as Facebook and Twitter, and him and Chris Brogan are one of the most responsive social media and social networking for business authorities who actually respond and communicate with their audience. I know there are many individuals who communicate with their audience as well, but these two have really impressed me in how quickly they can respond and demonstrates they really CARE! Not to mention, they usually respond right back within 3 minutes! this is unbelievable! I can barely keep up with 2600 followers (very humbling by they way- people who actually have taken an interest in me, my company, my thoughts, ideas and opinions about small business, technology and social media for business purposes.) Obviously this is my passion, and that is crucial to building your personal brand- follow your passions EVEN if you are not making money at it YET. Also helping the small business community right now as Chamillionaire mentions is crucial.

Imagine, communicating real-time with actual “people” and engaging in conversation, building relationships, all around a common interest on-line. This is what social media is all about, whether you are building a personal brand or company brand.

Here is some footage I taped on Brian Solis (see his website here) today on Fox Business discussing some good insight on personal branding, building a community around your brand, and actually and MEANING something to the people you are connecting with so you can stand out and build your brand. “This helps transform connections with people from just a fan base to an actual community”- Brian Solis

Here is the video of Brian on Fox- enjoy, and congrats again Brian! Your thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment- Justin CEO Social Networking San Diego

By now your business should be on twitter, have a facebook fan page, and hopefully your on linked-in networking. For the small business market (which is where we have been providing most of our consulting services) it is still struggling with social media and social networking for business because of the 3 reasons i have seen:

1. budgeting requirements
2. time investment required for training on their part
3. being afraid of change.

Now i have to say that years ago i had the same concerns, but the point is that i started EDUCATING myself. Once you as a small business owner start getting educated (and hopefully you’ve signed up on our coaching program for social networking and social media for business here: SIGN UP ) you can begin the educational process.

Here is quick video that explains how to implement a social media marketing system into your company (enjoy) and leave a comment on your thoughts (its helps our blog ranking out 🙂

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?

Social media marketing and social networking for business use continues to grow. Thanks to all those social media authorities and industry experts, we are able to reflect and give you the business value of these tools and even teach our customers how to use these tools effectively.

I used to be a personal trainer at Bally’s (among many other things ive done in my career) and I thought to myself “What analogy can I use to help the business community understand social media marketing a little better?” And then as I was going to the gym today, I said, this is perfect! I will relate twitter, social networking and social media to working out. So here are the 3 reasons why social media marketing is like working out at the gym. Enjoy, and please leave a comment at the bottom on some of your analogies.

1. Being consistent with your workouts & wording- I must admit, I am not the most consistent person when it comes to the gym lately, yet I know the importance of working out regularly, eating right, and taking care of yourself. When you’re a workaholic like me, this can be a challenge. But I cannot stress enough the importance of building your online social media presence and personal or company brand online for long term success. This is a long term marketing strategy that goes along with other parts of your marketing mix, so work those online muscles regularly and engage, participate, and build value for the community (your prospects and clients)

2. Change up your online and off-line workout routine once in a while- At the gym, every month or two I switch up my routine because my body plateaus. You should do the same with your online marketing mix or social media mix. Do a podcast, shoot a you tube video, do a webinar, send out a newsletter, but always blog. This mixture of tactics with help you be a well rounded online business professional and help build your content for your user base. Remember, this all takes TIME.

3. Learn from the pros at the gym and the online gurus- We know the famous bodybuilders: Ronnie Coleman, Lou Ferrigno, Arnold, etc. Do you know who your internet celebrities are? What are their specialties? What separates them from the others? Always be following and listening to the gurus in the online world because these people will teach you many tips and tricks of the trade so you can start implementing for your own online marketing tactics or strategies. Believe me, I have been doing this for about a year now and it has saved me so much time in research by understanding what they do. Hopefully you are still one of my readers from the beginning of January when we started this social networking and social media for business journey together and have learned a thing or two from this blog 🙂

If you are a small business owner or business professional ready for a social media marketing survival guide, purchase the discounted version for 9.95$ in the upper right corner (the full version i am still writing) and enjoy. It will be the best under 10$ purchase your business will make all year, i guarantee it!
Justin