When President Obama used Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in the 2008 election, it was considered cutting edge. In the 2012 election cycle, it doesn’t raise an eyebrow. But is it being used effectively? Does it have limitations?

Can Social Media in Tampa Sway an Election

The Role of Social Media in Tampa Elections

If Florida is the ultimate swing state, Tampa Bay is its apex. It is hypercompetitive and, at times, pretty scrappy.  Social media is the perfect tool for those who are running for office because its castnet is both wide and narrow.

Social Media in Tampa is a FREE Recruitment Tool.

Twitter and Facebook lend themselves to fast response. They are invaluable tools to boost political involvement. It’s as easy as retweeting or hitting Like. Social media in Tampa can also be used to target specific areas. Through geo-location, data bases can be built to target pockets of supporters (and supporters can become volunteers!)

Bonus: It can also track negative comments and then be used to fine-tune a message or reverse the effects of negative ads by an opponent.

Social Media in Tampa Gets ‘Em Talking!

Nothing creates buzz like a viral video or a Twitter frenzy. It gets a candidate’s name out there. While it can’t stop negative campaigning, social media can counter negative attacks with a strong virtual counter-current.

Social Media in Tampa is a FREE Barometer

Political strategy gets a powerful partner in social media. It is a strategist’s most powerful tool, and costs far less than a focus group. Tweets , Facebook and Reddit comments, Pinterest pins – Blogging – and YouTube videos –all are wonderfully transparent! They are right there! They are SO EASY to track!

• A campaign can easily see what the public thinks in real time
• They can see how people are reacting to a campaign development or a hot-button issue
• They can use the information gathered to fine-tune or counter-campaign through the power of conventional media (radio, TV and print ads) as well as social media.

Social Media in Tampa Connects

Enthusiasm is contagious! Research shows candidates are just starting to grasp its importance in spreading the word for FREE. Candidates or campaign volunteers should automatically use social media to:

• Make campaign announcements
• Issue news releases
• Weigh in on a hot button issue (this will attach one hash-tag to another, in effect, cross-pollinating)
• Thank volunteers!
• Answer voter questions in real time
• Pin positive photos or post a video on YouTube
• Make a candidate more approachable, more relatable, more reachable

Social Media in Tampa is Severely Underused!

By some estimates, only one percent of candidates nationwide take full advantage of social media! Just like business owners, candidates for office must get on the social media bandwagon to be relevant and improve connection to the voters. While social media has not replaced conventional media (sorry, those repetitive ads are here to stay), it is now part of the landscape. It is here to stay. It is worth the investment.

Outsource Political Social Media to an Expert

One thing politicians do not have is time. Volunteers may or may not have the ability to do social media for a busy candidate. That is why a candidate should find a social media professional to create the RIGHT KIND of buzz, track responses, and turn support into votes!

For targeted, strategic social media in Tampa, contact Personalized Marketing today. We know Tampa Bay, we know social media. We get results!

 

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Social Media in Tampa relies upon the new, the fresh and the relevant to capture attention. If you’ve tried Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr, now is the time to look into Pinterest.  This “new kid” in the social media world is a fresh and FREE way to promote your business!

Pinterest is a new Tampa social media outlet that is highly visual, allowing you to post thematic images and visual messages. The more visual the better. Think of it as the colorful magazine rack in the bookstore or checkout line.  How easy is that in a picture-perfect area like ours!

The beauty of Pinterest in Tampa Social media is that like minds come together in a visual way. You can search by themes, boards and even people. That means your business can be searched – and found — in many different ways.

Like the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Any image you post can be linked back to your site – and lead potential customers to you!  If someone likes your pin, they can repin it on their boards – and it gets repined from there in an exponential tell-a-friend way. It all links back to you. GENIUS!

Social media in Tampa relies on authenticity and perseverance to be successful. Here are 5 ways to improve your click-throughs and promote a new product using Pinterest:

1. Evaluate whether your product would be Pinterest worthy or could be made more visual. Clever sayings, vintage ads, related pictures – anything that could be taped to the fridge or posted on Facebook works –if your product or service itself isn’t picture-pretty.
2. Be willing to put in the time to work on your board. Try to pin something every day.  Like most entrepreneurs, of course, you simply may not have the time to do this. Consider hiring a pro to manage your Pinterest board for you!
3. Pinterest is based on mutual interest. It is a natural springboard to other platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, to continue or deepen a connection you make. This can be a potential customer, an advantageous business connection or people who simply like finding something new and cool, and talking about it on social media.
4. For social media in Tampa, think of Pinterest as a visual Twitter, in which those you follow will follow you. Think reciprocity. If you repin items from top quality pinners, there is a great chance they will pin you back — giving you a boost in name value and credibility.
5. When you create a Pinterest account, promote it on your other social media platforms. Add a Pinterest button to your website. People may click on it out of curiosity and become hooked – a FREE way to spread the word.

One final caution: People do get turned off with highly sales oriented product pictures and transparent hype. Google, as now we know, penalizes pure pitch in organic searches. Subtle is the key. Not sure how to strike the right balance? Hire an expert – Personalized Marketing!

We have expertise in this new way of reaching millions of customers. We know how to meet all your social media needs. We get to know you and your business, then create a customized program that WILL generate you leads in the important social media realm.

Want to learn more about outsourcing social media in Tampa? Call Personalized Marketing today at 727-505-5384.

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Social media is the way to go – and grow – if you have a business in Tampa. It has never been easier to spread the word about who you are and what you have to offer. Here are the latest and greatest tools for lead generation in a new and easy way:

Pinterest – Got a unique product or service? Pin it! This photo sharing website has gone absolutely viral and is holding its own. Anyone  interested in your service, event or product – especially if it holds visual appeal – can like or re-pin it.  This is the social media phenomenon of the moment, just when we thought we’d seen it all.

Google+  –  Recently, and in short order, this social media outlet has catapulted into third place worldwide. More than 170 million Google users have upgraded to Google+, according to the company.  Jump on the bandwagon and link your business to its Circles, Messenger and Hangouts.

Twitter – In fast-moving Tampa Bay, and in this time starved world, getting your message across in 140 characters is still the way to go. It’s such a simple concept: follow others; they will follow you. There is really no better way to broadcast a quick, real-time and FREE hello to your loyal customers. With 500 million subscribers, it is an ideal way to send a quick reminder about a special event, sale or deal. No time to keep up? Plan information bursts with Hootsuite!

Facebook – Need social media in Tampa? Facebook is still the nerve center! It personalizes your business like nothing else. It IS the water cooler. Create a fan page and post updates, send messages to targeted lists. Nearly 900 million people use this tool around the world. What are you waiting for?

YouTube – Thanks to smart phones, it has never been faster or easier to send a video greeting, show off a hot new product or make a how-to come alive.

LinkedIn – The largest business networking site lets you post updates, make valuable B to B connections and advertise – all for FREE. A recommendation by a satisfied customer makes showing your company’s  value transparent and easy.   Position yourself as an expert in your field!

Blogging – When it comes to social media in Tampa, single serving messages just don’t cut it. You risk being branded a one-hit wonder if you don’t keep up the comments.  A blog gives a history and a  means of organizing topics. It is still a highly relevant way to… keep YOU relevant.

All of these individual ways to do social media in Tampa can be linked together. All of them are FREE! Of course, it takes time. It can seem like a full-time job in itself.  Done properly IT IS!

How do you aggregate and manage it yourself? You DON’T! You outsource social media to the most trusted name in Tampa social media: Personalized Marketing. We have the local experience, energy and know-how to meet your social media needs.

We get to know you and your business, then create a custom social media program that WILL take your business to the next level. You will be amazed at how easy it is to get social, show off and generate leads.

Want to learn more about social media in Tampa? Call Personalized Marketing today at 727-505-5384.

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Getting started with the creation of a Facebook friends list is as simple as looking for people with similar likes and interests to your own. However, before you start building your Facebook friends list, you will first want to ensure that you created a personal profile or timeline of how you want to appear to your Facebook friends. You may want to project a professional personality on your profile. Or perhaps you simply prefer to be seen as a positive and friendly person. The choice is entirely yours, as long as you ensure that you show people on your profile or timeline how they would benefit from being friends with you. You might want to post a few images of yourself and write about your interests or what you have been up to recently. You will find that people will be able to quickly identify with you and want to know a little bit more. Be prepared to be consistent, responsive and proactive when you start to gain Facebook friends by commenting on their latest pictures and posts.

Find FaceBook Friends

Time now to find Facebook friends by starting to look for groups that are centered around a particular hobby that you enjoy. Or groups of people who have the same care or concerns that you have over a particular subject. You will also discover many pages that share the same excitement or enthusiasm as yourself for a pastime or pursuit. There will be no shortage of groups and people who share something in common with you. Leave a few posts on groups and pages walls. Make your comments interesting, but do not be tempted to self advertise. There will be people who are naturally curious after reading your comment and will check out your profile or timeline and, perhaps, add you as their Facebook friend.

Connecting To Build Your Facebook Friends List

Join as many groups as you can that share something in common with you. If you do not have a lot of interests, you can still find Facebook friends based upon geographical location, or gender. Be prepared to look through people profiles, and then add them as friends. You will soon discover that some will reciprocate and add you as a friend. Of course, if you would like to spend a little more time with the process, you can gain a lot more Facebook friends by leaving a personal message after adding them as a friend. This is as simple as saying ‘Hi,’  addressing them by their name and mentioning that you noticed they share a common interest with you [which you will have seen by reading their profile or timeline]. State that you enjoy connecting with people of similar interests and that you would like to be their Facebook friend. A personal note like this can really set you apart from the crowd. Don’t forget, of course, to send them a quick note and thank them when they accept your friendship! Creating a Facebook friends list can be fun and easy to do. Take your time to do it right and you will connect with a lot of great new friends.

If you are a business owner  interested in personalized marketing  -  outsourcing your company’s social media – we are here to help!  We not only build and brand your social media sites; i.e.  Facebook profiles and timelines, Facebook business and welcome pages, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs and Google Plus – we also MAINTAIN these sites so you can do what you do best…run your business and let us do the rest!  Contact us today for a FREE consultation!

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I hear this phrase everyday when I ask small business owners, “Who does your social media?”  The common answer – “Well, no one. We don’t have time.”   Of course, with hands flying in the air in utter frustration, “and even if we did have time, we REALLY don’t want to learn Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogging or Google Plus!”

Frustrated with Your Social Media?

Can’t say that I blame business owners for throwing their hands in the air, when it comes to social media.  Social media is a tough nut, to say the least.  And social media marketing is so much more than just blogging, building a Facebook business page, following folks on Twitter and getting followers, or making YouTube videos for business.  There are the mechanics of building the sites, and then there’s the actual marketing of the sites…that’s the key…that’s what most small business owners miss…the marketing aspect of how to make all of their social media sites work in concert to raise brand awareness and search engine optimization for Google ranking.

Some say that building the social media sites are simple.  Yes, they CAN be, IF you know what you’re doing!  I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to ‘walk back the cat’ and correct the mistakes that small business owners or their employees have made in building out their social media city. As an example, branding is huge problem.  Ensuring Facebook profiles are tied to the correct business page is another.  Another horrendous problem on Facebook are the business owners that are building their business presence on the ‘profile’ side of Facebook.  Big mistake, folks.  This goes against the terms of service for Facebook.  Business owners beware!  If you have a business, build out a Facebook business page and don’t create a personal profile for your business.  Remember…what Facebook giveth, Facebook can taketh away in a heartbeat!

Outsourcing your social media needs to Personalized Marketing will save you from headaches and will also save you money.  Contact us today for your FREE, no obligation quote

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EVERYONE wants to know how to promote your Facebook business page! Now more than ever, we want to be connected with everything and everyone in our realm and nothing makes it easier than social media. Social media applications, like Facebook, put connectivity at our fingertips and provide an interactive opportunity to reach new audiences, encourage new relationships and foster lasting partnerships. Facebook, the most popular social media application to date, makes it simple to promote your business by providing an alternative to traditional advertising platforms and offers a way to let your customers do some of the advertising work for you.

Currently, Facebook boasts over 750 million active users, meaning the potential for exposure is limitless. The only question remaining is how to get those users to your business page. To promote your Facebook business page most effectively, consider the following:

Driving Traffic & Instant Information: The most surefire way to get your current customers to your Facebook page is by providing a direct link to your Facebook page on your current business webpage. It’s easy to implant a linking icon on your page, just follow the simple instructions (including source code information) provided when you set up your business page.

The newest and greatest way to share information about your business is by adding a QR code (quick response) to your advertising materials including everything from business cards to window banners. The code, a two-dimensional electronic barcode, is captured as a photo by smartphone users. Using new processing technology, the smartphone reads the photo as information and instantly opens the phone browser and takes the phone owner to the webpage for that company, product, or service- all within seconds!

Loyalty Incentives. Nothing drives a customer to your product or service website faster than the idea that their loyalty will be rewarded. By adding promotions and award incentives such as discounts or coupons to the “like” option on your Facebook page, you can dramatically increase the number of visitors to your site.

Location, Location, Location. Advertising on Facebook is a simple and highly effective way to promote your Facebook business page. Facebook offers advertising that is specifically targeted to your preferred audience and can be honed to include very specific demographic details. Advertising fees vary and determine placement and appearance of your business page ad on the users “homepage.” Check out info about advertising on Facebook including case studies exemplifying the potential for success.

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Why should you worry less about how many Facebook “Likes” you have? Lets take a look at what is really going on. It is easy to get caught up in the allure of the latest, greatest, best new thing. Often we find ourselves blindly following the masses into doing what we think is the better thing only to find out there are other things just as fabulous. And so we arrive at the almighty and much adored Facebook “Like” button. Because it’s virtually everywhere on the internet, it’s easy to misunderstand exactly what this magical little button is doing and not doing, and exactly what it could be worth to your business.

When assessing whether or not you are reaching your intended market, it might be an automatic assumption that the awareness level of your business relies solely on the number of “Likes” you receive. Actually, that little button can be indicative of many, many things – but be warned, your status among competitors or an actual representation of real fans may not be among them. Instead, your “like-ability” could be heavily buried and strategically bound in tech-savvy marketing practices including “robo-likes” which don’t represent the views of real, live users.

Another thing to consider is that though clicking the “Like” button is some-what interactive, it’s only interactive on the part of the user and very passive. There is no way for the business to respond and thereby create a relationship – which is the ultimate goal, right? So, if you really can’t rely on the “Like” count to be an accurate indicator, are there other features that could be more helpful? Absolutely!

Utilizing features on Facebook and other social media outlets that encourage the user to comment, and allow the business to join in that conversation is a direct way to create a relationship, one user or potential client at a time. This new relationship indicates real, live engagement on the part of the user and the potential for continued positive exposure is limitless. Not to worry, though, “sharing” is still at the root of this marketing tool. When users comment, other users see the conversation and can share with their friend groups and so on, and so forth. So, in short, don’t focus so much on being “liked.” Instead, engage, expand, and grow your business presence on the internet by being part of the process. Do not just be a button.

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Fersons, Floggers and Sybils are new threats to your online reputation. What are they, you ask?

Fersons and floggers – short for fake persons and fake bloggers- are populating the Internet like never before. Spammers, competitors and online identity management firms are in opposing corners, trying to leap frog over each other to the top of Google searches. The target is your online reputation.

Fersons and Floggers are really people (but usually companies) that create dozens or hundreds of fake identities in the form of e-mail addresses, bogs and Web sites. Their sole purpose is to manipulate Google searches for a particular company.

How? They will buy many domain names and begin blogging against an established business. They will invent scores of email addresses and leave great or nasty comments on public forums and blogs.

Also known as the Sybil attack, (named after a woman with multiple personality disorder), an online attacker creates a large number of pseudonymous entities, and uses them to gain a disproportionately large influence on a business’s reputation.

Always, they are anonymous and hard to trace. One Washington lobbyist, the victim of scathing and untrue personal attacks, told the Washington Post, “There’s no policing, no rules, no standards.” Bloggers are “cowboys,” she said. “It’s the wild, wild West.” (read the full story)

Of course, fersons have existed as long as the Internet has been around. One poll conducted in 2007 said an astonishing 55% of respondents say they regularly or always use fake Web identities. But the newest incarnation is systematic, organized and professional. It is intended to hurt legitimate businesses.

Why does this matter? If a company website has a negative search result directly below it then up to 70% of surfers will click on the negative result first rather than the company website. It is important for a company to ensure that its website gets close to the top of search results for terms relevant to its business.

How to counter negative attacks? You guessed it: With MORE fersons! Search Engine Reputation Management firms, or SERMS, use these same tactics to minimize and counter damage inflicted by inflammatory web sites and blogs.

The downside is that SERM services start at about $10,000. For the small business, this is just not feasible.

The best course of defense is to employ the old customer directive: ”If you are happy with our service, tell everyone. If you are unhappy, tell us!” Tout your accomplishments and testimonials on Facebook and Twitter. You can get professional advice and excellent, POSITIVE small business marketing promotion through the social media marketing experts at Personalized Marketing. Contact us today to chat about positioning your small business on the Internet!

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Small businesses need to get on the social media bandwagon.Why? You built your business through interaction with people and keep it going by networking, word of mouth and just plain reaching out. Social media is just an extension of that!

Platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are just new ways that allow you to reach customers and potential clients without stepping out your door. How easy is that?! Better still, it’s FREE advertising!

In fact there is no longer an excuse for not having social media!

Free Small Business Marketing

Interacting with your customers through platforms such as Twitter and Facebook helps build solid relationships that will keep them coming back. If you own a restaurant, you can get the word out about specials and new menu items. If you are a Realtor, you can give virtual YouTube tours of properties you want to sell. Any service provider can advertise offers and educate customers about why they need the service. And the best news of all, it is FREE advertising!

It costs nothing to set up a Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter Account. If you have a flip camera you can even shoot your own mini commercials or testimonials and upload them onto YouTube. Everything you create can link back to one another.

Branding: Claim Your Name!

You don’t have to have golden arches to make your brand recognizable to the public. Branding is all about public identity of your unique business: Staking your claim in the social media world and setting up accounts with your company’s name. Facebook vanity URLs and Twitter handles are both first come, first served. If you don’t take your business name, someone else might snag it. Not quite ready to dive in to social media? Go on these services and just claim your name!

Pass It On

Think your business is too small for advertising?Think again! The best part of social media is its FREE and shareable nature. Social media is a great way to stretch your existing advertising dollars… for FREE! If you ask customers to visit your Facebook page, they can share that page with their friends at the click of a mouse. Those people share it with their friends, and so on. It multiplies! Suddenly an ad for your service with a small reach is extended exponentially.

It’s free (and easy)! It costs nothing but time to set up your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. Additionally, monitoring, scheduling, posting and interacting are made simple with free software like HootSuite and TweetDeck.

Still not sure how to go forward? Leave it to the pros at Personalized Marketing. Social media for small businesses like yours is all we do. Now that you know how important a social media presence is, what are you waiting for?

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 Small business? Think BIG – brand yourself through blog marketing!

Think about it: No one else does business quite the way you do. You may sell the same product as someone else, but your way of doing things is uniquely yours. Why not let the world know? And it’s FREE!

You maybe saying “But I do not have a big advertising budget!’  Here is a secret: YOU DON’T NEED ONE! You can get low or no cost branding through social media. Blog marketing-that is, marketing yourself through blog posts on your Web site, is how you do it.

Small business branding is not a good logo, a rhyming name, or special font. Small business branding is the owner. It’s what the owner does, says and how the owner’s traits come through in every aspect of the business. It’s the way relationships are built and maintained, the way a person does business and treats other people.

Here are some ways to brand yourself through blogging.

Blogging Advantages

The business world has long had a reputation for being sterile and faceless:  Press 1, Press 2, Please hold.  What sets truly successful businesses apart is a human touch. And that naturally promotes your brand. Thanks to blogging, there is no more powerful brand message to project than yourself. Even one new blog post a week conveys the message that you are interested in your customers, that your business is thriving, active and responsive. THAT is the brand you want to project!

Complement Blogging Through Other Social Media

Drive people to your blog through Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. Facebook, for example, puts you, a real person, out there with other real people. It uses a real time element. It is nimble and responsive. Establish a Fan Page now! Get your customers’ e-mail addresses, look them upon Facebook and invite them to friend you or follow your Fan Page. Post what you are doing or a recent testimonial or a recent accomplishment. Or just tell your customers how much you appreciate them.

Next, tell your Facebook friends or fans to follow you on Twitter. Got a special deal or offer? Hear some industry related news that you want to share? Tweet it! Or you can Tweet and link to your blog, Facebook page or Web page. 

Your Brand is YOU

Remember you have one competitive advantage that can not be replicated – YOU! No on can ever duplicate your personality, the way you do business and your attitude towards other people. Projecting your personality is a powerful competitive advantage, branding message and business tool that you should be using every day.

For expert advice on social media for small business, turn to the team at Personalized Marketing. They can help you project your brand on any social media platform.

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