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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I really love working with our new clients and dissecting what they are doing (or not doing) for their online marketing and social media campaigns, rolling up our sleeves and ‘gettin’ down to business to start the construction and branding processes required for Facebook profiles, Facebook custom business pages, Twitter, Blogs and YouTube channels!

But…sadly… when I ask the question to business owners, ‘May we please have your login to Facebook so we can start the construction process,’ and the reply is, ‘Well, I don’t know. ’ I silently cringe.

Why?

The most common mistake that I see small business owners making these days on Facebook is assigning their staff or soliciting the help of a good friend to build out their Facebook business page.  Now, don’t get me wrong, that can be well and good IF the build out is done correctly.  But what we see happening time and time again is that the staff person or that good friend built the Facebook business page connected to themselves and not the business owner’s personal profile.  What that means is YOUR staff OR friend OWNS your Facebook business page!  Oh my gosh!!

As an example:  Susie Admin volunteers to make her boss a Facebook business page because it seems pretty simple.  Susie Admin logs into her personal account on Facebook and then starts the process of building out her boss’s Facebook page.  Hmmmm.  What’s wrong with that picture?

Fast forward. Susie Admin gives her two-week notice to her boss because she’s getting married, and Mr. Small Business Owner is super excited for Susie Admin! But when it comes time to hand over the passwords to Mr. Small Business Owner, guess what?  Susie Admin owns the business page and not Mr. Business Owner.  Sure, you can make Mr. Business Owner an ‘admin’ of his own page, but when it comes down to brass tacks, ladies and gentlemen, at the end of the day, no matter how you cut the Facebook cake, Susie Admin still owns your business page. OUCH!

So a word of caution. BEFORE you hop on the social media bandwagon, make sure that you are utilizing the expertise of a company that knows the importance of proper build out.  Those folks that ‘like’ your business page are golden.  Make sure you are the owner of everything you are building out for your online marketing and social media campaigns.

Outsourcing your social media to experts will ensure your online marketing and social media foundation is built correctly from the start.  Contact us today to find out how we can help your small business strategize and correctly build your online marketing and social media campaigns!

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Twitter

Twitter, like Facebook, has a huge potential customer base. It can be used as a powerful marketing tool with the right training.

If you want to aggressively market your business on Twitter, think about obtaining two accounts to keep personal Tweets and business Tweets separated as much as possible.  Also, when Tweeting for business, always, always provide a link to your business! Eye-catching headlines are worth their weight in gold. A good headline will go a long way to keep other Tweeters checking out your business for anything new and interesting. Breaking news about what is happening in your business industry is a great way to alert  followers and keep them interested in reading your Tweets.  The internet is all about keywords, keywords and more keywords!  Make sure your Tweets are not only engaging but are also keyword rich.

If you’re careful about how and what you Tweet, you can realize great success using Twitter to market your business!!!

As a business owner, you know that social media marketing SHOULD be part of your marketing toolbox. If you don’t have the time to spend weeks (or months) getting your Twitter, Facebook and Blog set up and maintained, consider outsourcing your social media!  Contact us today for your personalized quote!

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If you’re an entrepreneur  and have a small to medium size business, it is important that you make the most of your advertising and marketing dollars.  Getting the most for your dollar is as true for the small business owner as for the big business owner. Social media marketing is literally FREE and a resource worth its weight in gold!

Social Media Marketing Tips For Small Business

Here are some quick tips for small business owners.

Facebook has several great opportunities for FREE and also at low cost.  If you have not  yet created a personal profile on Facebook, I would highly encourage you to get on the social media bandwagon and start today. You can create a business account on Facebook without creating a personal profile, but the advantage of having a personal profile connected to your business page on Facebook is VERY powerful.  Friends from your Facebook’s personal profile are your bucket of  ‘prospects’ for your business.  Best of all…this is all FREE !!!!   After you’ve created your personal profile and created your business  page, take a peek at your competitor’s Facebook business pages and get an idea of how they are  showcasing their products to Facebook users.

Twitter is growing rapidly.  Again, Twitter is FREE.  All you have to do is create an account and start tweeting.  Keep in mind that keywords play a HUGE role on Twitter.  If you get lost in the Twittersphere, they have put together a guide that will help make the best use of their site.

LinkedIn is another useful social media tool to add to your social media marketing toolbox. LinkedIn is a great resource for B2B engagement.

YouTube is right up there with all the social media sites!  Do NOT leave this trusted social tool out of your online marketing toolbox.  Humans love videos that are not infomercials!  Humans like watching ‘real’ humans talk about ‘real’ things in less than one minute!  Why spend thousands of dollars on a videographer when you can literally reach thousands if not millions of prospects by harnessing the KISS methodology – Keep It Simple Stupid!

Blogs are a super complement to your already existing website.  If you don’t have an existing website, I would highly suggest building a hosted blog site.   WordPress blogs can aesthetically resemble a website AND they have the power of NOS on the internet. Google loves keywords. Feed your blog with rich keyword articles to assist in enhanced ranking on the internet.  And…drum roll…blogs have RSS feeds, giving your blog the ability to go viral all over the internet! I also suggest that you read and participate in other businesses blogs. Roll up your sleeves and start sharing some stories  and helpful hints of what has and has not worked well for you.

You may want to also consider utilizing mobile social networks.  Take a peek at Foursquare and Gowalla.  Setting up Google Alerts to watch for comments and conversations, and overall general mentions of your company!  Great way to be ‘alerted’ when  your company is being talked about.  Adwords are also a great  tool.  And always remember to review your web analytics!!!  Without reviewing your analytics, you don’t know how to steer your business!

The beauty of social media marketing is that you can reach local, regional, national and international markets for FREE.

What we hear almost on a daily basis is:

• I know I need an online presence
• I don’t know where to start
• I really don’t want to manage all these sites
• I just don’t have the time to build and manage all these sites

Your first step is to contact Personalized Marketing to build and outsource your small business social media.  We know how to get build your social media online presence and get ‘er done; and we take it a step further.  We’ll even manage all your sites so you can do what you do best, and that’s run your company!

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Are you ready to sharpen the FREE tools in your Social Media Toolbox?

The Pasco Economic Development Council rolls out the red carpet for Internet Marketing Expert Tara Jacobsen! She will show you how to grow your business utilizing the power of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter!

How to use Social Media like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to grow your business online!

Whether your customers are B2B or B2C,  this two-hour lunch-n-learn will show you the ways to make social media work for YOUR business!  Fasten your seat belt!  This is two hours of fast-paced information.  No worries if your pen can’t keep up; you’ll receive a handout with the information presented so that you can concentrate on content.

Social Media Marketing For Small Business Details

Social Media Lunch and Learn
Cost: $25 which includes a sack lunch
Location: South Holiday Library, 4649 Mile Stretch Road, Holiday 34690
Date: Thursday, October 7
Time: 11am to 1pm

For more information and to sign up, please visit http://marketingartfully.com/pascoedc/

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You’re a business owner literally stumbling into your office at who knows what time in the morning, afternoon, evening and see your ‘inbox’ overflowing, employees lined up in droves to ‘get to you’ before your phone rings, and you’re trying to beat the clock to answer a message from Facebook relating to a time sensitive invitation that could conceivably put high $$$ in your pocket.

“Which dance do I step to first?

Online Dancing

“I just don’t have the time” to do the Facebook Flamenco….oh my, I forgot to do the Two Step Twitter this morning; let’s don’t forget about the Breakdance Blog that’s half written and should have been posted yesterday.  What time am I on stage for the Waltzing Webinar?  Do I dare consider learning the LinkedIn Linedance?” Sheeesh….:(

Feel like you have two left feet, when it comes to blog design, online marketing strategies, execution and maintenance of all your social networking?

Personalized Marketing is your outsource solution!

Here’s a snippet of our services:

• Analyze your company’s website from a consumer perspective
• Examine how your business appears to the outside world
• Tailor current social media to your needs
• Provide online business marketing consultation services
• Develop your branding
• Blog building services
• Maintenance of all social media sites
• Maintenance of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) writing services
• Marketing strategies

I always preach: “As a business owner, do what you do best, and that’s run your company.”

We understand the importance when it comes to your company’s online business marketing.  Stay “in step” with consumer demand. The Internet is the only way the majority of your potential clients search for products and services. Contact us today for your FREE consultation.

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Finding balance in our lives is tough these days.

Do you ever feel like a juggler in a circus? Do the words ‘hurry up’ resonate off the walls at home before you even begin your work day? Feel like you’re out of breath before your day actually begins?

I Don't Have Time!

It’s one thing to get the family out the door in the morning, yet another to face the undaunted sticky note on your computer screen that stares at you every morning…smack in the face…‘reminder – get the marketing mojo going; develop blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and everything there is to do to be online savvy and keep up with the Joneses.

I can hear it now, “I don’t have time!  And not only, ‘I don’t have time, but I don’t want to make time’!!!

Take a breath. A deeeeeeep breath. There is hope! And actually, it’s quite simple. Contact Personalized Marketing. What we do best is take care of you and your business. You can rip the sticky note off your computer screen, your mind can relax….you are now on your way to creating your online presence, while at the same time, doing what you do best; run your business and allow Personalized Marketing to handle your online marketing requirements.

And, by the way…thank you, loyal customers..you asked for MORE help and we’ve answered! Not only do we provide all online marketing and social media assistance, we now offer comprehensive packages to fit all your marketing needs; both online and offline.

Remember, we don’t just come in the front door, develop your custom blog design and blog content, online marketing and social media presence and then leave you with an instructional manual.

“I don’t have time,” will be a phrase of the past. From blog design and blogging, to Facebook to Twitter to YouTube, and beyond…we’ve got you covered every day, 24 x 7.

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Grab a front row seat, kick back, watch, listen and learn why, as I preach every day, Social Media DOES matter!

“Socialnomics is by Socialnomics author Erik Qualman. Erik Qualman  is the author of Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. Socialnomics made Amazon’s #1 Best Selling List only after three weeks of publication & has been in the Top 100 Best Selling Business Books List consistently since its launch in August.”

“This video showcases several Social Media ROI examples along with other effective Social Media Strategies. Music is by Bob Sinclair (“Tennessee”).

The need for a strong Internet presence is imperative, from creating a true search engine optimized custom blog design (which, by the way, is our specialty), to creating a Facebook friends’ page, building a Facebook business page, establishing a Twitter account and tweeting away,  but after you’ve set up your social media sites, then what?  The hard part is keeping those sites current and harnessing the true power of all the social networking tools.  It is the maintenance of all the social media sites that become a road block for many small to medium size businesses.  Who’s going to keep the sites engaging?  Who is going to place meaningful content on the sites and interact with YOUR potential new customers and loyal followers?

At Personalized Marketing, we  recognize the successful entrepreneur needs an everyday resource to maintain their online presence! This is why we offer one stop shopping services for the creation of a custom blog design, provision and maintenance of all the social media online sites for your business. We will keep your sites fresh and engaging on a daily basis. We will handle those things you don’t have time to do!

Contact us about how Personalized Marketing can boost your company’s bottom line!

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I must give credit where credit is do, and the following plethora of Twitter info comes from The Pew Internet & American Life Project . 

“The Pew Internet & American Life Project is one of seven projects that make up the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The Project produces reports exploring the impact of the internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life.”

There has been much media attention given to Twitter and other microblogging services over the past year and initially the supposition was that, as with other types of social network services, teenagers would be leading the adoption charge on a social, connective technology.  However, data from September 2009 suggest that teens do not use Twitter in large numbers. While a September 2009 survey of adults suggests that 19% of adult internet users ages 18 and older use Twitter or update their status online, teen data collected at a similar time show that only 8% of online American teens ages 12-17 use Twitter.

Eight Percent of Online Teens use Twitter

 It should be noted that the question wording for teens is quite different from how the question was posed to adults so the results are not strictly comparable. Older teens ages 14-17 are more likely to use Twitter than middle school teens ages 12-13. Among internet users, one in ten (10%) high school aged teens uses Twitter while less than half that number of younger teens – just 5% – do so. High school aged girls are driving the age differences; 13% of online girls in that age group use Twitter, compared to 7% of boys that age. Teens from households wired with broadband are slightly more likely to report using Twitter—with 9% of broadband users on Twitter compared to just 3% of teens with dial up access at home. There are no differences in Twitter use among teens by race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.

Percent of Online Adults who use Twitter or another Status Updating Site

Among adults, young adults are the most active users of status update services such as Twitter; one-third (33%) of internet users under the age of thirty post or read status updates online. These services are especially popular among the youngest adults—fully 37% of online 18-24 year olds post status updates about themselves online or view the updates of others, up from 18% of the youngest adults in December 2008. These higher rates of Twitter use and status updating among young adults relative to teens may be partially due to our question wording capturing status updates on social networking sites. Many social networking sites offer the ability to post short status updates, and usage of social networking sites is highly correlated with status update behavior—fully 35% of social networking site users also post status updates online, compared with just 6% of internet users who do not use social networking websites. There is little variation in the use of status update services based on race, ethnicity or socio-economic status; however, online women (21% of whom use Twitter or other status update services) are more likely to use these services than men (17% of whom do so).

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Tampa Bay Small Business Owners come out and learn social networking like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter the easy way! You will leave class with all of your systems set up the right way AND with tools to use that will make managing your social networking a breeze!

Every Small Business Owner knows that social networking SHOULD be part of their marketing toolbox, but who has the time to spend weeks (or months) getting it set up? What if I told you that you could have your entire social networking empire (including facebook, linkedin and twitter) set up in just four hours, with no stress?

Personalized Marketing, Inc. has teamed up with marketing expert Tara Jacobsen to show you how to make the most of your time using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  We will show you what it it means to ‘get out there,’ the right way with social media and formulate a lead generation plan for your small to medium size business Seats are limited.. 

Where – Snookers – Best Restaurant Tampa Bay
606 North Pinellas Avenue
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689

Dates & Times – February 2, Noon – 4PM
Class Sponsored By Personalized Marketing
Call Stacy Hansen of Personalized Marketing with any questions 727-505-5384

Cost: ONLY $100

Please register at : Marketing Artfully!

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