The Edgy Entrepreneur

Social Media Marketing Training

Recently, I decided to offer social media marketing training classes as sort of a way to lift the veil, so to speak. I had two primary motivators. The first was that it seemed to me that the companies that were really benefiting from online marketing campaigns were the big guys who could afford to outsource it. The second was that I was just so tired of the secretive bull crap that seems to be inherent in conversations about the cost and effectiveness of social media marketing that I decided to be as transparent as possible.

And while it isn't possible to quantify the cost and exact services of each and every thing I could offer, I decided to put forth some packages to give people an idea of the cost of my services. Even if you choose not to use me, these will give you an idea of what these services should cost with someone else...though I will tell you, I am on the affordable side. It is also important to note that the complexity of a campaign makes the cost more difficult to predict. So, without further ado:

We offer three social media training packages, a research option, and a project-based bidding option.

• Just Getting Started: This training package is a 1 month introduction to social media marketing. Over the course of 4, 2 hour sessions (with assigned homework) we will teach you the basic information about top social media platforms, engagement and basic monitoring. The sessions will be taught virtually. If you are in need of in person training outside of the Portland, OR area, please contact me for more information. The cost of this package is $1000.
• SEO/SMO: This is not your mother's SEO...if your mother had SEO, that is. This is the new, social media friendly version of search engine optimization. We build out a language to use on your home site, as well as any social media platforms where you establish a presence. The cost of this service is affected by the size of the job, the fee can range from $400-$750.
• Online Campaign Research and Recommendations: We work with your company to create a research and recommendations package that can include online competitive analysis, market research, target market identification, identification of "best fit" social media platforms, effective engagement strategies, and strategies for measuring results. The length of time for these sessions will vary. Generally, these will be taught virtually. If you are in need of in person training outside of the Portland area, please contact me for more information. This is a project-based fee.
• We Want More: This training package is fully loaded with information online brand research, identifying target markets, basic SEO and SMO, campaign development, identification and utilization of social media platforms, engagement strategies, metrics, analysis and implementation of feedback. These sessions are taught over the course of 3 months in 2 hour blocks, once a week. Generally, these will be taught virtually. If you are in need of in person training outside of the Portland area, please contact me for more information. The cost of this package is $6,000.

And that's the scoop...I hope it is helpful in setting your own expectations when looking for a social media consultant. If you happen to be Florida and are looking for an amazing social media consultant who offers services and prices very similar to mine, check out my colleague, Lauren Candito.

I would love to hear of any experiences you have had with contracting social media consultants or finding training programs for reasonable fees.

*Photo found by M_Napper on Flickr: Creative Commons License

Finding Illustrations for Posts and Publishing

I recently finished my first book, "Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners". It is a book about starting a vegetable garden, with sections on harvesting, preparing and storing on my top ten picks. It was a challenge, to be sure...but I enjoyed writing it.

Since I was publishing in black and white, I didn't want to use photographs...sadly, I am not an illustrator of any kind. So, I was forced to research the public domain for usable art. Since it took me so long to figure this out, I thought it might be helpful to share. Even if you aren't writing a book, chances are good that you are business blogging...and having a great illustration can really make your post pop!

But before I do, I am offering a disclaimer: Before you use images in the public domain, you need to understand a bit about copyright. Since I am not an attorney, I recommend that you read this quick wiki article for the basics, then check each site to make sure it is truly in the public domain. The sites I am listing are not sites that I own or control, but they have assurances on their site that specify the use of the materials.

That said, here's my favorite sites for free public domain images:

Grandma's Graphics

The Graphics Fairy

The Household Cyclopedia

Internet Archive

Karen's Whimsy

US National Archives

Time Tunnel

Do you have sites that you use? Leave a comment and share your resources!

Social Media Marketing: How It Works

It can be challenging, to say the least, to try and capture the way in which social media marketing actually works. The framework for understanding this process is so different from traditional marketing that not having experience in marketing can actually make the tenets easier to adopt.

 

The good news is that communicating via social media is much more like real life communications, on fast forward. We have removed the barrier of travel and quite a bit of the "getting to know you" niceties. And because much of the "screening" function has been removed from the relationship dance, users expect direct (tactful?) and transparent communication.

Implementing an online marketing campaign in this context requires that a company be flexible and responsive. This ongoing effort is about building culture and community around a product or business. And though there are some time-saving tips, this is not a quick fix or a one time effort.

Businesses who choose to enter this space need to understand that they are a part of the community they are building. They do not own the community they are building. And it is that lack of control that feels very uncomfortable to many. But by letting go of this need to have a polished and perfect (and unbelievable) brand, companies are able to build deep brand loyalty and viral recognition.

This loyalty is the result of a real life desire to support the people we care about and admire. Relationships create customers, and relationships are significantly harder to build if your campaign is only utilizing billboards, TV ads, and print.

With social media, when one of your contacts buys your product it is because they believe in the company at a much deeper level. They have stronger buy in and a connection with the person(s) who is running the campaign. Which is just common sense, really...don't you give your business to your friends first?

All of which makes social media marketing a very enjoyable process...if you have passion for your business and have a great product, you will have the opportunity to share that with a receptive and engaged audience. And this is a hell of a lot more fun than creating a whole bunch of static messages and using them to talk "at" a potential group of customers.

And where traditional marketing is about flooding the target market, hoping a small percentage of people respond, social media marketing is about building relationships. The latter necessitates more time spent on the front end, but results in a higher response rate. Taking the time to build these relationships will also increase the likelihood that your customer will continue to be your customer time and time again.

The jury is still out on whether or not social media marketing can benefit every business. This depends on multiple factors, including market pull and brand positioning. It is definitely in your company's interest to explore it a bit more, whether that is via hiring an interactive marketing consultant or using existing company resources to gather information.

Chances are that your customers are already using some form of social media. If you aren't showing up to engage them, someone else is.

Facebook Groups: Real Strategies for Building Interaction, Part III

Well, I intended to get this third and final Facebook Strategies post out earlier in the week but had to stall so I could get past my latest irritation with Facebook. This week there was quite a lot of hubbub about their new Terms of Service...which they later rescinded. And, I stopped to get angry about a friend who had gotten a warning because she had "too much activity" on her account. Wha???

Anywhoo, I went on a rant about it on another site where I post...so I will spare you. But I want to  make a couple of things clear. In order to market on Facebook, you need to a)fly under the radar by not taking too many of any kind of action each day and b) use your real name and only use your business name in groups and on pages.

Back to our series on strategies...today I want to talk about some advanced strategies that I use with   Facebook and other social networking/social media platforms. Here are some of my favorite tips:

• Connect all of your social media sites together: any place there is an option to add a link to your other profiles, you should do it. And be sure your blog has a link to the groups you have created on any social media sites.
• Update your group regularly, ask questions, enter comments, add links. By making changes on the group, your profile and the groups members are alerted that things are a-changing.
• Use the share button or bullitens  to promote your own group at least once a week.
• Send out an update to all of your networks (via Ping.fm) to let them know you have topic groups and what the hot topic of the week is...every time I do this, I have new members.
• Grab a discussion thread and turn it into a post on your blog and vice versa. You do not have to generate 100% new content. Great information is great information, share selectively and repurpose what you have created. 
• Join similar topic groups on all of your social media sites. Friend members of those groups, then invite them to join yours.
• Post videos and pictures around the web, linking back to your groups.
• Ask your social media networks (including Digg and Stumble) to help you promote the good news with a link. This is an easy one if you have built good relationships with your friends. Just don't wear them out by asking too often.

Hope these tips have been helpful to you...and despite my irritation with Facebook, I will still use their network. There are just too many people there who are a good fit for my demographics. Hopefully, they will make some changes that makes their system a bit more user friendly.

Facebook Groups: Real Strategies for Building Interaction, Part II

Yesterday, we created an optimized profile as a base for future online business development. Today, we will focus on the development and management of groups.

To the left is a screenshot of the group I created for my organic vegetable gardening blog, Gardener to Farmer. If you click on the picture, it will take you to the group. There are examples of all of the tactics I describe in this post, in this group.

Before starting a group on Facebook, it is important to engage in a bit of market research by exploring existing groups. Are their similar groups that are really popular? What kind of content are they providing? What kind of questions are being asked? How many members are there? This kind of information can help you create a group that has a special niche rather than duplicating topics and content. Be sure to join all similar communities. The members of these groups are likely to become members of yours.

Once you have decided on a topic, create a solid description and name that actually tells people what the group is about...you would be surprised at how many groups are obscurely named. That's fine if it is a personal, for fun kind of group...not so great if you want someone to find your group. And if you have a solid list of keywords, even better. Remember, keywords  are most effective when used consistently across the net.

A quick tip: add the Memorable Web Address application to your profile. With it, you can generate easy web addresses for your profile and groups. This is really helpful for promoting your group...the addresses that Facebook assigns are a yard long, full of numbers and letters and other strange characters.

Next, add some great content to get the group started. Discussion points, photos, videos...create value so people joining your group will see the benefit of membership right away.

Now, start inviting people from your existing friends with the invitation feature. You can also click the share button and invite your friends by promoting the group in your information stream.

You can also promote your group on other groups. Be sure not to do it in an obnoxious, spammy way. Most groups are fine with a topic related post and link on the wall...not so much in the discussion groups.

Another way to build both your group membership and your overall reach is to start friending members of similar groups. Remember that your friends will see your activity stream, and their friends will see their interactions with you. Though it may take a bit to get going, this is a great way to build viral messaging capability.

Now that we have the basics in place, we will talk about advanced engagement by combining other social media tools and Facebook in our final post.

Facebook Groups: Real Strategies for Building Interaction, Part I

This is the first post in a three part series about using Facebook groups for online business development. So much has been said and written about using Facebook groups to create community around your business, that it seems like there can't possibly be more to say. Yet, when I take a look at the various articles/slides/videos about how to use FB groups, they just don't capture the whole story.

Not only that, many people who read this post and others, will still not start a group...even if they already use Facebook to market their business. That's just crazy, people...why would you invest that kind of time and not reap the full benefit of the tool?

I will admit that it took a while for me to warm up to Facebook...I just hate the thousands of have a beer/send a gift/save a dog applications. I let those distract me from the other valuable aspects of this social networking site.

Using a group for online business development involves a bit of initial foundation building. But once it is up and running, your time spent there can be significantly less. And that is one of the greatest things about groups...they are owned by the community. Once the community starts responding, they generate their own content and build engagement with each other.

Here's how to get started: First make sure your profile is optimized for your niche market. This does not mean use your business name for the profile or excessively hawk your business in all of the profile descriptor categories. It means make sure you use your keywords in your profile and express your genuine interest and passion for your niche. Upload interesting photos and videos, tag them with useful information.

I have both an organic vegetable gardening coaching business and have a grow your own food book that will be coming out shortly, so my profile is optimized fairly heavily toward gardening and social media (I'm an interactive marketing consultant by day). Before I ever started a group, I spent some time cultivating friends who shared similar interest in gardening. I did this by going to different FB gardening groups in search of like-minded people.

A word of caution...do not be offensive and spammy in your attempt to build thousands of friends. I am requesting a connection around a topic that genuinely interests me. And, my full intent is to provide value to my network. Even though I have products and services to sell, I share a lot of valuable information for free.

After developing a base of friends who shared a similar passion for gardening, I created the Grow Your Own Food with Gardener to Farmer group. Tomorrow, we will talk about group build out and promotion.

Is RSS Too Simple? Syndication in Web 3.0

For years, we have relied on RSS technology to publish our blog posts. Feeds delivered to their reader, bringing our outstanding content, witty repartee and gorgeous photos. And, we have developed a very narrow definition of what it means to have a blog following. As we continue to move towards Web 3.0, I would suggest that the concept of really simple syndication has become...well...too simple.

In the event that you don't spend all of your free time reading up on internet trends (doesn't  everybody?), I thought I would include a bit of information about Web 3.0. Web 3.0 can mean a number of things, dependent upon what web function is involved...but the part that is most applicable here is the concept of the open web. Think open API, OpenID and application interoperability (ie Facebook connect).

Nova Spivak, grandson of the great Peter Drucker, offers several points to define the third decade the web. But one of them really captured my attention. It is the transformation of the Web from a network of separately siloed applications and content repositories to a more seamless and interoperable whole.

I have often considered that to be a very literal statement...that we will be able to find our tribe on any site where we have registered. My Facebook friends, my Twitter tweeple, my Plurk pals, all will be visible when I log on to a site that is participating in this open connection between platforms.

But recently, I have started thinking of Web 3.0 as a philosophical understanding, not just a practical application. And it occurs to me that we have been trying to keep blogs and blog syndication in a Web 2.0 box, while it is clearly trying to evolve.  We have defined our followers, our syndication, even our comments in a such a way as to disregard the value of satellite communities found on social media sites.

I started to think about this as I evaluated my analytics for several of my blogs. I could see tremendous growth in visitors, but not corresponding numbers subscribing to the feed. And for a while, I really fretted about the whole thing. My traffic was not "sticky", I didn't have nearly enough comments, my bounce rate was too high...how could this be?

When I let go of the traditional quantifiers for blog success, I saw a different paradigm taking form. I started looking at the referring sites to my blog and saw that there were some fairly consistent patterns. I started to think of sites like Facebook, Twitter and Plurk as my "real" readership. Rather than subscribing to my feed directly, my followers on those platforms were using my micro-posts as feeds. And after reading the articles, would go back to the various referring sites for commentary and discussion.

I started seeing regular readers and commenters on multiple platforms having multiple follow up conversations. I started wondering why they didn't "count" as subscribers...and why this type of interaction wasn't considered in the overall metrics of blog performance.

I have come to the conclusion that we have reached a point where measuring the amount of subscribers to an RSS feed is a much too simplistic way to analyze the impact of a blog. And counting comments per post no longer gives us a sense of reader involvement. Instead, we need to build measurement systems that consider followership on social media platforms as part of the community of the blog in question. 

By letting go of our rigid definition of blogging success, we can bring this reliable social media tool into Web 3.0. Rather than assuming the blog is no longer as effective as it once was, let's consider that our standards of effectiveness have not advanced sufficiently to capture the decentralization of social media interaction.

Conversation Monitoring and Engagement on Twitter

Though we have some fairly sophisticated tools for monitoring conversations on Twitter, I haven't really seen people digging into these platforms and maximizing their benefit. And, it may be that there are so many that it is difficult to know which application should be used for what. One way to make that determination is to know what your objectives are before you search through the options.

Today, I am thinking about conversation monitoring and engagement. There are multiple clients that will show you your friends' feeds, replies and dm's. TweetDeck also let's you track global searches and has a panel for TwitScoop.

And Twitscoop has a feature that is exactly what I need.

The first thing you will see is a topic cloud with a list of keywords. Now, if you need information about something that is happening right in the moment, this is the place to be. Trending topics can be about most anything, including earthquakes, presidential elections, and, as evident from this picture, Hondas.

Most of my communication is more specific, and not generally a current events topic. That makes this page front page less helpful for me. I suspect that most people have this problem, so they abandon the whole application without delving in a bit further.

But, on the right hand side of the page, there is a search box. You can put in any topic of interest to you and search to see who's saying what and when. I entered the word "gardening" and these are the results.
The first thing you see on this page is a graph displaying the past 6 hours of conversation involving this term. You can also switch views to see the past day or three days. Below that, there is a list of who is tweeting what and when.

This is great information on a couple of levels. One, you can follow and engage like-minded people which is always a great strategy for online business development. Two, you can use this to verify and modify your current list of keywords. And three, you can use this to identify when the conversation is occurring.

It is the third option that gives you an opportunity to engage in a real-time conversation about your topic. Whether this means joining in and commenting on someone else's tweets or starting a rousing discussion of your own, using this feature allows you to teleport in to the precise moment when a potential customer is open to conversation.

Clearly, if you swoop in and shove a marketing message at them, they will be less than pleased. But, if you offer pertinent, helpful information, they might a) start following you, b) ask for a resource or c) think you are incredibly clever. After a while, this kind of engagement leads to referrals and market pull. Tweeple recommend that others follow you. They send you questions asking about their challenges. The start to become a part of the community that surrounds your business. And that is a great way to build loyal customers.

Consider using a conversation monitoring tool to increase the effectiveness of your engagement. If you have tried it already, I would love to hear about your experiences...