Beau in Social Media

Social Media, Technology, News & More

Social Media and Local SEO

What is the game changer these days?… Repeat customer’s of coarse! Branding with Social media now more than ever is a pivotal point that your business should be focusing on.

When you consider how many people are walking around with a smartphone in their pocket, its hard not to create a social media strategy. The major social media outlets YouTube, Facebook, Google +, Pinterest and Twitter help start the engagement with your customers.

For many local businesses it takes more; luckily you can do more with a “brick and mortar” location. You can place links to your online profiles in your store and run various contests.

Getting the Social media profiles setup can be a task (many of you know I offer this service) but maintaining them and creating an impression on your customer’s is the real winning ticket. Its about taking that engagement to the next level and doing something none of your competitors are doing. If they are doing it, doing it better becomes the goal.

Local SEO is also something that should peek your interest. Unlike many companies that charge thousands of dollars to help with placing you at the top of search results for say “burgers southern Nevada”, you can get a consultation of services and social media pages built to suit for a flat fee.

Remember the goal still remains keeping and getting more customers; if you don’t take on social media then your competitors will.

Google Ranks with an advanced search option!

Who would have thought you could get any more detailed on a search? … Google did! The have done it again. Just when things were starting to settle down on the social media front with the rapid growth of pinterest, Google unleashes quite possibly the most intuitive search feature ever released to internet consumers.

You can search for things that are similar to something “words almost, but not quite entirely unlike”
Now there is a “

Social Media Training

Looking for a social media Job? Perhaps you just want to just make money with social media.

I suppose you may have heard or seen people making money from social media campaigns. This is true. People make money representing people all day long. When you have legal trouble you call a lawyer. When you are sick you go to the doctor. When you need to launch and compose a social media strategy; you call a social media manager.

I searched long and hard for information that was both relevant and updated to match the changing market. It took me a little bit and Eureka!!! I found a solid source of social media insider information.

So you have been blessed with the gift of gab or perhaps you have an interest in communicating with people in innovative ways. This is what social media is all about. Today’s world feeds on the social media scene.

It’s hard not to see a headline news cast where they don’t mention So and So’s twitter feed or better yet; This YouTube video has gone Viral.  These bite sized news bits are actually changing the way we do commerce today. There is a great economic transition forming on the local, national and global level.

All the big box companies use social media to interact with and to get to know their consumers better. Microsoft, IBM and AMD are just a few of the juggernauts in big business that house social media pages on twitter. These big companies hire people with degrees to do the social media job but when you work for yourself… you create your own social media job!

I found out the way to get a piece of the action is to look in your own backyard so-to-speak. Social media has so many pathways and roadways that can make you dizzy just thinking about them. The fool proof way to make money in social media management is to get the proper training and invest your time.

I have invested in and stand behind the “Let’s get Social” Social media training series. After going through Kate’s training I had the opportunity of meeting Kate in person at the BlogWorld 2010 Convention in Las Vegas.

If you were considering getting the proper training in social media I urge you to take a look at Kate’s training and start making money in social media today.

Kate breaks down how to go about managing any company’s campaign.  I really like her training style and I am sure you will too.

Bring me Social Status beyond Social media

Can you picture yourself driving 80 mph down the freeway while updating your social media fans from the passenger seat of this supped up ride from West Coast Customs? … I sure can!

Under the hood it’s 2012; the body screams a classic… the lights around this sweet ride take the cake! In addition to the tablet built into the dash, there is the capability for the person in the passenger’s seat to get down with some XBOX 360.

You might be wondering why such the glitz and glamour?…. why not? This modern ingenuity is powered by Microsoft and was pulled together by West coast customs. You can read the nitty gritty from Wired by clicking the picture . This car is sure to get you noticed both online and off; what an upgrade to social status it would be.

How-to social media ?

When you are thinking of a Social media strategy for your clients (or for you), you  just have to get to know them! Who are you targeting? There is no real “how to social media”. I am sorry to inform all of you who thought it was a hair ball of a chore. There are some things to consider when you are referring to social media. Here they are in no particular order:

1) Engagement- When you post on Facebook, Twitter etc… be prepared to respond to those engaging you. That person/staff/smmgr handling the page really needs to have a feel and deep understanding of how the company presents itself. This is especially key when catering to the Local SEO market.

2) Familiarity-  You should always know the tools you are working with even if you will be outsourcing to a social media manager. If you have never touched a site like twitter and Facebook it may be a good idea to create an account (even if its your personal account) and check it out.

3) Measure results- A common issue with doing social media as a form of expecting more business is that there is not any structure to measure its effectiveness. (Let me give you an example)

Account:  Joes Pizza Shack

Goals: Engage customers on twitter and Facebook so that higher sales of the lunch special will be made to the “hip and cool” crowd using those services

Synopsis: Joes Pizza Launches a social media campaign and gets a few fans but they ironically see a decline in sales to the lunch special and are deciding to end the campaign prematurely. Joes” Large” pizza sales grew 10% on a weekly basis because of the engagement.

 

When it comes to measure-ability most companies (because they are new to social media) fail to take into account that more revenue was brought in from the social media outlet.

Because the social media platform is ever-changing and the consumers buying habits change; just as in traditional marketing… we MUST prepare to capture measured results from our social media presence.

So when you are tinkering with the mouse and keyboard and you think that your social media front is lost; pick yourself up by the bootstraps and get with your social media team that puts your own “how to” in how to social media?

terms used in post smmgr= social media manager

Finance and keeping track of Social Media Management income

mint budget
Click image for Mint homepage

Being a Social Media Manager and keeping track of your money may seem like a daunting task…  It doesn’t have to be like a migraine headache keeping track of finances.

I made a “New Years” resolution that I would be more diligent in watching where my money goes. I want to do more in the new year and sometimes doing more means cutting expenses.
I track my business income with a program similar to quikbook but when it comes to my personal finance I have opted to use a FREE web site called Mint.com.
Mint is a great resourse that lets you see what your spending and make changes accordingly. As thier website says “…See all your balances and transactions
together, on the web or your phone.
Mint automatically pulls all your financial
information into one place, so you can
finally get the entire picture…”
I know that my car note will be paid off this year but I also  know that if I want to do more with my money than blow it on useless things then I have to plan ahead.
I dont get anything for mentioning this site but I thought I would share this nice Free tool that can help you track personal expenses and help you with your finances in the new Year!
The big bonus to Mint is that they have Android OS and Iphone OS apps so you can pull up your finance information on the go.

Getting a good deal on my gadget on Black Friday!

Shivering cold self pic at Target

Shivering cold self pic at Target

I wanted to get the latest gadget at Target at the advertised price of 69.00. What A steal! I have never waited for anything in line before so I tried this out on Black Friday.  Let me re-phrase… I have never waited for anything for multiple hours except for maybe an amusement ride once before.

I entered the line around midnight and was 30 people back in line.

I updated my twitter with the following status updates :

tweets from my twitter feed

Came in from my twitter @lasvegasbeau

Target had arranged carts along the side of the building to keep the sale event from becoming an actual ‘DoorBuster’.

String of carts zipped tied for crowd control

I got my New gadget which was a Western Digital 2 TB external Hard drive. It was real nice to get this awesome drive at a discount.


I arrived at midnight and stayed out in the cold “Wind-Chill” factor of 24 degrees Fahrenheit weather. I  was   bundled up with a shirt, sweater, jacket and bundled with a blanket. After the 4 hour wait I could not feel my toes and they had to be defrosted. I can now say that if you want to snag that real awesome deal you may want to show up before midnight and come prepared.

I normally blog about things that pertain to Social media however this was a first for me and I wanted to share my Black Friday experience.

The Voice of Social Media?

microphone and headphonesBeing a part of Social media is more than keeping up appearances. It is responding to the digital world in real time. Its not a new technology its called the internet (the ever evolving digital universe as I call it).

I look at it as when the rubber meets the road!

Inspiration comes in many forms. As the social media scene continues to grow in popularity so does the competition for representation. I know its a little early for making new years resolutions but I would really love to break into the “voice-over” talent scene!

I feel Beau Weaver put it best in his voice over FAQ section of his page “…It’s acting off camera.” Can someone who was only in Drama class in the eight grade become a voice-over mogul? … Hardly!

Yes there is tons of competition in the acting arena and it’s my prediction that the social media scene wont be any different as time goes on. Companies really have 2 choices: Hire a person or Hire a firm to do their social media management.

It never ceases to amaze me that there are companies out there that have not tapped into the true value of having a social media presence. The choice to have one actually holds many benefits starting with the ability to promote specials/products online and to get priceless feedback from existing customers.

Social media is now more than ever the avenue to tap into and speak loudly without ever saying a word! Irony yes but what really holds true is that this is a new concept for many companies and as opposed to going it alone there are options and picking one is the start to solidifying their social media presence on the internet.

Social media clients don’t exist?

Many of us would like to have the social media icon Status overnight! We need that top social media status to attract the larger clients.

So then…

galaxy picture vector social media

stock photo courtesy of shutterstock

Why does searching out social media clients feel like searching through the galaxy for the best no bake cookie recipe?

Social media enthusiasts that are looking to break into social media manager status often become discouraged even with the right training because of a lack of clients.

Creating a Social media portfolio sometimes seams like a daunting task especially for those just starting out.

Beau Steed

I have compiled a few places that are sure to get you some clients. These clients may not get you that rich payout you have been looking for but they will get you noticed.

Why is being noticed so important?

  • It builds notoriety
  • Attracts high paying clients
  • Tests your abilities to deliver on client satisfaction

If your anything like me you know where I am going with this…

Top places to get clients for new Social Media Managers

  1. Contact local non-profits and volunteer your services
  2. find small eateries in you town/city (ones you patronize)
  3. Flea markets/Farmers Markets
  4. Schools (team up with the student body presidency)
  5. Clubs and local chapters (looking to grow)

This list may seam obvious now and some may not pay out too much but by partnering up with them you will serve two very important points to your success in social media.

a) You will find out what you really feel passionate about promoting.

b) You will unleash creative ideas with each new completed project.

Making the Grade>

The main idea when you take on these types of projects is not to weave yourself into a position to offer social media

Upward with social media clients

stock photo courtesy of shutterstock

 services to someone for free for life… It is to pick one common goal with whatever organization you will work with and working closely with them until that goal is met. You can even offer up consulting services on their next big project for a price.

Bottom line is that you did not run before you walked and you did not walk before you crawled.

Get yourself out there and prove to others you are that capable person to help mold and shift social media campaigns. When you are successful at this you will have a starting point for attracting those higher paying clients and will be on your way to being the social media icon you have dreamed of!

Social Media Icons – What are they Wearing?

JEANS of Course!!

Why is it such a big idea? When you have everyone converting to a Tech geek these days. NO one can Sacrifice Style! …Especially in Social Media.

Lets face it… These jeans are the first product child of a new age. We all want to be Social media Icons but most importantly its all about the LOOK!

social media icon jeans

Anyone who loves to have a peak at their phone could sport these jeans and attach their Iphone or Ipod touch to them. This is just the tip of the iceberg… apparently there are stash pockets for memory cards so you can have enough memory on you to shoot those High resolution pictures from your other gadgets on your day outings.

So why is there such a CRAZE!

In a digital world where everything seams to start with the @ symbol thanks to Twitter, we are now feeding to look act and be like the next Social media Icon.

I am sure that it helped that such parties as Mashable, Technorati and Gizmodo took notice and pushed the selling out of these totally equipped jeans by wtf jeans.com

So What is a Social media Icon?>

HOLLYWOOD has the A-List as does at&t *Chuckles* but what does the Social media scene have?

-Beau Steed

I really dont think that we should call it the T-List as that may be giving too much credit to Twitter.

If anything we should call it the W-List short for Web or World Wide Web…

Twitter has really become an engine to drive much of the social fire that has been put into what Social media is known for but but breakthroughs are made everyday on the internet.

I really dont think it should be left up to ONE person to decide who or what a Social media Icon is.

My point is that we have unleashed the beast of social media and more people are inspired through creativity everyday whether it be Bloggers, Social Media Managers, Social Media think tanks and the like.

When a product like this can sell out just merely from social media and not by the making of an established brand it leaves one to wonder what evolution this social media scene is leading us to.

Does it stop at Style?

Tell me your thoughts?