Social Media Strategies for Success -a discussion with Ken Freeman and Mark Kaiser

Dallas Social Media Marketing Communications
Friends, past forms of advertising are still with us, but are losing ground every day to the emerging power of Social Media Marketing. As a marketing communications firm, Covenant Designs is all about connecting businesses with the clients/customers they need to be most profitable.

That is why we made this very basic video to discuss how a business can effectively engage with social media as a communications and marketing goldmine:

VIEW THE VIDEO


Social Media Marketing is the NEW ADVERTISING, but not by interrupting or pushing your message at prospects. Rather it is entering into the already existing online conversation areas discussing your industry, your services, your brand and your products.

We are quick to emphasize that Social Media Marketing MUST be done with a smart strategy in a highly-integrated way in order to be effective. Given all the ways a company could waste their time and efforts in this new form of self-promotion, we encourage your business to consult with us to create the best structures and practices for social media marketing and to outsource your social media marketing to Covenant Designs.

Advertising is no longer the same, and will never be the same. Don't be left behind in the new marketing, call AWS CREATIVE SOLUTIONS LLC Strategic Marketing today at 214-703-0505.

Social Media Strategies for Success -a discussion with Ken Freeman and Mark Kaiser

Dallas Social Media Marketing Communications
Friends, past forms of advertising are still with us, but are losing ground every day to the emerging power of Social Media Marketing. As a marketing communications firm, Covenant Designs is all about connecting businesses with the clients/customers they need to be most profitable.

That is why we made this very basic video to discuss how a business can effectively engage with social media as a communications and marketing goldmine:

VIEW THE VIDEO


Social Media Marketing is the NEW ADVERTISING, but not by interrupting or pushing your message at prospects. Rather it is entering into the already existing online conversation areas discussing your industry, your services, your brand and your products.

We are quick to emphasize that Social Media Marketing MUST be done with a smart strategy in a highly-integrated way in order to be effective. Given all the ways a company could waste their time and efforts in this new form of self-promotion, we encourage your business to consult with us to create the best structures and practices for social media marketing and to outsource your social media marketing to Covenant Designs.

Advertising is no longer the same, and will never be the same. Don't be left behind in the new marketing, call AWS CREATIVE SOLUTIONS LLC Strategic Marketing today at 214-703-0505.

Social Media Strategies for Success -a discussion with Ken Freeman and Mark Kaiser

One way your business can benefit from outsourcing its Social Media campaign to www.social-mediatv.com is in the area of (SMPR) Social Media Strategies for Success:

VIEW THE VIDEO

The Importance of Search Marketing in Simple Terms

The Importance of Search Marketing in Simple Terms

If you are like most businesses these days, you want more clients and profits!

But to get clients you have to have visibility where your clients are today.
Most of the time, your prospects have migrated online, so you need to be readily found the moment they want your products and services.

The best way to ensure visibility is to have us PUT you into the Top 3 positions on Google.
We have a unique approach that takes all the guesswork out of it.

But first, you need to know HOW your clients are looking for you. What they search for.

I have 8 year track record of success in Search Marketing and every time, the business owner is shocked to learn how his clients think of his services. It has always been different than how he believed his business was thought of.

If you miss how your prospects are looking for you, you miss their business. The solution to never missing another prospect is online market research that nails down exactly how your products and services are being searched for online.

Without knowing what terms they use when searching for you, there can be no smart strategy to attract clients and profits.

Our $895 Online Market Research Tells You these 3 vital things:
1 • exactly what your prospects are search for – in every variation
2 • how many people each month search for that specific set of keywords
3 • what it would cost, monthly, to put your business into the Top 3 in Google for that particular set of keywords

From there, we consult with you to develop the smartest strategy for whatever budget you choose.
One business invested $135/month and made $8,000/month
One business invested $1,200/month and made $12,700/month
One business invested $8,000/month and made $133,000/month

We work with you wherever you are at, knowing each marketplace and service area is unique. We have done it for small local business and nationwide corporations alike.

We have so proven this works that we are offering a special no-contract offer valid through 12/12/09. This lets you try it for a month and see for yourself the amount of new business you generate. Then you tell us whether you want continued visibility and attention or now. Simple.

So we start with keyword research. Then we consult with you on what terms will produce the most profits. Those two things are $895. Next you pick the terms and each term has a pricetag next to it based on the research. Simply add the terms and that determines your monthly budget. There are no hidden fees and no surprise costs (unlike everyone else).

Research-Backed Strategy For Results
Success starts with solid data that tells you exactly what your online marketability profile is. You know your strategy is smart before you even start promoting yourself and that is the key to new profits and clients today.

Contact AWS Creative Solutions LLC: 214-703-0505 for more information.

8 KEYS TO EMAIL SUCCESS WITH CHANGING TECHNOLOGY

The world of online communications is ever-changing. The way people communicate is changing. The problem is this: unless you stay on top of this changing wave of technology usage by your target clients, you run the risk of having your mail blocked, rejected or worse, labeled as spam.

That is why today's Social-MediatTV report is so important.
Here's my power list of critical areas that email marketers need to embrace in order to manage successful email marketing programs in the coming months:

1. Strategy. To be successful, you email marketing must be based on a sound marketing strategy that is designed to achieve those business goals you have for your business. It will require you to know how create an email marketing plan and program that is able to maximize your campaign's capabilities while achieving the desired customer click-through, resulting sale or transaction, profit margin or desired action, customer retention and other goals.

2. Your List. Another key aspects of successful email markting depends on your list-building expertise. This could include list rental, displays, event-registration, Web site contacts, use of landing pages designed to use form optimization and more. The key is for you, the marketer to build an ever-growing, high-quality list that produces the desired results you are planning for.

3. Email Layout Design. Email layout design requirements differ greatly from those conventionally used for print. Marketers should use proven email marketing tools that allow you to master email HTML coding, rendering issues, mobile design challenges and content-based spam filters without knowing HTML coding. Make sure that the email campaign provider who "sends" your emails is a reputable sender. All senders are not equal.

4. Deliverability. As the sender, you can control almost all of the factors that affect your deliverability: authentication, list house-keeping, frequency, relevance, content filtering and adherence to "CAN SPAM" national bulk email practices. The key is to insure that your mail gets delivered.


5. Copywriting-Copyediting. Email is not electronic direct mail. In general, email copy is designed to make someone click a link. Writing for email must understand the strategic use of titles that grab your attention, of subject lines that tease the title drawing the recipient to open the email, content and human filters designed to guide your listener to the desired action item, the impact of preview panes and blocked images, the way to insure people will click through for the action item you give them (such as sign up for a report or to click to view a web page) and the need for printable, scannable copy.

6. Database Management. Sound database management is at the heart of email success. Marketers must understand how to use (add, edit or delete) customer data, conduct list analysis to clean your list of bounced or blocked email, develop A-B tests to validate the most effective mail results, use focus create relevant segments and use personalization to drive relevance and conversion. The principles of testing, response models and integrating email with other channels such as direct mail and social media.

7. Legal issues. Do you know and understand your nation's laws regulating commercial email? Marketers who send to U.S.-based customers must know the tenets of the official CAN-SPAM Act. If you market internationally, you need to know which countries require double opt-in, and any data privacy issues that may affect you. Tap into your company's legal resources for expert help.

8. Email trends and best practices. Email is a dynamic element of marketing. Spam filter technologies and email client rendering are changing constantly. Consumer email use is evolving with social media, networks, communities and blogs. Today's inbox is different from 2008 and will change dramatically again in 2010. The new email will involve collaboration, document exchange, social media emedded messaging vs current POP/SMTP email. To understand these changes and technology changes, you must stay informed.

To keep up with the changes, subscribe to this blog for updates on social media marketing trends and developments.

Social-MediaTV.com is a social media marketing business providing small to medium sized businesses and non-profits with professional social media support, design, consultation and implementation. Contact Ken Freeman at 214-703-0505 for more information or a free quote.

Tools for automating your social media

The new webcast focuses on the key tools I recommend for automating your social media distributions. WATCH THE WEBCAST

Then, share your questions or comments right here on this blog!

For more information about social media automation, visit www.social-mediatv.com

Web Site Design and Maintenance Tips

Staffing for Web Site Design and Maintenance


No matter how large or small your business or non-profit organization, your website is a most important link to the public.

A fatal mistake is to assume that once your site is created that is the last thing you should do for it.

A successful website will result in success for the business or non-profit organization.

A static, stale website with no recent changes, updates, add-ons or features is your ticket to failure.

Thus, every website deserves your attention.

In this report, discover key roles and responsibilities of those who may need to work on your website to keep it successful.

The roles and job descriptions outlined below fall into three categories. If your Web design project goes as expected, some assignments will only last as long as the project itself. These assignments are the best candidates for outsourcing. Other responsibilities are ongoing. For that reason they usually get assigned to permanent staff. Finally, some of these skill sets are probably irrelevant to you or beyond your means right now. Which roles fall into which category depends on your particular situation, but for small and mid-sized organizations the roles often divide out as follows.

Project-related roles:
For the most part, the assignments below begin and end with the redesign project, unless you have a large, complex Web presence that changes all the time. If you've hired a Web design firm, that firm will handle most of these assignments. However companies differ in terms of how many specialists they have and the emphasis they place on the different skill sets. Small, one or two person design companies won't have specialists for all the roles described below, but they might still have the full range of experience and skill. Larger companies have more specialists, but that’s often reflected in your bill.

• Web designer: Web designers often handle some or all of the roles described below, but in a narrower sense, designers focus on the creative and aesthetic aspects such as page layouts, color schemes, branding, font selection, and content navigation. They usually have some lightweight coding skills (like HTML, CSS, PHP), but they delegate the heavier programming tasks to the Web developer.

• Graphic designer: In a Web context, a graphic designer might create or select the following: logos, photographs, illustrations, color schemes, fonts, buttons, menus, and any other visual elements on the Web site.

• Web developer: A Web developer takes the plans and layouts from the Web designer and creates an actual Web site or Web-based application. Web developers usually have a strong understanding of Web server software, databases, content management systems and other Web applications. They also have experience with standard scripting languages (for example, PHP, Javascript), stylesheet languages (for example, CSS) and markup languages (for example, HTML, XML).

• Information architect: For large, complex Web sites, an information architect works with end users and content creators to develop a coherent, user-friendly content hierarchy, navigation structure and information taxonomy. 

• Other roles: Larger Web design firms might have folks who specialize in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), usability testing, QA testing, Web analysis, and other areas.

Ongoing assignments:
The roles described in this second list don't usually fall to your Web design firm. In most cases you'll handle these assignments internally because someone has to address these responsibilities on a regular basis. They don't begin or end with the Web design project. If you do outsource these roles, you'll probably outsource to someone other than your Web design firm.

• Project Manager: Even a relatively small Web design project has a lot of moving parts. Assign someone to track due dates, deliverables and expenses. And no matter how much you try to outsource, someone has to choose the right contractors and evaluate their work.

• IT and tech support: If you plan to host your own Web site, someone has to buy, configure and maintain the server, create regular site backups, address security concerns, and monitor the availability and performance of the site. If you don't have an IT staff, or they're overworked, you can pay a Web hosting company to handle some of these regular tasks. For a price they'll handle monitoring, backup, site security, updates and patches, but you still have to know enough to evaluate the services you're paying for. Also, many hosting companies won't perform the initial setup and configuration of your site, and while they might help you troubleshoot some generic issues, they draw the line at anything having to do with your unique software and configuration decisions. Regardless of where you host your physical server, you should also consider hiring a full or part-time Web developer as your site grows. On solution is an out-sourced web design and maintenance specialist who can work on your behalf while keeping your budget low.

•Copywriters: Someone in your organization has to provide story ideas and story content. These experts should come from every corner of your organization, but you can also tap into the knowledge of volunteers and partner organizations. As long as you have strong editing skills on staff, your experts don't need to be world-class writers.

• Content managers, staff writers, and copy editors: Content specialists usually split their time between writing original articles and editing articles and news releases created by their colleagues (or outside experts).
 
• Marketing and Public Relations Specialists: A Web site redesign can be a major event that attracts a lot of attention to your organization, especially if your site now offers services and information that weren't available previously. If you have a marketing or communications team, invite them to the table early and often. Also, as pointed out previously, you have to inform your existing customers about any changes that effect their interaction with your organization.  
• Public Relations support: in this age of customer-driven information, you cannot afford to live in a bubble of your own advertising. Check the various blogs where people share their opinions of your business or organization. You may discover that for every positive feedback about you may be very negative reports. A public relations specialist's role is to feed positive reports and blog posts to insure that your company or organization's public image remains untarnished.

• Web Analyst: If your site is a major part of your outreach strategy, you'll want to collect information about who's visiting your site, where they're going on the site, how long they're staying, etc. A Few Good Web Analytics Tools provides an excellent introduction to this topic.

• Social Media Specialist: Today's internet success must embrace the ever-changing social media community. This is where your next client or customer is going to be found. This person or outsourced team must be able to promulgate your content to the viral community including distribution of your video, audio or web content. To learn more about social media marketing, visit Social MediaTV where you can access a wealth of information and tips about social media marketing.

• Videographer Video is today's most important venue on the internet. No matter whether your web site is a single landing page, a weekly blog or a rich ecommerce site, you must consider utilizing video on your web site. This person or outsourced team must understand video production, lighting, sound and visual effects to give you the best results. Always ask for samples of work done. You don't need a beginner handling your business video production.

If you have a business or non-profit web site, devote your time and resources to insure your web site works for you. To many web sites are lonely orphans stored on someone's server. Left alone, collecting dust and costing your business or organization money.

Transform your web site success by paying attention to the areas that need constant updating.

Remember, it's not about working to have a successful web site. You need a web site that works for your business or organization.

If you need the support of a full-service web site design and maintenance company, contact AWS Creative Solutions for a free quote.
Ken Freeman has been building web sites for business and non-profit organizations since 1994.