Below is her video on creating interest lists with people and pages you want to hear from in Facebook.  Doing this also opens you up to other opportunities that can upgrade your EDGE Rank in Facebook.  A higher EDGE Rank with get you in front of more of you target market’s news feeds and that’s the goal of doing business on Facebook.  Watch this video to learn how to create interest lists for others to subscribe to. (You also can just see your lists on your news feed. Create specific interest lists for business, friends, family, etc)

Two things that pop out for me on this video is when he mentions how to put certain people in certain circles that want to hear specific topic but not everything you do.  Pay extra attention to that part and make sure to pay attention to why 1/4 of your posts should be about you.  How the “you” inside your posts bring you even more opportunities and business.

How Small Businesses Can Thrive With Google+ from Michael A. Stelzner on Vimeo.

If you want to discuss how you can capitalize on Google+ with your small business, please contact me.

With this change, no company who wants to be easily found on the web can ignore or discount social media. If they do, it’s at their own peril and they will go the way of the Dinosaurs. So crusty and stubborn business owners of the world beware of the social media future because it is here!!!!! If you want to fondly remember the good old days, watch “Mad Men.” Then wake up tomorrow morning and call your internet marketing guru ‘cause you’ve got some work to do!

> Google’s own Blog

Contact us (859) 992-8035 today to get started in using content to generate more leads and close more business.

You need to develop online offers - Something of value.  Not a free consultation.  We are trying to get as many people in the sales funnel as possible.  We want a soft yes.  A free consultation (A.K.A. sales call) is a hard yes.  What can you offer that will educate your target market as to why they should be buying from you instead of your competition.  Explain the apples AND the oranges.

•  Networking (1-1,Group, Events, Etc.)
•  Joint Venture Marketing
•  Content Marketing (Blogs, Posts, Email Marketing)
• Search Engine Optimization
• Most everything else is too costly for small businesses or just old fashion advertising (consumers don’t want disruptive advertising in most cases)

Main Street Marketing does this everyday for our customers using your Website, a CRM system, Email Marketing Software, and Variable Data Printing (when appropriate).  Contact us if you would like to learn more!

Content Marketing is a pilar of our Internet Presence Package at Main Street Marketing.

Contact us today if you have any questions about content marketing!

• Especially for Small Businesses.
• Internet marketing works best when it’s a compliment to Word of Mouth Marketing and regular ol’ Networking. After the conversation/meeting, what is the next place your prospect will go before doing business with you? The Internet! They go to the internet for research and then go to their peers for advice.  People’s peers are more and more located and accessed through social media, not the telephone.
• You have to have an internet presence to be in business these days.   A lack of one raises suspicion and makes it harder to do business with you.  Not a good combo! 

Marketing is a cost of doing business not all about ROI.

• Marketing is an art.
• Business owners need to look at their outlay as 2/3rds an investment and 1/3rd ROI.
• Marketing is an ongoing effort not an event.  It takes a while to see what works.  It takes trial and error.  You will, over time, build upon marketing successes.
• Most business owners stop marketing too early.

• Key company personnel need to be present in strategy and content.
• Failure by key personnel to participate will result in a failed internet presence.
• There are no silver bullets.

Main Street Marketing has been providing internet presence for his customers since 2006, working with them one on one to build successful go-to-market plans.

1. Content - Content is King. Nothing works online without it. Websites, Email and Social Media marketing will have no effect without it. It’s the food that prospects and customers need to improve their businesses. It allows you to be a thought leader in your industry. It allows you to educate your prospects and customers. It’s the reason people keep coming back. If they keep coming back, sooner or later they will do business with you. Content is the most important piece of the internet marketing puzzle.
2. Website -Your website needs to be a good place for content reside. It needs to be easily searched. It needs to be categorized. It needs to be easily shared between platforms (i.e. From articles on your website to linked teasers on your social media sites.) With just content and a website the only way your articles will be found is through search engines. This is a build it and they will come strategy, which isn’t a very good strategy at all.
3. Bulk Email Software -Bulk email software allows you to communicate to prospects and customers as to what kind of content you have on your website. It also allows you to brand yourself while doing so. If your content is good; people will stay subscribed.
4. Social Media -Social Media allows you to communicate to your prospects and customers just like email but it has two very important attributes that email marketing does not. Social media allows for a two way conversation with your prospects and customers. It also allows you to have your messages spread virally to people who are liking, following or connecting with you on social media. You share your message with them and can share the message with their networks and on and on.
5. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software – A CRM system comes into play when people start showing up to read the content on your website, getting there from search engines, email marketing, and social media updates. The CRM system allows you to collect information from those who are highly interested in your content. When a prospect or customer shows interest in a specific topic and take action by subscribing to a certain information channel, then triggered emails can be sent. The triggered emails will then move the prospects down your sales funnel from a lead to hot lead to customer and finally to a brand advocate. The CRM system also allows you to work smarter with the information that is contained within each history entry of past emails sent, past conversation notes, etc. It allows you to call on the people who are truly interested in you. The CRM system also allows you be on the same page and sharing the same information with all of your key personnel.

Many people in the marketing world provide each of these key pieces to the puzzle.  It’s Main Street Marketing’s view that you need one trusted advisor to handle all 5 pieces for you.  Please contact us for more information!

OK, OK, But…I’m Worried About What My Employees Might Say!
If you find yourself saying this, then you first need to realize that you don’t have a social media problem…you have MANAGEMENT problem. Get that handled first and then read on further.

Enabling Your Employees to Elevate Your Company Through Social Media
You Need a Strategy – To take advantage of social media you need the right framework for employee enablement and empowerment. A company’s social business strategy should focus employee interactions on concrete outcomes that enhance their social presence, project their expertise, stimulate innovation, and deliver business value.

You Need a Social Media Leader – Most organizations have different people doing different things in social media. Each company needs a Social Media Leader who unifies the social culture, governance, guidelines for social engagement, etc. Employees will need mentoring and direction to be successful and to drive the best outcomes for themselves and the company.

Social Media Strategy
Companies need to continually refine their methods for online discourse and social media to empower their employees as professionals, innovators, and citizens in a new communications model that evolves beyond mass communications into masses of communicators. Through thousands of interactions, your company’s greatest asset — the expertise of its employees — can be shared with clients, shareholders, and the communities in which it operates.

Steps To Implementing a Good Social Media Strategy

• Do some social media intelligence work via social listening
• Help experts know where and when to engage
• Create infrastructure and processes that make it easy for you experts to share expertise and provide value online. Tools, guidance, and information ensure that the individual activities of experts align with business needs of internal and external audiences. For a great example of Social Media guidelines check out IBM’s guidelines.

Yea But…Where Is the ROI in Social Media?
Oh…you’re one of those ROI hounds who devalue the soft arts of selling. No problem…there is a way for you to collect ROI but it’s going to take some work on your part first. The first step to measuring social media ROI is to establish a measurable business objective, such as increasing the portion of your pipeline that is generated by the Internet or decreasing average cost per lead. Always remember that social media ROI must be measured within the broader context of all Internet marketing, including website marketing, email marketing, etc. Your ROI is only as good as you are in combining and implementing all your Internet marketing strategies to work in unison. They need to be measured together based on a business goal. Most small business need to outsource their Internet presence activities to be successful since they are running lean and mean.

The Time is Now to Get Started
Internet Marketing and Mobile Marketing and how they relate to social media IS the future. There is no getting around that. Get started today and get a jump on your competition.