formspring.me

Do you have any questions about or dealing with Social Media? #socialmedia #consultant

Formspring is an incredible Social Media phenomenon. It’s like a combination of Twitter, Wikipedia, and Facebook. Really interesting Q&A that you can get instant answers from the entire world.

Byte Back!

Tags: formspring, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, Social Media Posts, social network, social networking
Posted in: Formspring, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Experiments, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking |

Comments: 30 Comments

January 2011 LinkedIn Poll: How often do you update your Social Media accounts and profiles?

For January 2011, I chose this question for my LinkedIn Poll: How often do you update your Social Media accounts and profiles?

With new advances coming out literally everyday, sometimes by the hour, it’s imperative to stay on top of your online presence. Knowing how to use the big 3 Social Media sites; Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn; is only the beginning. There is a whole world of amazing Social Media Networks out there that many business owners are unaware of.

Sites like Foursquare, Groupon, and Yelp are making some headway into the mainstream consciousness, but there are still even more amazing sites like: Instagram, a photo sharing Social Network. Formspring, a Q&A based Social Network. Goodreads, a Social Network to see what other people are reading in their leisure time.

No matter what network you are a part of, it’s so incredibly important that you actually participate in a discussion, or leave a comment, or start a conversation about something that means something to you. If you simply use Social Media to blast out stuff about your business, chances are most people will ignore it. The key is to talk honestly, freely, and respectful of others and you’ll be surprised how many people will begin to follow what you have to say.

Think of your Social Media presence as a long term project that will produce a different quality of result that you cannot compare to “normal” advertising. It’s all about what you say and how you say it. As a Social Media Consultant, I deal with these issues all the time and give sound guidance. Let me know how I can help you.

Byte Back!

Tags: formspring, foursquare, goodreads, groupon, LinkedIn, linkedin poll, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, social media network, Social Media Posts, social network, social networking, yelp
Posted in: LinkedIn, Organic Search, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking |

Comments: 84 Comments

Social Media Experiment – Pet Portraits – Portrait of Ruby

Ruby, was an amazing dog with amazing heart of pure gold. She recently passed away and is dearly missed by her owners and myself. I had the unique opportunity to meet, greet, and spend some time with her last Thanksgiving weekend. She would follow my little Captain Murphy around and treated him like her boyfriend. What a wonderful soul.

- Social Media Marketing and Social Networking can not only dramatically increase the viability of the bottom line to a small business, but also the visibility as well. The potential to reach an enormous customer base and increase the overall ROI of an Internet Marketing budget is there. You just need to think a bit outside the box.

Check out my other Recent Pet Portraits.

Pet Portraits by Andrew David Baron

Tags: drawing, pet portrait, pet portraits, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, social media experimient, social media marketing, Social Media Posts
Posted in: Facebook, LinkedIn, Pet Portraits, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Experiments, Social Media Posts, social networking, Twitter |

Comments: 35 Comments

December 2010 Linkedin Poll: Do you plan on using a Social Media Consultant in 2011?

For December 2010, I chose this question for my Linkedin Poll: Do you plan on using a Social Media Consultant in 2011?

Looking ahead to 2011, which isn’t very far away, I’ve been asking small business owners if they have thought about using Social Media more. The answer has been a resounding, “YES!” 100% of the time. I then immediately follow up and ask them if they know either where to start or how they are going to acheive this goal. Take a wild guess what the resounding answer was on that one? (Hint: It’s the opposite of yes.)

The fact is that many business owners have absolutely no idea of what the heck they are getting themselves into with regards to business social integration. Some believe that it’s just like their regular interactions on Facebook with their teenage children or close relatives. A few even think that Social Media will magically save their business from an immanent fiscal doom. I shake my head sometimes when I hear some of the logic behind many of these pre-conceived notions about Social Media and Social Networking. My theory has always been, why waste time and spend hours upon hours a day/week/month trying to figure something out, when the solution has always been right in front of you: hire a professional.

Here is a great parable to envision: When you want to build an addition to your home, what do you do?

[Answer A.] Say, “I got this!”, and then proceed to build the addition yourself?

[Answer B.] Say, “I’ll watch endless episodes of, ‘This ‘Ole House’ to motivate you enough to then do the research on HOW to do, Answer A?

[Answer C.] Say, “You know what? Carpenters & contractors are the professionals in this industry, I’m going to call them and get an estimate on how much it’ll cost, as well as the amount of time involved to get the job done.

I think most of us would like to choose Answer A; then attempt Answer B; only to wind up at Answer C.

My suggestion would be save money and time, by always seeking out a professional, if you know that you have no clue of what you are getting yourself into. The results could be disastrous and counter productive. Granted, Social Media isn’t brain surgery, but important thing to take away from this blog post, is that when considering the life of your business to use your money and time wisely. Talk to a social media professional and get the job done right, the first time because 2011 is right around the corner.

Byte Back!

Tags: business owner, business social integration, social, Social Media, social media consultant, social media consulting, Social Media Posts, social media professional, social networking
Posted in: Facebook, Internet Marketing Consulting, LinkedIn, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking |

Comments: 76 Comments

November 2010 Linkedin Poll: Is MySpace still relevant for a Social Media Marketing campaign for a Business?

For November 2010, I chose this question for my Linkedin Poll: Is MySpace still relevant for a Social Media Marketing campaign for a Business?

Earlier today I read an article on Mashable, written by Adam Ostrow, about Facebook‘s latest integration with MySpace…and that got me thinking. Who still uses MySpace?

Since the dramatic rise and almost omnipotent like reach of Facebook and Twitter, the utter decline of MySpace was all but immanent and clockwork. Looking back on the last few years, one has to wonder if certain Social Networks really were as important or relevant as people say they were.

I, for one, never really liked the overall look and feel of MySpace to begin with. My reasoning has always been quite simple: 1. It was always WAY too much customization available to the end user. There was never any consistency to accounts. So you never really knew what you were getting yourself into when visiting someone’s profile. 2. Along these lines comes, SPAM, Viruses, Malware, and every scam under the sun was readily hidden behind phony images and links. The amount of SPAM that plagued MySpace was epic in scale. 3. Most importantly, it was never really relevant to my life, or lifestyle. I’m not 13-18, where music means everything to me anymore. I love music, but I’m not about to share important images via a Social Media Network like MySpace to express them.

When considering relevance in today’s (SMM) Social Media Marketing landscape, individuals and/or businesses, MySpace really doesn’t have much to offer. (unless you are a musician or work within the Music Industry itself.) I suppose it’s important to have a profile on there for the SEO/SEM purposes, but other than that, it’s really a niche community that is limited in it’s potential growth and usefulness.

The real questions in the near future should be, “How soon will MySpace be bought out? And by whom?”

Byte Back!

Tags: SMM, social marketing strategy, social media consultant, social media marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking
Posted in: Facebook, Internet Marketing Consulting, LinkedIn, SEO / SEM, Social Media Consulting, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Posts, social networking, Twitter |