Seems like everywhere you look small businesses and large companies have caught the social media bug. Whether they showing early signs with the scratchy throat, or have a full blown case of social-media-isis, everyone is either in the game or trying to figure out how to get in the game.

Companies with the budget to pay for major marketing strategies are turning to their marketing department or traditional marketing firms with questions and requests for social media management. Traditional marketing is billboard, TV commercials, mailers, newspaper and other print advertising and they all have the same methodology and goals in mind: Blast your message to the masses and get your business as much visibility as possible.

Some firms have re-branded themselves New Media marketing but even that is rooted in methods like email and pay-per-click marketing which amounts to online advertising. The problem is that in most cases, social media principles contradict the principles of traditional marketing. When was the last time you clicked on a sponsored link or were happy to open an email from a business?

What's Your Strategy?

Social media is anti-advertising. It’s about building relationships through engaging your audience. People now have limitless choices on who to do business with and you can bet that they wont choose the guy with the billboard on your favorite boulevard, or at the top of your favorite search engine! A lot of marketing specialists are simply taking blast marketing methods and implementing them into their social media strategy and after weeks or months of spamming wonder why they aren’t getting results.

So a few questions to ask your social media manager:

• Do we have a strategy that’s rooted in relationship building?
• Is your social media strategy integrating with your current marketing and not contradicting with it?
• Are you getting the results?

If the answer is no or you’re unsure, consider consulting with a social media marketing firm that stands first on relationship building and then on a proven strategy.

I recently had an intense discussion with a colleague about guerrilla marketing principles and how it applies to Guerrilla Social Media.  Though edgy and unconventional marketing tactics typically define guerrilla marketing strategies, a basic examination of guerrilla marketing boils down to two things, covert and unexpected or undetectable marketing.

A properly implemented social media marketing strategy is both covert and unexpected.  Social media is about permission based interaction.  People allow you and your business into their space.  As the business, you are sharing information, and becoming a source which builds trust with your friends, family and followers.

**JustinSMV Editors Note:   Social Media is defined as using Social Communication in media channels to build open and engaging relationships.   Just to clarify Guerrilla Marketing is not a sneaky tatic just to build trust and then sell, Guerilla Marketing is defined as an unconventional form of marketing that elvoves into being viral without the hard sell of in your face used car’s sales man. **

Did he say trust?

Trust is a psychological guerrilla marketing tactic.  Though in most cases, trust is something we foster as genuinely good and decent people, as a business owner, trust is an unsuspecting open door.

Inform, Interact, Attract

People want to do business with people that they trust above all things and social media helps generate a mystical level of trust between people who have never had face to face interaction.  Sharing your life and valuable info with people attracts them to what you have to say.  Also, saying meaningful things to them lets people know you care and solidifies the relationship.  This breaks down walls of reluctance which makes people more open to at least finding out about whatever you have to offer.

Overtly, you’ve made a friend.  Covertly, “you’re in”!

Once you’ve penetrated the walls of resistance magic really happens when someone is compelled to share you and your business with others.  Becoming known as being ‘worth knowing’ is one of the most important elements of making your business VIRAL!

So put on your camouflage, hit the field and make some friends.  You never know where that might take your business.

Business owners like the idea of fast, easy, and inexpensive (a.ka. cheap) advertising.  They also know however that traditional methods of advertising like mailers, newspaper ads, and billboards to name a few are becoming less effective and remain costly.  So in search of a new way to both advertise and get their business out there, many businesses discover a  fast, easy and cheap method of advertising online by  implementing a pay-per-click marketing strategy.

Before we talk about pros and cons, lets first consider why old school advertising doesn’t work anymore.  There is an old cliche that says people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.  What that’s saying is that people are looking to connect with you and with your business on a deeper level, and throwing a mailer at them or blasting a big ad in the paper or via even email simply doesn’t get that done.  Your business doesn’t appear to care so neither do they. Trash can!

We understand that business owners would prefer not to worry about marketing and Pay-Per-Click is the perfect fire and forget strategy.  The problem is you are paying for a click, not a customer.  How often have you clicked on a site, not found what you wanted immediately and clicked the back button? Do you even click in the sponsored links at the top of Google?  The reality is Pay-per-click is an online billboard.

The Social Media Alternative

Social Media is all about relationships.  Through a little consistency and very little money if any, you build meaningful relationships with your clients.  People know you care because they talk to you interact with them and or others regularly.  Bringing relevant info into their lives, not a sales pitch.

When someone comes to your site, its like a warm call or a referral.  The person knows you and is interested in what you do.  They aren’t looking for something specific, they are probing into your business and if you have something relevant to offer and they have a need its likely they will do business with you.

So when it comes down to it, the product or service you provide effects your the strategy you decide to implement.  If you rely on return clients and customers, relationships are key.  Are you using Pay-Per-Click?  If so, how is it working for your business.  Have you considered social media?

What are your thoughts?

Your Thoughts?

For a small business just starting out, budget is a primary concern. A big expenditure in a business’ budget is marketing.  You have to get your name, face and brand out to the masses, and using traditional advertising methods like print, TV, radio, and even new media strategies can be expensive.

Have you considered social media? I know there are a lot of questions out there about social media, how it works and why it’s a good gateway to business marketing, so here are a few reasons why I think it can be a great place to start for a small business.

1. It’s Free: When your on a budget, nothing beats free. The majority of social media outlets are free to use. Though there may be a time commitment, there is a great deal of value in the fact that marketing can be allocated elsewhere while you grow your business.

2. It’s Easy: Most social networking sites walk you step-by-step through the setup process and many even let you know how complete your profile is and what you can do to make it a more complete profile. For Blogging, WordPress has its Famous 5 Minute Install that for beginners can take longer but still very reasonable and straight forward when following instructions.

3. Unlimited Exposure: With Social Media platforms like Facebook averaging 25-30M new followers per month, the possibilities of exposing new potential customers and clients via social media eclipses rival marketing methods in the short and long term. You can’t search a TV or Billboard audience for potential connections.

4. It Builds Lasting Relationships: The sole purpose of using social media is engaging and building relationships. People want to do business with people they have a relationship with. Using social media platforms is an excellent way to build relationships that foster respect with your target audience. Lasting personal relationships, lasting business relationships!

5. SEO Power: When it comes too online presence, SEO is king. Everyone wants the Google Juice that puts them at the top of the charts. Blogging the right way can play a significant role your business’ search engine presence.

So what are you waiting for? Give FREE social media a try today. You wont regret it tomorrow and neither will your business!

One of the primary methods of referral generation in the sales industry has been word of mouth advertising and the perfect example of how to maximize the  potential of this powerful yet simple exposure tool is exhibited by companies that grow via network marketing.

Though often stereotyped as pyramid schemes or scams, Network Marketing or Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) is actually the ultimate example of large companies actually spreading the wealth around. MLM companies actually allow the sales force to generate the majority of the income; income that unlike most forms of income is residual, meaning it recurring as long as the account is open, and/or the customer is paying for the product. The way the sales force is recruited is though word of mouth advertising. Many people find interest in the products or services, and some see the opportunity to generate income while sharing what they have found with others.

The reality however is that the landscape of sales has changed drastically, and direct selling is becoming more and more taboo as consumers are becoming more aware of the power of options and therefore choice in every marketplace. As a result, even the best MLM-ers are turning to social media as a method of connecting with their friends, and potential clients and business partners.

Social Media provides you with a relaxed atmosphere where you can share your life, but also share what you do, because what you do is also a part of who you are. Having a strong social media portfolio is key to establishing an MLM-er as a real person that friends and potential clients can relate to, not a pushy salesperson only concerned with making a sale.  That makes you someone they can connect with by name, face, and profession.  A powerful trifecta of connections!

Since I started sharing Social Media with business professionals in Hampton Roads, I have come across success driven people from all industries! Though many are wary of the seemingly unpredictable affects social media can have on their careers, none have been more resistant to riding the social media wave than those from compliance based professions. Financial Planners, Stock Brokers, and Mortgage Brokers for example are professions that are heavily regulated by company policy. Ironically, many compliance based professions have the potential of receiving the most benefit from using social media platforms.

So the question is, how can compliance based professionals use social media without getting fired? The key is developing a strategy that takes the information emphasis off of you as the individual but still gives you the opportunity to be a valuable source of information for your friends, and clients. The foundation of your strategy is branding, or in this case, re-branding. If people is your business, your face and your personality is your brand. In the social media world, you have to be a little creative and develop a separate brand or personality in the blogosphere.

As long as the internet has been around people have been using it to create a new identity for themselves. The beauty of the internet is that anonymity is automatic. You start with a blank sheet of paper and with a little creativity you can draw your own picture essentially developing a new personality or brand online. Though Social Networking Profiles are centered on names and faces, blogs are centered on information.

Assume Your Social Media Alter Ego

As a compliance based professional, you can use your blog to express your opinion and be a source of information and expertise ‘anonymously.’ Then, use your social networking profiles like facebook and twitter etc. as a pointing device to this great information you’ve located online. People are smart and they will get the message. “Person X is always posting the best stock tips… she must be a stock broker or know a good one.” Bam! You’re in there.

If you are in a social profession, social networking is essential to your survival long term. Everyone in your target market is flocking to social media and they are looking to do business with people they can relate with and connect to. Be that person and seize the social media moment that can make your career!

Are you curious about this phenomenon called social media? Social Media is rapidly becoming a primary method of communication and information sharing. With Facebook reporting more than 200 million active users and Twitter boasting growth from 14 million users to more than 21 million users, social media is clearly here to stay.

With the growing popularity of social media, businesses are also beginning to understand that they can use this new communication tool to benefit them professionally: but how? At first glance social media appears complicated, time consuming, and almost pointless. After all, how can you generate business from posting random material about your life?

With all these questions many business professionals are ignoring the 800lb social media gorilla in the room. They know its there, they know its not going anywhere, but they don’t know what to do with it so they’d rather ignore it than deal with it.

That’s where we come in. At Guerrilla Social Media, we make sense of social media by educating our clients about social networking profiles, blogging and how they work in conjunction with your website to establish your online presence. You are not alone we are hear to guide you! Let the journey begin.