• Objective (what are you trying to do with your website)
• Goals (short term / long term)
• Expectations (awareness or sales)
• Who’s in charge of the project
• Updates / growth

What are some of the options out there?

• FREE Websites (get what you pay for)
• Templates (easy fix, but not you)
• Custom html
• CMS
• Blogs

Client Comfort (The Gold Rule)

Social unto others as you have them Social unto you. While you might just be getting involved with social media, some of your audience may be Rockstars. They are used to getting their information this way and if you only post once or twice a week, you may not grab their attention. Remember, social media is linear and a single post may move down someone’s timeline quickly.

Then there are others who may not want to see your service updates every 3 hours on their timeline. That’s why it’s important to create a business area if the social service has one. Then you’re not invading someone’s personal timeline. You’d have to ask them to become a Fan, Follower or Connect to see your updates. By doing so, they understand they will get updates about your business.

Your Audience

If your audience is built on your family and friends, then you may not gain much traction. After all, how much business has Uncle Johnny given you over the years. It’s best to build your business network on business minded people. They will be open to hearing what you have to say. We can help you build that list, but understand that it takes time.

Your Content

So, now that you have your accounts setup and your audience listening, what are you going to tell them? Where does the content come from? Your content could come from your website? (If you don’t think your website has anything to say, please visit our Web Design / Development  area to start that conversation) Your information could come from new content developed or maybe even 3rd party resource. The point is, you have to have something to say. We can help you outline, categorize and develop that content for you Social Campaign.

Your Statistics

You start off with 2 updates a week and your stats start to show visits. So you naturally think, if I double the number of my updates, I’ll double the traffic. So, you start to increase the number of times you update your social media networks, only to find your traffic falling. Why? See the Golden Rule above. If your audience is responding at 2 updates per week and falling at 4 updates a week, then they are telling you they prefer to hear from you twice a week. It could also be an indication that your updates need to be revisited compared to the stats.

One of the areas we provide service is with statistic analysis. Understanding what the visits are saying and how they can help us craft future updates.

One thing we can’t stress enough is, Social Media is more about brand awareness and less about Sales Generation. While building brand awareness leads to sales, this is more about educating your clients about your services. Communicating with them about what you have to offer.

Contact us today to start your Social Media Campaign the right way.

Here’s a few touch points:

- The Empty Hand
- What is a SOW?
- Is that needed?
- How much is to much?

It’s one of those sayings that truly means what it says. Your business needs new business and you’ve been told you need to be involved with Social Media. So, you speak to your sales team, business partner or even your nephew who is always on Facebook. You get a variety of feedback since all of these people use social media in a different ways. But the one thing that sticks in your mind is the word “FREE”. After all, your nephew is on it right?

So you do a search for “Social Media Development” and a wonderful company such as Studio490 Creative Services comes up. You contact us to inquire about doing some social media for your business. When we speak on the phone you tell us you’ve done some research, you’re somewhat familiar with Social Media and know you have to be involved.

We ask a few questions on how much you want to be involved. Are you looking to handle this yourself or were you looking to have someone handle  your Community Growth and Monitoring? You tell us, you really don’t know. So we inform you we’ll provide a cost for each option and we can discuss what works for you.

We provide you with a quote and the first thing you think when you open the pdf is, I thought this was going to be mostly FREE?

There is a major difference from personal social media involvement and a social media campaign for your business.

To help you understand this process and the cost associated with it, we do offer Consultation Services that will help you make the best business decision.

Studio490 Blog Talk Radio

Contact us today to start being Social

When you start off, you are building Brand Awareness within your network. Once you have earned the trust of your network, then you have positioned yourself to offer your products and services. Just as the sales call or unwanted knock at the door rarely leads to a sale, abusing your network leads to a shrinking network.

Let’s start with the basics and lay a good foundation for your social media campaign.

Process (Sales vs Awareness)

We examine  how the social process works and some of the benefits. We also define expectations of your social media efforts.

• While sales will come, you are building brand awareness with social media
• Define your target audience and expand it
• Develop a social media update schedule for 12 months (stick to it)
• Develop an outline of updatable topics that you can start to build content for
• You should have content on your website or blog that pertains to the update prior to pushing out the update
• Social involvement should be on all print and online materials (email signature, business cards, voice mail etc.)
• Be prepared to become active in your social campaign whether you handle it internally or outsource it. It’s not something you can pay for and set it adrift only to look for sales to increase. You must help craft the topics, write supportive information and provide suggestions. No one knows your company and or industry better than you.
• This process is like a marathon and not a sprint. It takes time, adjustments, effort, vision, patience and investment of time and money to succeed

Tools (Quantity vs Quality)

We define what tools we use and how we will use them. We also will discuss optional tools that can be added if so desired.

• Setup accounts with full account profiles
• Identify the kinds of updates that can take place on each network based on their character limitations
• Develop update schedule (day and time)
• Install a social widget on your website to show the latest update
• Identify optional services to expand your social network and traction such as social bookmarking, email blasts, video channel and blog development
• Create location to provide a click-to from the update
• Install tracking code for measuring updates effectiveness
• Prepare to grow your website and / or blog as you begin the social campaign
• Advertise that you are now on social networks and what type of information you’ll be providing

Performance (Fact vs Fiction)

We discuss how we define, measure, adjust and re-engage parts of the campaign. We set goals and milestones.

• Examine: Look at statistics to monitor traction
• Examine: Revisit your products and services from a client’s point of view
• Examine: Compare your architecture against your competition
• Examine: Have you done everything suggested in Process and Tools
• Adjust: Define and develop content for your top 10 products and services
• Adjust: Revisit your goals of social networking (sales vs awareness)
• Adjust: Take a moment to remember why you are doing this
• Engage: Implement adjustments based off of tracking and performance
• Engage: Are you as active as you could be with your social network?
• Engage: Promote your social network involvement at every turn

As you can see, it’s much more than just having an account. Social Architecture is about having a plan, the right content to educate people and the objectiveness to adjust to reach people in a new advertising medium. Social networking is just like in-person networking, you get out what you put in to it. Investing time, effort and yes even money is the best way to grow your network.

Welcome to Social Media Networking. Allow Studio490 to help you as you take the first steps toward growing your company.

Customers are using social networks and expect businesses to use it too. If Americans are spending most of their time social networking, shouldn’t companies want to be a part of that world as well. Customers believe that companies should incorporate social networking into their regular marketing strategies.

Back in time, most businesses didn’t have a website to promote their product or service. Now, the majority of businesses have at least a basic web presence. The website is considered to be part of their standard business. So, it will become with social marketing. Social marketing will be a part of the standard way to do business.

Social marketing doesn’t require lots of time. If the company implements the social networking as a part of its marketing strategy, social marketing can be an easy marketing activity to achieve on a daily basis. By integrating the company’s website and social networks, time spent on social networking can be minimize.

By using social marketing,  the company is able to reach thousands of viewers daily. Your business is not just waiting to be found by its website. Now your company can promote your business through other social networks, which brings awareness to your target audience.

With the use of social networking, businesses are able to connect and communicate with its customers and potential customers. It improves the company’s web visibility and increases search engine rankings.

Now is the time to incorporate social networks into your marketing plan. This will not only enhance your online presence, but reach new prospects and meet your current customers’ expectations.

Contact Studio490 today to discuss your social marketing strategies.

TJ and Dana Todd

Studio490

With that being said, it isn’t enough just to have a website. You will be given only one chance to make that first impression and it best be a good one. With a well designed website, you can compete with other companies regardless of their size. You must have a professional looking website so that your potential customers will want to purchase from you. If your site looks like it was designed by a 13 year old with no experience, your chance of making that first impression a good one is lost. Customers come to the web world seeking information about product before purchasing anything. Make sure they find you on the web.

Other reasons you must have a website:
You are open for business 24/7. Customers can contact you via your website at any time during the day/night. This, in turn, increases your business’ revenues through the website. Your customers will increase in volume as well.

You can reach customers from all over the globe. You are not confined to just local businesses. Your products/services can be offered to anyone who interested in your products/services in the global market.

Having a website is an inexpensive way to advertise your business. A website offers good value to money spent. And you can launch promotions easily and costs less than the traditional methods of advertising.

As you can see, there are lots of pros for having a website. The most important reason being making your presence known in the web world!

Next up: Your website and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Tj and Dana Todd

Studio490

To be valued by the search engines, inbound links must be from relevant web sites. Search engines give social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkIn great value. These sites are highly visible to search engines and are constantly taking updates from users.

Creating visibility for your business and your brand is really the key when using social media for building links. Brand recognition leads to your inbound links coming from bloggers, colleagues, customers, and other people who are exposed to your links that find your links useful and then share with their own contacts.

Many businesses are starting to use social media as a way to promote their business, reach their customers and find new customers. By increasing those inbound links, you will improve your visibility in search engines which will increase your business.

Contact us today to see how we can help improve your company’s visibility in the search engine world!

Tj and Dana Todd

Studio490

1.    Utilization of Resources

A good alternative to adding a new department or creating a costly task force to complete a specific function is INsourcing. Some tasks may take up an inordinate amount of an employee’s time. By INsourcing, companies can free up their employee’s time which would allow them to do the important day to day function in a timely manner. This increases overall efficiency and improves employee morale.

2.    Reduces Operating Cost

Companies that try to do everything themselves may incur very high research, development and marketing expenses.  Keeping an employee trained and up to date with within certain fields can be costly too. INsourcing the secondary functions to experts whose only function is one particular task can be much less expensive in the long run. Additional costs, such as SS tax, WC benefits and health insurance, are all part of hiring a full time employee. A company will not incur these cost with INsourcing to experts.

3.    Access to Experts and Specialists

INsourcing firms are comprised of highly trained and very experienced specialists who know how to handle all aspects of that particular project. For difficult tasks, this allows for many companies to manage those complex projects. The employees will have more time to do their aspects of their job which would increase productivity and customer service. By INsourcing these projects, the company will not be confined to their geographic location.  The company will  have access to even a greater pool of experts by outsourcing through North America.

4.    Improve Customer Service

When an employee is bogged down with lots of tasks to complete, he/she is less capable of providing excellent customer service. INsourcing permits a company to redirect its resources from non-core activities toward activities that serve the customer.  The level of customer service will increase because time and resources are being focused on that area.

5.    Improve Efficiency

Cost, quality, service and speed are critical measures that a company must aim for in improvements. This need to increase efficiency directly conflicts with the need to invest in the primary focus of the business. By freeing up time and resources, the company is able to concentrate on making money and growing the business.

Challenge
They approached Studio490 and explained their situation in extreme detail. We came to understand that their trust in vendors had been broken on top of not getting what they paid for. Our challenge was to discuss what we could do for them, how we were going to do it, how long it would take and how much it would cost.

Solution
We explained that we do ministry work for 50% off our market rate and that would help offset some of the expense that they had incurred with the previous vendor. After several meetings discussing their goals and objectives, we gained their trust and commitment to proceed.

We branded a new logo for their marketing materials along with redesigning their web site. The part that impressed them the most was the quality and speed of work for the price quoted. We provided them with several logo variations within 1 business week of their commitment. Once we established ourselves, we then proceeded with providing them a wonderful online solution that took less then 8 weeks to complete. The web solution we provided costs less then 54% of the previous vendor.

We felt that we had proven that good creative resources still exist out there and that we are indeed one of them.

Tj and Dana Todd