Our Blog’s Value
Learning Curve Busters – This Blog’s Value Proposition
Can you invest the time for the trial-&-error of learning to maximize social media tools and properly present your brand to the online community?
Probably not. Follow the social media “gurus”1 and become overwhelmed. Too much information to process. But wait! Their full-time jobs are actually being social media rock stars! Just as an actor with a killer body spends hours working out for that achievement because that is HIS JOB. These social media super heroes can develop these tactics and tweet 50-70 times a day to build their brand because that is how they make their living.
Social media is a very crowded space of gurus/thought leaders and gurus/thought leaders-in-training. Follow the thought leaders with my authors Twitter list. Follow great social media active marketing people with my marketing Twitter List.2 These smart people live and breathe these social media strategies and tools. They provide a lot of information to work through.
What is the right use of social media for mere mortals building their online community to enhance their brand and generate revenue? I keep up with the social media super heroes and experiment with the information I discover. I created this blog to share what works with clients, my company and DIY marketers.
I test strategies and executions to present Learning Curve Busters. My intention is Learning Curve Busters decrease the time needed to get comfortable using social media tools by eliminating the trial-&-error we just don’t have time (or patience) for when building a brand. They are not in order – just randomly added as they come up. Use the search feature or the menus to search for specific topics. Please share your own – and understand these are my opinions and experiences.
The Newest “New Media”
The first half of my promotional marketing and communications career was in major market radio and sports television. My colleagues in media and I were a community of individuals delivering our product to a larger community of people passionate about the product.
The radio and television technology at the time only allowed a one-way relationship between the outlet and the fan. In our marketing efforts, we took our broadcast brands to the streets to connect and interact with people. Radio veteran John Madison used to refer it to “getting out of the box” – the box being our studios. Our fans became real when we put a face to the people we had this loyalty in common with – the Boston Celtics, a morning show team, the Hartford Whalers, NSYNC …
Online marketing allows for greater interaction and social media is the newest “new media.” You build your online community utilizing social media tools with your interests and passions. LinkedIn offers you your business community, built by connections of people you know on a professional level. Facebook offers a community of your friends and family interacting and sharing on a personal level. But you get an added bonus of a community built by Pages, Groups and Ads. You “like” a Page on Facebook – and voila! – instant community built around a common interest. Twitter is less conversational – quick catch-ups with strangers you meet by researching what interests you or is relevant to your business. Now Google+ offers a terrific platform that offers what I like about Facebook with the “comparmentalizing” I like about Twitter.
All provide greater interaction between you and your fans.
When I propose social media marketing solutions to my clients – I have to take my enthusiasm for the opportunities down a few notches. I tended to “firehose” the information at them and received the expected response. Retreat.
While “Learning Curve Busters” offers a social media resource for DIY marketers, Gillis Marketing offers promotional marketing support to build your brand and generate leads. We offer marketing execution and training for small and midsize companies, as well as individuals, looking to develop their social media marketing strategies, sales & marketing strategies, graphic design, web design, content development and communications. You can reach us at solutions@gillismarketing.com. The principals of the firm are Trish Gillis (aka “this blogger”) and Julie Gillis Williams.
You may also find us:
Trish at Gillis Marketing
Julie at Gillis Marketing
Gillis Marketing on Google+
Trish Gillis on Google+
Trish on LinkedIn
Julie on LinkedIn
Gillis Marketing on Twitter
Trish Gillis on Twitter
1 Great word – “Guru.” Feels over the top – but it really means teacher with great wisdom. More succinct than “thought leader.”
2 BRAG ALERT: This marketing Twitter list was included in the “50 Small Business Twitter Lists” by the Small Business CEO Weblog