Social media marketing, social media management, social media consulting and new media marketing are all terms that you are likely seeing more and more of when you hear about people using the internet to generate new business.

Social Media is literally taking over as the number 1 activity that people do online, yep Facebook is more popular than porn now. Social media has even been interfering with people at work; social media at work. Social networking provides anyone the opportunity to contact people that they have met, everyone from high school to college people are getting back in touch and there’s even a story to help you find the love of your life.

As a business owner, you realize that social media is a new marketing tool and something that you need to incorporate into your business. However, there are so many “Social Media Gurus” out there that you might feel a little overwhelmed…

You may have been approached by experts claiming they can solve all your social media problems for $500 a month, $1,000 a month or even $10,000 a month.

You probably want to tell them to go f*$% themselves if they tell you this.

I feel ya on this. Many of these experts are just trying to confuse you to the point of making the sale. You know these people ; they have probably dropped terms like Search Engine Optimization, Blogging, web 2.0, RSS, microblogging,web design, Mobile Marketing, and they may even have even *mentioned* viral video creation to drive traffic to your website.

Why so many words, what do they even mean? Is your head spinning too?

If it is, It’s because I just threw some social media guru mumbo jumbo at you! HIYA!

Alright alright, you win. I’ll let you in on a little secret. All of these words need to be a part of your overall marketing plan, but if someone is trying to throw all of these words at you without explaining WHY they need to be a part, you may need to take a step back and re-think hiring them.

As a business owner, you realize that you need to have a basic understanding of WHAT each of these terms means to your marketing strategy. However, you don’t necessarily need to physically DO the tasks that are needed. You can have an employee do them, or you can choose to outsource these tasks. Just think, outsourcing SAVES YOU TIME  and MONEY.

At Webanatics, we want you to understand what you are getting for your money and why it will help you. We want you to understand why you need certain things (such as blogging), and why you might not need other things. Different businesses call for different marketing strategies and we are here to help you find what will work for you.

Social Media Guru’s need to stop wasting time giving you the fluff.

They need to start providing you with relevant information that will enhance your online brand, get you more prospects and drive more traffic to your website.

Here are a few questions to ask your social media marketing company before you hire them:

• Can you say for certain how to gain new targeted followers on twitter? How about YouTube and Facebook?
• Is your blog / business site in the Alexa 1 Million or better club?
• Do you have a standard social media marketing plan, one that is generic and can fit most business models?
• Can you provide me with a SWOT Analysis of my current social media marketing plan?

One thing that you need to keep in mind when considering social media rates is that “You get what you pay for”. Some businesses are looking for bargains- hoping to get the best price that they can possibly get. However, when it comes to marketing…you should be aware that getting the cheapest service will often lead to the cheapest results…do you want the worst possible results or the best results? You can’t just “hope” that things go right with your online branding.

The first thing that is of importance is that the cost of a social media consultant includes not only the month (or more, maybe 6 months or 1 year) they spend on a project. This factors in hundreds of hours of research leading up to the point that they can truly provide actual results for a client. You know, REAL results. The results that make your business more money and get you more prospects. With Social Media, the results do not just happen overnight, it sometimes involves a LOT of trial and error. There’s also the fact that the internet is constantly evolving and platforms are constantly changing, this stuff needs to be researched daily to ensure there is still a competitive edge. This takes a lot of time.

As of actual costs for a social media consultation, if someone is charging too little that is a huge red flag. If someone is to spend hundreds of hours on unpaid research, they will not charge you $20, $30 or $50 per hour. It really isn’t possible for them to survive on that. The top ranking social media consultants today are charging anywhere from $200 to $500 an hour. This seems to be the industry norm and is something that you need to be ready to accept if you are going to be hiring someone. Remember, you are paying for specialized knowledge.

The individuals who are reaping top dollar right now are those who are also highly experienced with Search Engine Optimization(SEO). SEO and Social Media go together so well that it should be illegal. A combination of the two that is properly used will skyrocket the growth of any business. Branding is another aspect that is essential to hiring a social media consultant. If someone doesn’t understand branding there is no way for them to truly create a successful marketing plan for you. It just won’t work. This individual also better know how to optimize social media profiles to receive SEO benefits for your business.

A consultant that has this specialized knowledge is likely to get anywhere from $300-$500 per hour. The reason for this is that they have put their dues in, they have studied hours upon hours of research and have most likely tested it in a niche for themselves. Perhaps that’s how you actually found them?

Before you make a decision on hiring a social media consultant and decide what to pay him/her or the company, ask for statistics that prove their capabilities. Check out their personal branding strategy and check if what they are telling you has worked for them or for clients they have worked with. Are they truly walking their talk or just talking up a storm? Numbers don’t lie. If the consultant can accomplish your goals and take your business to the level that you ultimately would like to be at, their price will be worth it to them.

In fact, your business can not afford to not hire this individual if they are going to help you grow your business. Take your time when choosing and make sure you choose the right person or company for the job. If you have any questions, leave a comment below and I will get back to you.

If you are sure that Webanatics is the right company for you, you are absolutely right and need to go check out our available packages and pick up some social media marketing for your business. Click here for more info.

Learn to Juggle your Social Media marketing with Chris Hughes

In February I gave a speech on the Synaptic Web, I have been calling the Internet the Mobile Social Web for a number of years thinking that the Web 2.0 hype was a bit off the mark.  No, I am not out to make a name for myself in re naming the Web, I just feel that Synaptic Web is a more comprehensive term that encompasses all the current trends and paints a clear picture towards where we are headed.

We are Mobile and Social, and these two points are literally changing the way we currently market business and engage our lives in experiences.

And, Human experience is really what all this is about.

GeoLocation services gives you what you care about-and what your friends care about, and shows you what is close to you, where your friends are and what is not.  This gives you near psychic ability- and yes also supreme stalker capacity (see please rob me)

The Kevin Leversee 5 Tenants of the Web

1) Desire is the root of everything. (Desire Line is getting from Point A to Point B)

2) We are inherent social beings the need to communicate and connect is almost genetic to our being.

3) Technology is the enabler of business not its purpose (users don’t care about what is under the hood they just want what it does)

4) Markets are conversations held by people relating their experiences not BRANDS.

5) The Internet is a sea of conversations through connections and these patterns create meaning.

1) Desire

Because human desire is the root of everything- GeoLocation services help people group themselves into what is happening RIGHT NOW, and NEAR ME, and RELEVANT TO WHAT I WANT.

2) We are inherent Social Beings:

Lets take a second and look at interruption ‘Flyer Marketing’ wherein you pay some graphic artist to design a flyer, print off enough to kill a small forest and then Spam People walking by, placing on car windshields etc.  This is the opposite of HUMAN Natural behavior (which is social- I will go where my friends are going) and yet as autistic as it is marketers are still doing it.  Now imagine combining rewards program (you know those discount cards in your wallet) with your mobile, and alerting you when you are near a restaurant/bar that you have rewards program with?

Much more effective and the electronic bits are 100% recyclable.

3) Technology is the enabler of business.

I am the first to stand up at the meeting and say ‘Hello I am Kevin Leversee and I am a recovering Technoholic’ I love to dig into the HOW of technologies and tools, rather that focusing on the WHY.  The “Why’ is the customer- the users of the service or product and the justification is the ‘4 Business Mores’ sell more, to more people, more often, for more money.

4) Markets are Conversations: Ala Cluetrain.com

See #2) we are inherent Social Beings.  Business (and sometimes me included) gets so busy talking about ourselves; we forget that this is not really how it goes in real life.  We need to listen more than we speak, and if we are at a cocktail party and everyone is standing around yelling- well then not much is going to get done is it?

So stop your ‘Tarzan Style Chest Beating!’ Speak with people not at them.

5) Conversations through connections:

Understanding the network effect and using Group Forming Networks enables your business to do so much more and reach more people with lower marketing cost.  I found a nifty list of case studies around GeoLocation Marketing I have listed only a few that we find relevant to this discussion for a more detailed list check eConsultancy here

Combining traditional media with Mobile Social Web:

Bravo

Cable television network Bravo turned to Foursquare to help drive its viewers to more than 500 locations associated with the network’s shows. The incentive: badges right now; sweepstakes and awards in the future.

The Wall Street Journal

WSJ launched a new metro section for New York; it decided that Foursquare was a good way to promote it. In addition to offering Journal-created badges for checking in to certain locations in the Big Apple, the Journal is using Foursquare to distribute some of its NYC-related content.

Restaurant reviews as you need them- when you are out and about:

Zagat

Before you ‘check in’ to a restaurant, restaurant guide publisher Zagat wants Foursquare users to be able to access its reviews, and provide their own suggestions to Foursquare followers as well. Of course, there’s also an obligatory ‘Foodie’ badge involved that is earned when a Foursquare user checks into Zagat-rated restaurants.

Starbucks of Course:

Starbucks is one big brand that has embraced social media and so it’s no surprise that it brewed a presence on Foursquare. Caffeine addicts can become Foursquare ‘Baristas’ by checking in at five different Starbucks locations. Starbucks is also considering ways to reward customers who check-in.

Local Café’s can follow the lead of others like Tasti D-Lite:

One company that is already rewarding customers for checking in on Foursquare is yogurt chain Tasti D-Lite. It allows members of its TreatCards loyalty card program to earn extra points by connecting their TreatCards to their Foursquare accounts and letting the world know when they make a purchase.

I was out for beers with another technology development company not so long ago. I was asked about Passion and how one got Passion.  I remember plainly the President of that startup saying he really wanted Passion like I had.  That he admired the Webanatics team.  Hey this little bit of Professional Bromance felt good, really good.  Yet I knew for a fact when he was asking me about this -that Passion still doesn’t pay the bills, and Passion fades away sometimes.  Sitting there, I kinda felt guilty for his compliment knowing that since I have so much to improve on, maybe I am just lucky?

Finishing my Beer I thought I would think about this “Passion Thing’ some more.

Passion without Purpose = Bottle Rocket

Have you ever lit off a bottle rocket?  I remember the first time I really got to play with Fireworks I was 14 and with my very mischievous cousin Damian LivingGood.  It was a very hot humid night in Phoenix, we had grown a little weary of playing war, and besides it was no contest as we would win every time.  Somehow this wonderful night escaped the Iron Fist of Mother and we had unfettered access to a big box of bottle rockets.  It was 9pm and we used grapefruit, mud, soft earth, the spaces between the wood in the fences as a launching pads.  Despite having so many, I was always saddened that no matter what they always went:

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Pop.

And that was it.  3-4 seconds of joy.  Passion is like that.

Purpose Gives Passion

John F Kennedy in an infamous speech said that America would make it to the moon within a decade.  This purpose gave Passion direction and fuel and thus the Great Space Race started, and 9 years later America in fact did land on the Moon.

After America landed on the Moon, the American Space Program kind of just fizzled, it had no clear direction.  No purpose and therefore the passion that once was present went away.  Purpose with Passion is like a magnifying glass that condenses the Suns Rays enough to burn.  The Sun’s energy is harnessed, and refined to a point- wherein it can be powerful.  I remember when I was in the US Army the Drill Sergeant’s would always say ‘Move with a sense of purpose and direction!’

Good is the Enemy of Great

‘Passion’ first entered my consciousness in 2004 with the book ‘Good to Great’ by Jim Collins.  Nearly 7 years in the making it really helped me see that I can only excel at what I love and am Passionate about.  Greatness comes from staying true to your Love, your Passion.  John Seely Brown recently in his book talks first about Passion, and that Passion means to ‘Sacrifice something’. This is interesting because if you pause and look at the lives a good portion of people lead you see lukewarm commitments everyone focused on themselves and this concept of a nice job, nice house, 2 point 5 kids and life ‘Balance’.

Balance is Bullshit=it is all about Love.

No great human innovation came from seeking a life of leisure. Neccesity is the Mother of invention, Wars are won not with balance but by blood and guts.  Do not seek Balance, Seek what you Love, then Love it with everything you got! When you have purpose you have passion, but since Passion comes from Love of doing and being, you we and I all have barriers against it.

Hold on, you are right I am talking about Love.

Jalal ad-Din (Rumi) said:

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it

Henry Rollins once said: If you love, love with everything, and when you hate, hate till it hurts.  Wow. Okay if you think this is a bit extreme- think about Loving someone- have you ever

When you Love you can do the incredible

Love is crazy, we can’t fully define it, Love has people do incredible feats: Mothers Rescuing Children, mothers lifting cars off of their children,Firemen wear superman outfits to rescue Autistic Kids, etc.

We are afraid to Love.

We are even afraid to talk about it or think about it.  It is not often you hear ‘I love….’  And if you do hear it- often you probably dismiss that sentiment as youthful, juvenile and not part of the real world.

I believe this way of thinking kills us.

In a powerful Ted Speech Do Schools Kill Creativity – He speaks that our school system was designed to produce workers for the industrial age, and now the Western World has over 200 years a system that does not produce free thinking and innovation but sheep, afraid to make mistakes, and a culture that demonizes failure.

Most Schools, and Learning Institutions are not centers for creativity and innovation, but rather Factories that take raw materiel at one end and produce ‘Workers’ at the other.  This is the very nature of most educational systems.

To prove this I asked a majority of students, why do you go to school,

‘To Get a Good Job.’

And that answer is a lie.  Sad thing is that the parents, the school, society at large is lying to themselves and to the very people they are trying to nurture and grow.

You do not want a good job, you want what that Job gives you.

Because we lie to ourselves, and tell ourselves that we want the Job when in fact we do not want a job, we want what that Job gives us. We have a misguided purpose, and because that purpose is wrong it is hard to muster the Passion and Love of being and doing.  So Human Resources try to focus on perks, better coffee, overtime, vacation pay etc.

But none of this works because our entire life is predicated on a false truth.

Where is Innovation, Creativity, Passion, Purpose and Love if you are dedicating your life on a lie? Focus on your passions, use school and technology to enable you- do not focus on school for the job.

• Ev Williams Founder Twitter did not finish college
• Bill Gates quit Harvard to startup Microsoft.
• Steve Jobs quit Stanford to begin Apple
• HP was started in a garage. (I’ve seen it)
• Micheal Dell Dropped out of College
• Richard Branson dropped out at 16 to start Virgin
• Walt Disney dropped out at 16
• Milton Hershey (Hershey’s Chocolate) had a 4th grade education

Bill Gates founder of Microsoft and Steve Jobs Co Founder of Apple both dropped out of college to follow their passion.  Can you imagine the dinner table discussion at the time, so Steve you dropped out of school to build computer kits in the garage?  And to Bill, you left Harvard to move to Albuquerque!  What the Hell is in Albuquerque!

• We are Afraid to make mistakes,
• We are Afraid of what others think of us,
• We are Afraid to be real,
• We are Afraid to Love,
• We are Afraid to Commit to Purpose
• We are Afraid to Foster Passion.
• We are Afraid to put it all on the line.

I am not coming to you as an ultra gazillionare that made millions on twitter, and this secret sniping Google software that makes you a billion dollars on Facebook.

I am not the real Napster.

I am just a guy that Loves people and Technology, I have totally screwed up as much as I have got it right. I am not the expert, what I am is a guy that knows what he loves, isn’t afraid to have a purpose and throw everything he has got at it.  Then Fail and Repeat.

So find out why you want the good Job, because that is probably your underlying purpose.  Then quit your job, and focus all your energy on that love.

And like a beautiful woman, and fiery romance do not be afraid of wrecking it all and looking like a fool!

Because that’s a hell of a lot better than a good job in a life you hate.

-Kevin Leversee

The story is an Epic Poem, the Hero’s Quest of man, the anti-thesis of Satan and humanities.  The root of mans quest to seek God.  The World was made a better place because of Milton’s work.  A work of art, this work is something of substance and value- it shaped our collective consciousness, it moved people.

Someone somewhere is reading this book now, others are being taught the intricacies, and the value of John Milton’s ‘meter’, his use of language timing, and the silent spaces between words.

Imagine that most of this crucial piece of literary history was transcribed audibly to aides who scribbled furiously to capture the story as it hung in the air?!

Guess What?

Your Social Media Content is Not A Great Literary Work.

You are NOT  John Milton.

Something moved me today.  Nick Carr and Leo Laporte both dropped off the Social Media Map.  Nick moved his tweets to ‘Protected’ and both are focusing on writing books and blogs, writing more detailed work in hopes of having substance.

Something happened tonight that made me question everything I’ve done with social media since I first joined Twitter in late 2006.

last night I noticed that my Buzzes were no longer showing up on Twitter

I noticed that I wasn’t seeing my posts in my Buzz timeline at all. A little deeper investigation showed that nothing I had posted on Buzz had gone public since August 6. Nothing.

But I am also taking away a hugely important lesson.

No one noticed.

Not even me.

It makes me feel like everything I’ve posted over the past four years on Twitter, Jaiku, Friendfeed, Plurk, Pownce, and, yes, Google Buzz, has been an immense waste of time. I was shouting into a vast echo chamber where no one could hear me because they were too busy shouting themselves. All this time I’ve been pumping content into the void like some chatterbox Onan. How humiliating. How demoralizing.

I do not Agree.

Social Media is Business, not your ego.

By looking at Social Media as Business, you realize it is better to spend a couple hundred bucks to outsource 12 blogs a month rather than spend 20-30 hours yourself writing them!

One medium (Microblogging, Twitter, Facebook) does not replace the (Blogs, Video) other- it ads to, creates new uses, niches and new reasons for users to have received value.  All of this content- must be attached to a value.

What each found out- Leo especially was that all the energy they had spent had little true value in return – something that Leo humbly admits hurt his ego.

Wrongly however Leo states:

I was shouting into a vast echo chamber where no one could hear me because they were too busy shouting themselves.

See what Leo Found out- What Nick Carr Found out was that their Social Media efforts are not John Milton.

Both Men Leo and Nick are highly respected authors, speakers, true leaders in their own right.  They are paid for their words.  Can you imagine the kick in the ego when they ‘GASP’ realized their Buzz posts Twitter Tweets where not missed?

Reminds me of the book / Movie Fight Club wherein Tyler Durden tells you:

“You are not special. Your are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everything else.” -Tyler Durden

Like Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost- His Ego is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.  So true and ask yourself are you using Social Media for your ego and ignoring the business aspect?  Pay attention to the return your time spent on Social Media is giving your business NOT YOUR EGO.

What if- Leo Laporte- was much like Guy Kawasaki?

Guy Kawasaki has Social Media staff placing value into regular tweets and relevant content. Yes Social Media enables you to have a voice!  Yes, it ads color, flavor. Yes Social Media has shaped our culture, governments, wars, and reduced bloodshed.  And Yes, I get happy every time someone retweets me, says to ‘follow me on a Friday’ or mentions @ me or says nice things.

Peer Recognition and respect of your colleagues is the Crack Cocaine of Business.

Use your personal brands, throw in your real life and mix it up with business.  Remember Business is Business. Do what you can, and outsource the boring, mundane, and repetitive work.  What if Leo- hired our Virtual Assistant team to help with Web Content and Microblogging?  Would he be so crushed then, if the traffic numbers went down slightly when the Tweets and Buzz went away?

He would understand- business value is not EGO.  Value does not ooze out of your holy sacred fingertips.  The Value is not you typing, the value is relevant and timely information.  The value is in the relationships built over time.

What if Nick Carr (famous and grumpy writer) created his own brand?  Like Mashable (or the TechCrunch he writes for) he has his own staff of writers.

Nick and Leo think like Employees, like writers, like with their ego…

Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness.

Quit looking at Social Media as a ‘ME’ Channel.  It is not about ‘YOU’ it is about the VALUE ‘YOU’ deliver.

WIIFM?

What is In It For Me?

What is in it for me?

What is in it for THEM- your users, your clients, your friends and family?

So yes- be real, be human, do not fear making a fool of yourself.  But segment your ego from the Business of Social Media.  Think of yourself as your own Mashable!

Outsource content, Hire a VA to help your business, so you write when you WANT, versus being COMPELLED.  Your content will be fresher- and your work and business will benefit.  Email me for more kevin@webanatics.com thanks!

Imagine how this could be used to make sure, that what you have to offer is attached to the conversation stream?  People talking about where to eat?  Why not your Seafood Grill?

Imagine how Trust plays into this.
We are now a global village, where locality, trusted networks within platforms like Facebook are more important than: the flash- the hype – the bling.

Does This on the Side of the Road Make Men Want To Buy Underwear?

Where Substance of information has more impact than The big posters of men and women in their underwear on the side of the freeway.

(Note: I often make fun of Men underwear ads)

I often use this term ‘being psychic’ to communicate a point- in how we can find and establish relevance into current trending topics.

Before I continue- I am talking about the Ethical use of this data stream- by people that knowingly and willingly participate. Trust and Intimacy are key- the point is here to have a relationship built on trust with your customers.  Not one in which you ‘Exploit their Data’

The Synaptic Web a Web, in which we filter the information coming to us, versus searching for it is upon us. This is important as it changes the mindset of the marketer and business owner from one of push to one of pull.

The real time Mobile Social Web is comprised of a few key platforms – Twitter and Facebook being the crux of the foundation. The amount of raw data that comes from these to modern day giants is called the ‘Fire hose’ for good reason.  That is a lot of data- imagine millions of users all over the world- linking to others in real time- new technology has sprung about just to deal with this raw mass of data.

Trending is simply what people are talking about ‘Right Now’ using something called a Hashtag ‘#’

Besides raw unfiltered data on a macro level we get a rough understanding of what is happening in the world RIGHT Now.  Here for fun, I found the trending topic #note2females.  Now anyone following the ‘Trend’ can see my comments regarding ‘not dating, Facebook work and mexican food.’ (all importantto me on a human level).  As Humans, we need to use these tools as humans, do not be afraid to be real.

When I was a mere boy – I remember watching the News. It was SO IMPORTANT to my Grandmother and Mom, a day did not go by without catching the 6pm and 11pm news. What about you- Your Youth-what information medium did your Parents use?

Imagine – I am sure- someone born in the day of the Web would laugh- You had to wait a Whole Day to find out what was going on. Worse, you had someone filter the raw data for you. Out of this data they would choose out of the millions of stories which few stories THEY thought were important to you.

Hmm now why on Earth would Iran, China and North Korea be so afraid of this raw information?

The Battles of the present are fought over the ‘Story’ (Conversations) in market- remember you can not control the story- you can only participate or ignore.

For more impact on what I am saying: Look at the technologies, and how Media used them in 4 Generations.

Look at the levels of Geo-Political Control that focused the misaligned passions and culture of people.

My Grandparents speak about The Depression, Hunger and WWII (somehow artists in time of hunger and real war where not that much on the memory lol) The technologies and Media of the day where Newsprint, Magazine, Radio and Film.

My parents talk about the JFK assassination, Beatles and the Vietnam War. The Technologies of the day where Newsprint, Magazine, Radio, Film With EVERYONE huddled around the Television. IBM led with Big Iron Mainframes, followed by Mini-Computers DEC, HP and the birth and boom of Silicon Valley.

My Generation X  had the modern birth of the Internet, Electronic Music and Iraq. The Technologies I grew up with went from Television with Antennae to Cable and Satellite dishes, Magazines, USA Today Color Newspaper, Radio and 24 hour CNN news. I grew up with laser printers, Fax machines, BBS, email, MSDOS and the Internet hit in college -Windows 95 when I was in the Army.

The Internet Y Generation, well I don’t know what the hell they are talking about. But Newspaper is almost gone and irrelevant, so are magazines, Radio is broadcast on the Web and Satellite, TV is On Demand, the Web is 3rd Generation, Film is replaced by gaming and its Android and IOS

Think of this trend- Ask yourself are you marketing using the tools of what Generation- and is it the most effective.

Ask yourself- is this a ‘MAKE or BUY’ decision for you and your business, to Make the Marketing and Invest in it, or Do you Buy the Resources to do it for you? 

Search is all about the desire line of a user- they want to get from Point A to Point B.

Search is all about discrete artifacts the Web of the 90’s where pages of meta data linked through to backlinks’ and algorithmic hierarchy. Anyone Snipe Google Lately?

SEO is the Discipline of understanding these rules and how the Web Works and How Search uses these tenants. Learn to Duck has interesting article on the Death of SEO.

“If you do SEO for a living, you will be out of business or irrelevant in 3 years.” – @micah

SEO is almost a religion, sometimes cult like.

Search looks at keywords that people are using, shapes content around those keywords and like a spider with a well lain Web hopes the traffic flies get stuck.

SEO does not stop there you have to ensure conversion rates are decent and the business case is justified -traffic must have quality usability and simple to understand Sales Funnel at the end of it.

SEO is looking backwards.

The Cult of SEO (Well Said)

It’s like SEO is some kind of silver bullet that will catapult your site from obscurity into massive success overnight if you can just find the secret, the one all the prominent sites found and won’t share with you, the bastards.
Before anybody works themselves into a lather, let me state upfront that SEO by itself is a necessary thing—you create content, you want people to find it, and SEO is the free way to make the search engines find you. All good. And Google has published guidelines exactly on how to do that. Read that page. Boom. Now you know what you need to know.

Trending current topics is much the same as SEO but the aim is to shorten the span of execution- be relevant and current- and that is the point to all of this isn’t it?

Social Network Theory  tied with Anthropology Power of Myth

Is the crux of understanding the reasons behind why simple things like FACEBOOK FAN PAGES do so well.

Remember-

As Technology Evolves, it (that Technology) regresses into natural human behavior.

This means that the Mobile Social Web (Synaptic) has replaced (*or is in the process of) becoming more relevant for you and your life.

Think about this crucial impact. I will get more traffic- more impact joining a Twitter Discussion or Facebook Thread around this topic , than I will (Just rule of thumb bear with my point) using Organic SEO.

Trending is looking at the Present.

So why do I use blogs, why do I spend the time- When I am so clearly talking about filtering raw data and the Synaptic Mobile Social Web?

Because – Blogs with solid and yes natural human content – are still sought after- people are looking for more ‘MEAT’ than the cotton candy – that is the result of trying to place meme or more complex arguments into 140 characters, and SMS message or Facebook Thread.

Building Relationships and Following Relevant individuals is looking Forward.

Blogs, Articles and the Meat of substance they entail- give you credibility.

All Twitter/Facebook Social Media make Jack a Dull Boy.

You have to have substance to your mix, you have to drive people somewhere- or allow them access to it should you pique the interest- this is why you need quality content- in addition to relationships.

This is why one does not always replace the other-

But you have to SHIFT your thinking from Discrete Artifacts – Sarnoff’s Law of broadcast to Networks of People, Small World Math and Reeds Law of Group Forming Networks.

I am not talking about something that is going to happen- I am speaking about something that is already here.

The wave is cresting you have to ride it.

Contact us for more information on how we can / will work with you and your business about riding the Mobile Social Wave.

And

Check out or Sister Brand FanPageMonster- to get your business on Facebook.

And

Follow us on twitter @webanatics or me @kevinleversee

Check us out on YouTube- We do our best to bring you humor with quality information.

And A lot of people teach you ‘How To’. Very few people know ‘Why’- or go that deep- our aim here is to not only tell you ‘WHY you need it but HOW – and Why that is important.’

Cheers!

-Kevin Leversee

There are a few books in my life that changed everything the way I looked at the world.

Fred Kofman wrote a book titled Conscious Business ‘Building Value through Values

The book shaped how I see business much in the way ‘Love is the Killer App’ changed the way I work with people. 

 Business must make people happy.

I am not perfect but I am accountable.  I believe with every atom in me that anything can be accomplished by any team if they – have same values.

I see that the clients and business that is best for me / us / my future are those that follow these two simple books plans and premise.

The Value of Any Business is directly proportional to the amount of human happiness it creates.  This is true- and I think of two things that really stand out as happiness in my life- Disney and Andok’s Chicken.

If you are Filipino your laughing.  Disneyland is all about creating a brand that signifies the best of human kind…they publish and promote the most basic of all human endeavors – the Hero’s Quest. 

Andok’s Chicken is Disneyland for your mouth and stomach.  Pure and Simple…

I will point out where each go wrong- simple and effective- and how this can relate to you- your brand- your image and everything you are trying to do. (read this as it will help your: Social Media, Content, Website, Branding and do you have a Facebook Page yet???)

Remember- business has four mores:

To sell More.

To More People.

More Often

And For More Money.

The Four Mores are very Ayn Rand’ish (think Ayn Rand author of The Fountain Head and Atlas Shrugged- two very MOFO books that totally will change your life too)

As basic and true as they are the four mores ignore the how and why of human nature.

They don’t tell you why Disney sells and Why Andok’s Chicken is so damn wonderful.

Disney is doing ok.  Like Apple they almost went bankrupt- as they made a few mistakes- they diversified- they diluted the ‘Brand’ and image.  Apple acted like Disney- and guess what?  They almost went bankrupt too.

When Steve Jobs took back Apple they had so many confusing brands- First thing Steve Did was simplify and create the iMac (well close to first thing I think) 

The iMac was Apple.

So is the iPod

iPod as with iPhone and iPad is just like the ‘original Apple’ (Apple Star Trek nerds: if you go about how the original Apple was open etc you know that was WOZ-  we are talking about branding and shit here). 

iPod and iPad are the ‘original Apple’ all over again- think about it in your minds eye you now see Apple as a consumer company- a lifestyle choice almost.

Like your cola.  We like ‘original Coke’ not New.

Disney (sometimes still) was like Apple before Bill Gates (Steve Jobs- just seeing if your paying attention) took over – very Autistic.  They had become confusing and diluted in the consumer minds eye what the heck Disney was all about.

When Disney went back into the production of cartoons that had Family focused crap = the Disney brand turned around.  Part of this return if you can remember was

‘The Little Mermaid’

When you think of Disney- you imagine ‘Snow White’ the fake castle, Mickey Mouse and family.

You do not see in your minds eye ‘Who framed Roger Rabbit’

Okay now the Chicken.

Andoks Chicken is Disney, it creates happiness in my mouth and stomach…

They created a brand that signifies one of the best of Filipino culture- you have the best roast chicken, pork, cold beer- its close to you and relatively inexpensive.  Cool thing is you have it in little tiny neighborhood ‘shops’ with the dripping amazing chicken rotating on the roaster in the window.  It is better than that donut machine of Krispy Kreme and tortilla machine of Chevy’s.

Andoks is located in every neighborhood.

Andok’s Chicken is becoming Autistic.  Like Disney- Apple and New Coke when they became successful the first thing they want to do is change what made them famous.

Andoks is = good frikken chicken at local shops at a price you can afford with cold beer ready for Dinner or your Barkada (Filipino Tagalog term for friends that are eating and drinking).

Now the Autistic Andok’s looks like McDonald’s they have big expensive locations- brightly lit and their prices went up.

The newer bigger shops suck.  Andok’s if you remember is good frikken Chicken Cheap at local shops with Cold Beer.  Now they are ignoring their core their true brand and adding high overhead.  (Notice how the Chicken prices went through the roof to support their bigger overheads?)

So stay true to your core:

No one wants a Porche Frikken MiniVan

No one wants a McPizza

No one wants New Coke

No one wants an Apple Quadra

No one (well me) wants Andok’s to be McDonald’s

Do what you love.

Do what you are passionate about.

Stick to what is working.

Don’t change your ‘Original Recipe’

Diversify ok- but do so in what you know. Example no way I am going to be successful investing in Women’s Lifestyle brands- I stick to what I know and love.

Obviously if your this far reading- some of my loves are Technology- Web- (Andok’s Chicken and Cold Beer).

And Secretly I am still a sucker for Disney.

You’re not always in the mood.

You know, some days you wake up and feel absolutely great about everything you are doing and everything gets done effortlessly and you make a ton of money. Then there are other days in which you feel like total crap and feel like someone has tied an anchor to you that’s holding you back from being your best. Sometimes people come into your store and you really just aren’t in the mood to talk to them about your product. You might just have something else on your mind or you may just not like the person, thus decreasing your excitement about the product.The thing is, your prospective customer notices this. When this happens, the prospect knows it and it often leaves them with a nasty feeling in the pit of their stomach about YOU. I don’t know about you personally, but i’d rather have a tool that I can leverage to educate my prospect when i’m not in the mood to speak with them. Are you like me or would you rather have to work more to make the same amount of money? The answer should be simple and I hope you are understanding the importance of leveraging yourself and the knowledge you have in that brain of yours.

Well what am I supposed to do then?

Great question! I’m glad that you are asking yourself this question actually because the majority of business owners are not even aware that they can leverage themselves in order to make more money. More money, ahh my favorite. Let’s get started on how you can make more money. Depending on the type of industry that you are in, there is always a way that you can leverage your time and create something that you can use as a sales tool. Whether it be creating a video showcasing a car for car dealers(including a virtual car drive for someone before they even arrive at your dealership) or whether you own a restaurant and are showing a video of a typical dining experience in your restaurant. For the latter, think of what goes through someones mind when they hear about your restaurant and are curious about how the experience will be. You can leverage audios, videos, and even creating information packets that educate your prospective customer on what they will be purchasing. This is a highly effective way to make more sales because it allows for you to be on your game all the time. When you are in the zone and ready to teach people about your product, that is when you should be creating these tools. What do I do now? Another great question and one that can be easily answered by finding an expert in the field of leverage. You’ll need to find an expert who has created an information product before and understands the steps that re necessary to creating a successful tool to leverage. You happen to be in luck because at Webanatics, we teach business owners how to do exactly that.

Video

If your eyes just glazed over when you read the word video… I completely understand. You’ll be pleasantly surprised I’m talking about using video in a whole new way…

You probably want some truth, so here it is..

comScore Media Metrix research indicated between April and June of 2009, 94 Million U.S. based internet surfers viewed online videos… spending 73 minutes per month on average… EACH!

Over 200 million Americans watch online video every month.

That’s just the start too…more and more people are getting online each month.

Clearly, video is the wave of the future.

And the best thing is… ANYONE can ride it. Yes, that includes YOU.

So now you understand that online video is something that is having massive success right now for many business owners. There is a problem with this though, you are not like most business owners. The reason that you aren’t like most business owners is that you are exceptionally intelligent about YOUR business. This is a great thing for you, but also a negative because you aren’t an expert at handling marketing for your business or handling video distribution for your videos.

There is an advantage to this though that I’m going to share with you. This advantage is that you are reading this right now and understand that your business needs to incorporate video in your marketing plan. Were you aware of this before you started reading this? If not, you are aware of the importance of video now.

You just learned something, that video marketing is essential to having a successful online marketing campaign.

I want you to do a little test here for me right now. I want you to think about a typical day when you are looking for something on Google. You know, you are curious to find something out and you realize that Google can answer any question that you have. Picture yourself looking at the results for that thing you are looking for.

You probably see a bunch of links, a bunch of writing and….oh look!!! There’s a video there! I bet that your curiosity is piqued by this video, I know that when I am looking through the links, I typically click on a video because I’d rather watch something than have to read it. Are we on the same page here?

If we are on the same page, then you think the same way that I do and what this means is that you are just like the majority of people on this planet. We are very visual so we tend to want to see things to teach us, entertain us or merely give us something to stare at.

Okay, so I get it…

I need to start incorporating video into my marketing plan but I have absolutely no idea on how to do it?

Well, that’s where Webanatics comes in. It is our specialty to help business owners like yourself how to use video distribution tools to distribute videos and get you more traffic to your website and make you more money. Visit our Products Page in order to order a package to help grow your business today.

How will outsourcing help your businesses online marketing plan?

It’s really quite simple and I’m going to list a few reasons and then expand on them in this post.

Ways outsourcing can benefit your business:

• Content creation takes time
• Keyword research takes time
• Time = Money for business owners

Let me ask you this… if you aren’t good at creating content online and aren’t good at keyword research, should you be doing it? No. You should be focused on what you are good at, running your business and selling your product.

You are already aware that having a blog set up for your business is essential and that if you don’t have one, you are missing out on a valuable tool in your marketing arsenal. Blogs are relevant, constantly updated and allow for Google to find your content in order to show it to your prospective customers. What this means to you is that your target audience is able to find your business on the web and is put in contact with you on your blog. Your blog will then convert these people onto your e-mail list so that you can promote to these people and also bring these people into your business so that you can make money by selling them something.

So you have a blog…

now what’s the next step and where do the problems arise with having a blog?

The first step is that blogs need updated content that is relevant and information that includes a call-to-action. This content can be either written blog posts, videos, audios or interviews. It can even consist of guest posts from others who are in your field. Guest posts are a great way to expand your network by bringing the guest author’s network over onto your blog. This leads to more traffic to your website and often leads to new customers if your information is relevant to the audience.

The problem with having this blog is that you are a business owner. This means that you have very little time to spend writing and researching things to put up on your blog, right? Right.

It’s frustrating when you don’t have any information to put up on your blog and often causes people to quit blogging all-together. This is the opposite of what we at Webanatics want you to go through. We want to help you blog better, more often and make more money from your content.

Yet another problem with blogging is the fact that you need to do keyword research on your niche in order to reap the rewards of SEO and connect with your target audience.

Keyword research in one word is a PAIN. It takes forever and is often so tedious that you don’t ever want to look at Google’s keyword tool ever again.

BLAH, definitely doesn’t look like fun does it?

Alright so we’ve come to the conclusion that doing keyword research and creating content are a pain for any business owner. Yet, we also know that it is something that needs to be done. This seems like a lose-lose situation doesn’t it?

Well i’ve got some news for you….

Some good news actually…

Content creation and keyword research does not need to be done by the business owner!

It can be outsourced and done by someone who actually enjoys doing this and is quite talented at it as well. There are people all over the world who are great at finding keywords that will lead to massive amounts of traffic to your website and these people also know how to write compelling articles that will lead to more people coming into your business ready to hand you their money in exchange for your product or service.

How cool is that?

I know it’s pretty cool to me too. Now let’s see how we can get you started on benefiting from this fact. The first step is finding someone who can create this content and do this research. You should start off by doing some research and identifying a company who already knows how to do this. Let us help you out with this and visit here.

The next step is to identify what your businesses goals are and to implement a plan to create this content that will lead to your goals being accomplished.