Do You Fully Understand Social Media?

According to Wikipedia Social Media is defined as:

Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media supports the human need for social interaction with technology, transforming broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers. Businesses also refer to social media as user-generated content (UGC) or consumer-generated media (CGM).

Social media can be said to have 3 components;^{[citation needed]}

1. Concept (art, information, or meme).
2. Media (physical, electronic, or verbal).
3. Social interface (intimate direct, community engagement, social viral, electronic broadcast or syndication, or other physical media such as print).

Common forms of social media; • Concepts, slogans, and statements with a high memory retention quotient, that excite others to repeat. • Grass-Roots direct action information dissemination such as public speaking, installations, performance, and demonstrations. • Electronic media with 'sharing', syndication, or search algorithm technologies (includes internet and mobile devices). • Print media, designed to be re-distributed.

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Too many people Online today think that because they use Twitter and have a Facebook account and a MySpace profile that they are Social Media experts. The sad truth is that they are not.

Knowing HOW to use these sites is the first step to truly finding the full advantage in the world of social media.

Also, there are more sites than just these to create a positive presence on AND always remember that social media campaigns do not show immediate results. YOU as the client/business owner/supposed social media expert need to be committed to your campaign before starting one.

Are you committed?

If I can help you in any way, please contact me at Kim1980berly@gmail.com

Could You Use This?

Many small businesses just starting out focus only on their geographical location and forget about utilizing sites online to bring awareness to their new endeavors. My name is Kim Randall and I want to do just that. I want to help new businesses understand, take advantage of and profit from the use of Online marketing.
Many companies are doing this, but they don't see results. Most of that is because they aren't engaging properly or they are spamming (basically shoving the information down peoples throats). You want to know the people you are targeting because by forming a bond you are also building trust.

Currently I am working with Miss Go Getter (Owner and CEO Kim Carlisi) to help her make the most out of her Online presence and although she is not a web based service, her potential clients are Online.




Some interesting information:

*Roughly 73% of Americans use the Internet daily
*As of 2008, 60% of Americans on the Internet used social networking sites.
*About 50% update their Online presence and interact with other Internet users.



MY GOAL IS TO PROVIDE SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS FOR SERIOUS COMPANIES THAT ARE JUST STARTING OUT.


PLEASE CONTACT ME AT (Kim Randall) 1.813.516.4808 or email me at Kim1980berly@gmail.com FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

How Are You Viewed Online?

If you are like 99% of teens and adults today you have created a presence on at least one Social Community available Online today. Whether you are playing poker on Pogo, Twittering on Twitter or connecting on one or more of the thousands of sites available today, you are indeed building an Online reputation.

Do you create profiles using your real name?

If you do in fact use your real name, location and post images and/or blogs about your real life, you may want to be a little cautious. There are so many things that can and have gone wrong with people and social networking sites. Do you make the same mistakes?

Do you use constant foul language when posting to your sites or commenting on other sites?
If your answer is yes...... you are not alone. Many people do and don't realize just how much this could be hurting them.

This implies that you are not educated enough to use real words and honestly just makes you look like an idiot

Do you post pictures that you may regret in a year?
This one is especially for those in High School and College. The pictures you find funny today may not be funny to your prospective employer in a few years.

While sharing pictures is fun, sharing the wrong pictures can be horribly embarrassing.

Do you easily make more enemies than friends online?
Are you so opinionated that you can't possibly find a good enough reason to consider the opinions and statements of others?

This says that you will never be a team player nor could you ever be a leader. People will not want you working for them nor will they want to work for you.
Do you SPAM your followers/friends with crap?
Mobster requests on MySpace, quiz requests on Facebook, I found a way to get 400 followers in a day on Twitter.... BLAH BLAH BLAH! All SPAM and people generally do not like it. I bet even the spammers hate it.

This can say many things. It could simply just mean that your account was hijacked and you need to reset your password OR it could mean that you are always bored therefor boring, annoying, impatient, lacking of a personality and so much more.

How's your grammar?
Do you spell words correctly? Do you use them in the right way? Are you a typonese type where only you really understand what it is you are saying? Please please please use spell check if that's the only thing you end up doing.

This says that you are uneducated, you rush through things and don't care enough to spell check anything. Most of all this says that I don't want you to let anyone know you work at my company.

Do you take your bad day frustrations out on the Internet?
Do you openly complain when you are having a bad day? I mean, we all do, but do you take it too far?

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Running late to work? Kids made a huge mess at breakfast? It's OK, it happens to the best of us and it IS OK to let people know that Fluffy had an accident or Jimmy colored on the wall again. It is NOT OK to use what caused you to have a bad day as an excuse to be rude or mean in posts or comments. If it's that bad of a day, stay away from the Internet. You'll thank yourself later.

Complaining about your job.
The worst thing you can EVER DO. For example:


Why would you do this and no I wont hire you. Why would I want you bad mouthing my company because you are having a bad day? Can you say cheap shot?


Anyways, the point of this post is to show you that there are real and serious dangers in posting too much information on the web.

The first thing you need to remember is that even of you do delete something, it isn't necessarily erased from the web. Keep that in mind when posting pictures and well anything.

Next, you may not be actively looking for a new job or thinking about what could happen if you did need to look for something new, but complaining about your job will not be very pleasing to a new employer. Companies are starting to check you out on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and well they basically will Google your name.

Also, no matter if you have kids or not always ask yourself if you want your children or parents to see what you are about to post. Disastrous things can happen.

So.... You have a picture of a friend passed out at a party with liquor all around him or her. Do you post it on your MySpace page for everyone to see? I'm sure you will, but remember what could happen if you do. You could piss someone off or get someone in trouble. Would you want someone to do that to you?

The moral of this post is to think before you react Online. You could very well live to regret it. Instead use these platforms to your advantage. Use them to find old friends, make new friends, tastefully advertise your business, find lost family members and so many other things. The Internet is a wonderful tool when it is used properly.


One last warning, please be careful on the Internet. There are many crazy, sick and deeply disturbed people Online. Be careful with how much information you give out.

Marketing Through Social Media

How often do you try to plug your job/company/service/product on networking sites? What techniques do you use to plug your company? Spam? Annoyance? Subtleness?

How often do you see other people plugging sales and products on sites like MySpace, Facebook and even Twitter? How often do you get frustrated by these tactics that other people are using?

I see it all the time and yes I myself even Tweet for the company I work with, but in all honesty where or what does all of this get us? How long does it take to build up a perfect balance of meaningful friendships and business relationships online? For me it has taken about 6 months to get nearly 2,000 followers on Twitter, a radio interview, a radio shout out and blogged about in a local Tampa Bay blog. Not too bad, huh? I admit that it could and should be better. I mean we have a solid service/product to offer everyone. Everyday we are moving forward so what's the holdup online?
Then I ask myself, "Why haven't I gotten my interview with Ellen or Oprah yet"? I'll tell you why. Because NO ONE knows who Kim Randall is. I am not a famous model, I have never been in a band, I am not a famous singer.

Who am I then? Well I am a 28 year old Marketing and Sales Exec that is trying to move a company forward in a dog eat dog digital world. I have sent emails to many well know sources with no response. I have tried to call agents to pitch what this company is doing. Not many answer. It isn't because I don't have a compelling story. It is more likely to be that in the signature there isn't McHammer's name and phone number.

So why are all of these famous people Twittering, blogging and Vlogging that marketing through social media is so easy? I'll tell you why. It's because THEY ARE ALREADY FAMOUS!. They already have a name for themselves. They could claim to reinvent gum and people would interview them all day and night. What about all of the quality people out there that have amazing products? Do they get their 5 minutes of fame on CNN.com? Not normally, but sometimes it does happen.

Why am I posting this? Am I really that bitter towards celebrities trying to talk and preach about social media marketing? Not at all, in fact I applaud them for their success. Most of them came into their fame well before MySpace was invented or Twitter was even thought of. Most of them were not born into the status that they have now. They did work hard to get where they are. The reason I am posting this is to talk about how challenging it really can be to market and pitch your company in todays digital world without the celeb status. I would love to say that if you Tweet, everyone will follow. It isn't all true. You should however stay true to yourself and your company.

Remember to:

☞Provide everyone with rich content.

☞Let us see and know YOU and your product. It is ok to plug your company, but be yourself too.

☞People want to connect with real people and not just a sales advertisement.

☞Also stop the spamming about where you are going to be this Saturday like many of the friends I have on MySpace too. Eventually people stop paying attention. In this case LESS IS MORE! If you post something once a week or hell even once a day people are more apt to pay attention. Quit the 20 times in 5 minutes of posting the same thing. I WILL NOT PAY ANY ATTENTION!

☞Make sure you acknowledge your online peeps. What do I mean by this?? Well FOLLOW PEOPLE BACK on Twitter, reply to emails and messages on other platforms. Maybe someone wants to tell you that they enjoyed a blog post you wrote. It takes less than a minute to say a simple THANK YOU.

☞If you want people to pay attention to you, pay attention to them. The only way to truly build a meaningful business relationship is to pay attention to what and who is interested in you and your company.

☞Be sneaky, creative and smart. Don't do everything that your competitors are doing. Do something different. Offer a better service. Market in a different way. Be unique!!!

☞Are you targeting the right people? Let's say you are marketing a website that allows children in the age range of 3 to 10 to connect, play games and learn about computers. Would you market this to college students? Probably not. Your key demographic would be parents. Stick to and with the people that need your product the most.

✩BRAND YOURSELF and YOUR COMPANY! Your name is your own personal brand. People are not looking for commercials and magazine advertisements anymore. It's your time to shine as a person which will in return bring awareness to your company✩

*In no way do I claim to be an expert in Social Media Marketing, Networking and Marketing. I am just like the rest of you trying to make a name for myself and my employers company.*

Never doubt your company or yourself. Stick with it and be consistent in everything you do. If you have passion for what you are trying to achieve, it will be noticed.