1.  The social market is just one more component in the Wheel of Persuasion. Direct mail and email marketing are

Marketing Wheel of Persuasion

tools on the wheel as well, and in order to have an effective campaign, all elements must be considered,utilized and executed properly, and then measured to receive the maximum ROI.

2.  While there is a mass migration to social media and so many companies are advertising and selling their “wares” on social media sites, they are forgetting about direct mail and email marketing; thus these avenues may actually become more effective.  Direct mail and email marketing can also be just as cost effective as a properly planned social media campaign.  By using all of these avenues to reach your targets on multiple levels and multiple locations you are reinforcing brand recognition and messaging, and creating a stronger campaign as you go.

3.  Email marketing may seem easy, but there are a lot of very strict laws out there that prohibit businesses from sending unsolicited messages.  If you are caught doing this without following the rules, it can be costly on a number of levels.  (A.)  You can be given a pretty steep fine and in this economy can anyone really afford this?  (B.)  You lose the trust of your audience.  When you send spam, you are bringing your company and your campaign down to the same level as those businesses (is that what they really are?) that send out the latest discounts on male enhancement drugs.  Is this really the category under which you want your message to be filed?  No.  Marketing professionals are very aware of these laws and it is in your best interest to consult with them before you try to send anything out.

One thing to remember about using social media to promote your business is that it takes time to develop relationships and gain the trust of those people you are trying to reach.  Then once you reach them, often the messaging is not perceived in the manner in which you intended it to be conveyed.  But remember, perception is reality from each person’s standpoint.  Full Moon Design Group is experienced in reaching audiences using techniques that limit those variations in perception and truly get across the meaning in the light our clients want to be seen in.

Consistency is the key. Direct mail, email marketing and social media can actually be used to cross promote each other.  The point being is that marketing effectiveness does not happen in a bubble.  They should all be a part of your overall campaign.  They strengthen your brand, your image, your message and get you in front of your customers.  Let us help you develop a strategic overall marketing campaign and design the right mix of all of these elements that is right for your company.  Contact us today: 512.428.9072

Social Media really is all about exposing yourself.  It’s about getting yourself out there, engaging people in conversations and telling everyone about your business.  Think of it this way:  Remember the 60-second elevator speech that has been ingrained in every business class or networking function you have attended?  With social media, you are in the biggest glass elevator you can imagine and you have 60 seconds (or in Twitter-verse – 140 characters) to get people’s attention.

The great thing is that it’s your elevator.  Everyone knows it’s your elevator and they are choosing to ride on it.  You can just ride that elevator up and down as many times as you want.  Every time the elevator stops and someone gets on, you get tell them about what is going on, what is new today.  And  you don’t have the keep saying the same old 60-second speech that you’ve been trained to memorize and spout out at the drop of dime.  You get to change it up, you get to get new ideas out there, and you get to get feedback about those ideas.

And your audience is always changing.  You will have some people who ride the elevator often, others that only ride it on occasion, but not matter what, there will always be a different mix of audience in attendance at any given time.

The trick is to know what mix of social media outlets to use for your given business or industry.  For some business professionals, LinkedIn is the perfect spot to make those professional connections.  For others, Twitter and Facebook are the places where their core audiences reside.  While still others go beyond the Big Three and use everything from YouTube and Del.icio.us to Slide Share and blogs.  There are hundreds of potential sites and each one has its own unique demographics of visitors.

Full exposure is all about integrating your social media strategy with your overall marketing strategy so you are reaching your audiences everywhere they reside.  The Full Moon Design Group can help you design your marketing strategy and integrate your social media strategy so that no matter where your audience is you are fully exposed.  Give us a call.  Expose Yourself!

But, after a short “UGH” I proceeded to create one … and this is what I discovered.

“Out of Sight … Out of Mind.”

With today’s technologies, we are inundated with ads everyday. So how do you stand apart from everyone else? Very simple – you inundate your friends, family, peers, clients, and co-workers with messages that you’re here. Your Facebook page causes a potential client to think, “This is Vicky and she owns Full Moon Design Group who does custom graphic design AND I need to get with her about my business cards.” That’s how social networking works. And, much to my surprise, it doesn’t take all that much time either.

Since I created the Facebook page I’ve had friends from all over reconnect with me and they are eager to learn what I’m doing now. That’s the perfect opportunity to promote Full Moon and catch up with an old friend to boot.

It’s rare that I ever find a client during the holiday season who’s focused on their business. Everyone gets tied up with the hustle and bustle of the end of the year celebrations, family gatherings, and holiday parties. Because of this, we have to get especially creative on how to bring in new business during this time. While looking for ways to promote Full Moon Design services I decided to update my status on my Facebook page …  “Vicky is looking for anyone interested in us producing a custom xmas card design”.

It worked! I had a few inquiries which equated to business.

On another note, I posted a comment about a project that I was working on in the office regarding a design around the word “imagine”. I had a few friends ask me what it was going to look like. If you think they aren’t watching, think again.

Best of luck to your social networking adventures in 2009!

Social media, according to Wikipedia, is defined as the use of electronic and Internet tools for the purpose of sharing and discussing information and experiences with other human beings in more efficient ways.

In fact, we are using social media right now.

Social Media Keeps Going and Going

Social media is not new.  It has been around for a few years and started with general blogs and a few kids on MySpace.  Social media was just that, social.  Fast forward three years and now MySpace has become the launch pad for movies and musicians, blogging is almost mandatory, and people know a lot more about your personal life than you could have ever imagined.

The truth is … Social Media isn’t just a fad or the craze of the future … Social Media is here to stay.  The world has become one big open book and if you aren’t up to writing your own chapter, than you might as well close up shop.

Social Media Means Business

The Internet is how everyone gathers their information.  They go to movies based on a critique on a FaceBook page, they buy cars based on someone’s epinion of the newest hybrid, and they choose real estate agents based on a friend’s blog about their house-buying experience.  Your company’s Website and how open you make it (i.e. client testimonials, comments to your blogs, information about your employees) is more important now than ever.

How often you appear on the Internet determines your validity these days.  So …  the next time you are playing around on the Internet; make sure you check Full Moon Desing Group out on FaceBook, read our blog (kind of like you are doing now), and maybe even Twitter about how cool we are.  You Digg?

*Photo by Kevin Zollman