HootSuite is a social media management system for businesses and organizations to collaboratively execute campaigns across multiple social networks from one secure, web-based dashboard. Key social network integrations include Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, plus a suite of social content apps for YouTube, Flickr, Tumblr and more.

We personally use HootSuite to manage our own accounts and those of our clients.

Earlier this year HootSuite hit 3 million users with over 700 million messages sent through over 6 million unique social profiles. Along with HootSuite’s web platform, 20% of users access the dashboard through their mobiles including iPhone, Android, Blackberry and iPad.

• Engage: Optimize your audience engagement by creating search streams, scheduling messages and monitoring all of your social network profiles from one customizable web and mobile dashboard.
• Collaborate: Invite clients and colleagues to participate in your social media management. Assign messages for follow up and share streams, helping you increase efficiency.
• Analyze: Measure your efforts using over 40 social analytics modules to build and share custom reports. Or select from one of our pre-made templates for quick and easy reporting.
• Secure: Share access with team members without compromising security. The team permission levels and advanced sharing options ensure you remain in control of your valuable social profiles and accounts.

Sign up for a 30-day free trial of HootSuite Pro now at this link.

Everybody remembers their first time. Actually, I don't recall my first tweet. I am sure it was something that attempted to be funny though. 

Recently, I have had the privilege to help three different people send out their first tweets for their organizations. It's always kind of cool for me personally when that happens. For some reason beginners have a little fear about tweeting but once they hit that send button for the first time and you see that smile cross their face...you know they are hooked.

As I type this, people are teasing the Governor of Maine for his first tweet. And they should be as it has several missteps in it. If you have been to one of our Social Media classes you know there is no right way to do Social Media, but there are plenty of wrong ways:

• Don't use your first tweet to tell people to find you on Facebook.
• If you ask them to find you on Facebook, at least put a link to your page.
• You won't need to introduce yourself...that's what your bio is for.
• Don't start the promotion machine right way. Save the chest beating to sprinkle into your message schedule as you gain an audience.

A couple of things to think about before your second tweet:

• How will I join the conversation?
• What can I do to remain genuine in my messages?
• Who will I follow that will provide me quality and enjoyment in my own twitter stream?
• Where will my future followers find my twitter info outside of twitter so I can engage them?

I could give you all the answers to those questions but I'd ask that you look within yourself and your communications plan before you listen to me. Still need answers after that? Let's talk.

Happy tweeting!

1. Go to http://www.google.com/places/ and click the Get Started Arrow
2. Enter your Google log in data
3. On the next page, enter your phone number as requested to pull up your business information. If your information is not found, you will have to enter it manually on the next page.
4. You will then be asked to confirm your business information in order to claim your Place.
5. Google will mail you (I know right?) a post card within the next week with a pin for you to claim your Place profile as your own. When this is received just enter the number and your Place will soon be yours on Google as well.

Why go to all of this trouble? Because when visitors start leaving comments about the good or bad product and service dealings they have had with your company you will now be notified of them. Before, they were just sitting out there creating first impressions with online visitors.

Still need help? Let's talk.

March 30th brings the automatic changes of all Facebook Business Pages to the Timeline format. If you have not converted by then, your profile will automatically change anyway.

In addition to cool upgrades like fan/business direct messaging, increased app abilities, and pinning of important posts to the top of your Timeline, the cover image of your page will be very important.

We are suggesting to clients and friends they use this as a marketing tool. Using the cover image to focus on different products and capabilities through a rotating schedule of images will provide you with extra content to share with your fans.

There are a couple of hard and fast Facebook rules regarding your cover image. We have tested a couple of these already and the test images were rejected so know that Facebook is serious about these:

• Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
• Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section
• References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
• Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”

Stick with images of products, employees, and your building that promote the image you want to project. Switch these up on a fairly consistent basis to engage your fans and to keep your content fresh.

This day of community action, requiring more than 300 volunteers, will clean up, repair, and improve on eleven chosen areas of our community. In addition to our organizing and gardening skills, we are contributing graphic design, grassroots development, Social Media, and registration programming to this inaugural event. 

For more information and to volunteer, please visit ServeJeffCity.com.

I won’t go into the sordid details – and with a little bit of googling you can find out for yourself – but the background of the story is this: the candidate, in a previously held elected position, ticked off a very vocal and tech savvy segment of the American population. Their response was to hijack his name by using it as an adjective for a very graphic act between consenting adults behind closed doors.

If you have googled this already, trust me, you do not want to click the links.

Why do I bring this up? Because you may not know it but you probably have a Google problem, or at least an internet problem, too.

Google search your company, your name, your community and see what comes up in customer reviews, Places, or in links to sites like Yelp. Hopefully you have a bunch of stars next to your company but research says you probably don’t. You’ll want to read the comments people have left as that is what is impacting buyer decisions and long-term impressions more than anything.

What can you do about this? The organic answer is to take real world action to respond to the complaints left online by your customers and guests. When that is done, encourage new and additional customers and guests to leave comments on Google Places, Yelp, Facebook that show you have improved and are doing a better job. You can also attempt to buy your way out of the problem with various internet tools and functions but I recommend the organic path of hard work.

How do you do that? Placards at your point of purchase or requests in your email newsletter will work. You can even ask them face to face during your discussions…that method still works as well!

Want to see what they are saying about you? http://www.google.com/places/

On March 22 and March 29, I will be offering instruction in Social Media 101 & 201 at the University of Missouri Extension Center here in Jefferson City. The video below provides a few highlights of what we will be covering. You can register for the class through the Extension website here and here.

As always, if you have any questions about Social Media or marketing on the internet, feel free to ask us at anytime. We are always happy to help you solve a problem rather than see anyone frustrated and not utilize these online tools.

The change becomes mandatory on March 30, 2012. Today's Leap Day holiday gives us all an extra 24 hours to prepare.

The two biggest surface level changes are your ability to have a large cover photo on your Page and the segmentation of your posts and fan interaction into two different columns. There is also improved access to admin controls and analytics.

We have already switched our page over to the new Timeline and haven't hit many major issues. Although we haven't utilized all the improvements yet either.

If you need help or hit any major or minor issues, let us know and we'll be glad to help out. Here are two articles worth of FREE HELP for you from Mashable and TechCrunch as well.

Thank you for the time,

Gus Wagner

Using the website HashTracking.com, we can see the our cities official twitter hashtag #JCMO had an extended reach of more than 10,400 impressions over a 24-hour period last weekend. If you search 'Jefferson City', the measurements are at least 5-times greater.

As the hustle and bustle of the holidays sets in and the end of your fiscal year for your business approaches, we would like to make an offer to you.

The Rocket Group will be holding a series of classroom-style conversations on Social Media for our clients and friends in the Jefferson City area to ready you for communicating with your customers in 2012!

It’s high time I used my unparalleled experience, history and triple-certifications in Social Media and online marketing for the good of our community. So I will be giving the classes at no-charge, but do suggest a contribution to Boys Girls Club of the Capital City as compensation.

We do ask for a minimum $25 contribution per attendee.

In these hour-long* classes we will have a conversation on:

• What Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube can do for your business or organization.
• How big the local population is on these platforms and how you can communicate with them.
• How there is no ‘Right Way’ to use Social Media but there are plenty of ‘Wrong Ways”.
• What the heck Google+ is and is it a fit for my bottom line?
• How to integrate Social Media activities to drive expected reactions in your other marketing efforts.
• What all these #’s everywhere mean.
• Have a free and fair discussion on your current Social Media uses and future plans.
• And More!

In addition to our clients and several non-profits, I have given similar talks to local groups like the Jefferson City Kiwanis, hYPe, and the Small Business Academy recently. I have also been a featured speaker on Social Media at many statewide and Midwestern conferences in the last two years. All appearances have been roundly applauded as informative and helpful.

Your customers are on Social Media an average of 41 minutes a day. Whether you are online or not, they are talking about you and your operations. Let’s all learn how to become a part of that conversation and use it to grown your business and reputation!

Space will be limited to 6 people per classroom over 5 different days in December. Dates, times, registration, location and more information is available at http://jcmosocialmedia.eventbrite.com/and you may send your questions to me anytime at Gus@RocketGroupLLC.com or 573.634.5385.

Thank you for your time and Happy Holidays!

PS

Thank you for considering supporting the Boys Girls Club of the Capital City. I’ve developed a fondness for their operation since participating in the Men of the Club fundraiser earlier this year and would like to continue to help them in small ways.

*You need only register for one class. Classes may run longer than one-hour due to conversation. I won’t leave until all participants have had their questions answered!

The comprehensive package has included a new logo, a series of multi-purpose banners, a new website, improved online ticketing for their events, thematic print materials and newspaper ads, and an increased Social Media presence on Facebook and Twitter which we are also managing.

We are also doing a bit of old-school grassroots as we have personally been distributing posters to placement locations, local employers, and community meetings.

The links above will take you to the online features of this program and samples of the print materials are featured below:

The JCCA has roots back to the 1930’s in the Jefferson City area and we are very happy to be working with them as they enter their 9th decade of bringing cultural experiences at affordable prices to our community.

They still won’t let me near a live microphone though!

Thanks for the time,

Amazing how a couple of day’s separation can cause clarity to set in. As of this morning (September 28, 2011), the Cardinals sit tied for the Wild Card and people are getting used to the Facebook changes.

What does this mean to your business here in the Jefferson City area?

You need to familiarize yourself and your employees with, at least, these 5 enhanced features in order to serve your customers and prospects better and to know what they are saying about you online:

· The News Feed Ticker
· Smart Lists
· The News Feed
· The Subscribe Button
· The new Timeline profiles

I could write pages about each of these updates but you wouldn’t read an email or post that long. I wouldn’t either.

If you would like to know more, I will be posting information about each to our website, tweeting articles by others on the topics, and am always available for personal conversations about your company’s efforts in online and social media marketing.

The Rocket Group – and two of our separate efforts FarrahFite.com and JeffCityLive.com – will be exhibiting at the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce Business Expo on October 6th. Stop by booth #F13 and bring your questions, I will be glad to offer insight and explanation to your marketing questions.

With a little Cardinal magic and an understanding of Facebook’s changes October might be a lot more fun for all of us!

Thanks for the time,

PS
If you are on twitter give us a follow @RocketGroup and look for the #JCMO hashtag as folks in our community share things that are going on with it.

Zuck & Co. are in this to win this...in a game they already dominated.

Stay tuned to our Facebook page for links, updates, how-to's. It will be a lot of content but our goal is to help our friends, fans, and clients through this as calm and steady as possible.

As always, you can call or email us for help anytime as well.

We're all in this together!

Thanks for the time-

PS- we still build websites, communication plans and do the best graphic design west of the Moreau River as well. We're here to help!

Usually these projects have entailed impacting government action or reaction to an issue of importance to the organization. The practice works in the business world as well to drive consumer action.

I have recently come to label efforts like this #AstroNetTurfRoots and have spoken in several locations around the country about it. One such speech is linked below and this post is inspired by that presentation.

When working with membership, I try to put things in perspective by asking members if they have ever had a face-to-face lobbying or advocacy meeting with:

· A local official from one of the 19,000 municipal governments in America?
· An elected official from one of the 3,141 county governments in America?
· Someone from one of the 99 House of Representatives or State Senates in America?
· A Governor?
· A United States Congressman or United States Senator?
· A President?

Having the enormous amount of American governmental bodies in actual numbers puts things in perspective.

I then ask if they have had a social media conversation – outside of email of course- with an elected official about an issue that was on a personal level not just blasting press releases or talking points at them?

We then discover it they have organized groups –we are talking dozens, hundreds, thousands of people - to take real world action on a legislative idea? Extreme examples would be uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, or Libya? This is the real world action I am talking about and a lot of that activity was driven by social media.

But then we hit a stumbling block. If you ever watch CSPAN and see officials and staff members spaced out, not paying attention and with noses in their smart phones? Speaking from experience, they are checking twitter, Facebook and email. Maybe they are reading your messaging, but probably not.

At this point anyway.

Chances are increasing that your neighborhood elected official at the local, state and federal level is active on either twitter or Facebook and probably both. And if they aren’t more than 90% of their staff employees and other government influencers are active in social media.

This is where organizations need to be communicating outside of their membership silos.

The reason for the AstroTurf reference? Because, when folks are organized for issue specific events and rallies just as we do in political campaigns, government debate, or those flash mob things, critics and naysayers say you are ‘ASTROTURFING’ - creating and utilizing false grass roots.

But by combining time and commitment, speaking with truth and transparency, and being able to activate your engaged and involved NetRoots to take real-world action I like to say we are using AstroNetTurfRoots.

Think about this: We live in a time when only 90 out of 435 members of the U.S. House consider themselves ‘rural enough’ to be members of the Rural Caucus. Additionally, these numbers are not getting better for most of us in most Congressional redistrictings in the states right now.

And that covers most of us here in the Midwest.

Let us also consider that in the Midwest, according to the current HubSpot Twitter Grader, states like my Missouri is 42%, Iowa at 14%, Nebraska 17%, Wisconsin 14% below the national average in twitter.

Just another category the Midwest allegedly lags behind the coasts in right?

Well, combine those two facts and think about the shrinking representation and influence agribusiness and rural concerns receive in government and how do relate with the 345 Congressional City Cousins we need to engage on our issues?

We must impact them with our AstroNetTurfRoots and using our truth and transparency.

Here are some of my suggestions for membership groups across the Midwest to more successfully, aggressively, and positively communicate ideas and leadership in this modern era.

These include:

· First, follow and friend the elected officials and staff members on twitter and Facebook. All of this information is readily available in places like TweetCongress.com
· Observe how they communicate in tone and topic for this is how they want to be communicated to.
· When appropriate and effective, do respond to their messages or retweet or share them with your community.
· Encourage your organizations members and leaders to engage the officials and staff members as well. Do offer a social media directory or follow list of the elected officials and staff you communicate with.
· When you do engage them, Don’t talk in PRspeak or try to Thomas Dolby them – blinding them with science. Speak in personal terms. Impact on jobs always opens ears. But speak the truth when you speak.
· Do speak to them as yourself and your issue, preferably not as your organization. Organizations talk to them, throw talking points at them, and direct mail them all day, unfortunately it’s all white noise.
· Don’t be afraid to follow and sensibly engage your loyal and respected opposition, be they Democrats, Republicans, City Cousins, or groups that may be working against your current efforts. You’ll be surprised when you need to expand your base of allies who will step forward. Again, we can’t keep talking in our silos.
· Be an expert on your issue: water regulations, rural broadband, education needs, taxation, whatever. Know the impact to your area, their area, and your business. Be able to back your knowledge with real information.
· Don’t attack, start online fights, or join into them. Don’t drink the Koolaid either. Just be professional.
· Let them know events that are coming up such as meetings or tours where they can get real-world experience in your affairs. You will be rewarded when they attend, learn something new and tweet about it to the world.
· When you meet them in the real world, do remind them gently of your social media relationship.
· Don’t forget those city and county leaders. More often, this is where activist regulation which impacts you is occurring or being discussed.
· Do be aware that the internet, like a diamond, is forever. If you put it out there it can help you or come back and bite you in the butt.
· Also, seek out the press that cover government at all levels so they have a more familiar relationship with you.
· Don’t become a pest, Don’t use ‘form letter’ type messaging, and Don’t blindly attack people who have no idea who you are. These are called ‘frequent flyers’ and they are largely ignored and dismissed. And blocked.

One of the whole paradigm-changing goals of social media is to base communications and commerce activities on relationships and transparency, these same goals apply to the way we communicate with our elected officials in this 21st Century.

A couple of tips for you to apply:
1. Build and develop a content and mission plan
2. Establish Web Portal, Facebook, and twitter accounts if you don’t have them
3. Establish an Email Newsletter Sign up program and form
4. Publish 8-10 pieces of content full of information and personality before you go live with your plan.
5. This is the key to your plan: Begin influencer outreach: members, investors, electeds, bloggers, local media, statewide media, etc.
6. Begin a responsible email program
7. Utilize Facebook Ads and AdWords programs
8. Be transparent in who is delivering these comments and whose voice is speaking
9. Monitor your Analytics and Insights
10. Post content at least twice a day-it is acceptable to mix message tone. Post more if you can.
11. Follow up to all responses, posts, likes, welcome new followers
12. This is the other main key -Commit to keep at it

The lesson here is with a commitment to using these affordable and effective tools to communicate and educate with the people who regulate and legislate our lives.

By comparison to other media, whether they are political or issue oriented - TV and Radio ads are ignored. Direct mail is tossed…and hopefully recycled. Lobbyists are expensive. And once-a-year days at the capitol with your groups are incredibly ineffective.

Social Media relationships are quickly becoming more important than personal relationships in impacting the Hearts and Minds of our elected leaders, and your membership, into real world action.

Now who’s ready to rock their AstroNetTurfRoots into real world action?

Even here in Missouri, where twitter usage is 42% below the national average, our local celebrities are not immune to the slings and arrows of fictional account satire.

And it’s not funny.

Let’s focus on two fictional accounts that target elected leaders like BuffetJayNixon and FakeMayorSlay. The pithy comments coming from these accounts - usually feeding off someone else’s innocent tweets - really do nothing to gain credibility for anyone: the attacker, the attacked, and especially the bystander whose comment was appropriated for the joke.

The other detrimental thing these accounts do in our area is throw cold water on the fire of local twitter usage. Our neighbors are just now warming up to the network – with the help of traditional media splashing their hashtags and @handles all over their advertising and programming – and the audience is beginning to grow.

That is until your mom, your boss, your child gets their tweet about a favorite restaurant or St. Louis City event hijacked by one of these fictional accounts and made party to the ridicule of a local leader or celebrity.

If you look at the Mashable list you will notice most of these accounts create their own messages and joke. They don’t steal innocent tweets and ruin it for everyone. You will also notice the audiences they have drawn.

Real and original humor will draw a crowd.

Being an online bully making fun of things in a vacuum and dragging down innocent tweets with you will drawn you scorn and, potentially, a lawsuit.

Also, get off my lawn!

Thanks for the time -

When it comes to our graphic design work, we have been recognized by clients and peers for producing work that stands out and gets noticed. In fact, one of our political associates (whom we have never actually worked with professionally) once told me: “I always know when I see one of your logos because it looks so much better than everything else out there on yard signs.”

After I was done blushing, I explained how our creative approach allows us to produce the GOOD work we do.

We aren’t FAST though. Sure we have cranked out very nice websites in less than 24 hours. Heck, the first stage of one of our most notable and awarded projects, the 2007 Tour of Missouri website, was produced in less than 48 hours.

Those are special cases, but our normal production time for a website is around 15 working days…give or take a few. That’s because we don’t pawn off templates to our clients. All of our work is original, so you never have to worry that your website, print materials or logo look like anyone else’s – especially your competitors. Our logo development has a shorter lead time, but we work to get inside the client’s head to know exactly what they want and expect as we develop the identity tool that will define them for years to come.

When it comes to CHEAP, we work to make things affordable.

Overall, we’re competitive. But we have run into a few bid situations recently where, honestly, the prospect had sticker shock. One project for a one-page website – with custom photography, a year’s worth of hosting, a secure content management system, Social Media integration, personal training, and original design – was deemed “incredibly over-priced” at $1100.00. The prospect said he was going to go out and get one built by a friend of his son for $200.00.

But that’s okay. When his son’s friend moves away for college or fails to make his website a priority, we’ll still be here and up-to-date on the latest tools to help his business succeed.

Just as we have for the last ten years.

The marketing and communications work we do is performed by a dynamic, educated and experienced team. The products we create for you will be original, function above your expectations and be completed in a timely manner to fit your schedule – all within the budget you approved. That’s what our professionals deliver to you – GREAT, Reasonably FAST, and AFFORDABLE.

You may have heard of this Startup Weekend effort before, as it is an international one, but this is the first time it has been held in Missouri. Although it does have Missouri-roots to it as the Kauffmann Foundation has been one of the grant underwriters for the project for several years.

The quick bullet points:

· Startup Weekend is an international organization that hosts Startup Weekends, 54 hour events where developers, designers, marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams build products and launch startups!

· Startup Weekend’s mission is to educate and promote entrepreneurship in local communities. As a 501(c)3 charity, they rely on partners to keep growing Startup Weekend around the world, and we as organizers for the Columbia Startup Weekend rely on partners to host an amazing event!

· When you join us as a sponsor partner your company will be seen by community influencers, forever trying your brand to this positive transformative experience.

· Startup Weekend Columbia is being held at the Museao building September 30th - October 2nd. We will be hosting guests from Columbia, Jefferson City, St. Louis, Kansas City, and more.

As mentioned above, we are looking for sponsorships. Sponsors to help cover the costs of running the event through Startup Weekend, feed the guests, provide prizes to the winning teams, and create an amazing experience for everyone involved.

You can learn more about the large picture at http://startupweekend.org/ and the local picture at http://columbia.startupweekend.org/. Sponsorship levels and information can be found at http://startupweekend.org/sponsor/.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Also, if you know anyone that would be an interested participant, judge, sponsor or attendee feel free to send them in my direction as well.

Thanks for the time.

Gus Wagner

One common call to action I see repeatedly in print and even local television advertising is the icon below:

It doesn’t work like that. Not well at least.

With that call to action, a customer may find you on Facebook if you are the only business with your name on the platform. They may just as well find a similar-named firm in Manitoba, they may find nothing, or they may find a sneaky competitor of yours.

What is the proper way to promote your Facebook presence IRL? It’s by using your full URL. For example, mine is Facebook.com/RocketGroup.

What are some other common things customers might find if they do find you on Facebook?
· The last time you updated your Page was over two months ago.
· You have a Facebook Profile instead of a Facebook Page. (A Cardinal Sin.)
· The purpose of interaction, engagement and developing your brand in your Fan’s eyes has been lost.

What we see a lot is businesses are not engaging with their customers. If someone responds to a post, asks a question, or posts to your wall…interact in the appropriate manner.

It’s the right thing to do.

Here is some more food for thought:

• If you want to be serious with your audience, empower someone dedicated to Social Media to manage your account.
• Unlink your twitter tweets and your Facebook posts. They are two different audiences. And your ‘more than #140’ tweets are getting lost. Share the same info, just in different ways.
• If you are going to schedule, which is ok to do, schedule at minimum Two Posts A Day. Just like Raisin Bran it will do you good. Don’t lump them all at one time, or on one day. You will be wasting your time.
• Ask questions. Customers will become accustomed to answering your questions. And when they do your brand is shared with their audiences as well.
• And remember, even if you aren’t on social media and aren’t paying attention to it several times a day, your customers and prospects are and they are talking about you and your efforts. Pay attention and interact. Just like everything else in your business life, Social Media is a commitment. You must commit to it and become involved or you are going to be losing out very soon.

Need help? We’re here.

Thanks for the time –

Gus

The CoMO Derby Dames skate their sanctioned league tilts in Jefferson City and our crew (with some friends) went to check it out earlier this year. Photography and slide video presentation is by Farrah Fite.

Along with her many professional qualities and with me keeping her busy in the role of co-pilot of The Rocket Group, she expresses her creativity through photography, interior design, entertaining, and the written word.

She is quite the Renaissance woman.

To give her an exhibition space for her many talents, I created FarrahFite.com for her. She posts her portfolios of lifestyle photography, kitchen creations, and furniture finds there. Of course, it is also a business center as our clients and prospects have contacted her about her services.

Farrah is just one more tool we have at The Rocket Group to launch your success story today.

She just happens to be the most important one.

Thanks for the time-

Gus

Earlier this year I had the privilege of speaking to the Advertising Club at the University of Missouri. I talked with more than 30 students about the creative process, working in the modern economy, Social Media awareness, and other topics.

The talk was not sponsored by SunDrop but it should have been.

In this clip, I cover my creative process. Let me know your thoughts.

The last week has seen some serious escalation in the battle between the internet search engine giants and the social networking behemoths.

Specifically, Google and Facebook are playing chess with the tools you use every day to learn, share, and market your lives and businesses.

Within the last week, Google has announced the Google+ platform in a direct effort to wound Facebook. In turn, Facebook will be rolling out advancements and new features to their offerings…beginning with today's Skype integration and, probably, ending soon with the release of the long-rumored Facebook phone platform.

What does all this mean for us here in the Mid-Missouri market? I didn’t think much immediately until I read the KRCG Facebook stream and saw the number of false rumors and fear-mongering comments posted there.

To set the record straight, Facebook will always be free. Google will always be free. It’s the marketing channels and user demographics that make these companies money.

Here is my take-away, first on Google:

1. Google is a verb. You don’t search for something you Google it. It is as ingrained in our lives like Mom, Chevrolet, and Apple Pie. If they release a tool that combines social communication, search, peer reviews on products, and simple integration they will immediately claim a large piece of the social landscape as their own.
2. Google owns the Android phone platform and Android has taken the majority share of mobile device sales from iPhone and Blackberry. Everything is headed towards abandoning desktops for mobile integration. This gives Google the footprint they need to grab Social Media market share.
3. I've lost count but I think this is Google’s fourth attempt as Social Media. Maybe efforts like Wave were ‘warming up in the bullpen’ for Google+. Some users, mostly industry leaders, ooh-and-awed at the previous attempts but the public didn’t bite. This time will probably be different.

Now for Facebook:

1. With 750 Million users they can’t be wrong…right? There is a decent-sized group of users who have grown apathetic towards the system due to perceived privacy risks, lackluster improvements, and the growing reach of marketers on the platform. The youth demographic has grown stagnant while the 35 years old and plus market has increased in strength. Advertisers like people with actual income to spend.
2. Video-chat integration, Facebook phones, and other new developments may be too little too late. The thing to remember is Facebook is preparing for an IPO sometime in the next 12 months. Any downward trending in user use, user growth, and public opinion is going to severely damage this possible future $100 Billion Day. All of these are happening now.
3. Facebook Ads versus Google Adwords. Facebook’s Ad network is amazing for being able to target prospects. With the right information you can target an ad to one specific person. Unfortunately and for the most part, the Facebook Ads are static white-noise. They are seen but not clicked. This is why FB touts impressions over clicks in their reports. Google Adwords work because people are actually searching for the item being advertised to them. This drives the click-through-rate and drives the revenue. My guess is Facebook will open up even more channels for marketers to communicate with users (good for companies like mine) which will drive even more users away from Facebook (bad for Zuckerberg, et al) because they don’t want to be sold like that.

In the end, both platforms will survive and will not resemble their current form and function a year from now. When it comes to the user experience a year from now, you will probably see more people Google Plus-ing about the lunch they had, the car they bought, or the bad customer experience they just went through than you do today. Just after they post on Facebook about it and tweet about it.

Things won’t change that much we’ll just have another channel to share on.

These are just my thoughts…what are yours?

Thanks for the time-

Gus

Since our personal tradition for years has been to skip Christmas cards and mail out New Years wishes to our family and friends, we combined this effort with our Thank You cards...this worked especially well this year as our wedding was on New Years Eve 2010...and lasted way past the dropping of the ball at Midnight.

We were able to incorporate our 2010 news, some of our favorite wedding photos (from the wonderful Silverbox Photographers of #CoMO) and our wishes for a successful 2011 to our readers.

I think it worked out rather well. How about you?

Thanks for the time-

Gus

Somewhere in the middle of the project, the board decided to change the group's name to hYPe as a move to differentiate itself from other more service-oriented groups in our community and create a little buzz. We then shifted focus on the direction of the logo.

As you can see below, we went through several different iterations for their branding. I was partial to a few, others were partial to others. I think we all ended up in the same place with some that is recognizable, stands out in our area, and is drawing the attention they wanted.

Feel free to offer your thoughts on any or all of the looks below. Of course, if you are looking for a new graphic style for your business, group, or campaign...we are here to help.

Thanks for the time.

Gus

Since our beginning we have been involved in political campaigns, more than 185 since 2001, and this anti-tax increase issue fit our skillset perfectly.

Our contributions and involvement were in graphic design, ad development, message development, project management, and political consulting. The hard copy items we developed were a series of newspaper ads and a direct mail piece.

Given a limited budget, a short time frame, and a small population covering a large geographic area we felt these were the best ways to reach our voters.

The issue was defeated at the polls by a nearly 80%-20% turnout in our favor.The good people have Pike County have been saved from higher trash bills related to tax increases!

Below are photos of some of the work we produced for this campaign. If you have a similar, different, or interesting campaign project like this we can help you with just give us a call or shoot us an email anytime.

Questions? Feel free to contact us anytime.

(link takes you to the full graphic)

Let’s bring this closer to home for a minute. Here in Jefferson City, MO - location of the world headquarters of The Rocket Group – Facebook estimates there to be more than 46,000 users who also call Jeff City home.

Consider these numbers as well:
· 28,000+ of these JCMO neighbors are in the prime purchasing demographic of 25-40 years old.
· We spend 41 minutes a day on The Social Network talking to friends, checking out photos and videos.
· Facebook users are more apt to interact with national and local companies during their visits.
· Buying decisions are influenced more heavily by peers on Facebook than in any other social situation.
· ‘Likes’ and ‘Shares’ are the currency of the social sharing on Facebook.

Are you connecting with your prospects and customers where they are spending their time? Have you launched a targeted Facebook Ads campaign? Do you have your company Facebook Page set up with a custom landing page? Will your super-customers comment on how much they appreciate your product and services on that page?

If the answer to any of those questions was ‘No’, then we should talk.

As a certified Social Media Strategist, I know the ins-and-out’s of these modern communication tools and making them an important part of your media mix. The programs I have established through The Rocket Group have generated awareness, stronger customer relationships, and increased profits for the clients who have applied them.

Let’s talk soon about launching your success story on Facebook.

We will be covering social media and internet marketing in a talk I have titled, "You & Your Friends & Your Business on Social Media in #JCMO." We are going to be covering items such as the nearly 49,000 Facebook users who live in Jefferson City, what the heck #JCMO means, and how Social Media and the Internet will work for a local business.

As one of the few certified Social Media Strategists in the Mid-MO area and someone who has spoken on the topic at local and national conferences, I want to target the talk to what you want to hear. If you have any questions you would like me to answer at the presentation, want info on registering for the lunch, or just would like to know more about Social Media feel free to message me on Facebook, tweet me on Twitter, or just plan old email or call me. All of the contact info is below.

See you Thursday.

Monday May 9, the Stoner Theatre in Des Moines, Iowa will be the host to some of the most cutting edge personalities in the online universe. Hosted by Nathan Wright, and Deb Brown, the 140 Character Conference is coming to Iowa. These conferences have been hosted in cities like New York, London and Tel Aviv. #140conf Des Moines will be a ground breaking opportunity to look at the effects of the real-time web on the people and the businesses inside, of and around the Midwest.

Every ten minutes there will be a new speaker presenting – no slide shows, PowerPoint, or tricks. Just the speaker talking about how the technology of Now (twitter, facebook, etc.) has made a difference in their business or lives. Topics covered are Agriculture, Entertainment, Museums, Tech, Tourism, Writing, Education, Politics, Business, Media, Health Care, Retail, Ageism, Mobile Tech and Serendipity.

Gus Wagner of The Rocket Group from Jefferson City, Missouri is speaking about using social media to develop what he calls 'AstroTurfNetRoots' - the ability to build an online audience and motivate them to real world action. Founded in 2001, The Rocket Group is a marketing services firm specializing in building effective, original, and affordable communication and relationship tools for clients in business, politics, and government. Their team includes folks with decades of experiences in sales and marketing, broadcast and print journalism, state and local government, and industrial and graphic design. President.Owner Gus Wagner is one of the few certified social media strategists in the Mid-Missouri market.

We tell the story of the wheat farmer who used twitter on his Blackberry out in the field. That’s nice, right? Here’s the real story. The bigger city news was talking about how there was not very much storm damage to the crops after the last big storm. This farmer was out in his field looking and he didn’t have much damage. However, his friends on twitter were posting pictures of the damage in their area – and it was bigger and worse than his. He was scheduled to sell his wheat that week. He made the decision to wait a week. Why? Because the prices skyrocketed – there was so much damaged wheat and supply was low, demand high! His crop brought in a better price – because his friends posted pics on line. Yeah, the farmer today is no idiot. There will be lots of stories about how technology is changing the way we do things.

The #140conf events provide a platform for the worldwide twitter community to: listen, connect, share and engage with each other, while collectively exploring the effects of the emerging real-time internet on business. It creates serendipity in talking to each other, sharing ideas across industries, and exchanging thoughts with people like you and not like you. To put it in rural terms, we’re going to cross-pollinate some ideas. Or think of it as hybrid vigor: your new ideas are much stronger than the ideas that brought them about.

Details:

The lineup is a great one – and this is one event you won’t want to miss in Des Moines, Iowa.
May 9, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Stoner Theatre (inside the Civic Center at 221 Walnut).

Visit http://desmoines.140conf.com for more information.
You can purchase your ticket at the Stoner Theatre, Ticketmaster or at the above site.

Contact Information:
Debworks
Deb Brown
deb@debworks.com
641-580-0103