GANZ Media gives presentation on Social Media pitfalls to avoid to local business owners!

GANZ Media gave a presentation this evening:

GANZ Media give presentation on Social Media pitfalls to avoid to local business owners!

GANZ Media giving presentation on Social Media pitfalls to avoid to local business owners!

Many companies approach online marking from a single perspective, offering one or two services with a one size fits all approach. At GANZ Media we offer customized solutions offering everything from Social Media plans & training, customized WordPress websites, email campaigns, graphic design, to providing discounted rates as an authorized Yelp reseller. Contact us today to find out how we can help you!

Check a few highlights from our presention at the Encino Business Networking group:

 

Great group this evening, very dynamic and friendly too!  We talked with business owners about the important use of Keywords or #Hashtags in Twitter, your Blogs, LinkedIn, and now Facebook!

We spoke about the importance of integrating Social Media into your email, and further extending the reach of your content using keyword enriched blogs. Social Media needs to be maintained on a regular basis. Every company should be using Social Media, and if you are going to do it, do it right!

http://www.meetup.com/The-Encino-Business-Networking-Meetup-Group/events/121708022/

Online Marketing: From Social Media to Websites, pitfalls to avoid!

1) Social Media Overview & Tips

2) Email Marketing Tips

3) Website Design: How the Industry has Changed

4) Corporate Videos: How will they help my Business

 

3 Reasons Facebook is Too Big to Fail

3 Reasons Facebook is Too Big to Fail

3 Reasons Facebook is Too Big to Fail

Facebook stock is down, but the future is looking up.

Let’s face it, the Facebook IPO was drastically overvalued.  Overly optimistic traders, corporate greed, a shift in members viewing Facebook on smart phones vs. PC’s (resulting in fewer advertising opportunities) are among the many reasons for a lower than expected IPO and corresponding current stock price. And while its revenues represent only 1% of the world’s $507 billion in total ad spending, the growth opportunities for Facebook are limitless.

It is not uncommon for a stock price to dip significantly after its IPO. Companies such as LinkedIn and Angie’s List experienced similar plunges. LinkedIn’s share price was $94.25 in their first day of trade after their IPO, yet plunged to $63.71 a month later. It currently trades at $105 a share. Angie’s List Inc., the consumer-reviews site, had a first-day close after the IPO value of $16.26, up 25 percent from IPO price. It dipped to $11.56 within the first month. Four months later the price was $18.89.

There are many examples of tech stocks which have performed well after initially dipping in price.  Google is currently trading at $675, compared to $84 since its 2004 IPO. Apple stock prices were at $22 dollars for its IPO back in December of 1980 – and increased 1700% within one year – and as of today are trading at a whopping $665 per share (over a 4000% increase). What is most important to recognize is not the short term expectations, but the long-term growth potential of this technology platform. There are three reasons Facebook is too big to fail:

1) Lifestyle Facebook is not just a software application, it is a way of life.

Individuals can find lost family members, old classmates, share pictures and events with friends and family, and chat live with other members. According to Mashable.com, the average person spends 5 hours and 46 minutes per month on Facebook, up from 4 hours and 39 minutes back in June of 2009.  This is more than Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Microsoft, Amazon and Wikipedia combined!

2) Advertising Machine Facebook relies on Ads to drive revenues.

While there has been a shift in members viewing patterns on Facebook from personal computers to mobile phones (which have fewer ad opportunities due to a smaller screen), Facebook has barely scratched the surface of reaching out to other companies to partner with. Companies with large networks of people have the ability to exponentially grow the views and ad opportunities. The same untapped potential is true of 3rd party software applications that allow Facebook users to share content with online friends, and login with their existing Facebook logins.

3) Demographics Collection and Meta Data build value.

The most significant accomplishment of Facebook is the statistical data they have compiled. Users fill out their age, physical location, interests, simply by signing up. Pages users view, topics they frequent, companies they visit, all are collected which allows Facebook to search for patterns that their advertising department can capitalize on. But even more than that, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon have all have teamed up to share demographics (meta-data) from one site to another. While in many cases the personal information or identity of a specific person cannot be revealed, those seeking to advertise now have a larger reach, and the most precise statistics ever available. As the number of technology partnerships increase, the value and advertising opportunities increase.

Like any other tool, technology can be used to build or to harm.  Other Social Medial platforms such as MySpace have gone by the wayside. This is not because they weren’t useful, but because their technology did not keep up with the changing needs and demands of their users. Facebook understands their users. They “get it”.  Improvement of existing features, incorporating new features such as Timeline which allow users to display more content (and allow for more advertising opportunities), a large R&D budget, and an untapped world market guarantee a long and profitable future.

Click here to contact GANZ Media today and find out how we can create a Social Media Campaign for you!

USC Social Media Seminar for Small Businesses by GANZ Media – June 7th

GANZ Media to give seminar on Social Media for Small Businesses @ USC June 7th!

USC logo

USC sponsors Los Angeles Chapter of Entrepreneurs Professionals

 

Entrepreneurs Professionals

Los Angeles Chapter

 

Who: Sponsored by Entrepreneurs Professionals (Los Angeles Chapter)

When:   Thursday, June 7, 2012, 6:00 pm

Where:  USC Campus Taper Rm. 116

Exposition Blvd and S. Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, CA

Discussion by GANZ Media: What is Social Media and how can it help your Small Business?

To attend, please sign-up at the Meetup.com page: click here.

At our Information Meeting, we will tell you what our group is all about, so you can see how belonging to a “Business Development” group can not only be a whole lot of fun, it can also make your business more than successful. We don’t settle for the notion of just “surviving” in this current economy, we are set on the notion of thriving in this economy. We invite you to meet the group and see if Entrepreneurs Professionals would be a good addition to your business growth strategy.

 

What Social Media is and why your company will fail without it.

What is Social Media?

GANZ Media Social Media Global Chart

This is Social Media!

 

The Internet is a transformative force, especially for businesses. When the World Wide Web first arrived in the late 1990s, companies were unsure if they should have a website, how to properly use them, and what content to put online. Today nearly every business of any size understands that a website is a necessity, and most can’t conceive of how they would conduct business without one. Like those early days of the web, Social Media is in its infancy. There are few standards, and less general understanding for how Social Media can and should be used to increase business. And yet, like the Web, Social Media has the ability to transform your business, increasing your sales and building trust and rapport with your clients and customers.

 

1. Social Media (Function):

Imagine what the future of Apple computers would have been if Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, after building their first computer in their garage, had simply announced over a bullhorn to their neighborhood that the future of personal computing had arrived. Would anyone have taken them seriously? They had no credibility, no track record. In fact, they were just one of thousands of computer kit builders in the United States at that time.

Instead, Apple launched their product and generated a significant following through years of organic growth through tradeshows, developer forums, outdoor concerts, and more recently selling a technology lifestyle though brilliant ads appearing on buildings, billboards, and breathtaking storefronts in malls and shopping centers across the country.

If you have ever watched the hit TV show ‘Madmen’, you can see how advertising changed the face of history in the 1960s. New promotional techniques combined with improved channels of communication altered American culture forever and expanded the possibilities for businesses to reach their customers. Branding was born.

Social Media is a new content distribution channel that is being used by businesses to increase their exposure and improve customer relations. Think of Social Media as the new digital Public Relations with a twist. Could you imagine Apple without a public relations department, or Microsoft without a marketing division? While the method of communicating with clients and customers has shifted over time from Radio, to Television, then to the World Wide Web, and now Social Media, each new technology allows for greater reach and greater participation from customers without replacing what came before. Social Media can significantly lower your marketing budget and can dramatically improve your overall marketing reach. Social Media marketing costs are far lower than traditional print and a fraction of TV and radio ads. Given the amount of competition for customers’ attention and dollars, companies cannot simply rely on the traditional methods of marketing and expect to survive. Having access to cutting edge tools can help you stand out in your industry and perhaps even lead the pack.

Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing were not simply fads companies adopted and then later discarded. They were new ways of thinking about getting the word out on the street about a product or service, using the available technologies, and developing new processes along the way.

Social Media is one of the newest technology-based sets of tools available for businesses. The world-wide popularity of Social Media sites has shifted a “Tweet” from a message used by teens to tell each other what they had for lunch, or who their favorite singer is, to a media powerhouse companies use to announce IPO’s, announce mergers, release new products, and connect with their users, customers, clients, and stakeholders.

 

2. Social Media (Structure):

In the classroom there is not just one type of student. You have visual learners, auditory learners, and those that are a mixture of the two. In Social Media, one size does not fit all. There are multiple platforms, each appealing to a different online segment: Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter), Video (YouTube), Pictures (Pinterest, Instagram, Flickr,) Music (Pandora, Spotify), Location-Based Services (Yelp, Foursquare), Collaboration (Google Docs), and Interest-Based Networks (LinkedIn, Plaxo, Xing). Each of these channels appeals to different types of potential customers, and many appeal to more than one. It is important to understand each choice, how the consumers are using it, and how to best use these tools to communicate, build relationships, and sell.

3. Social Media (Unique Properties):

Websites in the past have been little more than online brochures, providing static content, and requiring much effort to drive traffic to them. Social Media is different in that it allows companies to engage in a two-way dialog with customers and vendors, and encourages participation, allowing businesses to pose questions, launch polls, and create surveys to get instant feedback from their target markets and buyer personas.

The collective nature of Social Media allows content to reach a larger audience at a quicker rate than ever before. Similar to a fire, where a small spark can turn dry brush into a wildfire, a simple Tweet can incite nations to act (think Tunisia and the Arab Spring); announce world-wide product launches (the Apple iPad); and potentially reach hundreds of millions of viewers (YouTube: KONY 2012 received 100 million views); all while driving traffic to your website/fan page, making your smart phone ring, or filling your email Inbox with hundreds of new potential customers.

4. Social Media (Advantages):

Small companies can now compete at the same level as the major Fortune 500/1000 corporations. Since many Social Media technologies are free and can be automated, the only expense is for expert advice and training. The first step to Social Media success is seeing what your competitors are doing and start looking for trends.

Through Social Media, you can position yourself and your business as a thought leader (an expert in your industry or niche). Instead of sending one way messages that interrupt the attention of your customers (and thus compete with every other interruption), Social Media allows you to engage your customers in a two way communication where they seek you out, and you provide the information they want when and how they want it, which increases the potential impact of your message many times over.

The most important thing to know about Social Media is that your customers want to find something unique or novel. They want new content, special discounts, or hard to find resources that aren’t available in either in your physical retail locations or on your website. If your Social Media strategy takes this into account, you will have mastered the essence of this new technology. Social Media is not just a repeat of your other messages. It is like the difference between radio and television—show, don’t tell.

5. Social Media (Drawbacks):

A poorly crafted Social Media campaign can alienate customers, cost you business, and can remain permanently posted on the Internet. Starting a social media program and stopping for month, or even a week, can give the impression of an unmanned ship, and reduce your online credibility. Not having a dedicated Social Media specialist and a crisis response plan means you lack the ability to instantly turn a customer service problem into a solution, leading to a potential public relations problem. A bad Social Media program will cost you credibility.

Conclusion:

The cost of doing nothing is much higher that doing something, even if you get it wrong the first time. Analyze your competition, develop a plan, and go for it! The very existence of your business may depend on how you approach Social Media.

Contact GANZ Media today to create a Social Media plan for your business!

 

Interview at BlogWorld 2011 with GANZ Media CEO

At the recent BlogWorld 2011 at the Los Angeles Convention center, Michael Stark of PostYourProperty.com interviews Aaron Ganz, CEO of GANZ Media. The importance of Social Media and emerging technologies is a key focus. Nine out of ten robots agree this video rocks!  Click on the video or link below to watch:

Social Media revolutionized! Blogworld 2011 Interview: click here

 

GANZ Media website launches!

Thank you for visiting our new website! GANZ Media can help you in all your online marketing efforts, including creating Social Media content, Social Media Plans, Social Media Training, HTML-based email campaigns, websites, and Search Engine Optimization.