Monday, October 15, 2007

So what's the deal with this blogging and social media stuff anyway?

Curious about blogging and social media, but not sure how to get started? Or have you started blogging and aren't getting the results you were hoping for? Do you just want someone to cut through all the hype and buzzwords and clearly explain how these amazing tools can help you better communicate with and understand your customers?

This is where I can help you. Social media holds enormous potential for companies to grow their businesses, but only if these amazing tools are used with the customers' best interests in mind. My writings, presentations, and consulting projects always focus on how your social media efforts can help you better listen to, communicate with, and understand your customers. Because when this happens, your marketing becomes much more effective and efficient (Read: cheaper). So everyone wins.

Here's the services I offer that can help you improve your blogging and social media efforts:

1 - Blog consulting. Whether you need help launching a new blog, or improving an existing one, I can help. I offer complete coaching in this area, showing you how to monitor the existing conversations happening about your business in the blogosphere. I will then work with you to tailor every aspect of your content so that it provides your readers with the information and value they are looking for. I will also show you how to grow your readership by engaging readers on OTHER blogs, including their own, and even on other sites, such as Twitter. You can find more information about my services along with prices here. Feel free to email me if you need more information.

2 - Social Media consulting. Here I'll help you determine what (if any) social media sites/tools will work best for helping you achieve your larger business goals. I can help your company develop a presence on social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, or show you how to use microblogging sites such as Twitter and Plurk to better communicate with and engage your customers. If you are already active on these sites and looking for advice on improving your existing efforts, I'll help you get your efforts on the right track. Or if you aren't using social media currently but are curious about the possibilities, I can create a comprehensive social media strategy that will help your business achieve its goals. It could be that you can best reach your customers by participating on Facebook and blogs. Or maybe they prefer to use Twitter and MySpace? We'll assess your business and create a social media plan of action to help you better connect with and communicate with your customers.

3 - Blogging/Social Media Training. With this service, I offer extensive hands-on coaching with your company on social media tools. I can teach on individual tools such as blogs, social networks and microblogs, or several tools. Half and full-day workshops are available, as well as multiple-day seminars. Whether you want to launch a company blog, or discover how to create a presence on Twitter, in these sessions, I'll arm you with the knowledge and understanding necessary to 'hit the ground running' and begin using these tools immediately to help you grow your business. Please email me for a custom price quote on this service, and click here for more information on this service.

4 - Presentations. I offer a wide variety of custom presentations for your business on how to improve your social media and blogging efforts. Here are some of my most popular topics:

  • Blogging for Business
  • What is Social Media and How Can it Impact Your Business
  • Monitoring the Blogosphere and Social Media
  • Micro-Blogging 101

Please contact me at least one month in advance of your desired date for a custom quote. ATTENTION: Conference organizers, if you need a speaker for your social-media/marketing conference, email me for details and availability. You can find more information on my speaking services and where I will be presenting at in the coming months here.

5 - Custom articles/guides/tutorials. If your website or business needs a blogging or social media guide/tutorial, I can create one for you. Want to post a guide to monitoring the blogosphere on your company intranet for your employees? Need an article for your website that explains how to write a successful blog? I can help. I can also create custom articles on a variety of marketing and social media topics. You can preview and read several of the articles I have written over the last few years here. Email me for a custom price, I can provide documents from one page to a hundred, it depends on your needs.

Also, if you are an agency or firm that needs to provide social media training/consulting for your clients, my services are available on retainer, email me for prices.

So who exactly am I? Here's my bio:

Mack Collier is a social media consultant, and author of The Viral Garden, a blog focusing on marketing and social media. He also is a frequent contributor to the marketing blog Daily Fix, as well as the small-business marketing blog Search Engine Guide.

Known for his ‘community-first’ approach to blogging and social media, Mack focuses on teaching companies how they can use social media to excite and engage their customers, as well as better understand and market to them.

Mack is a requested speaker and has advised companies of all sizes on their social media strategies, from small businesses and startups, to companies as large as Dell and Microsoft. His writings have been referenced in several mainstream publications and websites, including The Washington Post, MSNBC.com, Ad Age, CNET, and The Boston Globe.

Some of the companies I have advised on their social media strategies include:



Feel free to email me about a custom service or project that you don't see listed here.