HOW TO CRUSH YOUR COMPETITION USING SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING & SEO

Missouri small businesses, organizations, and corporations, I have good news for you… I have added yet another weapon in the arsenal. In addition to social media marketing strategy, search engine optimization, and the SMO 2.0 guide, I now have an expert programmer and SEO guru!

My “special agent” is a highly intelligent young man with a strong programming background, possibly one of the best in the country. He can program in all major languages, including the new popluar “PHP”. He also is a seasoned veteran in search engine optimization, website redesign, website construction, servers, hosting, and just about anything else related to technology.

But back to the subject… crushing the competitors in your sector. I can’t stress enough how critical it is that business owners optimize their web presence through SEO. Equally as important, you MUST back up your optimized site with a strong social media campaign. If you do this now, you will leave your competitors in the dust.How so, you ask? Let me give you an example…

When I mention athletic shoes, what is the first brand name that comes to mind? If you said Nike, you answered like 90% or more of the general population. Putting aside marketing, advertisements, quality, design, and everyting else Nike has done to perfection, what is the main reason that they have top-of-mind brand identity? It’s simple… they were the FIRST ON THE SCENE.

There’s nothing anyone will ever be able to do to unseat Nike as the first to pop on the athletic shoe scene, becoming the first household name in this field. As long as they don’t have a major meltdown and screw up their image and reputation, they will not be unseated.

YOU have the same opportunity right now, more than ever, to set your mark as the “top-of-mind” source for your product or service in your sector. The greatest news is the fact that most people are resting on their laurels, waiting for the masses to make a move.

This is the exact time that leaders leaders take full advantage. It is what sets them apart. Fairly soon, most of your competitors will be rubbing their heads wishing they could turn back the clocks and establish themselves as the leaders on the social media forefront. But by then, it will be too late.

This is your 1-shot chance to dominate! Stay tuned for my real-world example of how I have capitalized on this opporutnity for my very own business. Until then, action is the word!

Carlton Flowers
573-893-9498
carlton.flowers@gmail.com

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INTERNET SALES SET TO GROW 14% IN 2009

With the recession looming and financial institutions nursing their wounds, can you believe that internet sales will actually GROW by 14% in 2009? Yes, it is true. Right smack dab in the middle of the worst recession our country has ever seen, spending will increase on the web.

Experts (other than myself) are predicting a total market share of $141 billion for web-based retail sales & service this coming year. This is mind-numbing. I tend to believe the prognosticators who are making this rather bold prediction. As people tighten their wallets, the general tendency is to find bargains any way possible. What better way is there to find the lowest prices and highest value other than the internet?

I’ve been saying for quite some time that we will be seeing two major shifts in the local business world. The first will be the impact upon traditional media advertising due to the meteoric rise in social media site usage. The second will be the stampede of local business owners and professionals rushing to get connected to the majority of local residents who are using the social media sites on a daily basis. Critical mass will occur once the first local business owner reports tangible gains utilizing social media for marketing purposes.

This brings me to the question in the title of this post. Local business owners and professionals, when it comes to advertising and marketing investment, where’s YOUR wallet? (forgive me, Capital One, I had to use your snappy catch phrase to make this point!)

Right now, the overwhelming majority of local business owners are keeping their advertising bucks in stonehenge media (my pet name for the age-old media venues). However, while the status quo continues pouding their hard-earned dollars into stonehegne media, a select few are going to flank their business sectors on the battlefield for customers and launch a surprise attack with social media marketing. Smart business owners will start to balance their advertising dollars between stonehenge media and online social media. If you don’t believe it, just watch what happens in 2009 and call me in a few months so I can tell you “I TOLD YOU SO!”

There will be a large percentage of local business owners and professionals in due time who will wise up and want to make the investment in social media, but many will be completely clueless on how to go about doing so. When the time comes, Mr. & Mrs. Local Entrepreneur, you better be looking up Carlton Flowers in the Yellow Pages and making a fast phone call for help.

Carlton Flowers, Social Media Expert

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People have often admitted that I know a whole lot of stuff about technical computer-related subjects, and also motivational speaker/trainer stuff. But recently, someone asked me why I have proclaimed myself as a Social Media Expert. I’m glad this person asked, and ready to share the answer with everyone!

Besides the fact that I spend way too much time studying social media until  all hours of the night each and every day, imagining all the different ways that businesses and professionals could be doing twice the volume of whatever it is that they do if they just woke up and noticed the social media revolution, there are also two other very important reasons that I have become an expert, and a few more reasons to boot. That said, let us now cover the reasons.

2 Reasons why Carlton Flowers is a Social Media Expert

plus 4 bonus reasons…

1. Carlton learns from the best – the only way to build credibility in any business is to associate with those that are experts in their field, and wisely choose the best possible mentors. Carlton’s main mentor of choice is Dr. Ron Capps, better known as “The Niche Prof”. Dr. Capps taught at the University of Wisconsin, and currently teaches at Northwest Missouri State University. He is an expert in communications, sales, education, and everything Web 2.0. He speaks at conferences and events all over the country on the subject of social media. Carlton uses Dr. Ron Capps’ guides, studies, articles, and training materials as he consults businesses on leveraging their market penetration via social media.

2. Carlton is a student of SMUG – Social Media University Global is a consortium of the best individuals in the field of social media worldwide. They offer top-rate course materials, and are constantly growing in this brand-new field. Only a handful of the world’s best are students of this new media learning institution.

BONUS REASONS

B1. Carlton is a former computer geek - he had a computer business for ten years up to 2001, and has extensive experience in computer hardware, software, programming, and multimedia production. It is a naturally strong foundation for social media.

B2. Carlton is a motivational speaker and seminar trainer -  He teaches on a wide variety of subjects ranging from Championship Customer Service to Transformational Leadership. Again, a naturally strong foundation for the new social media revolution.

B3. Carlton is a former business owner - having owned an auto repair shop, a body shop, and a retail tool store, Carlton understands what businesses are going through, and how important it is to be on top of creative marketing techniques. Social Media only enhances his ability to put his former marketing experience to work for his clients.

B4. Carlton is an audio & video production expert - having produced his own local television show for 4 years (and coming back soon), Carlton is swift in the field of video & audio production. Knowing how to crank out professional-looking video content is a definite advantage in creating social media campaigns.

B5. Carlton is a schmoozy, likable guy – you can’t help but fall in love with Carlton the minute you meet him. He has a contagious laugh and energizer-bunny enthusiasm. He is known for his ability to inject his natural zeal for life into helping his clients. What more could you want in a consultant?

So there you have it. That’s what they say about me, and that is why I am officially a self-proclaimed social media expert.  Are you ready for me to optimize your business? You better call me soon, because I am getting busier by the day. The word is out on the streets that I have the best social media optimization solutions, and good news travels fast!

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