Social Profile Management

•    Especially created for busy executives, we'll manage your social profiles & online presence to make sure you get the maximum value from social media without having to spend your time online!

•    What are others saying about you online when you’re not looking? We can protect your online image by managing Twitter and Google alerts relevant to you & your business.

Small Business Social Media Consulting

•    We can help your business get started marketing it's services online using Social Media sites such as: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, FriendFeed, Blogs and more

•    We'll show you the tools you need to manage these sites in a short amount of time each day to increase your traffic & sales

Service Price List

Consulting & Set Up

Evaluation – $149
We’ll evaluate your current web presence—from your website, blog and traffic solutions, to your use of social media, video marketing and email opt in choices—or lack thereof. We’ll have a one-on-one call where we walk you through the results and tell you what’s HOT and what’s NOT and give you honest feedback & recommendations! The purpose of the call is to show you how to consolidate your efforts and maximize your results!

Basic Package – $249 (upgrade from the Evaluation is $100)
The Basic Set-up Package includes set up of up to three profiles of your choice and basic networking of these profiles together with each other and your blog or website.  We’ll also show you how they work.

Coaching Program – $249
Need help implementing your Social Media Stragtegy? The coaching program is a 3 hour program designed to help you do just that! It includes guidance via a weekly coaching call, opportunities for Q&A & training. This course goes at your pace and can be scheduled in 1 hour or 30 minute blocks.

   
Monthly Maintenance – Monthly Maintenance Packages are minimum 3 months

Starter Package – $147 set up & $1350 (3 mos) or $450/ month
The Basic Monthly Maintenance package will provide you with 1-2 status updates/day on 2-3 networks, deleting of unwanted spam, accepting friend requests/following back & basic profile management.

Business Package – $197 set up & $3000 (3 mos) or $1000/ month
The Business Monthly Maintenance package offers all the services in the Basic Monthly Maintenance package.  This is an entry-level full service package where we assist you with content creation & distribution, audience building & reputation management on 3+ networks.

Celebrity Package – $247 set up & $2500 & up/ month
Do you have a large following already? The Celebrity Monthly Maintenance Package is a custom package created just for you and your business. In this package we will work closely with your marketing team to develop & manage your online presence across the social web. Features include: audience building, reputation management, content creation & distribution, customer service, blog management & more.
 

A website is as important as a telephone number for your business. However many web design firms in Sydney want you to believe that building a website is more important than feeding your family. We are constantly amazed to hear that “web designers” charge over $5,000 for a simple web site in Sydney with other sites going over the $10,000 range. No wonder some people do not have websites.

We believe it is possible to have a great looking and effective website that costs much less. A big part of our time here at Thomson Marketing Solutions is spent consulting on website redesign. Remember that web designers are not marketers. Therefore even though they may create a beautiful site it is worthless if it does not move people to buy.

As marketers who learned web design we have a huge advantage as we know what works to convert visitors into buyers on the internet. We will be able to create you a site that is visually pleasing, organized, is manageable and converts web prospects.

After we meet with you about your site it usually takes about 2 weeks to complete your design and have it live.

**Mobile Phone Marketing** NEW!!

What if your business had its own iPhone app? What if you became the trusted adviser right on someone’s phone?

Mobile phone marketing is an untapped goldmine for Sydney and suburb based businesses. As a local business you can now connect with people right on their phones. You can push videos, coupons, specials, and other information about your business right to a cell phone.

Imagine this scenario: You are a local restaurant, on a Tuesday night you are a little slower then normal and want to fill the seats. You send out a coupon to everyone’s mobile phones for a discount for the next 2 hours only. Over the next 2 hours you have a full house because you were able to get the message out fast!

This is just one example. We can help ANY business market more effectively through the use of iPhone apps. If you want to pick our brains and see how an iPhone app would help your business just give us a call. We would love to explore and brainstorm with you on how an iPhone app would increase your exposure and help you market more effectively.

One more thing…to be able to say your business has an iPhone app is very cool. How many people in your industry can say they have an iPhone app? Yet again this positions you to be the trusted adviser to people looking for your products or services.

An effective internet marketing strategy is a must for any Sydney business. You need to utilize the internet to market your business or you are missing out BIG TIME. Research shows over 80% of people go to the internet over the phone book to find information about local businesses.

Your business needs to be seen and exposed to these people who are searching online. Thomson Marketing Solutions has many many ways to help your business online. We offer many services for Sydney and surrounding suburbs businesses:

• Video Marketing

• Social Media Marketing

• Search Engine Marketing

• Mobile Phone Marketing

• Email Marketing

• Article Marketing

• Business Directory Listings

• Search Engine Optimization

• Internet Consulting

• Press Release Distribution

• Much Much More!

The bottom line is we can create a greater footprint for your business online. The more you show up the better your chances are of people doing business with you. We offer many specific programs that will help local businesses.

Online marketing is a cutthroat business. You have to arm yourself with the proper know-how and the tools to make your site a cut above the rest. Each day, more and more sites are clambering to optimize their rankings in websites and if you lose your guard, you may just get trampled on and be left in the abyss filled with so many failed sites.

For the past few years and for the foreseeable future, Search Engines (such as Google and Yahoo!) are the most widely used Internet tools to find the sites that prospective customers need to go to for the product or information they need.

Most people that use Search Engines use only the ten top search results in the first page. Making it to the first page, more so to the top three is a barometer of a sites success in the marketing efforts of a company with Web Video Marketing and Search Engine optimization. You will get a higher ratio of probability in being clicked on when you rank high. The more traffic for your site, the more business you rake in.

But, it is essential to grab a hold of that spot or make your ranking even better. As I aforementioned, each day is a new day for all online sites to make themselves rank higher using Search Engine optimization and, now more importantly, Web Video Marketing. It is imperative to make your site better and better everyday.

With all of the Search Engine Optimization and Web Video Marketing techniques that you get as part of the Thomson Marketing Solutions experience, you can get the benefit of generating a high traffic volume with little cost of traditional marketing methods.

Let’s just say you get only a turn out of successful sales with 10 to 20 percent of your traffic. If you get a hundred hits or more a day, you get a good turn out of sales already. If you get only twenty to ten hits a day, you only get one or two if not any at all.

Please download our guide to help you understand the power of traffic generation….and remember, …this comes as part of a standard package we at Thomson Marketing Solutions deliver for way less than the traditional Yellow Page or Newspaper Advertising campaigns that most businesses indulge in. After all, it is now recorded that more than 80% of YOUR customers are searching online way before they even think to dig out that yellow book in the recycling bin or hunt through a soggy paper left on their driveway when they need your service.

YOU ARE THE EXPERT IN YOUR BUSINESS SO ENGAGE OUR EXPERTISE IN BRINGING THE CUSTOMERS TO YOUR DOOR TO PROVE IT – YOUR COMPETITORS WILL BE LEFT WONDERING WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE….SHHH….WE WON'T TELL!

This kind of marketing is so brand new in Australia, so innovative and so far unknown…can you imagine how much your business will explode before the rest of Sydney and the surrounding suburbs catches on!! Once in front..always in front..the competition is left trailing in the wind…

'RIGHT CLICK' AND "SAVE AS" TO DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE ONTO YOUR COMPUTER – IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE READING THE FILE, YOU MAY NOT HAVE ADOBE READER INSTALLED – YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE BY CLICKING THIS LINK!

One thing you can be sure of:  No matter how good a social media platform is right now, it will change several times over the next few years. You only have to look at the stats given by Nielsen Online to see how dramatically and unpredictably internet users have turned to social media lately. It started out about seven years earlier; built slowly… then took off in February 2009 at a never-before-seen rate.

Perhaps it's just coincidence that this growth started as the economy was plummeting; perhaps not. Whatever the reason, ads now are becoming more and more user-driven.

Twitter hasn't yet got an advertising program together – but the Huffington Post is offering tweets to paying advertisers. So it is possible for businesses to make money from social media advertising – not by advertising themselves. Hey, you may not have the prestige and authority of the Huffington post yet, but If you have a decent website, and pick highly related (but not competing) ads – especially if they're from partners better positioned and more well-known than you – it might actually give your business a boost.

The Death of Advertising?

One thing a lot of people just don't get: Advertising as an industry is breaking down; just as architectural drafting did, in the early 90's. Seasoned manual draftsmen suddenly found themselves out of work after years of paying their dues and working their way up the ranks, as college students and housewives with computers and AutoCAD took over. Companies no longer invested in permanent drafting staff, but instead hired people freelance – and fired them the instant the job was done. (Most draftsmen predating AutoCAD who couldn't adapt are now performing jobs like being a greeter at Walmart… while their grandchildren multi-task on MySpace, text on their mobiles, all while listening to their iPods, watching TV and doing a whack of homework.)

If you find yourself resisting change, one of those people almost proud of saying: "You'll never catch me on Facebook", you might want to rethink that, before not technology, but society, sweeps by you in a whirlwind of change.  Your biggest warning lies in Google finally being eclipsed by Facebook and other social media, as people search by:

- What their friends recommend
- What their friends talk about
- Online social media drama

The latter includes heated and differing opinions, scandals about a product or business and complaint, loudly voice. Complaints, of course, are your doorway to "filling the gap"; which reminds us that social media is like having the collective consciousness buzzing around in our head, till a handful of the strongest complaints emerge.

It pays to take a hard, long look at social media advertising for your business, and learn to go with the flow… but don't wait too long to do it:  Social media advertising and operation will probably change again, while you do.

In many ways, social media advertising is still in its infancy… but there are strong signs it's finally growing up.  The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has set measurable standards; mainstream companies have sprung up around it; almost all the major social networks not only have it, but have made a series of rapid changes just within the 18 months.  Facebook changed its privacy policy (secretly at first) so it could do whatever it wanted with feed, content and photos posted by users; then changed it again after the secrecy blew up in their face.  Twitter is still figuring out ways to advertise. Bebo and Flixster have hired New York ad megafirm Lotame to administer their platform.

And, of course, now that it's a teenager, there's a storm of hot opinion and data flying about, now and again, as people debate whether or not social advertising really works.

Predicting the Future of Social Media Patterns

Parties on both sides have brought forth persuasive and often equally valid arguments: Noticing the shift to where ad money is going will give you the ultimate clue. And yes, spending on social media advertising has been increasing so rapidly over the last 2 years that eMarketer has moved all its former predictions on social advertising's future forward to this year – 2010!  Facebook in particular is hitting 350 million participants, knocking MySpace out of the water.

It doesn't take a physicist or a psychic to predict that social media advertising will have a huge impact on local business too, thanks to  the geographically targeted ads it's possible to create on some media (most notably, Facebook). That system has its flaws – it's not available in many countries; and on Facebook, if you live outside the US, you can target only by country, which may render that option less viable. But it wouldn't be a stretch to predict the Facebook developers are working on that as we speak.

Some Things Never Change

By all means keep up with the news and watch trends change in social advertising – but there are 6 principles and facts that will remain the same. Namely:

1. Social media advertising is worth it, even if the percentage of engaged viewers is still small… because for every one active social media viewer, there will be anywhere from 6-14 brought into the fold by that single person. Think of that exponential increase factor – targeted viewers or readers brought in for you by members of your own market.

2. If you are unsure whether the user base is more male than female, or if you know both sexes are represented equally – market to the women. Not only do women nowadays have 80% of the buying power, according to countless net sources, men will usually be influenced or guided by the significant females in their lives. A man will often walk into the store and buy the same soap he's bought for the last 7 years; the woman is the one who will try something new – especially if you make a personal connection with your ad

3. Tracking, of course, is still king. Check whatever social network you're considering using, to see what their tracking provisions and choices are. If none exist, set them in place yourself; or else move on to a better network.

4. Don't forget the double-edged sword of word-to-mouth recommendations in social advertising. Make sure you deliver what you promise – and if you blow it and get a lot of flack, take it on the chin, acknowledge it – and fix the mistake. (You can turn disasters into an advertising opportunity, as Maple Leaf and Toyota recently did).

5. Remember that the one critical factor your ads all need is a social context. Make sure they are preceded by and linked to social network pages, videos, groups, content.  Give your fans a place to congregate, vent and enthuse.  Hold contests and polls, ask for feedback, offer virtual gifts. Engage. Otherwise, your ads are guaranteed to be seen as annoying banners everyone should ignore.

6. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater: Meaning… don't neglect all your other advertising venues – video marketing, email, offline flyers, mobile phone marketing – and track and tweak them all.  Social media advertising is best used to compliment these other campaign components, in most situations.

Follow these 6 tips, and you'll ride out the storms while others are still waiting to decide which social networks to use. Better still, let us do it for you!!
 

Are you a small business owner?  If so, how is your business doing?  Despite businesses that are a success, there are many business owners who want more.  If you are one of those individuals, it is likely that you would do just about anything in your power to improve your business, especially if you sell a particular product or service. When working to improve their businesses, many business owners spend thousands, if not millions, of dollars on advertising.  How would you feel if you learned that there was a much cheaper way that you could promote your business?

A cheaper way to promote your business?  Unfortunately, many business owners believe that there is no such thing.  If by chance it is believed, there are many who would automatically assume that it was a wasted effort. But there is positively one method that works without doubt. That method involves the internet and online video websites. 

If you are an avid internet user, there is a good chance that you are fully aware of what online video websites are and what they do.  If not, you will want to learn.  Online video websites are websites that allow internet users to watch videos that are hosted on their website, free of charge. What is nice about these online video websites is that most will also allow internet users, just like you, to make, upload, and share their own videos.  Depending on the type of business you own and operate, you may be able to use these websites to your advantage. 

If you are an online business owner, especially one that sells a particular product, you could make a video showcasing your product.  For instance, if your specialty is photo blankets, you may want to show your samples or even go over the process of making them. It may also be a good idea to mention the overall cost of photo blankets and who should own them.  If your product would make a great gift, it is also advised that you mentioned that. When doing your video, you will want to refrain from making your video seem like spam. Although you may want to mention the price, you will want to refrain from promoting your business too much. At the end of your video, you may want to offer directions on how to make a purchase or learn more information.

Although products are the easiest to showcase in an online video, you can also use your video to help promote a particular service that you sell. For instance, if you offer assistance to those that are in debt, you will want to provide an overview of what debt is, who it hurts, and how help can be obtained. Providing general information on debt is a great way to keep your video from appearing too pushy.  As mentioned above, you may also want to include information on your business at the end of your video.  This may help to increase the number of clients you receive, especially if you provide a service that is used and needed by many.

Contact us now if you would like to know how video marketing can work for your business!
 

If you are not already marketing your business online, it is time to start. Although there are a few exceptions, just about every business can benefit from online marketing. There are just so many advantages to this type of marketing. First of all, it is extremely affordable to market your business online. Other advantages to marketing your business online include the ability to reach a large target audience, the ability to reach potential customers all over the world and the ability to customize the marketing for different sectors of the target audience.

The affordability of Internet marketing is one of many reasons why many business owners are turning to the Internet for advertising. Advertising online is incredibly affordable especially when you consider how many potential customers a business owner can reach with an online marketing campaign. Most methods of online advertising are quite affordable and some of them do not have any direct costs. For example, you may choose to market your business online by participating in industry forums and posting links to your website whenever it is appropriate to do so. In this case the cost of creating and maintaining the website is insignificant in comparison to the number of potential clients you could reach through online marketing. Additionally, the costs associated with posting links to your website are incidental. You could consider the cost of having access to the Internet as part of the cost but you most likely require Internet access for other reasons as well so it is completely worthwhile.

Reaching a large target audience is another very worthwhile reason for marketing your business online. You may have spent a great deal of time and energy doing market research and determine who your target audience is. You may have also spent a great deal of time trying to figure out the best way to reach this audience. This is a very sound marketing principle but as it applies to marketing on local television, radio and print media it only allows you to reach a limited audience. However, when you take your marketing to the Internet you automatically drastically increase your potential target audience because you now have the ability to reach members of your target audience around the world.

This ability to reach customers around the world is another major advantage to marketing your business online. Regardless of where you live and operate your business, you have the ability to reach those who have an interest in the products you sell or the services you provide no matter where they live. This makes it possible for you to do business with customers around the world.

Likewise the fact that the Internet is available 24 hours a day is also very beneficial to those who choose to market their products or services online. Shopping for products and services in person can be very difficult especially for individuals who work long hours or those who work unusual hours. These working conditions make it difficult for these individuals to do business and make purchases of products and services they need during regular business hours. However, business owners who have an online presence are much more convenient because unlike stores and calling centers, the website never closes. This convenience gives potential customers the ability to view products and services, compare these products and service to the ones offered by competitors and make a purchase at any hour of any day.

If you are a business owner who is reading this article and you do not already have a strong online presence, you need to immediately start learning more about the world of Internet marketing. This is so important because if your competitors are marketing online, you may find they are gaining a steady advantage and are becoming more appealing to potential customers. Before too many of your potential customers become loyal customers of the competition it is time to start figuring out how you can market your business online and keep up with the competition.

Many people wonder if Social Media Marketing is really worth their time, consider the following information to help you decide for yourself.

A survey sponsored by the 2009 Social Media Success Summit recently revealed that:

• A significant 81% of all surveyed marketers indicated that their social media  efforts have generated exposure for their businesses.
• Improving traffic and growing lists was the second major benefit, followed by building new partnerships.
• More than half of the participants reported a rise in search engine rankings.
• About one in two marketers found social media generated qualified leads.

And these are just a few of the many advantages that people have documented from their social media marketing efforts. The very same benefits that you could be enjoying for your business.

Thomson Marketing Solutions can work closely with you to establish a social media campaign that's a perfect fit for your business needs. With several packages available ranging from profile set up and advice to running a whole campaign, there's absolutely no reason why you can't benefit from social media.
 

Now you have your new website and you are keen to start making some sales! But, how can you make sales if you do not have high volumes of traffic to your website?

One of the challenges which people starting a new online business face is that of getting traffic to their website. This article outlines four important steps you must follow to start generating some traffic to your website.

1.      Have unique content on your website. Search engine robots look at all websites on a regular basis looking for sites with fresh and new content. It is therefore important for you to have fresh and high quality content which will get your website quickly indexed by search engines.

2.      Have all your keywords on your website. It is important that you have all the relevant keywords and phrases that relate to your topic on your web pages and any articles you post on your website. This will increase your website ranking on search engines which means that your website will rank high when people type keywords relating to your topic on search engines. You will therefore get many visitors coming to your site via the search engines. When people visit your website, the high quality content you have will make people spend more time on your site and ultimately buy some of the products or services you offer on your site.

3.      Because your website is new, you must submit it to search engines. Submitting your URL to the search engines is an important step towards getting more visitors because it means your website will be visible from search engines. Having your website URL on search engines means that when people look for information relating to your topic on these search engines, they will find your website.

4.      Exchange some website links with websites that have a high popularity rank (PR). Exchanging links with popular and related websites is an effective way to drive traffic to your website, and improve the raking of your site. You will get some traffic coming to your website through other websites that you have linked to.

By following the tips outlined in this article, you will realize that increasing your website traffic and getting more people to visit your new website is very easy to do. All you need to do is to follow these steps and you will soon see an increase in traffic to your website which will mean a lot of sales and online profits for your internet business!