I am a Social Media Specialist. I have also been referred to as The Queen of Facebook, and Master of Social Media Marketing. What does that mean and why does your business need it? It is not as difficult or as expensive as you may think. Actually you can not afford NOT to use Social Media Marketing. Call me today and find out more.

What my clients are saying:
Nails by Angelina
“Before Cynthia began to handle my Social Media promotions, I had 20 Facebook contacts – all of whom I worked with in the same salon. Cynthia was able to increase my contacts with hundreds of local women. The result being that my phone starting ringing right away.”

Rachel Fox, Cosmetologist
“I don’t even know how to turn my computer on. Cynthia has been able to increase my business using Facebook without me having to do a thing, thanks to her. She was able to suggest 500 new contacts to my business in a very short period of time. “

Voodoo Cowboys, Country Rock Band
“Cynthia had our band making a buzz on all the social platforms even before we had played our first gig in 2008. Her efforts have brought The Voodoo Cowboys to the top of the search engines for local live music. Another outcome was the Voodoo Cowboys earning the #1 Country Music Band in Las Vegas according to ReverbNation”.

What Social Media Management can do for your business or service?
Social media gives you the opportunity to engage, connect, inform, and establish yourself as an expert.
Connecting with your clients is not about selling. It’s about developing a meaningful connection and building community. By connecting and interacting and offering assistance or information you will establish a presence. You will become someone they trust. They will then turn to you when they need a service or product you can provide. It really is no different that connecting with other business owners at chamber events.

Be Connected
Social Media Marketing allows you and your business to connect with consumers and make them your loyal customers.
People do business with people
• They know
• They like
• They trust

“But I have a Website”
Having a website is not enough as there is no interaction, there is no activity, and many times a website is out of date with stale information. Even if you have the ability to capture website visitors information, what will their name and email address tell you about them and how you can serve them?

Target Audience
Sometimes terms used by others can be confusing and they shouldn’t be. Target audience is who you believe to be a candidate as a new client or someone you wish to reach. Social media allows for dialogue between you and the consumer public allowing you to have your “finger on the pulse” of the buying public of what their needs are.
After all, if everyone wants to purchase red umbrellas and you supply only blue ones, you know you may want to adjust your inventory accordingly.

Dominate Your Advertising
Using Facebook as an example based on the number of Facebook users out there, and there are over half a billion of them, Facebook can be viewed as the third largest country in the world. That is a volume of people just too big to ignore.

Expertise
Social Media allows you to share related articles, blogs, and facts to inform the public branding you as an expert in the field

Go Viral
Testimonials and Endorsements from your past and current customers to their sphere of influence further solidify your connection to them and allows you to reach out to their trusted friends. In these times it is not just who you know, but who your contacts know as well.

The Marriage of SEO and Social Media
Teddie Cowell, SEO director at Guava, adds: “There is a very strong relationship between search engine marketing and social media. There is also a very positive effect in terms of reaching large numbers of people and therefore gaining more links, which is one of the key factors search engines such as Google look at when ranking web pages.”

The Bottom Line
By creating a plan or strategy with clear measurable goals every business will naturally create an online presence. Social media marketing is for everyone. What are the social media objectives of your business? Once you establish that and commit to your social media marketing your bottom line will explode. Call or email me today~!!!

Credit cardholders, listen up: On Monday, new federal regulations will take effect, changing the relationship between you and your card issuer.

The changes are part of the Credit Card Act of 2009, signed into law last May. Congress approved the legislation to end what consumer groups have called unfair and deceptive business practices. But critics say the heavier regulations will make credit cards more costly for everyone.

The primary focus of the law is to eliminate unexpected fees and interest-rate hikes. Many consumers had complained to lawmakers and regulators about credit card issuers retroactively imposing interest-rate hikes on existing balances. In other words, a customer would borrow money under one set of terms — only to get an ugly surprise when the bank suddenly pushed up the interest rate.

Studies estimate that by eliminating unexpected rate hikes and fees, the law could save consumers about $10 billion a year.

But critics say tougher rules will make credit more costly for good customers. If card issuers are barred from imposing retroactive rate hikes on existing balances, then they may try to make up the difference elsewhere. So, for example, consumers may see the return of annual fees on credit cards.

Years ago, credit card issuers routinely charged annual fees. But since the 1990s, most have eliminated them. Now, they may come back. Or there could be inactivity fees imposed on customers who don’t use their card very often.

Here are some of the key provisions:

— Interest Rates: Card issuers cannot increase interest rates during the first year on new accounts. In most cases, retroactive rate increases are prohibited.

— Payments and Billing: The issuer has to set the payment-due deadline on the same day each month.

— Fees: Consumers cannot be charged extra fees for making payments online, by phone or by mail.

— Disclosures: Issuers must notify cardholders of significant changes to their account terms at least 45 days before the changes take effect. If the consumer objects to the changes, he or she can close the account, or “opt out.”

— Young People: Consumers younger than 21 need an adult co-signer to open a credit card. In addition, the card issuers cannot entice students to sign up by offering free pizzas or other gifts within 1,000 feet of a college campus.
by Marilyn Geewax