Keepin in Constant Contact

Email Marketing has become a hot topic now days. Email can be checked in may ways and is instantaneous. Many companies have replaced direct mail with E-mail.

Perhaps because email marketing is less expensive and and easier to track.

Constant Contact, The world's most used email client began in 1998 to provide affordable, easy-to-use email marketing tool that would help small businesses build successful, lasting customer relationships.

With Constant Contact, small organizations can communicate with current customers and members easily and affordability, build loyalty, and generate repeat business.

Today, more than 450,000 customers worldwide from all types of small businesses and organizations—from retail, restaurants, and spas to business services, consultants, nonprofits, and associations—use Constant Contact for Email Marketing, Event Marketing, Online Surveys, and Social Media Marketing.

Each state in the U.S. has a state contact. Within those are several regional directors.

In November 2011, Social Media Mack became an official partner with Constant Contact. SMM serves all of Oklahoma as Email Marketing and Social Media "Expert"

Check for seminars on the "Power of Email Marketing" coming in 2012.

To view our seminar schedule visit www.socialmediamack.com/socialmediauniversity

What to get a business owner who needs everything!

Top 10 things on an entrepreneur's Christmas list:

10. An ipad

9. New software

8. Engraved Ink Pen

7. Membership to local Chamber or Commerce

6. Gas Card

5. Video Camera

4. Gift Card to Office Max

3. Good Book

2. Keep it Local card

1. A DAY OFF!

Feel free to send any of these items to the address located on www.socialmediamack.com!

Advertise your business this BLACK Friday

Tons of people will be out fighting crowds and standing in long lines...

But the smart ones will be at home shopping on-line in their PJ's.

SMM is releasing the #1 email blast of 2011...

SOCIAL MEDIA MACK's NEWSLETTER:

BLACK FRIDAY EDITION

For businesses or service providers, this is by far the easiest method to take full advantage of this Christmas.

Be seen by our 6,000 subscribers and let the world know what your business has to offer this Holiday season.

Space is limited...

This is only offered once a year!!

Call our office 405.921.8609 or email socialmediamack@gmail.com to sign up!

DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 21st, 2011

Panic Attack via Facebook!

Facebook dropped a bomb on its users this week.

Our office has received tons of emails with questions about the "New Facebook" and we have been working around the clock to try to get things figured out.

The bottom line is... Facebook is going to continue to change. That's how they keep it FRESH.. and in the process make it hard for you to figure out how to use it.

So.. everyone just calm down.. Take a chill pill. Everything will be O.K. Hey, think of it this way... now is a perfect time for you to try Twitter out. (Shameless plug.. yes I know!)

Throughout the course of the past few days, Facebook users have updated their statuses with warnings and caution.

My personal favorite, obivously a spoof was this:

Tomorrow, Facebook will change its privacy settings to allow Mark Zuckerberg to come into your house while you are sleeping and eat your brains with a grapefruit spoon.

To stop this from happening, go to Account > Home Invasion Settings >Cannibalism > Brains, and uncheck the Tasty box.

All this hype will die down soon. So just wait for it....

To Tell or not to Tell.... (Confessions of a CEO)

This blog is not used for personal use very often. Business is the subject and info is the predicate. But I am going to branch out and ask for your "personal" opinion.

I have been dating a guy... We shall call him "Mr. St. Anthony's" and things seem like they may get serious.

I usually don't really connect with guys my age.. mostly because my career is more advanced than most of the boys I was going on dates with.

Mr. St. Anthony's is older, more established and has it together. We talk about work sometimes and potential clients that I am working on but we have never discussed who actually RUNS the show.

During conversation I will just say: "I'm going to work" or " I was at the office late today". It just never really comes up that I am the owner...

So... readers here is where you come in...

Is it a major deal that I didn't tell him I own the company? Do I even tell him?? What do you think his reaction will be?

I will leave this up for a while before I actually spill the beans to him. But give me some good feed back either on here or Facebook.com/socialmediamack

I am dying to hear what you all have to say!

Elite 8 in Oklahoma City

The best of the best. #1. Head honcho. Pioneers.

All these words describe leaders either in business or individuals. There is always someone who is the BEST.

Our company has been a leader in the industry due to the nature, innovation and culture of our business. Though there are other firms out there that do what we do, we are 2nd to NONE.

May we present you, a group that will serve as a think tank for innovative thinkers all over the state called "The Elite 8".

Social Media Mack will facilitate a lunch meeting quarterly inviting the "best of the best" in their respected industry to come together and share things that both work and didn't work for them in their success. Each group of professionals will be different every quarter.

This elite group coming together will foster unity in the business community and will be a great start to building a bond.

e·lite/iˈlēt/NounA group of people considered to be the best in a particular society or category, esp. because of their power, talent, or wealth.

Keep up with your email... invites coming soon!

Happy Anniversary... Social Media Mack!

Well... It's that time again. Holy Cow.... 2 years. It's so funny look back on how these shenanigans started and how much has been accomplished in such a short time! Not many people know the whole story so here it is!

The Beginning

It all started in May of 2008, still the happiest day of my life... College Graduation. With a Journalism degree in hand, the world was my oyster and I was ready to get a great job as a magazine editor with a six figure salary. There was a slight problem with that scenario: 1. You have to have a portfolio to even be considered for an editor position. 2. It would help to have a reference from a previous publishing company to help you get your foot in the door. Since I fraternized in my internship, quit and got a D in the class, I was pretty sure that would not be a reference that would speak highly of me.

Unable to find a position in my field, I took the best paying job I could find. Phone Operator at a local hospital. Decent benefits and $11 per hour was not ideal but I took it.

In June of 2008, I began my professional career.

Big Girl Job

My cubicle was in the basement of the hospital with no windows and no contact with other humans. It was like caging an animal or solitary confinement for eight hours Monday - Friday. The Internet was blocked from social networking or any other site that would allow you to interact with others per company policy.

So I did the next best thing.... Blogged.

I figured out a way to email blogs to my RSS feed from my work email and began writing. Every single day there was a new entry on the O list, a blog all about Oklahoma night life and MY life. I would email my co-workers the link and they would respond back telling me what a good writer I was. I read books by the dozens in a week to just keep my creative mind occupied.

In January 2009, I received an email from my church pastor giving information about a mission trip in California. I had no idea what a mission trip was... all I saw was the word California and my eyes got big.

I applied and got accepted to be a summer missionary in Lake Tahoe, CA as a camp counselor at a Bible Camp. Ready to get out of this god forsaken state, I put my 2 weeks notice in May at the hospital. Shortly after doing so, I had to have emergency gall bladder surgery. But that was not going to stop me from boarding a plane to get the heck outta dodge.

May 2009... My life changed in a BIG way!!!

Life on Another Level

Life in Lake Tahoe was different to say the least. I lived with 13 other girls all younger than me. I was 24. I slept in a twin bunk bed and worked 6 days a week for NO money. I had no car and there was not a mall or Target for miles. Our food and housing were paid for, but no other expenses would be paid. This presented itself to be a problem. I had student loans, car payment back home, insurance and cell phone payments that were to be paid monthly. I had a heart- to-heart with the man upstairs before I boarded the plane to CA and told him:" If this is what you want me to do, I need you to make a way!"

And of course he did! I came back with more money than I left with and all bills were paid.

My summer in CA taught me alot about myself. It taught me that ANYTHING is possible. You can live without all the things we take for granite everyday and still be sane. I had planned to move to San Francisco to get an awesome job in print but ran out of money fast. In August 2009, I was back on a plane to Oklahoma for a "visit".

I had lunch with my mother who insisted I move back to Oklahoma and live with her until I found a job. I knew that was a drama situation waiting to happen after we almost killed each other living in the same house before I moved to CA. I made arrangements to stay with a friend and told her I would keep her updated on my employment progress.

What do I REALLY want to do?

My dear friend, Taylor was so understanding of my situation and let me stay with him rent free until I could find a job. This time, I could really concentrate on what I wanted to do and could take my time.

I had a Facebook account that was connected to just friends and family, A Twitter account that I created July 2009 and didn't know how to use, and LinkedIn account that was more foreign to me than the Chinese language itself. I posted in a LinkedIn forum: "Where can I meet new business people in OKC?" A user named Heather told me about something called Freedom Networkers; A group of business professionals that meet every week and network for free.

It took me two weeks to get the courage to go. With business cards in hand that said: Business card made Free by Vistaprint, I walked into the Cafe Bella coffee shop unaware that my life was about to change again in a huge way.

While networking, we went around the table saying our names and where we worked. I had never networked in my life and didn't have a job so needless to say I was nervous. When it was my turn I said: “Hi I am Tess Mack and ... I don't have a job." The response was not at all what I expected. Everyone wanted to help me find a company I could work for and gave me alot of good advice I could use.

By the time the meeting was over, I had four networking meetings scheduled for the rest of the day.

I got in my car thinking: “What in the world just happened?” Anxious and excited I drove to my lunch meeting.

The third meeting began at 3pm. I sat at the ladies table, all of which were older than me. I didn't say a word. Just soaked everything up like a sponge. One lady was talking about her wine tastings she organized and invited me to one.

The waiter was walking around taking drink orders. I was going to splurge and have a soda, but when the woman beside me ordered a glass of Cabernet and told me to get what I wanted because it was already paid for, I went with the infamous: "I'll have what she is having." At that moment, I decided this networking thing was fun.

The final meeting of the day was a happy hour event. The place was packed and to my comfort there were alot of other young professionals there. I was chatting everyone up and having a good time. As I was walking to sit down, I saw the lady from earlier that invited me to her wine tasting. I asked her if she was following me? She replied: "I think you are following me!" We both giggled and started talking.

She began telling me she wanted to advertise her wine tastings virtually and didn't really know how to go about doing that. She asked me if I knew anything about Facebook and Twitter. I told her I knew some. After talking some more, she invited me to have lunch with her and a sports manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder Basketball Team the following day at Junior's restaurant at 11am.

Speechless, I told her I would see her tomorrow.

I went home that night and put together a PowerPoint. Looking back, the material really had very little relevance to what we were supposed to be discussing.

Where do I sign?

I got to lunch and the waiter came by to take our drink order. She ordered a glass of Pino Noir and of course I did the same. We talk about some advertising strategies she wanted to implement and 30 minutes later she asks: “Where are the contracts for me to sign so we can get started?!?” My mind began to race frantically. I didn’t even have a business…. Calmly, I told her it would take a few days to get everything prepared but I would email her when things were ready to sign.

That day I walked out of Junior’s restaurant unsure of what I had just done.

I couldn't even spell entrepreneur and surly had no idea how to be one.

Now and the Future

But... I made it work. Two years later, Social Media Mack.com has offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The company has managed over 95 social media campaigns and creates campaigns for the American Diabetes Association. I have recently been named Oklahoma Magazine's 40 under 40 class of 2011, and created a non-profit organization that focuses on Economic Development in Northeast Oklahoma City.
I wake up every morning thinking: "Is this really what happens when you put your mind to something?"

The answer is YES.

I made something out of nothing, took a risk and jumped in head first.

Entrepreneurship is an acquired skill. I took one business class in college and probably should have been listening to what the teacher was saying. Maybe I could have avoided getting 1,000 business printed with the wrong phone number on them or made sure all my business documents were backed up on an external hard drive BEFORE the computer crashed... or even how to file business taxes.

But, you live and learn right?!

Those folks I met on my first day of networking are some of my closest and dearest friends to date. I owe my start to them. Anyone can do anything when they have a great team of people behind them.

So to all the entrepreneurs out there... congrats for making it work!

5 excuse as to why businesses don't use Social Media

Being in the Social Media field almost two years has really let me see things from a business prospective. When the recession hit, people were getting laid off and companies were cutting their budgets.... Advertising budgets that is.

Advertising is a big part of if your business will succeed or fail. You gotta spend money to make money. This scenario becomes interesting because start-ups usually don't have alot of capital to begin with.

This is where the creative mind shall come into play.

Business owners give me excuses as to why they are not on Twitter or even Facebook. I have complied a list of the TOP 5 EXCUSES AS TO WHY BUSINESSES DON'T USE SOCIAL MEDIA.

5- "It's too time consuming"- OK... so you have a point, it takes some time. There is a thing I like to call a schedule that works really well and can even keep your organized. Schedule time everyday to work on your SM.

4- "I don't want to get farmville requests" - Well .... it can not be guaranteed that you won't get requests but you could IGNORE them.... works every time.

3- "Security is not tight enough" - I hear this often. People don't want their identities to be stolen or don't want others to know where they live. You can change your settings... what information you choose to share with the world is YOUR choice

2- "It won't work for the industry I am in" - NOT TRUE. Social Media can work for anyone. You might have to get creative with your content, but there is something for everyone.

1- "I don't know how to use it" - Well now I have just the answer for you... training classes. There are several people who give tutorials and classes all over the country. From conferences, to one on one, you can learn with the style that fits you best.

Check out our training classes on our website: http://www.socialmediamack.com/social_media_university

Start using social networking... NOW!

There is no "I" in Team

As we approach our 2nd anniversary, we have to reflect on how we got here? (I will try not to tear up) Success can not be achieved without failure. It hurts the least if you learn from your mistakes or even learn before you have to make a mistake.

You have heard the saying: "Do what you do well and let others do the rest"??

This is so true!

People who fail in business try to do EVERYTHING themselves, and that's what gets them in trouble.

Although we started with just one computer and some folders from walmart... We knew we had to look like a million bucks!

Today, our team consists of several people throughout Oklahoma that are doing what they do well!

Shout out to our team members:

Designs and Virtual Assistance-Creatively Simple Solutions

Website - Talking Dog Designs

Accounts Payable and Receivable - Geisinger Consulting

CPA - Jim Corbett and Assoc.

Business Cards & Printing - Rocket Color

Legal Services- Pre Paid Legal

Proposal Composition - Red Guerrilla Group

We honestly would not be able to serve our clients in the best way possible if we had to take care of it all ...

So here's to doing and doing it well! Hoping for another 2 years and beyond!

Rescue Day and Dog Wash