We have had an overwhelming response to our Social Media division of Gibson Design Management.  In just one day recently, we added four social media clients who are interior design firms across the country. 

Chances are, these designers may be your competitors. 

If you understand the necessity of integrating social media into your business to stay ahead of the curve, see more information about our Social Media Starter Package here.

The social media and networking starter package is $695.00.  If you sell one sofa, your mark-up should pay for this so no excuses.  Don’t be a dinosaur.  You can’t afford to not be educated about the new way of marketing. 

Here is a great testimonial from one of our social media clients:

Alexandra and Amanda are great to work with.  They were with me every step of the way.  They had me tweeting right away!  They helped set up my Facebook profile and company page and helped me get started with my blog!  They made this process that would have been stressful and intimidating a very enjoyable and stress-free experience.  I still can’t believe I have accomplished my social networking goals in just a matter of days.  I would still be an “unknown” in the social networking world if I did not sign up for the starter package. Great investment and worth every penny!  – Linnore Gonzales, CID, Denver, Colorado

Click here to learn more and to sign up before the early bird pricing expires.  If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to email me at alexandra@gibsondesignmanagement.com.   

We have started working with a lot of great interior designers all over the country to integrate social media tools into their marketing initiatives.  Social media is not easy and many interior designers feel overwhelmed, especially by the time commitment.  Some common phrases we hear from our clients are:

“How often do I have to tweet?”

“How am I going to find the time to update all of these things?”

“Wow!  I have all of these followers, now what?”

“TAKE A DEEP BREATH” is my usual response.  A few days ago, Leo Babauta wrote a post for Mashable.com called HOW TO: Simplify Your Social Media Routine.  As he can explain it more succinctly than I, take a look and, again, take a breath.

From Mashable.com:

These days participating in social media such as Twitter, Facebook, blogging and more is almost required for any entrepreneur or business, small or large.

But there’s so much info and chatter coming in through social media that it can overwhelm you, eat up your time, and ruin your productivity.

Simplifying will help you stay in touch, and continue to participate in the conversation, without losing sight of your mission and the important work you need to get done.

Read more…

Upon sitting down to my desk this morning I received an interesting tweet from a USA Today Leadership reporter for the Money section who was conducting a grand experiment.  Del Jones, the Money section reporter, conducted these interviews for a cover story with CEOs entirely via Twitter.  What that meant is that all of our requested responses had to be 140 characters or less, although you could send multiple tweets.  This was quite a task considering the question of the evolution of our economy’s philosophy.  I was hoping for a good warm-up question like favorite color for a spring cardigan.  However, I suppose that does not make front page news.  Below is the conversation thread showing his request to me, followed by my responses and and his follow up questions.

Many people have asked me the $64 million question about the ROI of Twitter and other social media tools.  Twitter and Facebook have provided excellent opportunities to connect with the media in more of a pull-fashion.  Previously, when contacting the media with a pitch, you might worry about calling at the wrong time or being off topic.  With social media, you are able to start or join a conversation.  In the last six months, I have been interviewed for books and magazines by editors and authors whose ears might have been deaf to my otherwise plaintive cries (considering the meek and quiet wallflower that I am).  Twitter provides a much more comfortable forum for offering yourself as a resource and not feeling overly sales-y in the process.

Here are some key takeaways for working with Twitter to connect with traditional media folks:

1.  Follow them.  Read what they tweet and start to gain insight into what they are working on.

2.  If they ask a question to the greater following, respond with something helpful.  Do not pitch them immediately.  If they like what you have to say, they will keep the conversation going.  If they don’t respond right away, don’t give up; continue to try to help and be on topic for what they request.

3.  Reporters and media people need resources.  Be that resource; direct them towards a blog post that might help, even if it is not your blog post.  In fact, it’s even better if it’s not your blog post.  You then appear to be an even greater resource and show that you have their best interests at heart.

4.  Ensure that your Twitter profile is robust.  You only have a few seconds and 160 characters to show who you are and what you do.

5.  Join a Twibe at www.twibes.com.  This is a website for Twitter groups; you may choose to join the interior designer group or the furnishings group, for example.

6.  Add yourself to the WeFollow Twitter directory at http://wefollow.com.  Use three words to describe yourself or what you are interested in.  For example, I have myself listed under #ceo, #interiordesign, and #entrepreneur.  The hashtag is added by WeFollow for help with searching.

The most important things to remember when interacting with traditional media folks is true through regular pitching or through social media interactions–be on topic and be a valuable resource.  If you are genuine and authentic, you won’t go wrong.  At least if you do, they will be much more likely to forgive you.

I just returned from Designing Profits‘ winter conference for interior designers in Palm Springs.  As part of the faculty, we presented information for designers on outsourcing, on systems and efficiencies, on client surveys, and on direct response marketing.

There was a big void–a void that was very obvious when we had optional small group sessions and the social networking and social media group was OVERFLOWING.

I am bananas about this new way of marketing…yes, bananas.  I love the transparency of it; I love that it is fun and I love that it’s an inexpensive way to get the word out-much less than brochures and business cards and much more effective.  Our team utilizes it every day.  I also love that there are really no rights or wrongs but there is a way to use these tools to expand your business and to grow with the times (or in spite of them).

Today I spoke to John Jantsch on the phone for 30 minutes.  John is the founder of the extremely successful Duct Tape Marketing. He interviewed me for his new marketing book about referrals.  If it weren’t for Twitter, I would not have had this opportunity.  It is humbling and spectacular at the same time.

Two designers at the conference in Palm Springs–Mark Cutler and Tom Williams–both mentioned that their blogs have opened numerous doors for them, including two book deals and a blogging opportunity for Elle Décor.

Without further ado,

Introducing our new Social Media and Networking Starter Package!

Here’s what this social media package entails:

• Call to outline business and marketing goals with us
  • You have to know where you want to go before you start driving!
• From there, we’ll determine social media tools that will best help you achieve your goals.  They may include, but not be limited to:
  • Blogging
    • Set up blog using one of 100s free templates
    • Give list of 8 blog ideas to get you started
    • Give list of 10 blogs to follow to help get you in the groove and keep you inspired
  • Twitter
    • Set you up with a user name and password
    • “Follow” 50 people in the industry for you to get you started (don’t worry, we’ll explain what following is!)
    • Provide explanation and guide for use, including setting up your interface to efficiently and effectively organize your Twitter use
  • Facebook
    • Set up your profile and help edit information
    • Create group or business page for your firm
    • Provide explanation and guide for use
  • LinkedIn
    • Set up your profile and help edit information
    • Provide explanation and guide for use
  • Ava Living
    • Set up profile and help edit information
    • Includes uploading photographs from your projects to make sure that you have a complete profile
    • Provide explanation and guide for use
  • Vlogging (video blogging)
    • We’ll suggest the technology to utilize to start your own short video blogs
• We will HOLD YOUR HAND for the first month and ensure that you’re utilizing your new social media tools
• We’ll continue to follow up with you to see if you need anything
• After we get you all set up, you’re ready to go-to tweet, to post, to friend, to become a fan of, etc.  If you need us again or want help with anything else, we’re here for you.

The social media and networking starter package is $695.00.  In honor of the little Twitter bird, we’re offering an early bird special of $550.00 if you sign up before June 1st. If you sell one sofa, your mark-up should pay for this so no excuses.  Don’t be a dinosaur.  You can’t afford to not be educated about the new way of marketing.

Email address:

Email me at alexandra@gibsondesignmanagement.com if you have any questions.

I was recently looking for a good, comprehensive list of social media books to add to my bookshelf (and to hopefully get around to reading!).  Lee Odden from TopRank Online Marketing sent me this list:

• Cluetrain Manifesto – Rick Levine, Chris Locke, Doc Searles, Dave Weinberger
• New Rules of Marketing and PR – David Meerman Scott (video interview)
• Do It Wrong Quickly – Mike Moran (Mike’s guest post)
• Join the Conversation – Joseph Jaffe (interview)
• Groundswell – Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff (interview with Charlene)
• Personality Not Included – Rohit Bhargava  (book review)
• Tribes – Seth Godin
• Here Comes Everybody – Clay Shirky
• Age of Conversation – Gavin Heaton, Drew McLellan (100+ contributors)
• Social Media Marketing An Hour A Day – Dave Evans
• Secrets of Social Media Marketing – Paul Gillin
• Naked Conversations – Shel Israel & Robert Scoble (Video interview with Robert)
• Freakonomics – Stephen Dubner & Steven Levitt
• Buzz Marketing – Mark Hughes
• Radically Transparent – Andy Beal & Judy Strauss (interview with Andy)
• Web 2.0: New Tools, New School - Gwen Solomon & Lynne Schrum
• The Long Tail – Chris Anderson
• The Wisdom of Crowds – James Surowieki
• Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business – Larry Weber
• Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking – Andy Sernovitz, Afterward by Guy Kawasaki (interview with Guy)
• Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Why You Already Know the Rules of Social Media Marketing – Jim Tobin, Lisa Braziel (TopRank is quoted on back cover)
• Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide: Business thinking and strategies behind successful Web 2.0 implementations – Amy Shuen
• Now Is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs – Brian Solis, Geoff Livingston (video interview with Brian)

To read his full blog post, click here.  Thank you Lee for this great list!