SMC January – Social Media for Local Business

Welcome to 2012 – we’re ready to crush it. How about you?

Seriously, we are excited to get some things moving and grooving here on the SMC Columbia blog and in our monthly gatherings. This month, we’re going to kick it with a bang.

TOPIC: Social Media for Local Business

We’re planning on hitting some highpoints and then opening the floor for discussion.

  • How can I use Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about my business?
  • How much should I post/tweet/share video?
  • What other platforms should I consider?
  • Can Foursquare or Google+ give me an edge?
  • What kind of social media policy is right for me?
  • Who should run my social media channels?
  • ___ [your question here] ___

Join us Thursday January 19th at the Richland County Public Library 6pm-8pm.

Winning with WordPress!

Where did the time go? This week we’ll be hosting our November SMC meeting at Immedion. It will start promptly at 6:00 p.m.

[Eventbrite RSVP - http://nov2011wordpress.eventbrite.com/]

We will have two special speakers this month: Steve Harvey and Wesley Donehue. Steve Harvey runs the Upstate WordPress Group:

My name is Stephen Harvey and I have been involved with business, the Internet and Web strategy since the late 1990′s when I began distribution channel sales of software and computer hardware equipment. From that position, I learned to identify customer pain points and deliver solutions that relieved customer stress issues. With this knowledge of customer satisfaction and technology, I pursued additional education in Computer Science.

With real world experience helping clients with technology issues and a Computer Science degree, I went on to develop a position that satisfied my need to be immersed in technology and use technology to provide solutions. As an assistant network administrator for a local technology sales firm, I saw daily how technology was used and utilized by different people and groups. This continued hands-on exposure and learning about technology and people gave me the additional skills needed to develop an entire technology initiative. That is what I accomplished for a Greenville land surveying company. I directed all aspects of technology for the business. Initiatives completed include building an Internet presence via a Web site, blog, and social media channels, and management of all aspects of hardware and software within the company.

I began this Meetup group to bring together WordPress users of varied skill levels to meet and discuss all things concerning WordPress. We meet monthly and cover a variety of topics. All WordPress people are invited to come learn, contribute and be a part of the WordPress community in Upstate South Carolina. For more information about the group and meetings, please refer to the Facebook Group Page. http://www.facebook.com/groups/WordPressGreenville/

Wesley Donehue is a local political consultant extraordinaire:

Wesley Donehue is known as one of the top political Internet consultants in the country. Named a Rising Star by Campaigns and Elections magazine in 2010, Wesley has been working in politics consistently since the age of 15 in South Carolina. He worked for Jim DeMint’s 2004 Senate campaign and then for Mike Bouchard’s 2006 US Senate campaign in Michigan. Wesley holds an impressive 25-3 record in state legislative races.

Recognizing a large hole in low-cost websites for down ballot candidates and thrifty philanthropic organizations, Donehue Direct launched Win With WordPress in partnership with Northbound Design in 2010. Fundraiser7, an event ticketing application, launched in 2011.

Wesley currently serves as lead political and communications strategist for the SC Senate Republican Caucus and his team leads marketing efforts for the SC Republican Party and campaign strategies for over 25 members of the SC general assembly. Wesley has recently joined the Presidential Campaign of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann as SC Senior Advisor and SC Communications Director.

We’ll have two parts to this month’s meeting. A hands on section where we’ll show you how to get up and running in minutes with a fresh wordpress install and then we’ll move beyond the basics and discuss how to pick a good thing, make sure your content has been SEO’d and much more.
We hope that you’ll come and join us Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. at Immedion (250 Park St, near Assembly & Whaley).

Social Crush notes

Click Here

#SocialCrush Coming to Columbia

The Social Media Club will be working the masses for the Monday BOOTCAMP, the Tuesday conference Labs, and throughout the entire event – so look us up and say HI while we’re milling around with everyone crushing and socializing.

Hope to see y’all there – register at SocialCrush.com (Eventbrite link).

July 21st SMC Meeting

It’s Not A Toy, It’s Money In Your Pocket! Facebook For Business

If your business isn’t on Facebook yet, you’re losing money and customers to your competition. While it started as a way for college students to keep in touch, Facebook users now share 300 billion pieces of content per day. It’s the first place many people go for recommendations on what to buy, where to get it, and how to use it. Your business needs to be a part of that.

This workshop will show you:

· How to create a basic page for your business, and the three big mistakes most rookies make
· What metrics matter to measure your success in the critical first six months
· Who on your team should be posting – and who should be “read only”
· Why some businesses thrive on Facebook, and why some just shrivel up and die

Our guest is Trey Pennington (www.TreyPennington.com), who has 110,118 followers on Twitter. He runs the Greenville, SC Social Media Club which has over 747 members. He consults with enterprises all over the world on how to make their social media efforts amazing, and was actually the first speaker at the inaugural meeting of Social Media Club Columbia, way back when. Welcome, back, Trey!

Thursday, July 21, 6PM
At www.Immedion.com
1000 Catawba Street, Suite 180
Columbia, SC 29201 // 803.726.9250
Eventbrite signup

Update: June 16th meeting with @theshoptart has been canceled

Due to a family emergency, tonight’s SMC Columbia meeting with Anne Postic/The Shop Tart has been canceled. We will reschedule the meeting for another month. Sorry for any inconvenience, and we appreciate your time & consideration. Looking forward to next month’s meeting.

—-

Sign up for this week’s meeting here.

Anne Postic started writing about fashion, lunch with friends, and great deals she found at locally owned stores in Columbia on her blog in 2008. Today, her blog “TheShopTart.com” gets around 1,000 page views per day, has a bunch of advertisers and she’s had to hire help just to manage it all. “I like to talk fashion but I also cover everything that goes with it, from beauty and fitness to restaurants and charity events. Fashion is about what you wear while you’re living a fun life, not just sitting around waiting to be pretty.”

Continue reading

HIRING: Social Media Coordinator at WLTX

WLTX, Gannett’s CBS affiliate in Columbia, SC is looking for a highly motivated individual to join our team as Social Media Coordinator.  We’re looking for someone who knows what is hot now and what is next. You should have a passion for exploring cutting edge social networking platforms and know the latest tools and techniques to stay connected to friends, family and colleagues.
In this important role, you’ll be responsible for professionally representing WLTX on multiple platforms including facebook, twitter, wltx.com, momslikeme.com, and more.  You’ll serve as the day-to-day liaison on social media within station departments, monitor and track discussion topics, and prepare usage statistics. Continue reading

Slideshow: Photography & Social Media

Here are the slides from last night’s presentation. We owe a big thanks to everyone who came out and participated, asked questions and stayed until the end.

If you have any more questions, feel free to contact us at anytime.

May 2011 Meeting – Photos in Social Media

Vintage Pentax Film Cameraphoto © 2007 genericface | more info (via: Wylio)Photos In Social Media
How, Why, and Where

If you Tweet, Blog, or Update you probably like to include a picture now and then.

But sometimes you get messages like “file too large” or “no such directory”. What’s up with that?

And is it ok to copy that cute photo of Johnny Depp and use it on your blog? For the next three years?

Learn where to find great photos you can use for free (or really cheap), how to take your own, and what the best ways are to include those little pixels of happiness are.

Join us with your experience and your questions!

Social Media Club Columbia, SC – May 19, 2011 6:00p-8:00p
Directions: Immedion - Disaster Recovery/Presentation Room
For driving directions, please use: 250 Park St., Columbia, SC 29201 as your destination.
(Using Google Maps, this will bring you to the correct building entrance. It’s OK to park in any of the slots labeled “No Parking” along the side of the building.)

April SMC – ROI Panel Discussion

Union Investmentphoto © 2008 Andreas Neufahrt | more info (via: Wylio)PANEL DISCUSSION – The ROI Of Social Media

[Here's the details for registration]

This month we will take a look at Return On Investment for diving into social media activities and tools to drive your personal and business strategies.

  • What is ROI?
  • How Does Social Media fit into business strategies?
  • How do you measure ROI online?
  • HOW DO WE MAKE MONEY PLAYING ON FACEBOOK?

We’ll also be talking about the Return On Investment for different levels of business/commitment:

  • Personal
  • Local Business
  • Corporate Level

Join us with your experience and your questions!

Thursday April 28th 6pm-8pm
At IMMEDION – 250 Park St., Columbia, SC 29201
Event Registration at Eventbrite.com

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