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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

The newly minted 97th General Assembly of the Missouri Legislature is increasingly more active on Social Media than the 96th General Assembly. Those seeking to grow relationships with their elected officials should be connecting with elected officials online as well as in the real world.

Although there is room for growth, rates of participation on Twitter reached majority levels in the Missouri House of Representatives and nearly every member of the Missouri Senate is on Facebook.

According to our research  of the newly sworn-in legislature and the two most popular Social Media platforms in Missouri, 140 of the 163 (85{1ccf3f7051f621f207bf0b5abe66fecd9fcbebd6ccca57cd81eaf6422f6a0a70}) House members and 32 of 34 (94{1ccf3f7051f621f207bf0b5abe66fecd9fcbebd6ccca57cd81eaf6422f6a0a70}) senators have some level of activity on Facebook. 93 representatives and 29 senators have also established a Twitter account for participation percentages of 57{1ccf3f7051f621f207bf0b5abe66fecd9fcbebd6ccca57cd81eaf6422f6a0a70} and 85{1ccf3f7051f621f207bf0b5abe66fecd9fcbebd6ccca57cd81eaf6422f6a0a70}, respectively. Our research of the 96th General Assembly showed 82{1ccf3f7051f621f207bf0b5abe66fecd9fcbebd6ccca57cd81eaf6422f6a0a70} House members had Facebook accounts and 49{1ccf3f7051f621f207bf0b5abe66fecd9fcbebd6ccca57cd81eaf6422f6a0a70} had Twitter accounts while 94{1ccf3f7051f621f207bf0b5abe66fecd9fcbebd6ccca57cd81eaf6422f6a0a70} of senators had Facebook profiles and only 56{1ccf3f7051f621f207bf0b5abe66fecd9fcbebd6ccca57cd81eaf6422f6a0a70} had Twitter profiles.

Levels of actual interaction and following the “rules” of Social Media prove to be a bit lower. Only 70 of the 93 House Twitter accounts have recent tweets (75{1ccf3f7051f621f207bf0b5abe66fecd9fcbebd6ccca57cd81eaf6422f6a0a70}) and 39 total elected officials are using their personal Facebook profile, instead of a Facebook Page, as their presence. The terms of service for Facebook state personal profiles are not to be used for business or promotional purposes, so we suggest members who do not have a Facebook Page established should set one up.

Past industry studies of Social Media show that roughly 2/3 of Twitter users are listeners – not talkers – so the level of active tweeters is actually much higher when compared to regular users. Legislators who are not broadcasting tweets are probably using the platform to stay connected with relevant conversations and colleague posts.

Our findings, linked here in Excel format, show which members are active, inactive, protected, or non-existent on Facebook and Twitter. We also provide direct links to members profiles on both platforms.

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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

Recently, we participated in an interview with the new website Missouri.com. The interview was part of a series of talks with small business owners and innovators from the Show-Me State sponsored by our client Master Your Card Missouri. 

Missouri.com: What inspired you to focus on hiring and developing Missouri-based talent from the start?  How has this decision shaped the vision and direction of Rocket Group and what kinds of results has it yielded within your community?

Gus:  When I started my company and decided we were going to be a virtual agency, I had a lot of options. I could have contracted internationally or nationally, but I decided there was plenty of talent here in our backyard and we would do our best to showcase and create opportunities for those Missourians. I am a Missouri kid at heart and want to take care of our own first.

Missouri.com: What are some ways that small business owners can start using social media to improve their bottom lines?

Gus:  The easiest, and most successful, way to start using Social Media is just to tell the stories of your business and yourself. Letting your audience see behind the curtain, what influences you, or how you have come to be where you are are great sources of content and are messages that will create the social relationship you are trying to build with your customers and prospects. You can’t be selling all the time on these channels, as people will just tune you out.

Small business owners also have to learn to fish where the fish is and fish when they are biting. By studying the audience interaction and they will quickly be able to determine what days and times of days will lead to the greatest interaction. They also can quickly determine what platform their audiences are on. Here in Missouri if you aren’t on Facebook but you are on Google+ you are really wasting your time in reaching a local audience. I think twitter is the greatest thing ever but still concentrate my business marketing on Facebook because that is where the greatest number of audience members are.

Missouri.com:  Can you talk about the significance of your business revenue model shifting predominantly from political clients to business clients over the last 3 years?   How does your approach differ when dealing with different sectors?

Gus: As far as my approach, I generally work the same way in across all fields. I remain honest, open and direct in discussions leading to creating any work. I set the goals and temper the expectations that any one tool is the silver bullet to winning an election or doubling someone’s bottom line.

The decision to grow our business related client work came from several fronts. First, we work exclusively for conservative candidates and causes and almost exclusively at the state legislative level in Missouri. We were there in the days when the current conservative majorities were in the elected minority and played a key role in the majority shifts in 2002. After that election, I accepted the challenge of running my company and serving as a Chief of Staff in the Missouri State Senate at the same time which I did until the end of 2010. Thanks to technology advances in that decade and the structure of my contract employees and the legislative schedule I was able to do both jobs successfully at the same time.

Once I left the Senate, due to term limits, I able to dedicate more time to increasing our business related work in the Mid-Missouri area and have been rather successful in that effort. Our political campaign work is still a significant piece of our business, and we had a successful 2012 going 5-1 in our major campaigns.

Missouri.com:  What are some social media trends that you’re excited about?

Gus: The amount of analytical data that is almost available in real-time in Social Media is extremely exciting. This information gives us the ability to see what is working and what isn’t which allows us to pivot messaging and tools. Instead of committing client dollars to traditional media and being stuck with one message for weeks at a time, we can now make brand-consistent changes and updates at least daily.

The use of photographs and video, which show the influence of Pinterest and YouTube across all platform’s is also very exciting. This just gives a brand even greater ways to highlight behind the curtain operations, employee appreciations, and customer satisfactions.

Missouri.com:  What tips can you give our audience for creating great website content that motivates potential customers?

Gus: Blog. This gives you a way to be as personable and direct as you are in Social Media. Social Media should be used as a tool to drive audiences back to your website and they should find the same voice(s) there as they do on Facebook, etc. We try to use video and photos in our blog posts as much as we do on Social Media to help tell our stories.

Businesses, especially small businesses, should always have their contact information and links or embeds to maps of their location on their sites as well. So many businesses, especially in the hospitality field, forget to put that critical information on their sites or make it hard to find.

Always look at your website’s user experience as you would when you are looking at sites that drive you crazy. If it makes you crazy, why would you do it on your own site?

Missouri.com:  What advice would you give to someone who would like to use Pinterest to promote their brand but isn’t sure where to start?

Gus: To be honest, Pinterest is a weak spot with us. Just last week, they announced the release of brand pages for Pinterest so we will have to start paying greater attention to it. We have always recommended  certain types of business – especially consumer  and consumable goods – take advantage of this platform to highlight their products. Again, this is where awesome photography can play a big role in the future of your operations and a reason why we ourselves have made recent upgrades in our own camera equipment and capabilities.

Along with LinkedIn, this is an untapped gold mine for businesses in our Mid-Missouri market looking to make a splash online. The local audiences might be small right now but they are highly engaged and you can own your competitive real estate there very quickly.

Master Your Card – Missouri is a public education campaign from MasterCard

Missouri.com:  Can you expand on your plans to start including mobile marketing to your already long list of services?

Gus: Stats don’t lie. Nate Silver told me that.

So much consumer brand interaction is taking place on mobile devices, even while they are physically in a business location, businesses need to be ready. Their websites need to be optimized for mobile, they need to make sure they are the “Mayors” of their FourSquare, Google Places, Facebook brand page, Yelp and more so they know what consumers are saying about them. This is something, again, that our Mid-Missouri market is not deeply prepared for and it may be our evangelist mission for 2013.

Missouri.com: As a self-proclaimed “Social Media evangelist” what has inspired you to offer public appearances and free seminars?  What are the most common questions you get during these sessions?

Gus: That was good timing. Well, first, we didn’t self proclaim that we were, Jason Falls told us we should be and we accepted that challenge. Study after infographic after frustrated marketer have shown that the middle of the Midwest, us, are the last little island to have accepted platforms like twitter and LinkedIn. We use Facebook at normal personal rates but lag in business page development and interaction.

I have enjoyed speaking about and sharing my knowledge on Social Media, of course there is always the higher goal of gaining business from these appearances but I go out of my way not to make the presentations all sales-pitchy.

According to the Law of Uncle Ben, which I wrote and will someday be court-ordered to stop publicizing:  As Social Media professionals, enthusiasts, and influencers it is our responsibility to educate all interested parties on the true power of these platforms.

The questions I normally get are the basic ones about security and set up. There are still a lot of people who don’t grasp the basics which many of us take for granted. The questions that frustrate me are from the folks who were doing, for example, Facebook in one of many abusive or wrong ways and then blamed the tool for the failure of the message.

Missouri.com: What are 3 things companies should and should not expect from social media?

Gus: Good content and commitment are the only legitimate ways to do find success on Social Media.

Companies should never expect Social Media will be easy, free, or grant instant success. These tools change on an almost daily basis which is why no one can rightly call themselves and expert at this stuff. It is going to cost them time and money to get up to speed and build an audience.  Also, someone might be able to quickly build an audience of hundreds or a thousand for their small business by asking their friends and friends of friends to LIKE their page but then what? Can those fans do business with your restaurant or car wash if they live 2000 miles away? Finding and building an audience that actually does or can do business with you is the toughest and most time consuming thing about Social Media.

They should expect consumers will say bad things about them online, that their competition is watching everything they do on Social Media, and that it can be the greatest tool they have in their marketing mix if they commit to using Social Media in the proven successful ways.

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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

Today, we were part of a panel for the Jefferson City Young Professionals about “Do’s and Don’ts for the Holiday Season.”

Our assignment was to present some Don’ts regarding Social Media during this most wonderful time of the year. Video of the presentation is above and bullet points are below.

• Don’t be stingy: We have said, posted, and tweeted a million times the two most powerful words in Social Media are “Thank You.” If you had a great shopping experience tweet about it using the @ handle of the merchant. Love the bunny suit Grandma made for you – well tag her in your Facebook photo. Sue these tools to say thank you to the people and companies who take care of you. It’s guaranteed to make your heart grow three sizes.
• Don’t Forget the Dudes: Edison Research released another study this week on social habits. One point gaining a lot of traction right now is that Men are 13% more likely to buy something they pin on Pinterest then women. Retailers should be featuring products for their male shoppers on their new brand pinboards just as much as products for females.
• Don’t be Shy: Take photos and post them. Make a video and post it. These types of content drive interaction at much higher rates than just words alone. Plus you are getting a chance to show your friends and fans how and with whom you celebrate your holidays with. The more they know you the closer they feel to you. Relationships have been created!
• Don’t be Lost: No matter if you stay home or hit the road for the holidays, include the geotag of your location. Putting a #JCMO or other designation in your content on twitter will add you to the conversation and let folks know you are active on a local level. Also, you can use those #’s to see what others are up to online in your backyard…or Grandma’s.
• Don’t be a Grinch: I think everyone is tired of reading other people’s drama on their Social Media and the holidays are no exception. If you have nothing nice to say about your family, the restaurant, or the airline you are on don’t post/tweet/link anything at all. Unless it’s a funny story or an egregious action, it’s better saved for the water cooler. Smiles everyone!
• Don’t be a Drunk: We have a rule in our house and our company: 2 drinks, no tweets. I know I get funnier the more eggnog I have but I also get louder and more frequent. You probably do too. Social Media, with its long digital tails and diamond like memories, is not the place for drunken ramblings. I look in the mirror as I type this!

That was my talk and people seemed to enjoy it. Let me know your Do’s and Don’ts in the comments below.

Merry Christmas!

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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

“I’m preparing to launch my company’s presence on social media but I don’t know which sites are for me. Any suggestions?”

The social media sea is vast. Simply put, get to know your fish (audience) and go wherever they are. When it comes to choosing which sites are for you, there are a few basics and a lot of options beyond them.

The Basics:
Facebook: Looking for a local presence? Missouri is dominated by Facebook users so you need to must fish on this platform. Begin with regular updates and don’t forget to encourage people to follow you in real world transactions such as on-site at an event, during your checkout process or in your email newsletters. Great content for this platform include product highlights, photos and videos.

Twitter: If you’re looking to be heard nationally, in a special niche or even on an international level, use Twitter. It’s a dynamic tool to spread a wide geographical net and a great place to learn from experts in your field of business. Twitter’s also great for releasing content (think: publicizing your blog posts) and for quick updates (140 characters). Be sure and # your keywords or geographic location in your messages.

Google +: Don’t underestimate the power of this Google tool, but it should be a secondary focus unless there’s a large audience there for you. In our Mid-Missouri market, there isn’t much of an audience but do not limit yourself geographically especially if you are in a tech heavy profession or specialty.

YouTube: A great tool for posting videos which you can then cross post this video content on your other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. How-to is the leading category on the 2nd largest search engine on the internet. This is a great tool to show your personality and your offerings with low costs of entry.

Of course, there are many, many more tools you can utilize.

If you think they might relate to your business (and you have the time to invest in them), do your research and choose which ones are for you.

Before launching, also consider how you’ll manage multiple sites. To maximize interaction and eyes on your content, we recommend posting at least twice a day to your main social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter). For efficiency, consider using an online social media management program like HootSuite (full disclosure: we are an affiliate partner of this company). You’ll be able to schedule your posts in advance so you don’t accidentally get caught up in something else and miss one, manage all of your accounts on one platform and review statistics real-time.

Don’t have time to manage your sites even using a platform like HootSuite? We can do it for you. Get in touch with us for a consultation and quote!

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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

Back in 2001, The Rocket Group opened our doors andbegan establishing marketing plans for clients in business, politics, and government.

One of the first tools we brought to the table was a distributor arrangement with Gill-Line. Gill is the premier printer of political promotional products in America. They are fine Midwestern based company just minutes across the Missouri border into (wait for it) Kansas.

Since that relationship began we have worked with them on hundreds of conservative campaigns to produce yard signs, stickers, and other necessarycampaign tools.

In the last few weeks, many clients have called us for lastminute orders on signs as we near closer to the August primary in Missouri. Wehave been able to provide these signs with our custom graphic design in mostinstances, sometimes with their existing artwork, for very affordable prices.

Such as:

#192 Double-sided Political Yard Signs on Plastic Coated 18point White Board, 16 x 26”, with wire frames

1 color (2014 Prices)

100 pcs                 250 pcs                 500 pcs                 750 pcs

$3.32 ea               $2.30 each           $2.12 each           $1.90 each

2 color (2014 Prices)

100 pcs                 250 pcs                 500 pcs                 750 pcs

$4.57 each           $2.87 each           $2.49 each           $2.18 each

Graphic Design, Freight and Taxes are not included in these prices. Signs ship in 6 work days from Kansas.

Why do we offer these signs almost exclusively? I have been a volunteer for many campaigns and one of the most tedious jobs is sign work. These signs are volunteer-friendly in assembly and installation, durable in all forms of weather (even heat!), and we feel they are the best product on the market. 

Interested? Drop us a line  and we will get you taken care of. 

Good luck at the ballot box!

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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

Everybody remembers their first time. Actually, I don’t recall my first tweet. I am sure it was something that attempted to be funny though. 

Recently, I have had the privilege to help three different people send out their first tweets for their organizations. It’s always kind of cool for me personally when that happens. For some reason beginners have a little fear about tweeting but once they hit that send button for the first time and you see that smile cross their face…you know they are hooked.

As I type this, people are teasing the Governor of Maine for his first tweet. And they should be as it has several missteps in it. If you have been to one of our Social Media classes you know there is no right way to do Social Media, but there are plenty of wrong ways:

• Don’t use your first tweet to tell people to find you on Facebook.
• If you ask them to find you on Facebook, at least put a link to your page.
• You won’t need to introduce yourself…that’s what your bio is for.
• Don’t start the promotion machine right way. Save the chest beating to sprinkle into your message schedule as you gain an audience.

A couple of things to think about before your second tweet:

• How will I join the conversation?
• What can I do to remain genuine in my messages?
• Who will I follow that will provide me quality and enjoyment in my own twitter stream?
• Where will my future followers find my twitter info outside of twitter so I can engage them?

I could give you all the answers to those questions but I’d ask that you look within yourself and your communications plan before you listen to me. Still need answers after that? Let’s talk.

See also: How To Succeed At Twitter

Happy tweeting!

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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

Our recent post, What’s Your Google Problem?, has been getting a fair amount of traffic and attention. I wanted to follow up with one more way you can alleviate the problem you might not have known you had.

1. Go to http://www.google.com/places/ and click the Get Started Arrow
2. Enter your Google log in data
3. On the next page, enter your phone number as requested to pull up your business information. If your information is not found, you will have to enter it manually on the next page.
4. You will then be asked to confirm your business information in order to claim your Place.
5. Google will mail you (I know right?) a post card within the next week with a pin for you to claim your Place profile as your own. When this is received just enter the number and your Place will soon be yours on Google as well.

Why go to all of this trouble? Because when visitors start leaving comments about the good or bad product and service dealings they have had with your company you will now be notified of them. Before, they were just sitting out there creating first impressions with online visitors.

Still need help? Let’s talk.

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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

You may have heard of a persistent Presidential candidate who has what is called a “Google Problem”. 

I won’t go into the sordid details – and with a little bit of googling you can find out for yourself – but the background of the story is this: the candidate, in a previously held elected position, ticked off a very vocal and tech savvy segment of the American population. Their response was to hijack his name by using it as an adjective for a very graphic act between consenting adults behind closed doors.

If you have googled this already, trust me, you do not want to click the links.

Why do I bring this up? Because you may not know it but you probably have a Google problem, or at least an internet problem, too.

Google search your company, your name, your community and see what comes up in customer reviews, Places, or in links to sites like Yelp. Hopefully you have a bunch of stars next to your company but research says you probably don’t. You’ll want to read the comments people have left as that is what is impacting buyer decisions and long-term impressions more than anything.

What can you do about this? The organic answer is to take real world action to respond to the complaints left online by your customers and guests. When that is done, encourage new and additional customers and guests to leave comments on Google Places, Yelp, Facebook that show you have improved and are doing a better job. You can also attempt to buy your way out of the problem with various internet tools and functions but I recommend the organic path of hard work.

How do you do that? Placards at your point of purchase or requests in your email newsletter will work. You can even ask them face to face during your discussions…that method still works as well!

Want to see what they are saying about you? http://www.google.com/places/

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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

One of the few things I remember from business school is the theory of The Golden Triangle: “You can have two of the three – Good, Fast, or Cheap – but you can’t have all three.”

When it comes to our graphic design work, we have been recognized by clients and peers for producing work that stands out and gets noticed. In fact, one of our political associates (whom we have never actually worked with professionally) once told me: “I always know when I see one of your logos because it looks so much better than everything else out there on yard signs.”

After I was done blushing, I explained how our creative approach allows us to produce the GOOD work we do.

We aren’t FAST though. Sure we have cranked out very nice websites in less than 24 hours. Heck, the first stage of one of our most notable and awarded projects, the 2007 Tour of Missouri website, was produced in less than 48 hours.

 

Those are special cases, but our normal production time for a website is around 15 working days…give or take a few. That’s because we don’t pawn off templates to our clients. All of our work is original, so you never have to worry that your website, print materials or logo look like anyone else’s – especially your competitors. Our logo development has a shorter lead time, but we work to get inside the client’s head to know exactly what they want and expect as we develop the identity tool that will define them for years to come.

When it comes to CHEAP, we work to make things affordable.

Overall, we’re competitive. But we have run into a few bid situations recently where, honestly, the prospect had sticker shock. One project for a one-page website – with custom photography, a year’s worth of hosting, a secure content management system, Social Media integration, personal training, and original design – was deemed “incredibly over-priced” at $1100.00. The prospect said he was going to go out and get one built by a friend of his son for $200.00.

But that’s okay. When his son’s friend moves away for college or fails to make his website a priority, we’ll still be here and up-to-date on the latest tools to help his business succeed.

Just as we have since 2001.

The marketing and communications work we do is performed by a dynamic, educated and experienced team. The products we create for you will be original, function above your expectations and be completed in a timely manner to fit your schedule – all within the budget you approved. That’s what our professionals deliver to you – GREAT, Reasonably FAST, and AFFORDABLE.

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Gus Wagner - Comment (0)

One recent, and interesting, project we completed was the new logo for the Jefferson City Area Young Professionals.

We have been members of the group almost from their beginning, and Farrah serves on their board of directors, so it was a very good fit for both of us to be working together.

Somewhere in the middle of the project, the board decided to change the group’s name to hYPe as a move to differentiate itself from other more service-oriented groups in our community and create a little buzz. We then shifted focus on the direction of the logo.

As you can see below, we went through several different iterations for their branding. I was partial to a few, others were partial to others. I think we all ended up in the same place with some that is recognizable, stands out in our area, and is drawing the attention they wanted.

Feel free to offer your thoughts on any or all of the looks below. Of course, if you are looking for a new graphic style for your business, group, or campaign…we are here to help.

Thanks for the time.

Gus

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