DON’T Click Here

We kinda knew no one could resist the temptation, so this is where we put the info that we reeeeally want you to read – what we do and what our clients can and should expect.  It’s kinda Socratic (We try to imagine you askin’ questions and then provide answers).  If you have any questions that aren’t covered here, send us an email at info@thrivesocialmedia.com

“So, what do I get from Thrive?”

In a nutshell: we get you over the hump.  We set you up with proven social media profiles and sites and help you get started toward building your own garden on the shoulders of giants.  We like Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and WordPress.  Bet you’ve heard of most, if not all of them, huh?  Yep, so’s everyone else, that’s why we stick with the biggies.  We leave Jaiku, Chingle, Fingle or whatever other obscure sites to the other guys.

We’ve tried to distill what we think is the best value from Social Media and Web 2.0 for the budget (and time) conscious (and let’s be honest who’s not these days!) and package it for the everyman (and woman)

With Thrive, we get you up and running with the popular and well known services quickly and cheaply.  Because the services we use are so huge, the next time someone googles your name, they’ll almost certainly find your profiles and what you want them to see on the first page of the results.*  That’s what we mean by ‘building your own garden on the shoulders of giants’.

“So why Thrive over just doing it myself?”

Truth is, you can do it yourself.  It ain’t brain surgery.  Problem is, many sales professionals, small business owners and people who run small non-profits know they need to have some kind of Social Media presence, but don’t have time to set it up.  It’s a little like changing  the oil in a car, which isn’t hard either.  Put a pan under the engine, unscrew the oil plug, drain it, (put the plug back in), and refill with oil.  Not hard, but most of us would rather just get someone else to sort it while we concentrate on what we do best, (usually not oil changes).  Besides, I for one always end up with a oily black hand ’cause I never get it out of the way fast enough.

Plus, we’re here for you if you run into any glitches down the road, (see below for aftercare).

“What about getting one of these fancy full-service companies to set me up?”

Biggest problem? When you call most companies, it starts getting expensive very quickly.  Why?  Because these are (usually) smart, educated people creating bespoke solutions for your business.  Paying smart people for lots of their time costs real money.   Using one of these companies also usually means a long road to put everything together and the client is always at least a little removed from the process.  At Thrive, we empower you to be able to maintain your own presence, cheaply and easily.  So next time you get an idea for your site at 3am, you can go make it happen there and then, instead of waiting for someone else to do it for you (and writing a check for the privilege).

We provide a low-cost, DIY solution.  It’s cheap, fast, it gets you going and it has immediate benefits and best of all it’s pretty painless.

“But I don’t have time for a DIY solution, I found a company, SuperFancyTrendySocialMediaSolutionsINC.com who does everything for me, including posting blogs.

Why shouldn’t I give them a try?”

There’s a disconnect that never really gets bridged with these kind of ‘end-to-end solution providers’. You know your business and your clients.  Hopefully, your clients know you and like  you.  This is why we at Thrive try to talk our clients out of signing up for a someone else to maintain their blogs and social media presence for them.  These folks, good people we’re sure, aren’t you and are trying to approximate what they think you do.   We feel it is better to have less content, but for that content to be strong and be reflective of who YOU are (warts and all) and what you do.  If you’re interested in why it’s important to be yourself, click here.

The other problem is the content created is often just more of that painfully boring corporate-speak that no one really reads and let’s be honest, there’s already too much out there, anyhow.  Do we really need yet another company out there providing ‘valued-added synergistic global solutions for today’s knowledge-based holistic business communities?”  How about actually speaking like a human again?  Use your own voice.  It’ll be so shocking to see, people might actually make it past the fifth word.

Don’t get us wrong, there is a place for these kind of firms – usually with larger companies with big budgets.  If you’ve got a big corporate budget burning a hole in your pocket you’ll be going elsewhere.  If you’re mere mortals like us, a Thrive solution might well be what the doctor ordered.

“But I have a lot more money than time, and I really don’t want to get involved in the whole icky maintaining my own marketing grossness.  Is Thrive right for me?”

Lucky you!  The answer is probably not.  It would probably be better for you to engage a marketing company on retainer.  We can help you find one or you can start with a Thrive solution to get you going and then start shopping for one of those companies that give you french coffee and Italian chocolate when you show up at their loft-style offices.

Besides we think the the communication you have with the outside world is probably one of the most important aspects of what you do and unless you can afford a dedicated marketing director, should probably be handled personally.

“What about customization?  How much do I get?”

Frankly, not a huge amount.  We’ll throw your logo up there (if ya got one) and we’re happy to set you up with a specific template or background color if you have one in mind, but the rest is in your hands.  That’s kinda part of the whole ‘low cost’ thing.  Don’t get us wrong, we’re no one-night stand.  We’re here to help.  Our site, www.thrivesocalmedia.com has lots of articles and videos about all sorts of useful stuff.  Twice a week you can also stop by one of our open sessions and ask us questions.  Got a specific question that can’t wait?  Drop us an email or call, we’ll try to help ya out.  But we’re not the ‘build you a full blown fire-breathing custom site’ kind of deal.  Why?  ’cause a ‘full blown fire-breathing custom site’ takes a long time to do and usually gets built by smart people who generally like to be paid in line with their skill set.  Our folks  are local and live in the same American economy that the rest of us do.  For some weird reason we just can’t find anybody to work for 50¢ an hour.

What we do instead is set you up with a WordPress site that has a content management system** that’ super easy to use.  This means that you can mod and change and customize  to your heart’s content.  Wondering what possessed you to choose pink and green (which everyone knows, ‘should never be seen’), never fear, a new scheme is a few clicks away.  WordPress has loads of great templates too which means your can change the whole look and feel of your blog-based site in minutes.  Not bothered?  No worries.  We set up our clients with a solid template that looks good, is easy to use and easy on user’s eyes.  Be as hands-on (or off) as you like.

“I still have questions, like how do I sign up?”

Drop us a line at 303.376.6220, visit our Products & Services page or email us at info@thrivesocialmedia.com.

*depending on who you are this is sometimes tough.  If your parents, Mr. and Mrs. Spears, decided Britney was the prettiest name they could imagine for their new baby girl, long before that fallen pop angel was even conceived, you might be in for a bit of a fight for search results.  Ever thought of going by Brit?

**Fancy word for a program that makes uploading pics and changing things like content and colors on your website easy ’cause there’s an interface designed for normal folks to use – no programming or pocket protector required.