This program made it possible for me to launch my new health and beauty blog as i am not an techie kind a guy and I sweat and get to nervous when it comes installing and techie stuff like that. If you dont's have a authority site yet then ASC is the place to be.
You will like Social marketing Central as you will get to know like minded people and you will see that the people here at Social Marketing Central are very helpful,
And Chris I just wanted to mention that by picking Jack as your online mentor you are on the right path, I have learned so much from him and his team.
Don't forget that as you come to realize you can pretty much do social marketing for the majority of your marketing (because search rankings and links follow social marketing) that it SHOULD replace some of the other time consuming things you are doing in your marketing now.
We also worked very hard before social marketing came around too. This is just a helluva lot more fun than any marketing I've done in the past 10 years!
Being a geek at heart, I found early on that I felt more comfortable using indirect ways of communicating with other people such as by writing or by acting. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that I welcome web 2.0 with its emphasis on video, blogging, and social sites.
I think one of the most important things is meeting people. people who can boost your profile, people you can do JV's with, people who will like your blog, people who can become friends.
Also I find a lot of usefull information about what other people are doing, some stuff gives me ideas.
I ran my own bricks and mortar businesses here in Australia for 4 years and I spent a whole lot more time just running the business. I lost a lot of social interaction while running my businesses and didn't realise it until I sold the businesses and had to get in contact with all my friends again.
My point being, that being able to blend social marketing into the mix of running my business, allows me to interact socially with like minded people.
I use my downtime at the end and beginning of the day to catch up on my social networks and see what's going on. It's very cathartic and educational.
I know more about my online Social families than I do with my own sometimes.
Also I can source out like-minded people, whether it be Star Trek Scuba Diving Fans to John Wayne Internet Marketers, never before could I ever think of having friends and associates from Japan to New Zealand.
I have to agree with the other comments that have been posted. It does take a few hours a day to do it right. However, over the last year of so I have truly seen both my knowledge and business increase.
The best part I am working with like minded people and prospects are coming to me because they are looking for answers, instead of me cold calling trying to sift and sort the wrong prospects.
Never Give Up,
Troy
P.S. And I still have time on a daily basis to walk at the beach, invest time with the kids, and promote the social justice causes I hold dear.