Archive for the ‘advertising’ Category

a2Z Pilot – Tip 1- bETa

This is the beginning of a journey anthony will be taking the brave new world of social media. He's got a fancy Mac laptop and just discovered iMovie! as he produces more and more episodes, we'll be working with him on setup, lighting, acoustics, and scripting to show first-hand how one develops their skills in social media. Join us as we watch him grow into a social media darling.

In this first video, anthony tells us about what he's learned through the years regarding picking an agency in the a pilot of a2Z Marketing Tip.

a2Z Pilot – Tip 1- bETa

This is the beginning of a journey anthony will be taking the brave new world of social media. He’s got a fancy Mac laptop and just discovered iMovie! as he produces more and more episodes, we’ll be working with him on setup, lighting, acoustics, and scripting to show first-hand how one develops their skills in social media. Join us as we watch him grow into a social media darling.

In this first video, anthony tells us about what he’s learned through the years regarding picking an agency in the a pilot of a2Z Marketing Tip.

Connectivity Issues in Social Media

Why is it that 99% of social media sites aren’t able to monetize themselves beyond $100? as we rant and rave about how great social media and networking is, the truth is that it’s a long process that takes work. Sure there are a lot of benefits, but there are “rules” of the game that everyone who participates must follow. Just one question comes to mind. are you having connectivity issues with your audience?

Social media sites are revamping industries and the way internet marketing is done. With SEO, you can market your way to the top and purchase everything from key word articles to links. With social media marketing (SMM), you really can’t do that – at least not at this time. SMM is about making a sincere connection with your audience. Who can buy or sell sincerity? There was this article the other day where an author of a blog post wanted his audience to know who he was first before making a connection. There’s nothing wrong with wanting that. after all, that’s what SMM is all about. However, the problem was two-fold – that the audience member didn’t know the rules of SMM and that the author didn’t understand that perhaps his audience didn’t know the rules.

Connectivity issues in social media occur because people don’t understand the perceptions of impressions they leave if they leave anything at all. In another post, the woman was vigorously posting as well and had virtually no audience. Isn’t this like the teacher who continues to teach while her class falls asleep? Just what has she really accomplished when class time was over?

If we find that we are not seeing the explosive results that SMM can bring, are we failing to realize what social media is all about? Connectivity issues arise because we fail somehow to make a meaningful connection. You can join all the communities and social networks on the internet, but without any participation or rapport with one other person, it’s all in vain. at the same time, whenever you’re responding, sincerity and genuineness as well as posting something that truly makes sense and benefits others is very much needed.

Social media operates on an entirely different playing field than SEO techniques. That may seem obvious, but it may be also so obvious that we somehow miss the point of it all. SMM is about creating your own audience. We find that what relationship marketing is for salespeople, SMM is for the internet. When we understand that, we understand how we need to handle our interactions on the web and focus our time on making sincere connections with people.

Photo credit: Oinster

Connectivity Issues in Social Media

Why is it that 99% of social media sites aren’t able to monetize themselves beyond $100? as we rant and rave about how great social media and networking is, the truth is that it’s a long process that takes work. Sure there are a lot of benefits, but there are “rules” of the game that everyone who participates must follow. Just one question comes to mind. are you having connectivity issues with your audience?

Social media sites are revamping industries and the way internet marketing is done. With SEO, you can market your way to the top and purchase everything from key word articles to links. With social media marketing (SMM), you really can’t do that – at least not at this time. SMM is about making a sincere connection with your audience. Who can buy or sell sincerity? There was this article the other day where an author of a blog post wanted his audience to know who he was first before making a connection. There’s nothing wrong with wanting that. after all, that’s what SMM is all about. However, the problem was two-fold – that the audience member didn’t know the rules of SMM and that the author didn’t understand that perhaps his audience didn’t know the rules.

Connectivity issues in social media occur because people don’t understand the perceptions of impressions they leave if they leave anything at all. In another post, the woman was vigorously posting as well and had virtually no audience. Isn’t this like the teacher who continues to teach while her class falls asleep? Just what has she really accomplished when class time was over?

If we find that we are not seeing the explosive results that SMM can bring, are we failing to realize what social media is all about? Connectivity issues arise because we fail somehow to make a meaningful connection. You can join all the communities and social networks on the internet, but without any participation or rapport with one other person, it’s all in vain. at the same time, whenever you’re responding, sincerity and genuineness as well as posting something that truly makes sense and benefits others is very much needed.

Social media operates on an entirely different playing field than SEO techniques. That may seem obvious, but it may be also so obvious that we somehow miss the point of it all. SMM is about creating your own audience. We find that what relationship marketing is for salespeople, SMM is for the internet. When we understand that, we understand how we need to handle our interactions on the web and focus our time on making sincere connections with people.

Photo credit: Oinster

blending Your SEO Practices with Social Media

I had a discussion this afternoon that made me think about how much I use basic SEO practices in our social media promotion campaigns. Social media has changed the face of internet marketing. at the same time, SEO techniques still must be employed to give your site a proper foundation. One of the questions that may arise is how can SEO techniques be adaptable to this new marketing phenomena? SEO will have to change as social media develops.

One of the things that will happen is that linking strategies will become more social in nature. The benefits of buying and trading links is already in dispute industry-wide. This practice will become a thing of the past sooner rather than later. buying links and reciprocal linking strategies will fade because using social media strategies delivers a higher quantity of links and in some cases higher quality links than buying and/or trading links never could have delivered. "Traditional" methods of acquiring backlinks just can't compete from an ROI standpoint with getting them via social media promotion and social networking.

adding to the demise of these linking strategies that are soooo 2006: they just look spammy and social networking (apart from social media promotion techniques) will provide for adequate links because of the process itself. Either way, linkages will be made through a site’s content and through comments and blog roll sections.

Pay-per-click sites will find a way to sell top bookmark and tag rankings to social media users. PPC companies will need to learn how to manipulate these rankings in order to monetize it.

Social media sites currently leave no room for direct sales of PPC as we know it. However, some of the top ones plan to take advantage of PPC programs from Google, Yahoo & Microsoft-MSN-Live.com. Will this put them out of business if they can't drive enough revenue via these advertising platforms? Not necessairly. They will have to adapt and find a dependable method to monetize their services in order to keep their virtual doors open though. Let's face it, at some point the stupid money coming out of the bay-area has to dry up.

Network sites have become mini hubs for niche marketing thus, making targeting a specific audience easier to do. as advertisers begin to capitalize on the social networks, we will begin to see conversational advertising and marketing strategies gain consumer support. While targeting the audience will be easier to do, engaging the audience by keeping the interactive marketing approach fresh and appealing will be a must do for any business to survive long term.

Keyword and targeted keyword phrase strategies remain a premiere way to achieve top rankings and drive traffic with SEO and SMO. Content remains as one of the primary ways to keep and maintain a site's rankings both with SEO and SMO strategies. Keyword stuffing won't be as prevalent, necessary or effective in the future. Creative and appealing content along with interacting with the consumer has become increasingly needed. Web marketers should still focus on developing content that is geared towards retaining audience members and obtaining new ones. In addition, features need to be built into company and organizational internet properties that allow consumers and clients to interact directly with a organization's online presence. as these strategies are employed we'll see web sites develop a more stable and loyal audience base as long as they are able to engage effectively and transparently with their visitors and provide what the consumer wants.

Natural SEO practices are here to stay, but they will change in light of social media and will get shiny new acronyms. Strategies and tactics that were once must-dos for any site will become second nature and will incorporate social media practices as online marketing and advertising evolves. Learn to blend and balance your SEO strategies with your social media strategies to obtain the best results.

Photo Credit: altogether Digital.

blending Your SEO Practices with Social Media

I had a discussion this afternoon that made me think about how much I use basic SEO practices in our social media promotion campaigns. Social media has changed the face of internet marketing. at the same time, SEO techniques still must be employed to give your site a proper foundation. One of the questions that may arise is how can SEO techniques be adaptable to this new marketing phenomena? SEO will have to change as social media develops.

One of the things that will happen is that linking strategies will become more social in nature. The benefits of buying and trading links is already in dispute industry-wide. This practice will become a thing of the past sooner rather than later. buying links and reciprocal linking strategies will fade because using social media strategies delivers a higher quantity of links and in some cases higher quality links than buying and/or trading links never could have delivered. “Traditional” methods of acquiring backlinks just can’t compete from an ROI standpoint with getting them via social media promotion and social networking.

adding to the demise of these linking strategies that are soooo 2006: they just look spammy and social networking (apart from social media promotion techniques) will provide for adequate links because of the process itself. Either way, linkages will be made through a site’s content and through comments and blog roll sections.

Pay-per-click sites will find a way to sell top bookmark and tag rankings to social media users. PPC companies will need to learn how to manipulate these rankings in order to monetize it.

Social media sites currently leave no room for direct sales of PPC as we know it. However, some of the top ones plan to take advantage of PPC programs from Google, Yahoo & Microsoft-MSN-Live.com. Will this put them out of business if they can’t drive enough revenue via these advertising platforms? Not necessairly. They will have to adapt and find a dependable method to monetize their services in order to keep their virtual doors open though. Let’s face it, at some point the stupid money coming out of the bay-area has to dry up.

Network sites have become mini hubs for niche marketing thus, making targeting a specific audience easier to do. as advertisers begin to capitalize on the social networks, we will begin to see conversational advertising and marketing strategies gain consumer support. While targeting the audience will be easier to do, engaging the audience by keeping the interactive marketing approach fresh and appealing will be a must do for any business to survive long term.

Keyword and targeted keyword phrase strategies remain a premiere way to achieve top rankings and drive traffic with SEO and SMO. Content remains as one of the primary ways to keep and maintain a site’s rankings both with SEO and SMO strategies. Keyword stuffing won’t be as prevalent, necessary or effective in the future. Creative and appealing content along with interacting with the consumer has become increasingly needed. Web marketers should still focus on developing content that is geared towards retaining audience members and obtaining new ones. In addition, features need to be built into company and organizational internet properties that allow consumers and clients to interact directly with a organization’s online presence. as these strategies are employed we’ll see web sites develop a more stable and loyal audience base as long as they are able to engage effectively and transparently with their visitors and provide what the consumer wants.

Natural SEO practices are here to stay, but they will change in light of social media and will get shiny new acronyms. Strategies and tactics that were once must-dos for any site will become second nature and will incorporate social media practices as online marketing and advertising evolves. Learn to blend and balance your SEO strategies with your social media strategies to obtain the best results.

Photo Credit: altogether Digital.

The Internet is almost as cool as TV!

In a new study conducted by Edison Media Research, it unveils how the Internet has beat out Radio as far as "coolness" goes and is quickly approaching TV.  ages 12-44 report the internet being more essential than television but the blue hair demographic (45+) find TV much cooler.  I guess they can't find reruns of Matlock or Murder She Wrote on the internet.  Ha! I'm just kidding! 

What does this mean to interactive agencies?  More money is going to continue to be spent on online marketing initiatives.  budgets will probably begin to be pulled from radio and TV and moved over to online services.  Why?  That's simple… almost every dollar spent can be tracked in some form or fashion. 

What does this mean for traditional agencies?  You better develop an interactive department, purchase an interactive agency or at least partner up with one.  It's predicted that in 8 years TV advertising will generate an overall loss to company's marketing budgets. 

What does this mean to companies trying to market their products/services?  It means you better get on the ball and start advertising online.  If you already are, you need to spend more money finding exactly where your demographic is.  Your audience is searching… but can they find you? 

The Internet is almost as cool as TV!

In a new study conducted by Edison Media Research, it unveils how the Internet has beat out Radio as far as "coolness" goes and is quickly approaching TV.  ages 12-44 report the internet being more essential than television but the blue hair demographic (45+) find TV much cooler.  I guess they can’t find reruns of Matlock or Murder She Wrote on the internet.  Ha! I’m just kidding! 

What does this mean to interactive agencies?  More money is going to continue to be spent on online marketing initiatives.  budgets will probably begin to be pulled from radio and TV and moved over to online services.  Why?  That’s simple… almost every dollar spent can be tracked in some form or fashion. 

What does this mean for traditional agencies?  You better develop an interactive department, purchase an interactive agency or at least partner up with one.  It’s predicted that in 8 years TV advertising will generate an overall loss to company’s marketing budgets. 

What does this mean to companies trying to market their products/services?  It means you better get on the ball and start advertising online.  If you already are, you need to spend more money finding exactly where your demographic is.  Your audience is searching… but can they find you? 

It’s a Series of Tubes

Now that we know al Gore's invention is here to stay, let's start treating it without the weird "wow, this thing is so new and awesome, we'd better talk real slow and make everything real clear so our listeners will get it" mentality when referring to websites in traditional advertising. We get it, Video Professor, the computer is our friend and it can take us places.

I actually heard an announcer on the radio giving the web address of his company say, "Go to h-t-t-p, colon, forward slash, forward slash, w-w-w, …." If you are using "http" in your advertising, stop it now. If you are even using "www" in your advertising – voice, print or onscreen font, stop it now. We know what the ".com" at the end means. It means "go to the Internet and find us." Der. Thank you for the help, but please, stop it now.

and don't tell me to "log on" to your website in your advertising. "Log on to supercoolfurniture.com now to learn more." Unless I need a user name and a password to visit your website, I'm not really "logging on" am I? and if I DO need a user name and password to visit your website, I'm probably not going to your website.

It’s a Series of Tubes

Now that we know al Gore’s invention is here to stay, let’s start treating it without the weird "wow, this thing is so new and awesome, we’d better talk real slow and make everything real clear so our listeners will get it" mentality when referring to websites in traditional advertising. We get it, Video Professor, the computer is our friend and it can take us places.

I actually heard an announcer on the radio giving the web address of his company say, "Go to h-t-t-p, colon, forward slash, forward slash, w-w-w, …." If you are using "http" in your advertising, stop it now. If you are even using "www" in your advertising – voice, print or onscreen font, stop it now. We know what the ".com" at the end means. It means "go to the Internet and find us." Der. Thank you for the help, but please, stop it now.

and don’t tell me to "log on" to your website in your advertising. "Log on to supercoolfurniture.com now to learn more." Unless I need a user name and a password to visit your website, I’m not really "logging on" am I? and if I DO need a user name and password to visit your website, I’m probably not going to your website.