New Partner – mslDirect
Welcome to new client and partner, mslDirect, Inc. They are one of Pittsburgh’s leading marketing and communications firms offering an innovative approach to multi-channel marketing, printing services and branding solutions with a proactive focus on account management. Since 1996 they’ve delivered campaigns for businesses, non-profits and higher education providers using both traditional and digital media.
We developed their strategic plan for social media marketing and helped setup a Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter presence for them. In addition, we are doing content creation, blog authoring and ongoing social media administration them.
Quick Tips to Improve Search Placement
There are plenty of things you can do to impact Search Engine Optimization. Here are two simple things you should consider doing immediately to help improve the placement of your website in search results:
- Register with Bing by clicking this Create a Listing link.
- Register with Google by clicking this Create a Listing link.
The registration process should only take a few minutes. If you don’t have a Google or Windows live account you will need to create one. Then you will be able to “claim” your existing business listing or if one doesn’t exist you can create a new one.
As you build the new listing remember to put in a full description of your company, add keywords to describe your products and services, insert a few photos, link to a video (if you have one) and plug in your full contact info.
Mobility & the Enterprise
The growth in the mobile device market is no longer a secret. But how is it impacting companies? This infographic by [x]cube LABS does a good job of displaying why enterprises are adopting mobility, what technology they’re using to support it and how they are benefiting from it.
Infographic by Enterprise mobile consultants at [x]cube LABS
Custom Facebook Tabs & Pages
Wondering how to build that great looking landing page for your company Facebook page or how to create a custom tab that highlights one of your products or services? If you don’t have programming experience or a developer in-house start with this article, Top 10 Facebook Apps for Building Custom Pages & Tabs, written by Andrea Vahl.
If you want to give it a shot on your own start off with these two HowTo articles:
- How to Create Custom Tabs for Facebook Business Pages
- How to Build a Facebook Landing Page with iFrames
Still confused on how to get started? You can always call us to build them for you 
SOPA / PIPA Blackout
Is the proposed SOPA and PIPA legislation a threat to a free and open internet? Learn more about why the major internet sites are blacked out today, the proposed legislation and how you can voice your opinion at Google – End Piracy, Not Liberty or WikiPedia – Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge (among many others).
Like this:
Best Street Art of 2011
Street Art Utopia recently shared their list of the most beloved street art photos of 2011. Definitely worth a look. There are more than 100 images. Thanks for the tip Not Zombies. Here are a few of my favorites:
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Online Trends – Sharing & Information Sources
I recently read Technorati’s annual recap of blogging trends and online behavior, State of the Blogosphere 2011. As we plan marketing efforts for 2012 there were two sets of results that stand out. Hopefully these insights into consumer behavior will also be helpful to you try to decide where to focus efforts and budget in the upcoming year.
Which Information Sources Do You Typically Use?
The good news is that verbal communication is important to us; actual conversations take the #1 spot. Yes, we still talk to each other despite all those cryptic IMs and text messages. I was a little surprised to see magazines and newspapers on the list. But I have a feeling that tablet versions of both may factor into this result.
My take is that it is still critical to establish a social media presence and get your customers talking about you on those channels. But it is just as important to have a relevant product and strong customer service so those word-of-mouth (#1 on the list) or word-of-Facebook (#2 on the list) referrals continue to flow.
Where Do You Share Information?
The thing that stands out here is that email isn’t even close to dead as a means of “sharing”. In fact, it is the #1 place where people share information. But the other obvious social media channels are right at the top of the list.
Let this graphic serve as a checklist of where you should establish an ACTIVE online presence. Then you can engage the people who are (or should be) talking about your company. Share their Facebook posts, retweet them, like their video, +1 em and comment on their blog posts. It will provide additional visibility for your company and help build online relationships with your influencers.
One other takeaway – if you haven’t enabled “share” buttons for your online presence now is the time. Add them to your website, your blog, your news section and any other pages where your offer dynamic content.
