Archive for November, 2011
Your Internet Marketing Toolbox
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As you start to budget, plan and strategize for 2012, it is important to take a good look at your Internet Marketing Toolbox. In order to create a comprehensive marketing program, you’ll want to set it up with your blog and website as the foundation and all of your other marketing tactics integrated.
Your website is the single most important communication vehicle for your company and brand. It is also one of the few that you completely control. Make sure that you are taking advantage of your website as an effective tool to attract traffic and capture leads. After all, an effective marketing program will generate quality traffic and capture qualified leads. Your marketing program should
- drive traffic to your website;
- effectively convert web traffic to customers; and
- generate leads and prospects.
Your team will then take those leads and prospects and convert them into sales. Lead management is an essential component of your marketing program.
Each element of your strategy must work effectively with, and reinforce, the others. You must design and build your website so both consumers and the search engines can find it. You need a strong search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing program with the right keywords. Additionally, make sure you include blogging, online public relations, social networking, and bookmarking in your tactics. Ensure local search sites include positive information and recommendations for your company. You need to be everywhere your buyers might be and provide opportunities for your marketing team to communicate regularly and directly with prospects by e-mail, text messages, and social networks. Position advertising, whether online or elsewhere, to attract attention and include a call to action consumers will respond to. Finally, include tracking devices for determining what works and what doesn’t so you can adjust your strategy to be more effective.
Make sure that as you look at your Internet Marketing Toolbox for 2012 that these components are included:
• Website and/or blog
• Keyword strategy
• SEO
• Microblogs
• Social networks
• Local search sites
• Online PR
• Photo sharing
• Video syndication
• Social bookmarking
• Search marketing
• Internet advertising
• Lead management
• CRM
• E-mail marketing
• Website tracking
• Search engine rank tracking
If you need assistance putting your plan together, contact the team at mRELEVANCE, we can help!
Our Pilgrimage on the Internet: Favorite Thanksgiving Traditions
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The pilgrims were adventurers, every day brought new opportunities and new challenges. We are lucky to be involved in a career that brings us opportunities and challenges on a daily basis! Every day is a pilgrimage deeper into the Internet exploring new media marketing and interactive marketing for our clients. But like the pilgrims, we have a lot to be thankful for. Most of all we’d like to say thanks to our friends, family and wonderful clients. The team at mRELEVANCE is looking forward to Thanksgiving, and a day off from typing. This year in honor of the season, we’d like to share our favorite Thanksgiving traditions.
Mitch Levinson – I stand outside for three to four hours frying three birds each thanksgiving so that we have leftovers that last a few months! And, it is the best turkey you have EVER tasted, sorry gran-mama. I really like Cajun fried turkey, cranberry sauce from a can – and of course FOOTBALL!
Carol Flammer - We are hosting 20 at our house for Thanksgiving this year. In the past we have made it a point not to have a kids table because all of us hated sitting there as children. This year we will have three tables. It will be interesting to see where everyone sits, maybe a new tradition will start?
Mirsa Dhori – The number one thing I look forward to is the pumpkin pie. My aunt’s pumpkin pie.
Desirae Johnson – Whether it’s with my mother or mother-in-law, the biggest thanksgiving tradition is cooking a huge meal with a nice glass of wine. If I’m cooking with my mother, then she indulges in the wine too — my mother-in-law, not so much! Luke and I want to start a new tradition of being active after eating this year. I’m thinking about bringing a football and starting a game or making everyone take a walk.
Melissa Bennett – Even though we all know who we are and sit in the same seats as usual, my Grandma sets out place cards on the dinner table that I made when I was like 10—including ones for my uncles that live in California. Even though they aren’t here to celebrate with us, seeing their names on the table kind of makes it feel like they are.
Tracey Labovitz Berkowitz – My kids and I come up with all kinds of things and people that we are thankful for in our lives.
Ben Heisler - My mother’s lima beans are my favorite holiday tradition. We always work limas into the meal somehow, whether it’s on its own or mixed in with something else. Makes a surprisingly good bean & greens, too!
Amanda Winters – Thanksgiving is a busy day for us. We spend the day at several different family members’ homes and get to eat at each of their dinners…then I go Black Friday shopping with my husband and in-laws and we all come home and crash Friday morning around 8 a.m. It’s always tons of fun!
Ben Frame - My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is watching football with my dad, even though Detroit always seems to lose.
Lauren Pond - I really love just being with my family. The best part of the meal is the homemade Apple Pie that my mom makes. It is out of this world.
Justin Doyle – I’d have to go with green bean casserole and fried turkey. If you’ve never tried fried turkey, you’re missing out on the best poultry you’ve ever had!
Ricky White – What I like most about thanksgiving is just knowing that I can relax for most of the day. Food is great, family time is great, but really knowing that there are no major expectations required for the day is prime!
Alex Trayakurau – Our family tradition is family togetherness. Each year we get together to share a meal and special times.
From the entire mRELEVANCE team, “Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family.” What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? We’d love to know. Please share them with us on this post.
Are People Reading Your Content on Tablets?
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It’s commonly said that tablets aren’t for creating content, but rather for viewing it. With the recent launches of Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook, the tablet market dominated by Apple has some new competition. As the market continues to grow, companies need to consider how their content translates to mobile devices.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and The Economist Group reveals several interesting statistics regarding tablets. For example, 11 percent of U.S. adults now own a tablet computer of some kind. About half of them (53 percent) get news on their tablets every day.
According to the study, 77 percent of all tablet users who view the news weekly on their devices now spend more time getting news than they did before purchasing a tablet. Even more surprising is the fact that 33 percent say they are using brand new sources of news on tablets, i.e., sources that they didn’t use on other platforms such as televisions or even other computers.
What does this mean for websites and website development?
With the popularity of tablets clearly on the rise, especially among news seekers, the big question is: Are you developing website content that is easily accessible for people regardless of platform? Mitch Levinson, managing partner of mRELEVANCE, explains some of the trends he is seeing in terms of web traffic.
“Over the past 12 months, our monthly web traffic from mobile devices ranged from 5 to 10 percent. In the last two months, it has increased to roughly 15 percent,” Levinson said. “We believe this increase is permanent and that the number will continue to rise.”
People who own tablets are already getting news in a less conventional way simply by using the device itself. The popularity of apps creates another wrinkle in the equation. The study reveals that 21 percent of tablet news users rely on apps for information instead of a browser.
Tablets are inherently social, much like phones. Even though people are often protective about their mobile devices, they are usually more than willing to show off their latest app or game to friends and family. The same is true of news. Word of mouth is key among tablet news users, and 85 percent of them reported sharing a long article with someone.
How can you make sure that your news is the news that people are discussing and sharing with others? Make it fresh, original and relevant.
“Mobile devices require content developers to think about information in new ways. Your information may look great on a desktop or laptop, but what about on a tablet, iPad or smart phone?” Levinson said. “Developers also need to think about how news is written. People on mobile devices have access to an infinite amount of information quickly and won’t hesitate to skip your website or blog if it’s not easily digestible.”
To get help creating unique content for your website or blog, contact mRELEVANCE at 770-383-3360.
Holiday Promotions Using Social Media Boost Engagement
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These days everyone is on Facebook, Twitter and blogs. From your grandparents to your favorite business, you’ll find them all using these sites to connect with friends, family and fans. For some brands, it’s easy to get a conversation started on their social media sites. For example, Coca-Cola has more than 35 million Facebook likes and iTunes Music has 1 million plus followers on Twitter. Obviously, these brands have no problem connecting with their fans.
However, what about the small business owners who are trying to make a name for themselves or even well-established companies who don’t sell as many products as Coca-Cola or Apple? For these businesses, a holiday promotion on their social media sites may just be what they need to boost engagement.
During the holiday season, everyone starts to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Cheerful music, decorations, time with family and friends (not to mention a few days off from work) boosts moral and gets everyone into the spirit of the season. Holiday specific promotions help facilitate warm fuzzies and encourage interactions with your brands.
For example, Bay Area home builder Signature Homes recently launched a giveaway in honor of Thanksgiving. In the Give Thanks promotion, Signature Homes is giving away two iPad 2s (one goes to a fan and one goes to a real estate agent). To be eligible to win, fans and agents must “like” Signature Homes on Facebook and leave a comment expressing what they are most thankful for this Thanksgiving.
This not only encourages new fans to like the builder, but it also engages those fans with Signature Homes. This is a simple and inexpensive way to create relationships with your potential clients.
Contact mRELEVANCE to kick start your social media program this holiday season. We can help you design a promotion to build your fan base and spread the word about your brand.
mRELEVANCE Wins OBIE Award for Traton Homes Blog
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mRELEVANCE won a Gold OBIE Award for Traton Homes blog – www.TratonHomesBlog.com. Named Best Interactive Marketing Tool at the OBIE Awards Gala held at the Cobb Galleria on Nov. 12.
The Traton Homes blog keeps homebuyers abreast of community news, local events and special promotions. The blog includes a featured home, as well as video posts where homebuyers can get a detailed peek at a specific community.
Kimberly Garwood Marketing Manager for Traton Homes comments, “We are so honored to share this award for our blog with the dynamic team at mRELEVANCE. They are truly the best at what they do and are dedicated to delivering smart, relevant programs that maximize results!”
Carol Flammer managing partner for mRELEVANCE said, “Traton Homes does a great job of keeping potential buyers and agent up-to-date on their latest news through the blog. We are thrilled to be recognized by our peers and the home building industry for our work on this site.”
This is the fourth consecutive year that mRELEVANCE has won OBIEs for award-winning Internet marketing. In 2008 the agency won Best E-Marketing – Best Interactive Application for its Heron Bay Golf and Country Club campaign. The agency was recognized in 2009 for Best Interactive Application for Atlanta’s favorite news blog, www.AtlantaRealEstateForum.com. In 2010 mRELEVANCE won awards for the Bowen Family Homes blog and Circle 75 Townhomes.
The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association’s OBIE Awards celebrates its 31th anniversary in 2011. The awards began in 1980 and have grown throughout the years to now feature more than 100 building, remodeling, marketing and personal achievement categories. The OBIE Awards, named after the obelisk shape of the actual award given, are the premier awards in of Atlanta’s residential building industry. To see more OBIE award winners, visit www.AtlantaRealEstateForum.com/OBIEs.
For more information on launching an effective internet marketing program for your company, contact mRELEVANCE.
New Blog Develops Win Win
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The Most Important Aspect of Google Search Is…Timing
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If I don’t know the answer to something, my first instinct is to ask people around me. And if they don’t know the answer, they usually reply, “Look it up.” In recent years, this oft-used phrase has been replaced by an even simpler one: “Google it.”
Google has worked hard to become the place people go to for search results. It has tweaked algorithm after algorithm to bring you the most comprehensive collection of information relevant to your query. Unfortunately, this all-encompassing nature is sometimes a severe disadvantage. A student writing an essay on the Civil War won’t care if the top search result is from 2001 or 2011 – the facts are still the same. However, someone looking for ways to change page settings on Facebook will find that results from 2010 or even early 2011 are already obsolete.
In the ever-changing world of technology, obsolescence is damning. It might not be so bad for Google if not for the popularity of other sites that provide up-to-date information. Twitter, Facebook and and Bing have all made strives to provide real-time search results.
According to a recent New York Times article, Google is making changes to its search algorithm to produce timelier results. The new algorithm should affect roughly 35 percent of all searches.
“Depending on the search terms, the algorithm needs to be able to figure out if a result from a week ago about a TV show is recent, or if a result from a week ago about breaking news is too old,” said Amit Singhal, a Google fellow working on the algorithm. “This algorithmic improvement is designed to better understand how to differentiate between these kinds of searches and the level of freshness you need.”
Google is constantly making changes to its search algorithm to provide users with the most relevant search results possible. Although you may not have some complicated formula for creating content, you could still take a page from Google and apply it to your company blog or website. Consistently creating new and varied online content will let your readers know that you’re still relevant and timely.
If you need help creating fresh content for your blog or website, please contact mRELEVANCE at 770-383-3360.
BLOG = Better Listings On Google
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B = better
L = listings
O = on
G = Google
Marketing today is different. Yet, there is no need to reinvent it all. Think about how to integrate what you are already doing into today’s marketing mix. You should incorporate social media marketing into an overall marketing plan just as you do Internet marketing, SEO (search engine optimization), events, advertising, specials and public relations.
Your online interactive strategy is built on stories, messages, and events, with ample space to encourage conversations and spontaneity. However, a sound social media strategy ends, rather than begins, with social networking sites. First, you must create an optimized website and blog. Whether you want to build brand or manage your reputation, you must create a plan, measure results, and focus on milestones. Milestones could include launching a blog, optimizing the blog to become a top five referral source to your website, or getting 200 new fans on Facebook.
Integrating social media into your overall marketing mix will streamline your program and make it more effective. Think of your blog or your blog/website as the engine of your program. Your editorial calendar will center on your blog and the blog will pull the entire program together.
My friend Paul Chaney says that BLOG stands for Better Listings on Google. Your blog or your blog/website links all of your sites together and provides your program with the necessary search engine optimization to improve your listings on Google, and all the other search engines for that matter. You blog or blog/website are the center of your program, much like the center of a wheel or a car’s engine. No matter what sites come and go, if you have built your program around the one piece that you own (your blog), you will have a strong program for years to come and great search engine optimization.
Contact mRELEVANCE to build your optimized blog and complete social media marketing program.
Who Should Write the Company Blog?
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Often people ask me, “Who should be the author of the company blog?” And like so many things in life, there is really not just one right answer. It could be someone in sales or marketing, or even the company president or CEO. Maybe it is even all of the above. Your corporate blog can be a team effort.
One of the fun things about having a group of bloggers is that your blog will have multiple authors and multiple voices. This allows your readers to identify with one or more of the writers. Each author should post under their own name so that they are easily identifiable. You will discover that each blogger develops their own own group of followers over time due to different writing styles as well as their humor and personality.
An additional benefit of having multiple bloggers is that it removes the burden of all having all the writing fall on one person. However, one individual should manage the blog. The blog manager could be an employee or you could outsource this task to an interactive marketing firm like mRELEVANCE.
The blog manager will:
- Oversee the blog schedule
- Review the editorial content
- Ensure that writers post content regularly
- Moderate the blog
Moderating the blog entails checking posts for proper SEO (keywords, anchor text, and links), monitoring and responding to comments, and forwarding comments that require a response from someone else to the appropriate individual.
If you are interested in learning more about blogging, contact Carol Flammer at mRELEVANCE for more information. We’d love to help you set up an effective company blog and social media program.
Wishing You a Bountiful Thanksgiving
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The team at mRELEVANCE wishes all of our friends and family a happy and bountiful Thanksgiving. We are thankful for our clients, family and health this holiday season. We wish all of your the best. As an interactive firm, we thought it would be fun to share our favorite Thanksgiving foods with you. We hope you will join in too!
Mitch – Cajun fried turkey with canned cranberry sauce — forget the homemade sauce, it needs to have lines from the can in it to be any good.
Carol – Turkey and dressing – my mother-in-laws dressing recipe is amazing, that and mince meat pie are absolutely my favorites.
Mike – I am not a huge fan of turkey, but I do love all the sides….stuffing, mac & cheese, turnips, pickles and of course some type of artisan bread. The best part is actually making leftover turkey sandwiches with stuffing on top…
Keith – My grandmother’s sweet potatoes. She is the best cook in the family and everything she makes turns out great.
Sarah – My grandmother’s dressing. I get to learn how to make it this year!
Alex – My wife’s turkey – she cooks very well and it is so tasty.
Renita – Pecan pie is my favorite — always dessert for me!
Tracey – As a vegetarian, Thanksgiving has always been challenging. It has gotten better since the addition of Tofurky, and my favorite brand is Quorn Turk’y Roast! It tastes better than the real thing, and it is healthier for you too!
Desirae – My mom’s corn, green pepper and rice casserole – it reminds me of my childhood.
What is your favorite thanksgiving dish? We’d love to know. Please share!
