The Web Tools Your Business Can’t Live Without in 2012
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You may have recently read our post about the tech gadgets that you should ask Santa to bring to your business this year. In this post, we’ll describe some of the web tools you should ask for, as well.
Effective Social Media (SM) Program – An effective social media program starts with strategy and content and combines blogging, social networking, key word identification, posting to relevant sites and more.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy – Perhaps the most important item on your wish list, an SEO strategy combines on- and off-page efforts to attract search engines to websites so that they rank highly in search results. This way, your customers can find you!
Mobile Website – Hopefully your website is already optimized for mobile viewing, because tech researchers are predicting that up to 25 percent more consumers will be doing their holiday shopping this year on their smart phones or tablets. Because of faster mobile broadband connections and cheaper data service, mobile web usage has exploded in the past few years and business owners can’t afford to live without a mobile site. But there are issues with the development of these sites, so finding a company that knows how to work with them is crucial.
QR (Quick Response) Codes – These are everywhere now! Their popularity is due to the fact that they are so efficient at what they do – they allow users to “read” the bar codes with their smart phones and link to content on the web. They are great for connecting users with relevant information, fast.
Local Searches and Reviews – The Internet has made transparency standard, with literally millions of ways to get information (good and bad) about a business, product or service. Google displays consumer reviews of businesses; and entire sites, like Yelp.com are dedicated to providing consumer reviews. Take advantage of these sites by keeping your customers happy and encouraging them to provide favorable reviews of your business. Yelp also specializes in local searches, so if someone is searching for a specific type of business in an area, they can use Yelp to locate and review that business.
Online Couponing and Incentives – Call it a sign of the times, but coupons are hot. Online incentives, coupons and contests are on the rise and can generate leads and build customer loyalty. It’s a straightforward way to engage your customers, so why not do it?
File synching and data storage – Programs like Documents to Go, Dropbox and Google Docs allow users to create, edit, store and/or share documents and files. Documents to Go syncs documents between handheld devices and computers. Dropbox allows you to store and share files. Google Docs is great because you can create, edit, store and share files.
Overwhelmed? Don’t be. Contact mRELEVANCE today for an appointment to learn how you can get started implementing these tools in your business strategy for 2012.
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.
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.
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.
Just Let Your Fingers Do the Walking. . .
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Remember the old jingle to “let your fingers do the walking” its a snap? Our fingers are still doing the walking, but it certainly isn’t in a printed phone book. A recent survey from Yelp! shows that only 24% of business owners consider the yellow page phone books relevant today. Business owners believe that only a very few customers find them by looking in a yellow page phone book. Instead business owners say that their customers’ fingers are doing the walking on keyboards, tablets and smartphones as consumers turn toward online and mobile directories to find businesses.
Online Search
With 85% of shoppers using Google, Yahoo!, Bing, or another search engine to start their online searches, a sound search engine optimization or social media optimization plan starts with identifying the search terms buyers use to find you or companies like yours online. Next, you integrate these search terms as keywords into your blog posts, online public relations, and other online content you post as part of your social media marketing program. When these keywords are used as anchor text, search engines will identify your site as relevant for these words and phrases.
You must think like a search engine. This is especially important when blogging and posting to social media sites. One place to look to see how Internet shoppers are finding your website is in your analytics account. Yikes! If you don’t have an analytics account, then set one up immediately for both your website and blog. Google Analytics is free, but there are many other programs (both free and paid) available. You may be using Yahoo, Webtrends, Allstats, and or Urchin.
Make sure that your business is reaching today’s consumers where they start their searches for products and services – online.
If you need help with your interactive marketing including search engine optimization, contact mRELEVANCE, we can help!
Prices are Falling on Facebook
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Fall is in the air and the leaves are starting to fall. However, leaves aren’t the only things falling this month. So are the prices on Move In Ready homes at Geordan Communities in Auburn and Dothan, Ala. This builder has found a creative way to showcase home discounts through social media marketing on Facebook.
When you like this home builder on Facebook – www.Facebook.com/GeordanCommunities – you will receive random cost savings offers throughout October. If you want offers from them but don’t want to fan them on Facebook, just send them an email at info@GeordanCommunities.com to be added to the email list.
Geordan Communities is known for luxury at a price you can afford. They take this a step further with the specials and deals they ore offering. Here are a few of the recent ones that you still have time to act on.
The Christal at Southern Hills is located at 42 Riverbirch Lane on lot 37C in Dothan, Ala. This home is in Rehobeth School District. With an accepted contract by Oct. 26 Geordan Communities will reduce the price to $197,200 and offer the following:
- Seller will pay up to $5,000 closing cost
- FREE pack and move (up to 30 miles)
- FREE fence
- FREE lawn maintenance for one year (which is a pretty big deal since it is a large yard)
Another Geordan Communities homes is located in Auburn at Stone Creek. They are offering a special Facebook only price on lot 2B the Chesapeake. Get this house for a special price of $255,900 (instead of $269,800). Best of all the seller will pay up to $5,000 for closing costs and include FREE pack and move (up to 30 miles). This home needs to have an accepted contract by October 23 using a preferred lender and their closing attorney.
If you are looking for a new home special in Auburn or Dothan, Ala. “like” Geordan Communities. If you are looking for a marketing firm to manage your social media marketing, contact mRELEVANCE.
Google+ is Now Open to Everyone
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Google+ is now open to everyone! Look for the blue arrow on Google’s home page, it will walk you through signing up. After being an exclusive invite only site since July, this new social media site has fully launched its beta version to the public.
According to Mashable, Google’s Vic Gundotra wrote on the official company blog, “We’re ready to move from field trial to beta, and introduce our 100th feature: open signups.”
Did you know that 99 improvements were made on Google+ during this field trial? Crazy!
These improvements included the ability to use Google+ Hangouts (which are way better than Skype, in my opinion) on Android devices. Gundotra stated, “We think Hangouts should keep pace with how you socialize in the real-world.”
In addition, Google+ now includes search. Not having a good search option was one of the weak points of the site, but now users can easily find people and look up different topics. Plus, you can search through Google+ and web content.
If you were one of the original Google+ users, you may remember that the site was all of the rage when it first launched. Since then, Facebook has revamped to include features that were unique to Google+. Facebook has even made changes to the News Feed and Friend Lists to make them function more like Google+ Circles.
However, since everyone can now sign up for Google+, including more of your friends, family members and co-workers, maybe the site will be the next Facebook. Who knows!
If you need help navigating through the Google+ world, be sure to click here. Once you sign up, make sure to connect with mRELEVANCE founders, Mitch Levinson and Carol Flammer. Also, contact the team at mRELEVANCE for all of your social media marketing and search engine optimization needs.
Integrated Marketing Plan Connects Builder to Homebuyers
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mRELEVANCE, LLC is pleased to announce the launch of the new Signature Homes blog, http://signaturehomesblog.com. This highly optimized blog serves as a source of information for homebuyers and real estate agents in the Bay Area and Sacramento region, and is at the core of the overall social media marketing strategy created for the Northern California builder by the mRELEVANCE team. In addition to the blog, the Signature Homes social media program includes Facebook, Twitter and YouTube components.
“We worked closely with the mRELEVANCE team to develop our new and improved blog, and are pleased with the results,” said Charlie Roter, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Signature Homes. “The current blog enhances our social media presence and provides a fun and interactive way to connect with our homebuyers.”
The Signature Homes blog is fully integrated with the builder’s website and other social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Visitors can use the blog’s interactive map to find townhome, condo and single-family home communities, as well as information about each community, builder news and special offers and promotions.
“The blog is a key component of Signature Homes’ social media program, and helps engage prospective buyers and agents with the organization’s brand,” said mRELEVANCE managing partner, Mitch Levinson. “The Signature Homes blog is a great addition to the builder’s website, allowing the builder to provide in-depth stories in a conversational tone about its communities and the homeowners themselves. This gives prospective buyers insight into what it is like to own a Signature Home.”
For more information on how you can take your home builder marketing to the next level with an integrated approach to blogging, social marketing and search engine optimization, contact mRELEVANCE.
mRELEVANCE Develops Search for Homes Tab on Acadia’s Facebook Page
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Looking for cool, new Facebook functionality? We are pleased to announce our development of a new Search for Homes tab on Acadia Homes and Neighborhoods’ Facebook page. With this tab, Facebook users can quickly and easily search for available Acadia homes by price point, county, home type and community without even leaving Facebook. In addition, users have easy access to Acadia’s website and contact form.
“The new tab will allow buyers to search for available homes easier and faster,” stated Sam Bass, vice president of sales and marketing at Acadia Homes and Neighborhoods. “We hope users find the home of their dreams and find out more information about us on our social media pages and website.”
“We developed the Facebook Search for Homes tab in order to help buyers search for homes on the social media platform that they use the most, Facebook. These active listings pull directly from the database on their website, so they will always be current and accurate,” stated Mitch Levinson, managing partner of mRELEVANCE. “While users are on Acadia’s fan page and thinking about homes, they can search without having to leave the site.”
mRELEVANCE offers a variety of marketing services including Internet marketing, website development, search engine optimization, social media and public relations.
With offices in Atlanta and Chicago, mRELEVANCE can connect your company with buyers and build relevant relationships nationwide. For more information or to contact us, visit www.mRELEVANCE.com, Like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/mRELEVANCE, Follow us on Twitter at @mRELEVANCE or call 770-383-3360 or 847-259-7312.
