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Big List of Social Media Sites

13 Feb 2012

At this point, even the most inexperienced Web marketer is aware of the vital role that social media plays in promoting a brand on the Internet. Of course, almost everyone has a presence on at least one of the major social destinations, mainly Facebook and Twitter, but what many people seem to overlook are the seemingly endless amounts of smaller, alternative social networks at their disposal.

In addition to the “Big 5″ social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Tumblr), there are a wide variety of different places that users can go to be social on the ‘Net. Some of these sites are aimed at specific lifestyle markets, some provide specialized services like user reviews or checking in, and some are simply older or smaller takes on the social network platform that we all know and love.

There are obviously many ways for marketers to approach social media. It would certainly behoove everyone to make their presence felt on Facebook and Twitter, because the number of users and levels of engagment on those two sites are so astronomically high compared to their competitors, but beyond that, the sky is really the limit for companies trying to optimized their Web profiles.

Author: Michael Garrity

NICOLE WAGNER TO SPEAK AT SOCIAL MEDIA SUMMIT FEBRUARY 23RD IN ALSIP

6 Feb 2012

LOMBARD, IL JAN. 9, 2012–Nicole Wagner, Internet marketing director at Stevens & Tate Marketing, will be speaking at the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau’s 2012 Social Media Summit.

Being held on February 23, the summit is designed to assist local businesses break into the world of social media and learn how to use the medium most effectively. At the event, Wagner will present “Capitalizing on Search Engine Marketing to Website Optimization Techniques” and cover topics such as how to get a business found online and drive Internet leads.

“Every busines should understand how search engine marketing works,” said Wagner. “This seminar will show how having the right strategies and media mix can get a company found more quickly and efficiently in today’s online world.”

Her presentation also will illustrate how social media plays into the overall search engine marketing strategy.

The Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau was founded in 1986 as a subsidiary of the Regional Economic Development Corporation, now known as the Chicago Southland Development, Inc. In 1993, the Bureau separated from its parent organization and became an independent 501(c)6 organization. As a regional cooperative, the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau represents 62 south and southwest municipalities, approximately 35 miles south of downtown Chicago.

The Social Media Summit will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago in Alsip, Ill. on Thursday, February 23, 2012. Registration for the all-day event begins at 7:30 a.m. Cost is $95 before Janury 31st; $110 after February 1st. For questions regarding the conference and registration, contact elizabeth@visitchicagosouthland.com 708-895-8200.

Nicole Wagner, Internet marketing director at Stevens & Tate Marketing (www.stevens-tate.com), leads an enthusiastic team in strategic planning, web development, social media and search engine marketing as well as internet and mobile marketing. She can be reached directly by calling 630/627-5200 or through email at nwagner@stevens-tate.com.

The End of Link Building as We’ve Known and Loved it

30 Jan 2012

The process has already started, and as a publisher you need to make sure you are adapting your marketing strategy to line up, or get left behind.

Google made the link building algorithm popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was a revolution in its time because it provided search engines with a method for identifying the most important web pages for a given topic. However, as has been well documented, spammers have assaulted the algorithm with a wide variety of methods for buying links or creating them in other ways that don’t work for the algorithms.

Even if you generate all your links in a pure white hat way, through reaching out to site owners and requesting them without compensation, or are doing high quality guest posts, you aren’t necessarily generating the best possible signal for search engines. Certainly this type of link building done properly would not be a violation of the Webmaster Guidelines, but from the perspective of the search engines it also doesn’t represent a groundswell of opinion raving about your product. It still means something, but it is brute force driven through your efforts, rather than resulting from the enthusiasm of your audience.

I don’t believe that search engines will penalize people who link build this way, but I think they will value the link profile that is manually built less than one that obtains unsolicited endorsements from the web.

Author: Eric Enge

http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=5564347457074110468&ids=0UdzgMcj4QdP0TdjgTd3cQdzkRb3oSe30UcPsRczkRcP8UdzgSdjkId30VczcUdz8Sdj8Sdz0Td3oRdiMRcjcPe3cVcj8TejwMcjkOdzkRb3wPdPwPc3ATcP8Ocj8OcPgSdjkIejgOc34QczwTdP8SczAQd3oRdiMNczsQd3kVc3wSdz8MejgOdzkR&aag=true&freq=weekly&trk=eml-tod2-b-ttl-6&ut=2m5VGEJQELrl41

4 Tips to Keep Your Website Ahead of the Curve in 2012

23 Jan 2012

Sure, having a website for your business serves a practical need: to draw net-surfing users to your product or service. However, it’s also much more than slapping on a run of the mill two-column template and calling it a day. Nothing kills an online buzz like a poorly designed or drastically outdated website. Dry and boring default templates, broken assets, confusing pages and invasive widgets do nothing but harm a page’s style, which in turn reflects poorly on the company.

2012 is heralding a new wave of innovative web technologies and design, and a page that stays in step with these trends is bound to pique interest and lower your bounce rate. Even more, a well done and on-trend website remains effective well after the year is over, reeling users in with thoughtful design and building a design-conscious and taste-making reputation. Keep these tips in mind when you clean up your company’s website, and stay ahead of the curve for the new year.

1. Don’t Be Afraid to be Bold

Author:Lauren Hockenson

Using Video To Build Up Your Brand

Posted By: Stevens & Tate Category: Internet Marketing| Media Placement Agency| Stevens & Tate Marketing

4 May 2011

More and more research is showing that more and more video is being consumed online. Not only that, but people are watching videos in their entirety, not just watching 30-seconds in and surfing away to other things. This is very encouraging news for marketers looking for an excuse to finally work video into their marketing efforts. Below is an excerpt from a recent article from iMedia Connection, sharing findings from Brightcove, a streaming video service provider.

From iMediaConnection:
In a first for any of the verticals explored in the report, online media and broadcasters experienced over 50 per cent in completion rates last quarter, with more videos being watched in their entirety across the board. Brands in particular witnessed a massive 98 per cent jump in engagement this quarter, securing viewings of 2:03 minutes on average, compared with 1:03 minutes during the previous quarter.

What the findings strongly suggest is an overall improvement in how brands are using online video, and an enhancement in the quality of content. Not only are consumers increasingly receptive to video content, but brands are readily experimenting in how to successfully connect with a target audience.

The research reveals a drastic increase in titles uploaded for newspapers, with quarter over quarter growth reaching 147 per cent and 1.2 million titles uploaded. The huge rise, for a second consecutive quarter, suggests that newspapers themselves are using video to transform their ‘brand’. We’re witnessing a transformation from newspapers into news broadcasters as they fully embrace video production and licensing to offer multimedia news coverage to audiences, recognizing its value in keeping audiences onsite for longer. Read the rest of this article here.

Check out our latest video, on the new media mix, it’s on our homepage and can also be found on Vimeo.com. Let us know what you think.

Finding Topics for Your Business Blog – The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

Posted By: Stevens & Tate Category: Social Media Marketing Agency

14 Jan 2011

Finding topics to blog about can be a chore, but Site-Reference has put together a list of 50 topics to blog about on your business blog.

Not every topic below will apply to your specific situation or business, but you can keep the following list close to your computer so you’ll have an easy stream of ideas when it’s time to compose a new blog entry.

50 Topic Ideas for a Business Blog

Post photos of your products being used or your facilities where the magic happens
Announce and link to any media coverage your company gets
Announce any company social events (post pictures!)
Compare and contrast your products or services to help clarify which is better in certain situations
Highlight any significant new material added to your website (if you’ve recently started a help section, knowledge center, pressroom or even added product comparison or review functionality, for example)
Link to customer reviews on sites like Yelp.com (and ask people to submit their own reviews, too)
Describe the process or materials that go into your products or services
Profile new staff hires
Highlight new equipment investments (and why it’s good for your customers)
Draw attention to new or expanded service offerings
How-to articles
Expanded FAQs (e.g., address one commonly asked question per week in your blog)
Industry events (whether you attended or not)
Industry news (give your opinion or simply explain what’s happening to help keep your readers up to date)
Your thoughts on different pricing models/price points in the industry
Explain or clear the air on common misperceptions in your line of business
Highlight customers (feature their “story”, a testimonial, or just profile them)
Highlight a staff member (be sure to include photos)
Interview a colleague or peer (you can do this via email, then post their answers–or use video if you catch up in person!)
Review a book you’ve just finished reading
Recommend a colleague’s related service
Announce your other social media accounts (let people know where to find you on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.)
Announce contests you’re running (or run a special contest for blog readers only)
Let people know something new you’re trying (then discuss how it worked after)
Talk about something you’ve just learned (a new way you’ve discovered your product helps customers, a new way to do something, etc.)
Talk about charities or causes that mean a lot to you
List things (top 10 ways to maximize your widget)
Cover a magazine/trade journal article you just read
State a little known fact or figure that your readers might find interesting
Describe a day in your life (or in the life of other important people at your company, especially those who are customer-facing)
Cover other bloggers (give your opinion on what they’ve written)
Give advice to people who want to get into your profession
Give advice to people who want to buy the types of products or services you offer (“What you should know when buying xyz”)
Embed new videos you’ve posted on YouTube
Describe an experience you just had with a client, vendor or employee (keep it anonymous if needed, and focus on the takeaway from the experience)
Ask for readers’ opinions on things happening in the industry (good to encourage comments)
Talk about your quality measures
Announce product updates or improvements
Address complaints, recalls, etc. that may have gained widespread coverage in the media
Announce sales and promotions
Profile your products in action
Discuss a specific need or want your products fulfill
Discuss topics not directly impacted by your product but that also matter to your customers
Feature a supplier you use (spread the love by letting everyone know how great they are to work with)
Tell your readers about something you observed in the course of your day (something you saw an employee do, something you thought of)
What-not-to-do articles (“What NOT to do when xyz”)
Explain any new or pending legislation that impacts your industry
Highlight the feature article in your latest newsletter issue (link to the archive)
Announce a new advertising campaign
________________________________ (add whatever topic idea has just occurred to you here!)

To read this article in its entirety, click here.

Facebook Marketing – 9 Tips To Market More Effectively

Posted By: Stevens & Tate Category: Social Media Marketing Agency

14 Jan 2011

Why are social platforms so effective for marketing?

People are social, by nature, so they love recommending stuff that they like. Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms have a rapidly expanding user base. Authenticity is demanded as people will give honest and public feedback. The platforms are accessible and easy to use by design, even by people with few technical skills.

For the most part, marketing across social platforms is free, but doing it badly can cost dearly. Below are nine tips for using Facebook marketing to get a message out to your consumer base.

1. Facebook, like any other online platform, has terms of use. Respect them or be prepared to be banned as well as criticized mercilessly.

2. Facebook is about relationships. You don’t have a “relationship” with a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman – so don’t be one on Facebook.

3. Being personal is everything. Successful Facebook marketing campaigns revolve around personality.

4. There isn’t a magic formula for making any message “go viral.” You can’t control a virus – that’s what makes them viral.

5. People like Facebook for entertaining stuff. In fact, entertainment is defined as “holding one’s attention.” Remember this.

6. Facebook ads are more personally targeted than ads anywhere else.

7. Being “liked” can work very, very well for your message. Being “unliked” (no, there’s not a button, but it can happen) can bury you.

8. Facebook is in control. Always remember this and never, never assume its available tools won’t change. They have and they will.

9. Don’t build a business on Facebook marketing – or Twitter marketing – or newspaper ads, radio ads, TV ads, or leaflets dropped from hot air balloons. Build your business on a great product, a great message, and great relationships.

Take the first step towards creating or improving your current social media marketing campaigns and contact Stevens & Tate Marketing at http://www.stevens-tate.com/contact.cfm. Stevens & Tate Marketing offers a variety of social media marketing services and reputation management solutions.

Older Entries

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Erik: I need a clarification. It appears that you're saying that visual design of a web page will indirect [...]

Erik: These are all great suggestions. Like any successful marketing campaign, using Facebook requires a c [...]

JassiMostru: Hi Very nice and intrestingss story. [...]

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