legal, media, marketing & technology
Credit Unions are a different kind of fighter. Underdogs? Maybe. Champions of a cause? Most definitely. But what is certain, is that the ground has shifted, and your corporate-driven opponents have lost their footing. Now is the time to fight for your share and differentiate yourselves from banks. Now is the time to tell your story. Because you are a different kind of fighter.
Congrats to Third Degree for great concept and creation!
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I have had a lot of questions about Twitter unfollowing … it’s really a much discussed topic. What is the proper Twitter etiquette?
Some believe that when someone follows you on Twitter, it’s proper for you to follow them back.
If you are just trying to build followers then go ahead and follow them back. But if you want to build a network of targeted followers of like mind DON’T FOLLOW just anybody.
To get value from Twitter follow their content. The Twitter search tool is now very powerful and you can find users to follow based their content or profile. The Twitter stream moves too fast to scan for content manually. There are also some great web based tools to find Tweeters of interest and some client based (installed on your computer) search and follow tools.
I tend to tweet about things I find of interest, and that I think my followers also find interesting. Most of my content is based on Marketing, Technology and Entertainment Follow me to see if my twitter stream appeals to you.
If my followers are not interested, then I have no problem with them unfollowing … I don’t want to waste their time.
Why do I unfollow? If you’re not interesting to me, if you spam me, if you show semi nude avatars, use foul language or try to sell a make money fast scheme, if you don’t tweet in 100 days, or if, after I search your tweet history, I find you’re mostly talking about things I’m not interested in. Nothing personal, I just don’t have the time or bandwidth to follow you in a meaningful way.
Frankly, I may also unfollow you if you do not follow me back, but I will look at your Twitter stream first to see if your content is interesting.
Some of my favorite tools are:
Number One
Do you have a favorite creepy commercial? Let me hear from you. This proves my saying – you have to watch a lot of bad TV to see a “good” commercial.
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America is now full of non-readers and on average adults read less than one book a year. I recently read a book, Flickering Pixels, which I mentioned in an earlier article which reinforces how new generations prefer learning in a non-
sequential way influenced by our media saturated world.
We no longer search for information, but information now seeks and finds us, whenever we are. With Twitter and Facebook feeds I’m constantly aware of news, trivia, the important and the ridiculous seems to search for me every second of the day. For those of us in media, it is apparent that abundant information saturation is changing habits:
Parents must instill a strong moral and ethical code within their children. There are not enough Internet and TV filters to shelter our children’s eyes and ears. We must get to their heart before media and friends take over.
Employers this generation is not lazy! However they live life in the moment, and relationships, causes and even pleasure will not be postponed for the sake of a career. The dollar is not their motivation.
Educators no longer control the gateway of knowledge because anyone with a computer or smart phone can access any information in seconds. Educators need to help students think and make sense of the all of the available information.
Publishers will survive this culture shift if they produce and distribute content beyond the printed page. If people are not reading books they are watching YouTube, reading blogs, listening to podcasts, reading Social media and sharing sharing their thoughts online.
Standby … we control the horizontal and the content. TV is about to really embrace the Internet.
This is not web TV – widgets enhance your TV viewing with web content. Already Yahoo and other information providers are getting their widgets ready for a new breed of TV from manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG, Vizio and Intel. Widgets w
ill do more than bring you information they can bring you movies, sports events, coupons and more.
Intel is developing a widget module to fit to TV’s that don’t ship with the technology. It’s the Intel Widget Channel … they will provide a development environment for all of this widget Internet-based content and services. Widget Channel supports this new platform and will allow growth. The channel will adapt to new software and TV hardware .
The good news is that consumers will be able to find and select content and services they prefer. Widget service providers can provide continuous updates and recommendations about content of special interest to them based on location and viewing patterns. Tapping into the power of the Internet allows consumers to share content and connect with their existing social networks and communities right on the TV in their living room.
Privacy … what privacy? Your Internet viewing choices are already public information. This idea may start with widgets but future TV distribution will go to the Internet. Companies are bracing for the future. Information providers like Google and Yahoo and distribution suppliers like AT&T, Comcast and the mobile providers will duke it out for their share. Widgets are just the beginning of TV landscape changes.
As you can imagine marketing people will love it, there will be a widget explosion. Ratings services like Nielson already track viewing patterns but with Internet TV results will be more accurate and advertisers will love those stats! So when you ask will this be here? The technology is here now. We are waiting on bandwidth, lots of bandwidth. We must have cost effective big bandwidth to make this work the way we all expect!
Join Houston’s top creative professionals as we come together to mix it up August 25!
Once in a while you find a great concept and think “I wish I had thought of that”! That’s how I felt when I found Groupon.com – what a great gimmick! They started in Chicago and added new cities as they got advertisers. Now they are rolling out Houston, today was the first Houston Groupon offering. Groupon uses social networking to funnel people and use it to get the customer to drive more biz…great concept.
Groupon is a combination of the words group and coupon. Each day, they offer an unbeatable deal on the best of Houston: restaurants, spas, sporting events, theater, and more. By promising businesses a minimum number of 
customers, they offer great discounts. For the consumer it is “collective buying power”!
If you want to get the deal, just click BUY before the offer ends at midnight. If the minimum number of people (20 for today’s deal) sign up by the end of the day, you’ll get a printable gift certificate in your inbox the next morning that you can use whenever you want (well, at least until the deal expires-today’s expires in six months). If not enough people join, no one gets the deal (and you won’t be charged), so invite your friends to make sure you get the discount!
It’s nice to wake up to something new every day. Some people get their daily fix from desk calendars with a cute puppy and a funny caption every morning. Groupon is like a desk calendar, except the puppy is an unbeatable discount and the funny caption is a profound reflection on the flowers and needles growing from life’s cactus. Like some of the other local search sites they allow people to review food, entertainment and more.
I just got today’s Groupon (Houston’s first Groupon) and it offers $35 worth of organic and all-natural food for 57% off at Ruggles Green, Houston’s first certified green restaurant. Ruggles Green, a casual bistro in the Upper Kirby area, serves organic and all-natural food made from quality ingredients. The menu is a collection of comfort food that keeps omnivores and carnivores content; try spicy fish tacos, warm goat cheese salad, 98% lean buffalo burger, tomato basil soup, or wood-fired pizzas (organic margherita pizza and more).
I don’t need to sell you on organic … it reduces the amount of pesticides and chemicals in the environment (and in your food), and it tastes better because organic fruits and vegetables have higher levels of antioxidants, lower average crop yields, and flavor crystals. If enough of us demand organic I think the premium price in the grocery will come down,
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All too often when I try to look up a business on Google maps it’s either not accurate or not even listed. Google maps is free. Just sign up using your Google account, then list your business. You can even put a bit of info about your business in the listing. When potential customers search Maps for local information, they’ll find your business: your address, hours of operation, even coupons to print out and bring to your shop. It’s easy, free, and you don’t need a website of your own.
Check your information today. Are you listed? Is your information accurate? It’s also important to update your information when your business moves to keep your customers coming to the right location.
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by Dwight Cook
Banner or display ads can be a very effective way to monetize a website. In many instances, it’s the primary goal of the website design and layout – Build targeted visitor traffic to sell targeted banner advertising.
The most effective type of banner ad includes motion. How many times have you seen that dancing man and woman while you try to read an article on a page? It does get your attention. Placement on the site is ideal if your ad will display without the visitor having to scroll. Some sites want to place your ad in a less-than-ideal location at the bottom of a page.
Before your purchase, you should request site stats. Some web sites charge for the number of impressions displayed to visitors while others charge per click on your banner. Cap the cost of your expenditure – There is nothing worse than getting a surprise bill every month.
Get the physical specs for the ad – You want the exact size and acceptable file types. I recommend you use flash, if possible. My second choice is an animated .png or .gif file. This blog does not support posting a flash banner but did support a static .png file as seen above. To see how much movement adds to it’s effectiveness, click on the graphic below, then close close the new page to return here.
As mentioned earlier, movement helps draw attention. I prefer flash, as it looks richer and it supports video, graphics and sound. Sound is another attention getter. If you DO add sound, add a feature to control the volume. Nothing is worse than visiting a loud web page without control. If done right, sound can differentiate you from competing ads.
Always provide a mechanism to link back to your site and include real-time stats to track the effectiveness of the ad “click-through”. Your stats should include referral information. With the right stats, you’ll know what’s most effective and can audit the media bill when received. It’s possible to get this information from Google analytics, which is free, or another program that can deliver similar statistics.
Unless you have a marketing background, know graphics and website programming, please hire a professional to consult with you, design the graphics and program the flash.
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Dwight Cook is President of Sound Works a full-service production company. Sound Works designs and hosts display banner ads and full web sites. They specialize in creating and producing rich media for the web with video and moving pictures.
Internet Marketing Checklist
Published February 21, 2010 Internet - promotion , Marketing , Productivity , commentary , internet , social media , social networking 2 CommentsTags: internet, Marketing, promotion, seo, social media
So how can you market on the Internet. Do you need a bigger, badder web site? What can you do to get traction?
The secret to a successful website is to get people there and give them a reason to come back. You can do this with content. Have content before you concern your self with SEO and web site promotion.
2. Tap into Your Expertise
Include content that showcases your talent and expertise. Talk about what you know… you will present yourself as an expert. It showcases your “know-how-trust” factor. Cement your credibility as an expert.
2. Market to Your Existing Customers
Instead of just focusing on getting new business, turn your attention to your existing customers. If you treat all your clients as special, they will feel special — and be likely to tell someone else about you.
3. Build Relationships
Build relationships with your clients and prospects. Social Media is a great way to extend your reach. Don’t sell with social media. Build relationships, let the selling come later.
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
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