Blog

September 16th, 2011

Social Media

After nearly two months of Google+ exploration, the time has finally come: the Early Majority is nipping at the Adopter heels, and G+ is on the brink of going viral in a big way. While being amongst the first was cool in its own right, I’m excited to see what happens when G+ really penetrates the masses over the coming year.  I’ve spent enough time exploring and testing the system to understand its pros and cons, and I have some ideas as to where Google is headed with its social networking baby.

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Kevin Doyle

August 11th, 2011

Social Media

Like it or not, social media is here to stay. Once utilized primarily by Business-to-Consumer (B2C) companies, social media has now broken into the Business-to-Business (B2B) world, too—and in a big way. According to Forrester, B2B companies will spend $54 million on their social media marketing campaign in 2014, up from $11 million in 2009. It is now vital for B2B companies to focus on their social media marketing campaigns to keep up with the competition.

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Laura Witowsky

July 21st, 2011

Social Media

Before you post any pictures on Facebook or tweet some radical idea – even post a comment on Reddit or respond to a thread on StumbleUpon -  think twice.  “Social Media BackgroundChecks” might soon be as commonplace as credits checks. (more…)

Shivani Aneja

June 27th, 2011

Social Media, Strategy

Our clients frequently ask us how they should educate their employees on using Social Media.  To answer this, we really have to approach the question from two perspectives. One perspective is simply as part of a broader Internet use policy, to help employees stay safe and protect information assets. Another perspective is to encourage employees to support their business in their daily online activities, should they choose to do so. This is essentially giving employees as “social media enthusiasts” the tools and guidance they need to help them positively contribute to the overall online marketing efforts of their employer.

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Ted McLaughlan

June 13th, 2011

Marketing, Social Media, UX Design

Drill in hand, my dentist asked me what I was writing about today. “Error messages,” I said.

He groaned from behind his mask. “Those confusing messages with the numbers?  The topic made him nervous. “I wish I could get all that stuff. My grandkids do.”

I told him what motivated me from a content and marketing perspective: Why do some websites shoot off numbers or carelessly worded error messages, even at the risk of inciting dread in the people who help pay their bills? Why, especially, when the users who encounter error messages on a site are the epitome of a captive audience?  Instead of disregarding a visitor’s search error or a server meltdown, embrace the marketing opportunity.

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Elizabeth Gibbens

March 23rd, 2011

Internet Strategy, Social Networking

In the past a website was brochure ware or advertising, it served merely to provide general visitor information. Now the-ever-evolving social media tools and technology provide a platform for museums to facilitate interactivity within the physical and web space. This has allowed people to experience museums in a different paradigm. (more…)

Shivani Aneja

March 14th, 2011

Internet Strategy, Social Networking

Groupon and Living Social and What’s the Deal are all the rage on the frontier of online advertising, representing the most successful of the quickly-growing pack of “social group coupon” merchants. They’re a very popular mashup of a number of well-known online marketing techniques, implemented in a way that clearly separates them from traditional banner ads, coupon clubs or classified advertising. They’re fun, they feel exclusive, and count on social buzz and absolutely real savings to succeed. No doubt these kinds of coupons are valuable to the users (50% off a nice dinner out? – pretty good deal); but are they beneficial to the merchants? The Jury still seems to be out with respect to reliable ROI for the businesses actually offering these “deals”.

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Ted McLaughlan

March 7th, 2011

Interaction Design, Internet Strategy, Social Networking

Social Media prognostications are always fun to consider, and try (if there’s a Beta version) – but last week’s Potomac TechWire “Social Media Outlook 2011″ breakfast was all business, with true ROI. As Rohit Bhargava put it, “what’s the ROI of attending this meeting?” It’s the “social” ROI, vs. the “media” ROI – and it’s actually not that hard to categorize and track.

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Ted McLaughlan

November 19th, 2009

Social Networking

Through social media, we’re becoming more and more connected than ever before. We’re sharing opinions, posting links that we find important, and holding conversations in social spaces. Many of us consider our friends and social networks as a primary source for information, and especially trust their opinion over a stranger’s. For example, if I become a fan of a company and join their group or if I give a restaurant a rating, my friends are likely to take note

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Nikki Pampalone