Posts Tagged social networking

Web 3.0 on the Horizon

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Just when you thought that you finally understood the term “web 2.0”, people are now talking about “web 3.0”. Other than just trying to confuse you more, the idea behind web 3.0 doesn’t take you away from the ever so outdated 2.0 level.

As the technology grows and web 3.0 develops more into a form, we will start to see more web intelligence by semantic search queries and more relevant search data returned to us based on our history of searches. Browsers and search engines will be more understanding of what our tastes are and ultimately become more accurate. Returning personalized search results, not random data.

How would this work? Intelligent data can be gathered from traditional web 2.0 applications, user generated content and other information sharing sources to feed a 3.0 pipeline. Having the technology to understand your decisions and actions might help you make your decisions. HowStuffWorks.com demonstrated the following example:

“Instead of multiple searches, you might type a complex sentence or two in your Web 3.0 browser, and the Web will do the rest. In our example, you could type “I want to see a funny movie and then eat at a good Mexican restaurant. What are my options?” The Web 3.0 browser will analyze your response, search the Internet for all possible answers, and then organize the results for you.”

Below are some  slideshows that do a great job describing how these concepts work. Check them out!

Taking it to the next level…
Could your business or lifestyle use 3.0? What advances do you see happening in how the Advertising and Marketing world operate?

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Is Your 2010 Marketing Plan In Place Yet?

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Is your 2010 Marketing Plan in place yet? If not, here are 10 questions for you to answer with your team to get you started!

Orange Label Advertising - Orange Exploration Logo

 

 

 

I. THE CORE BUSINESS OBJECTIVE:

II. THE KEY MARKETING OBJECTIVE:

III. MARKETING LIMITATIONS/PROBLEMS:

 IV. SALIENT HISTORICAL CONTEXTUAL FACTS:

 V. SPECIFY EACH CONSTITUENCY TO BE IMPACTED:

 VI. MARKET RESEARCH FINDINGS:

 VII. CLIENT SENSITIVITIES:

VIII. THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE:

IX. WHAT’S PUZZLING:

X. WHAT’S “THE POINT”:

Have fun with these and Happy New Year!

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Want to Boost Your SEO?

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Want to Boost Your SEO? Try a Press Release…

The attached link from Chris Crum shows the results and impact that a Press Release can have for your companies search online.

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/12/19/how-press-releases-can-be-great-for-search

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How Can Twitter Work for Your Business?

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People often ask me, “How can Twitter help my business” or “I dont understand how people can leverage twitter for my business”.

I came across these two articles last week to show people how other companies are using the 140 character social platform.

The following links were included in our monthly newsletter – If you would like to receive our newsletter please sign up on our blog (www.olaablog.com) or on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/orangelabeladvertising)

Twitter 360 App Gives Tweets Some Augmented Reality Love | Technomix | Fast Company:

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/twitter-360-app-gives-tweets-get-some-augmented-reality-love?1261010505

@Mommy: Get Me Twoddler so I Can Twitter You at Work #babytweetstoo | Technomix | Fast Company:

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/mommy-get-me-twoddler-so-i-can-twitter-you-work-babytweetstoo?1261010511

What is your product or service? If you had a unlimited budget how would you leverage Titter for your business?

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Orange Label Visits CSUF to Help with Student Commercial Edit

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Last Thursday I had the pleasure of being invited by California State University, Fullerton Professor Carolyn Coal to help assist her advanced COMM 415T class with editing a student commercial for the award winning retail toy product “Grow-A-Head TM“.
59_1085Grow-A-Head TM was arranged by Prof. Coal this semester for a student project. They are a specialty retail product that grows grass on the head of pre-designed knit characters placed in a desktop size vase; just add water. You can stylize designs based on your characters appearance. Their product line includes Original, Holiday, Halloween, Bugs, Friends, Sports, Marine Life, and Wildlife characters; all included with personalized greetings for fun gifts and toys.

Prof. Coal separates her class into two groups, “Agency and Production”. Throughout the semester, students in the “agency” will create a 60 second TV commercial that fits what the client asked for – in this case Grow-A-Head TM, based on an initial fact finding meeting. They will then pitch multiple strategies and storyboards back to the client in a presentation.

After client approval, the agency works with the other half of the class – the “production company”, to develop story boards, concepts and strategy. Students then arrange a cast, location and necessary gear to film the commercial on a weekend (8-12 hour shoot).

My participation took place in the last step – editing. The “production company” worked diligently to log and capture the footage from the shoot and start making edits based on storyboards submitted from the “agency”. I guided the student’s creative decision making with edits, music selection and answered technical questions. I was impressed by their ability to push the limits of the technology they were using, especially since they are advertising students, not film majors. Most of them have little to no experience editing on Mac Computers. They were becoming self taught experts on Final Cut Pro with a little help from me!

This class is great because of the hands-on creative experience and real world Client-Agency-Production relationship. I was impressed by the exceptional ambition that this group of students have. This is no small rinky-dinky class project; they are meeting the expectations of a real client. I feel they over delivered.

These skills are important in that they fulfill the vision of what Prof. Coal is teaching; showing students how vendors, clients and agencies work synergistically and effectively to produce an end result. Although not all students become film editors, this real world environment provides the opportunity for them to learn the lingo and bring their creative concepts full circle in a mock Agency setting.

Grow-A-Head TM will benefit from this student project by having the opportunity to meet great students, experience fresh creative ideas and receive quality work from advertising students. I hope more students from CSUF have the opportunity to enroll in this class and receive this kind of experience through the Communications Department.

Orange Label Art + Advertising will continue to visit CSUF in the future. Employees Kimberly Amoroso, Meagan Guerra, and I are graduates of the school. Orange Label’s Principals are also graduates of CSUF. Rochelle Reiter, Vice President, is a MBA graduate, Wes Phillips, CEO, holds a BA and President Ian Crockett who is also a part time professor at the school holds a BA. We recognize the importance of meeting advertising students and helping them understand the industry, answering their questions and most importantly helping them jumpstart their careers.

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Upcoming Facebook Changes: 7 Things Brands Need to Know

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Do you have a Company Facebook or Brand presence on Facebook?

According to iMedia Connection, there are 7 things brands need to know regarding Facebook changes happening now.

Let us know what you think about these changes. Do you think Facebook has changed for the better or worse?

Below is a copy of what iMedia Connection posted. You can view the link by clicking here

1. Email is now a supported channel
Facebook has long hidden user emails, but soon Facebook will provide developers access to a user’s verified email address. For brands that are serious about engaging in an ongoing dialogue with their fans, email becomes a powerful communication method. Email will allow brands to better reconnect with users who have interacted with them on Facebook. This becomes important given that…

2. Status updates are no longer guaranteed
Previously users’ streams included everything their friends and pages (including brand pages) published. Now the news feed has returned to a default view showing select highlights that Facebook’s algorithm thinks are most relevant to the user, which may or may not contain your brand’s message. There’s still a live feed view, but it’s no longer default, so only brand posts that fans interact with will appear in most users’ streams.

3. Other communication channels are consolidating
Many brands rely on application-to-user and user-to-user notifications to reconnect with users, and this communication channel is disappearing. That means in order to remarket to users to let them know about new product launches, sales, events, or promotions, you’ll need to acquire users’ email addresses or send popular posts (per above).

4. Application canvas pages gain more control
The Facebook header is being removed from application canvas pages, giving brands that engage users via applications more real estate on the page and a more customized and branded look and feel. Users will still have the option of returning to Facebook near the top of the page, but for brands that were hesitant to build on Facebook until more branding was possible, now is the time to reconsider.

5. Profile boxes are disappearing
It’s been a long time since profile boxes provided much value to brands, as most users don’t spend very much time on that part of friends’ pages. But that hasn’t stopped many brands from creating applications to establish a presence on users’ profiles. Within a few months, tabs will be the only way to integrate into the profile, so brands should be thinking now about creating an engaging communication strategy that best leverages email and status updates.

6. Enhanced Facebook share
For many brands and publishers, the value in marketing through Facebook is leveraging word of mouth. In fact, Facebook users share 2 billion pieces of content every week. The new Facebook share button includes a counter displaying the number of times that piece of content has been shared and is a valuable tool for any brand with a large existing audience on its site. This is a relief for content owners who struggle with replicating a presence inside of Facebook; instead, expect Facebook to offer more ways for your site to become more social.

7. Every webpage becomes a fan page
Facebook has long been about connecting people with each other, and it’s expanding the graph from people to objects in what it’s calling the Open Graph. Soon users will be able to fan not only your brand but a specific page, product, celebrity, movie, or SKU. These pages will also show up in users’ profiles and in search results, and that page will be able to publish stories to the stream of its fans. This shifts social brand interactions from Facebook tabs to brand websites in a powerful way for brands and publishers. While currently farthest out in Facebook’s announcement roadmap, the Open Graph has the greatest implications and opportunities for brands and publishers.

Expect 2010 to be a real breakout year for social marketing. For two-and-a-half years we’ve seen brands build strong followings inside of Facebook, but with these changes rolling out early next year, expect smart brands to better engage their best customers through their own channels by leveraging the power of personal relationships via Facebook’s platform.

Kevin Barenblat is co-founder and CEO of Context Optional.

On Twitter? Follow iMedia Connection at @iMediaTweet.

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iPhone Ready Blog! 5 Steps to add us to your Home Screen

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As we have recently announced, our blog is now iPhone friendly. Stop by more often and let us know what your thoughts are. Add us to your home screen! See below for help adding our icon.

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1. Go to www.orangelabeladvertising.com/blog from your iPhone browser.

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2. Take a look around and read out articles – Make sure to tap the “+” icon to add us to your home screen.

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3. Tap “Add to Home Screen”

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4. Add a Name if you like. When you are finished choose “Add” at the top left.

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5. There you go…We are on your homescreen! Enjoy. Hope to see you soon.

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OLAA Attends Los Angeles Times Online Advertising and Social Media Seminar

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Yesterday (7/16), OLAA member Megan Guerra and I attended the Los Angeles Times’ Online Advertising and Social Media Seminar. The Seminar included a great panel of speakers including: Facebook, Ning, LA Times interactive and Passenger. The panel provided interesting insight, thoughts and recommendations around the world of social media and what it can provide for your business. 

Megan and I felt that one of the biggest take aways worth sharing with you, was the panel’s thoughts on how to best manage your social media presence: 
Be Social With Your Social Media Followers.

Social medial is growing rapidly as more and more people are becoming connected online. For companies, social media provides a way to gain feedback from your customers and your target audience(s). Now many may argue that for a company/brand, this open environment for “feedback” is dangerous, because you are giving people the opportunity to voice the good and the bad.

And it’s the BAD that is feared…

As the panel explained, the worst thing to do is to not be social! In other words, don’t open a social media account and ignore it! So be sure to stay relevant and active with your social media – give your followers a reason to check your Blog, Facbook, Twitter and so on. And most importantly, remember to listen to your followers and be sure to respond (so they know you are listening)!

How to manage feedback…

If your followers’ feedback is good, be happy, it is a FREE customer testimonial! Be sure to respond with a thank you or what have you.

And advice for if it is bad…don’t panic, don’t press delete! Instead, explain your take on the feedback, answer the concern, provide rationale, etc – by responding, you are letting your social media network (your customers) know that you are listening, that you DO care and that their opinion does matter.

So, for those who are in fear or unsure about joining the world of social media, consider the above and remember that staying in communication is key with all business efforts, and now a days, this includes Social Media.

 

Some Social Media Tips That Will Keep You “Social”:

Take advantage of the FREE network that social media provides and consider ideas such as:

                  –      run a campaign or special offer  (incentive for followers)

                  -      run a survey (gain feedback)

                  -     send messages/exciting news to your followers (acts a  free email blast)

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Communications Changed Forever: Google Wave Introduced

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Without a surprise – Google plans to launch another ground breaking platform this year that some developers are Google Wave Logosaying will be “life changing”. We have so many different opportunities for communication through our day-to-day life that it’s difficult to keep up with changes. Google has developed a new communication platform that will challenge all forms of digital communication we use today; Google Wave
In the video below, API developers demonstrate how email is similar to “snail mail”. Back and forth communication (send and receive) is the nature of its communication. Google Wave however, takes the waiting out of such messages. Live chats become merged into email, with data exchange, private messaging, timeline playback, and multiple group session and document creation. From this video the opportunities seem endless. Check it out…

Are you excited? How will you use it at work, home, or school?

Check out Google’s landing page: http://wave.google.com/

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Twitter Tips

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Everyone has been talking about tweeting, twittering, peeping, and who knows what other jargon that can be linked to Twitter.com. However, after reading a recent article from Robert Strohmeyer, I would like to share some of his thoughts (and my opinion) on twitter and what to make of it.

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In his article called “Twitter Quitters”, he explains the saga of “hemorrhaging” twitter users. Over 60 percent of new Twitter users quit after just a week or two of joining Twitter; sometimes it takes over a year for people to return and have a moment of “ah-ha”. Why? Robert explains that some people just don’t get it. You’re average “I’m sitting in line at subway” or “its Friday…whahoo” tweets just don’t cut it. People want to read solid material that’s worthy of feedback and following [on twitter]. He also states that if you’re going to tweet infrequently, don’t bother. People are not interested in seeing your “rubbish” for a full month. Thus, why there is a high turn-over rate. Additionally, perhaps with all the buzz, people just have too high of expectations and don’t see them without some effort.

So how do you tweet effectively? Twitter is simple. Use its simplicity for business concepts…but casually. Engage in tweets and follow people who are relevant to your industry. Go on….try it! Follow as many people as you can. As Robert explains, don’t worry if you choose not to follow someone because they have too much rubbish. Twitter relationships are only a “one-click affair”. You will find the news you need and are interested in, give it time.

How else? Follow people you actually know. Keeping up with a network of business people that you work side by side with (or not) will inform you about something that’s actually important. Keeping up to date in your industry doesn’t always mean you have to call and small talk what is going on with vendors and merchants, however following a business partners tweets can keep a subconscious about what that person is up to.

Twitter, like blogging, is a social tool. It shouldn’t be used to “self-promote”. Continue to use it as a tool for communication, updates, and “non-bragging”, and you will find yourself indulged in a plethora of information that could generate or point to business leads.

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