IMD405 - Internet Marketing: 2012

Monday, December 3, 2012

Assignment 6 Final Report

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Social Media Marketing - LinkedIn

For my last blog post about social media marketing I'm going to talk about LinkedIn. This is the only site that I've talked about that I do not have an account with. So we will learn together! LinkedIn is a networking site for professional. It can help you to find a job and create a network of contacts. Also, it can be used a a marketing tool for your business. I would consider LinkedIn to be more a personal marketing tool for small business or individuals trying to make a name for themselves. A person can use it to show off their professional background. People can also recommend other people which allows people to get real view of what someone has accomplished. Using LinkedIn to create your network seems more appropriate of a place rather then friending them on Facebook or following them on Twitter. You can also join groups to promote yourself and increase traffic to your site. After researching it, I'm really considering getting my own account.

Resources and Related Articles:
LinkedIn is Useless (Or is it?)
LinkedIn
What is LinkedIn?
7 Steps to Building a Business Using LinkedIn
How do you use LinkedIn as a Business?
33 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Business
What is LinkedIn? Video
How to Use LinkedIn as a Marketing Tool to Generate Leads and How to Use LinkedIn for Business Video

Some pretty cool infographics:

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Social Media Marketing - Instagram

Instagram is one of the popular social networking sites that I don't use that often. I have used it though so I know how it works. You can take a photo or choose one and then edit it with a filter and then upload it and boom, you're done. In a nutshell, Instagram is a free iPhone and Andriod app that lets you share photos with your friends. You can also share photos on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Foursquare. You can follow people and people can follow you. Hashtags can be used in your pictures subject to allow people to find your pictures and start following you. Recently, Instagram introduced profiles on the web so now businesses can link to their Instagram account. Businesses can use Instagram to show off their products. They can post a photo of their newest product to build hype and promote sales. They can also share photos of now their products are made, new stores opening, photos from around the office, show images of people using your products, introduce their employees, and anything they think their fans would be interesting in seeing. Businesses can also use Instagram to start campaigns asking people to submit images of their own. That could give them more followers. Instagram does not have a brand page so business will just sign up for an account. They should then start linking from their different accounts and put a "Follow me on Instagram" icon on their web site. Then they can start posting images of their products or events. It's pretty easy to use and to get the hang of. It's a neat marketing tool and really worth using!

Resources and Related Articles:
Instagram for Business
10 Creative Ways to Use Instagram for Business
5 Ways to Grow Your Exposure With Instagram
Instagram for Business
Instagram Introduces Profile Pages And They Look A Lot Like Facebook
5 Ways Instagram Can Boost Your Marketing Plan
How 3 Entrepreneurs Used Instagram for Business
How to Make Good Use of Hashtags in Instagram

Some pretty cool infographics:

Assignment 7

Link to Dot.com Social Media Strategy PDF

Monday, November 19, 2012

Digital Marketing Campaign Entry

New Girl has a lot of videos on YouTube but they don't have their own channel. I find this really weird. Their official videos are hosted on the Fox Broadcasting channel. While some of Fox's other shows have their own channels but this show doesn't. I was thinking about why it's like that and the only thing I could think of was that because the show is still pretty new. The other Fox shows that have their very own channel are shows pretty popular shows like American Idol and Glee. There are flaws in this theory because Bones, which I consider to be a popular, long running show, doesn't have their own Fox YouTube channel.

New Girl's Twitter feed is tweeting new videos which helps get more views for those videos. Also on their Twitter feed, they are promoting the Fox Now iPad app. There's a link below to the app's site but here are their features:

Watch clips, share photos, get the latest content, and keep up with your favorite FOX shows on your iPad.
Customize your app experience and create your own "Favorite Shows" section.
Connect with Facebook and Twitter to join the live conversation about FOX shows. Find out which shows your friends like, which shows are most popular, and more!
Stay connected anytime by receiving real-time notifications like "What's on FOX" and updates to the latest content and photos.

Hopefully this application will work better then the New Girl app! It has three stars in the iTunes stores and the reviews I looked at all seemed positive. They just rolled out a new version about a week ago that lets you sync with your favorite shows. So if you have an iPad, check it out!

Links:
Fox Broadcasting YouTube Channel
New Girl Twitter Page
Fox Now iPad App
iTunes Store - Fox Now
New Fox App Enables Television Commerce

Social Media Marketing - YouTube

YouTube

We have all spent mindless hours youtubing random videos of people getting hurt and the newest cat videos but YouTube has much more to offer then some good laughs. Businesses can use it as a tool to help market their newest product. Videos highlighting that cool new gadget your business is about to launch can help build hype and get people aware about what your business is doing. The first thing you need to do is to make a YouTube channel page. Use your logo as your profile image so that users can easily identify that this is your channel. Also design your channel to look similar to your website or use your brand colors. This will help brand your page and make it more personal. YouTube is all about videos so the most important thing to do is to post videos and regularly. Posting things regularly will keep people interested in your channel. Your videos should be interesting too! Long boring videos will immediately turn people off so keep it short and to the point. People love to laugh so I would recommend having some videos that make people laugh. That rule won't apply to everyone because everything obviously can not be funny. Make the content a interesting visually or have videos that draw people in by asking them to do something. You must find your niche on YouTube to stand out in any way. Its also very important to pay address the comments these videos are getting. Your business needs a plans as to how you will handle these comments, good or bad. Commenting back to good comments will let your channel seem more personal and the same applies to bad comments. Comments that are just spam or plan rude could be deleted. It all depends on how you want to handle it. Once you have posted a video, tweet about your new video and update your status about it. This will help your video get more views. YouTube also has a lot of ads so your business could have ads on there or before the video plays. YouTube has a lot to offer for businesses so decide if its right for you. Having a channel can tap into a customer base that you've never had before.

Resources and Related Articles:
8 Tips To Maximize Your Brand’s YouTube Presence
6 Best Practices For Small Business YouTube Marketing
Creating a YouTube Account for Businesses & Organizations
Google and Your Business
3 Tips on How to Use YouTube To Help Your Small Business Grow
YouTube's Mobile Views Have Quadrupled In 18 Months
How YouTube Changes Affect Small Business Owners
Helping Every Business Play Big on YouTube

Some pretty cool infographics:

Monday, November 12, 2012

Assignment 6

Link to Social Media Strategy PDF

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Social Media Marketing - Election

Social Media blew up on election day! You could not check your Facebook or Twitter feed without being flooded with posts about the election. Everyone was trying to claim who the better candidate was and trying to argue with other people about who to vote for. I personally avoided posting anything on Facebook or Twitter about the election but from the screenshots in the slideshow below you can tell it was almost the only thing people were talking about. I did, however, participate in the Facebook "It's Election Day" campaign which you can see the screenshots for below as well. That involved showing which of your friends also voted, an up-to-date ticker of how many people voted, a chart about how many voted on the hour, figures about male vs. female voters, and a chart about the age of the voters. Obama and Romney both have Facebook pages. Obama updated his throughout election day and as the results came in. He posted "Four more years" with an image of him and his wife when it became clear that he was to win. He also posted updates about getting out there to vote. Romney, on the other hand did not post that much on election day. What he did post included an ad about calling people to encourage them to vote, images telling people to vote, and images of him and his wife voting.

Twitter was going crazy! Everyone was tweeting and re-tweeting. Romney tweeted most of the day about getting out there and voting and Obama did the same. Obama, with over 22 million followers, tweeted the same post from Facebook about getting four more years. He also thanked his followers for voting for him and tweeted about poll closing hours to encourage people to get out there before it was too late. A trend that sparked on election day was #StayInLine which Obama also tweeted to his followers to encourage the voters that were standing in long lines to stick through it to cast their vote. Along with Obama, people all over Twitter were tweeting for voters to stay in line and to not give up. Romney, who has almost 1.8 million followers, tweets were his last ditch efforts to get people to get out and vote. He tweeted things like "We can't afford four more years" and "With your help, we will turn our country about" throughout the day. His Twitter page fell silent as the results started to roll in and it became clear the Obama would have his four more years.

Obama spent $52,006,072 on his online campaign vs Romney's $26,230,293. It looks like it paid off. The amount of followers had something to do with it too. The next election's candidates shouldn't neglect social media at all. There's a lot of votes there that could be their's.

The slideshow below includes some screenshots of Yahoo's and YouTube's election day coverage and Obama's Facebook and Twitter pages, Romney's Facebook and Twitter pages. Also included are some screenshots of words that were trending on Twitter on election day and a meme that I thought was pretty funny.

Some pretty cool infographics:

Monday, November 5, 2012

Digital Marketing Campaign Entry

So the app is a bust. After watching the show and trying to sync the app with the show it did not work. I tried all of the things the app's developers said to do and it still did not work. I'm going to give it another shot then I'm done. The result of the app not working makes it kinda useless to me. I was excited to sync to the show and do the polls and trivia and earn badges. Now that I can't do that and I can only view show information and look to pictures, it seems like a pretty boring app. In this day and age, I feel like most of us are used to fun interactions and the syncing aspect of the app was what really got me excited about it. I've decided to not give up on the application and to contact the app's developers to see if it will lead to an update. I know from reading the app's reviews in the iTunes store that I am not the only one who cannot get it to sync.

Aside for the app, I've discovered that you can add New Girl cover photos to your Facebook page. All you have to do is go the New Girl website on Fox and it's one of the highlighted things on the homepage. They're currently only two you can add but they're pretty cool. The fact that the show did this allows for more people to possibly get into the show. If I go to a friend's Facebook page and see it, I might think 'Wow, it must be a good show for them to put it on their page' and provoke me to check it out.

I'll update you next week on how the app is going!

Link to the app's developer's site:
Actv8 Technologies - New Girl

Link to the New Girl Fox site:
Fox - New Girl

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Social Media Marketing - Pinterest

Pinterest

Most of my free time is spent on Pinterest pinning recipes and DIY project. Pinterest is a very addictive website where a user can 'pin' things to online boards and keep track of and organize the various things they pin. The infographic What is Pinterest? explains it better then I ever could without confusing you. The first steps that a business needs to take is to request on invite from Pinterest for an account. Once you're account has been set up, start pinning things to your boards. Pin images of your products, videos about your products, blog posts and articles about your products. You can even pin images of employees and the workplace to personalize your Pinterest page. The best time to post is between 2 pm and 4 pm during the afternoon and 8 pm and 1 am in the evening. The next step is to add the "Pin It" button onto your website. Also add the "Follow us on Pinterest" button or the Pinterest icon to the section of your site where your other social networking icons are. You should also start following other companies in your industry and repinning other people's pins for good practice. To understand how Pinterest makes money check out some of the links below.

Resources and Related Articles:
Pinterest - Pinning 101
8 Effective Ways to Make Money Using Pinterest
Can I Really Make Money With Pinterest?
Pinterest for Business

Some pretty cool infographics about social media and business:
(Also used for resources)

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Dot.com SEO Audit

Link to PDF

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Digital Marketing Campaign Week 3

Due to the presidential debate that occurred on Tuesday night, I was not able to try the app out. I plan on testing how it works this week and writing about how that goes in my next blog post.

In other news, I found this article about the app (link below). Also after reading some of the reviews in the iTunes store it seems like the "sync to the show" part of this app doesn't really work. I'm looking forward to trying it out and hoping it does work. The show has also kept their Twitter and Facebook page up to date. I really enjoyed Zooey Deschanel's, the star of the show, tweet about the debate and New Girl not being on.

Link to article:

FOX invests in ACTV8.me, launches 'New Girl' app

Social Media Marketing - Twitter

Twitter

I was very resistant to get a Twitter account. My opinion was that I already had a Facebook account so why add one more thing to check and update all the time. I had to give in though for a class and I'm glad I did. Twitter is actually way cooler then I thought and refreshingly different from Facebook. Twitter can be a great tool for a business if used the right way. They should avoid over tweeting but also not under tweet. Tweeting about 5 times a day should be enough. They should also join in on the conversations that their tweets starts. Enough though Twitter is used mostly for putting out information, it will boost a company's standing in a users eyes to have them tweet them back. Like Facebook, companies can also pay to have Twitter ads. Companies can pay to have their Twitter name promoted or have their tweets promoted. It depends on what that company is trying to achieve with their Twitter account.

For more information about successfully using Twitter as a business tool visit:
Twitter for Business

Resources and Related Articles:
5 Advanced Twitter Tips for Your Small Business
Getting Started with Twitter Ads for Small Businesses
5 Ways Your Business Should Use Twitter Hashtags
How to Use Twitter for Business
Why You Should Optimize Your Social Media Presence
Why You Need a Social Media Policy
Five Ways to Use Twitter for Marketing That You Might Not Know About
Tweeting Without Fear
4 Ways Your Business Can Avoid Being a Menace on Twitter

Some pretty cool infographics about social media and business:

Monday, October 15, 2012

SEO & Analytics Plan

Assignment 4
SEO & Analytics Plan PDF

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Digital Marketing Campaign Week 2

Over the next few weeks I will be following the digital marketing campaign for the Fox show New Girl. Promotions for this show can be seen from many different mediums. They have a Facebook page were users can view photos from the scenes, watch videos and find out information about the show. They also have a Twitter page that picks a fan of the week and engages the viewers to interact with the show. People can also see information about the show, watch full episodes, and play a few games on the show's official site. Viewers can also download a companion application from the iTunes store onto their iPhone. With this application they can answer pools, trivia questions, and collect badges for Award Points and share them on Facebook or Twitter while watching the show. People can also view videos and photos, learn information about the cast, and get the latest information with direct links to the show's Facebook and Twitter pages.

Links:
iTunes Store
New Girl Twitter Page
New Girl Facebook Page
Official FOX Web Site

Social Media Marketing - Facebook

Facebook

In this day and age, it's shocking to hear someone say that they do not have a Facebook account. I know that I instantly think "How do they survive?" without one. It's not just a place to connect with friends from high school or post a picture of your new haircut, it's also a place to connect with local and big name companies to get special offers and stay up to date with their promotions. There are over one billion people using Facebook each month; I would consider that a marketer's dream come true. Any company, big or small, should take advantage of the free publicity that a Facebook page has to offer. When one user likes a company's page it shows up in their news feed allowing their friends to see it and possibly like that company's page as well and the cycle will continue. Another way for companies to get their name out there on Facebook is to have Facebook Ads. These ads do cost money but the benefits of them can pay off. One of the key aspects of having a company Facebook page is to keep the content up to date. I hate going to a company's website or Facebook page and seeing old information or promotions that are no longer active. Keeping the content constantly updated will drive users to visit the page weekly or daily to see what promotions their favorite restaurant or clothing store has to offer. Those offers will also drive users to a company's Facebook page because when one user claims an offer it shows up in their news feed allowing their friends to see that and driving them to that company's Facebook page as well.

For more information about successfully using Facebook as a business tool visit:
Facebook for Business: Four Steps to Business Success on Facebook

Related Articles:
Will Facebook Replace Company Web Sites?
17 Mistakes Companies Make on Facebook & How to Fix Them
Facebook Adds Features - And a Fee - to Offers

Some pretty cool infographics about social media and business:

Resources:
Facebook for Business
One Billion People on Facebook

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Introduction

Hello :)

My name is Haley McGee and I am a student at the Art Institute of Atlanta. Over the next few weeks I will be discussing social media marketing and how companies are taking advantage of it. I will also touch base on the use of social media in the presidential campaign and how the candidates are using it to get your vote.

Info