Thank you to Brian Rice for publishing Valerie Jennings’ article regarding why businesses need organic SEO on B2CMarketingInsider.com.
Why Businesses Fail Without SEO
The evolution of social media continues to effect search engine optimization (SEO), and this is an on-going problem for many business owners, CMOs and brand strategists. While Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Metacafe, LinkedIn, blogging, SEO press releases and flickr give companies an advantage to monitor, drive website traffic and increase awareness, the bottom-line is that most companies will wait to understand SEO.
Social media will enhance SEO, and by reviewing reports such as Google’s Keywords Tool, businesses can evaluate results immediately for free. Now business owners, CMOs and brand strategists can work with online resources to evaluate what keywords will drive their search engine results.
Cosmopolitan Magazine is one of many magazines to introduce new campaigns. The magazine is implementing social media techniques in order to send their message to desired readers. The magazine aims to reach the “fun, fearless female” by including her in the campaign, which allows visitors to insert photos of themselves to the photoshoot video. This article from The New York Times shows how social media is being used in the Cosmopolitan advertising campaign.
COSMOPOLITAN magazine, Hearst Magazines’ popular publication for young women, is harnessing the power of social media for its first global, digital advertising campaign.
The main focus of the campaign — which will be introduced in New York on Thursday on a billboard in Times Square and at a reception for advertisers, media buyers and press — is a video that simulates a photo shoot for a new Cosmopolitan ad campaign.
Are you looking for a Fall Getaway? Mollie Vandor from mashable.com shows how you can use social tools online to find great deals. This article outlines how to find a cheap ticket, watch for the best hotel rates and use cool applications to help save money while you’re out and about. A trip might be just what you need, and you don’t have to feel guilty when you utilize the social media sites to save money and ease your mind.
The sweet memories of summer vacation may be fading, but that doesn’t mean travel season has to end too. In fact, fall is one of the best times to travel, as many airlines and hotels try to fill their books between the summer and winter vacation seasons.
But, with rates falling faster than the autumn leaves, how do you hone in on the hottest deals happening right now? Fortunately, there are plenty of ways the social web can help you save money on major travel expenses like airfare, lodging and car rentals.
Read on for ways to save money on every leg of your trip, from take off to lights out.
At the Social Good Summit held by Mashable and 92Y, Chris Hughes commented on the upcoming release of a new social network designed for non-profit organizations. Hughes, co-founder of Facebook, explained his passion for Jumo, the new network. Jumo will primarily exist to build relationships between people and non-profit organizations. He believes that giving begins with a relationship, and Jumo will help create these connections. Watch this video to learn more about the innovative social network that Hughes has planned.
There has been an increasing emphasis on charitable giving in the online world in recent years. In 2009, people contributed $15 billion more online than the total given in 1997. Shane Snow, a New York City writer and entrepreneur, created this informative graphic which compares online and traditional offline donations and outlines who is giving and how they choose to give.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is in full swing. While you may not be there, new websites and social networking opportunities allow you to be a part of the New York Fashion event. Thanks to social media, Fashion Week just got hotter! Check out this article from Stephanie Marcus at mashable.com, which offers a variety of links to experience it.
New York Fashion Week kicked off Thursday, September 9, with more than 90 of the world’s best known and up-and-coming designers ready to display their Spring 2011 Collections.
It’s an exciting time for industry heavyweights and fashion lovers alike, as there have been some big changes to this year’s event. For the first time since 1993, Bryant Park will not be home to the glamorous white tents, as the runways are now located at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. What’s more, Fashion Week, now branded as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, is embracing technology — keeping the event as innovative as the clothes gracing the runway.
The chaos and drama associated with fashion shows may be mitigated this year by Fashion GPS, a 6-year-old startup that is managing 184 shows during the event’s week long run. The company provides a hi-tech approach to managing registration, credentials, and seating systems and also offers real-time online invitations and RSVPs.
The digital checkin system means it’s going to be a lot harder bypass security if you’re not on the list. And while Fashion Week was moved to its new location to accommodate its expansion and grant access to more press, you, the fashion-minded civilian probably didn’t score an invite.
Social media campaigns are evolving as advertisers learn which techniques work and which are not as beneficial. As advertisers become more interested in social media marketing, they are willing to pay more. Facebook still leads the way in money spent for advertisements, while Twitter and location-based programs are in the experimental phase. This article from Adam Ostrow at mashable.com shows where the money is in this expanding industry.
This post originally appeared on Forbes.com, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about social media, business and technology.
Citing a recovering economy and increasing marketer interest in the space, research company eMarketer recently raised its 2010 spending forecast for advertising on social networks by nearly 30% to $1.68 billion domestically.
Within the social media world, however, a number of trends are dictating how, why and where money gets spent — trends that will push the industry past the $2 billion mark in 2011, according to eMarketer’s projections.
With New York Fashion Week upon us, many of us are becoming more excited about our personal style. We know that social media is beneficial for networking, marketing, and many other activities. However, if you are looking to improve your wardrobe and save money while doing it, look to social networking. Mollie Vandor, from mashable.com, shows you how to use online resources that appeal to your fashion sense in this article filled with tips and links.
Just because the economy is still depressed doesn’t mean you have to be. In fact, there are plenty of ways to live it up without seeing your bank balance plummet — especially if you know how to use social media to live the good life on tight budget.
Even the most reclusive social media shut-ins need to leave the house for some in-person networking at some point. And when you do, you don’t want to look like the poor slob who just threw on whichever pants were closest to the computer screen. Nor do you want to be the designer diva who can’t afford cab fare because she blew all her bucks on a brand name bag. Fortunately, thanks to a few online tips and tricks, high fashion doesn’t have to come with a high price tag.
Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, confirms the fall release of Google TV. This new device will integrate Internet content and television. Apple’s announcement of a similar product has generated conversation about the two options. Read this article by Christina Warren at mashable.com to get the facts about Google’s latest development.
The Apple TV refresh isn’t the only new connected device headed to living rooms this fall; Google CEO Eric Schmidt has reaffirmed his company’s plans to release the Google TV set-top box in the U.S. later this year, with launch in the rest of the world coming in 2011.
First officially announced at Google I/O, Google TV aims to bring Internet video to the living room. Users will be able to search the web and switch back and forth between web video, TV and other content all from the remote control.
Valerie Jennings offered tips in a podcast that was picked up by MSNBC.com. She provided advice for business owners and marketers on attracting visitors to their websites, building brand awareness, and protecting their brand online.
Jennings said that one method for driving website traffic to a page “is by using social media press releases that are highly search engine optimized.” She goes on to suggest the use of Marketwire and WordPress to increase search engine optimization.
Jennings promotes the use of sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These social media sites build brand awareness. However, she advises managers to utilize them carefully. “If these sites are set up properly and managed well, it will prevent competitors from trying to hijack your company’s brand,” said Jennings.
Young Internet users may believe that their parents do not have a place on Facebook or Twitter, but studies show that older adults have a different view. A new article shows that the number of social media users over the age of 55 has increased rapidly in the past year. Read this article by Samuel Axon at mashable.com to see the statistics.
A new study from Pew Internet found that between April 2009 and May 2010, social networking site usage grew 88% among Internet users aged 55-64, and the 65 and older group’s social networking presence grew 100% in the same time frame.
Young people still dominate social networks like Facebook, but their usage only grew 13% during the year covered by Pew’s report. Older adults are catching up at an incredibly quick pace, though it remains to be seen whether they will pass the youth or hit a ceiling at or below the usage levels reported by young adults and teens.
As culture changes, the English language evolves as well. A list of words that will be added to the Oxford Dictionary of English was recently released. One of these words is social media. The recognition of social media as an official word shows the influence that social media has. Read this article from buzz.yahoo.com about the new additions to the dictionary.
The English language is always evolving. There was a time when words like email, x-ray, and d’oh were nowhere to be found in the dictionary. Today, we add a few more new words to the tome.
The bookworms behind the Oxford Dictionary of English recently released a list of 2,000 or so new words that will be added to their next edition. Some of the new words include staycation, social media, and the groan-inducing chillax.
Perhaps the most high-profile word to be added to the dictionary this year is vuvuzela. For those who slept through the World Cup, a vuvuzela is the one-note plastic horn that creates a horrendously annoying sound. That’s our definition. The official one, via the Oxford Dictionary of English, is a bit more balanced: “A long plastic instrument, in the shape of a trumpet, which makes a very loud noise when you blow it and is popular with football fans in South Africa.”
Some other popular additions include frenemy (“a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry”), cheeseball (“lacking taste, style or originality”), and wardrobe malfunction (“an instance of a person accidentally exposing an intimate part of their body as result of an article of clothing slipping out of position.”)
Frankly, we’re amazed it took so long for that last term to make it into the dictionary. Thanks to Janet Jackson, Paris Hilton, and other Hollywood stars, it’s been part of the public discourse for years.
Social media marketers are continually improving the systems they use to monitor searches online. While these tools are becoming more complex and intelligent, they still need further development. This article by Jim Tobin at mashable.com shows why analytics are the key to improving these tools.
Jim Tobin is president of Ignite Social Media, where he works work with clients including Microsoft, Intel, Nature Made, The Body Shop, Disney and more implementing social media marketing strategies. He is also author of the book Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Why You Already Know the Rules of Social Media Marketing.
Over the last three years, social media marketers have gotten a lot more sophisticated about the programs they deploy and how they’re measured. Platforms like Sysomos and Radian6 have become vital tools in understanding not only the social universe in which you operate, but how that universe responds to your brand.
But for all of our success, we’re still largely entering strings of Boolean variables into a tool and waiting for matching results to roll in. Most tools have added sentiment processing, but that clearly has a long way to go. Beyond sentiment, however, how are these tools going to evolve to provide more insights? The answer is with math.
Watch this video regarding the humanitarian effort the social media industry has put into the world and the history of Jennings Social Media Marketing.
Social media has changed the world dramatically. We are seeing more and more charitable actions carried out by social media channels. For example, Twestival is the largest global grassroots social media fundraising initiative to date, raising over $1.2 million within 14 months for 137 nonprofits. Under disastrous circumstances, like the BP oil spill, Tumblr promoted awareness and raised funds by offering a new background color. When earthquakes devastated Haiti and Chile, Google Earth launched special search engines to help families find their loved ones.
Valerie Jennings, the founder and CEO of Jennings Social Media Marketing started the company in 2003. Coinciding with the US social and economic conditions, Jennings has been through the unstable post-9/11 period, inflation, recession as well as natural disasters. As a small business, Jennings not only survived, but thrived during the past 7 years. All of these made us reconsider our values and beliefs. Why are we here, what do our families mean to us and what are our life purposes?
Jennings Social Media Marketing is a full service company that utilizes the art of online storytelling with the science of measuring quantifiable results. Jennings creates comprehensive social media marketing and web advertising strategies from website design and development to viral videos. The company represents publicly traded to medium-sized businesses across the U.S. and overseas including technology, sports, sustainability, entertainment, travel, financial, health care and real estate.
Follow Valerie Jennings on Twitter @ValerieJennings
Like Jennings Social Media Marketing on Facebook here
Social networking sites are implementing creative methods for presenting advertisements to their users. Businesses recognize the impact of advertising on sites such as Facebook and Myspace. This article by Adam Ostrow at mashable.com shows that U.S. advertisers are expected to spend more this year on social networking sites.
The latest numbers from eMarketer project that advertisers will spend nearly $1.7 billion in the U.S. on social networking sites in 2010. Worldwide, spending will hit $3.3 billion according to the report.
The numbers represent a significant bump up from estimates published by the research firm at the end of last year, when it projected $1.3 billion would be spent on the space in the U.S.
What do you use your smart phone for most? Is it to find the nearest bakery, or get directions to the airport, or is it to check the latest scores of the Royals vs. Angeles game while at work? Whatever it is you use your phone for the fact is life is made a lot easier with it. Here is an article from mashable.com about the top five mobile commerce trends in 2010.
The mobile trends series is supported by Samsung. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy here.
Considering that most people would rather lose their wallet than misplace their cell phone, it’s fitting that the mobile world is quickly becoming a new hub for business. For many of us, our cell phone never leaves our side. It holds a place at the dinner table, is easily accessible in your bag’s front pocket, and often, somehow it even manages to end up sharing your pillow at night. Busy schedules mean people are often on the move and when marketers and companies can’t reach consumers at their computers, on TV, before the previews at the movies, with billboards, or magazine and newspaper ads, they must feel assured that they can still reach them on their cell phones.
Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, is simply the ability to conduct business transactions through a mobile device. With smartphone sales rising 49% in the first quarter of 2010, never before has it been so easy to shop, anywhere, anytime from the palm of your hand. There is an enormous amount of ongoing market research, and though there has been a variety of numbers estimated and reported, they all conclude that mobile commerce is a profitable and rapidly growing market.
By 2015, it’s estimated that shoppers from around the world will spend about $119 billion on goods and services bought via their mobile phones, according to a study by ABI Research released this past February. In the United States alone, mobile shopping rose from $396 million in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2009, and mobile campaign spending also increased by 25 to 30% over the past year, with companies shelling out just under $313 million according to the same study. Senior Analyst Mark Beccue, said that he’s forecasting U.S. sales to reach about $2.2 billion in 2010.
Here are five mobile commerce trends to keep an eye on for the remainder of 2010.
1. Bargain Hunting
It would seem that mobile purchasing often lends itself to an impulse buy. Maybe you just have to suddenly download that song from the iTunes Store or really want to make sure you have tickets to that hot concert. In this case, it’s the savvy shopper that has taken note of mobile commerce. Beccue said that in the fourth quarter of 2009, he started to notice something unexpected and a bit “weird.”
Bargain hunting has become extremely popular with apps like RedLaser that allow users to scan product bar codes and discover it’s various prices at different retailers. Shoppers are melding the two worlds of online/mobile shopping with actual physical shopping to make sure they get the best prices.
Smart phones are becoming more and more popular and advertisers have begun using them as a tool to reach large audience with the use of applications. Here is an article from mashable.com about how people are welcoming advertising with smart phone applications.
Advertisements on mobile devices are both welcome and effective, a recent study from mobile audience media company JiWire revealed.
This is especially true of advertisements that appear in apps. Of the roughly 1,000 smartphone users surveyed, 52% claim they have acted on an advertisement in an app and 18% have made a purchase directly from an ad in an app in the last month.
In addition, 53% said they were willing to share their location to receive more relevant advertising and a full 76% said they would prefer to download a free, advertising-supported app instead of paying an upfront fee for the same app.
This is great news for social gaming apps like Foursquare and Gowalla, which enable users to unlock special deals from advertisers based on their locations. It’s also great news for Apple, whose mobile app advertising platform, iAds, will debut this summer with the iPhone 4.0 OS.
Have you ever wondered how much time the average person spends on the Internet? And have you ever wondered how much of that time is spent on social networking sites? Thanks to Neilsen, we now know that people spend more time on sites such as Facebook and Twitter than on any other site. Here is an article from mashable.com by Adam Ostrow about the Neilsen findings.
Social networking now eats up twice as much of our online time as any other activity. According to new stats from Nielsen, sites like Facebook and Twitter now account for 22.7% of time spent on the web; the next closest activity is online games, which make up 10.2%.
The stats also show the degree to which social networking is displacing other forms of communication, with e-mail as a percentage of online time plunging from 11.5% to 8.3% from June 2009 to June 2010. Instant messaging also saw a significant drop in share, with a 15% decline from last year.
However, e-mail use on mobile is still on the rise – from 37.4% to 41.6% — presumably as users continue to migrate to smartphones from feature phones.
Twitter Lists have become a popular way for people to talk to a group of people who share the same interests, are in the same profession or who want to be informed about a current topic. CEO’s, CFO’s and other top business executives are increasingly taking advantage of Twitter Lists in order to stay updated on the latest information concerning their industries. Here is an article from mashable.com by Erica Swallow about the top lists for business executives to follow.
This series is supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub, a leading enterprise-grade application for marketers struggling with the social media chaos of managing multiple social channels. Click here to learn more.
Twitter Lists are a great way to follow a group of like-minded Twitter users. By following a List, you can get an overview of a particular subject by simply taking a look at the stream from time to time. A well-curated Twitter List can be focused on a specific topic, industry or interest.
With the increase in C-level executives joining and taking part in social networks across the Internet, there are bound to be questions. While Twitter is one of the simplest social media tools out there, Lists are one of the more complicated features for new tweeters to comprehend.
We recommend using tools like TLists, Listorious and TweetMeme Lists to scope out and follow Lists of interest. To get you started or to beef up your current List inventory, here are 15 Twitter Lists for C-suite executives to follow, separated into categories for CEOs, CMOs, CIOs and CTOs, and CFOs.
Twitter Lists for CEOs
For the latest business, management and leadership tweets, here are three Twitter Lists for CEOs to follow:
CEOs: If you’re a CEO and not on this Twitter List, send a friendly tweet to Brand Strategist Valeria Maltoni, and she’ll likely add you to what seems to be the most comprehensive list of CEOs on Twitter. Look to this List for the latest tweets from over 150 CEOs. The List seems to be highly concentrated on digital and technology.
Business News: Curated by The New York Times, this compilation is a short list of the most essential business news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Reuters Business and Silicon Alley Insider.
Management & Leadership: This TLists SuperList compiles the top tweeters from 216 Twitter Lists, tweeting about management, leadership and power.
Last Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg sat down for a rare public interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer to discuss the continued success of Facebook along with the latest pressure it has faced. Facebook, the largest social networking site, recently hit a major milestone of 500 million users but along with fame has come issues dealing with privacy and a lawsuit that Zuckerberg sold a portion of the ownership in exchange for work in the early years of Facebook.
Here is a podcast from Valerie Jennings, entrepreneur and CEO of Jennings Social Media Marketing.
“Hi this is Valerie Jennings, CEO of Jennings Social Media Marketing. I want to offer a few tips about how you can use social media to protect your brand, build awareness on the Internet and drive traffic to websites like your blog or primary company website or even a landing page. Some of the things that we look at are competitor analysis reports, so that we can see how competitors are appearing on the Internet in comparison to some of our clients. Additionally, we try to make sure that we have all of the holes plugged as far as having a Twitter account, Facebook page and do they have their LinkedIn site set up properly. These are some simple things you can do as a business owner to make sure that you have all of your social networking sites reserved so that a competitor does not try to take the name or hijack your brand.”
Click below to listen to the rest of Jennings’ tips on how to use social media to protect your brand and drive website traffic.
In recent years, Google has built its image around its environmentally conscious stance. Now, it has purchased clean energy from wind turbines to become more energy efficient. Here is an article from mashable.com about Google’s recent contract with an Iowa farm that will help it decrease its carbon footprint.
Google has just signed a contract with an Iowa wind farm to purchase clean energy at a set rate for the next 20 years.
This move is in keeping with Google’s strong environmental stance; with specific regard to energy consumption and wind-generated energy, the company has been championing PowerMeter and has invested $38 million in wind farms this year alone.
In fact, Google gained the ability to buy and sell electricity like any other public utility in February in order to achieve its goals for carbon neutrality and more efficient energy use in its massive data centers. This Power Purchase Agreement is the first deal brokered under the auspices of Google Energy.
On the official Google blog, Google’s SVP Operations Urs Hoelzle wrote, “On July 30 we will begin purchasing the clean energy from 114 megawatts of wind generation at the NextEra Energy Resources Story County II facility in Iowa at a predetermined rate for 20 years… This power is enough to supply several data centers.”
The company’s long-term commitment will generate a significant amount of capital for NextEra to develop more wind projects.
Watch this entertaining video and see why so many people, including celebrities, professional athletes and billionaires like LinkedIn.
With more than 70 million members in 200 different countries, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network.
Not only is LinkedIn great for building a professional network, but it is also recommended by social media professionals to increase search engine optimization, also known as SEO.
Here are a few tips to search engine optimize your LinkedIn profile. First, complete your profile with search engine optimized keywords. Second, customize the URL to your LinkedIn profile with your name or your company’s name. Third, be sure to include the maximum amount of allowed hyperlinks in your profile.
LinkedIn is one of the best sites to take advantage of to improve your SEO. Sign up for LinkedIn today, complete your free professional profile and watch your search engine rankings increase. To join LinkedIn, visit linkedin.com
Jennings Social Media Marketing is a full service company that utilizes the art of online storytelling with the science of measuring quantifiable results. Jennings creates comprehensive social media marketing and Web advertising strategies from website design and development to viral videos. The company represents publicly traded to medium-sized businesses across the U.S. and overseas including technology, sports, sustainability, entertainment, travel, financial, health care and real estate.
Advertisements on mobile devices are both welcome and effective, a recent study from mobile audience media company JiWire revealed.
Social networking now eats up twice as much of our online time as any other activity. According to new stats from Nielsen, sites like Facebook and Twitter now account for 22.7% of time spent on the web; the next closest activity is online games, which make up 10.2%.
Twitter Lists are a great way to follow a group of like-minded Twitter users. By following a List, you can get an overview of a particular subject by simply taking a look at the stream from time to time. A well-curated Twitter List can be focused on a specific topic, industry or interest.
“Hi this is Valerie Jennings, CEO of Jennings Social Media Marketing. I want to offer a few tips about how you can use social media to protect your brand, build awareness on the Internet and drive traffic to websites like your blog or primary company website or even a landing page. Some of the things that we look at are competitor analysis reports, so that we can see how competitors are appearing on the Internet in comparison to some of our clients. Additionally, we try to make sure that we have all of the holes plugged as far as having a Twitter account, Facebook page and do they have their LinkedIn site set up properly. These are some simple things you can do as a business owner to make sure that you have all of your social networking sites reserved so that a competitor does not try to take the name or hijack your brand.” 
Google has just signed a contract with an Iowa wind farm to purchase clean energy at a set rate for the next 20 years.
