http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/OttoPilot Media RSS Feed60OttoPilotMediahttp://feedburner.google.comhttp://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/126490/Facebook-IPO-vs-Google-IPO-The-Infographic-Showdown#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/126490/Facebook-IPO-vs-Google-IPO-The-Infographic-Showdown<p>This morning, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/facebooks-mark-zuckerberg-rings-the-nasdaq-bell/2012/05/18/gIQADyOQYU_story.html" title="Mark Zuckerberg rang the Nasdaq bell" target="_blank">Mark Zuckerberg rang the Nasdaq bell</a> to announce the <strong>initiation of Facebook as a publicly traded company</strong>. Analysts argue that Google's IPO may be the closest tech company comparison to Facebook's.</p> <p>Today's Fantastic Friday infographic puts the two online powerhouses head to head and assigns grades. Suffice it to say that while Facebook has the numbers and the impressions, Google still wins hands down in ad efficacy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>What do you think?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Thanks to <a href="http://wordstream.com" title="wordstream" target="_blank">wordstream</a> for this awesome infographic.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/facebook v google infographic-resized-600.png" border="0" alt="facebook v google infographic resized 600" /></p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Alexandra GibsonFri, 18 May 2012 17:13:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:126490http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/126252/Why-General-Motors-Pulled-Its-Facebook-Ads-Op-Ed#Comments1http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/126252/Why-General-Motors-Pulled-Its-Facebook-Ads-Op-Ed<p>With the Facebook IPO so close many can almost taste it (and it tastes like dollars), <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304192704577406394017764460.html" title="General Motors announced that it would be pulling its advertising from Facebook" target="_blank">General<img id="img-1337135572229" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/facebook reflection.jpg" border="0" alt="GM pulls Facebook ads" width="390" height="296" class="alignRight" style="height: 296px; width: 390px; float: right;" /> Motors announced that it would be pulling its advertising from Facebook</a>. Annually, GM spends about $10 million on Facebook ads alone and another $30 million on content creation and agency management on the social media platform.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>According to GM CMO, Joel Ewanick, the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2012/05/15/gm-says-facebook-ads-dont-work-pulls-10-million-account/" title="company periodically evaluates their advertising and media spend" target="_blank">company periodically evaluates their advertising and media spend</a>. It appears that Facebook ads were not up to muster. It will be interesting to see where this spend will be reappropriated.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Whether the announcement of GM's advertising pull from Facebook coinciding with the Facebook IPO was intentional or not, it certainly wreaked havoc. At the least, it was awkward timing; at the most, it might give some investors pause on the value if a company like GM was willing to pull <em>everything</em>&nbsp;from its advertising bucket.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>By my estimation, investors should not worry. There are multiple factors that could have easily played in to GM's decision, and the fault factors were likely in both the GM camp and the Facebook camp.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Here are some important factors that may have come in to play.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><span style="color: #99ccff;"><strong>Facebook Timelines Redesign Is Bad for Ads</strong></span></h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With the <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/webinar-how-to-use-facebook-timeline/" title="redesign of Facebook to support brand timelines" target="_self">redesign of Facebook to support brand timelines</a>, ads are much more easily lost in the visual excitement of the new pages. Previously, ads were surrounded by white space and an <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/04/30/facebook-timeline-eyetrack-study/" title="eye tracking report sponsored by Mashable" target="_blank">eye tracking report sponsored by Mashable</a> showed that 80% of brand page visitors looked at the ads. However, <strong>with the timeline design, only 30-40% ever looked at the ads</strong>. If an ad was placed lower (especially below the fold) on the page, it did not stand a chance.</p> <p>This should not be of great concern because Facebook can easily make adjustments to this aspect of the timeline design to better support advertisers. While Timeline was a big change in both visual and overall brand page marketing methodology, it will be very surprising if we don't see minor adjustments over the next few months.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><span style="color: #99ccff;"><b>GM Facebook Ads Lacked Proper Calls-to-Action</b></span></h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>If General Motors wanted to go from Facebook ad to car sales, they obviously had another thing coming. It's always interesting to see a company that spends hundreds of millions on traditional media--TV, print--with little knowledge of how that media directly affected car sales be so cavalier as to say that Facebook ads do not work.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>GM's Facebook ads needed to encourage the step from brand neutral to one toe in to the GM family</strong>. Judging from the car giant's statements, they believed that the Facebook ads did not have a big impact on consumers. Pardon the pun, but it appears they tried to go from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds flat...and not in anything sporty.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><span style="color: #99ccff;"><strong>GM Did Not Use Facebook Ads to Encourage Proper Lead Conversion</strong></span></h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Facebook advertising is one of the best <em>paid</em> ways to hypertarget your audience. You can effectively market to, let's say, college-aged women, who like TV shows Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, who attend an Ivy League school, and whose hometowns are in the Pacific Northwest. Yes, this is all possible.&nbsp;</p> <p>Despite hypertargeting, with something like a car purchase, it is very difficult to know if you<img id="img-1337135848384" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/1954 GM.jpg" border="0" alt="General Motors and Facebook ads" width="385" height="292" class="alignRight" style="height: 292px; width: 385px; float: right;" /> are hitting someone at exactly the right time in their buying life. A Facebook ad for GM needed to be a social act and a branding awareness device. However, this is not to say that efficacy should not have been measured. <strong>GM needed to develop a way to convert ad viewers to leads, to pull them in to the GM community through great and fun content, and to measure how many converted even in that first step.</strong></p> <p>From there, GM should <a href="http://ottopilotmedia.com/inbound-marketing-services/online-lead-generation/" title="study the online path an individual lead takes" target="_self">study the online path an individual lead takes</a> from&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Clicking on a Facebook ad</li> <li>To participating in a design and share your custom Escalade on Pinterest</li> <li>To receiving periodic valuable content about the importance of car maintenance or how to achieve better gas mileage through <a href="http://ottopilotmedia.com/inbound-marketing-services/lead-management/" title="lead nurturing" target="_self">lead nurturing</a></li> <li>To when the individual goes back to the site and prices their Chevy Volt and contacts a dealer</li> </ul> <div></div> <div>Come on people, this is not that hard. This just means carefully studying and thinking logically through a buyer path--from "I don't even need a new car" to "well, I should be in the market soon" to "I really would like that Malibu" to "I can't stand this gas-guzzling F150 anymore and I'm going to get that Malibu".</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div>For GM to really understand that path online, they unfortunately needed to give it more time (while <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/85597/Best-Online-Campaigns-It-s-About-Measuring-and-Adjusting" title="monitoring metrics in real-time and adjusting" target="_self">monitoring metrics in real-time and adjusting</a>). Clicking on a Facebook ad is a very top of funnel action in a revenue path. From there, it time and dedication to build trust and brand awareness.</div> <div></div> <div></div> <div>While Facebook ads may very well not be the right path for a carmaker like GM, I fear that the fundamental issue here was blaming the tool rather than understanding how the tool works differently than traditional advertising. Campaigns look very different in a social environment, but they still need the same foundation--a definition of success and measurements all along the way.</div> <div></div> <h2>For more information on determining social media ROI and the buyer's path, <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/free-whitepaper-determining-social-media-roi/" title="download the free whitepaper" target="_self">download the free whitepaper</a>.</h2> <div><em>Photo 2: <a href="http://hollyhocksandtulips.tumblr.com" title="hollyhocksandtulips.tumblr.com" target="_blank">hollyhocksandtulips.tumblr.com</a></em></div><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Alexandra GibsonWed, 16 May 2012 01:08:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:126252http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125999/Facebook-Timeline-for-Business-INFOGRAPHIC#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125999/Facebook-Timeline-for-Business-INFOGRAPHIC<p>Facebook has been around for a while, and it is no secret that it is a necessary tool in online marketing.</p> <p>Most businesses know the basics of how to use Facebook, but with the new Timeline format, the ways a business can use Facebook have changed.</p> <p>We recently held a webinar demonstrating <strong><a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/webinar-how-to-use-facebook-timeline/" title="7 successful brands that are using the new Facebook timeline effectively" target="_self">7 successful brands that are using the new Facebook timeline effectively</a></strong>. &nbsp;Today's great infographic from <a href="http://www.edelmandigital.com" title="Edelman Digital" target="_self">Edelman Digital</a> helps to summarize some of the information that was covered in the webinar. &nbsp;If you were unable to attend the event, you can <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/webinar-how-to-use-facebook-timeline/" title="watch the webinar recording here" target="_self">watch the webinar recording here</a>!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div style="width: 600px; margin: 0 auto;"> <p style="text-align: center;"><small>[Click image to enlarge.]</small><a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/facebook-timeline.jpg?1336768205.14415" title="Click to Enlarge Infographic"><img id="img-1336768100020" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/facebook-timeline-resized-600.jpg" border="0" alt="Facebook Timeline Infographic" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></a><small>[Click image to enlarge.]</small></p> </div><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Amanda ButterworthFri, 11 May 2012 20:45:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:125999http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125590/Tom-Tom-Music-Festival-Ticket-Giveaway#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125590/Tom-Tom-Music-Festival-Ticket-Giveaway<p>In case you haven't heard, 50+ bands will be closing in on Charlottesville May 11th and 12th<img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/tom tom.jpg" border="0" alt="Charlottesville music festival ticket giveaway" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" /> for the <a href="http://www.tomtomfest.com/music" title="Tom Tom Founders Music Festival" target="_blank">Tom Tom Founders Music Festival</a>. We're so excited that we're giving away tickets for both Friday and Saturday!</p> <p>Come see bands like <a href="http://www.tomtomfest.com/events/evententry/hospitality" title="Hospitality" target="_blank">Hospitality</a>, <a href="http://www.tomtomfest.com/events/evententry/no-bs-brass-band" title="No BS Brass Band" target="_blank">No BS Brass Band</a>, and <a href="http://www.tomtomfest.com/events/evententry/mimosa" title="Mimosa" target="_blank">Mimosa</a>...just to name a few. You can also <a href="http://www.tomtomfest.com/ticketing" title="purchase the VIP tickets" target="_blank">purchase the VIP tickets</a> which gives you access to the limited showing with Josh Ritter, Here We Go Magic, Erin McKeown, and Those Darlins. [We aren't giving those tickets away but you will have access to every other band besides those].</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>How can you win these awesome tickets?</strong></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Just come on over to <a href="http://twitter.com/ottopilotmedia" title="Twitter" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and tweet which band you're most looking forward to seeing! Tweet needs to include #tomtomfest, @ottopilotmedia, and a link to this page!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Example: I can't wait to see [insert fave band name] at #tomtomfest this weekend! Get free tix from @ottopilotmedia! http://j.mp/KKhoxz</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This video from Hospitality is just a taste of what you have to look forward to. So get on over to Twitter and win!</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" id="img-1336491325980" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PIA5e4esp1g" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="560"></iframe></p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Alexandra GibsonTue, 08 May 2012 15:18:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:125590http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125502/How-7-Brands-Use-Facebook-Timelines-for-Success-Upcoming-Webinar#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125502/How-7-Brands-Use-Facebook-Timelines-for-Success-Upcoming-Webinar<p>In a <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/04/30/facebook-timeline-eyetrack-study/#61181The-Muppets-Web-Page-Fixation-Order" title="recent eye-tracking study by EyeTrackShop for Mashable" target="_blank">recent eye-tracking study by EyeTrackShop for Mashable</a>, we learned what many thought to be the case with the layout of the new Facebook timelines--the <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123858/5-Cover-Photos-That-Spark-Business-Without-Making-Facebook-Mad" title="cover photo" target="_blank">cover photo</a> and imagery is key. In fact, Facebook users <strong>spent substantially less time looking at the wall posts and ads than they did at the cover photo</strong> (compared to the old Facebook layout). That's a lot of pressure on one picture...talk about first impressions.</p> <p><img id="img-1336409999013" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/Army facebook page-resized-600.jpg" border="0" alt="Best practices in facebook timelines for brands" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p> <p>On Tuesday, May 8th at 4 pm EDT, we are <a href="https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/344210847" title="hosting a free webinar" target="_blank">hosting a free webinar</a> on how 7 brands are best utilizing the new layout and functionality of Facebook for success. We'll look at best practices of pages like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CaptainMorgan" title="Captain Morgan" target="_blank">Captain Morgan</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GE" title="GE" target="_blank">GE</a>, and even the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/USarmy" title="US Army" target="_blank">US Army</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In addition to looking at the great things that those 7 brands are doing on Facebook, we'll explore the <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/120513/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Facebook-Timelines-for-Brands" title="important Facebook timeline feature changes" target="_blank">important Facebook timeline feature changes</a>--use of tabs, lack of default landing page, ability to highlight content, and more--to help our webinar participants have key takeaways and implementation ideas for their own businesses.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Even if you can't join us on the 8th, <a href="https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/344210847" title="make sure you register so that you get the recording" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3366ff;">make sure you register so that you get the recording</span></a>!</strong></span> </h2><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Alexandra GibsonMon, 07 May 2012 16:43:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:125502http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125386/Wordpress-Is-Not-Just-A-Blogging-Platform-INFOGRAPHIC#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125386/Wordpress-Is-Not-Just-A-Blogging-Platform-INFOGRAPHIC<p>If you've ever talked to <a href="http://twitter.com/mandaleebee" title="our Senior Director, Amanda Butterworth" target="_blank">our Senior Director, Amanda Butterworth</a>, about <a href="http://wordpress.org" title="Wordpress" target="_blank">Wordpress</a> you'll see<img id="img-1336145045967" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/wordpress-logo.png" border="0" alt="wordpress logo" width="186" height="175" class="alignRight" style="height: 175px; width: 186px; float: right;" /> her face light up with glee. She, like many tech folks, is obsessed and rightfully so.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The Wordpress platform has transitioned from a blogging platform that changed the face of content marketing to a full-blown content management system for complete websites. With <strong>almost 20,000 plugins to date</strong>, many of them free, you can trick out your basic wordpress site to now do things like eCommerce and more.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This <a href="http://yoast.com/wordpress-stats/" title="awesome infographic from Yoast" target="_blank">awesome infographic from Yoast</a> shows just how prolific Wordpress has become. I thought it was cool to see that sites like <a href="http://nfl.com" title="NFL.com" target="_blank">NFL.com</a>, <a href="http://honda.com" title="Honda" target="_blank">Honda</a>, and <a href="http://cnn.com" title="CNN" target="_blank">CNN</a> all use Wordpress. It's just a testament to the progression of the platform and, more importantly, <a href="http://e-girlfriday.com/blog/why-wordpress-reason-10-the-wordpress-community/" title="the community that is Wordpress" target="_blank">the community that is Wordpress</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>As always, please pin this infographic if you're digging it. Happy Friday!</strong></h2> <p><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/wordpress infographic-resized-600.jpg" border="0" alt="wordpress infographic" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Alexandra GibsonFri, 04 May 2012 14:59:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:125386http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125008/Around-The-Web-in-5-Days-5-Ways-To-Get-Your-Blog-Shared#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/125008/Around-The-Web-in-5-Days-5-Ways-To-Get-Your-Blog-Shared<p><img id="img-1335806839027" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/sharing.jpg" border="0" alt="blog post sharing" width="364" height="243" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />Every time I write a blog post, I find myself wondering how many people will really read it. Since I believe in the value of what I write, I always believe that it will attract at least some attention. But it is a pretty daunting task- how do you make sure that what you write finds its way to readers who want it?</p> <p>For anyone blogging for business, <strong>this question of sharing is extremely important</strong>. A blog that is not shared is kind of like a birthday present that is never opened- as it is, its not doing anyone any good. As this photo shows, <strong>sharing is caring</strong>. (Photo: brandwatch.com)</p> <p><strong>So, how do you make sure that people click on and share your blog posts? </strong></p> <p>Like most things with digital marketing, there are several different strategies that you should employ. We've picked a few of the most effective to bring you... <strong>5 Ways To Get Your Blog Shared</strong>. Read it, learn a few things, and start bringing in the readers that your fabulous writing deserves.</p> <p><strong>5 Ways To Get Your Blog Shared</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Ask a question or start a debate</strong>. People love to share their opinions- give them a space to do so. At the end of your blog post, tweet, or Facebook post, as a question of your readers. This could be a basic question- "what do you think of this concept?" or a more detailed question- "how do you apply these digital marketing principles to your business?". Either way, you are asking readers to click on your blog and engage in a two-way conversation. An important tip: <strong>make sure you answer comments and questions with insights of your own</strong>. Don't leave your reader hanging. </li> <li><strong>Have a catchy title</strong>. The old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" does not apply here. Most people will judge your blog post almost entirely by your title. This means that <strong>the title is the single most important piece of writing for any post.</strong> Your title should do two things: spark interest and share what the blog post is about. Don't be afraid to get creative</li> <li><strong>Guest post</strong>- A guest post is a near guaranteed way of getting your blog shared. Its common courtesy for sites to send readers to the blogs of their guests posters, and for you to do the same. Look around your industry for larger sites that accept guest posts, and starting sending out some proposal emails. Make sure that you have a few topic ideas ready to be pitched. </li> <li><strong>Target your content to particular audiences</strong>. Share content with the people who are most likely to reshare it. This is where <strong>Google+ circles</strong> comes in very hand. Google plus lets you share content with specific circles, so that you can get content right to those who want it most. For more about using Google+ for business, check out our <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/guide-to-google-for-business-/" title="Google+ for business guide" target="_blank">Google+ for business guide</a></li> <li><strong>Share on LinkedIn</strong>. Many companies overlook LinkedIn to focus on Twitter and Facebook. While those two sites are certainly important, you should not underestimate the sharing power of LinkedIn. On LinkedIn, you can target your posts to specific audiences by posting in LinkedIn groups that you are a member of. For example, this post would fit well in a group that focuses on online marketing, blogging, or inbound marketing.&nbsp; </li> </ul><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanThu, 03 May 2012 14:01:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:125008http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124993/A-New-Internet-For-A-New-Decade-Are-We-In-Web-3-0#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124993/A-New-Internet-For-A-New-Decade-Are-We-In-Web-3-0<p><img id="img-1335801658813" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/web-30-6.jpg" border="0" alt="web 3.0" width="260" height="195" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />When you think about it, history is ordered by taglines. A few great ones come to mind: The Greatest Generation... The Lost Generation... The Industrial Revolution... The Cultural Revolution... The Baby Boomers.... we're sure you can think of some more.&nbsp;</p> <p>So, what is the tagline for this generation, this particular time in history? While we can't answer for politics (who can?), we can clue you in to some of the taglines marking the digital age (see, another tagline!) We've adapted <a href="http://socialmediatoday.com/rohnjaymiller/423732/welcome-web-30-contextual-web" title="Rohn Jay Miller's characterizations" target="_blank">Rohn Jay Miller's characterizations</a> to explore our digital age a little bit more. (Photo: computer.howstuffworks.com)</p> <p>First, there was <strong>Web 1.0- The Presentation Web</strong></p> <p>If you are a child of th 90s, this was your web- the days of cranky dialup and flashy, rotating graphics. Web 1.0 was pretty one-sided. Web developers made sites, and your job was to sit there and take them in.</p> <p>As our technology got a little more sophisticated, <strong>Web 2.0 rolled in- The Transactional Web</strong></p> <p>At this point, the web became a two-way street, with lots of buying, selling, and sharing of information. Web 2.0 also saw the dawn of a pretty big change<strong></strong>- the technological equivalent of a new country rising to sudden and incredible dominance. Yep, we're talking about <strong>the rise of social media</strong></p> <p>These rise of social media brought Web 2.0 yet another tagline- <strong>The Attention Internet</strong>. Instead of simply vying for sales, companies strive to grab and hold consumers' attention, to generate social media traffic and conversations.</p> <p>Not surprisingly, the continued rise of social media has spurred debate about what the next tagline will be- will Web 3.0 be the Social Media Internet?</p> <p>Miller takes a more nuanced approach to this question, terming <strong>Web 3.0 "The Contextual Web"</strong></p> <p>Context, he argues, will play a major role in our online activities and decisions. With the term "context", Miller is referring to factors like location, time, social activity, and friends' social activity. With so much now available on the web, our web activity will be determined by active curation, filtered by the factors that make up context.</p> <p>As Miller points out, smartphones, tablets, and other devices have already assumed a huge role in determining context, particularly in answering the "where am I?" question. Social media will also continue to play a huge role, as users determine their engagement by their freind's engagment and sharing.</p> <p><strong>So, how do you work with the contextual web? </strong></p> <p><strong>Remember that no data is too small</strong>- Every tweet, every post, every comment or reply, can have an impact. Web 3.0 is all about the fragments and the details.</p> <p><strong>Integrate social media more than ever</strong>- If possible, have employees integrate their own social media presence with your business pages. Make sure you are sharing every blog post and update across multiple social media platforms</p> <p><strong>Become a trusted content curator</strong>. Share quality articles and products with your followers. Give them information that they are interested in, and they will come to trust you as a content curator. This means that, with all of the information out there, they will be more likely to turn to you and to ask your company for information. </p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanTue, 01 May 2012 14:35:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:124993http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124673/Sentiment-Analytics-What-It-Is-And-Why-You-Want-It#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124673/Sentiment-Analytics-What-It-Is-And-Why-You-Want-It<p><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/images.jpg" border="0" alt="sentiment analytics" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />"Sentiment Analytics". At first glance, this phrase seems like a fancy term for dating and marriage advice. However, it is actually a marketing term, and a pretty important one at that.</p> <p><a href="http://socialmediatoday.com/mac-ocampo-sqb/467813/why-sentiment-analytics-crucial-social-marketing" title="Sentiment analytics" target="_blank">Sentiment analytics</a> refers to a phenomenon that has sharpened with the rise of social media marketing; namely, <strong>the role of consumer emotion in the lead conversion process</strong>. By now, you've probably realized that social media has given your consumers a fairly substantial voice- they can directly comment on your posts and products and, with one simple click, they can share those posts and comments with several hundred friends and followers. All of the sudden, <strong>the mood of the consumer operating that mouse becomes a very important consideration for your company.</strong> (Photo: paidcontent.org)</p> <p>Recognizing this, ambitious marketers have developed the concept of sentiment analytics. Sentiment analytics combines the heart and the head (funny coincidence... The Head and the Heart is playing as I am writing this...). The basic concept involves <strong>tracking and aggregating consumer comments, tweets, and other social activities to determine overall attitudes toward a product or initiative.</strong></p> <p>Software companies like <a href="http://www.sas.com/text-analytics/sentiment-analysis/" title="SAS" target="_blank">SAS</a> offer sentiment analytics software that statistically measure consumer sentiment and tracks that data over time.</p> <p>Sentiment analytics software allows you to concretely measure your consumers' reactions and tailor new initiatives to those reactions. Making specific modifications based on consumer feedback will help you give your social media consumers what they want, which will in turn <strong>boost your <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/free-whitepaper-determining-social-media-roi/" title="social media marketing ROI" target="_blank">social media marketing ROI</a>.</strong></p> <p>As with anything else, <strong>sentiment analytics is only as effective as you let it be.</strong> If you purchase sentiment analytics software but don't make any concrete changes based on the data that you have gathered, then you have wasted your money. However, if you purchase the software, monitor its data, and make strategic changes based on that data, then you have made a solid investment.</p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanMon, 30 Apr 2012 18:06:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:124673http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124864/How-LinkedIn-Works-Infographic#Comments1http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124864/How-LinkedIn-Works-Infographic<p>LinkedIn is an incredible resource for business that is often underutilized. &nbsp;Today's <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/?Tag=Infographics" title="Friday infographic " target="_self">Friday infographic </a>explains how you can best use this online tool to enhance your personal and business presence.</p> <p>LinkedIn members are sharing insights and knowledge in more than one million LinkedIn Groups. &nbsp;It's the ideal place to learn about new trends in the business world and to share your knowledge with others.</p> <p><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/LinkedIn-Facts-Figures-and-statistics-2012-Infographic.jpg" border="0" alt="LinkedIn Facts Figures and statistics 2012 Infographic" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p> <p>Has your business benefited from interaction on LinkedIn? Tell us about it in the comments below!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><small>*graphic credit:<a href="http://jeffbullas.com" title=" JeffBullas.com" target="_self"> JeffBullas.com</a></small></p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Amanda ButterworthFri, 27 Apr 2012 17:33:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:124864http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124426/Pinterest-Magic-One-Online-Retailer-Finds-Pinterest-ROI-Early#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124426/Pinterest-Magic-One-Online-Retailer-Finds-Pinterest-ROI-Early<p>Before attending <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/webinar-how-8-big-brands-use-pinterest-and-what-you-can-learn-from-them-/" title="OttoPilot's Pinterest webinar" target="_blank">OttoPilot's Pinterest webinar</a>, Jackie Monticup thought that Pinterest did not have a lot to offer her business, <a href="http://www.magictricks.com/" title="MagicTricks.com" target="_blank">MagicTricks.com</a>. However, after our own Pinterest wizard, Alexandra, shared her thoughts, Jackie began to see Pinterest in a different light.&nbsp;</p> <p>A few days after our webinar, Jackie had set up <a href="http://pinterest.com/magictrickscom/" title="MagicTricks.com Pinterest board" target="_blank">MagicTricks.com Pinterest board</a>, creating 13 boards with unique categories like Optical Illusions, Magical Weddings, and Antique Magic. Launched on April 16, her page <strong>has grown a steady number of followers.</strong> However, where she's seen the greatest amount of benefit is through people repinning and liking her posts. <strong>One pin from several days ago has already been repinned over 100 times</strong>. How's that for exposure??</p> <p><img id="img-1335201364100" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/magictrickspinterest.jpg" border="0" alt="magic tricks pinterest case study" width="397" height="174" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;">Photo: magictricks.com</p> <p>A model student of our webinar, Jackie went to great lengths to promote her page and grow her Pinterest following. She <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/119358/Add-a-Pinterest-Pin-It-Button-to-Your-Blog-Posts-in-Hubspot" title="added a &quot;pin it&quot;" target="_blank">added a "pin it"</a> button to many images on their own site, focusing especially on her top-selling products.</p> <p><strong>Jackie</strong><strong> also used Pinterest's source feature to track images previously pinned from her website.</strong> After locating those images, Jackie added her own insightful comments to each image, including relevant bits of magic trivia and other information. She also made a point of following each person who repinned her images.</p> <p><strong>*Note</strong>: To use the Pinterest source feature, visit http://pinterest.com/source/YOUR WEBSITE NAME. For example, MagicTricks.com was able to access their sources at http://pinterest.com/source/magictricks.com.</p> <p>Use your source page to find and engage with people who have pinned directly from your website- this is a great way to recruit new followers and customers. The source page also helped Jackie to uncover <strong>specific examples of Pinterest bringing actual sales to her site. (You know how much we love to talk about online marketing ROI).<br /></strong></p> <p>Browsing through her sources, Jackie discovered that one man had added four of her products to his board "Things I Want For Christmas," all the way back in September 2011. Intrigued, she browsed her 2011 orders and saw that the man had placed two orders with the company, listing Pinterest as his referral site. Pinterest, she concluded, actually works.</p> <p>For Jackie, and for us, this is <strong>solid proof that Pinterest traffic can convert into actual sales</strong>. If used correctly, Pinterest can become a very valuable business tool with very little costs in time and resources.</p> <h2><strong>If you missed the Pinterest webinar that shows how 8 major brands are using Pinterest successfully, make sure you<a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/webinar-how-8-big-brands-use-pinterest-and-what-you-can-learn-from-them-/" title=" check it out now" target="_blank"> check it out now</a>!&nbsp;</strong></h2> <h2><strong>For more great Pinterest case studies, check out our <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/case-studies-how-4-organizations-use-pinterest/" title="Pinterest For Business Case Study Guide" target="_blank">Pinterest For Business Case Study Guide</a>.</strong></h2><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanThu, 26 Apr 2012 14:33:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:124426http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124625/Google-Drive-Goes-Live-What-Your-Small-Business-Needs-To-Know#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124625/Google-Drive-Goes-Live-What-Your-Small-Business-Needs-To-Know<p><img id="img-1335361528506" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/340225-google-drive.jpg" border="0" alt="google drive for business" width="194" height="194" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />The techie world was abuzz yesterday after the latest Google rollout. With very little fanfare and one random reference to the Loch Ness Monster,<strong> <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/introducing-google-drive-yes-really.html" title="Google introduced Google Drive" target="_blank">Google introduced Google Drive</a>, its new storage and sharing platform. </strong><a href="https://drive.google.com/start#home" title="Google Drive" target="_blank">Google Drive</a> lets you store, search, and share all of your files, including larger image and video files. Once uploaded, you can search these files by keyword, type, or owner, even files that you scanned from hard copy. &nbsp;</p> <p>Its not an entirely new concept; programs like Dropbox and SkyDrive also offer vast online storage options. However, <strong>Google Drive's seamless integration with other Google services and its comprehensive search function</strong> make it well worth a try, especially if you are already using services like <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/118625/How-to-Use-Google-Plus-for-Business" title="Google+ for business" target="_blank">Google+ for business</a>.</p> <p><strong>The Basics</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Google is offering <strong>5GB of storage for free</strong>, enough for most individuals and businesses to get started with the platform. For those looking for even more storage, you can get 25GB for $2.49 per month, 100GB for $4.99 per month, or 1TB for $49.99 per month.&nbsp;</li> <li>Google's <strong>classically efficient search function</strong> makes it easy to locate and organize files.</li> <li>Google Drive also offers <strong>extensive sharing</strong>, since Google Docs is now built in to Google Drive. You can share files, comment on files, and track others' comments.</li> <li><strong>Google Drive is effectively replacing Google Docs</strong>. If you currently use Google Docs and convert to Google Drive, all of your current and future Google Docs will be re-routed to Google Drive.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>Check out Google's release video<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="315" id="img-1335360774730" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wKJ9KzGQq0w" width="560"></iframe>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>How Your Business Can Use Google Drive</strong></p> <ul> <li>Google Drive's <strong>easy collaboration options</strong> make it a great platform for businesses. Employees can easily share or update files without the hassle of convoluted email exchanges. <strong></strong></li> <li>Google Drive could be especially helpful for <strong>image-based businesses,</strong> since it handles large files relatively easily</li> <li>Google Drive is also very effective for <strong>businesses who do a lot of their work virtually</strong>. Employees can access the same files and images from wherever they are, making virtual collaboration much more efficient and timely.</li> <li><strong>If your business already uses other Google platforms</strong>, you should definitely give Google Drive a chance- it is free, after all.</li> </ul><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanWed, 25 Apr 2012 13:46:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:124625http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124456/11-Questions-To-Answer-Before-Interviewing-a-Digital-Marketing-Agency#Comments4http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124456/11-Questions-To-Answer-Before-Interviewing-a-Digital-Marketing-Agency<p>At our agency we're fortunate to advise many companies (large and small) who are in the <img id="img-1335211760029" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/rock and roll bride.jpg" border="0" alt="hiring a digital marketing agency is tough" width="342" height="467" class="alignRight" style="height: 468px; width: 342px; float: right;" />beginning stages of bringing on a <a href="http://www.ottopilotmedia.com" title="digital marketing agency" target="_self">digital marketing agency</a>. The industry is relatively new and there are many iterations of what agencies do. As a result, it's hard for hiring companies to even know what questions they should be asking.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>There are a lot of articles out there about what you should ask the agencies to compare them to each other, but this seems premature.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>If you don't know what you want, how can you assess whether an agency is right or wrong for you?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Here are 11 questions to flesh out before starting to interview any digital marketing agencies:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>1. <strong>What does success look like?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Lots of companies come to us who want "<a href="http://ottopilotmedia.com/inbound-marketing-services/social-media-marketing/" title="social media" target="_self">social media</a>" or who want "<a href="http://ottopilotmedia.com/inbound-marketing-services/content-marketing/" title="blogging" target="_self">blogging</a>". When we dig deeper, most companies don't want social media or blogging because those are just the tools (the technologies, not the people); they want more revenue, they want more brand awareness, they want business results. So, dig down to what you really want from a business perspective and let that shape the conversation.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>2. <strong>What online tactics or campaigns are we currently employing?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Knowing where you are starting from is important. This will also help an agency understand how immersed you already are in the digital world or if they are starting from scratch.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>3. <strong>Online or offline, what has been successful in the past?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Think back over the last 2 years and determine which campaigns or efforts have really performed well and have those ready to give the agency as examples. Even if it was something offline, like a TV ad or a billboard, you'll want to share that with the potential agencies so they can extrapolate more information about your target market's behaviors.</p> <p><img id="img-1335211710592" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/makers.jpg" border="0" alt="creative billboard for Maker's Mark" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p> <p>4. <strong>What are our current, basic online metrics?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>You'll need to know your monthly site traffic over the last 6 months, your social media reach (Facebook likes, Twitter followers, blog subscribers), and any basic information you can glean from something like <a href="http://google.com/analytics" title="Google Analytics" target="_blank">Google Analytics</a>. If you feel uncertain with how you are reading the analytics, set up the potential agency with a login to help you.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>5. <strong>What manpower do we have available on our team?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Are you going to need the agency to do everything for you--content creation, graphics, strategy, analysis, lead management, and more--or do you have the resources in-house to do most of the writing and just need help with higher level strategy?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>6. <strong>What specialty do we have in-house?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With #5, it's not just about warm bodies but is going to be about the right butts in the right seats. Your high school intern may not cut it as your social media manager. However, you may have someone that, with guidance and oversight from the agency can interact on your company's behalf through Facebook, Twitter, and the like.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>7. <strong>What is our budget?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Usually, when a prospective client says that they'll just find a way to "make it work" it means that they have no idea how much something will cost or they are still very much in exploratory phase. Often you will be taking budget away from lower performing media (could be direct mail, could be magazine ads, could be pay-per-click) and reallocating to your digital efforts. Unless you've figured out how to grow money on trees, you'll need to be realistic about reallocation.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>8.<strong> Looking back at our definition of success, what numbers would represent success?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Are you trying to grow revenues by 12%? Are you trying to cut marketing costs by 25%? Be prepared for a digital agency to tell you that your numbers are not realistic. I had a tech start-up tell me that they wanted to go from $5K/month to $100K/month in the next 6 months. Yeah, it wasn't going to happen.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>9. <strong>What other initiatives are we trying to implement at the same time?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>If you are trying to build a new e-commerce platform, trying to implement a new CRM, and trying to bring on a new digital agency, you're asking for a lot of late nights and stress. It's not fair to anyone (internally or externally) to be spread too thin. Prioritize.</p> <p>&nbsp;<img id="img-1335211696261" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/multitasking-pano_12371.jpg" border="0" alt="multitasking " class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p> <p>10. <strong>How are we measuring our marketing successes now?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For some companies, the answer to this might be "we're really not measuring it now". That's okay as a <a href="http://ottopilotmedia.com/inbound-marketing-services/digital-marketing-reports-analysis/" title="digital marketing agency should help you with those measurements and analysis" target="_self">digital marketing agency should help you with those measurements and analysis</a> once you bring them on.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>11. <strong>If we don't bring on an agency, how will we get to our goals?</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In question 8, you had to start assigning some <em>real</em> numbers. If you want to grow by 15% this year, and you don't bring on an agency to help with the digital landscape, how will you get that 15%?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>By preparing yourself and asking your team these questions before bringing in agencies to interview, you'll be able to shape better conversations and have your new agency know exactly where you want to go. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Photos: <a href="http://rocknrollbride.com" title="rocknrollbride.com" target="_blank">rocknrollbride.com</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com" title="pinterest.com" target="_blank">pinterest.com</a>, <a href="http://www.inc.com/ilya-pozin/7-things-highly-productive-people-do.html" title="inc.com" target="_blank">inc.com</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Alexandra GibsonTue, 24 Apr 2012 11:42:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:124456http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124112/10-Local-Search-Directories-You-Can-t-Do-Without#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124112/10-Local-Search-Directories-You-Can-t-Do-Without<p><img id="img-1334770788801" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/thelocal1.jpg" border="0" alt="local search directories" width="201" height="253" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />Back in the pre-Internet days, if you wanted your small business to be found, you would list it in the local phonebook. Neglecting to do so would not only be lazy, it would be detrimental to your business.</p> <p>Today, failure to list your business in a wide variety of local search websites is tantamount to that same detrimental neglect. There are many sites vying to be the local phonebook of the web, and you would be foolish not to list your business on each and every one of them.</p> <p>Working off of Hubspot's <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/10322/The-Ultimate-List-50-Local-Business-Directories.aspx" title="very thorough local search listing" target="_blank">very thorough local search listing</a>, we have chosen ten local search directories that every local business should try to join.</p> <p>These ten listings are some of the top contenders for local search, and they are some of the first places that your potential customers will look. Developing listings on these sites is <strong>fast, simple, and free</strong>, and it will likely be the <strong>single most productive and lucrative thing you do all day long</strong>. (Photo: Google Places listing for famous Cville restaurant <a href="http://www.thelocal-cville.com/" title="The Local" target="_blank">The Local</a>- get it??)</p> <h2>10 Local Search Directories You Can't Do Without</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLoginAuth?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Flocal%2Fadd%3Fservice%3Dlbc&amp;service=lbc" title="Google Places" target="_blank">Google Places</a>- Not surprisingly, Google offers one of the most prominent and lucrative local search engines. Google Places lets you add photos, vidoes, and promotional offers, in addition to the crucial contact information.</li> <li><a href="http://listings.local.yahoo.com/" title="Yahoo" target="_blank">Yahoo</a>- The Yahoo local directory homepage lists reviews of local businesses and sorts businesses by category. You can get a basic business listing for free, and an advanced listing for $9.95 a month.</li> <li><a href="https://biz.yelp.com/" title="Yelp" target="_blank">Yelp</a>- Yelp lets you create exclusive deals for Yelp users, reply to customer reviews, and monitor trends in your industry.</li> <li><a href="http://www.bing.com/businessportal" title="Bing" target="_blank">Bing</a>- Like other directories, Microsoft's search engine lets you build a custom business profile</li> <li><a href="http://adsolutions.att.com/advertise-with-us?utm_source=YPR_blog.hubspot.com&amp;utm_campaign=YPR_%28referral%29&amp;utm_medium=YPR_referral&amp;utm_term=YPR_" title="Yellowpages" target="_blank">Yellowpages</a>- Because some people will never get tired of turning to the Yellow Pages.&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/signup/" title="Merchant Circle" target="_blank">Merchant Circle</a>- A trusted business search site that also offers platforms for blogs and newsletters.&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="https://foursquare.com/business/" title="Foursquare" target="_blank">Foursquare</a>- Foursquare is a great way to link up with various social media accounts, as customers can "check in" at your business and let their friends know they are enjoying the experience.&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="https://www.supermedia.com/business-listings" title="Supermedia" target="_blank">Supermedia</a>- This site offers the basic business profile and also has a platform for distrubting online coupons and deals.</li> <li><a href="https://listings.mapquest.com/apps/listing" title="Mapquest" target="_blank">Mapquest</a>- Link your business to one of the biggest names in local navigation</li> <li><a href="http://www.thinklocal.com/Business-Signup.aspx" title="ThinkLocal" target="_blank">ThinkLocal</a>- Users can browse businesses by state, city, and type on this up-and-coming local search directory.</li> </ul> Putting your business on these sites is <strong>free</strong>, it could <strong>drive a lot of local, highly-motivated traffic</strong>, and it could <strong>rapidly boost your <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/102230/SEO-Strategy-3-Instant-SEO-Boosters" title="geographic SEO credit. " target="_blank">geographic SEO credit</a></strong><a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/102230/SEO-Strategy-3-Instant-SEO-Boosters" title="geographic SEO credit. " target="_blank">. </a>What are you waiting for? <br /><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanMon, 23 Apr 2012 14:48:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:124112http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124284/Why-Should-My-Business-Use-Inbound-Marketing-INFOGRAPHIC#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/124284/Why-Should-My-Business-Use-Inbound-Marketing-INFOGRAPHIC<p>It's Friday again! It comes around once a week (thank you Captain Obvious) and that also means that it's Infographic Day!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Today's infographic is very near and dear to our heart because <a href="http://ottopilotmedia.com/what-is-inbound-marketing/" title="inbound marketing" target="_self">inbound marketing</a> is the foundation of what we do over here at the OttoPilot Media hangar. Good to see that firm emphasis here is placed on <a href="http://ottopilotmedia.com/inbound-marketing-services/content-marketing/" title="content marketing" target="_self">content marketing</a>--whitepapers, eBooks, webinars, and more.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>As this diagram so concisely describes, inbound marketing is a two-way conversation and is much more about "pull" marketing. This means that your business <strong>provides valuable information for people that are looking for that solution</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In comparison, outbound marketing--typically print, TV, radio, cold calls--is push marketing, or also called interruption marketing. It's much more about interrupting the consumer with the hopes that they will buy your product or service.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/Inbound Marketing Infographic-resized-600.png" border="0" alt="What is inbound marketing?" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Many thanks to <a href="http://voltierdigital.com" title="Voltier Digital" target="_blank">Voltier Digital</a> for designing this kickass infographic.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Want to know more about inbound marketing? <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/contact-ottopilot-media/" title="Connect with OttoPilot Media" target="_self">Connect with OttoPilot Media</a> and we'll set up a time to chat.</strong></p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Alexandra GibsonFri, 20 Apr 2012 15:37:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:124284http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123889/Learn-From-The-Big-Boys-Big-Brands-Awesome-Facebook-Promotions#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123889/Learn-From-The-Big-Boys-Big-Brands-Awesome-Facebook-Promotions<p>These big-name brands have leapt on Facebook's business opportunities and have developed some inspiring Facebook promotion campaigns. As much as we might not like to admit it, any small business online marketing firm can learn a lot from these big-business Facebook campaigns.</p> <p><strong>Use Facebook to introduce a new product: Ford Explorer's 2010 Rollout</strong></p> <p>Ford's 2010 "Reveal" of its new Explorer model <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/new-economy/2010/0726/As-2011-Ford-Explorer-turns-heads-so-does-its-marketing-campaign" title="relied heavily on Facebook marketing" target="_blank">relied heavily on Facebook marketing</a>, introducing fans to the car with videos, live chats, and other features.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/fordexplorer.jpg" border="0" alt="facebook promotion campaigns" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />Photo: Ford</p> <p>Ford used Facebook to make its rollout a universal event, engaging fans from all over the world and uniting those fans around one event. Introducing a new product on Facebook is a great way to involve users in your business and get them excited about upcoming offerings. <strong><br /></strong></p> <p><strong>Put your product in the hands of its users: Papa John's </strong></p> <p>Back in 2010, <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/05/21/papa-johns-pizza-challenge/" title="Papa John's Pizza asked its Facebook users" target="_blank">Papa John's Pizza asked its Facebook users</a> to submit recipes for a new pizza and letting other users vote on the pizzas using the "like" feature.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1334598751944" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/37769_416009317638_34703237638_4891406_4716096_n.jpg" border="0" alt="big business facebook promotion campaigns" width="219" height="180" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />Finalists make their pizzas: Photo- <a href="http://www.facebook.com/papajohns?v=app_112866542079019" title="Papa John's Facebook" target="_blank">Papa John's Facebook</a></p> <p>The campaign promoted multiple social media interactions- liking Papa John's Facebook page, liking and sharing different photos of user creations, and posting comments about various creations. <strong><br /></strong></p> <p><strong>Give back to a favorite charity: Southwest Airlines and Make A Wish Foundation</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Southwest" title="Southwest Airlines" target="_blank">Southwest Airlines</a> put together an <a href="http://www.buzzom.com/2011/08/10-successful-social-media-campaigns-you-can-learn-from/" title="innovative Facebook campaign" target="_blank">innovative Facebook campaign</a> to benefit the <a href="http://www.wish.org/" title="Make A Wish Foundation" target="_blank">Make A Wish Foundation</a>. Every time a traveler used the Facebook "Places" app to check in at a Southwest-serviced airport, the airline donated $1 to the Make A Wish Foundation.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/southwest.jpg" border="0" alt="big brand facebook promotion campaigns" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />Photo: buzzom.com</p> <p style="text-align: left;">The campaign raised signifcant donations for a great cause while also encouraging fans to engage with Southwest on Facebook. Facebook is a great way to mobilize your followers for a charitable cause, and to ensure that your small business is giving back to the community around you. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanTue, 17 Apr 2012 13:27:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:123889http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123858/5-Cover-Photos-That-Spark-Business-Without-Making-Facebook-Mad#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123858/5-Cover-Photos-That-Spark-Business-Without-Making-Facebook-Mad<p>Mark Zuckerberg likes to remind us that Facebook is all about the image. His most recent, very forceful reminder came when <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/04/09/facebook-instagram-buy/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable%2FSocialMedia+%28Mashable+%C2%BB+Social+Media+Feed%29" title="Facebook purchased image-editing app Instagram for $1 billion" target="_blank">Facebook purchased image-editing app Instagram for $1 billion</a> (An 8 person company bought for $1 billion... obviously we should have gone into the app-building industry...)</p> <p>The recent change to the Facebook Timeline layout emphasizes that focus on the image, with a large cover photo taking up well over a third of every user's screen. For those using Facebook for business, this means that <strong>your cover photo is the single largest image that your customer will see. </strong>First impressions loom large for online users, so <strong>your Facebook timeline cover photo should be creative, engaging, and should send the right message about your business. </strong></p> <p>The Facebook terms of use <strong>do not allow direct links or call to actions in your cover photo</strong>, but there are ways to subtly promote further engagment with your business. These five Facebook business page cover photos do a great job of providing compelling images that <em>also</em> compel further actions from users. Check it out and get inspired for your own business cover photo!</p> <h2><strong>5 Cover Photos That Spark Business Without Making Facebook Mad</strong></h2> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/verizon" title="Verizon Wireless" target="_blank"><strong>Verizon Wireless</strong></a></p> <p>Verizon put their cover photo in their customers' hands, asking Verizon users to take pictures with their phones and send them in to be considered for Verizon's cover photos. Their current cover photo features a collage of many submissions, but we like their older photos that give credit to individual users.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1334588490641" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/verizon.jpg" border="0" alt="great facebook timeline cover photos" width="519" height="192" class="alignCenter" />Photo: Verizon (and Jose, of course)</p> <p style="text-align: left;">With each photo, Verizon gives credit to their users while also subtly promoting the phone that each photo was taken with. This photo contest concept is a great way to encourage user engagement without being overtly promotional.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/uber" title="Uber" target="_blank"><strong>Uber</strong></a></p> <p style="text-align: left;">This swanky car compnay has a creative cover photo that manages to be both retro and informative. The faded purple map creates a compelling image, while the scattered car icons usefully point out where to find the company.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1334588842061" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/uber.jpg" border="0" alt="great facebook timeline cover photos" width="485" height="180" class="alignCenter" />Photo: Uber</p> <p style="text-align: left;">One thing Uber does not do is give more information in their cover photo caption. <strong>The cover photo caption is a great place to share call-to-actions</strong>. In this case, Uber could list the various locations of their businesses and how to contact each one.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/fanta" title="Fanta" target="_blank"><strong>Fanta</strong></a></p> <p style="text-align: left;">Fanta is known for their creative advertising, and their Facebook Timeline cover photo does not disappoint. Fanta uses an image from a current ad campaign, which is a great way to provide continuity within your various marketing platforms.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1334589313921" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/fanta.jpg" border="0" alt="great facebook timeline cover photos" width="493" height="182" class="alignCenter" />Photo: Fanta</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Fanta's information section encourages users to "like" the page in order to find out more about the interactive campaign.&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/lawyerscom" title="Lawyers.com" target="_blank"><strong>Lawyers.com</strong></a></p> <p style="text-align: left;">While it may not be the most thrilling Facebok page of all time, the Lawyers.com Facebook Timeline cover photo does a great job of promoting its website's current content. The image creatively references new blog posts, while the caption provides actual links to each post.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1334589662343" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/lawyers.jpg" border="0" alt="great facebook timeline cover photos" width="526" height="195" class="alignCenter" />Photo: Lawyers.com</p> <p style="text-align: left;">This a great way to promote your new blog posts without overtly including a call to action in your cover photo image.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/DynamicsUS" title="Dynamics Online" target="_blank"><strong>Dynamics Online</strong></a></p> <p style="text-align: left;">For our last example, we decided to give a little love to fellow online marketing firm Dynamics Online. We like their cover photo because it embarces the human element of business, giving a face to what might otherwise seem remote technology.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1334590095859" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/dynamics.jpg" border="0" alt="great facebook timeline cover photos" width="576" height="339" class="alignCenter" />Photo: Dynamics Online</p> <p style="text-align: left;">A photo of your employes gives a friendly face to your company, perfect for the image-based community that Zuckerberg insists Facebook be.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">For more great examples of Facebook timeline cover phoots, check out this <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32215/17-Examples-of-Creative-Facebook-Page-Cover-Photos.aspx" title="Hubspot article" target="_blank">Hubspot article</a>. </p> <p style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanMon, 16 Apr 2012 14:07:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:123858http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123546/Worldwide-Social-Media-Usage-INFOGRAPHIC#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123546/Worldwide-Social-Media-Usage-INFOGRAPHIC<p>Continuing our Friday dosage of infographics from last week's <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123103/Components-of-the-Perfect-Website-for-Online-Marketing-INFOGRAPHIC" title="Components of the Perfect Website" target="_blank">Components of the Perfect Website</a>, we love this social media usage infographic.&nbsp;</p> <p>Showing social media usage around the world, this infographic makes a pretty persuasive argument for Facebook as the most prevalent social media platform. Additionally, its a great graphic to show those skeptical about the impact and reach of social media marketing or <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/free-whitepaper-determining-social-media-roi/" title="social media ROI" target="_blank">social media ROI</a> (if such skeptics even exist).</p> <p>Sadly, no data is included from China or India, as the researchers did not find that data reliable.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1334168856341" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/infographic1.jpg" border="0" alt="worldwide social media usage infographic" width="559" height="1570" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />Infographic: <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/09/23/world-social-networks-infographic/" title="Mashable" target="_blank">Mashable</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanFri, 13 Apr 2012 15:17:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:123546http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123530/Tom-Tom-Festival-utilizes-social-media-ready-to-take-Cville-by-storm#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123530/Tom-Tom-Festival-utilizes-social-media-ready-to-take-Cville-by-storm<p><img id="img-1334166026617" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/Tom Tom Logo ORANGE.jpg" border="0" alt="tom tom festival social media marketing" width="189" height="165" class="alignRight" style="height: 165px; width: 189px; float: right;" />Charlottesville better get ready. Paul Beyer is about to unleash a month's worth of great music, free block parties, local art exhibits, innovative small group discussions, and all-around creativity.</p> <p>Beyer is one of the key figures behind the <a href="http://tomtomfest.com/" title="First Annual TomTom Founders Festival" target="_blank"><strong>First Annual TomTom Founders Festival</strong></a>, a month-long music, art, and innovation festival <strong>kicking off in Charlottesville tomorrow, April 13th</strong>.</p> <p>OttoPilot got the chance to sit down with Beyer and discuss <strong>the inspiration behind TomTom</strong> and <strong>the social media marketing that helped make it all a reality.</strong></p> <p>Beyer got the idea for TomTom from a series of home concerts that he hosted in his apartment, in the same building that OttoPilot calls home. Bands from all over the country would come through Charlottesville and play at Beyer's apartment, to crowds of 60 or 70 people.</p> <p><img id="img-1334163813912" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/My Apt - house concert.jpg" border="0" alt="tom tom music festival social media marketing" width="403" height="269" class="alignCenter" style="height: 269px; width: 403px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p> <pre style="text-align: center;">Local music lovers gathered in Beyer's apartment for a casual concert (Photo: Paul Beyer)</pre> <p style="text-align: left;">Inspired by these grassroots concerts, Beyer decided that he wanted to "build a whole festival around music in places that you don't expect to see it". With that, the Tom Tom Founders Festival was born.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">That initial concept evolved into <strong>a month-long festival offering everything from concerts to poetry competitions to discussions centered around local startup businesses.</strong> (Check out the <a href="http://www.tomtomfest.com/schedule" title="full schedule of Tom Tom events" target="_blank">full schedule of Tom Tom events</a>).</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong><img id="img-1334166514254" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/ttfffacebook2.jpg" border="0" alt="tom tom festival social media marketing" width="256" height="191" class="alignRight" style="height: 191px; width: 256px; float: right;" />Social media has played an important role in that evolution</strong>, as Beyer and others have promoted the event over Facebook and Twitter. According to Beyer, Facebook proved the most effective promotional tool.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">"The beautiful thing about Facebook," Beyer said, is that users view the Tom Tom page and then "share about it, talk about it, and make it their own". The <a href="http://www.facebook.com/tomtomfest" title="Tom Tom Festival Facebook page" target="_blank">Tom Tom Festival Facebook page</a> now has almost 700 likes, and Beyer and his team have done a great job of sharing witty and informative content centered around their event. (Photo: TTFF Facebook)</p> <p style="text-align: left;">The biggest question with Facebook, Beyer said, has been <strong>"How do you empower your partners to cross-promote?"</strong>. On Facebook, cross-promotions means partnering with your Facebook connections to promote an event or product that is relevant to you both. In marketing terms, cross-promotion can be extremely lucrative, as you extend your reach to your partner's connections as well as your own. </p> <p style="text-align: left;">According to Beyer, <strong>giveaways and ticket raffles have proved the most effective way to utilize those connections</strong>. Tom Tom has partnered with numerous venues and organizations across Charlottesville, and many of those businesses have hosted ticket raffles and giveaways on their own Facebook pages. These raffles promoted the Tom Tom event across various cross-sections of the Charlottesville community, reaching groups that might have otherwise been left in the dark.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">The Tom Tom calendar is full of events to appeal to Charlottesville digital marketers, and OttoPilot is even hosting one event in our office. On May 9th, representatives from <a href="http://www.willowtreeapps.com/" title="Willow Tree Apps" target="_blank">Willow Tree Apps</a>,<a href="http://www.marijeanjaggers.com/" title=" Jaggers Communication" target="_blank"> Jaggers Communication</a>, and <a href="http://vibethink.com/" title="VibeThink" target="_blank">VibeThink</a> will lead a <a href="http://www.tomtomfest.com/events/evententry/social-media" title="discussion of social media marketing" target="_blank">discussion of social media marketing</a>. This discussion is part of a Wednesday series of <strong>"Place Based Innovation" talks</strong> exploring Charlottesville as a hub for startup businesses.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/washpost20081224.jpg" border="0" alt="tom tom festival social media marketing" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />Beyer points out that startups require "a culture where people can collaborate," and that Charlottesville's Downtown Mall offers "that central meeting ground that is the critical component of a startup hub". (Photo: Charlottesville Albermarle Convention and Visitors Bureau)</p> <p style="text-align: left;">In the spirit of that collaboration, <strong>OttoPilot is hosting a bluegrass concert on April 18th</strong>. We are pretty excited to open up our offices to a great band and a great crowd!</p> <p style="text-align: left;">The Tom Tom festival is a great example of what a lot of creativity and some innovative digital marketing can do for a local community. We're pretty excited about this festival here and OttoPilot, and if you are stopping through Charlottesville in the next month, you should definitely check it out. </p> <p style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanThu, 12 Apr 2012 13:42:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:123530http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123274/How-To-Use-Pinterest-As-A-Free-Focus-Group#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123274/How-To-Use-Pinterest-As-A-Free-Focus-Group<p><img id="img-1333992806446" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/pinterest cover-resized-185.png" border="0" alt="pinterest for business case studies" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />Only amateurs see Pinterest as <em>just</em> an online scrapbook. Savvy business owners know that it can be much, much more than that.</p> <p>Pinterest can actually function as something like a free focus group, measuring customer reaction to various products or topics.</p> <p>In a webinar at 4:45 on Thursday April 12, we will be sharing all sorts of tips on using Pinterest for business, focusing on four case studies that we have found extremely helpful. Make sure that your <a href="https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/217162055" title="register for the upcoming webinar" target="_blank">register for the upcoming webinar</a>- you don't want to miss it! Even if you can't make 4:45pm, you should register to receive a recording of the webinar.</p> <p>Meanwhile, check out one of our favorite tips from these case studies: <strong>Using Pinterest To Measure Customer Reaction</strong></p> <p>In her <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/case-studies-how-4-organizations-use-pinterest/" title="case study of Rent the Runway and other businesses on Pinterest" target="_blank">case study of Rent the Runway and other businesses on Pinterest</a>, Alexandra noted that Rent the Runway did a good job of curating their selection based on customer engagment. Rent the Runway's business depends on choosing dresses that their customers will buy, and <strong>Pinterest can actually show them what customers will be interested in</strong>.</p> <p>For example, on Rent the Runway's "<a href="http://pinterest.com/RentTheRunway/attire-polished/" title="ATTIRE: Polished&quot; board" target="_blank">ATTIRE: Polished" board</a>, a black satchel generated 5 likes and 11 repins while a black clutch sparked only 1 like and 3 repins.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img id="img-1333991579303" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/satchel.jpg" border="0" alt="satchel" width="141" height="286" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img id="img-1333991659965" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/clutch2.jpg" border="0" alt="pinterest for business" width="159" height="284" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;">Photos: Rent The Runway Pinterest</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Initially, this might tell Rent the Runway that their customers are more interested in larger bags. Of course, accepting that conclusion without further data would be simplistic. Instead, Rent the Runway could run something similar to an <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/?Tag=A/B%20Testing" title="A/B test" target="_blank">A/B test</a>, posting different pins of various sized bags and tracking overall responses and trends.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">In another example, Rent the Runway's posts on citrusy colors like yellow, orange, and pink seemed to be pretty popular with Pinterest users.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img id="img-1333992077237" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/yellow1.jpg" border="0" alt="pinterest case studies" width="175" height="302" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img id="img-1333992156693" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/pinkorange1.jpg" border="0" alt="pinterest case study" width="168" height="293" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;">Photos: Rent The Runway Pinterest</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Using these pins as a mini-focus group, Rent the Runway should continue to post pins in these colors, and, if responses continue to be high, they should strive to offer more items in these colors.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">This focus group model can be applied to most Pinterest for business pages, even if your page does not specifically focus on retail. Post pins about topics relevant to your industry, measure consumer interest, and, if it is fairly high, try to offer more content related to that topic.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">For more case studies about Pinterest for business, check out our <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/case-studies-how-4-organizations-use-pinterest/" title="4 Pinterest Case Studies Guide" target="_blank">4 Pinterest Case Studies Guide</a>. And make sure you don't forget about Thursday's webinar: <a href="https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/217162055" title="What Can Your Business Learn from these Pinterest Case Studies" target="_blank">What Can Your Business Learn from these Pinterest Case Studies</a>?&nbsp; </p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanTue, 10 Apr 2012 14:48:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:123274http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/122912/Pinterest-101-Courtesy-of-the-University-of-Virginia#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/122912/Pinterest-101-Courtesy-of-the-University-of-Virginia<p><img id="img-1333558994154" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/uva1.jpg" border="0" alt="University Of Virginia on Pinterest" width="165" height="178" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />As at many other things, the <a href="http://pinterest.com/viewUVA/" title="University of Virginia is pretty good at Pinterest" target="_blank">University of Virginia is pretty good at Pinterest</a>. Thomas Jefferson's university boasts <strong>15 Pinterest boards</strong> that range from the practical (What's New At UVA) to the creative (Wahoo Crafts &amp; Decor) <br /><br />Anyone looking to use Pinterest for business can learn a lot from UVa's Pinterest page. In the spirit of Mr. Jefferson's love of lifelong learning, we are pleased to present<strong> a few key Pinterest tips</strong>.</p> <p>For more great Pinterest case studies, check out our <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/case-studies-how-4-organizations-use-pinterest/" title="Pinterest for Business guide" target="_blank">Pinterest for Business guide</a>!</p> <h2><strong>Pinterest for Business 101: The University of Virginia</strong></h2> <p><strong>Lesson #1: Know Your Audience</strong></p> <p>UVA does a great job of <strong>anticipating what its audience will want to look at</strong> and delivering those images in abundance.</p> <p>One of its most popular boards, "<a href="http://pinterest.com/viewUVA/around-grounds/" title="Around Grounds" target="_blank">Around Grounds</a>," showcases beautiful photographs of the UVA campus. Given its over 1,000 followers, this board obviously touches a nerve within UVA students and alumni</p> <p><img id="img-1333559726714" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/uva2.jpg" border="0" alt="University of Virginia Pinterest" width="580" height="252" class="alignCenter" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Another board good-naturedly embraces UVa's prepster reputation. From JCrew scarves to orange and blue Sperry boat shoes, the <a href="http://pinterest.com/viewUVA/wahoo-stylin-/" title="Wahoo Stylin" target="_blank">Wahoo Stylin</a>' board is any preppy Wahoo's dream.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img id="img-1333560006242" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/uva3.jpg" border="0" alt="university of virginia on Pinterest" width="554" height="260" class="alignCenter" /></p> <p>The main take-away from this lesson? <strong>Pinterest is all about its users, so make sure you deliver what your users will want to see</strong></p> <p><strong>Lesson #2: Embrace Whimsy</strong></p> <p>Pinterest is not an overly serious social media site- it loves the fun, the humorous, and the unusual. <strong>Any business looking to do well on Pinterest should not be afraid to think outside the box</strong>.</p> <p><img id="img-1333560490830" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/uva4.jpg" border="0" alt="university of virginia pinterest" width="150" height="203" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />Our favorite "out of the box" board on UVa's page is "<a href="http://pinterest.com/viewUVA/thomas-jefferson-s-interior-design/" title="Thomas Jefferson's Interior Design" target="_blank"><strong></strong>Thomas Jefferson's Interior Design</a>," showcasing various artifacts and images from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Incidentally, our favorite among these pins is the Monticello Dollhouse. (Yep, it exists).</p> <p>Another favorite pin has to be a <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/42713896435901097/" title="student-made video entitled &quot;Gettin Drunk Off Books&quot;" target="_blank">student-made video entitled "Gettin Drunk Off Books"</a>, a rap celebration of UVA's libraries.</p> <img id="img-1333561017830" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/uva5.jpg" border="0" alt="university of virginia on pinterest" width="244" height="191" class="alignCenter" style="height: 191px; width: 244px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /> <pre style="text-align: center;">Scholarship at it's finest, for sure. </pre> <p style="text-align: left;">These intriguing and light-hearted pins keep UVa's board from feeling too serious, and keep visitors coming back for fun, interesting, and relevant content.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Lesson #3: Captions</strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Too many businesses Pinners neglect the potential that picture captions offer</strong>. UVA does a good job of developing some of its photo captions, packing information and personality into a quick sentence or two.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">On Pinterest, <strong>users can search for pins by various keywords</strong>. So, if you have those keywords in your caption, your pin will automatically move to the top of the pile. It's a lot like a simplfied version of SEO keywords- you want your captions to link you with viewers seeking your type of business.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><img id="img-1333561427185" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/uva6.jpg" border="0" alt="university of virginia pinterest" width="150" height="295" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />The pin to the right is a great example of a strong caption using Pinterest for business.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">The caption is brief, but it is <strong>informative</strong> and it <strong>gives users an option for further engagement</strong>- downloading U.Va. magazine on their iPad. It gives a glimpse of what readers can expect from the issue and essentially acts as a <strong>subtle call to action</strong>. <strong></strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;">The is certainly some room for improvement within UVa's captions. Some of them are a bit too generic, simply saying things like "Wahoowa!". Captioning a photo of the football stadium with <em>"wahoowa"</em> does little to make that image more interesting or searchable. Captioning it with <em>"Wahoowa! Football seasons starts in 4 weeks, get your tickets now to support the Virginia Cavaliers"</em> opens up many search possibilites and provides a helpful call-to-action.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Your Pinterest For Business Homework</strong>: Take a look at your business Pinterest page. Are you catering to what your audience might want? Are you sharing creative, interesting, or humorous pins? Are you captioning your photos effectively? If not, it might be time to hit the books and make a few changes. And make sure to <strong>check out these other case studies in our <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/case-studies-how-4-organizations-use-pinterest/" title="Pinterest for Business Guide" target="_blank">Pinterest for Business Guide</a>.</strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><br /><em><strong>Class adjourned!</strong></em></p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanMon, 09 Apr 2012 14:49:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:122912http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123103/Components-of-the-Perfect-Website-for-Online-Marketing-INFOGRAPHIC#Comments1http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/123103/Components-of-the-Perfect-Website-for-Online-Marketing-INFOGRAPHIC<p>Infographics abound across these interwebs these days. I love how they make statistics that might seem dry in an Excel spreadsheet into <strong>something visually appealing and <em>very</em> shareable</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Plus, it seems like <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/122894/3-Digital-Media-Infographics-That-Will-Rock-Your-World" title="an infographic is just the right amount of information" target="_self">an infographic is just the right amount of information</a> to be able to digest on a Friday. So, here we are...the first of a series of <a href="http://ottopilotmedia.com/what-is-inbound-marketing/" title="internet marketing" target="_self">internet marketing</a> infographics to make your Fridays rosy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>What I like best about this infographic from <a href="http://www.roimedia.co.za/the-anatomy-of-a-perfect-website/" title="ROI Media" target="_blank">ROI Media</a> is that it could just as easily work as a checklist to hand over to your web developer.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img id="img-1333664271685" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/Infographic_perfect website.jpg" border="0" alt="Components of the perfect website" width="538" height="2852" class="alignCenter" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Don't forget to <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/101049585359107481/" title="pin this bad boy to Pinterest" target="_blank">pin this bad boy to Pinterest</a> if you dig (with one "g") it!</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div style="float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"> <p style="font-size: 10px; color: #76838b;">&nbsp;</p> </div><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Alexandra GibsonFri, 06 Apr 2012 10:13:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:123103http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/122894/3-Digital-Media-Infographics-That-Will-Rock-Your-World#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/122894/3-Digital-Media-Infographics-That-Will-Rock-Your-World<p>A great infographic is like a stellar Super Bowl ad- creative, attention-grabbing, and informative all in one brief space.</p> <p>Infographics have been popping up all over the digital media marketing world, covering everything from social media marketing trends to the basics of inbound marketing. Not all of these infographics are great, and some of them even veer towards extremely boring.</p> <p>However, there are some that can truly change the way that you think about digital media marketing and inspire new ideas for marketing your small business to the online world.</p> <p>With that hope in mind, here are three of our favorite digital media infographics. For more awesome infographics, <a href="http://pinterest.com/ottopilotmedia/digital-marketing/" title="check out our Pinterest board" target="_blank">check out our Pinterest board</a>! </p> <h2>3 Digital Media Marketing Infographics That Will Rock Your World</h2> <p><a href="http://socialmouths.com/blog/2012/03/27/inbound-marketing-infographic/" title="The Inbound Marketing Explosion" target="_blank"><strong>The Inbound Marketing Explosion</strong></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1333552198478" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/inbound_marketing_explosion.jpg" border="0" alt="digital media infographics" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />Infographic: socialmouths.com</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>What rocked our world? </strong></em></p> <ul> <li><strong>54% of businesses are increasing their inbound marketing budgets each year</strong>- Obviously, something is working.&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Small businesses are the biggest adopters of inbound marketing</strong>. Inbound marketing is cost-effective enough to work with so many different business models (it's cheaper than traditional, less effective methods!)</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://visual.ly/anatomy-content-marketing-heart-online-success" title="The Anatomy of Content Marketing" target="_blank"><strong>The Anatomy of Content Marketing</strong></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1333551531065" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/TheAnatomyofContentMarketingtheheartofonlinesuccess_4f4c0cc109158.jpg" border="0" alt="digital media infographics" width="578" height="1022" class="alignCenter" style="height: 1022px; width: 578px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />Infographic: visual.ly.com</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><em><strong>What rocked our world</strong>:</em></p> <ul> <li><strong>Word of mouth is the primary factor in 50% of buying decisions</strong>. This means that social media is <em>hugely important</em> to any digital marketing strategy.</li> <li><strong>Companies with blogs get</strong> <strong>97% more inbound links than other sites</strong>. Why would you ever miss out on this opportunity?&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/social-media-statistics-stats-2012-infographic/" title="Social Media Statistics For 2012" target="_blank"><strong>Social Media Statistics For 2012</strong></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1333551947012" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/social-media-statistics.jpg" border="0" alt="digital media infographics" width="480" height="4387" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />Infographic: www.digitalbuzzblog.com</p> <p><em><strong>What rocked our world:</strong></em></p> <ul> <li><strong>Auto-posting to Facebook decreases likes and comments by 70%</strong>. This means that you should always take the time to come up with original and engaging Facebook posts.&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>73% of people think employees overshare on social media</strong>- Keep those posts meaningful and interesting to avoid seeming too promotional.</li> </ul><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanThu, 05 Apr 2012 14:23:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:122894http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/122684/OttoPilot-Hits-The-Street-For-Creative-Images#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/122684/OttoPilot-Hits-The-Street-For-Creative-Images<p><img id="img-1333382044968" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/photoshoot.jpg" border="0" alt="ottopilot creative images" width="226" height="226" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />We've been talking a lot about <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/free-list-30-blog-post-ideas-for-30-days-/" title="creative blog ideas" target="_self">creative blog ideas</a>, images, and blog <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/117345/Creative-Blog-Ideas-8-Blog-Videos-For-Your-Small-Business-Blog" title="videos" target="_blank">videos</a>. It's only fair that we show you just how creative we can get here at OttoPilot.</p> <p>A few weeks ago, Alexandra, myself, and fellow intern Jillian hit the streets of Charlottesville for a hilarious photoshoot. While this was certainly fun, the trip had a business purpose. We used paraphernelia from <a href="http://www.hubspot.com/" title="Hubspot" target="_blank">Hubspot</a> and other marketers and plan to use the photos in various promotional campaigns.</p> <p>Before we get to the rest of the images, let's go over just <strong>why blog images are so important</strong></p> <ul> <li>With the advent of <strong>Pinterest</strong> and <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/case-studies-how-4-organizations-use-pinterest/" title="the growing use of Pinterest for business" target="_blank"><strong>the growing use of Pinterest for business</strong></a>, <strong>images have become more important than ever</strong>. You want to use creative, enaging images that will encourage users to repin your post.</li> <li><strong>Images help with SEO</strong>. Google's algorithm's track images as well, so you should <strong>always use images in your post</strong> and <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/119287/Search-Engine-Optimization-Three-Steps-to-Better-On-Page-SEO" title="always include alt tags on your images" target="_blank"><strong>always include alt tags on your images</strong></a></li> <li><strong>Don't be afraid to make your own images</strong>- they are guaranteed to be original and to fit with your business's personality. And that brings us to our next point...</li> </ul> <h2><strong>OttoPilot's photoshoot in pursuit of creative images</strong></h2> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img id="img-1333382095853" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/photoshoot4.jpg" border="0" alt="photoshoot4" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></strong>Doesn't everyone read inbound marketing books on the steps of quaint old inns? Or is that only Alexandra? <strong><br /></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong></strong><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/photoshoot3.jpg" border="0" alt="photoshoot3" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />Hubspot: Freshly grown just for you</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img id="img-1333381836083" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/photoshoot5.jpg" border="0" alt="ottopilot creative images" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;">Interns? Or monkeys?</p> <p style="text-align: center;">And finally...</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/photoshoot.jpg" border="0" alt="otto pilot creative images" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />My personal favorite</p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanTue, 03 Apr 2012 15:30:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:122684http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/122672/What-Do-Google-s-Search-Changes-Mean-For-Your-Small-Business#Comments0http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/122672/What-Do-Google-s-Search-Changes-Mean-For-Your-Small-Business<p><img id="img-1333380006972" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/google.jpg" border="0" alt="google search changes" width="214" height="89" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />Everyone is talking about Google's recent and upcoming search changes. Okay, maybe not everyone, <em>but</em> the techie world is certainly buzzing, and with good reason.</p> <p>Google recently announced <a href="http://techland.time.com/2012/03/15/google-talks-up-big-search-changes/" title="several immediate and future changes to the Google search algorithm" target="_self">several immediate and future changes to the Google search algorithm</a>. Every SEO-conscious business owner should be paying attention to these changes. They will change <strong>SEO best practices for small businesses and large businesses</strong> alike, and they will also change your content creation strategy.</p> <p>These search changes can be broken down into two categories: <strong>making search results more direct</strong> and <strong>making search results more social </strong>(Photo: Google). <strong><br /></strong></p> <h2>Google is striving to make their search results more direct and intuitive- what does that mean for your small business SEO? <strong></strong></h2> <p>Basically, Google wants to build a massive knowledge graph that will allow them to provide direct answers to any search query and put those answers above any other links. In a <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/02/13/google-knowledge-graph-change-search/" title="recent Mashable article" target="_blank">recent Mashable article</a>, Google Senior VP Amit Singhal compared this vision to the infamous <em>StarTrek </em>computer.</p> <img id="img-1333378400251" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/computerweekly.jpg" border="0" alt="google search changes" width="216" height="187" class="alignCenter" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /> <pre style="text-align: center;">Is this where Google is headed? (Photo: computerweekly.com)</pre> <p style="text-align: left;">In more immediate terms, Google seems to be striving for something akin to Apple's Siri, which provides immediate answers to questions, instead of simply directing users to another website.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>What does this mean for small business SEO? </strong></p> <ul> <li>Since Google will be trying to provide direct answers to questions, your small business should really focus on trying to <strong>provide <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/100628/Top-Ten-Creative-Blog-Ideas" title="creative blog content" target="_blank">creative blog content</a> with unique opinions and viewpoints</strong>. <strong></strong></li> <li>Continue to use <a href="http://www.marketinghub.info/long-tail-versus-short-tail-keywords/" title="long-tail keywords" target="_blank"><strong>long-tail keywords</strong></a>, as Google will be focusing on specificity more than ever.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <h2>Google is striving to make their search results more social. What does this mean for your small business SEO?</h2> <p>As part of their promotion of <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/blog/bid/118625/How-to-Use-Google-Plus-for-Business" title="Google+" target="_blank">Google+</a>, Google has begun factoring social sharing into their search results. This means that a Google user, logged into his account, will see search results that his friends have shared or recommended.</p> <p><strong>What does this mean for small business SEO?</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong><img id="img-1333380088617" src="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/Portals/112170/images/google-plus-logo-resized-600.jpg" border="0" alt="google plus" width="229" height="222" class="alignRight" style="float: right;" />Social sharing</strong> is more important than ever. Make sure to share your content across Google+, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other sites</li> <li>Along with this, <strong>create content that is shareable. </strong>People are more likely to share compelling content that will spark conversation, so make sure that your blog posts and articles are capable of being that spark.</li> <li>Use <strong>creative, attention-grabbing titles</strong> that will prompt users to read and share your content. Keywords are still important, but they do not have to be systematically included in every title. Instead, <strong>focus on putting keywords in the body of your post and getting creative with the title</strong>.</li> <li>For more on how Google+ can impact your small business SEO, check out our <a href="http://info.ottopilotmedia.com/guide-to-google-for-business-/" title="Google+ best practices guide" target="_blank">Google+ best practices guide</a>!</li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</p><div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_container" style="height: 360px; padding-top: 10px;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_above"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_widget" style="border: 1px solid #D1D7DF; background-color: #f5f6f9; margin: 0px auto;"> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_logo" style="padding: 1px; margin: 0px; background-color: #edeff4; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/" title="NetworkedBlogs" target="_blank"><img src="http://static.networkedblogs.com/static/images/logo_small.png" alt="" title="NetworkedBlogs" style="border: none;" /></a></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_body" style="text-align: center;"></div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_follow" style="padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/katekamber?ahash=e6f1e489460226bb13b88081106d3877" style="display: block; line-height: 100%; width: 90px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; background-color: #3b5998; border: 1px solid #D9DFEA; border-bottom-color: #0e1f5b; border-right-color: #0e1f5b; color: #ffffff; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;">Follow this blog</a></div> </div> <div id="networkedblogs_nwidget_below"></div> </div> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ if(typeof(networkedblogs)=="undefined"){networkedblogs = {};networkedblogs.blogId=960950;networkedblogs.shortName="katekamber";} // ]]></script>Caroline NewmanMon, 02 Apr 2012 14:42:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:122672