Stream Creative Blog

Facebook Timeline for Businesses is Just Around the Corner

Monica Madsen — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:33:00 GMT

It’s finally here – well almost. Facebook is slowly rolling out Timeline for Business Pages. The estimated launch time is the end of the month, which is fast approaching. So what does this means for brands with pages? It means you should start prepping for the change and adjust yoru social media strategy, and here’s how.

If you don’t have timeline for your personal profile, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to switch over now so that you can start playing around with timeline and learn how it works. This way, when timeline comes for pages, you can make the switch and peruse through the set-up process.
Build a strategy for the new page. Create a cover photo that will define your brand and engage your customers. Develop a way to share your story to inform your customers of who you are a business and what it is you do.
Timeline gives a business the opportunity to hide specific moments in history that should not be shared, something from the past.
When sharing exclusive news, Timeline gives you the option to share with a specific group of people so not everyone can see what you are posting. This could be helping when sharing a special offer for fans only. But for posts about your business in general, you can share it with anyone and everyone. Content is just as important on your Facebook page as it is on your web page.
Get creative with the visual elements that will be on your page, aside from the profile and cover pictures. This could a great opportunity to add videos – both old and new.
With Timeline, you can date back to the beginning of business. Tell your business story and show how you have grown and expanded from the beginning.
When the time comes to make the switch, jump on it. Don’t wait until you are forced to make the switch. Also, take the time to play around with Timeline on your own page before right away publishing the new page and its additions.
Stay up-to-date on what your competitors are doing on their pages so that you can create a way to stand out. Don’t wait until the last minute to add Timeline. Make sure to do your research and be prepared for any possibility. No one is completely sure what the Timeline for Pages will all entail.

How are you getting prepared for the transition to the new Timeline on your business page? What are your thoughts on the change – will it have a positive or negative effect on how businesses are viewed?

10 Must-Have iPad Apps for Interactive Business Presentations and Professionals

Monica Madsen — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:18:00 GMT

Businesses incorporate new technology, such as the Apple iPad, to help simplify meetings, social media, and give interactive business presentations. Check out these five apps to help make and present interactive business presentations.

5 Must-Have iPad Apps for Interactive Business Presentations

Keynote. Part of the Apple iWork suite, the Keynote app is user-friendly and compatible with PowerPoint, which makes it beneficial for a business where everyone may not be using Apple products.
Prezi Viewer. If you use Prezi to create your interactive business presentations, you can present them with your iPad anywhere.
Power Presenter.When using a projector for your presentation, this app comes in handy. It also allows you to present a website and write, draw, and highlight on the slides during the presentation.
Corkulous. Save notes, contacts, ideas, and more on a corkboard. Corkulous also supports iCloud and Dropbox for extra sharing and data saving.
Sadun’s Whiteboard. Use a virtual whiteboard to present instead of a slideshow. Connect to a projection system using an Apple VGA video-out cable and draw right on an external screen with regular whiteboard markers and erasers.

Just as the iPad and business presentations go together, so do the iPad and the business professional. As a person in the business world, it is important to stay organized, connected, and up-to-date on the latest technology. This is where the iPad comes into the picture. The iPad is there to help with all those different tasks you must complete and keep track of ideas and contacts. Check out these five apps for the sales and marketing business professional.

5 Must-Have iPad Apps for Business Professional

GoToMeeting. Never miss a meeting again. GoToMeeting app allows you to attend a meeting wherever you are just by tapping the invite link. Share screens with the presenter to view slideshows, charts, reports or whatever needs to be shared.
Penultimate. Take notes with ease using your iPad instead of ferociously scribbling on that pad of paper. Save and organize notes so they are easy to find and share them with coworkers or friends.
Evernote. Sync Evernote on all your devices to keep all your notes, to-do lists, reminders, and photos in one place.
TweetDeck. Be a social butterfly and stay connected to your social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Monitor, manage, and post to your networks from one app.
Dropbox. Take your office with you wherever you go. With Dropbox, you can save all your files in this one location, and once Dropbox is installed on all your devices, you can access all your files from anywhere with any device.

How has the iPad been beneficial for your business presentations or as a business professional? What apps do you use on a regular basis? Share them with us.

20 Resources to Guide You Through Pinterest

Monica Madsen — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:52:00 GMT

Pinterest is the latest hottest trending social network online, driving more traffic than some other popular social sites. If you haven’t heard of Pinterest by now, let me bring you up to date on this new hot social networking site. Pinterest takes you to a whole new world of ideas with sharing and organizing. “People use pin boards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.” (pinterest.com/about) Check out this great article for a complete overview: Pinterest: Everything You Need To Know Is In This Massive Post

Many perks come with this new sharing site for both individuals and businesses. As a business, Pinterest can be used as a marketing site, sharing products, techniques, and ideas. Doing this will increase brand awareness and engagement, drawing people to the business’s site. A variety of resources are provided to help successfully use Pinterest for your business.

Besides using Pinterest for a business, the sharing pin board can be a huge help for individuals. Turn your boards in a huge bookmarking site to keep track of anything and everything you are interested in. Here are some reasons why and how to use Pinterest for your personal life.

Do you have Pinterest? How do you use it for your personal interests or your business?

Overcome Writer’s Block and Create Engaging Blog Posts

Monica Madsen — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:05:00 GMT

It happens to all of us. We open up a blank document and stare at the empty page for what seems to be an eternity. You have an idea for a blog but don’t know where to start. Or maybe you don’t even have the idea yet. Either way, that blog post is not creating itself. So, how do you overcome this obstacle and create exciting and engaging content? Follow these four simple steps and you’re on your way to developing an A+ blog.

1. Develop an idea

Develop a system to help you keep track of ideas. Whenever the light bulb goes on in your head, write down the idea so you don’t forget it. In doing this, you won’t forget it and you can come back at a later time to brainstorm more topics related to the idea. Once this process begins, you’re on your way to the writing step.

A great resource used on a daily basis here in the office is Evernote. Evernote can be used for a variety of reasons. It is great for taking notes, listing and organizing ideas, and even recording things you hear and see. Evernote can also be accessed anywhere, making it easy to use and utilized as an accessible electronic note pad.

Another tool that can be used to remember ideas is your own phone. Make use of voice recording to record ideas as they come up so they are not forgotten. For those of you with asmartphone, download a Notepad app that can be used for storing your ideas.

If you're stuck and can't come up with an idea, HubSpot can help. They provided 41 Fresh Blog Post Ideas For Your Company Blog to help get you started.

2. Organize your ideas, topics, or themes by category.

Different categories could be “How To’s,” “Opinions,” or “Fun Topics.” Once your topics are organized, you can choose from that category for which you are in the mood to write. Brainstorm the idea or topic further and develop and outline to help when writing the blog post.

It is also important to organize your keywords optimized for your website and use them in your blog posts to help increase your SEO. A simple way to organize your keywords and keyword phrases is to create an Excel document listing all your keywords. You can even go as far as organizing the keywords by topics. This way, when you are stuck on developing an idea, you can look at your list of keywords and build an idea or topic from those. It would also be a smart idea to track how many blog posts you do for each keyword. This will help create variety in the content and information you provide for your audience.

3. Determine the audience and buyer persona.

Now that you have your topic developed and outline, you're almost ready to start writing. Before you can start punching those keys on the keyboard, you have to figure out to whom you are directing the content. Determining your audience and buyer persona will help when creating the content because you then know which voice to use and how informative to be

If you’re not sure who your audience is or how to create content with them in mind, read through these three great articles to help establish your buyer persona and write for them. Knowing your buyer persona will help you personalize your blog posts and target a specific audience.

4. Write!

Finally, once you’ve gone through steps 1-3, you are ready to put some words on that blank document. It is important to have your writing cap on when creating the blog post. If you’re not in a blogging mindset, it will be challenging to start the writing process, which results in writers block.

One major way to avoid writer’s block from reoccurring is to get into the habit of writing on a regular basis. Here’s where another Excel document will come in handy. Create a schedule of posts for the month, or two weeks to start out. Within the chart, determine the dates when you want a post published. Next, decide the keyword for the post. Then develop ideas and topics relating to the keyword and provide references for research and further development. Finally, when the time comes to write a post, you can look at the chart and queue up the post for the week. Your idea will already be laid out for you. Having this chart will help regulate your blog posts and ideas. Soon the ideas will be forming and the content will be flowing.

When developing the content, it’s important to be creative. Find ways to engage with your audience, whether it’s through questions, infographics, or videos. The point of your blog is to inform and attract new leads. Researching will help with the creative process and finding your audiences’ interests.

What are some ways you overcome writer's block? How do you engage your audience?

Out With the Old, In With the New Facebook Timeline

Monica Madsen — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:39:00 GMT

It’s a new year so change is expected and we all knew this change was coming. It’s been a hot topic ever since the rumor erupted. I’m referring to the Facebook Timeline.

With Facebook Timeline, your whole life is right in front of you and is also visible to those able to view your profile. You have no secrets once you have the timeline. The timeline is a way to “tell your life story with a new kind of profile.” (According to the timeline homepage.)

With the introduction of the new feature come some negative and positive factors.

Negatives

Privacy concerns. Everything you have ever shared on Facebook can be viewed. However, it can be deleted from the timeline.
Images display. When you upload an image, the dimensions are irregular. Also, when choosing a new profile picture, you no longer have the option to crop the picture like you could with the old profile layout.
No Timeline for pages. Businesses with a page don’t have the to opportunity to customize their brand page like a profile. But this doesn’t mean that it won’t change.

Positives

Customizable. Before making your timeline public for the Facebook world to see, you can adjust settings and make the timeline your own. However, if you don’t click the “publish” button within seven days, your timeline will go live automatically. Even after your timeline is published, you can go to the “Activity Log” (which only you can see) and pick and choose what you want shared.
Add dated posts. With the new timeline, you can fill in the gaps and add pictures from years ago and select the year from which it came.
It’s like a new game. Make your profile fit your personality using the Timeline Covers app. With the app you have the choice if creating your own cover image or choosing from the variety of images the app offers.

I’m still getting used to the big change Facebook made but I like it thus far. Have you updated your profile to have the new timeline? What do you think of the change?

7 Tips For Making a Killer Interactive Business Presentation

Monica Madsen — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:00:00 GMT

For a final project, I gave a presentation in one of my communication classes. Sounds easy right, especially since it’s a communication class? Wrong.

My topic was “How Social Media Affects Listening in a Business.” I figured I’d go with social media since it is something I use every day, hoping that a familiar topic would make the presenting go smoother. I then decided that I wanted to use Prezi instead of PowerPoint, to spice things up a bit. I knew that many of my classmates weren’t familiar with the interactive presentation software. With this in mind, I was hoping that using Prezi would be a way to keep my audience engaged.

The topic alone would not work because most students feel they know everything there is to know about social media. (Which I proved in my presentation.) I started off by asking a few questions, determining who uses social media and why, what is social media, and if they follow businesses on the various platforms and why, to get them engaged and focused on the topic.

During the presentation, I watched as the audience took notes and seemed intrigued by the presentation itself. At the end of the presentation, there was a brief Q&A discussion.

Was I nervous while giving the presentation? Yes. My first concern was about making sure Prezi would work, since it was my first time. But it worked wonderfully! As the presentation went on, everything just flowed out because I knew my topic and had laid out what I wanted to say and discuss.

So, what’s my point in this story?

In order to give an effective presentation, there are a few key steps to take. This goes for a student giving a class presentation or a professional giving a business presentation. Keeping these elements in mind, a successful presentation will be given.

Know your topic inside and out. By the time you get up in front of your audience, you must be comfortable talking about the topic and be able to answer any questions that may come your way. It is not a bad thing to have note cards or an outline in front of you while presenting.
Know to whom you are presenting. Learn what intrigues the audience and use that to your advantage.
Know your limits. Just because you think you are humorous doesn’t mean the audience thinks you’re humorous. Present in a way that you are most comfortable with, while still keeping it professional.
Know the purpose of the presentation. What exactly is it that you are trying to do? Sell? Educate? Entertain? Keep this in mind while preparing.
Use proper visuals. Handouts are an effective visual. Audience members can take notes and follow along. PowerPoints and videos also work effectively. People tend to remember visuals better than text. When using PowerPoint, Prezi, or other slideshow programs, keep it professional looking yet intriguing. Use your own design elements and themes. Be creative.
PRACTICE! You may feel comfortable after just reading through your presentation, but that does not necessarily mean you are comfortable speaking it to an audience. So, practice the presentation out loud in front of mirror multiple times.
Allow time for Q&A at the end of your presentation. This is the time when your audience can ask for clarification or provide their input on certain elements within the topic.

Want to learn more about Prezi? Check out how businesses, such as Coca-Cola, are using Prezi. A variety of prezi’s are shared on the site to learn from and explore.

Black Friday: A Social Media Experience

Monica Madsen — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:31:00 GMT

Black Friday seems to be the trending topic this time of year. It seems people are preparing for more the shopping extravaganzas than for Thanksgiving! And just like your Thanksgiving dinner, Black Friday either turns out perfectly where you get exactly what you wanted or you leave unsatisfied.

This year, social media has a big role in the hopeful success of businesses. Twitter and Facebook is swarming with deals and gift card contests for stores. Foursquare is even proving effective by having “specials” for every check-in at certain places. Apps for Androids and iPhones have been created to promote and help your the Black Friday shopping experience.

Check out what some stores are sharing on Twitter, encouraging customers to spend some money on their special items.

Are you going shopping on Black Friday? Share your experience with us and any great deals you found!

Inbound Marketing Weekly Recap - Nov. 14-18

Monica Madsen — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:57:00 GMT

Build a great website that creates brand awareness and generates leads. This is any businesses’ goal when going through the process or creating a website, or even social networking profile. What steps should a business take to build a website that links their needs to the needs of their customers? Check out this week’s website checklist to see if your website meets all the requirements.

25 Must-Haves for a Remarkable Website

“Turn your website into an inbound marketing machine,” says Jessica Meher of Hubspot. Build a website that integrates the latest technology and key elements that engage with your audience. In this article:

Use search and sharing tools
Provide quality information
Use call-to-actions and landing pages

10 Point Website Optimization Checklist

Any website or profile a business creates should be appealing to both search engines and the audience. Follow these ten components to optimize your website to attract more visitors and get a better ranking in search engines. In this article:

Use headlines to separate sections
Provide internal links
Provide a quality meta description

Is Your ‘About Us’ Page Effective?

To build brand awareness, it is important to be creative in how you present your business team. If an audience is intrigued by the team’s background, there are better odds of getting business from them. Kevin B. Levi, of Marketing Profs, gives a “Winning Formula” to create an effective ‘About Us’ page. In this article:

Create an elevator pitch about the business
Share what sets your business apart from others
Create content for your targeted audience

Inbound Marketing Weekly Recap - Nov. 7-11

Monica Madsen — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:12:00 GMT

With any SEO strategy, valuable information that engages an audience needs to be offered. Publishing and sharing useful content will draw more customers to you. When creating great content, various rules must be followed so that the content doesn’t fail. In this weeks Inbound Marketing Recap, learn how to create beneficial content that reaches your audience.

6 Reasons Great Content Fails

It is not that easy to create intriguing content. Content that you may think is great may really not be, and it ends up failing. Pamela Vaughan, of Hubspot, shares reasons why content fails and provides ways to avoid some mistakes. In this article:

Have a creative title or headline
Target the topic appropriately
Learn from mistakes

Content Marketing Essentials: Tactical Advice From A to Z

Being able to create content for all kinds of brands is important in a content market strategy. The content is created to help the customers better understand the business. Businesses create the content to communicate and develop leads with their customers. Marty Weintraub, of Search Engine Land, shares advice on how to create useful content for all brands. In this article:

Be creative
Research
Provide Value

Is Your Content Too Focused?

Content should not just be targeted around the business. The information a business shares should include topics that the customers really care about, content that will have an effect and possibly cause an action on the customers part. Marketing Profs shares information about how to expand on your content. In this article:

Stop talking exclusively about the products
Expand on the benefits of using a product
View the message from the reader’s perspective

Inbound Marketing Weekly Recap - Oct. 24 - 28

Monica Madsen — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:02:00 GMT

Non-profits use stories to share their message in hopes of getting their audience to take action. Ironically enough, social media is used by businesses to share stories and communicate with their audience. So, why not use social media for non-profits? That is exactly what top non-profit organizations are doing. Using social media can benefit your cause and further spread its awareness. Learn how other non-profits are incorporating social media into their strategy.

10 Ways Non-Profits Can Benefit From Social Media

Most non-profit organizations have the same goal in mind: share their story to spread awareness of their cause and see results. Jason Miller, from Social Media Examiner, gives tips to take advantage of to benefit your organization. In this article:

Be interactive – using polls, feedback, and Twitter
Use videos to illustrate your story
Know your audience – donors, volunteers, partners, etc.

15 stats on how the top nonprofits use social media

Non-profits need to understand how to use social media before they can just dive right in and expect immediate results. Kyle Lace, from ragan.com, gives the top stats and ideas of how non-profits are using social media in their campaigns. In this article:

Give more than one option to share content – use all social media channels
Size of your non-profit following does not depend on budget size
Income does not increase visibility – interactions expands the organization

How Nonprofits Can Effectively Use Social Media

Using social media is more than a strategy; it is a tactic. Eileen O’Brien, from Philadelphia Young Nonprofit Leaders, shares her slideshow on how to properly use social media for your organization. In this slideshow:

Use the channels your audience is using
Recruit people within your organization who have a passion for social media
Share valuable content

Inbound Marketing Weekly Recap - Oct. 17 - 21

Monica Madsen — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:23:00 GMT

Congratulations on your engagement! Now what? This is a question businesses face after they have worked so hard to attract customers and engage with them via social media platforms and websites. Businesses need to keep that engagement strong and growing.

You can’t just stop after you’ve engaged with your target audience. Now you need to focus on retaining those customers and even turn them into leads. Here are this weeks articles that guide you into taking the engagement to the next level.

Why You Should Care About Audience Engagement

If you want to have a successful business, you have to determine the needs of your customers/audience. The way to do this is through interacting and engaging - basically communication. Wendy Brache, a guest writer for Social Media Today, gives reasons as to why you should connect with your audience. In this article:

Learn about engagement through Snoop Dogg
Discover what your audience cares about
Engaging takes effort

When Your Customers Know More Than Your Salespeople

Social media engagement should not be forced. Employees should be incorpated into the development and growth of the engagement plan. Just like you as a business want to learn about your customers, your customers want to learn about you. Christopher Krywulak, from Marketing Profs, looks at the online shopping experience and relates it too the way customers interact with a business. In this article:

Know your product or service inside and out
Grab the attention and keep that attention of your customers
Be interactive

How Content Marketing Builds Trusted Relationships

Telling stories is a great way to connect and engage your customers. Part of being engaged is about building a relationship with your audience. Think of it as a business relationship and just like any relationship, communication is key. C.C. Chapman was interviewed by Mechael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner. Chapman explains how to use content to engage and build relationships. In this video:

Importance of telling stories with your content
Good content impacts the business
Create a strategy

How do you engage with your audience? How have you kept your business relationship strong with your customers?

Make Business Connections Using Twitter

Monica Madsen — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:34:00 GMT

Twitter is just one of the many social media channels businesses and individuals use to connect and create leads. As a business, Twitter is used to share the latest news and product with customers, as well as sharing content of other businesses to generate leads. For an individual looking to make it in the world, using Twitter helps to connect with leaders in their industry of interest and learn from them. Using Twitter properly and effectively is another story and does not happen over night. Here are some articles that teach the proper way to use Twitter to benefit you and your business.

How to Use Twitter Hashtags to Generate Event Marketing Buzz

Create an impression and make your business stand out with a customized #hashtag. Alison Savery, of HubSpot Blog, explains how to use hashtags for events and to help measure success. In this article:

Why use a hashtag
Strategy behind a hashtag
Have effective hashtags

Don't Let Customers Become Angry Birds on Twitter

Even though communication is online and not in person, customer service still needs to be present and proper. Tammy Kahn Fennell, of Social Media Today, shares an experience of an upset customer on Twitter and how she handled the situation. In this article:

Get more out of 140 characters
Don’t take it too personally
Twitter doesn’t sleep

How Entrepreneurs Can Connect With Twitter Influentials

This is for all those individuals out there that want to make something of themselves and connect with highly regarded leaders in their industry. Carol Tice, of Entrepreneur, teaches how to find those leaders and catch their attention. In this article:

Join the right communities
Share their content – retweet
Make yourself visible to them

How do you use Twitter to promote your business and generate leads? Has Twitter helped you or your business?

PR + Social Media Summit Review

Monica Madsen — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:09:00 GMT

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the PR + Social Media Summit hosted by Hanson Dodge Creative at Marquette University, downtown Milwaukee.

All I can say is “WOW.” By the end of the day, I was exhausted. My brain was overloaded with information.

The sold-out event offered a variety of sessions with super-smart speakers, each with a unique angle for applying social media and public relations in the business world. Attendees included social media, marketing, and PR professionals as well as students interested in the industry of marketing, advertising, and of course social media and PR.

The summit utilized Twitter for the entire event. Throughout the day, attendees were encouraged to tweet to the speakers and use #prsms in the tweet. All the tweets were streamed live on a screen for everyone to see. Check out some of the tweets that were shared.

Engagement seemed to be the overall theme of the event. Many of the speakers discussed the importance of creating content that explores the points of interest and evolves the identity of the audience, based on values and cultures. @GeorgeGSmithJr, from Pepsi Co. said it best, “The best marketing still comes from Willy Wonka and his use of the golden ticket.”

Other speakers included:
@cbarger, @the_spinmd, @JessBerlin, @AlKrueger, @SaraMeaney, @AugieRay, and @jennymctighe.

Here are a few takeaways from the event that can be applied to your social media strategy:

Social media enhances experience and engagement. With social media you can establish a personal connection and add another perspective.
Whenever possible, develop an offline element by interacting with people. This builds a better relationship and can change the overall dynamic. Be actively involved and participate.
Brands use social media to get people to take action – to buy, listen, and participate. Connect your brand to people’s passions.
“Telling stories in social media is an art.” (@AlKrueger from @HansonDodge) Create content that engages your audience, thinking about what they need to hear about.
“You can’t influence an influencer unless you are an influencer.” (@the_spinmd from Alcatel-Lucent) Overall, you must be yourself. You need to know your influencers better than they know themselves.

Inbound Marketing Weekly Recap - Oct. 10 - 14

Monica Madsen — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:01:00 GMT

Google+ was created to make web sharing simple. But is it really that simple? I have heard both positives and negatives about this new sharing network. Granted they are still in the beginning phases and have kinks to work out.

I recently deleted my Google+ account. I was just not using it. Apparently, I am not the only one. Mashable released an article about the falling traffic of Google+: Google+ Traffic Falls 60% From Post-Launch Highs [REPORT]. Forbes also released a similar article earlier this week: Google Plus Traffic Down 60%. In these articles:

See how the numbers have jumped and dropped
Notice that Google+ updates haven’t had a major effect
People just aren’t convinced by Google+

So maybe I haven’t given Google+ the chance it deserves. I open up my browser and one of my tabs opens Facebook and another opens Twitter. I resort to those social networks because that is what I know. In order for me to open up Google+, I need to really think about it or see something that reminds me I have it. (This rarely happened, hence the deleting of my Google+ profile.)

Google+ is competing with Facebook and Twitter, two big sites that had to start from the beginning to get to where they are now. Google+ is going through the same process but maybe not as effectively. They have recently launched “Real-Time Search and Hashtag Support.” (Ironic timing – Facebook is launching their new Timeline and design.) Will the new updates for Google+ attract more people? Hubspot shared a blog concerning the latest additions: Google+ Launches Real-Time Search and Hashtag Support. In this article:

Watch a video for a better understanding of the new updates
See other new updates such as +1 Google AdWords
Google+ incorporates its articles in Google web search results

People are not big fans of change because they may not understand the new concept right away. Facebook is taking a risk by changing the layout and design of the social network. Google+ is taking a risk by competing with Facebook and Twitter. They are incorporating different ideas that other social networks don’t use, like the +1 Google AdWords and real-time search. International Business Times released an article saying it’s not fair for people to call Google+ a failure until they really try it and learn it: Why It is Wrong to Call Google Plus a Failure. In this article:

“We all don’t get it” so we don’t use it
Don’t judge a site based solely on the numbers
Give Google+ a chance – it’s still young

Who knows, maybe I will create a Google+ profile in the future, after is matures and grows. But for now, I’m sticking to Facebook and Twitter. Do you have a Google+ account? If you do, what do you like about it? If you don’t, do you think you will have one eventually?

Informal Study: iPads Turn Kids into Freaks

Jeff Coon — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:39:00 GMT

This is a formal warning to all parents with young children: iPads, smartphones and technology will turn your kids into freaks. They will no longer want to press buttons and will think that all devices function via touchscreen technology.

OK, so the above statement is a little drastic, but I have seen this with my own children - and was reminded of this via the article and video I saw on Milwaukee's very own JSOnline (video below):

The other night my 2 year old son was watching a video on our little travel DVD player. The movie stopped and he naturally wanted to get it to play again. So, he started swiping his finger across the screen and then pressing anything that resembled a button on the screen. He did this even though there were several "old-school" buttons right below his other hand.

My son has become so accustomed to touch screen technology, thanks to Angry Birds (on our iPad) and playing music on our iPhones, that he didn't even think to press any of the traditional DVD control buttons. When I saw that, I had an "Ah Hah Moment" - that interface design needs to constantly (and quickly) evolve as younger generations become consumers.

As web designers and web developers, we are constantly focusing on the user experience and making sure that our website designs are easy to navigate, have a thought-out visual hierarchy and present information in a way that resonates with our website visitors. But as visitors and customers become younger, how will we adapt our designs to meet their needs, while also meeting the usability needs of their parents?

I think the answer is in dynamic website layouts. As the social web becomes the norm and every human being has a social profile online, websites will become much smarter in how they present information. Currently, websites are getting really good at presenting content that matches the interests of their users. Sites like Amazon.com learn your likes and interests based on the pages you've viewed and products you've purchased. Facebook serves up ads based on information they've gathered in your profile. This makes browsing their site a customized experience (for the most part). While serving up user-specific content is great, what about serving up user-specific layouts?

It might sound a little far-fetched - and maybe even unnecessary but it's something to think about. If your audience skews younger and they're used to texting, gaming and using social media sites like Facebook - that means they are used to consuming information a certain way - in bite-sized bits with a lot of visuals and interaction. By presenting information on your website this way, or by dynamically changing your shopping cart layout based on a users age, can you increase conversion rates and sales?

I think the answer is "yes" but you don't know for sure unless you test it. Are you able to do testing like this on your website? Is your website smart enough to know how users found you and change content based on that information? If not, then a website redesign might be in your future.

Website tools like those at HubSpot make this possible. As a HubSpot Certified Partner, we are constantly working with them to stay up to date on the latest web trends and technology and we'll continue to share our findings - so, stay tuned!

5 Ways Bartolottas uses Social Media to Open a New Restaurant

Brian Brinkman — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:12:00 GMT

Earlier this week The Bartolotta Restaurants opened their 10th restaurant here in the Greater Milwaukee area, called The Rumpus Room. This new Gastropub is a bit of a departure for Bartolottas in that their targeting a younger demographic than they currently entertain at their other fine dining establishments. With this change, Bartolottas implemented a highly successful social media plan targeting 28-40 year olds. Below are some of the key areas they focused on.

1. Listening Strategy

Approximately two months before the restaurant opened, Bartolottas initiated a listening strategy to get a better understanding of their target market through social media. Key social media influencers were identified on Facebook and Twitter. Bartolottas watched how they talked about other restaurants, reviewed their blogs, and learned about their culinary interests and trends in the Milwaukee market.

2. Create Buzz

Once Bartolotta had established conversations on Twitter and Facebook, they began to promote the restaurant by posting photos and video during the restaurants construction, as well as photos from various promotional events. This gave their audience an interesting look at what goes into opening a new restaurant and also let their audience feel like they were part of the process.

3. Build Reach

As The Rumpus Room's marketing collateral was being produced, all print materials contained messaging to spread awareness of The Rumpus Room's social media presence. One clever example of this were Rumpus Room coasters developed to be given away at promotional events. The coasters contained QR codes to drive potential customers to The Rumpus Room landing pages containing key pre-opening marketing messages.

In conjunction with print collateral, Bartolottas developed the The Rumpus Room's online presence. Blog posts were written to tell the story of The Rumpus Room's unique story and interviews were conducted with Bartolotta's beverage and culinary teams. These blog posts were cross-promoted on Rumpus Rooms various social media channels.

4. Exclusive Offers

To further increase the size of Bartolottas social media following, exclusive offers were developed for fans of the Rumpus Room. An example of this was shown in how The Rumpus Room menu was rolled out. Pictures were posted to Facebook with an invitation to guess the menu item. Winning entrants were given free beer and t-shirts for guessing the correct answer. This allowed the Rumpus Room to slowly roll out the menu during a period it was still developing. It also created a lot of buzz around The Rumpus Room's Facebook page which allowed them to reach 600+ followers before the restaurant's opening.

5. Leveraging the Community

One week before the Rumpus Room opened, Bartolottas invited several of Milwaukee's top bloggers and social media influencers to participate in a Taste-n-Tweet event. These influencers were invited to take tours of the restaurant's kitchen, taste a large portion of the menu (for free), ask the staff questions and provide feedback. Participants were encouraged to follow @bartolottas, and tweet during the event using the hash tag #rumpusroom. The event generated a considerable amount of buzz around the restaurant's upcoming opening and #rumpusroom was listed as a trending topic for Milwaukee on Twitter.

Through the use of social media and other traditional marketing initiatives the Rumpus Room enjoyed a packed restaurant on opening night and continues to receive a lot of buzz in Milwaukee. I had an opportunity to taste the food and I can honestly say its every bit as good as their social media strategy.

Inbound Marketing Weekly Recap - Oct. 3 - 7

Monica Madsen — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:56:00 GMT

Quick Response (QR) codes are being used in businesses to expand their reach. It seems like you can't go anywhere without seeing a QR code on a label, wall, or even on t-shirts. I've even seen QR codes on ketchup bottles, telling you about the product and business. The reason QR codes are so effective is because they are able to hold information and are easy to use. They connect people to other people, businesses, and online content. Here are this week's QR code articles, explaining how to use QR codes for all types of businesses.

3 Great B2B Uses of QR Codes

QR codes aren't just for big companies. Smaller businesses can incorporate them into their marketing strategy, to help generate leads and reach other businesses. Rachel Sprung, from HubSpot, shares some useful tips to use QR codes. In this article:

Use QR codes on business cards
Use QR codes in advertising
Use QR codes at events

5 Steps to Attracting Customers With QR Codes

Unsure if using QR codes for your business is a good idea? You won't know if you don't try, or at least explore the idea. Rieva Lesonsky, from Open Forum, gives five tips to get you going with QR codes. In this article:

Create a landing page just for the QR code
Incorporate Call-to-Actions
Make your QR codes seen

How One Small Company Is Using QR Codes

Learn how a wine company used QR codes to expand their reach and attract a new article. Jason Ankeny, from Entrepreneur, shares the story of Sacre Bleu Wine, a small company that implements QR codes in their marketing strategy.

Are you using QR codes for your business? Have you seen results?

Inbound Marketing Weekly Recap - Sept. 26 - 30

Monica Madsen — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:58:00 GMT

Building your website is a big step toward getting found online. To have an effective and useful website, you must go through steps of testing, add valuable content, and make adjustments as feedback comes in so you can watch your business grow! Here are some articles that offer advice and tips for testing your website and using landing pages to capture more leads and customers.

22 Essential Tools for Testing Your Website’s Usability

Every website should be easy to use and navigate. Jacob Gube, from Mashable, offers various ways to ensure you website's success. In this article:

Learn what affects website usability
Understand the importance of content
Make the site accessible

Title Tags - Is 70 Characters the Best Practice? - Whiteboard Friday

How long is too long for a webpage title? Cyrus Shepard, from SEOmoz, answers this question as wells as how to properly use a title tag. In this video:

Keep keywords towards the beginning of the title
Meet the users' expectations
Experiment

A Showcase of Landing Pages Designed for Conversion

Landing pages are created with the goal of engaging viewers, to enforce an action. Alex Black, from Web Design Ledger, explains how to turn those potential customers into actual customers. In this article:

Limit the distractions on a landing page
Encourage the viewer to take action
Design the page in an engaging way

What are some practices you do to encourage visits to your website? How do you keep them engaged?

Successful Business Communication in Social Media

Monica Madsen — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:06:00 GMT

In this day and age, most communication happens online via Twitter, Email, Facebook, Skype, etc. Using these channels as means of communicating with clients and other businesses needs to be done right in order for it to be effective.

How can you really listen and hear your customer or client’s needs and wants when it’s written in an email or tweet? And how do you really listen effectively? Here’s where I could add: “Listening isn’t taught in school; it’s something you learn on your own.” This is false information and I’m living proof of it. I’m currently in a Listening class. So far I’ve learned listening is not easy and to be an effective listener takes skill.

Sending and Receiving Messages
You don’t want to incorrectly interpret what is being said and then reply wrong, that will not only make you look bad but your business as well. When in doubt, ask questions! By asking questions, you clear up any messages you may not understand and receive a clear idea of what your client is looking for in a product or service. If questions still aren’t getting answered and there is confusion, chat on the phone to clear the air. Verbal messages usually transfer better than written. Tone of voice can also be heard when talking, which can help determine if someone is upset or if it is an urgent matter. It’s not easy to hear tone when the message is written down.

Also, provide opportunities for your customers and clients to give feedback on their experience. Take this feedback to learn from possible mistakes and expand on what you’re doing right.

When updating statuses and tweets, and sending emails, proofread! Nothing looks more unprofessional than a company that can’t spell. Make sure to include contact information in the signature of an email as well so the receiver knows whom to contact and by what means to do so.

Listening in Meetings
Prepare for meetings in advance. Go in with a game plan of your goals and expectations. Confirm the date, time, and place of the meeting via email. It doesn’t hurt to share your agenda and a reminder the day before the meeting either.

You may have lots of information you want to go through and you want to make sure you fit it all in the meeting. Rushing through the information will cause confusion and possible frustration on the receiving end. Communicating with others has two sides. Share your thoughts and opinions but make sure to let others get their say in as well. Really listen to what is being said, hear and understand the messages that are being passed. If it helps to take notes for remembering purposes, then by all means take notes! Then if questions come up after the meeting, you can reference your notes to answers those questions and clarify.

To make for a better and effective meeting, choose a location with minimal distractions so that you can focus on the person and what he/she is saying. Give your full attention. This goes for both conference calls and face-to-face meetings. The less distractions, the better the meeting and listening effectiveness.

Overall, it is key to be available to your target audience, focusing on what they are looking for out of you as a business. Meet their expectations and strive to exceed them. Be loyal and encourage feedback. Learn how your audience wants to be communicated with and work this into your marketing strategy. Remember, it’s all about building those relationships and that starts based on how you connect with your audience.

If you want to have a successful business, you need to be successful in listening and communicating.

Do you listen to what your audience is saying to you?

The Final Stage for Your Inbound Leads – the Sale

Steve James — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:30:00 GMT

The following is a guest post from Frank Belzer, a sales development expert and Senior Sales Strategist and VP of Corporate Training at Kurlan and Associates. Frank is a regular contributor to the sales and sales management training curriculum at Kurlan and Associates and is the host of the weekly Internet Radio Show, Sales Talk Live.

At least that is our hope isn’t it? We like to think that if we do a good job with the front end of the funnel that the final result would be more revenue, an increase in new customers and measurable growth of our business year over year. So with that goal in mind we start actively working the social media scene – blogging, tweeting and utilizing Facebook. We start using web analytic tools like those provided by Hubspot and if we are totally committed to this growth then we definitely start working with some outside trusted advisers – like the folks at Stream Creative – so that everything comes together.

All of that activity will definitely help with the front end of our funnel. However what can you do to ensure that more of your leads are converting? As much as we love to see more traffic and as exciting as you are by all those hits isn’t the question of conversion fundamental to your overall inbound marketing strategy?

First, I want you to know that I am a believer in Inbound Marketing. We are active Hubspot users – I blog 3 times a week (and that’s just on my own Blog) I work linked in, I use email marketing and we daily look at our stats related to organic search and key words. As a result traffic has doubled over the past 12 months and leads are up by about 300%! Once again I believe in inbound marketing!

At the same time I also believe in Sales. Inbound Marketing has replaced or is replacing traditional marketing everywhere, that is true, but it isn’t replacing sales. That said, it is certainly changing the face of sales; the old cheesy methods no longer work. Your sales strategy simply needs to be aligned with your marketing strategy if it is going to succeed.

If you would rather use traditional old Cheesy Marketing methods – Then feel free to use Old Worn out Cheesy Sales Methods.

But if you are converting to Inbound Marketing – then it’s time to upgrade to Sales 2.0

Alignment - this is the first key to converting more of your leads. The approach to selling has to have more in common with our inbound philosophy. People come to us, they find us, they search our key words, they raise their hands and all of this tells us that our new prospects, our more educated prospects want to be heard.
Active Listening – the client decides why they are visiting our site and where they want to go when they are there. The website guides, directs, suggests, prompts and invites but never pushes. Only poorly trained sales people need to push.
Relationship – the one thing that your site cannot do is connect on a human level with the prospect. Unfortunately many sales people cannot do that either.
Customized Solution – even the best website cannot customize your offering to their problems. Sales people need to be adept at making that connection happen. Unfortunately our stats tell us that about 74% of the sales population struggle with that.
Value Add – Think about what happens when sales people deal consultatively with your prospects and clients, the handoff to production is smoother, they recommend you to others, they are willing to pay more and you have a happier client base overall.

It might be interesting and worthwhile to use one of our free tools that will give you a clear picture as to the current abilities of your sales team. Why not take a few minutes to Grade your Sales Force ?

Inbound Marketing Weekly Recap - Sept. 19 - 23

Monica Madsen — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:59:00 GMT

It’s all about getting found. How you go about getting found is the real test. Search engines, social media, and blogs have revolutionized lead generation. Consumers spend most of their time online for shopping research, reading reviews and blogs, and just using search engines. Because of this, businesses are making the transformation from outbound to inbound marketing. To remain competitive with their websites, businesses should create an engaging online atmosphere for their customers, to make it more readily available to sell products and services. Here are steps, strategies, and advice from lead generation experts.

Five Strategies for Speaking to B2B Buyers' Pain Points

Seal the deal with your online customers. Easier said than done. Dan McDade, president and CEO of PointClear, gives five approaches to draw in your customers and motivate them to make a buying decision. In this article:

Understand your customers’ buying plan
Show an incentive and benefit for buying
Use people’s buying reasons to your advantage

Top 10 Online Lead Generation Techniques for Professional Services

Digital marketing is the way to generate leads for businesses. Unlike traditional lead generation that uses outbound marketing methods, the new way of lead generation is demonstrating knowledge and building relationships that utilize inbound marketing. In this article from Hinge Marketing:

Apply SEO to your website and blogs
Develop an easy to understand website
Connect with the right people through networking

4 Steps to Transform Leads Into Customers

You understand the process of lead generation and have implemented inbound marketing strategies into your site. The flow of visitors and leads are increasing. The next step is to turn those leads and visitors into customers. Greg Alexander, a guest writer for Hubspot, suggests four transformation strategies to use. In this article:

Use a sales process
Prove there is a need
Evaluate and resolve problems

Best Practices For Social Media Lead Generation

During this years HubSpot User Group Summit (HUGS), Kipp Bodnar discussed how to implement social media into your lead generation strategy. Check out this presentation from HUGS 2011.

Social Media Myths Exposed

Monica Madsen — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:00:00 GMT

Many businesses want to use social networking to spread content and reach their target audience. The problem occurs when businesses research how to use social networking. Several misconceptions about social media and how to use it are floating around online.

It’s about time these myths get uncovered and the truth comes out. Neal Rodriguez, an online marketer from Forbes.com, reveals the truth about social media.

Myth 1: Social media can replace your website.
Its obvious social media isn’t going anywhere, especially with the new networks that are being created such as Google+. But websites aren’t disappearing even after the social networking revolution. Emailing is still the top way to communicate both inside and outside a business. Also, it is easier to capture new email contacts using forms on a website verses social media networks.

Myth 2: Social media will replace real-life networking.
People are getting involved with the latest tech “toys” and seemingly less involved in interacting with others on a personal level. Video chats are being used as a means of communication instead going out for coffee to chat with a group of people. But, even with the new gadgets that are constantly being released, people still want that face-to-face communication. Instead of using social media to have full blown discussions and conversations, use it as a means of contact, to meet people. After connecting on the network, schedule a time to get together and discuss the latest trend within your industry.

Myth 3: Blogging is a waste of time.
If this were true, why are we constantly seeing tweets and updates about the latest blog posts about marketing, SEO, etc.? Blogging gives a business the chance to say what’s on its mind, sharing important news and updates. Use a blog to incorporate new content into a website. Engage with the readers by asking questions, encouraging them to post comments. Share the blog not only on the website, but on social networks as well, and ask for others to share the blog.

Eco-friendly Marketing Sprouts Up in Milwaukee

Brian Brinkman — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:59:00 GMT

This past weekend, Milwaukee's lakefront hosted the first annual Rock The Green music festival. This first of it's kind event combined live music with sustainability to create a truly unique concert experience. Everywhere you looked during the event it was easy see concert organizers and vendors were working together to create a near-zero waste production. From biodiesel generators to reusable water bottles, recycling played a huge role in every aspect of the event.

One of the more clever uses of recycling, from a marketing standpoint, was on display from Goodwill Industries. Instead of printing traditional concert t-shirts, Goodwill used gently worn t-shirts from their retail stores to create one of a kind concert tees. A bold, black concert logo was screen printed over the top of existing graphics creating a hip, new look with a retro feel. The concert tees sold briskly at $10 per shirt; typically used shirts at Goodwill retail for approximately $3 per shirt. This unique approach was a win for not only Goodwill, but also concert goers and most importantly environmental sustainability.

For more information regarding Rock The Green's mission please visit rockthegreen.com.

Inbound Marketing Weekly Recap - Sept. 12 - 16

Monica Madsen — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 22:37:00 GMT

Many businesses utilize blogs to create leads and build a brand image. For these reasons, it is important to have an effective blog that is getting seen and bringing in potential clients. Here are some articles to help you have an effective blog and expand your reach.

Five Ways to Use SEO for More Effective Corporate Blogging

Tom Johansmeyer, of Social Times, explains how to use SEO in your blog to reach your targeted audience and get found online. In this article:

Importance of having an SEO plan
Use keywords your target audience is using
Take the extra time for your blog

Two Content No-Nos for Your Blog

If you want your blog to be found and then read, here are two “no-nos” from Marketing Profs to avoid. Make it simple yet to the point.

How to Promote Your Blog With Only $100

Pamela Vaughen, a guest writer for HubSpot, knows you want your blog to get read and tells us how to have that happen with only $100! In this article:

Use Twitter as a tool
Monitor and measure social media presence
Provide multiple options for sharing the blog

How do you use blogs for your business? Are they effective?

Milwaukee HubSpot Certified Partner Travels to Boston for HUGS 2011

Steve James — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:06:00 GMT

We are in flight out of Milwaukee and headed to the HubSpot User Group Summit for two days of jam-packed Inbound Marketing goodness! From a company standpoint, we found last year's trip to be so beneficial that we are sending everyone this year. A lot has happened within the year with HubSpot's software upgrades and integrations, it will be exciting to see what's new and upcoming to bring back and share with our clients. On top of that, we'll have two days devoted to learning more about inbound marketing, social media and SEO from some leading experts! On our first day we'll be hearing Paul Roetzer of PR 20/20 talk about his upcoming book The Marketing Agency Blueprint, and keynotes from Guy Kawasaki and Dan Heath at the Inbound Marketing Summit.

Our team will have a wide range of sessions to choose from on Friday. Here's five of the Inbound Marketing tracks I am looking forward to checking out:

Engaging Leads with Email and Lead Nurturing
Attributing ROI to Inbound Marketing
Social Media CTA Best Practices for Lead Generation
Generate Leads and Reach With Co-Marketing
Nature of Nurturing: How to Turn More Leads Into Your Best Customers

During the event you may want to follow a few other HubSpot Partners on twitter. We've had the privilege of working with these folks over the last year: @ymarketing, @b2binbound, @pr2020, @kurlanassoc, and @HeuvelMarketing. Stay tuned for some Inbound Marketing tweets from the team at SC as well.

If you're interested in learning more about the summit, check out the HUGS2011 web site here http://hugs.hubspot.com/hugs-2011.