Engagement and Key Influencers are the new metric: KLOUT
Klout is a company that has recently created a great new tool that allows users to measure their "KLOUT" meaning their social influence, through engaging and reaching many users. The company has achieved this through a complex algorithm that when connected to your Linkedin/ Twitter/ Facebook dives deep into your likes, comments and post to see how your friends and pool of influence react. This is a great achievement for the marketing world, and helps companies speak to exactly who matters the most. A users KLOUT score is from 1-100 with someone like Charlie Sheen around 95-100. In laymans terms, this rates your online clout.
Companies this is your chance to market directly to your VIP consumers! Take action now! Call me, comment, or email TheWorldofNick@gmail.com for ideas, help, or a free consultation!
The Future of Mobile and Marketing
The future of mobile is here. There is no doubt about that. In the below presentation you will hear that if you conduct online business and do not have a mobile website, it is similar to being shut one day of the week. 1 of 7 purchases online are now through some type of mobile format.
It is important to first figure out if it makes sense for your business to have a mobile "app" or a mobile formatted website. An "app" for iphones, android and blackberry devices is best used when your targeted demographic/ psychographics wants to communicate and have a deep reach or function within your business.Lets say your customers like to use a free service you offer, weather it be mobile ordering, mobile consulting or even offering extra discounts for users that check in with your phone application.
The other option is to create a mobile website. There are many benefits of creating a mobile formatted website. For instance you do not have to have to create an "app" for 3 platforms, you can create one mobile website that works on all smart phones. With recent coding, website developers can even create location based services. For the most part you can fully replicate lets say an iPhone app with a mobile website. If you are a consultant, tell your client that mobile is here to stay, and you can use the below resources to prove it. Maybe you are reading this because you are wondering about mobile marketing and if you should get into the mobile atmosphere.... Well if the following presentation and video do not convince you of the future of marketing, then you should just pack up your bags and go home.
The future of mobile is NOW. If you do not start preparing your business or product soon, you will be left in the dust of everyone that implemented today. Find your mobile consultant, or research the future of mobile marketing. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments, I am here to help you!
Mobile Credit Card Payment Swiper: FREE and EASY!
From now on, white-hot mobile payments startup Square won’t be asking merchants to pay $0.15 each time a credit card is swiped. Instead, merchants will be asked to pay a fee of 2.75%.
“What’s the big deal?” you might ask yourself. “They’re still charging a fee per transaction.”
Even though a fee does remain — and how else would a credit card processing startup make money? — the new fee system is a lot more beneficial for merchants who use Square, especially merchants who do high-volume, low total-per-transaction business. Instead of having to tally credit card processing fees based on the number of credit card transactions, they can simply multiply the total dollar amount for credit card purchases by .0275, and their credit processing fees will be readily apparent — and often a lot lower than if they paid a flat, per-swipe fee.
For example, if I used a regular credit card processing company to run my taco truck business and paid $0.15 per swipe, and I had 2,000 transactions at $5.00 each, that’s $300 in fees. If you paid a 2.75% fee instead, the fees come to $275. The savings of $25 seems small, but the savings only grow as the number of transactions grow — and for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), every little bit helps.
Also, the change allows merchants to accept smaller credit card transactions without fearing exorbitant processing fees. As Square founder Jack Dorsey pointed out on Twitter, “You know all those ‘under $10 cash only’ signs you see? That’s because of the 15 to 30 cents merchants pay. No more.”
The new fee is more convenient for both shoppers and merchants, and it makes credit card processing fees much more transparent. The new fee structure is a boon for merchants using the service, and most especially for the SMBs that lie at the center of Square’s target demographic.
In a new section on the startup’s website, we read, “Square lets you accept credit cards quickly and easily, using what you already have in your pocket: your phone. When you want to know how much money you’ve made, you no longer have to wade through a complex maze of hidden costs and fees. Just simple multiplication and you know what will be in your bank account.”
Here’s a quick video explaining Square, what it is, and how it works....
How to Manage your New Facebook Business Page
Courtesy of Mashable.com, Author Aliza Sherman
How Brands Can Make the Most of Facebook’s New Pages
The new Facebook Pages are finally here, but what does it mean for brands that have struggled to make Pages a business toolon a personal network?
The first thing you’ll notice is that Facebook Pages are once again made to look like Facebook Profiles. You have little differentiation anymore between the publicly viewable, often more commercial page, and an individual’s private profile. This lack of distinction from an interface standpoint can be confusing to consumers.
Below is a breakdown of the changes in the order that Facebook presents them in their new Page tour.
1. Photos: Take ‘Em, But You Can’t Leave ‘Em
When the photos across the top of Facebook profiles first appeared, people were in a panic. Now anyone could tag you in a photograph, and it would automatically show up at the top of your page. You can, however, “X” them out, if and when you notice them. You can also remove your name from photos when tagged by others. On Pages, fans cannot tag or post an image and have it show up at the top. They appear based on images you post to your own Page wall as well as images where you tag your Page.
Be strategic: If photographs are part of what you do, this is a nice showcase. If images aren’t as relevant to what you’re conveying, this can begin to look random and distracting. Upload several key images to your Page’s photo area and remember to keep it pruned in order to present a cohesive and clear visual message.
2. Navigation: Farewell Page Tabs, We Knew You Well
Not to sound the panic alarm, but tabs as we know them are gone. Facebook tries to assure us that this is fine because it is “Just like on people’s profiles,” but that brings us back to the question “Why does a business want their Page to look like a person’s profile?” The reduction in prominence of the tools that helped communicate your company’s calls to action is a blow to the effectiveness of Pages.
Be strategic: One thing that the new navigation forces you to do is to examine what superfluous tabs you used to hide next to your six visible tabs. Now all someone has to do is click the “More” link below the first six “tabs” and see the entire list of links including Discussions, which most Pages hide or remove to avoid diverting comments from the Wall to yet another area that requires community management.
3. Wall Filters: And The Top Posts Are…
Facebook is providing two Wall filters: Showing posts by your page and top posts from everyone. This ostensibly gives people a way to see the most “interesting” stories first. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean they see the stories that are most important or relevant to the messages you hope to communicate to the public. If you’re the only one posting updates, this becomes moot. But imagine what will happen to the view for Pages where the fans post very frequently.
Be strategic: For best engagement, you will want to show “Everyone” as the default setting. For more control — which isn’t always advisable if you are looking to provide people with compelling, interactive content — set the default view to just your Page posts.
4. Admin View: Sign-In as a Page on Facebook
You, as the Page or the brand, can now interact with other parts of Facebook. Before, you could only post to other parts of Facebook as yourself, the admin behind the Page. While you still cannot post to people’s personal Facebook profile Walls as a Page, you can post to other Pages as a Page. This can be useful, but also confusing and potentially disastrous.
You have to make sure that before you post to a Page that you are in the proper setting (human or brand). Also, for less scrupulous brands, this is a new opportunity for spam. You may need to be more diligent about checking for posts from your competitors displaying their brand to your fans. You can view most recent and hidden posts while in Admin view
Be strategic: A good use of Page-to-Page Wall postings is when you have multiple Pages for brands you own. Or when you want to do co-promotions with business partners who have Pages. If you manage Pages for multiple partners, you could also do some thoughtful cross-posting, with your clients’ permissions, of course.
5. Settings: Getting in Control
One of best Page changes for brands is that you can now get e-mail notifications when someone posts to your Page or comments on your post. This has been a long time coming and an invaluable feature for helping you monitor your Page activity. You can change your e-mail notification settings for each Page.
In Settings, you can also set the default to how you post –- as yourself or your Page -– and specify which featured pages will appear down the left side of your Page. To choose the pages you want to show up under Favorite Pages, go to “Edit Page” and choose “Featured.” This is similar to choosing your featured friends. You can also feature Page owners or admins if you so choose. This is a big change from the previously hidden identities of admins.
Be strategic: While there will be much debate about whether or not you should post as a brand or as a person, the best practice is to post as yourself. One of the tenets of social media communications is transparency. Posting behind the banner of your brand is fine on your Page, but moving into other spaces as a brand can be invasive and unwelcome.
You can get to your e-mail and posting preferences by going to “Edit Page” and “Your Settings.” If you own multiple Facebook Pages, you can switch over individually or take the plunge and upgrade them all at once, but you’ll still have to go into each admin area to manipulate individual Page settings.
Export your data from Facebook! Want your Images, Wall Posts, and Videos?
Hello All!
Hopefully some of you find this is a comforting update! Facebook has finally let down the stone gate and is allowing users to export their data. Users can now access this through an area in account settings. Account settings can be found by clicking on Account in the upper right hand corner, then clicking on Account Settings. From here you will see a new section titled download your information, click on Learn More. After this point just follow the instructions on downloading. You will receive a .ZIP file after your data is done preparing. Double click on the file and a folder will show. This folder contains a simple web version of all of your data, you will be able to navigate offline through all of your data by clicking on the .html file. I hope this helps, if not watch the video below from Facebook...
Where Does My Marketing Stand? www.Grader.com
So you think your marketing materials are alright? How does your website measure up to your competition? Have your interns and assistants been sending of correct Press Releases, or any at all?
Grader.com is a website brought to us by HubSpot that helps individuals and companies rate everything from their website to linkedin profile. These tools can help you make sure that your current internet efforts are being executed correctly. If your company sends off Press Releases, have they been optimized for people as well as search engines? Remember that online press releases are great as they give you great visibility as well as good SEO because your release will have your website in it giving you great link juice (SEO POWER).
The website grader analyzes your website based on many factors including tags, inbound links, keyword and keyword density as well as other factors. It also gives you the option to add your competitors websites so that you can see how you measure up to your competitors. Another method to see your competitors keyword strategy is to analyze their website for Keyword Density. If they have a strategy you will see that they keywords they are trying to target will have a 5-10% density (keywords should make sense i.e.. business consultant or real estate, random keywords will show up based on "freak density".
Grading your website and staying on top of important web aspects is very important in internet marketing. The more technology that comes out like this, the more important it will be for your internet marketing. Stay on top of the new technology, and continuously test and tweak your website (only if you want to be the best). If you have the same keywords as your competitor, tweak them so that your keywords have the lowest competition thus have the best result.
Many companies forget to write press releases. Any time you have a large company change, or anything new going on you can opt to create a press release. This acts as a way to boost SEO, as well as gain some more eyeballs for your website. There are many websites such as www.PRWEB.com where you can distribute your press release. When your release gets sent out and added to websites, you gain website views and possible leads.
It is important to make sure that your release is easy to read as well as easy to find and decode to search engines. PR Grader helps you to stay onto of your marketing and PR through new technology and giving recommendations of how to improve.
SO if you have:
-New News
-Company Changes
-New Products
You might want to think about a Press Release when any of the above occur in your organization. It will help add some buzz where ever you may need it!
Other Tools
The website offers graders for Foursquare, Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook. If you or anyone is an author, you can track sales and book rankings through Book Grader.
I hope this website helps you keep your goals on track and lets you know where you are in this great race! Best of luck and let me know if you have any questions!
iPhone 4 review, AT&T, Best Buy and Apple Inventory Review: The Scoop
Hello Everyone!
After a week of long and grueling waiting, I have finally secured an iPhone 4. It is right next to me as I am tying this.
This morning around 4:30 am I got up and got to my local Thousand Oaks, CA AT&T store. Surprisingly enough, i found there had been people camping all night, even after a week since the original Apple 24th release date. Luckly most AT&T stores had a good amount of inventory, at least 50-60+ iphone 4's (16 and 32 gig) are on stock at all AT&T licensed retailers. AT&T had this to say previously about walk up iphone customers::::
Retail purchase (no preorder): AT&T plans to have iPhone 4 inventory — available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last — on June 29 in its retail locations, at www.att.com, and in business sales channels. As inventory sells out, AT&T will offer the convenient option of purchasing iPhone 4 and having it delivered to a home or business or an AT&T store. As always, customers will receive an email once their order is placed, and again when it ships.
To help customers stay up to date on iPhone 4 activities and important information, AT&T will post a series of videos beginning early this week at www.facebook.com/att. The videos will be informative and packed with customer-friendly tips and instructions around order fulfillment, iPhone 4 activation, inventory and — importantly — the new MicroSIM unique to iPhone 4 devices.
So if you got up early this morning, you should be lucky enough to have purchased an iPhone 4. If not your best plan of action would be to get on a reservation list with an apple store (this may take some waiting in line, in person, to achieve) or go to your local Best Buy and place a pre order. Getting a Best Buy pre order will guarantee that as soon as their inventory comes in, you will get your phone first, as Best Buy is fulfilling ALL pre-orders before any walk ups.
Again so if you want your iphone 4 and cant wait another month to get it, your best bet is to call around all AT&T stores to see what is up, and if they have any iphone 4 inventory still. Other wise get on a reservation list for Apple and if you want to cover all bases, pre order from Best Buy or Best Buy Mobile (requires purchasing $50 gift card). This is your best shot at getting a phone in the up coming weeks.
The phone is everything you have been waiting for. The frame and phone feels solid in your hand is has much more aesthetic value that previous versions of the phone. The glass is a high quality blend of glass and synthetic material that is highly scratch and "drop" resistant. The phone is SIGNIFICANTLY faster than all previous models. It is SO much faster than the 3g, words cannot describe. Actually, its the difference between a Honda Accord and a Porsche.
The camera feature is amazing, and the quality leaves nothing to be desired. The tap to focus feature is amazing and super easy to use, and the same goes for the HD video recording.
I purchased the iMovie app this morning, and received it with super fast download speeds. You can check out the video i edited and uploaded on my Facebook profile.
The multitasking, iBooks and Retina Display all live up to what you are thinking, holding and playing with the phone confirms a great deal of what you have seen and heard. My suggestion is to get one ASAP as using your phone day to day becomes a dream and enjoyable. And if you think the lines and hassle is crazy, your right it is. It just comes down to how crazy are you? Well we are all a little crazy.... If you want to wait to get your phone, be prepared to wait a month or two until all the Pre Orders are filled. Any other questions feel free to email TheWorldofNick@gmail.com. Enjoy your iPhone 4 hunt, and hope some spare inventory finds you soon!
How to Image Map: The Easy Way: Tutorial
Manage your group, Use Tatango. Group Texting
So I think this next piece of technology is self explanatory. This is an easy way to send out group alerts. It could be used for an emergency broadcast system, a way to send out office messages, or a way to inform your weekly groups from work to play. A quick way to stay in touch with groups!
Hope this helps!
Ever have problems converting Files? NEVER AGAIN I SAY!
Zamzar.com is the new place..... It even has a shiny BETA logo... hehehe
There is also a good chance im behind in this tech....
Either way basically a GREAT way to convert any file from text to sounds to movies.
This converts it ALL online, then sends you a download link for your new file!
Give it a try!
