Frankencomp by Sandstorm » internet marketing http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog An insider's view of what goes on at Sandstorm Design. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:31:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 What’s this Google +1 all about? — The social search engine http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/whats-this-google-1-all-about-the-social-search-engine/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/whats-this-google-1-all-about-the-social-search-engine/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:27:31 +0000 Karen http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=966 Google has been rolling out changes one after another, with a new (but not that different) homepage design, the +1 button, and a social network in the trial phase. Here’s a quick, easy-to-digest breakdown of what these search engine and social media updates are all about:

+1 Button

This little button is yet another factor in search engine optimization, bringing more recommended sites higher in the search results. If someone you are connected to in your Google account recommends a site with the +1 button, you’ll see that they did. This is simply a tool to tally recommendations, and that’s it. The social aspect is just that you can see which of your friends have recommended a site. You should definitely be leveraging the +1 button in your search engine optimization and online marketing strategy.

Google+

In plain English, Google+ is Google’s new social network (although they’re not saying that). It’s in a trial phase right now, and isn’t open to everyone just yet. Here are its key features:

  • Circles: Similar to Facebook Groups, Circles let you put different people in different circles, allowing you to interact and share with each circle separately.
  • Sparks: This is a feed of content based on specific interests you have selected. From Sparks, it’s easy to share with Circles, and create a thread of conversation around a piece of content.
  • Hangouts: Video chat with multiple friends at a time.
  • Mobile: There are a couple features that will be available for what Google calls a “pocket computer,” or mobile. Instant uploads let you instantly upload photos from your phone, and Huddles creates a chat-room style text conversation with friends.

What people are saying

They’re saying a lot…Facebook already meets these needs…If Buzz didn’t have great success, why would Google+?…And while it’s nice to have our world tailored to our interests, don’t we need something to balance us? Something to remind us that there are alternative viewpoints we should consider, and our world isn’t the only world that matters? Eli Pariser raised some of these concerns this past February in a talk about The Filter Bubble.

The gates through which we enter the Internet are changing. It will be exciting to see what happens in the not so far off future. And of course, we’ll keep you up-to-date on how it will effect your search engine optimization and social media strategy.

]]> http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/whats-this-google-1-all-about-the-social-search-engine/feed/ 0 What Makes a Great Elevator Pitch? http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/what-makes-a-great-elevator-pitch/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/what-makes-a-great-elevator-pitch/#comments Tue, 10 May 2011 19:59:03 +0000 Karen http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=771 MIT has challenged students all over the world to give their best elevator pitch with the YouPitch Contest. This is the first year they’ve taken the elevator pitch competition to YouTube, requiring students to upload 60-second elevator pitches to compete to win $2000 and international glory. The winner was announced on Facebook, and will receive their award at the grand finale show on May 11 at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium.

So, what makes an elevator pitch good enough to win a contest­—or for many of us, good enough to win business? First off, it should be conversational. It should clearly point out the need you are filling, the competitive solution you are offering, and how the solution will be carried out. And it should be short, sweet, and to the point. The student competition at MIT called for 60-second pitches. At Sandstorm Design, we do ours in 30… but maybe our elevators are just faster here in Chicago!

You never know what opportunities could be opened with the right pitch. Whether the challenge is a competition or a new client, this part of marketing is always fun and exciting. Learn more about our take on marketing strategy.

Check out our favorite marketing elevator pitches from MIT’s YouPitch contest:

]]> http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/what-makes-a-great-elevator-pitch/feed/ 0 Twitter for Beginners – 3 Most Essential Tips http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/twitter-for-beginners-%e2%80%93-3-most-essential-tips/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/twitter-for-beginners-%e2%80%93-3-most-essential-tips/#comments Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:41:31 +0000 Karen http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=605 Back in September, Kevin Thau, Twitter’s VP for business and corporate development, announced that Twitter is not a social network. This got a lot of buzz in the blog (and micro-blog) community, but clearing up the labeling of Twitter is most relevant for people not familiar with it. They’re the ones who don’t know what it is. And if you come into it with a social network/Facebook mindset, you’ll only get frustrated and feel disappointed. Only Facebook can do Facebook. You have to approach this part of your social media strategy with a Twitter mindset.

So, what is the Twitter mindset? What do you DO on Twitter? It’s very simple:

  1. Share – Facebook is about sharing who you are, Twitter is about sharing what you’ve found. Use bit.ly, tinyurl or any of the other little link web sites to share the articles, blogs and web sites you like, and add a little comment about why.
  2. Reply – While it might not be a social network, Twitter is a social place. Engage in conversation. It’s fun and easy!
  3. Retweet – If you simply want to pass along a tweet you found interesting without adding a comment, click the retweet option. You can also retweet the traditional way, by copying and pasting it, and adding “RT @(insert author’s username)” in front. In the few characters that are left, add your own commentary.

The best advice is to just dive in. Once you see how others are tweeting, you’ll get it. And don’t forget to follow our Chicago marketing firm @SandstormDesign!

]]> http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/twitter-for-beginners-%e2%80%93-3-most-essential-tips/feed/ 2 Twitter’s World Domination an Opportunity for Marketing Your Brand http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/twitters-world-domination-an-opportunity-for-marketing-your-brand/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/twitters-world-domination-an-opportunity-for-marketing-your-brand/#comments Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:24:13 +0000 Karen http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=598 Twitter has reached almost 200 million accounts, and has just added its seventh language – Korean. As Twitter expands worldwide, so does the opportunity for you to grow your business just as far.

Twitter will become increasing vital for networking and maintaining relationships with your overseas contacts, just as well those in the States. On top of that, it offers another valuable (and free) avenue for marketing your brand online (in seven languages, perhaps?). As you know, we kind of have a thing for marketing and branding.

If your company doesn’t already have an account, get one. And if you have one but you’re not using it, start now. If there were ever a time to jump on a bandwagon, this is it.

]]> http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/twitters-world-domination-an-opportunity-for-marketing-your-brand/feed/ 0 Sandstorm and the National Association of REALTORS® Build a Site for Baby Boomers http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/sandstorm-and-the-national-association-of-realtors%c2%ae-build-a-site-for-baby-boomers/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/sandstorm-and-the-national-association-of-realtors%c2%ae-build-a-site-for-baby-boomers/#comments Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:16:55 +0000 Karen http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=554 SRES11 Sandstorm and the National Association of REALTORS® Build a Site for Baby Boomers

Sandstorm Design is excited to announce the launch of SRES.org! We’re so happy to provide this excellent resource to anyone age 50+ with real estate needs, helping them connect with SRES® designees all over the country. The SRES® designation, offered by the National Association of REALTORS®, indicates specialization in the real estate needs of those age 50+. Baby boomers can visit this web site to easily search for an SRES® designee near them, and prepare themselves for what types of considerations they’ll face with their real estate decisions.  We love working with the National Association of REALTORS® and marketing to seniors, and couldn’t be more excited to launch this web site!

]]> http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/sandstorm-and-the-national-association-of-realtors%c2%ae-build-a-site-for-baby-boomers/feed/ 0 Sandstorm Design Helps REALTORS® Help Baby Boomers and Seniors http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/sandstorm-design-helps-realtors%c2%ae-help-baby-boomers-and-seniors/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/sandstorm-design-helps-realtors%c2%ae-help-baby-boomers-and-seniors/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:22:41 +0000 Karen http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=557 seniorsrealestate11 Sandstorm Design Helps REALTORS® Help Baby Boomers and Seniors

We are proud to announce the launch of the Seniors Real Estate Specialists® web site! SRES® is a designation offered by the National Association of REALTORS®, an association we’ve absolutely loved working with for over seven years. SRES® designees are specialized in the real estate needs of those age 50+, and this web site gives them a place to connect with each other and with anyone looking for an SRES® designee. After logging in, members can update their profile, download marketing materials, or receive help with live chat. We’re so excited to launch this web site for the National Association of REALTORS®!

]]> http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/sandstorm-design-helps-realtors%c2%ae-help-baby-boomers-and-seniors/feed/ 0 SEO Marketing Tip: How to quickly build SEO traffic http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/seo-marketing-tip-how-to-quickly-build-seo-traffic/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/seo-marketing-tip-how-to-quickly-build-seo-traffic/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:38:08 +0000 Sandy http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=34 If you want to build organic SEO traffic, the traffic you don’t need to pay for each time someone clicks on your link, then you need to build marketing content everywhere. I’m talking on your web site, adding press releases, adding articles, writing regularly on your blog. And you need to build content elsewhere on the web by submitting your press releases, writing marketing articles, and commenting on blogs. And here’s the real deal – it has to be unique content. You won’t get the same results copying and pasting the same content everywhere.

My personal favorite for adding articles is with Ezine Articles. For submitting press releases, try i-newswire or PRlog.

]]> http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/seo-marketing-tip-how-to-quickly-build-seo-traffic/feed/ 0 SEO: A long-term internet marketing investment http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/seo-a-long-term-internet-marketing-investment/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/seo-a-long-term-internet-marketing-investment/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:27:14 +0000 Sandy http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=32 When it comes to investing, it is often recommended to “ride out the market” to achieve the most rewarding results. History has shown that patient investors are often the most profitable, not to mention the least stressed out.

Now think of SEO as an investment…for your business. But unlike mutual funds and other financial investments, an SEO marketing investment will require a significant amount of work – not just time. (the work can be done by yourself, your staff or an SEO marketing consultant). But before you get started on all that content, you need an SEO marketing strategy.

Your SEO marketing strategy will help you define:

  • who you want to attract
  • what web site goals you want to achieve
  • which keyword phrases you need to work for
  • which keyword phrases are easy wins
  • how competitive your SEO landscape is
  • what tactics you will need to achieve your results
  • which baseline web analytics are important
  • what kind of maintenance and support you’ll need to retain your rankings

After your strategy has been refined, you are ready to work on marketing and refining your web site. Then you’ll most likely find out that a few of the keyword phrases you felt were exactly the right fit, are actually driving traffic, but the wrong kind. It’s funny how marketing works. Sometimes you have to be careful what you ask for :)

]]> http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/seo-a-long-term-internet-marketing-investment/feed/ 0 Web design vs. user interface design http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/web-design-vs-user-interface-design/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/web-design-vs-user-interface-design/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:26:56 +0000 Sandy http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=281 According to wikipedia, user interface design is the design of computers, appliances, machines, mobile communication devices, software applications, and websites with the focus on the user’s experience and interaction. Utilizing the same source, web design is the skill of creating presentations of content that is delivered though the web.

I searched google to see if I could find anyone debating the two terms as they are used often interchangeably, but I don’t necessarily agree that they are one in the same.

Our agency is a user interface design firm that utilizes a user-centered design approach to improve the user experience in a creative and conceptual way. Google searches done today are looking for a web design firm in Chicago, but are they really? Hmmm…

]]> http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/web-design-vs-user-interface-design/feed/ 0 Marketing tactics to consider when creating your internet marketing and web design strategy http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/marketing-tactics-to-consider-when-creating-your-internet-marketing-and-web-design-strategy/ http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/marketing-tactics-to-consider-when-creating-your-internet-marketing-and-web-design-strategy/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 16:41:14 +0000 Sandy http://www.sandstormdesign.com/blog/?p=235 A non profit client of ours recently asked for a list of internet marketing tactics to consider while building her online marketing strategy. Here’s where our web design firm started with our list:

  • SEO (organic search engine optimization) and linking campaigns
  • PPC (pay per click)
  • Affiliate marketing (think amazon.com’s books)
  • HTML Emails and Auto-responders
  • Conversion Concepts (getting people to do what you want them to do on your site)
  • Web Analytics and Testing
  • Online Video
  • Blogs and Social Media (facebook, twitter)
  • Banner ads
  • Article writing

Does anyone else have more to add?

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