CWI Media & Marketing

How Social Networking Sites Work as Free Marketing Tools

Donna Cope — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:58:06 +0000

I’ve had a lot of people ask me how I use sites such as Facebook to network. Does it really work? The simple answer is, yes! If used effectively, these sites can help build customer relationships, which is essential in gaining customer loyalty (we all want repeat business, right?), they put you in more places (the more places you are, the easier it is for someone to find you) and let’s not forget, it’s free advertising. One thing to remember when marketing yourself is that people like to work with someone they know, or feel like they know. Why? Comfort and trust. You trust someone you know more than someone you don’t know. You feel more comfortable working with a familiar face, rather than a stranger. You are also more likely to be a loyal, returning customer to someone you have a relationship with, be it a personal relationship or a business one. Having a client on your Facebook page offers them the opportunity to feel like they know you or at least are familiar with you. It offers you the opportunity to be in front of them on a daily basis at no cost. You can post your message or any updates on your company every day if you choose and your clients will be notified as soon as you do it, FREE advertising. I have created special offers only for my Facebook clients and have made new connections that I may not have without it. As an example (names and occupations have been changed), I have a client named Jane who runs a home health care company. Each of her therapists and nurses are responsible for their own business cards, marketing materials and clientele and Jane provides them with the name recognition of her franchise. When Jane became a friend of mine on Facebook she referred several of her employees to me on the site, employees that I did not yet have as clients. A simple friend request message to Jane’s employees introducing myself and my connection to Jane and….VOILA! A new potential customer that I may not have reached otherwise is now seeing my name and receiving my updates on a daily basis. This new customer now has the opportunity to “get to know me” and what I offer. They also get to see all of their colleagues that are clients of mine and on my page as well. If it takes several months of offers and updates on my Facebook account to get that ONE new customer to make a purchase, it was worth it. Why? Because I did not spend one dime, so the rate of return is 100%. I have also had the opportunity to build relationships with current clients improving the likelihood of repeat business, so there is no loss.

Something that people struggle with is separating the personal from the professional. If you don’t want potential clients to know too much about your personal life, the answer is simple. Create a separate Facebook page. I have a few friends that have done this and it works well for them. Have one page that is your personal page where you can feel free to put your personal views and beliefs and share it with your close friends and family. Have your second Facebook page for networking only. On this page keep it strictly professional and have only your clients and networking contacts. It may seem like a lot to keep up with, but there are sites such as Ping.fm that lets you update all of your sites from one place. Another thing to consider is the 5 minutes it takes to post an update on your profile is worth it when you land that big client and receive that repeat business.

If used effectively, Facebook and other social networking sites can be an extremely beneficial and a completely free marketing tool. You may not land that huge client right away, but the more places they can find you, the greater your chances of gaining them as your client. Not to mention the customer loyalty you can build from these sites. It’s free, it can be fun and it’s effective, so why not?

ShareThis

From Cell Phone to iPhone

Gary Cope — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:38:37 +0000

I recently wrote a guest blog post for Handshake 2.0 (www.handshake20.com) in Roanoke. Below is are the first two paragraphs of the post followed by a link to the full article.

Your current two-year cell phone contract is about to expire and you are thinking about dumping your brick-sized flip phone with that one button that works only occasionally. This is your opportunity to get a new cell phone, but like the Sprint CEO says in his commercials, can you believe we still call these cell phones given all that they can do?

In April, I made the switch from a Sprint flip phone to an iPhone, which is available exclusively on the AT&T network. I love the iPhone because it makes doing just about everything easier. Setting up and checking multiple e-mail accounts is a breeze; surfing the Web is as simple as hitting the Safari button; and text messaging is quick, easy and displayed in a chat format. All of this is done by simply touching the screen. And of course, my favorite use is entertaining my 3-year-old son with the Bubble Wrap app.

Read the rest at Handshake 2.0.

ShareThis

Another Historical Site Goes up in Smoke

Donna Cope — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:59:09 +0000

How sad I feel today. It’s weird, I feel sad over a building. It’s not just any building though; it’s the Historical Train Depot in Pulaski. It is listed on the National Historical Registry and also housed the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Museum.

The building caught fire last night and was destroyed. All of those irreplaceable historical artifacts are gone. It was also home of the Pulaski Farmer’s Market, a place I loved to go on Saturday mornings. CWI just finished creating a brochure for downtown Pulaski that featured the depot; it really was a beautiful building and is a devastating loss to the community. I felt compelled to go down there today and take some pictures, so off Nic and I went in the drizzling cold.

While we were there, Holy Pietrzak from WDBJ7 came up to me and started asking questions, then asked if I would mind being interviewed. After a very hesitant “sure,” the camera started rolling.

I tried to stay positive even though this is a devastating loss. She mentioned how much Pulaski has struggled recently with the loss of business and industry in these tough economic times. I didn’t want to focus on that. I told her that we are a resilient community and that whatever hurdles are placed in front of us, we will be able to overcome, we always have.

I thought it was important to acknowledge that while this is a huge loss, not just to our community but, as I mentioned earlier, to history as many irreplaceable artifacts are gone, but also show that Pulaski is a strong community with a lot to offer. I hope it comes across that way. I couldn’t believe how sad I was to see the depot in this state, but we can wallow in self-pity or use this experience to come out better.

I didn’t want a “Pulaski pity-party.” I want people to know that we have suffered big losses before and made it and we will do it again.

ShareThis

How Google Used Twitter to Fix Its Webmaster Tools

Gary Cope — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:12:22 +0000

Ah, behold the power of Twitter. I’ve preached about the business benefits of using Twitter and shared examples of other Tweeple who have had problems solved when the company with which they were having issues with saw their gripe-filled Tweets and contacted them to fix things. Well, now I am one of those stories.

Last Wednesday, I wrote a blog post called My Beef with Google’s Web Master Tools detailing my frustration with their recently introduced “Link From” feature that allows you to see which external URLs are linking to non-existent URLs on your domain. The only problem, most of the time the tool didn’t work. I would get an “Our servers are busy. Try again later.”

After a couple of weeks of getting this message, I was fed up and blogged about it. I’d actually posted a couple of Tweets about it, too, but never got a response. But, my blog automatically posts to my Twitter account and later that same day, I got a Tweet from Sagar Kamdar (@skamdar) that read:

@garycope we are looking at the issue with the “Linked From” functionality. will get back to you when it is resolved.

I was floored! I could only assume that Sagar worked for Google. The next day, I got an e-mail alerting me that someone left a comment on my blog post. It was Sagar. He wrote:

The issue has been resolved. (link)

I checked the Webmasters Tools again and all but one “Linked From” function was working. I wrote back:

@skamdar Thanks! All but one of the “Linked From” links are working now for me. The first one on my list still returns “server busy” msg.

Sagar replied.

@garycope we’ll take a look.

@garycope we are unable to reproduce the issue internally. could you tell me the site and link that is ending in error.

This morning, I logged into Google’s Webmaster Tools and the link was working just fine. As a matter of fact, all of the links were working. I Tweeted back to @skamdar:

@skamdar The issue appears to be resolved. I logged into my Webmaster Tools today and did not receive any errors. Great job! Thanks!

I also told him via a comment on my blog that I would write a follow-up blog post (kinda like this one) singing the praises of Google’s development team. So, thanks Sagar and the rest of the Google Webmaster Tools team for using Twitter and actually taking the time to ready my blog and address the issue. It has been a tremendous help!

All Hail Google! OK, well, let’s not get carried away. Take care everyone!

ShareThis

My Beef with Google’s Webmaster Tools

Gary Cope — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:56:54 +0000

As a Web designer, Webmaster and inhouse SEO/SEM, I was THRILLED when Google announced that its Webmaster Tools had added a “Linked From” feature. This new feature finally allowed Web site owners to find out which URLs were linking to “not found” pages on their site.

For example, let’s say you did a redesign and in the process, renamed some of your URLs. If another Web site was linking to your old URL and you move it or rename it, the link from that other site is now broken and you’re not getting credit for that link because the search engines aren’t finding anything when they follow that link. Booo!

How do we fix this? Well, for starters, I would suggest keeping the old URLs and creating a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. This preserves any ‘link juice’ your older URL had acquired and transfers it to the new one. It also prevents “Not Found” links from appearing in your Google Webmaster Tools > Diagnostics > Web Crawl > Not Found list because anyone still linking to the outdated URL will automatically be directed to the new one and you don’t have to do a thing.

The “Linked From” function was going to make my life, and the lives of many SEO/SEMs, much easier because it could save us the time of trying to find out who was linking to our “Not Found” URLs. Alas, you can imagine my supreme disappointment when I logged in to use the new feature and 95 percent of the time I get is this error message.

This kind of tool is invaluable to SEOs, especially inhouse SEOs, who are trying to make the most of their limited time and budgets. By identifying sites that have outdated links to our site, we can contact their Webmaster and provide the updated link, thus increasing our link juice. Of course, IF Google’s Webmaster Tools’ “Linked From” feature worked, it’d be even better.

ShareThis

Strengthening Customer Relations with Social Networking

Donna Cope — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:22:07 +0000

Yes, I’m going to write, once again, about social networking. I am a convert. At the beginning, I would rather have gone to the dentist and had every single tooth pulled with no anesthesia. The thought of creating a MySpace or Facebook page or even … GASP, using Twitter was out of the question. I thought it would just be one more thing to keep up with and would be a waste of my time. Oh contraire! Because of Facebook, I have been introduced to and corresponded with new clients that otherwise, I may not have been able to meet. With Twitter and my other social networking pages, I have found another medium for updating clients and keeping our name in front of them as well as potential clients. Since using these sites, I have been more in touch with my clients than ever, strengthening my customer relations.

Using social networking the right way will not only strengthen your relationships, but also create new ones. Best part, it does it all for free! Even if it takes you 500 tweets before you get your first client, since it was free, the return on investment is 100%. CWI can help you set up your social networking sites and teach you how to use them, if you need any help using these free marketing tools, drop me an e-mail at: donna@cwimedia.com, or give me a call at 540-295-5139.

ShareThis

Social Networking as a Marketing Tool

Donna Cope — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:28:57 +0000

Are you social? Most people would probably answer “yes.” But, are you really? In today’s world to be social doesn’t just mean you say “hello” to people as you pass them on the street or go to every party to which you are invited. Today, being social means being social on the Internet, too, and it is almost as important as face-to-face. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Plaxo are some of the most popular sites and can be used as great marketing tools.

Everyone knows how important word of mouth is to your business, social networking sites are a great way to increase your word of mouth. These sites basically make it easier to connect with people. Clients have a way to access you, read what you have to say and give you feedback. Most sites can be easily accessed from anywhere, your computer, cell phone, BlackBerry, etc. Someone can read your page, give you feedback and by giving you feedback, spread the word to everyone in their network…virtual word of mouth.

Social networking is a no-cost way to advertise. If you need help setting up all of your social networking accounts and synchronizing them so they are easy to manage, give us a call, 540-295-5139 or drop us an e-mail, info@cwimedia.com, we would be happy to help!

ShareThis

How NOT to Use Twitter

Gary Cope — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:55:14 +0000

*This post is about Twitter, a microblogging tool. If you don’t know what Twitter is, click here for an explanation.

Twitter is no longer an exclusively techie/dork medium. Real estate agents, TV stations, newspapers, and even Britney Spears are using Twitter. Depending on your social media savyness, it can take anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks to really get the hang of Twitter. And from what I can tell, media outlets, at least locally, are a little slower to harness the power of the Twitterverse.

I’m not trying to be critical, because I applaud them for even using Twitter. We can only hope that the “how” to effectively use Twitter will come soon.

In Roanoke, Va., the 70th ranked TV market in the country, only three of the four major network affiliates have Twitter accounts. WSLS, the NBC affiliate, only recently created an account, but has done an admirable job of posting timely and regular news updates. WSET, the ABC affiliate has been posting for much longer, but I have a beef about how they use Twitter, but I’ll get to that a little later. WDBJ7, which is my preferred local news source even though I used to anchor and report for WSLS, has a Twitter account, but has only posted one update. Lastly (in almost ever sense of the word), the WFXR, the Fox affiliate, does not have Twitter, much less its own news department - they pay the NBC station to produce the Fox 10 p.m. newscast.

Oh, and my favorite local news anchor (sorry Jay!) Natasha Ryan has a Twitter account. From what I can tell, only her and WSET reporter and weekend anchor Margaret Clevenstine are the only local on-air personalities with active Twitter accounts. Both are relatively new to Twitter. Natasha just started hers and Maggie has been on since July, but hasn’t posted a new update since Sept. 7. Booo!

Look, there’s not one right way to use Twitter and I suppose that certain Twitter patterns appeal to different people. But, the way I see it - Twitter is a “what’s happening now” service. And in that regard, WSET fails in my opinion. See the picture below which is a screen shot of what appears on my Twitter home page, which displays all of the Tweets from the Tweeple I follow. This is not what I want to see.

Clearly it appears that they have some automated system, probably something akin to TwitterFeed (or some poor intern) that blasts all of their news stories at one time. Uh, no. If I want all of your news at once at a predicable time, I would WATCH your news. I’m looking for you to post news AS it happens. That is the point of using Twitter.

Now, I worked in TV for a number of years and for the most part, there are still a lot of zealots running the show, so the transition and adoption of new means of communcations are slow to make their way to the newsroom. Which, is really mind boggling considering that these tools such as blog and microblogs are completely free and can be used with Mobile devices. If you can send and receive text messages, you can post and receive Tweets. It just takes some time to educate your staff and management - something I would be HAPPY to do for WSET and any other company that wants to learn more about Twitter.

Yes, I know, I can sign up for text alerts from virtually any news outlet and that’s cool, but I only get those after the stories have been filed and someone has posted them to the Web site which then triggers the alert to come to my phone. But imagine if a reporter is on the scene of major event, but is waiting for the live truck and the news director can’t be reached to authorize a break-in-programming live event? How cool would it be to read a reporter’s accounts of the news event as it happens?

For example: Let’s say we have a standoff (which I have covered as a photo journalist), but the reporter is just standing there while the photog (videographer) is rolling endless minutes of tape waiting for something to happen.

@tv-reporter: Camera is rolling and the SWAT team is getting into position, but police won’t say if or when they will go in.

@tv-reporter: Gunman is yelling out of his window. Wants the police to back off. Threatening to shoot anyone that comes in.

@tv-reporter: Lots of activity. Feels like something is about to happen - stay tuned!

@tv-reporter: They’re going in! Camera is still rolling! Loud explosion from the flash-bang grenade. No shots - suspect in custody!

Now, this brings up a whole other issue, but one that the media has dealt with before: what if the bad guys are Twittering, too? Highly doubtful, at least now it is. Who knows in 5-10 years?

The bottom line is, this is a free tool that media outlets should be taking advantage of. Every reporter should have a Twitter account and giving viewers and readers behind the scenes information about the news they are covering, especially TV because we only get :30 to :90 worth of news per story and that’s not enough to tell the whole story.

The age of media convergeance is upon us. Newspapers like the Roanoke Times send reporters out in the field with video cameras to post video and interviews on the Web site. TV stations are having their anchors write print-style news for the station’s Web site, though they should really be using blogs at this point - especially Twitter.

ShareThis

Mass Mailings Made Easy

Gary Cope — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:44:52 +0000

CWI Media & Marketing now offers a very convenient and cost-effective, complete start-to-finish handling of a mass mailing postcard project. Send us your mailing list and we can have approved postcards printed, labeled, stamped and mailed within a week, saving you time and money. If you mail them yourself, you will have to pay the regular first class rate, unless you get a mailing permit and pay an annual mailing fee to the post office in order to obtain the bulk rate. Below is the cost breakdown:

Trifold/brochure
100 pieces = $115 or $1.15 ea.
250 pieces = $155 or .62/ea.
500 pieces = $270 or .54/ea.

Oversized Postcards (full color front and back)
100 cards = $84 or .84/ea.
250 cards = $130 or .52/ea.
500 cards = $180 or .36/ea.

Mailing Costs
Bulk rate for 100 - 250 cards = .26/ea.
Bulk rate for 251+ cards = .25/ea.

Service Fee
Cost for labeling, stamping, sorting, mailing cards = $40

There is a one-time design/set up fee of $35 that applies to first-time orders. All future orders would be for the printing costs only, assuming we use the same approved post card mailer (and mailing/service fees if applicable).

ShareThis

CWI Co-founds New Online Advertising Group

Gary Cope — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 02:47:51 +0000

We are proud to announce that CWI Media & Marketing has partnered with Business Bullpen and upUPperiscope to form a new and highly unique online advertising platform designed specifically for local Virginia business wanting to reach local Virginia consumers. AdvertiseVA.com consists of five Web sites:

The Butter Room - A weblog that provides the view from and of Virginia. Local Virginians cover technology, music, the arts, culture, food, and all things Virginia.
myScoper.com - A free and easy, interactive calendar of events serving Southwestern and Central Virginia.
TechHoops.com - The most comprehensive Virginia Tech basketball website. The home for hardcore Hokie basketball fans.
VTHokieFans.com - Virginia Tech football news, information, commentary and a list of Hokie-friendly places to watch the games.
The Water Heater - A space concoction in Roanoke.

Print ads in local newspapers can cost upwards of $1,500 for one full page ad for one issue. A pay-per-click campaign like Google Adwords can cost thousands of dollars per month and you only get plain text ads, plus you have to manage a complex list of keywords and campaigns. AdvertiseVA.com takes away all of the stress of online marketing. For less than the cost of a couple of full page print ads, you can run a full color 200×200 ad on all five of our sites for a full 12 months … that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days. Plus, we will send you an e-mail each week showing you how many times your ad has been displayed and how many people have clicked on it to get to your Web site. Can a newspaper or print publication provide those kind of statistics? For more information, visit www.AdvertiseVA.com, or call Gary Cope at (540) 522-1122, or send an e-mail to gary@cwimedia.com.

ShareThis