August 31st, 2010

Facebook is Shrinking and Going Places

It was announced earlier last week, that Facebook is now worth up to $33.7 billion dollars, if secondary market transactions are anything to go by. That’s more than five times the $6.5 billion valuation the company received in July 2009.

That is a staggering figure considering most people use the website to post pictures of their dogs and “like” status updates. The “Facebook machine” isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so unless you want to look into the supposed “Facebook alternative,” Diaspora (launching September 15th), this is your only option.

In the past few weeks, the social network has announced a few changes and additions to their site. These changes would include shrinking the width of pages and removing the “boxes” tab from profiles and pages. The biggest addition is the supposed “Foursquare killer,” Places.

If you have yet to dive into these latest developments, I’m here to help you better understand the changes and become more familiar with their new location based option.

Fan Page Shrinkage

Effective as of August 23rd, Facebook has decided to remove the familiar 760px page width and convert all fan page tabs to 520px. This not only changes the way Fan Pages are made, but also give you less room to create apps, landing pages, and more.

If you have logged in recently to discover the page that you admin has changed, you are not alone. All of the images or apps on your tabs could still be at the 760px size. Your visitors will notice the difference and if you have not changed the pixel ratio, now is a good time.

If you are using Static FBML to create your tabs, one simple solution to the width change is placing width=”520px” between img src=. (Example: <img width=”520px” src=http://……)

Pack Up The Boxes

Another change recently announced is the removal of the Boxes tab, as well as any boxes appearing in the side bar of the page. Prior to this change, whenever you added FBML tabs, RSS feeds, or other miscellaneous applications to a page, you could choose to place them in the Boxes tab or a sidebar box on the wall.

Facebook has started notifying users via messaging in profile boxes, as well as in their Help Center, that the Boxes tab will be going away. If you want the content formerly contained in these boxes to appear on a Facebook page, you will need to create new custom tabs.

Oh, The Places You’ll Go

Location based applications such as Foursquare and Gowalla have become all of the rage, connecting users to discounts at restaurants — or just informing others on where you are currently residing. (I have yet to jump on the bandwagon.)

Facebook saw this vast opportunity and recently created Places. Currently, the option is only available on iPhone or their mobile site, but it gives the already 500 million Facebook users the chance to keep their “location party” all under one roof vs. using another application.

If you are familiar with Foursquare, the concept is very similar: Check in where you are located, but now your update will appear on the Place page, your friends’ News Feeds and your Wall. (It’s just another way for creepers to meet you in person!)

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We all moan and complain every time Facebook adds, changes, or modifies their site. (We even make Facebook fan pages dedicated to our hatred with the new layout or look.) Until there is a sufficient alternative to this social network, we have to adapt to their changes and give Facebook a big bear hug.

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August 27th, 2010

BLASTmedia’s Stars of August

This month has been buzzing with great coverage, social media contests, tradeshows and giveaways! But a few BLAST team members have really shined. We thought this would be a great time to recognize these stars—Emily Trimble, Megan Giannini and Patrick Tarpey!

Let’s start with Emily: by facilitating a giveaway with a YouTube reviewer, one of her clients saw a huge increase in website traffic and sales. This weekend, Emily is traveling to Dallas for OpenCamp, a multi-platform web conference to represent ZOMM — an amazing device that keeps you from losing your cell phone.

Megan Giannini recently transitioned to the consumer PR team and immediately secured awesome coverage! This month, for H2O Audio, Megan got Gadgeteer to review their waterproof Nano case and had Newsweek, Gadling and laptopmag.com raving about Lug.

And last, but certainly not least, Patrick Tarpey has killed it this month! Check out some of the awesome press he earned for his clients!

  • WIRED.com posted a great review (8/10 stars) of the Dexim DCA199 Solar Powered P-Flip
  • ZDNET.com featured Pelican’s 1090 Hardback Laptop case
  • ABC World News Now included ZOMM in their back to school guide


How about a warm round of applause for the awesome work from the stars of August!

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August 26th, 2010

BLASTmedia Clients Get Inc.’d

At BLASTmedia we’re always proud of our clients’ achievements because we consider ourselves a part of their team. One of the biggest successes a company can achieve is being included on the Inc. 500|5000 — and we’re excited to have TWO of them featured in the recently-released 2010 list!

If you’re not familiar with the list, here’s a quick explanation according to Inc.:

“the list is a distinguished editorial award, a celebration of innovation, a network of entrepreneurial leaders, and an effective public relations showcase. The Inc. 500|5000 ranks companies by overall revenue growth over a three-year period.”

Weighing in at #256 this year is Skullcandy. The Utah-based headphone company has a unique style that’s recognized all over the world and is always bringing something new. Now, you can even try on “augmented reality headphones” in the Virtual Room to try out your headphones before you buy! Learn more about the company by checking out the Inc. profile!

Also on the list is Pelican Products — a global manufacturer of advanced lighting systems, rugged protector cases and shipping containers. Ranking at #1726 this year, Pelican has jumped more than 1,800 places since last year’s list where it was listed at #3553!

We certainly have a wide range of clients at BLASTmedia — and whether your company is already on the Inc. 500|5000, or just getting started, we’d love to be a part of the team and help tell your story!

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August 25th, 2010

Social Media Marketing with YouTube: BLASTmedia Answers Why & How

Ever been told you need a social media campaign? Choosing the right social platform can be a bit overwhelming, but if you are looking for results, then look no further than YouTube.

The social media team at BLASTmedia created this fun, informative video to demonstrate the amazing power of YouTube as a social media marketing tool.

YouTube accounts for almost half of online video views by the U.S. Internet audience.  In fact, YouTube hosts more than 144 million unique viewers each month — that’s one third of the entire U.S. population.

Did you know in 60 days, more video content is uploaded to YouTube than the three major TV networks uploaded in 60 years? This translates to 2 million hours worth of content (viralblog.com).

With this volume of traffic, it is no wonder YouTube has surpassed Yahoo as the #2 search engine in October 2008 (and is still holding steady). Furthermore, Google purchased YouTube in 2006, which allows for a higher chance of reaching page 1 of the search engine results page (SERP) in a Google search.

BLASTmedia YouTube video thumbnail in SERPs Page 1 Google

As far as community building, YouTube provides cross platform interaction and social networking. You can link your YouTube content to Facebook, Twitter and Google Reader. As with any other social network, users are able to subscribe, add friends and comment on other YouTube videos, too.

As new mobile technologies emerge, YouTube’s reach will continue to grow. Viewers can now access nearly 100 million videos from YouTube’s mobile site.

Clearly, the power of YouTube can be harnessed as a strong marketing tool because of traffic generation, search engine optimization, cross platform interactivity, social networking and increased mobile access.

To get the full scoop on the power of YouTube, make sure to check out BLASTmedia’s new video! And, big props to our own Blake Fife for his video editing skills and Sean Ireton for the narration!

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August 24th, 2010

Our Own Social Media Marketing Superstar, Julie Perry, Featured in New Book from Entrepreneur Magazine

Here at BLASTmedia, we know that our social media director, Julie Perry, is one of the top YouTube marketing experts around… Our clients are also aware that Julie’s YouTube expertise is priceless, because they’ve been reaping the rewards of her strategies — as carried out by BLASTmedia’s social media team — for awhile now…And it goes without saying that Julie’s past freelance clients and fans of her YouTube Marketing DVD course are aware that Julie’s ninja-like YouTube tactics & tricks are second to none when it comes to profiting from YouTube marketing.

SO, BLASTmedia is thrilled to announce that the public-at-large will now be made aware of Julie’s abundance of knowledge when it comes to social media marketing on YouTube in order to achieve increased traffic & lead generation, improved SEO and higher sales conversions…

That’s because (drum roll please!), released today from Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneur Press, it’s the latest book from online marketing expert, Mitch Meyerson:

Success Secrets of the Social Media Marketing Superstars,” featuring the priceless tactics
and insights of more than 20 of today’s social media elite (including our Julie Perry)!

Superstars of Social Media Cover BLASTmedia Julie Perry

Handpicked to cover almost every aspect of social media marketing, this book’s distinguished team of contributing social media experts open their playbooks and teach readers how to create effective social media campaigns that reach out to millions.

Julie’s chapter on mastering YouTube, entitled “YouTube: Leveraging the Power of Google to Get Your Video Content to Millions” (read an excerpt from her chapter here), is featured alongside other well-known social media authorities such as:

  • Everybody’s favorite wine connoisseur and New York Times bestselling author, Gary Vaynerchuk (@GaryVee) — who writes on building mega-followings online
  • Chris Brogan (@ChrisBrogan), also a New York Times bestselling author, whose chapter is on Building Communities
  • “The Pied Piper of the Online World” (as dubbed by FastCompany.com) and author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day, Mari Smith (@MariSmith)
  • Denise Wakeman (@DeniseWakeman), blogging expert and founder of The Blog Squad.
  • Founder and CEO of Copyblogger Media, Brian Clark (@copyblogger) and his chapter on the psychology of social media marketing
  • Founder of the popular online social media magazine, Social Media Examiner, Michael Stelzner (@Michael_Stelzner)
  • Twitter expert and author of Twitter Revolution, Deborah Cole Micek (@CoachDeb)

As you can imagine, our BLASTmedia team is oh-so-proud of our very own social media superstar, Julie Perry, for being chosen to appear alongside this all-star group!

Grab your copy of Success Secrets of the Social Media Marketing Superstars today and get eight audio and video bonuses at www.SocialMediaMarketingSuperstars.com. And look for the full page ad in Entrepreneur Magazine — on the stands now!

*And remember, if the increasingly complex social media landscape is too much for your company to wade through, you can always just leave it to the experts at BLASTmedia to increase your online (and offline!) visibility and sales today!

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August 20th, 2010

BLASTmedia Visits the Indiana State Fair

On Tuesday, BLASTmedia took our annual field trip to the Indiana State Fair. Always an entertaining afternoon trip, this year’s fair did not disappoint. Packed with thousands of visitors, animals and food and carnival vendors, the Indiana State Fairgrounds treated us to the always popular Dairy Bar, the disturbing 1,277 pound “World’s Largest Boar” named Tickle-Me-Elmo III, Doughnut Burgers, Fried Butter, and the “Garbage Burger”–a pork patty covered with pulled pork on a bun, the Signature Food in the fair’s “Year of Pigs.”

Yes, in case you were wondering, we ate all of the above (with the obvious exception of Tickle-Me-Elmo III)!

It was a great day all around with many memories made, including watching a guy awkwardly dance with his cheesy potato curls as he slowly sat down on a bench, Ashley and Blake eating the Fried Butter (video below), and Kiersten, Emily and I plotting an incredible, Hollywood blockbuster movie involving farm machinery (keep your eyes peeled for this one in the next few years).

Here’s a photo of the BLAST crew at the fair and a short video of Blake and his Fried Butter experience. Thanks for another great event, BLAST!

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August 19th, 2010

Gifts Galore: New York International Gift Fair

On Tuesday, while the rest of our Indy office made our annual trip to the Indiana State Fair (more on that in a future post), I took a trip to an entirely different type of fair: the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF). It may still be the summer, but that doesn’t mean we don’t already have holiday gift giving on our minds. In fact, we’ve been working on magazine gift guides for a couple of months already. In case you missed it, here are a few of our tips for how to get your products in holiday gift guides.

The NYIGF, held semiannually at the Javits Center, showcases nearly every type of gift you could imagine wanting to give or receive from more than 2,700 companies. From handmade and fair trade goods to collectibles, housewares and jewelry, the fair offers something for everyone. If you’re looking for a unique gift for late summer wedding or are already writing your holiday wish list, here’s a look at a few of the BLASTmedia clients that exhibited at the NYIGF:

Mimoco displayed their newest designer USB flash drives, including their Hello Kitty, tokidoki and Star Wars collections.

Mimoco booth at the NYIGF

Mimoco's NYIGF Booth

Nanodots, magnetic micro constructors, are a versatile gift– perfect for creative kids or adults!

Our friends at YUBZ introduced a few of their newest products, including the Mood Light Elevator and Desktop Organizer.

YUBZ

YUBZ NYIGF Booth

Just in time for fall and winter, Lug showcased their newest bags and travel accessories at NYIGF.

Lug

Lug's NYIGF Booth

And last but not least, no trip is complete without taking a peek at SkyMall. The catalog didn’t disappoint, with Dexim landing on the cover.

Dexim SkyMall

SkyMall Featuring Dexim

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August 17th, 2010

Ingredients of the “Pitchwich”

In 1918, William Strunk Jr. wrote in The Elements of Style, “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” Let’s take this quote a step further:

“A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences…and a pitch should contain no unnecessary words, sentences or paragraphs.”

As public relations professionals, we pitch on a daily basis, constantly tweaking and perfecting our writing to be more precise, simple and informative. When it comes to the elements of a good pitch, we sometimes forget we can simply go back to the basics. Ashley put together a presentation recently where she outlined the most basic elements of the pitch—and called it the “The Pitchwich.” (She personally thinks of it as a turkey sandwich, but it’s really up to you) Let’s break it down:

1. Bread slice = Greeting/Relevant tie-in (problem)

An email greeting might sound simple, but that’s not always the case. Kathleen Fasanella from Fashion-Incubator highlighted some good greetings she’d received from PR pitches:

  • Addressed contact by name – not by a nickname.
  • The PR rep didn’t pretend they were a “huge fan” of the blog.  Mention it, but don’t over-sell it.

Why are you sharing this info? Kevin Dugan from the “Bad Pitch Blog” sums it up best when he writes, “Reporters don’t want random pitches, they want to hear about companies, insights, services and sources that are going to fill out and support the stories they are already working on. As a PR professional, you need to find reporters that cover topics related to your company or client, and you need to find a way to give them what they need, in a way that they can use it. If this means doing extra research, and going the extra mile, go for it.

2. Mayo = Introduction of product/service (solution)

This element shows how the client relates to a greeting, and can be a one-sentence statement of who/what the product/service is. In other words, tell them what the heck it is.

3. Meat = Details on client’s product/service

They know what it is; now why should they care? This is where you get to tell Mr. Journalist why your client is the best. Include key info on the client that separates them from competition and highlight why they should be interested. Bad Pitch Blog shows how to include the info:

  • Short URLs for easier sharing
  • Links to very specific content based on journalist’s needs
  • Group together information to make it more of a palette of relevant content from which they can plug and play

4. Bread slice = Closing and call to action

The last step is a call to action—what do you want from them? Include a final question to offer an interview, product sample or additional information and/or images. Thank them for their time and let them know you are available for questions. Don’t forget to include all of your contact details!

Business Week gave some helpful suggestions for pitching in their article, “The Three Elements of an Inspiring Pitch.”

  • Be Understandable. Eliminate buzzwords and jargon from your conversation. Sell the benefit behind your product or service quickly and with simple words, and don’t make it too hard for people to understand what you do.
  • Be Memorable. Your pitch will most certainly fail if nobody can remember it. One effective way of making your ideas easy to remember is by using analogies and metaphors to compare the idea, product or service with something that your audience is more familiar with.
  • Be Emotional. Make them believe that you believe in what you are saying, and have a connection.

So, make William Strunk Jr. proud, and go back to the 1918-basics–make every word, sentence, paragraph, and pitch count.

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August 13th, 2010

BLASTmedia Profile: Julie Zaitz

It’s time again for another BLASTmedia profile! This month, you are getting to know Julie Zaitz on the media relations side of the house.  Julie spends her days securing press coverage for a variety of different consumer clients, ranging from designer flash drives to camping accessories. She’s had a killer week for her clients – including coverage on TIME Magazine’s TECHLAND for Mimoco and the New York Times “Tech Talk” podcast for Eton Corporation – totally deserving of a shout-out as this month’s BLAST star!

Julie Zaitz

Here are a few facts about Julie:

Nickname:

Jules, or J-Z, which is not to be confused with J-P (Julie Perry, our social media director)

Hometown:

Cobden, IL – home of the Appleknockers

College attended:

University of Indianapolis (our 3rd U-of-I grad!)

Favorite childhood Memory:

When my sister and I painted the upstairs bright blue while our parents were at work. She said they’d love it— not so much.

Favorite sport:

Basketball

Favorite movie:

I have a few! Forrest Gump, Gladiator (if I’m in the mood for gore) and Dumb and Dumber (favorite comedy)

Favorite Indianapolis restaurant:

Santorini’s—it’s a Greek Restaurant in Fountain Square, delicious.

Random fact:

In school, I used to draw all my professor’s faces as they were lecturing.

One word to describe you:

Blissful

Favorite quote:

“Eyes show the strength of the soul”

-The Alchemist

What’s on your iPod:

My favorite playlist has every Sublime song, some 311, a little Cake and finishes with Lady Antebellum—it’s a weird combination but I like the diversity!

Favorite Pandora Station:

The Beatles station—though I’m a pretty big fan of Grooveshark to stream as well

Favorite Tweep you follow:

Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler)

Favorite Social Media Site/Tool/App:

I still prefer Facebook!

How would you describe your job at BLASTmedia?:

Fast-paced, ever-changing and always exciting—since I’ve started, no two days have been alike.

What do you like to do outside of BLAST?:

I enjoy painting, long jogs and feeding the ducks outside my new apartment

Keep rockin’ it Julie! Leave a comment if you have any other questions for JZ (but nothing creepy, OK?).

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August 11th, 2010

A Well-Branded Twitter Background is Worth 1,000 Followers (or More!)

Founded in 2006, the micro-blogging site Twitter has transformed into a professional tool to communicate, connect and network. And with nearly 80 million “tweeters,” Twitter has become a major tool for Internet marketers to get their product in front of just about any niche market under the sun.

But with so many people vying for attention, whether you are tweeting for your own personal blog or for business, it is important to use a custom-designed Twitter profile. Sure, Twitter provides some very nice pre-set backgrounds to choose from, but they won’t separate you or your business from the crowd.

Think of your Twitter page like a business card. When other Twitter users (AKA “tweeple“) come across your page, you want to tell them as much about you or your business in as short amount of time as possible. One of the best ways to do that is to brand yourself literally AND visually, which as a motion graphics designer is my area of expertise…

Allow me to explain what makes an effective custom Twitter background and some basics on how to create one:

  • Who are you?
    Creating an identity and keeping it consistent throughout all facets of marketing is imperative, which is why your Twitter background should look and feel the same as your company’s website, blog or any other form of digital communication. Therefore, you should incorporate your company’s logo, colors and graphical elements that would be recognizable to viewers who are familiar with your brand identity. You might also consider incorporating any well-known tag line that is associated with your brand.
  • Give us your Mugshot.
    The image you display as your avatar (this is your profile picture) is generally the first point of reference to your Twitter profile. It is important to use an image that tells others what you are about. Think about it, you wouldn’t use an image of your cat if you were a freelance photographer. Instead, you would want an image of yourself holding a camera. Using an image that represents you or your business will help build trust and personal relationships with followers.
  • Who are you going to call…er…contact?
    This is probably the most important facet of a good custom Twitter background. When someone stumbles across your page, you want to present your contact information. This could be done in a number a ways, but the two most important elements are your website/blog URL and an e-mail address. It is important to spell the link addresses properly since the background is an image and does not contain hyperlinks.You might also include links to your other social media profiles.

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself, “I have absolutely no knowledge with professional design software.” Not to worry; there are a number of free design tools available at your fingertips. All you need to do is some research. For example, Photobie is a great place to start. This software can be downloaded for free and contains basic features that will enable you to create a custom Twitter background.

Once you have chosen the right software that fits your skill set, there are two important things to keep in mind:

  1. Dimensions
    When designing your Twitter background, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind. The first is the dimension of the image. To be safe, you will want to set your image size to 1280 x 1024 pixels. When you upload your background to Twitter, it centers it on the left-hand side. This makes it challenging to determine the screen real estate with which you have to work.. To be safe, I suggest you keep your copy, photos or logos within 150 pixels. This will allow users with a 15-inch monitor to view your design the way you intended, because Twitter will push your design to the left. If your design exceeds 150 pixels, then you run the risk of having your Twitter feed cover your valuable information:

    Twitter background dimensions BLASTmedia

  2. File Size
    The second thing to keep in mind is your file size. This is determined by the amount of design elements. For example, if you use one large photograph as your background image, then your file size will be considerably larger. Ideally, you will want to keep your design under 200k. This will decrease any loading time needed when someone visits your page. Of course, you can go as large as 800k, but a faster load time will make it more “user-friendly.”

So there you have it—in the rapidly growing “Twittersphere,” it is important to stand out among the rest by using a unique background that is tailored to you or your business. You would never walk up to someone and hand out a business card with pretty pink flowers without any text would you? So why would you use a generic Twitter background?

So get in there and let people know what you or your business is all about. You do want people to remember you…right?

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