The social networking / microblogging site, Twitter, is so popular right now that it’s not a bad move to think you should use it for your business – as part of your social media strategy. In fact, you may go so far as to say it’s a necessary move. Sure, it’s cool to be able to follow the tweets of Ashton Kutcher and Stephen Fry on a daily basis and join in on casual conversations. But it’s so much cooler that Twitter offers you, through these conversations, new opportunities to expand your business and your brand. Before you dive in and start twittering, make sure you consider a few important things first. You don’t want to start out on a bad note, after all. Ask yourself how you want to use your Twitter Sure, you can’t use Twitter yet as a direct revenue channel, but you can use it as a way to continue to enhance your brand and image. – Read the full article
States have been trying for years to find ways to collect taxes from online sales, which continue to grow at a rate of about 10 percent a year. States are now losing out on $20 billion annually in taxes they would be collecting if all online sales were happening in physical stores. The Illinois Department of Revenue estimates that they could collect $153 million per year with an online sales tax as proposed in Senate Bill 3353. In 1992, the Supreme Court ruled that states could not force retailers to collect sales taxes unless they had “nexus” — a physical presence in a given state. That doesn’t apply to operations such as Amazon that don’t run physical stores and do all their business online. What does this mean? There are approximately 8,940 affiliates in Illinois representing 4.47% of all US affiliates. In 2008 Illinois affiliate marketers earned $78.6MM and paid $2.35MM in state income taxes. As an active member of the affiliate – Read the full article
More and more brands are using Facebook to create Fan Pages – and for good reason, too. A Facebook Fan Page is a great online channel for sharing and promoting brand identity, as well as for engaging and interacting with audiences in a community-driven setting. SEO experts will also note that a Fan Page on Facebook can improve a brand’s online authority, thus making it friendlier to search engines. However, there are dangers that come along with the benefits of social media – dangers that can hurt a brand and a company’s reputation. Brand identity theft, for example, has taken on many forms on the Web, and we see many cases of it happening on Facebook. There are a number of companies who’ve made the mistake of letting fans take over Facebook Fan Pages of their brands. It may simply be that they trust their fans enough to let them have administrative control. Or it can be a case of – Read the full article
It’s easy to slap a name onto your business and call it a brand. But that alone won’t cut it these days – especially not online. It needs constant nourishment and attention in order to position it into something that will be successful. The great thing about promoting your brand online is that there are plenty of tools available out there for you to use. Like websites and blogs. Social media and local business listings. Online maps and directories. E-newsletters and RSS feeds. Of course, by building a brand online, you can also reach and influence more people than ever before – and at a much quicker pace than through traditional means like radio, TV, or print. Before you throw your brand onto the World Wide Web, however, it’s best to follow some of the online brand management tips which you’ll find below. Develop an Online Marketing Strategy You may have a lot of high-quality valuable information on your website, – Read the full article
YouTube recently introduced new features that give generations of video content creators new ways to connect with billions of viewers every day. The first is YouTube Direct, an open-source tool that lets users embed the upload functionality of YouTube directly into their own sites. YouTube Direct is designed to bridge closer connections between individual users and news, media, and business organizations. Image via Now Public “Almost any event that takes place today has a chance of being captured on camera,” a statement reads on the Google blog. “As YouTube has become a global platform for sharing the news, media organizations have been looking for a good way to connect directly with citizen reporters on our site….” That’s why YouTube direct lets users upload videos directly into the application, such that others can request, review, verify, and rebroadcast their clips. Of course, these videos stay live on YouTube, so that users can reach other viewers while getting a chance for broader – Read the full article
The holiday season is right around the corner – and with it, shopping galore. Are you ready for Christmas? Is your E-commerce site optimized for maximum sales? People will certainly be looking up holiday items and ideas on the Internet, and – to help you gain greater visibility and maximize search traffic – we’ve come up with a list of 7 SEO tips for your retail website. 1. Refresh your content. Don’t just copy and paste from your manufacturer’s website. Be creative. Yes, it takes a lot of effort, but it is worth it to have unique product descriptions, catalog and category descriptions, case studies, industry news, and shopping tips that not only make your E-commerce site a lot more interesting for visitors, but also improve your sales through better search engine visibility. 2. Create a blog. Why not? The fact that holiday season is forthcoming should give you enough things to write about. A blog not only enhances the – Read the full article
Due to the tremendous support and success of last year’s event, Barcelona Creative Group has decided to host our 2nd Annual Open House and Food Drive. We invite you to join us as we “talk turkey,” help those in need and celebrate Thanksgiving (the most American of holidays) with clients, business associates and friends. Date: Monday, November 23rd Time: 5:00pm to 7:00pm Where: 12416 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights, 2nd Floor Holiday appetizers and beverages will be served. This year we will be supporting the Palos Township Emergency Food Pantry. We hope you will help by bringing a non-perishable food item. Thank you. Items needed: Canned Vegetables, Canned Soups, Canned Fruits, Canned Tuna or Chicken, Macaroni & Cheese, Spaghetti Sauce, Applesauce, Fruit Drinks, Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels, Toothpaste & Toothbrushes, Hand Soap, Dishwashing Soap and Shampoo & Conditioner. RSVP Here… For more information or questions please contact Juli Barcelona or Monica Crites by email at juli @barcelonacreative.com or monica – Read the full article
Bing is revving it up once again by adding new features to its search functionality. Among the latest additions to the search engine’s features is a new video portal called Bing Video which offers original programming as well as videos from a variety of sources. It combines content from MSN videos with Bing’s search technology, while also housing web-based videos from sites like YouTube, Daily Motion, Hulu, and MySpace, among others. Also included is content from sites like MSNBC, CBS, Fox Sports, National Geographic, and other providers and sites from which MSN offered original media programming. Bing Video may just be what Microsoft needs to help add to its current second-place video market share (next of course to YouTube). With videos organized into several categories like News, Sports, TV Shows, Music, as well as sections for viral clips, “Last Night on TV”, and “Best of Bing”, search on Bing Video is easy, with capabilities that enable faster viewing experience and – Read the full article
