The 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing Blog

Crack One Open With Untappd and Pintley July 1, 2011 – 1:14 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

The Fourth of July weekend is here, and I want to wish everyone safe travels to their destination. While you are enjoying food and spirits with your friends, a couple of new websites look to engage with your friends. Untappd is a social media application where beer connoisseurs can post their beverage of choice. Similar to hyperlocal applications, Untapped creates a virtual pub for participants to debate and discuss topics relating to the brewing sector.  The mobile interface allows you to tag your friends, posting comments on entries.  Businesses also have an opportunity to develop brand positioning strategies while offering awards for active customers.  I think microbreweries will have a strong opportunity for awareness through this segmentation.  They can engage with coupons for select drafts, inform of tasting events, and seek sponsorship for local events.  According to the report from Netted, users also have an archive tab to glance over their discoveries.

Those discoveries can be fleshed out on Pintley.  Pintley is another social media website where a user makes choices based on their individual palette. Pintley will use their algorithm to list recommendations and offer communities to talk about them.  You could say that Pintley is the graduate level of the brewing industry. Users have lauded the streamlined interface.  Take a virtual tour of Pintley here.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Social Media Marketing | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency, new york interactive marketing agency, online communities, Social Media Marketing, social media news

Digital Tool of The Day: Social Plug-in Tracking June 30, 2011 – 4:40 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Google Analytics offer a new tool which allows a data report that shows how people share your content online.  It could fall in line with influencer websites such as Klout and Peer Index.  This plug-in has unique differentiations.  They use the social media buttons already located in your dashboard.  You can look at the activity through three phases, analyzing these categories:  Engagement, Activities, and Management.  This link goes further in depth on the execution.  The video below will help agencies leverage the updated dashboard.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency nyc, google analytics news, Social Media Marketing, social plug-in tracking

An MBA in 30 Seconds or Less June 29, 2011 – 4:35 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

The economic downturn has forced many to make transcendent sacrifices in their lives.  Some people have had to relocate with family due to lack of resources. Others have returned to school.  What if you are not capable of either direction?  Or a mobile phone without a QWERTY keyboard?  What if you have a desktop with no Internet connection, heaven forbid?

For those who seek to learn about business and don’t have neither the finances nor time, look no further.  The people at Fast Company have developed a microsite titled, “The 30 Second MBA”.  The website design has a warm interface mixed with a tangerine color palette. Photo profiles of the participants, dubbed professors, are on the right side panel. A Twitter feed rolls on in the bottom right corner.  The contributors come from all ranks of business.

But this portal is not about the quality of the user experience.  Instead the program is delivering a concept in viral content which is gathering steam.  Society is processing information a little quicker with less patience.  The questions are fairly standard, but the answers delivered by the executives are insightful. They are sharp bullet points in a world of haphazard dots, like this program.  Kimberly Grant, the Planning Supervisor for Zenith Media, has some visual notes for you.  Class is in session.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Content Marketing, Video Sharing | No Comments »
Tags: 30 second mba, Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency, fast company, online video advertising, Video Sharing, video sharing news

Foursquare Grows to 10,000,000 Members June 29, 2011 – 11:30 am				Abdul Fattah Ismail

This event happened last week, but the infographic struck my eye for its animation flash.  To see the action, click through the image.

It’s actually astonishing that geolocal social media marketing has taken off in terms of individual engagement.  I found the concept awkward, as many probably did at first glance. Why would someone publicly alert the world of your location? Well, it’s just fun and games. It also promotes more intrigue, not to mention intensify the voyeurism of our digital livelihood.  Since we constantly engage with applications on our phone, it is also a marketing stream.

Local businesses are slowly starting to leverage the participatory nature of geolocal tagging. The Foursquare application developed a new feature to list up to 25 specials in your latest checked point. As a result, scale is becoming closer to a reality for businesses who engage with repeat customers.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Small Business, Social Media Marketing | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency nyc, foursquare news, geolocation, Social Media Marketing

Patti Smith On Advertising June 28, 2011 – 3:08 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Rocker Patti Smith of ‘Horses’ fame amongst other vast areas of influence, had a rather common but pointed take on advertising. According to Clickz, this clip took place at the end of a seminar in the Cannes Lion ad festival of last week. Sometimes, less can be more. Even in the hyperactive digital age.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Marketing | No Comments »
Tags: advertising proverbs, Blueliner Marketing, Content Marketing, digital marketing agency, patti smith horses

GET IT Mobile Shares And Spreads Content June 28, 2011 – 2:18 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

Mobile marketing has been conducted in a haphazard fashion through digital connectors. I have spoken several times about the slow pace of platform scale development. This has annoyed content executives who want to diversify their ad packages for consumers.

Quite possibly, this San Jose tech firm will put them at ease.  GET IT Mobile offers a mobile marketing platform for leading brands to connect with their audiences who are deluged with content from all angles.  How will they do it? These are some features of product differentiation:

• Web analytics – A partner site with measurement tools on par with other leading dashboards, customizable for your small business. Campaigns can be set up  at your discretion
• Landing Page Flexibility – Brands can customize their pages according to hardware platform due to the inclusion of product landing pages.
• Brand Experience – I like the shortened GET.IT URL. Links are becoming another domain where companies can stretch position and generate visibility.

The press release from EON offers more tidbits on the value of this new platform for businesses. After you review those, then GET IT over here.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Content Marketing, Mobile Applications, Mobile Marketing | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency, get it mobile, mobile marketing company, mobile marketing news

Ad Click Of The Day: Walker’s Crisps June 27, 2011 – 4:21 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

The small town of Sandwich, England is described by their citizens as ‘lovely, but boring’. Nestled in the Port of Kent, the town has architecture dating nearly a thousand years in age. The marketers at Walkers, the English snack company under Pepsico, engaged the citizens with a witty cross-promotion of celebrities like Pamela Anderson, an English boy band called JLS, and Formula 1 driver Jenson Button. You can learn more about the vision right here from the marketing director. Creativity Online writes a critique about the Grand Prix Jury ruling this one a winner.

Video content was distributed throughout the cyberspace on social media channels. Traditional ad spots also ran on the radio and television. The brand positioning is rather obvious but still clever. This particular campaign won accolades at the Cannes Grand Prix for its creative effectiveness. I couldn’t have said it better.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Content Marketing, Digital Media, Interactive Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Sharing | No Comments »
Tags: ad clicks, Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency, digital media, new york interactive marketing agency, online advertising agency

What Software Buyers Want, by Lauren Carlson June 27, 2011 – 3:03 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

It is important for web developers to understand the buyer.  Words cannot begin to substantiate this fact.  The power of our digital era has eliminated the need for immediate engagement with a sales representative.  The buyer will go online, researching through their personal channels. After this is complete, they will contact a representative to set up a conversion (sale). In this sense, the content must be a premiere centerpiece that showcases your product.

This content must also be easily transferable, crossing mobile channels and time zones.  Buyers tend to err on gaining specific details from the outset, while inquiring on a personal level when a service piques their interest.  They would like to know the price points first so that they do not spend a lot of time with a vendor that does not seamlessly fit their needs. Since they have the ability to survey from several websites, a video demonstration can be a powerful form of online advertising.

My industry colleague, Lauren Carlson, does a brilliant job of explaining the demands of a software buyer. She posted a mix of illustrative data charts and actual quotes. She also has offered some links from vendors with toolkits to get you started. Read more here.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Small Business, Social Media Marketing | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency, lauren carlson, marketing automation software guide

Weekly Blueliner Newsminer June 24, 2011 – 5:57 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

We are back with another digital media news wrap up. Let us begin.

1.  Google Confirms Antitrust Inquiry

The Federal Trade Commission has dropped a hammer that has long been expected.  The headline from The New York Times delves into the ramifications.  The content is quite benign, stating that the search and online advertising titan has not been accused of malpractice at this point in time. It merely echoes the showdown between Microsoft and the U.S. government in the 1990s. Buckle your search goggles.

2. Facebook Cashes Virtual Currency

We have more Facebook news. This one is pertinent for web developers.  They will now have to pay 30% of their proceedings from games like Farmville to Facebook.  The article notes, importantly, that Credits will be used to pay for other digital content forms.  As we already know in the tech world, content is the new king. Hardware is loved, but it’s value is fading.

3.  Copious Ties To E-commerce

Copious is looking to enter the e-commerce marketplace of auctions where EBay has long held reign.  They, however, are doing it with the integration of Facebook users.  Online auction vendors should be able to construct interesting strategies for demographics.  Nowadays, items can be critiqued and shared through social networks before a purchase is considered.  This engagement can be quite influential regardless of the flow. The mission is intriguing.

4.  Apple’s Final Cut Pro X: Revealed

PC Magazine gives a positive review on the release of Final Cut Pro X.  They claim that the interface upgraded will make the editing experience smoother once professionals adjust to the changes. Conan O’Brien has already lampooned the changes, and even online communities did the same today. Time will tell. It could portend for digital developers looking enter an online advertising sector which is slowly growing scale.

5.  Righthaven Claims Copyright Ownership

In the world of blog, you may not necessarily be what you post.  Righthaven, a Las Vegas-based copyright litigation company, met with the Las Vegas Review-Journal over some of the publisher’s content.  As a firm in the business of lawsuit protection, these cases have not garnered as much publicity. The democratization of written content by uncredible posters can only spread to other mediums like video and sound.  In fact, content is becoming more than king. It is becoming a tasty hot potato.

That’s the Blue news for now. Enjoy the weekend.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in blog, Business News, Interactive Marketing, Marketing | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing nyc, new york interactive marketing agency, weekly blueliner newsminer

Stretch Out The Meaning of SEO June 24, 2011 – 3:35 pm				Abdul Fattah Ismail

We here at Blueliner Marketing believe in the growth of digital media.  Our ability to communicate on all platforms offer a flexibility in business production which has never been realized in any other era.  Corporations are learning slowly about terms like metadata, page views, and conversion rates. But some executives still aren’t convinced that search engine optimization is a worthy investment, even if consumer traffic begins with a website for everyone. Outspoken Media had some opinions for marketing managers to crack the digital ceiling.

1.  Turn Your Data Into a Story

You relentlessly comb over the site map looking for mistakes in the metadata. The keyword list rankings have shifted a little bit over the quarter, but not too much.  The metrics paint a vivid for you to implement strategy, but what about your supervisors? Use a television show or allegorical reference to spread your data evangelism.

2.  Your Boss Isn’t Educated On the Seemingly Ancillary Benefits

In fact, I have conversations with co-workers all the time about clients who expect a complete brand transfusion in their conversion metrics when starting an SEO campaign. Unfortunately, in this world of button gratification, no mas. It takes a lot of protocol and slow roasting to see the results.  Outspoken brings out several points of value.  You gain increased web, image, and video search.  Your brand authority improves while customer acquisition costs decline.  Over time, you engage more with the customer base, and then the sales flow in.

3.  Rankings Are Up, But Traffic is Down

Again, this harkens to the last paragraph where investors could freak out in the early stages.  After a thorough metadata review and keyword implementation, you are separating the wheat from the chaff.  When this infiltrates a strong website with simple navigation paths, you will attract customers rather than surveyors.

4.  A Relationship of Obscurity

A last point they bring up is that it could be a plain old gap. Whether it be an age or personality gap  is irrelevant.  The forces of nature are not permitting management not understanding the basic value of your daily responsibility.  I bring this into the fray as a conclusion point for one simple reason. It is an indicator of a macroeconomic problem within your firm structure which is a coin flip at best.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in 7 Pillars of Digital Marketing, blog, Business News, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, search engine marketing, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing agency nyc, new york interactive marketing, outspoken media, seo news