Internet Marketing Blog

True Cybercrimes

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As social media gains popularity in our common lives, protection of our identity becomes paramount.  One who is more of a dilettante to viral socializing may just decide to deactivate themselves, which is fine.  Others who value social media as a portal to entertainment and interaction plan to investigate their privacy rights according to the website policy, seeking loopholes in data accessibility in order to close them.  

The advancement of smartphone technology will only intensify the sharing of personal information across hardware and channels, so diligence need apply.  We are already seeing this with the development of geolocation, a practice where one can update their point on Earth in real time.  Security concerns have been shared on this space and the cyberworld, so delving in farther is unnecessary.

Despite all of this emerging concern with the increase of channel platforms to transfer data between your laptop, mobile phone, video game console, and the like, the public remains concerned about traditional cybercrimes such as identity theft.  Banks remain the least trusted business, according to recent survey done by Kindsight.  I have heard stories about security fraud in the past and present, as banks would infiltrate their customers with phishing messages while touting the finest security emblems on their webpage.  Credit histories are at stake when e-commerce transactions go haywire. When it comes to banking, however, many people have lifestyles today that do not permit the time to wait in a teller line for routine transactions. Larger firms, in light of the financial settlement passed by Congress, have taken steps to mitigate this personal service by assessing fees.  It will affect several demographics, namely senior citizens who are not technologically efficient.  This situation deserves monitoring by all, as the restrictive legal elements have yet to make a measurable impact.

Millennial who are savvy with their hardware and software easily make the adjustments necessary to protect their personal identity online.  Others struggle with the societal shift to online distribution of personal data, and whether they become successful remains to be seen.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Blog Marketing, Click Fraud, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Social Media Marketing, World, blog, eCommerce | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, Click Fraud, click fraud security, identity theft, kindsight, preventing click fraud, Social Media Marketing

How To Measure Social Media Marketing

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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How do you measure social media marketing? This is the top question nowadays among web marketing professionals who also use social media as a tool, making a social media analytics plan highly recommended. Studies indicate that almost 50% of the marketers are not sure about the direct value or how to measure the impact of social media on business. It is important to analyze the data by creating a unique analytics plan so that you can make well informed decisions on your marketing efforts.  

First define your goal when you are planning to measure the social media performance metrics on your business. Then go ahead and define actionable performance indicators to effectively measure the results of your campaign and then adjust your marketing strategy accordingly. Social media analytics are all about measuring the results to understand your customers, opportunities for business development, and how you translate your conversations with prospects to make business decisions.

Plenty of great tools are available either paid or free to monitor your social media marketing strategies. Both the free and paid tools offer different features and benefits. IBM introduced one such tool named the IBM SPSS Modeler Professional that helps marketers to find insights of campaigns. You should find such a tool, monitor your customers or prospect’s online activity and their conversation about your products or services to learn how to enhance the social media campaigns further.

Posted by Mohamed Mohideen
Posted in 7 Pillars of Internet Marketing, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Public Relations, Small Business, Social Media Marketing, blog | No Comments »
Tags: Content Marketing, internet marketing agency, Mohamed Mohideen, Social Media Analysis, Social Media Marketing, social media optimization, web analytics

Viralheat Lets You Know It’s Coming

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Viralheat is a new start-up company based in San Jose that tracks social media networks to help businesses track their campaign progress.  Their new service called Social Trends lets users gain instantaneous access to data and embed web analytics into editorial content.  Several large brands ranging from Oracle, MTV, and Disney are using the service to monitor feedback on brands, support programs, and other services.  The venture represents a more specialized version of Google Analytics, and could prove invaluable over time once social media marketing emerges as a lucrative force in the industry.  On the surface, an overlap of reporting capabilities is a concern

At the moment, corporations are still having difficulty tracking absolute revenue metrics from social media networks.  This tool is a solid first step in not only solving this quandry, but also to better engage with customers on products and services.  Corporations can also enforce quality control over their social media strategies rather than simply relying on an agency to do the heavy lifting.  They can work with a shop that has the specific tools to drive ROI with more cost certainty and aplomb to maximize efficiency.  We will see if Viralheat has an analytics goldmine on their hands.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Interactive Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Website Analytics, blog | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, internet marketing agency ny, new york social media agency, social media analytics, viralheat social trends, viralheat.com

Want To Get A Job Online? BranchOut Then.

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Many discussions lately have been focused on advertising through multichannel platforms and the influence of large technology firms on distribution of content.  The content also varies from online advertising to product development driven by social media.  I was curious about the factor of social media servers, namely Facebook and Twitter, in leveraging career positions.  Many articles have covered that it does expedite services and listed success stories.  Rick Marini, founder of BranchOut, has an opinion on several industry topics, which he discusses here.  His company offers an application that aims to truly synthesize the personalization of Facebook with company profiles to engender a relationship with far more depth than LinkedIn.  The main feature of BranchOut is the opportunity to search for a company and see all of your friends who have worked at said firm.  Once your friend installs BranchOut on their profile, then you can take inventory of their work history.  You can also see jobs available that they have posted from their current and past companies.  BranchOut currently does not have the depth of features that LinkedIn provides, but can offer a chance to network virally without privacy interference.  Those Facebook members who are interested should investigate here.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Social Media Marketing, blog | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, career development, internet marketing agency ny, new york interactive media agency, social media agency ny

Corporate Blogging For Search Index Gains

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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2010 has undoubtedly been the year of social media, where Twitter, Facebook, and Google look to expand their applications and compete will all involved.  All business sectors are turning to social media for instant distribution of content as opposed to traditional blog applications.  The strategy is sound depending on your initiatives and personnel, but corporate blogging still maintains credibility.  

According to eMarketer,  43% of US corporations will be blogging by 2012.  The nature of blogging is a healthy method of communication for those firms who have a solid consumer purchasing base with growth potential.  A veritable portfolio of services is also a factor for the value of a corporate blog.  Managers can easily read messages that are sent to the direct box and respond with little effort.  The transaction can also be confidential for sales negotiations, when having a phone conversation is not ideal.  WordPress, for example, has several chat plug-ins that are easily downloadable and assist with troubleshooting. The eMarketer piece also mentions that smaller companies do not have traditional bureaucratic constraints of other sectors and lead this charge.  I understand that sentiment, but does not prohibit the value of a blog for a departmental method of operation.  The corporate blog can be a hub for industry news and opinions, as well as the hub for success stories between the seller and consumer.  Tags allow for simple grouping of articles on topics to provide insight for your next annual report.  You can provide a consistently fresh outlook on several levels to current investors and prospective employees.

These mechanisms go a long way in the liveliness of your blog, since it must be treated as a breathing specimen and fed at all times.  But in the same vein, you must post information that leaves people wanting more, and that includes an amalgam of interactive media, still images, and thought.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Blog Marketing, Business News, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media Marketing, blog | 1 Comment »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, corporate blogging, eMarketer, internet marketing ny, new york interactive media agency, seo media agency

Introducing The Tweet Button

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Today, Twitter officially launched the “Tweet” button. Aesthetically, the image is nice.  It evokes the firm’s cloudy theme and has some shadowing to soften up the blue.  The button is a partnership with TweetMeMe,  the organizer of Twitter’s data set.  The button aims for readers to share content more efficiently.  Once content is passed on, then Twitter will suggest followers to that account.  Now, let’s account for the effects of this news.

This button could prove as a watershed moment for Twitter.  The button upgrade initially appears to be a response to the ‘Like’ button of Facebook. ‘Like’ has been leveraging data between its personal profiles and web domains, resulting in a wealth of transactions.  Nick Halstead of TweetMeMe states that this announcement is to strengthen the position of each side rather than generate revenue. The recent suggestion algorithm used by Twitter supports this statement. Tweeters aren’t in love with the interface, however, and seek adjustments.

Website designers and SEO methodologists will delight in the simpler button’s ability to manage click counts.  Once these steps are made, then developers can use the new DataSift to leverage all that information into creating new streams.  DataSift pledges to build search rankings through fast rule processing, reflecting real-time status.  Hashtags will add value for the firm as advertising for corporate accounts.  The program is in development, planning to surface in the near future.

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Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Blog Marketing, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Mobile Applications, Mobile Marketing, Social Media Marketing, blog | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, internet marketing ny, new tweet button, new tweet button news, new york social media agency, social media, tweetmeme, twitter

Facebook – Facebook Optimization – New SEO

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Facebook changed the way people use the internet to post and share information. Today one in every 14 people on Earth use the social networking website. Today, there are 12 million users in India, 6 million users in Brazil and these numbers are going to grow much faster in the near future. Facebook gained about 100 million new users since February of this year and now made half a billion users collectively.

Facts about Facebook:

1. 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day
2. Facebook has about 100 billion hits a day
3. 50 billion photos on Facebook and more than 3 billion photos uploaded each month
4. More than 3 million active pages on Facebook
5. More than 70 translations options available on the site
6. 1.5 million Local businesses have active pages on Facebook
7. Every month, more than 70% of Facebook users engage with Platform applications
8. 100 million active users are accessing Facebook through their mobile phones

So how do companies successfully use Facebook to market its products or services to large group of users? Facebook Optimization is the answer. Here are some key points that need to be followed on a Facebook Marketing Campaign includes: developing specific messages to target audience, paying appropriate attention to what is being discussed, and engaging in a good conversation. There are special tools that are specifically made for Facebook portal that help small businesses engage more and more deeply with the consumers and prospects. Facebook open graph tool help optimize your Facebook pages and with this tool, Facebook Optimization is now increasingly becoming the new SEO.

Posted by Mohamed Mohideen
Posted in 7 Pillars of Internet Marketing, Blog Marketing, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Interactive PR, Marketing Agencies, Mobile Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Small Business, Social Media Marketing, blog, online advertising | 1 Comment »
Tags: Blueliner Marketing, digital marketing, Interactive Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Mohamed Mohideen, online advertising, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing

Cyberhealth Search, M.D.

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Once upon a time, not too long ago, we visited the doctor to keep us from eternal woe. Your doctor could have been John or Jack Doe, for all we cared. In the new millennium, things are a little different. We have a national health care plan, although the possibilities of redemption will be told on a future date.  Healthcare consumers are going online to access information and services.  Insurers such as Aetna and Oxford have comprehensive statistics and resources for patients.  Couriers and freelancers have a long-running joke that WebMD takes their temperature.

These elements have forced consumers to become more empowered with personal health care.  Pharmaceuticals have acted accordingly, securing record profits with aggressive online campaigns and sharp website design with comprehensive facts.  According to a 2009 study by Harris Interactive, 78% of US Internet users searched online for health information.  Social media definitely integrates the personal health experience into a far more communicative, enlightened venture than its clandestine past.

It begs to ponder the value of search in our medical experiences.  We can access information from endless sources, but it’s difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff without a specialist.  In turn, the specialist loses value if he or she is inaccessible to citizens who need their routine services.  Specialists also lose value with informed patients, and must be willing to engage in critical discussions to ensure a healthy relationship.  The medical field, unlike others, has been slow to embrace mobile technology in supporting operations.  You may love the WebMD Sports Injury Reports on Fox, but if you’re covered, go see the doctor.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Flash, Interactive Marketing, Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Website Design, blog, online advertising | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, aetna insurance, Blueliner Marketing, harris interactive market research, healthcare, internet marketing nyc, new york social media agency, online advertising, oxford health care, pharmaceutical websites, web md

The Viral Redemption of Shirley Sherrod

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For those who follow political news online, this week has been a tornado of epic proportions for digital media.  Shirley Sherrod, an official with the United States Department of Agriculture, was ignominiously dropped on Monday from her longstanding post after a controversial video circulated through popular social media channels. A snippet in Sherrod’s speech allegedly had her admitting that race was a factor in a decision to providing services for a white farmer in her native Georgia.  Deputy Secretary Sheryl Cook harassed Sherrod, who was on the road, into a resignation over her Blackberry.  The NAACP denounced Sherrod and backed the DofAgriculture, but retracted the sentiment after the full context of her speech had been opened to discussion. Sherrod was seeking reconciliation rather than disassociation.  

The report first surfaced on a conservative political website called BigGovernment, then was broadcast on Fox News.  Media figures on both sides of the party ledger distilled information, supported with fervent discussion.  Online users called for Sherrod to be reinstated by the end of business on Monday.  Tuesday, Roger Spooner, the 87-year old farmer from Albany, Georgia, and his wife Eloise, spoke with CNN to heap praise on Sherrod.  The Huffington Post chronicled her lengthy contributions to the Civil Rights movement.  On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and Tom Vilsack, the Agriculture Head, issued formal letters of apology. Vilsack offered a new position to Sherrod, and at press time today, she remained undecided.

The most striking thing to me about the whole controversy is the immediacy of its timeline.  I found a short article touching the front section of today’s Wall Street Journal, and it has a benign tone, which truly belies the power of digital media. Or does it? The fire burned online through various sources, yet was quietly put out by live figures.  Honestly, I had never heard of Shirley Sherrod before the controversy surfaced on Monday, and it’s arguable, despite the presence of social media integration, if many more know her name today. Beltway politics continue to remain an insiders’ forum despite the growing accessibility of online media and Obama’s legendary campaign of 2007-8.  Race is even more taboo than with prior administrations on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue these days.  America’s longstanding wooden dialogue on race continues, with little more engagement to promise education. I guess that even on a viral scale, controversy starts and ends with a click.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Interactive Marketing, Social Media Marketing, World, blog | No Comments »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner Marketing, digital media agency, Huffington Post, internet marketing agency, new york social media agency, political controversy, shirley sherrod huffington post, shirley sherrod usda, wall street journal, white house politics

I Collect Fans. Therefore, I Invest.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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As social media websites like Facebook gain over hundreds of thousands of users, business principles must be assessed. Corporate entrants onto Facebook have created fan pages to inform members of their brand, its qualities, and promotional opportunities. Some brands have entered social media with widgets on the home site, with ambitions to gain a new generation of followers.  The value is in the volume.  Unfortunately, those fans remain static due to the misconception that Facebook users do not seek engagement from brands.  Therefore, product development loses a golden opportunity to leverage new customers, due to anxiety and false predications.

Some corporations move with the opposite mindset.  As genuine investors, they cultivate fans that are secured into an digital source for assets.  Chris Perry of Advertising Age comes up with ten fundamental principles for brands to leverage their social media fans and become an online investor.  I’ll draw out a few key statements.

1) What “Like” Means – Understand what an individual “liking” your brand says about them today, and set goals for what it should say about them tomorrow.  Your core base will come easily.  They were already fans of the brand and this is why they have “liked” your page – the brand has not added these fans, it’s simply assembled them.  It’s expanding and winning new audiences that pays dividends.

2) Put your fans to work – The sheer numbers of fans have clout only when put to use.  Powerful investor brands activate their audience as advocates.  Put those who like you to work by giving them reasons to interact with the brand and provide a platform where their enthusiastic support is amplified to their networks.  Facebook is a great place for activities.  Give your audience things to “like”, to use, to share, to post, to comment on.  Reward them as appropriate for your industry, segment, restrictions, budget and product – with applications, activities, social currency, exposure, affirmation, discounts, access, entertainment, responsiveness and respect.

3) Listen to your fans and respond to what you hear – Your Facebook community is a great source of research, product innovation ideas, consumer advocacy, customer service, and validation.  Monitor consistently and seriously, and be willing to stop and listen at every point and to change and respond and reset expectations when you identify new challenges and opportunities.  Understand that outside forces can impact your standing online so keep an eye out to mitigate risk and to anticipate if activities have impact on your perceived value.  Pay close attention to audience responses and be nimble in your response.  Be mindful of privacy and transparent with marketing.

Click the “Like” button for more insight.

Posted by Abdul Fattah Ismail
Posted in Business News, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Social Media Marketing, blog | 1 Comment »
Tags: abdul fattah ismail, Blueliner, Blueliner Marketing, facebook, facebook fans, Facebook marketing, online marketing agency, Social Media Marketing, web marketing in nyc