Great Blog Post to Check Out!

So much of this blog has been dedicated to how social media is changing the world of Boston Marketing Firms and Boston Public Relations Firms, so I wanted to share a great blog post by AJ Gerritson of 451 Marketing which compliments this notion perfectly.

Check it out: The Evolving Marketer - More Transparent or Better Concealed?

The Effects of New Media

I have discussed various Web 2.0 techniques and how they are changing the worlds of Boston Marketing Firms and Boston Public Relations Firms in many of my posts in this blog, but today I thought I would share a very interesting article about how these Web 2.0 applications have affected a different industry: television.

http://451heat.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/new-media-expedites-the-demise-of-mtvs-trl/

This article discusses how Web 2.0 has expedited the end of MTV's hit show TRL. Very interesting insights - check it out!

Web Analytic Tools

Web analytics is one of the most interesting study methods Boston Marketing Specialists use to improve a company’s Internet life. Web analytics, the study of online behavior, is one of the best ways to determine how to improve website visitors’ perceptions and actions. Boston marketing agencies use web analytics to measure clients’ websites presence on the Internet and to see what visitors are doing on the websites themselves.

There are two types of web analytics: off-site web analytics and on-site web analytics. Off-site web analytics is used to measure a website's opportunities, visibility and buzz. Marketing professionals look at a website’s potential audience, perceptibility and comments on the Internet.

On-site web analytics looks at a visitors’ activity on a website and determines which landing pages persuade visitors to make a purchase. This type of web analytics measures the performance of your website in a profitable context. Marketing firms use the data to improve a web site or a campaign's audience response.

In the past, Boston Marketing Agencies were mostly concerned with on-site web analytics. But with the recent surge in brand marketing and attention to reputation, marketing experts are interested in using data from both on-site and off-site web analytics to improve websites and audiences behaviors.

451 Marketing Announces 451Heat

451 Marketing launched their new blog 451Heat this week, which is dedicated to the world of Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Web 2.0 and PR 2.0. Check it out: http://451heat.wordpress.com/

Great Presentation to Check out:

AJ Gerriston of 451 Marketing gave a great presentation about web 2.0 and all that it entails last night at Vitale Caturano. Check it out - there is some really great information!

http://www.slideshare.net/guestd8c007/acgboston-presentation-706075/

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Chooses 451 Marketing to Stimulate Economic Development

Some of you may not know yet that 451 Marketing was hired by The State of Massachusetts Office of Business Development to begin a fully integrated campaign (television, print, radio, and event marketing) in order to position the state as the premier location for businesses to move to or within the state. Check out the full release: Original Release.

Web 3.0??

I have talked quite a bit about Web 2.0 and how it is changing the world of Boston Marketing Agencies, Boston Advertising Agencies, and Boston Public Relations Firms alike, but I just came across an interesting article called “Web 3.0”. Much like me, you may be thinking: web 3.0?? aren’t we still adjusting to Web 2.0?

I thought I would take a few minutes today to explain…

We know that Web 2.0 is the newest era of the internet, and describes changing trends in internet usage, and can be characterized by the decentralization of website content, social networking, blogs, and microcontent. Web 2.0 has created a dialog between business and consumer, and involves all internet users in the process of communicating ideas through this two-way conversation.

What I read is that the future of the web will be called Web 3.0, and the debate is still open as to what this term will encompass. Thought to be the “intelligent web”, it is predicted that Web 3.0 will have a larger focus on mobile internet access, mobile devices, network computing, open technologies, distributed databases, and intelligent applications. Research had indicated that we can expect these changes to occur around 2010-2012. It seems as though the intelligent applications will be the most interesting advancement in terms of the internet, as it will aid computers in looking at the internet in a quasi-human fashion in order to bring artificial intelligence to the web.

Even though these shifts in web technology will not take place for a few years, they are definitely something for Boston Marketing Agencies, Boston Public Relations Agencies and Boston Web Design Firms to keep their eye on as this shift will yet again change these industries drastically.

Internet Calling

In light of all these new media marketing strategies I've been discussing I thought I would talk about yet another today... Internet Calling.

Internet calling has not always been a very successful venture; however, in more recent years it has become more efficient and effective with the advances of technology and companies like Skype and Yahoo! Voice. These services make the cost of mobile calling fees go down as they present a threat to calling companies- many users claim the call quality is just as good and the rates are half as hurtful on their pockets.

Skype is software that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and to free-of-charge numbers are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing. While there are some concerns such as the level of security of personal devices and conversations with its services, Skype has experienced rapid growth in popular usage since the launch of its services. While Skype has grown from roughly 75 million users in 2005 to 309 million users in 2008 a very large user base, there is a user bias in the Mac and Windows networks and a few complaints by Linux clients and unnerved Palm OS and Treo clients.

Yahoo! Voice is a Voice over IP PC-PC, PC-Phone and Phone-to-PC service, provided by Yahoo! via its Yahoo! Messenger instant messaging application which is also a free service that is advertisement supported. Yahoo! Voice uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), GIPS codec and the DialPad engine for voice transport. This Yahoo! service has approximately 97 million potential users through the IM client base.

What does this mean for Boston Marketing Firms and Boston Public Relations Agencies? Well, with wi-fi chips going into cell phones and consumers spending so much more time on the internet and their cellular devices while saving money, we can infiltrate this new market and use the void to inject audio advertisements in exchange for those continued low rates.

Social Media Marketing

I’ve talked about social networking sites, social bookmarking sites, new web browsers, and other various new media topics to far so I thought today I would talk about how they all come together: Social Media Marketing.

Social Media Marketing is the process of being able to promote your business or website through various social media channels (like the ones I have been discussing thus far). Social Media Marketing is a low cost method that generates great results; mainly though driving traffic to your site.

The actual process of Social Media Marketing occurs offline, and is geared towards getting the site ready for optimal use by the company and the consumer. There are three basic rules when it comes to creating a social media friendly website that include; 1) don’t be static, 2) make it easy to people to share your content, and 3) use non-text resources.

In general, Social Media Marketing is a very cost effective and efficient way for Boston Marketing Firms and also for Boston Public Relations Firms to get their message out and to get their clients recognized.

Using RSS Feeds

Real Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0) is a group of Web feed formats used to disseminate regularly updated works (blog entries, headlines, audio, and video) in a standardized format to mass amounts of people. It is an important component of Web 2.0, as it is an innovative way to reach a mass audience through the Internet.

An RSS feed usually includes full or summarized text, authorship and publishing dates. RSS benefits readers who want updates from websites or to aggregate feeds from different sites into one place. RSS allows publishers to syndicate information quickly. These information feeds use a standardized XML format, so information can be published once and viewed by several different programs.

RSS is a significant new media topic for Boston Marketing Agencies. Marketing specialists should guide clients on the value of RSS feeds. It is a great way for companies to broadcast new information to an interested audience quickly. Additionally, RSS feeds allow people to track users’ interests. Companies can see what content users want to know about and use that knowledge to their advantage.

Boston Marketing Agencies and Boston Public Relations Firms use RSS feeds in different ways for their clients. Boston marketing professionals guide companies on the use of RSS feeds for their websites and blogs. These feeds can notify subscribers of new additions to a website and new information regarding the company. Businesses that want to track their name in the news can subscribe to a universal RSS feed where the keyword is the company name. This allows businesses to keep track of their presence on the Internet. Boston Branding Agencies are also employing this use of RSS for their clients as a brand management tool.

RSS feeds create several opportunities for companies to connect with their audiences.

Building your Brand through Social Networking

I started out this blog talking about Web 2.0 and the implications it has had on social networking, so I thought I would take some time today to discuss how social networking can affect your brand.

Originally, the Internet was seen as a medium for communication much like TV; consumers were supposed to sit and wait to take in the message, just like they would watching a commercial. As we know, this way of thinking simply is not applicable any more, with much thanks to Web 2.0. Now, the Internet is seen as a medium for communication and conversation between business and consumer, and social networking sites are seen as the framework in which these conversations occur.

Web 2.0 and social networking sites are allowing Boston Branding Agencies and Boston Advertising Agencies to promote their brands and messages like never before. Social networking sites, like Facebook and LinkedIn, are now providing the necessary bridge for businesses to reach out to their consumers and hear exactly what they want, and also what they don’t want. Groups, pages, and discussion forums all allow companies to get their brand out to the masses in ways that simply did not exist before these sites emerged.

As a result, allowing customers to communicate how they feel about your company or brand, through user generated content, provides an entirely different and trusted voice for your company. People tend to determine whether or not they will buy a product or service based on consumer review, and social networking sites allow these reviews to be easily accessed by millions.

Finally, creating a brand experience that is tailored to the needs of the consumer speaks volumes about your company, and also tends to result in brand loyalty. Social networking sites have made this job easier for companies by allowing them to get involved and see what their consumer thinks, want, and needs. Many Boston Marketing Firms, Boston Branding Agencies, and Boston Advertising Agencies have gotten onboard with social networking, and have realized that, for the most part, any buzz is good buzz. These sites are allowing such companies to tune into their customers, and also reach out to new customers like never before, and are resulting in great successes.

Google Chrome

As most of you probably know, a couple weeks ago Google announced the release of their new browser: Google Chrome.

Google Chrome is a web browser built with open source, and was released via a comic on September 2nd in 43 languages. It was developed with the goals of improving security, speed, and stability over current existing browsers. Tests performed by Google have shown that Chrome is about twice as fast as Firefox and Safari. The user interface is also completely different from any existing browser.

One of the coolest features of Chrome is the “Omnibox” which combines the functionalities of a URL and search box. When you type something in Chrome automatically comes up with other search suggestions, with the search volume included. Applications like this will allow chrome to make SEO and SEO/PR much easier for Boston Interactive Agencies.

So far, Google Chrome has been well received, although its future sustainability is still to be determined. However, the implications it has for Boston Interactive and Digital Agencies and also web developers are great, as many of the new applications help to make their jobs much easier.

Del.icio.us

Known as a social bookmarking site, Del.icio.us has the largest collection of bookmarks in the world. Del.icio.us allows its users to tag, save, manage, and share web pages from a centralized source, and also improves how people discover and share information on the internet.

The concept of Del.icio.us centers on merging popular bookmarks, based on the amount of tags each receives, into one website so you are able to access your bookmarks on any computer. This exciting feature enables the internet user to discover relevant bookmarks based on topics they are most interested in. With the possibility of becoming a popular site, companies using Del.icio.us are finding the site effective in drawing in new customers that hold previous interests in the services they offer, and as a result are getting higher traffic volumes.

Much like Digg and StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us is another website that is making a huge impact on social networking and Web 2.0 for many Boston Interactive Agencies, Boston Public Relations and Boston Advertising Agencies. As technology continues to improve, and Web 2.0 continues to transform the worlds of Marketing, Public Relations, and Advertising, more and more businesses are taking the necessary steps in advancing to new Web 2.0 techniques, allowing for more creativity, interest, and a world wide audience.

Stumble Upon

StumbleUpon is another Web 2.0 tool much like Digg, however, it allows for more user interaction. When creating an account a user is able to browse different categories of interest and choose which are most relevant. Once the toolbar is downloaded, users are able to “stumble” around the internet freely by clicking the Stumble! button, much like channel surfing. Users are then given websites based on topics that best match their interests, as well as sites that hold high ratings from previous users, that they can then rate themselves by giving the site a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down”.

The benefits to Boston Public Relations Firms are very similar to those I mentioned in the Digg post yesterday. Additionally, because StumbleUpon users are getting search results that stem from topics of interest, companies are given a hand in locating customers and target markets in order to get a boost in site traffic. Just like with Digg, the more times a Boston Advertising Agency can get their name, or names of clients, out in the internet the higher the traffic volume back to the company’s site will be, and the more likely customers will be to purchase that company’s product or service.

Digg.com

In continuing to discuss different Web 2.0 topics, today I am going to talk a little bit about Digg.com.

Digg, a website that started as an experiment in November 2004 has exploded, becoming a powerful marketing tool for companies, and is known as the “Digg Effect”. Digg.com allows registered users to discover and share information from anywhere on the internet, letting users rate the sites based on whether they “dig it” or would prefer to “bury it”. The more Diggs a submission receives the better; if it receives enough Diggs by users it gets promoted to the front page of the site for its millions of visitors to see. If a website has earned a substantial amount of Diggs, it becomes popular and is posted to the homepage of its category.

What does this mean in terms of business for Boston Public Relations Firms? Many companies that are using Digg have gathered enough users that “Digg” their site and are noticing huge increases in traffic which is creating more business. The benefits are obvious: the more traffic driven to your site, the more people that view your site, recognize your brand, and ultimately buy your product or service.

The New Facebook

I mentioned Facebook in my last post as a great social networking tool for companies to reach a very targeted audience. Last week Facebook changed the layout of their site for good, and while some users may not like the new design, there are many new applications that Boston Interactive Agencies can benefit from, one of the most beneficial being the new Engagement Advertisements.

The significance of Facebook’s ‘Engagement Advertisements’ :

Everyone’s talking about the new Facebook. Students are ranting and raving about it across campuses. Other users either love it or hate it. But what do marketers think? How does the new Facebook impact them?

The new Facebook offers marketing tools that encourage brands to engage consumers through social marketing techniques. Companies looking to advertise on a social networking site that will effectively reach a target audience should check out Facebook’s ‘Engagement Advertisements.’ There are three ways to post an ad using the ‘Engagement Advertisement’ method. These ad categories are comment style ads, virtual gifts style ads and fan style ads. Each of these ad styles are designed to attract and engage customers through social interaction. Research shows that in order to engage potential consumers on a social networking site, brands must become involved in the community and social exploration.

Here in Massachusetts, Boston Public Relations Firms, Boston Advertising Agencies and Boston Branding Firms are interested in Facebook’s marketing tools and how they can use these tools for their clients. They want to help clients break into the social networking community and engage users in companies’ advertisements. In the era of Web 2.0 and Public Relations 2.0, it is increasingly important for companies to find alternative ways to cut through the clutter of content on the Internet.

This new Facebook advertising strategy offers unique ways for brands to connect and involve clients. But before marketers can succeed, they need to understand the world of social marketing. With the help of Boston Marketing Specialists, groups can understand social marketing and connect with clients on a mutual platform. Companies that work with a Boston Branding Firm, are able to meet with marketing professionals and learn how to use new social marketing tools to their advantage.

The Web 2.0 Revolution

Working for an Interactive Agency in Boston, I learn more than the average person about Web 2.0 and all that it has to offer. I thought I would start this blog to share some of my thoughts and information I find along the way; so here it goes...


Web 2.0 is not so much a new technology, but a revolution. The rise of the web has changed the way we communicate as people, and thus the way we communicate as business and consumer. Web 2.0 includes such areas as social networking, blogging, mobile marketing, RSS feeds, etc.... This allows companies to reach their targeted audiences on a whole new level; one that allows constant interaction, conversation, and feedback. As a result, Web 2.0 firms have started to emerge all over the place. These innovative companies are recognizing the way Web 2.0 has revolutionized the entire field of communications, and more importantly the amazing reach it has to potential consumers. Consequently, Web 2.0 has become an essential part of most marketing, public relations, and advertising campaigns.

One of the best examples of this is Facebook. Facebook not only revolutionized the college experience, but it revolutionized social media. It is social networking forums such as this that have changed the way Boston Advertising Agencies reach out to their customers, as it allows for precise demographic targeting. Facebook also allows companies to set up groups, pages, and list items in the marketplace. Facebook has added a mobile application, which allows users to access all the site has to offer on their mobile phones, just furthering the reach and potential of this amazing social networking tool.

These new tools can mean amazing things for your company and also for your brand if you take advantage of them. The way people interact with each other, and also with the media, has changed for good. As a result, countless new opportunities are being presented that are both far reaching, and sustainable.