View Larger Map

Rebranding Reviews: Boston Red Sox & Baltimore Orioles

October 28th, 2009

By Matt Cook
Point.Click Media

Note: Point.Click Media was not involved with this project. This is merely a review for study purposes.

baseball

Baseball logos are known for being notoriously tacky and way over the top.  Apparently, for some reason back in 1849, the forefathers of baseball got together at a round table with their stovepipe hats and handlebar moustaches and came to a decision: All baseball logos from here on out must contain an image of a giant baseball and/or a map of a baseball field.  Otherwise how will our fans know what sport we play?  After all this is America’s pasttime… there’s no need for knotting our knickers. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Branding Reviews

Last Weeks Twitter Updates for 2009-10-26

October 26th, 2009

  • How on earth did people register these domains in 1985.. "GoGrampy"??? very cool! http://bit.ly/4UXlc #
  • So the Russians can control the weather now?? hmm… What's next Siberia as prime beach getaway? http://bit.ly/1rJoYq #
Posted in Twitter Updates

Part 2: Social Media Marketing with Yahoo! Answers

October 21st, 2009

Question mark

photo credit: Margaret Anne Clarke

By Matt Cook
Point.Click Media

Last week we took an introductory look at the possibilities of leveraging your web traffic with Yahoo! Answers.

To refresh yourself on our introductory session click here.

This week we’re going to get into the ooey-gooey, soft-and-chewy inner workings of Yahoo! Answers to show you the proper way to push your product or service while keeping out of the watchful eye of the spam police.

The Yahoo! Answers system contains a variety of categories, of which multiple categories could pertain to your product. It’s a good idea to start by monitoring any category that could be useful for marketing your business. For example, you may be in the business of installing sound systems for cars – Bluetooth, iPod accessories, sub woofers… the whole shebang. Your business could be placed in numerous categories such as Cars & Transportation, Consumer Electronics or even Entertainment & Music. To find your best demographics it’s best to use the site, browse around and read some of the topics and questions that people are asking. There’s no experience like hands-on experience.

What should I be looking for?

It’s simple really. What do people come to see you for? Using the above example, if you’re into selling automotive audio equipment then chances are, unless you have a shop full of misguided tourists looking for the nearest Sheraton or fiddlehead museum, people are consulting with you for your knowledge in sound systems. Look for questions or problems people might be having with their own equipment and then direct them to your website.

But isn’t that spamming?

Not if you play by the rules. If you go around posting one word answers with your website address to 100 questions a day then that will surely set off the warning lights with Yahoo! What you want to do is pose as an expert in the field, answer people’s problems and give them a website where they can find a product that will solve their problem. Here’s an example:

QUESTION: “Where can I find a Bluetooth transmitter for my iPod that will play through my Bluetooth car kit?”

YOUR ANSWER: “Your best bet is to check eBay or Kijiji. You can usually find all kinds of them there. If you’re worried about getting ripped off then try cartunez.com. I’ve purchased lots of accessories from them and never had any problems.”

What you’ve done is offered a solution to the consumer’s problem without looking like a used car salesman. You’ve given the user multiple options and just kind of thrown your name in there with it. This is a subtle way to promote your business that will give you more inbound links to your website and not have the Yahoo! SWAT team finding you in their crosshairs with their finger on the trigger.

By answering with a somewhat candid response, the asker of the question will be much more open to the suggestion of exploring your business. Even if the answer is not chosen as the best answer to the question, you’ve still attached a solution to the problem that will surely be asked again. When users ask questions, they are provided with a list of similar questions that have already been asked. The answer provided in the above example will ensure that people searching for these related problems will already be presented with your solution. In addition, all Yahoo! Answers questions are indexed by search engines. What this means is that any time someone asks a question, and you’ve put your business name on an answer, the page will come up in search results anytime someone searches not only Yahoo! Answers, but all of the internet.

Here are some key statistics to leave you with:

* Yahoo! Answers is providing approximately 11 million new answers each month on its U.S. website alone

* There have been 4 million new users in the U.S. over the last 7-month period, and 40 million new users worldwide.

* There have also been 77 million new answers in the U.S. over the same period, and 150 million new answers worldwide

Yahoo! Answers can be a source of direct referral traffic, as well as indirect search engine traffic. By following these social marketing guidelines, focus first on what you can give to the community rather than what you can get from it. If you want to learn more about using Yahoo! Answers to leverage your web traffic and reach a global audience, contact Point.Click Media.

Posted in Web Tools

Last Weeks Twitter Updates for 2009-10-19

October 19th, 2009

Posted in Twitter Updates

Part 1: Social Media Marketing – An Introduction to Yahoo! Answers

October 14th, 2009

Georgia invasion

photo credit: koka_sexton

By Matt Cook
Point.Click Media

One of the best and most efficient ways to promote your product or service without spending a dime is to offer people a solution to their problems and to let them explore this solution on their own. As we know, most people don’t respond well to a pressuring situation and in the case of advertising, seeing as all around the world people are being bombarded by advertising at all hours of the day, they have built up a certain level of immunity to it.

Yahoo! is one of the top ranked websites for traffic in the world. The shear volume of traffic makes it one of the most attractive places to be in terms of expanding your brand. Yahoo! Answers is a free, profile-based bulletin board where users can ask questions on virtually any topic they wish which the rest of the world may answer. Users who provide the best answers receive points, effectively boosting their profile stock, ranking, etc. It offers opportunities for businesses and professionals to gain exposure, improve branding, and acquire web site traffic, and Yahoo! is perfectly fine with using the service this way, as long as you work within the site guidelines. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Web Tools

Last Weeks Twitter Updates for 2009-10-12

October 12th, 2009

Posted in Twitter Updates

Part 2: Brainstorming Your Blog – More Brainstorming Ideas

October 7th, 2009

They're doing it wrong!

photo credit: pokpok313

By Matt Cook
Point.Click Media

Last week we got underway with presenting some ways that will help you generate ideas for your blog. The following is the second half of our list of 10 ideas to help keep you awake when brainstorming: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Branding Tips