Facebook Places vs. Foursquare (On a Boat)

by lisakeller in Blog, Homepage Vlog, Social Media, Vlog on August 26, 2010

In the ongoing war of location based iPhone apps, we now have a new contender: Facebook Places. Will the 300 lb. gorilla that is Facebook smash the leading competition– the tiny, but mighty foursquare? The Loud Few heads to the Boat House of Forest Park in St. Louis to unlock the coveted I’m On a Boat Badge and debate the two options.

But first, we unlock our “I’m On a Boat” foursquare badge:

Mobile Marketing Tips: How to Create an Effective Foursquare Special

by lisakeller in Blog, Homepage Blog, Marketing, Social Media on August 18, 2010

Sometimes, there are sad days in mobile marketing. For me, that sad day is when I see a lame foursquare special. I’ve seen these missed mobile marketing opportunities come from both social media mavens and newbies. Bad foursquare marketing can happen to the best of us.

Whether you are new to location based advertising for your business or are A.J. Bomber’s savvy, here are some tips to help you create a stellar special that will make me want to check-in to your place over and over again:

Your Business Needs Social Media. No More Excuses…

by Erin Steinbruegge in Blog, Social Media on April 08, 2010

Social Media is perhaps one of the most rapidly-evolving and exciting technologies to hit the online space in years. What began as a way for people to stay in touch with each other has evolved into a network of real relationships, meaningful communication, and strategic alliances, all of which present an abundance of opportunities to businesses of all sizes.

However, the ever-evolving landscape of social media and the fact that it creates broad-reaching exposure and vulnerability has resulted in many businesses feeling confused and timid about incorporating social media into their marketing strategy. They often get hung up cycling through a list of objections which can ultimately lead to a wealth of missed opportunities. Because we never like to see businesses miss out on great marketing opportunities, we’re dedicating this issue of our newsletter to overcoming the top 3 social media objections:

Pimp Your Search With Advanced Operators

by Erin Steinbruegge in Marketing, SEO, Social Media on March 26, 2010

For those of you who haven’t geeked out your Googling lately, advanced search operators are phrases that you add into your search query that have special meaning to the search engine during a search. These aren’t just for Google – All of the major search engines offer advanced search operators, but since you’re already Googling, let’s check out some ways you can pimp out your search.

The Social Media Merit Badge is here!

by Robin Rath in Blog, Homepage Blog, Social Media on March 22, 2010

Oh, I’m sorry. You probably thought this was real. Well, it’s not real in the sense that the Boy Scouts of America is offering a social media award, but there are plenty of us out there that think we might qualify for one, if it existed.

There is a lot going on these days with social media, and lots of people who claim to be an expert in it – more the better I say. But just for fun, here’s a checklist for you guys (and gals) who think you are up to the challenge of earning the The Loud Few’s 2010 Social Media Merit Badge.

And for those of you who don’t aspire to earning your merit badge, you will find the list below as general overview of what it takes to be an active member of social media.

Is social media right for my business? Part I

by Robin Rath in Blog, Social Media on February 26, 2010

If you haven’t already realized it, social media takes a solid strategy and a lot of time to provide real business value – if you think it doesn’t then you should highly reconsider jumping in. What takes so much time? Well, being successful on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a company blog is all about producing valuable content, not just establishing a presence on these services. Valuable content is what establishes your company as an authority in the space, and creates a reason for people to become your fan or watch your video; and valuable content takes time to create.

So with that fact sorted out, the question for small business owners becomes “How can I leverage social media for my business when I don’t have a lot of time or money to throw at it?” Here are some things you should ask yourself before diving in.