Brent Purves - Internet Marketing Consultant - Social Media, Organic, PPC, Email, Viral Marketing Consulting Vancouver BC Canada

A Great Social Media Cheat Sheet For Those New To Social Media

brentpurves — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:28:57 +0000

http://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-small-business-social-media-cheat-sheet

Do you need a Twitter account, a Facebook Page, a Youtube account, a Google + Page, a Tumblr account or a Dig account? Here's a cheat sheet to get you up to speed with the basics (what is it, what does it do, pros and cons, and some lingo) in a hurry. Still need some help translating this into language you can understand or action steps you can follow? Drop us a note.

Filed under: brent purves

Which Social Media Marketing Channels Will Be Best for Your Business in 2012? See What Other Online Marketers Are Planning

brentpurves — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:16:32 +0000

Beyond the big three (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), smaller social media sites are to see boosts in usage by internet marketers in 2012

This survey shows blogs will receive the most new attention from marketers in 2012.

Full article at http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1008790&R=1008790

What about you? Are you taking advantage of building your personal or business social media presence in Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Is Youtube marketing, Flickr marketing, Slideshare marketing, Foursquare marketing, or Tumblr marketing even on your radar for 2012? Drop us a line at info@stirsolutions.com or visit http://www.stirsolutions.com if you'd like assistance determining which social media marketing channels are the best match for your unique business, budget and goals.

Filed under: brent purves

Twitter is set to roll out enhanced profile pages after Feb. 1 – Coke Twitter Page

brentpurves — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:24:16 +0000

Twitter is set to roll out enhanced profile pages after Feb. 1, 2012
pages will give brands the ability to build platforms on their pages that could include iFrame environments, allowing users to play games or shop on a brand's site without actually leaving Twitter
Twitter's brand pages will function a lot more like Facebook brand pages

Filed under: brent purves

What Does Google Know About Me? Is It All True? How Can I Protect or Change My Online Reputation?

brentpurves — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:35:18 +0000

Google Dashboard

Filed under: brent purves

Explaining The New Google Privacy Rules

brentpurves — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:27:58 +0000

Filed under: brent purves

Google updates export tool Takeout to support Google Docs

brentpurves — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:27:41 +0000

Google Takeout, the service which allows Google users to download their data from various Google products all at once, has been updated with an option to be emailed when the archive is ready for download, configurable filetypes for services that support multiple formats, support for more Google products, and an updated interface…

Google updates export tool Takeout to support Google Docs - The Next Web

Filed under: brent purves

Highlight: The Nearby Social Network

brentpurves — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:27:13 +0000

Filed under: brent purves

Highlight: The Nearby Social Network

brentpurves — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:56:40 +0000

Filed under: brent purves

Google updates export tool Takeout to support Google Docs

brentpurves — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:40:43 +0000

Google updates export tool Takeout to support Google Docs - The Next Web

Filed under: brent purves

Explaining The New Google Privacy Rules

brentpurves — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:38:27 +0000

Filed under: brent purves

[VIDEO] How Can I Promote My Business Online? Vancouver Internet Marketing Company – Stir

brentpurves — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:30:06 +0000

How can I promote my business online? Stir Internet Marketing Solutions For Business at http://www.StirSolutions.com - Full service internet marketing social media, search engine marketing and digital advertising agency serving clients in Vancouver, Canada, US and around the world

via socialmarketer.com

Filed under: vancouver internet marketing

How Search Marketing Costs are Evolving

brentpurves — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:25:53 +0000

How Search Marketing Costs are Evolving

Display advertising is growing faster than search advertising. Estimates suggest that display will be a bigger ad category by 2015.

Mobile search is still relatively small compared to traditional search marketing. This provides opportunity to advertise cheaper until smartphone penetration further increases and mobile advertising rates increase.

Mobile advertising isn’t ideal for every business. It’s better suited, for example, for a restaurant where potential customers are on the go and making last minute decisions via their smartphones vs auto marketers whose potential customers make slower decisions and do more research

Keywords cost more now than they did only a few years ago, so with the same budget you can now purchase fewer keywords. The good news, however, is that the technology is getting more sophisticated. Google can serve better performing search ads higher in paid rankings potentially enabling you to get more leads

Read full article: http://t.co/dyFmUpAT

via socialmarketer.com

Are you looking for a search marketing consultant to help your business navigate online marketing decisions? Contact Brent Purves at Stir today for a free search marketing consultation today. http://www.stirsolutions.com/contact

Filed under: search engine marketing, vancouver internet marketing

How Nike Outruns the Competition in Social Media

brentpurves — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:22:26 +0000

By taking advantage of cutting-edge social media marketing strategies and creatively integrating them with their branding and products, Nike has become one of the most social organizations in the world. Their strategy has evolved to meet consumers “where they are” by developing social conversations and engaging consumers around the world in their own languages in their own favorite social networks.

Read a history of Nike’s social media efforts.

[ What's your favorite Nike online or social media campaign? Remember the Ronaldinho "crossbar" viral video. Simple and sweet. ]

Do you need help with your business social media marketing strategy, implementation or engagement? The social media experts at SocialMarketer + Stir are here to help. Whether you have questions, would like a free phone consult, or want to email a RFP contact us today. If you’re in the Vancouver area let’s grab a coffee. Be sure that your phone matches your shoes.

Filed under: brent purves

Facebook Update: All Your News Is Now in One Place

brentpurves — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:47:15 +0000

All Your News is Now in One Place

Top stories since your last visit are at the top

Each top story is marked with a blue corner

Recent stories are below, in the order they were posted

Learn more about changes to News Feed.

via facebook.com

Have you noticed that Facebook’s news feeds have changed? Do you like the change?

Filed under: brent purves

Explore Social Media Week Vancouver – And Around the World

brentpurves — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:58:38 +0000

Explore Social Media Week Vancouver

Social Media Week has started. Explore events around vancouver here: http://socialmediaweek.org/vancouver/2011/05/24/vancouver/

http://cdn.livestream.com/embed/smw_vancouver?layout=4&height=340&width=560&autoplay=falseWatch live streaming video from smw_vancouver at livestream.com

via socialmarketer.com

Are you taking part in social media week in Vancouver? Attended any great sessions?

Filed under: vancouver social media marketing

Social Media Engagement Tips

brentpurves — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:55:28 +0000

Business is all about people. Understanding people. Helping people. Connecting with people.

Sometimes, those of us who work in the online world get so caught up tracking followers, retweets, likes, page views and conversion rates that we forget something very important for social media success – engagement.

via searchenginejournal.com

How to Engage Using Social Media
Want to start connecting with people in yoru social networks? Try these four simple rules of social media engagement:

1. Initiate contact. Make connections. Focus on quality over quantity.
2. Break through the wall. Think outside the box for ways to start conversations, to stand out from the crowd, to help people want to connect with you.
3. Be consistent. Establish trust by building consistent presence and positive interactions
4. Be authentic. Share real stories and facts, don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Focus on making real connections with real people and provide great information and resources

Filed under: brent purves

Doing more with the Google +1 button – Sharing with Google Circles Using Google Snippets

brentpurves — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:53:46 +0000

Sharing with your circles on Google+
Clicking the +1 button is a great way to highlight content for others when they search on Google. But sometimes you want to start a conversation right away—at least with certain groups of friends. So beginning today, we’re making it easy for Google+ users to share webpages with their circles, directly from the +1 button. Just +1 a page as usual and look for the new “Share on Google+” option. From there you can comment, choose a circle and share.

The new +1 button on Rotten Tomatoes

+Snippets
When you share content from the +1 button, you’ll notice that we automatically include a link, an image and a description in the sharebox. We call these “+snippets,” and they’re a great way to jumpstart conversations with the people you care about.
Of course: publishers can benefit from +snippets as well. With just a few changes to their webpages, publishers can actually customize their +snippets and encourage more sharing of their content on Google+. More details are available on the Google Webmaster blog.

via googleblog.blogspot.com

Filed under: brent purves

HootSuite blog – Social Media Dashboard » Facebook Groups, Events, Photos & Geo Make #HootSuite Even Friendlier

brentpurves — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:39:43 +0000

HootSuite is now even Facebookier

Enjoy updated Facebook functionality within HootSuite’s social media management system – now with support for Facebook Groups and Events, exclusive search streams, plus photo uploading direct to Facebook. We also refreshed the process for posting to Pages and Profiles, added a Profile Picker, and included more ways to monitor walls, news, events and comments in HootSuite streams.

Along with Facebook Insights analytics reports already available the social media management system, HootSuite users can now manage all campaign tasks – including scheduling and assignments – from within the dashboard. Also, Enterprise customers can geo-target campaigns by region or by language.

https://secure.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=28219058&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0

The new tools are ready to go next time you login to HootSuite.

via blog.hootsuite.com

Filed under: brent purves

How is Social Media Growing [Infographic]

brentpurves — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 06:47:32 +0000

How Is Social Media Growing [Infographic]

via socialmarketer.com

When was the last (or first) time you were on Orkut, Qzone, Odnoklassniki, Vkontakte or could even spell these international social network sites if someone told you their names

Filed under: brent purves

The Current Social Media Landscape – SOCIAL MARKETER

brentpurves — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:03:08 +0000

The current social media landscape

via Social Marketer socialmarketer.com

Have you pitchted your tent in Google + yet? Do you use Myspace anymore? How many social networks are too many? Are you keeping up or do you even need to? The introduction of Google Plus One has made it impossible to think about search engine marketing and SEO for business without now considering social media. In the past it didn’t really matter if you had a Facebook or Twitter account when planning and executing a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign. Today, however, search engines are serving search results mixed with content from social media so it’s important to include a social component along with your SEO campaign. Need assistance with your internet marketing, SEO or social media strategic planning? Contact us today via email or call now at 604-847-3447.

Filed under: social search

Facebook Reportedly Testing New News Feed, ‘Like’ Features

brentpurves — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:22:47 +0000

In an effort to appeal to marketers and third-party developers, Facebook could be making some big changes to its News Feed and “Like” buttons, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The social networking site currently limits the amount of information that makes it into users’ News Feeds. So when advertisers create Facebook campaigns or developers want to share information about their games, that information doesn’t always show up on a member’s homepage.

Now, Facebook is working on a new News Feed that would display an unfiltered flood of information

via adweek.com

Filed under: brent purves

Is Spam Declining? Some Encouraging Signs from Spam Fighters

brentpurves — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:57:37 +0000

According to a post on the Spamassassin Tips blog, there’s some evidence that spam is tapering off from earlier in the year. Is spam really down, or is it too soon to get excited?

http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2011/08/is-spam-declining-some-encoura.phphttp://rww.to/qgaZSi

Filed under: brent purves

CheckIn+ Brings Augmented Reality To Your Facebook And Foursquare Check-Ins

brentpurves — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:35:52 +0000

SHAPE Services, the company behind IM+ messaging applications, is launching a new app for iOS that brings aggregation to check ins.

CheckIn+ uses augmented reality technology to overlay a user’s current surroundings with places from select geolocation applications, allowing users to see each notable destination relative to its position in the real world, all as a live video image on their iPhone or iPad.

It costs 99 cents on itunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/checkin-pro/id447334351?mt=8

Visit http://www.shapeservices.com/en/products/apps.php?platform=none to learn more and here http://www.shapeservices.com/en/products/details.php?product=checkin&platform… to download for iphone .

Let me know how it works for you in your city.

Filed under: brent purves

Top Social Media and Internet Marketing Consultant Tweets from Brent Purves June 16-30 2011

brentpurves — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:55:36 +0000

Filed under: brent purves

Top Social Media Marketing and Internet Marketing Stories from Brent Purves June 1-15 2011

brentpurves — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:46:16 +0000

Filed under: brent purves

UP2U Gum Builds Buzz in Social Media – Custom Facebook Page Marketing

brentpurves — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 04:30:05 +0000

Menthos is making great use of social media marketing to promote its new gum UP2U. They have collected over 95,000 likes on Facebook already, with the first 1000 visitors who liked their page receiving free gum. Explore the custom Facebook landing page there that incorporates interactivity and opportunity to watch their promotional Youtube video: http://www.facebook.com/up2u?sk=app_100110883414355 They’ll be building additional buzz in the next phase as they ask their Facebook fans to recommend their friends who might like to also receive a sample. How many free social media mentions can you get out of one stick of gum? Let’s wait and see. What’s your company doing to make creative use of custom Facebook pages and online buzz to promote your brand, product or services? The NYTimes article:

Mentos UP2U, its first stick gum sold in this country, the initial advertising efforts will be focused in social media like Facebook.

For instance, the new gum already has a Facebook fan page, at facebook.com/up2u, which more than 95,900 people have indicated they “like.” The first 1,000 visitors who clicked on the “like” button got free gum in a promotion that began on June 13 and ended on Wednesday.

Plans call for an invitation to be made next month on the fan page, asking those who “like” the new product to provide the name of friends they would want to receive samples.

via nytimes.com

How many free social media mentions can you get out of one stick of gum? Let’s wait and see. What’s your company doing to make creative use of custom Facebook pages and online buzz to promote your brand, product or services? Need help developing a social media strategy? We can help. Contact us at http://www.stirsolutions.com/social-media today.

Filed under: social media marketing

Online Video as a Marketing Tool

brentpurves — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 05:47:27 +0000

Online video is becoming a first stop for many customers. It is akin to what the Web page was a decade ago — something that can give early adopters an edge over competitors. It gives them a channel to talk directly to customers in ways previously accessible only to large companies that could afford TV advertisements.

This guide to using online video focuses on YouTube, which is by far the dominant player with two billion views per day — but many of the principles also apply to the other hosting services, including Vimeo, MetaCafe, Facebook, Viddler, Brightcove and Blip.tv.

via nytimes.com

Whether you’re looking to improve your search engine rankings using videos as part of your SEO campaign, or you’re looking to generate viral buzz and spread of your video across the web, don’t just focus on Youtube. Make sure you cover the niches that match your target demographic as well as give a serious look at what you can accomplish using video in Facebook. Need help with your viral video marketing / advertising campaign? Contact us today http://stirsolutions.com/services

Filed under: brent purves

Custom Facebook Page Design & Facebook Marketing Agency

brentpurves — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:26:42 +0000

We offer Custom Facebook Page Design & Facebook Marketing & Advertising Services

Facebook Advertising Campaigns
Facebook Analytics & Reporting
Facebook Apps
Facebook Cause Promotion
Facebook Contact / Signup Forms
Facebook Contests & Sweepstakes
Facebook Custom Graphics
Facebook Custom Landing Pages
Facebook Discount Codes / Offers
Facebook Donations
Facebook Fan Offers for Like Building
Facebook Landing Page Design & Programming
Facebook Links and Widgets
Facebook Maps Integration
Facebook Newsletter / Email Signup
Facebook Page Promotion
Facebook PDF / Whitepapers Document Display
Facebook Photo / Image Gallery
Facebook PPC Keyword Marketing / Advertising
Facebook Recruiting
Facebook RSS Feed
Facebook Marketing Strategic Planning & Consulting
Facebook Sales / Buy Now Product Pages
Facebook Signup Forms
Facebook Social Media Links
Facebook Social Media Monitoring
Facebook Twitter Feed Integration
Facebook Video & Music Player

via 11Marketing.com Custom Facebook Page Design and Facebook Marketing Company

We offer full service custom Facebook page design and Facebook marketing services. Contact us today at http://11marketing.com/contact.html or phone 1-604-847-3447 for a free Facebook pages or Facebook marketing estimate or consultation

Filed under: brent purves

Canadian Facebook Check In Marketing – Facebook launches coupon ‘check-in’ app for Canada -

brentpurves — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:21:39 +0000

Facebook has launched a new feature in Canada that allows mobile users to claim discounts through smartphones by “checking in” while they are shopping at certain stores.

AMC Theatres, Chapters Indigo, H&M, Joe Fresh and Telus are among the companies that have signed up for the beta launch of Facebook Deals, which is now active.

If users are at a store offering a deal, they can use their phone to “check-in” through an app or Facebook’s website, and then show a cashier an onscreen coupon to get the discount.

via marketingmag.ca

Filed under: brent purves

Foursquare Grows 3400% in 2010 (infographic)

brentpurves — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:24:17 +0000

Honestly, 2010 was just insane. The numbers tell the story better than we can, so we put together this little infographic. (Also, our 6,000,000th user signed up last week!)

Filed under: brent purves

Social Media in 2011: Six Choices You Need to Make

brentpurves — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:07:23 +0000

Here are the 6 most important choices for you to make this year — the choices that will determine both the quality of your life online and of your relationships offline:

via blogs.hbr.org

Have you felt that “I need to unplug” or “I need to unsubscribe from those email newsletters I never read” or “I need a virtual assistant just to read all my emails for me” or “my ipod / android / blackberry while cool-ish, is getting heavier in my pocket with every passing month” feeling yet? When is the first national “turn off the internet ” or “kill the wifi” day going to be schedule just like we have “turn off the tv” days now? Sometime before 2020 I’d guess.

Filed under: brent purves

Klout’s Most Influential Colleges On Twitter – ( Colleges and Universities – Get Help w/ Your Social Media Marketing Strategy )

brentpurves — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:32:03 +0000

Watch out U.S. News and World Report, there’s a new ranking system in town. Does your college have Klout?

Klout measures influence across the social web, looking not at metrics like follower count, but the ability to drive action. The Klout Score measures influence on a scale of 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating that the account regularly gets retweeted, @mentioned, put on lists and engaged with by the some of the most influential people on Twitter.

Twitter influence is a revealing metric for colleges.The most influential ones must be both tech-savvy enough to have a well managed Twitter account and have the most influential professors, alums, and others engaging with them.

via huffingtonpost.com

Need help improving your college or university internet marketing efforts in search engines or in social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, (yes, even increasing your college or university Klout score) then drop us a line and we’d be happy to provide a free 30 minute internet marketing consultation. Regardless of whether you’re a small community college or a large university, we can help assess your existing social media presence and work with your marketing team to develop a comprehensive online marketing plan that integrates online and social media marketing with your existing offline marketing pursuits. Call 604-847-3447 ext 104 to speak with us now or go to http://www.stirsolutions.com/consultation to book a time to schedule a free college / university social media / online marketing consultation

Filed under: brent purves

In Social Media, Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail – Social Media Marketing Strategy for Business

brentpurves — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:00:07 +0000

FastCompany’s expert blogger Brian Solis reports that in social media, failing to plan is planning to fail.
Some key points

eMarketer report documents an increase in social media spend:"Social Media in the Marketing Mix: Budgeting for 2011"
social media strategy must gain attention from the very top of the organization be integrated across relevant business teams
Companies are now actively investing in Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networks for all the wrong reasons.
EMarketer’s Debra Aho Williamson says "many companies are expanding budgets for social media marketing not because they have been successful at it, but because they are relying on gut instinct–the feeling that ‘this is something important so I’m going to do it even if I don’t know why.’ Or worse, they have watched their competitors earn accolades in the press for their work in social media, and they are afraid of losing any more ground."
Effective business social media strategy must address business dynamics and it takes much more than a Facebook and Twitter presence – it must include and be integrated into marketing, communications, sales, CRM/sCRM, product development/R&D, HR, finance, legal, et al.

via fastcompany.com

Need help integrating social media into your company systems and marketing plans for 2011 and 2012? Contact us today for a free 30 minute phone or in-person (Vancouver BC Canada) social media marketing consultation

Filed under: brent purves

Air Canada Flash Mob Breaks At YVR (VIDEO) Vancouver Video Internet Marketing #FlashMob

brentpurves — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:16:34 +0000

On Saturday, during a particularly slow time at the Vancouver airport, a local band and a dance troupe donned their Christmas finest and broke out into the classic holiday tune, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” in the middle of the airport.

The event, sponsored by Air Canada, was meant to spread the holiday spirit on the first heavy day of holiday travel in Vancouver… http://www.youtube.com/v/-28ef_r4mqo?fs=1&hl=en_US

via huffingtonpost.com

Nice job Air Canada. Simple but good-feeling building.

Filed under: vancouver internet marketing

How to Add LinkedIn’s new Share Button to your website – LinkedIn Marketing

brentpurves — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 04:56:04 +0000

Now, with just a few lines of code, publishers, bloggers, and businesses can easily include a button on their site that lets readers and visitors “Share on LinkedIn”.

Filed under: brent purves

What is StickyBits? Code Scanning Location and Product Based Social Check In Marketing

brentpurves — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:05:30 +0000

What Is Stickybits?

Stickybits is a free app you use to scan barcodes on all the stuff you love, instantly turning it into even more stuff you love. Scan a snowboard – win free lift passes. Scan some wireless headphones – see what people say about them and check out what your friends are listening to. Scan a box of frozen chalupas – get a 2fer for even más chalupas. You get the idea. Scan any barcode. Read reviews and comments, and share your own. Score a bunch of big discounts and free stuff – both for what you’re scanning and related things you’ll like.

With the free stickybits app you have the key to unlock every single barcode to reveal an infinite world of info and deals. With a quick scan, you enter a social space where you can post and read info, reviews, tweets and videos. You can also grab details and promos attached to products, which you can cash in instantly.

Want the best stuff first? Compete in challenges to win free products and get points for stuff you’ve scanned – the more points you nab, the earlier you get in on the next challenge. (Think: never-ending treasure hunt. More scans = more scratch.)

via stickybits.com

Stickybits is kind of fun. Give it a try. Think about how you can use it to promote your own business or to accomplish your organization’s goals.

Explore my stickybits page at http://www.stickybits.com/brentpurves and scan my code (download scanner app for your phone from http://www.stickybits.com and then drop me a line

Need help figuring out how to use Stickybits, product check in marketing, location based social media marketing or qr codes or barcode marketing to help promote your business or products online? Let’s setup a time for a free 30 minute consultation. Looking for a social media marketing agency? Email me at brent[at]11marketing.com or call now at 1-604-847-3447 ext 104 or click here http://meetwith.me/brent to schedule a time to meet that works for you.

Filed under: brent purves

How to Aggregate Twitter & Facebook Posts, Hashtags and Users: Paper.li Social Media Publishing Experiments

brentpurves — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:07:42 +0000

Vancouver Internet Marketing News

a paper by Brent Purves – 9 contributors today

via paper.li

Am experimenting with http://www.paper.li Twitter and Facebook news aggregator gizmo that automates the creation of an online “newspaper” based on criteria you set. Essentially you tell it to search for keywords, geography, even certain user accounts and then it auto generates a microsite just for you. Kind of interesting but I wish there was more flexibility to tailor results and add custom content and have more flexibility in design and publishing dates. Visit the Twitter feed test at http://paper.li/brentpurves/1292435236 Perhaps the robot will feature you in this paper and you’ll feel famous for a day. I hope so. Tweet about Vancouver Internet Marketing and you may just show up

Try making your own and drop me a note on Twitter at @brentpurves to let me know your thoughts, what you like, don’t like, if you find it valuable or not.

Filed under: twitter marketing, vancouver internet marketing

All-In-One Check Ins Are Here – Check in to Foursquare from Gowalla – ( Location Based Social Media Marketing )

brentpurves — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:46:17 +0000

Gowalla 3.0: All-In-One Check Ins Are Here

By Allie Townsend on December 2, 2010

via techland.time.com

Yes, you can now check in to your Foursquare account with your Gowalla App.

Will I stop opening both my Foursquare AND Gowalla Apps on my iPhone now when I want to check in somewhere and just use Gowalla’s nicer-looking new interface instead? Or will I be lured back to Foursquare? Or will I simply gravitate towards only using my Facebook app and just check in there where I have a larger base of relationships? Maybe once Facebook Deals arrive in Canada and if Facebook can give me the option of also checking in to Foursquare and Gowalla then I’ll let Facebook have a chance at being my one geo location app that rules them all. Until then I’ll continue to open the Gowalla app and be tempted to try to remember what my foursquare email/password is so I can skip opening Foursquare all together.

As a social media marketer I love to see competition growing amongst the social networks and to see an increasing number of people learning about location based games and checkins and deals. What’s your favorite location based application? Have you claimed your business in Foursquare and Facebook? Need help figuring out how to use social media marketing to promote yourself or your business? Contact me today for a free 30 minute phone consultation at http://stirsolutions.com/consultation

Filed under: brent purves

Successful Social Media Profile Tips for Online Reputation Management

brentpurves — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:36:08 +0000

The 10 Elements of a Successful Social Media Profile

When it comes to online personal or business branding, the creation of social media profiles is absolutely essential. Whether you are just trying to get more exposure online, connect with your fans or customers, or working to purify your online reputation, social networking profiles are the way to go as they will rank highly in search engine results when people search for your name.

via blog.kissmetrics.com

How’s your personal brand standing up online? Are you managing your social profiles with a
thought to the future beyond just sharing social experiences with your friends?

Your latest Tweets or Gowalla checkins or Foursquare photo uploads are all now a part of the
social search results pretty much anyone can find in Google Yahoo and Bing.

What do people find when they google your name? Have you had potential employers or clients look you up in Google and see
your latest social network posts and photos with your friends? Is your profile pic one that you’d like your potential
employer to see? Take the time to adjust the privacy settings in your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts so you can better manage
what people can and can’t see. Of course always remember that whatever you type into your keyboard or input into your
phone will likely become public one day — so always ask yourself if you want the whole world to see what you’re
posting before you post it.

Are you looking for an online reputation or personal branding company to help you restore your online reputation or
remove your name from Google or remove links about your name on certain websites? If you’re looking for help controlling
what people can or might be able to find out about you online we can help. Contact me in Vancouver today at http://stirsolutions.com/consultation to schedule a free phone consultation or email brent[at]StirSolutions.com
or phone 1-604-847-3447 ext 104 today to discuss your reputation care, online privacy, online reputation management and personal or corporate internet, search engine or social media branding needs.

Filed under: brent purves

Target Rolls Out Shopkick’s Geo-Coupon System To 242 Stores

brentpurves — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:37:58 +0000

After announcing a partnership with Best Buy a few months ago, Shopkick is debuting a new implementation of its geo-coupon system at Target today. Users can now unlock coupons via Shopkick’s app in 242 stores in the Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, and San Francisco/Silicon Valley markets.

Instead of checking in, as you would with a geo app like Foursquare or Gowalla, shopkick automatically recognizes when someone with the free shopkick app on their phone walks into a store.

via techcrunch.com

Here it comes: Auto check in. Today you have to have the app installed on your smartphone for it to check you in and give you points, but I imagine tomorrow (ok, soon) phones will come bundled with auto check in capability using Facebook Places Shopping or Google Places / Android Shopping or Starbucks or McDonalds apps built right in.

Filed under: brent purves

Google Goggles App Brings Users to Ad Features – iPhone and Android Visual Search Marketing

brentpurves — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:34:33 +0000

A year ago, Google introduced a smartphone application that lets users take photos of objects and get search results in return. On Tuesday, the company will take that capability into the world of marketing with an experiment allowing five national brands to use the application in their promotional materials.

In the early days of smartphones, users could find out about a movie by entering its title in Google’s browser and searching. Then Google introduced the ability to use voice to make a query. Now, the Google Goggles visual search app, available in iPhones and Android phones, allows users to take photos of an object, say a movie poster, and find out more about it in search results.

via nytimes.com

Wow. Have you tried this yet? Wonder if taking pictures of real things will leave QR code tech in the old-tech file in the next couple of years? Will we simply be able to take photos of pretty much any magazine ad or any national brand product in the grocery store (or just hold your phone up to an image and scan it a-la-QR code style) to be able to get full details, video reviews, websites, etc about that product? Why not hold your phone up to the face of a stranger and have it recognize them and find out their phone number and criminal record or favorite song or drink?

Filed under: google

E-mail Marketing Tool Changes Ads Based on Location & Time – LiveIntent – Real Time Geo Targeted Email Marketing.

brentpurves — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 23:36:05 +0000

A New York City startup has developed a service that delivers advertising creative in an e-mail marketing message on the fly – depending on when or where it’s opened.

“It gives you the message you are supposed to get right now,” Dave Hendricks, chief operating officer, LiveIntent, said in an interview. “If the offer or message was for one thing [product or service] on Tuesday and it’s invalid by Thursday, we’re not going to send you creative” for Tuesday’s offer, he said.

via clickz.com

Explore Live Intent at http://liveintent.com/ and see the LiveIntent Optimized Email Demo here http://liveintent.com/demo.php

Filed under: brent purves

Will Social Business Cards from Follr.com make the cut? ( Social Networking and Social Brand Building )

brentpurves — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:16:21 +0000

Social Card Product Tour

Follr.com Social Business Cards solve the problem of the inability to easily and accurately communicate our ever changing social identities, content and contact information. It is the social evolution of the traditional business card; essential for individuals and businesses alike.

http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=follrsocialbizcards-100722123029-phpapp02&rel=0&stripped_title=follrcom-social-business-cards

via follr.com

I created a social business card a couple months ago on Follr.com at http://follr.me/brentpurves but have neglected to use it or link to it or tell anyone about it. Why haven’t I used it more? Just too many social sites out there these days that do a better job? (facebook, linkedin, foursquare, yelp, gowalla etc). I think the Follr.com domain is too hard to spell (eg it fails the phone test — I can’t just say it over the phone and have the person I’m talking to be able to spell it without my help). I’m having trouble seeing the difference between follr and other similar sites like sprouter.com ( http://sprouter.com/brentpurves ). I’ve actually made some good connections with people in industries I care about in sprouter, but have yet to get any traction in follr.com. Yeah, you get what you put into something and I haven’t given follr a fair shake yet, it’s true. Maybe I will or maybe follr, for me, will just fall entirely off my plate/radar/table like myspace, virb, plurk, and others that seemed to have promise but just can’t hold me. If you’re looking for a quick and easy and free social business card then follr.com certainly provides that. I’d recommend, however, if you’re looking to build your own brand and help people remember your name or your company’s name, use your personal name or your company’s name instead of follr (eg here’s my name as a domain and website w/ all of my social links in it http://BrentPurves.com or my business with all of my business social accounts listed http://StirSolutions.com ). This way you’re building your own brand(s) and not follr’s brand. If you’re looking for networking opportunities in not-so-mainstream social-enabled online networks then by all means give follr a run, and try sprouter.com while you’re at it and let me know what you think.

Filed under: brent purves

RockMelt Offers Social Web Browser – Will it succeed where Flock hasn’t?

brentpurves — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:46:52 +0000

RockMelt integrates a variety of social tools in an effort to redefine browsing as a social experience. It presents a list of one’s Facebook friends alongside the window used for rendering Web pages, and also displays frequently used social applications in an adjacent browser pane. The idea is to make it easier to communicate with friends, post to social sites, and navigate search results.

via informationweek.com

RockMelt? Really? I guess many of us say “Google” many times a day without thinking it goofy, so why not RockMelt for a name. Will Rockmelt be able to get off the ground where Flock has failed. With about 9 million users Flock isn’t a flop, but it’s peanutty compared to Firefox with 400 million users and Chrome with 70 million. I can’t say I’ve felt the need to join the Flock yet. Perhaps because Marc Andreessen is behind it I’ll be intrigued enough to give it a kick or rub or social poke. What’re your thoughts? You a Flock fan? Think social browsers are the next next?

Filed under: brent purves

What is Unbounce? Landing Page Tool for PPC, Social Media, Organic Marketing Landing Pages ( Unbounce Review )

brentpurves — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:06:30 +0000

Unbounce: Everything You Need to Build a Better Landing Page

Landing Page Templates

Layouts designed for conversion best practices help you get started quickly and easily.

Embed Video & More

Add video, maps or social media widgets to your landing pages to help increase conversions and provide an interactive experience.

Lead Capture Forms

Our form designer allows you to easily create lead generation pages to grow your customer lists.

A/B Testing

With 1-click you can set up a new page variant for testing. Simply make some changes, assign the desired traffic weighting and start seeing results with the industry’s simplest A/B testing engine.

WYSIWYG Editor

Building a landing page is made simpler with our powerful page editor. Manipulate the design and layout of a template or replicate a Photoshop design with precision.

100% Web-Based

Design, build, publish and test landing pages from anywhere without IT interference with a completely browser based solution. No software to download or install.

via unbounce.com

We’ve been playing with Unbounce lately. Their landing page toolset offers a quick and easy way to setup multiple landing pages and put them onto your own custom domain or a subdomain. It also offers a simple web-based drag and drop wysiwyg and premade templates that allows you to create copies of landing pages, do AB split tests, insert your own graphics & video. We like the integration with Mailchimp, Flowtown & Google Analytics. We’ll keep kicking the tires but so far so good. Oh and Unbounce is a company from right here at home in Vancouver Canada so it’s gotta be good. It’s great to see sweet Internet marketing tools coming out of Vancouver. Give Unbounce a kick yourself here w/ their free account or 30 day free trial (partner link). http://cloudshouter.go2jump.org/SH2K

Filed under: brent purves

Is Unsocial The Future Of Social Search? – Facebook “Like” Marketing for Bing SEO

brentpurves — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:10:57 +0000

Earlier this month Microsoft and Facebook announced a new partnership that essentially makes Bing a social search engine. Danny Sullivan has written a great overview, but basically if you’re logged into Facebook and use Bing, you’ll now see results which are based on content viewed and shared by your Facebook friends: in this way, “Likes” start to gain the same value as links in the old search algorithm.

Bing & Facebook Together

via searchengineland.com

Here we go. Add Like building to your Link building campaigns.

Filed under: brent purves

Gowalla Steadily Moves Past The Check-In With City Pages, Business Listings And More

brentpurves — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 00:09:49 +0000

It’s no secret that both Foursquare and Gowalla are expanding their location-based social networks past the check-in, developing other incentives for consumers to use the services. Gowalla, in particular, has focused on adding innovative features to its platform to make the social network more interactive, through photos and comments. Most recently, the startup added local highlights, which allows users to essentially tap into their social graph to not only see what’s popular in a particular location, but also provide contextual information around what are the best sights, places, restaurants and activities in a particular locale. Today, Gowalla is adding a few more features for businesses that help the network move beyond the check-in, including City Pages, Verified Businesses and Venues; and the Stamp Calendar.

via techcrunch.com

Filed under: brent purves

YouTube Promoted Videos hit half a billion views

brentpurves — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:37:46 +0000

When we announced our first performance-based video ad format, Promoted Videos, nearly two years ago, the first campaign was “Penny Pranks” by Office Max.

Since that time, thousands and thousands of advertisers have taken advantage of this ad format to entice likely customers with videos about everything from smoked brisket recipes to magnetic jewelry to sneakers. Politicians and political activists have used Promoted Videos to argue for a proposition or against an issue. And large companies have reached wide audiences with movie trailers, recipes, and ideas for Halloween.

via youtube-global.blogspot.com

Have you dabbled with pay per click marketing for your business? Did you know you can run video campaigns through Google and Youtube as well? Want to only pay when people watch your video? We can help you get your videos online with full ROI tracking to promote your business or services. Contact one of our Vancouver internet marketing consultants today for a free phone consult. http://stirsolutions.com/consultation

Filed under: brent purves

Brent Purves - Internet Marketing Consultant - Social Media, Organic, PPC, Email, Viral Marketing Consulting Vancouver BC Canada

A Great Social Media Cheat Sheet For Those New To Social Media

Which Social Media Marketing Channels Will Be Best for Your Business in 2012? See What Other Online Marketers Are Planning

Twitter is set to roll out enhanced profile pages after Feb. 1 – Coke Twitter Page

What Does Google Know About Me? Is It All True? How Can I Protect or Change My Online Reputation?

Explaining The New Google Privacy Rules

Google updates export tool Takeout to support Google Docs

Highlight: The Nearby Social Network

Highlight: The Nearby Social Network

Google updates export tool Takeout to support Google Docs

Explaining The New Google Privacy Rules

[VIDEO] How Can I Promote My Business Online? Vancouver Internet Marketing Company – Stir

How Search Marketing Costs are Evolving

How Nike Outruns the Competition in Social Media

Facebook Update: All Your News Is Now in One Place

Explore Social Media Week Vancouver – And Around the World

Social Media Engagement Tips

Doing more with the Google +1 button – Sharing with Google Circles Using Google Snippets

HootSuite blog – Social Media Dashboard » Facebook Groups, Events, Photos & Geo Make #HootSuite Even Friendlier

HootSuite is now even Facebookier

How is Social Media Growing [Infographic]

The Current Social Media Landscape – SOCIAL MARKETER

Facebook Reportedly Testing New News Feed, ‘Like’ Features

Is Spam Declining? Some Encouraging Signs from Spam Fighters

CheckIn+ Brings Augmented Reality To Your Facebook And Foursquare Check-Ins

Top Social Media and Internet Marketing Posts from July 1-4 2011 – Social Search, Google 1 Launch, Social Marketing

Top Social Media and Internet Marketing Consultant Tweets from Brent Purves June 16-30 2011

Top Social Media Marketing and Internet Marketing Stories from Brent Purves June 1-15 2011

UP2U Gum Builds Buzz in Social Media – Custom Facebook Page Marketing

Top Social Media Marketing Stories from @BrentPurves May 2011

Online Video as a Marketing Tool

Custom Facebook Page Design & Facebook Marketing Agency

Canadian Facebook Check In Marketing – Facebook launches coupon ‘check-in’ app for Canada -

Foursquare Grows 3400% in 2010 (infographic)

Social Media in 2011: Six Choices You Need to Make

Klout’s Most Influential Colleges On Twitter – ( Colleges and Universities – Get Help w/ Your Social Media Marketing Strategy )

In Social Media, Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail – Social Media Marketing Strategy for Business

Air Canada Flash Mob Breaks At YVR (VIDEO) Vancouver Video Internet Marketing #FlashMob

How to Add LinkedIn’s new Share Button to your website – LinkedIn Marketing

What is StickyBits? Code Scanning Location and Product Based Social Check In Marketing

What Is Stickybits?

How to Aggregate Twitter & Facebook Posts, Hashtags and Users: Paper.li Social Media Publishing Experiments

All-In-One Check Ins Are Here – Check in to Foursquare from Gowalla – ( Location Based Social Media Marketing )

By Allie Townsend on December 2, 2010

Successful Social Media Profile Tips for Online Reputation Management

The 10 Elements of a Successful Social Media Profile

Target Rolls Out Shopkick’s Geo-Coupon System To 242 Stores

Google Goggles App Brings Users to Ad Features – iPhone and Android Visual Search Marketing

E-mail Marketing Tool Changes Ads Based on Location & Time – LiveIntent – Real Time Geo Targeted Email Marketing.

Will Social Business Cards from Follr.com make the cut? ( Social Networking and Social Brand Building )

Social Card Product Tour

RockMelt Offers Social Web Browser – Will it succeed where Flock hasn’t?

What is Unbounce? Landing Page Tool for PPC, Social Media, Organic Marketing Landing Pages ( Unbounce Review )

Unbounce: Everything You Need to Build a Better Landing Page

100% Web-Based

Is Unsocial The Future Of Social Search? – Facebook “Like” Marketing for Bing SEO

Bing & Facebook Together

Gowalla Steadily Moves Past The Check-In With City Pages, Business Listings And More

YouTube Promoted Videos hit half a billion views