Using Facebook to Increase Business Leads and Sales

A good website is a tremendous advantage for any company. It is like having another employee who works 24/7 and never needs to be paid. Unfortunately, simply having a good website is no longer enough. Businesses also need a way to insure people visit their site. There are plenty of ways to do this. Advertising and search engine optimization both work, but one of the cheapest and most effective ways to draw more users to a site is through facebook.

Creating a company facebook page helps businesses target perspective customers in a way few other social mediums can. This may sound far-fetched but it is easy to explain.

When a company creates a facebook page, individual facebook users can become fans of that page. Every time a user becomes a fan, it is announced to all their friends on something called a mini feed. It is also added to that person’s profile. Considering the average facebook user has 130 friends, that means for every person who becomes a fan of a business, that business is advertised to 130 people. This gives any business the opportunity for free exponential advertising.



As a company gains fans on facebook, they also have a direct line of communication to their target market. Businesses can announce events and information via facebook, which is automatically posted to all their fans mini feeds. Fans can then respond to these announcements, providing useful feedback for a business. Companies can also create polls for their fans and gain valuable marketing information without all the cost. Finally, companies can use facebook groups to reach customers by interest, age, and even location. All these methods are free and help direct potential customers back to a companies website. Considering facebook has over 400 million active users, it is a resource companies cannot afford to ignore.

Written By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger 
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Creative Director, Mindshift Media

The Importance of Online Video Marketing on the Internet

Every business wants to make a good first impression. It builds trust, boosts sales and keeps customers coming back. More and more, peoples first contact with a company is through its website. That makes a professional and informative website more valuable than ever. Overhauling a website may sound like a costly and daunting process but a few easy changes can give a company the competitive edge. The most important of these, is the addition of video.

Anyone can add text and pictures but a professional video makes a site more credible and memorable. People are 40 to 50 percent more likely to remember information in a video rather than text. Visitors to a site are also less likely to spend a lot of time reading information. Web users are looking for more information delivered faster. A great example of this is the apple Ipad videos. Videos like this are the perfect way to reach people. A good video delivers information, engages potential customers and allows companies
to showcase their products or business.

                 So while pictures may say a thousand words, 

video says millions!

Written By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Creative Director, Mindshift Media

Ecommerce Turns an Ordinary Website into a 24/7 Global Selling Machine!

E-commerce is one of the easiest and economical ways of getting a business going as quickly as possible. Companies utilizing Ecommerce have three distinct advantages. They are able to reach more customers, lower costs and increase profit. A great example of this is Amazon.com.

 The company was founded in 1994 and run out of a garage. Now in 2010 it has locations in eight countries and is posting yearly profits of over nine hundred million dollars. The secret to their success is ecommerce. The company can offer more products to more people at a lower price. By selling only online, Amazon needs fewer employees and buildings. The only cost is the initial price of their website and its upkeep. The site also reaches far more customers than traditional stores. That gives it a greater customer base. With more customers and less costs, Amazon can undercut the prices of their competition. This business model gives companies a much faster return on their initial investment. Ecommerce turns an ordinary website into a 24/7 selling machine.

The embodiment of this is Apple’s Itunes.

The Itunes store deals in audio and video and they can sell to anyone with internet access. By taking advantage of the global reach of the internet, Itunes can sell more copies of each song, or video. Ecommerce has allowed them to become the number one place to buy music and video. Itunes and Amazon have also used Ecommerce to reconnect with their customers.

By selling online, companies can allow customers to share feedback about products. This provides valuable information for the company. Positive feedback from buyers also helps persuade potential customers to purchase a product. Any company can benefit from incorporating ecommerce into their website. It reduces costs, eliminates the need for things like cold calling and provides a faster return on the initial investment.

With a boost from ecommerce, companies can go global in seconds. It is the right step for anyone trying to grow their business and their wallet.




         Ecommerce Experts Explain Future Web Trends

                                                         

                                                      
Written By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger 
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Creative Director, Mindshift Media

Google has a New Way to Search!

The internet giant Google is working on a revolutionary way to find what you are looking for. Their new tool is called Google Goggles. It lets users take a picture with a mobile phone, then compares that picture to others in its database. Aparna Chennapragada, product manager for computer vision products at Google said, “information coming online right now is increasingly visual. So there are more images and more videos being uploaded by your cameras.” She said people are much better at recognizing a picture of that they want rather than having to describe it in words. Google Goggles is still in its Beta stage but it is available on some Android phones. Stay tuned!

Written By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Creative Director, Mindshift Media

Is Social Network Marketing the Way of the Future?

Social networking sites like facebook, youtube and twitter have been around for some time now. They allow people to connect based on anything from common friends, interests and location. These sites form a massive network of individuals and groups. Facebook alone has over 400 million active users. This makes social networking the perfect place to market a business. Companies can interact directly with customers, gain brand recognition and increase search engine optimization. Google, Nike and CBS are just some of the companies already using social network marketing. To compete, businesses will have to adapt to social network marketing and other web 2.0 methods of doing business.

That may sound difficult, but when managed correctly, social networks can save business time and money. Traditional marketing required in depth research in order to find new markets and reach potential customers. The layout of social networking sites groups individuals by common characteristics, making it easy to locate and engage customers regardless of location or time. Once a a company forms a social network, They need only invest a small amount of time to keep it working efficiently. The internet allowed people free access knowledge. Now social network marketing is giving companies unfettered access to consumers

Click on the following link to view the latest video outlining the benefits of the Social Media Revolution! 

http://www.mindshift-media.com/social-network.php

 

Mindshift Media makes Your Identity!  Consumers are flocking to blogs, social-networking sites and virtual worlds. Mindshift Media provides our clients with innovative and custom Social Network Marketing solutions. We create web channels of your website on popular social networking websites. This service will help you market your content like news and articles gaining more visits and popularity to your website.

For more information about creating a social network marketing campaign for your business, contact Mindshift Media directly @ info@mindshift-media.com or visit our website - 

www.Mindshift-Media.com

Written By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Creative Director, Mindshift Media

What is Search Engine Optimization; "SEO" and What Can it do for You?

In its most basic form, search engine optimization is a way to get noticed. In the past, businesses had big storefront windows full of things carefully picked to catch the eye of the consumer. In the world of online business, websites are full of things designed to attract the attention of search engines like Google, Yahoo and Youtube. Web users depend on these search engines to help them find information and make decisions. The more importance a search engine places on a website, the more often it will direct people to that site.

SEO is all about making your website more attractive to search engines. This helps increase the number of people visiting a site. It also helps your website appear among the first search results potential customers see.

SEO can be the difference between a thriving online presence and stagnation. What good is a custom, innovative and beautiful website if no one ever sees it?

So what can SEO do your YOU? It can direct more customers to your sight, help businesses and products gain valuable exposure and give you a greater online presence. When a search engine wades into the web looking for answers, SEO makes sure the first site it recommends, is yours!




Written By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Creative Director, Mindshift Media

Google or Bing...Which One Gets Results?

For some time now, anyone who wanted answers went to Google. It was just a forgone conclusion. Now Microsoft has introduced Bing. This new search engine boasts things like so called smart searches and real time searching. Their adds, like this one, claim to end something called search engine overload.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSkaTcjDIMk

While that sounds great, which search engine gets answers better?

The simple answer is this. If you are looking for sheer breadth of information on a topic, Google is still the place to go. In a variety of simple searches, Google produced more results than Bing. It also has a clean, organized and clutter free approach that makes it easy to use.

Bing comes into play when you are looking for travel, health, shopping or related searches. Bing has unique features that allow you to search multiple travel sites without leaving the search engine. It is also good at showing users relevant related searches. There is even a discount program that offers money back on some purchases when you buy through Bing.

In the end, it comes down to user preference. Bing offers some useful features but it can not replace Google.

Written By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Creative Director, Mindshift Media

Africa, Solving it's Problems One App at a Time!

While most app developers are working on new games and better graphics, African apps are taking on the continents problems. People like 26 year old, Amos Gichamba are developing applications to help farmers avoid scams. Gichamba grew up on a dairy farm in Kenya. He says milk buyers exploited farmers, paying them far less than their milk was worth at a dairy company. Farmers did not know the rates charged by other farmers or how much their milk was really worth to dairy companies. They also had no way of  knowing when to increase or decrease production. Without this information, farmers were being scammed out of much needed profits.

To help tackle this problem, Gichamba developed an app that allows farmers to text in questions about the local dairy market. The questions are analyzed by a computer. The computer then uses a database of information about the dairy market to answer the question.

Gichamba is just one of many new app developers in Africa. These innovators are taking advantage of the growing mobile phone market to help others. According to a 2009 International Telecommunication Union report, 28 percent of Africans have a mobile phone subscription. In contrast, only 5 percent of people there use the internet. The number of mobile phone subscription is growing by about 50 percent each year. That makes it one of the best ways to connect people and share information.

Jessica Colaco believes mobile phones are the best way to start social change in Africa.  Colaco is a 27 year old mobile developer and a researcher at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. She has started a boot camp to help teach app development. So far the camp has taught 200 people and Colaco says she plans to teach many more.

Applications are already helping African farmers and directing aid to people in trouble, but developers are just getting started. There are plenty of problems to face and this latest group of developers are stepping up to the challenge.


Written by: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Creative Director, Mindshift Media

Apple - iPad - Introducing the iPad - Strengths and Weaknesses

Apple’s latest creation has been touted as the magical fusion between smart phones and computers. Despite all the hype, there are two big questions that need to be answered, what can it do, and what can it do better?

The first answer is easy. The pad can do anything an Ipod touch can do, but it does it bigger. There are few truly new features on the Ipad, it has just been enlarged to make it much easier to use. The larger size makes it easier to compose emails, watch video and surf the web. The instant on feature also means no more waiting for your computer to boot up. In essence, the Ipad makes basic web surfing more user friendly.

Users will only notice a difference when they try to create content. Composing long emails, making spreadsheets and editing photos still requires a computer. The two largest drawbacks are the lack of multi tasking capabilities and the fact that the Ipad does not support flash player. No flash means it can not play many videos or graphics currently used online. Without the ability to multitask, the Ipad can only run one program at a time. Other drawbacks include the lack of a camera and no USB or fire wire ports. This being said, the Ipad does offer a slim and portable alternative for basic computing needs. Only time will tell if the Ipad can succeed but judging by its initial sales figures, apple may just have another winner!

Meet the iPad. It has a revolutionary, 9.7-inch, high-resolution, Multi-Touch screen. And it can run almost 140,000 apps from the App Store. All in a design that's just 1.5 lbs and 0.5 inches thin. To view the latest Apple video showcasing this new revolutionary device, visit this link to view the video -                                    
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-YAQ1wfNqc

Written by: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger 
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Creative Director, Mindshift Media

What is a Viral Video and What Can it do for my Business?

                  Potential Gold Mine for Businesses

Viral video is any video that is being passed from one user to another online. This happens most often on sites like youtube. The best viral videos are watched millions of times at no cost to their creators. This is a potential gold mine for businesses. Television ads, like this Old Spice commercial reached audiences world wide when the video hit youtube. It can be seen any time and with the simple addition of subtitles, anyone can understand it. That means plenty of free advertising for Old Spice even after the video is is no longer on TV. As more people share the video, they create a buzz around the product and this can help generate useful feedback.

Viral videos also increase a companies web presence. People coming to see a video can be easily redirected to the companies website. That makes viral videos a great asset for any business.

                       Old Spice - Viral Video




Written By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin - Mindshift Media, Creative Director

                          

Utilizing Multimedia to Make Your Website Come Alive!

Zeekee Interactive Experiences the Benefits of Adding Multimedia to their Website

Zeekee Interactive is a Mindshift Media client and partner based out of Birmingham, Alabama.  Zeekee offers a wide variety of services ranging from website design to email marketing and everything in between. The agency was looking to change the look of their website, with the addition of a multimedia flash video to the home page of their website. Mindshift Media and the genius of motion graphics designer Steven Trauger provided Zeekee with a new and innovative look to their website with an informative, entertaining and effective multimedia campaign.

           

                                                       (Before)

             Zeekee's Website Prior to adding the Multimedia Campaign -

                                                          (After)

            Zeekee's Website After Adding the Multimedia Campaign - 
                (Screen Shots of the Multimedia Campaign) 
                        www.ZeekeeInteractive.com

To see the video in it's entirety, 

log onto Zeekee Interactive's website: 

     

   www.ZeekeeInteractive.com 

Why Add Multimedia to Your Website?

Multimedia puts the exciting and sizzling effect into a website, merging various entertaining elements with a corporate business profile. This concept puts together sound, picture, graphics, video, text, voice talent and other elements in an effective multimedia presentation. The sky is the limit for Mindshift Media and it's ability to design innovative multimedia development services. Mindshift Media works in collaboration with Steven Trauger of STVP to provide the best in motion graphic design. With the combination of Mindshift Media and the genius of award winning motion graphics designer Steven Trauger, we accommodate all companies and businesses with innovative multimedia campaigns to add an extra sizzle of a flash video production to your website. We understand that websites thrive for constant online attention and corporate identity. The use of animation and multimedia production services add extra value to your market creditability. It gives your company or organiziation the ability to enjoy greater scopes of business opportunities. 

Multimedia flash video presentations have allowed many companies to change the face of their company image through multimedia presentations. The world of advertising, marketing and media is very dynamic in terms of changes it undergoes to capture various target markets. The addition of an effective multimedia campaign proves to be an effective medium to accomplish this task. Mindshift Media provides various development services, including Multimedia Promotional Campaigns, Planning, Scripting, Media Production, Voice Talent, and more. 

We invite you to think about the benefits of the addition of a promotional flash video production to your company website TODAY! Mindshift Media provides a full range of integrated marketing and multimedia services to effectively help companies stand out from the competition by generating customer loyalty and gaining greater market share through innovative multimedia campaigns. 

For more information about adding a multimedia promotional campaign to your website, please email us today - info@mindshift-media.com

                             Full Service Multimedia Campaigns!

                                                        Provided By:

                                               In Association with:

Innovative Real Estate Marketing Solutions

Mindshift Media offers you the most sophisticated real estate marketing services, including estate video production tours and custom showcase websites. Our tours include both interior videography and aerial shots of the property and surrounding area and location of the home or development. We showcase not only the property, but also nearby landmarks or features (such as shopping, parks, etc), neighborhood shoots, drive throughs, maps as well as highlighting standout features of the estate.

                             "Dramatic Elegance in Belltown"
                 $3,088,888 Condominium Real Estate Video Tour

                              WE WANT YOU TO SUCCEED! 

Our highly experienced video production specialists have years of experience in the television production field, and are now specializing in showcasing high end real estate properties around the West Coast and around the nation. We cater to our clients needs, and showcase high-end properties or home developments via an innovative and informative video tour of the home or development.

                               CUSTOM DESIGNED 
              WEBSITES TO SHOWCASE YOUR ESTATE!

You only have one chance to make a great impression! Nowhere is this more important than in the real estate industry. It is critical that your marketing assets communicate the quality of your estate at every point of interaction with an existing or a potential new buyer or agent. We offer our clients the ability to showcase their estate through a custom designed website to show all the property has to offer. We include the ability to stream a video tour of the home directly onto the website. Also, we exclusively offer our clients packages with location descriptions with Google maps incorporated into the custom website, an architectural distinctions page outlining the the square footage and property layout, and a page dedicated to describing the builder and the history of the home.

                                                      www.RightHouseRightNow.com

                                                                                             
                                                                                      www.BlackRidgeLake.com

Samples courtesy of our web design partner: Zeekee Interactive

Mindshift Media is providing this innovative and new marketing packages to Real Estate Agents, Sellers, and Home Builders. Allow Mindshift Media to act as your marketing team to grow your business, help sell your estate or showcase a new housing or condominium development!

     For more information or a free consultation, email us today: info@mindshift-media.com

                              Or feel free to call us Today - (425) 785 - 9066

                                         We are available to travel anywhere in the country or world for our 

                                 customized Innovative Real Estate Marketing Packages!

Social Media Success Stories - Social Media ROI

  SOCIAL MARKETING SUCCESS STORIES:

Social Marketing Success Stories are always a great way to learn and get motivated. Below is an ongoing collection of Success Stories ranging from large consumer brands to B2B. Government and non-profit success models. 

                                             The Story of Charity: Water

        
      The 2009 September Campaign - Written by: Warren Raisch

                  
                   From: charitywater | Goal: Providing Safe Drinking Water to a Million People !

I am always impressed with the power of a simple idea put into action by people who want to make a difference.  There is a lot we can all learn from this story even if we are not changing the world with the marketing we do everyday, although we should always strive for that.  In the past three years they have raised over $10 million from over 60,000 donors and helped over 700,000 people in 16 countries to get access to clean and safe drinking water.

Warren Raisch has spent a good portion of his life in international markets and developing nations and the number one problem that many of these nations face is having access to clean, safe drinking water. We all take it for granted, myself included.  It is at the core of so many problems that plague much of the world’s population. I support programs that are focused on solving some of these core global issues. 

From a campaign perspective Warren loves their use of powerful video,  Social Marketing channels and their live staged events . It has all of the powerful viral aspects.  But most importantly I love that they stepped up and are making a difference with their lives.

Watch the below video to get a sense of the challenge and the opportunity to make a difference. Warren is committed to making a difference how about you?  Tell us about your causes and how you are making a difference in your life. At the end of the day that is how our life will be measured. 

(From Tyler Griffin - President of Mindshift Media) My personal feeling is there are incredible opportunities for major up and coming brands to get behind cause based marketing.  I’d love to hear your opinion and what you and your companies are doing in your town and cities and how you are involving family and friends. If you invite a group of friends to join, you might be suprised how many people will be willing and ready to join in on the cause to change the lives of children around the world! "I believe that we were born to serve, and when we are serving, our hearts are at ease and we are truly living. God made us to serve others, when we are doing God's work and serving, we are living the life God has planned for us, allowing our souls to be truly happy." - Tyler Griffin. President - Mindshift Media.


The power of Social Media is truly amazing. Mindshift Media allows your company to fully market your company and brand via various social networking sites around the internet. Contact us today for a free consultation - info@mindshift-media.com

Watch this inspirational video that shows the effectiveness of social network marketing at its best. Making a difference for thousands of children around the world via the internet. It's amazing the power Social Media has over our world! Check out this inspiring video...

"For The Love of Mary" - Website Campaign

 "For The Love of Mary"

                                                         www.ForTheLoveofMary.org

Mary is a gifted therapist whose work has touched the hearts of thousands. Specializing in addiction for nearly three decades, her exceptional counsel, humor and warmth have literally saved the lives of hundreds, and changed the course of thousands more. She is living proof that one person can make a difference.

Mary's own life unexpectedly and abruptly changed course in January, 2009. Healthy, active and vibrant, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two weeks later, she had a double mastectomy. A second surgery revealed she has carcinoid syndrome, a neuroendocrine cancer, for which Western medicine has no cure. It had spread through her blood stream to her liver, digestive system, colon and lymph glands.

Mary endured yet another procedure and obtained consultations from across the country. The medical community's prognosis was dismal, and only after the use of extreme radiation and highly toxic chemotherapy drugs.

Alternative treatments, however, have yielded promising results. These treatments replace key peptides and have been proven to shrink many types of cancer tumors. In many cases, it has eliminated the cancer entirely. Mary began treatment in August at the Burzynski Clinic in Houston. Mary's treatment costs over $10,000 per month and is not currently covered by insurance. The typical treatment regimen lasts 12 months, depending upon results. If her treatment at the Burzynski Clinic is unsuccessful, Mary will pursue another neuroendocrine peptide treatment in India.

Mary is many things to us: friend, colleague, teacher, and mentor; sister, aunt, niece, daughter, wife and mother. But she is one thing to all: an inspiration. She has moved us with her wit and her wisdom, her gusto and her grace.

We are a small group with a big heart, devoted to Mary and dedicated to finding creative solutions to finance her cure.

We invite you to become part of this remarkable woman's life, and our commitment to save it.

Join us.  Please help Fund a Cure for the Love of Mary.

   

                                  www.ForTheLoveofMary.org

Website Sponsored by: Mindshift Media

Website Designed by: Zeekee Interactive

Usher Performing Live @ The Olympics Closing Ceremony - Video Highlights

Usher Performing Live @ The Olympics Closing Ceremony!




Usher headlined the final Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Nightly Victory Ceremony Concert February 27. Usher closed the Winter Ceremonies in Whistler with an epic performance which closed the Olympics in style! This special performance in the heart of Whistler, Canada leads up to the release of Usher's sixth studio album, "Raymond v. Raymond," which is due in stores March 30. Described as a natural follow-up to his ground-breaking 2004 album "Confessions," which earned him the distinction of being the "Top Hot 100 Artist of the Decade, " (Billboard) the new album contains the smoldering signature ballads and hypnotic up-tempos the multi-talented, all around entertainer is known for.

Video Production and Photography Provided By: Mindshift Media
All Rights Reserved. Mindshift Media. 2010