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Extending the Reach and Effectiveness of Your Marketing Efforts with Paid SearchMuch has been said about Paid Search and its effectiveness as a direct marketing medium. It’s targeted, cost effective and generates tremendous results. However, an often overlooked aspect of Paid Search is its effectiveness as a complimentary medium to other forms of media being deployed to market various products and services. For example, when a prospective customer sees an ad on TV or in a magazine, it is highly unlikely that they are going to stop what they are doing and act on the message or offer right there and then. More likely they are going to continue watching the program or reading that magazine. In fact, to assume that your target will be completely captivated by your ad and stop what they are currently doing to act on it, is a big assumption. And you know what they say about assumptions. So is all lost? Not at all. While your prospect might not be able to recall the entire message word for word, it’s very likely that they can recall a portion of it. They might not know your company name, but remember the product name. They might not recall the headline, but remember a part of the concept. So, once they have finished doing what they are doing, where is this prospect going to go in order to turn this fragmented piece of information into a complete idea? The Search Engines. Yes, as we all know, search engines are a great place to take an idea or big piece of information and turn it into something more. Therefore a user who is interested in what you have to offer, but does not necessarily have enough information to go directly to the source, is likely going to turn to the search engines in hope of finding the necessary information needed to access your product or service. This is where Paid Search Engine Marketing can step in and really act as a means to extend the life of your other marketing efforts. By dissecting the message and thinking of all the various ways a user might react to or apply it to their lives, you can build a list of terms that, when searched on, will ensure that the prospect will be able to find your product or service, even if they can only recall a small portion of what was actually said in the advertisement. Additionally, with Paid Search, you have the ability to choose which terms you want your product or service to be associated with, and assuming you have enough budget allocated, secure a high profile and very visible placement. You can also control the message that appears when users search on these terms to complement the message associated with your other marketing efforts and direct the user to a destination that provides them with everything they need to access or purchase your product and service. Additionally, the fact that you can turn it on and off based on the needs and timing associated with your other marketing efforts provides a huge degree of flexibility that ensures your message is placed exactly where and when you want it to be accessed. Sounds pretty easy and basic enough doesn’t it? I mean, you’d think that all companies would take advantage of this strategy. Unfortunately this is not always the case. In fact, more often than not, companies see Paid Search as an island; not something that can be tied into and extend the life of their other marketing or PR efforts. A Case of Missed Opportunity - Bag, Borrow or Steal & Sex and the City Movie To support this claim, just take a look at the company Bag, Borrow or Steal. This company received a huge boost – a direct mention in one of the of most hyped movie releases of the summer - Sex and the City, as well as a huge article in the May 27th edition of the Wall Street Journal. This is press and publicity that almost any company would kill for! The focus of the Wall Street Journal was how Bag, Borrow or Steal was planning to leverage the mention in the movie to grow their business. So what has Bag, Borrow or Steal done to capitalize on their 10 seconds of movie fame? Well, according to the Wall Street Journal article they have trumpeted its affiliation with the movie on their website as well as launched a contest on YouTube. Now this is all great, but it really assumes that you are already somewhat familiar with the company or are going to remember this line from the movie. My guess is that people will remember bits and pieces from the movie, such as the handbags being carried by the characters, but are they really going to remember a specific line from one particular scene? Not likely. Therefore, by buying terms such as “Sex and the City Movie” or “Sex and the City Handbag”, Bag, Borrow or Steal could really extend the life of this mention in the movie and procure additional traffic and sales. Additionally, my guess is that via PR they are pushing their YouTube contest and people are writing about it, just like we saw with the Wall Street Journal article. While this is nice, users still have to go and search out the contest. Therefore, people are likely going to turn to the search engines to search for the contest using terms such as “Sex and the City YouTube Contest” or “Sex and the City You Tube Contest”. However, after reading this article, I decided to do some searching on my own, and much to my surprise, when I searched on all of the aforementioned terms, Bag, Borrow or Steal was nowhere to be found in the Paid Search results. Talk about a huge missed opportunity. Here is a company that received national press in the second most widely circulated paper in America, and you could not find them. Now this may have changed by now, but below are screen grabs of search results taken the day after the Wall Street Journal Article was published. Search Result for "Sex and the City movie"
Search Result for "Sex and the City handbag"
In short, whether they knew when the article was being published or not, once it was printed they should have had a plan of action in place. Therefore, by having a Paid Search campaign ready to go, they could have started capitalizing on their affiliation with the movie some time ago, or at least immediately after the article was published. The moral of the story here is that Paid Search should not be looked at just as an isolated medium or silo in your online marketing program. Rather it should be closely integrated into all of your marketing efforts as it can really work to extend their reach and life. By considering how people use the search engines to complete ideas and to find what they are looking for based on what they have seen elsewhere, you can really garner tremendous added value from your marketing investment. Labels: Integration, Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Strategy How a Social Media Campaign Fits into a B2B Media PlanLet's explore a facet of social media that's often ignored -- B2B (define) social media. Last month, my agency ran a social media seminar at the New England Direct Marketing Association Conference. When an audience member asked about B2B social media, Bianca Garcia, one of our star media planners, jumped right in with a lot of good information. She has a special gift for navigating the social media landscape, so I interviewed her for more information. Harry Gold: Who are you and what do you do? Bianca Garcia: I'm a media planner for Overdrive Interactive, and my job includes planning, buying, implementing and optimizing online and social media campaigns. I first joined the search marketing team at Overdrive before moving to the media department. I have an MBA and prior to working for Overdrive, I worked for "Cosmopolitan" magazine, "Seventeen" magazine, and Leo Burnett. My background in search and traditional media has greatly contributed to a well-rounded understanding of online campaigns. HG: We all know that social media marketing is good for B2C (define), but are there any sites that are good for B2B? BG: LinkedIn would be an obvious choice, but there are also industry-specific networking sites like ITtoolbox (where you can tap into a huge professional IT community), the Minyanville Exchange (a financial social networking site), Designer Pages (for architecture and design), and lots of others. However, keep in mind that "traditional" social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, even Twitter have B2B profiles and profiles where people often list their professions. So you can do certain kinds of B2B targeting by profession. Read more... Labels: ClickZ, Social Media Overdrive Interactive Launches New Website, Interactive Game and Facebook Application for GMAC Insurance Are you a dumb driver? That’s the real question being asked by the 2008 GMAC Insurance survey of 5,524 drivers from all 50 states. The results of the survey show that one in six U.S. drivers wouldn’t be able to pass a written driver’s test if they took it today. Overall, the national average score grew slightly to 78.1% from 77.1% in 2007, but scores varied based on driver demographic and geography. The study found that drivers over the age of 35 were more likely to pass, and women were more likely to fail than men. Overdrive Interactive recently launched a new website (http://www.nationaldriverstest.com/) for GMAC Insurance that contains all of the study data, the online version of the written test, an interactive defensive driving game, and a Facebook application for the National Driver’s Test. In the first twenty-four hours after the site launched, it received over 100,000 page views and was responsible for tripling the normal daily traffic to the GMAC Insurance corporate site. Go to the site, take the test, and then challenge your friends to beat your score! Labels: Application Development, Overdrive News, Social Media Marketing, Website Development Overdrive Launches New Website for Journalist Mike BarnicleOverdrive is happy to announce the launch of a new website for journalist Mike Barnicle. The design of the website plays homage to Mike’s Boston roots and provides readers with one-stop access to Mike’s columns, television and radio appearances. You'll also find information on where Mike will be appearing next and how to schedule him for an appearance. About Mike Barnicle Mike Barnicle is an award-winning writer and media personality. He is a political analyst for MSNBC and a frequent contributor – and occasional guest host -- on the network's "Hardball with Chris Matthews." Barnicle can also been seen regularly on NBC's Today Show and MSNBC's "Morning Joe." A veteran print and broadcast journalist, he has written nearly 4,000 columns collectively for New York Daily News, Boston Herald, Newsweek, and The Boston Globe, where he rose to prominence with his biting, satirical, and at times, heart-wrenching columns that closely followed the triumphs, travails and ambitions of Boston’s working and middle classes. To learn more about Mike and his columns, television and radio appearances go to www.mikebarnicle.com. Labels: Overdrive News, Website Development Web Beats Radio and Cable: Web Ads Topped $21B in 2007The Internet ad market last year grew 26%, surpassing both radio and cable TV, to reach $21.2 billion, according to the annual online ad spending report from IAB and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Search advertising accounted for 41% of the total spend, with display ads making up 34%. Video, which in 2007 was broken out as a separate category for the first time, made up 2% of overall online ad spending. "We've learned not to be surprised by the vitality and vibrancy of Internet advertising," said David Doty, SVP-thought leadership and marketing at the IAB. Labels: Industry, Online Media, Paid Search Listen to Your EnemyMy father always told me that everyone is worth listening to -- even if it's only to learn what not to say. As I grew older and more experienced, especially in the advertising field, I came to truly see the simple wisdom in that piece of advice. People whom you think are great can clearly show you the best way to do something. And those whom you think aren't as good as you, can show you how not to do something. (Of course, it could be the opposite: people you thought were great really don't know what they're doing, while those with a lesser reputation are the true luminaries.) What does this have to do with online media? This week, something happened that really blew my mind. We recently lost the online display portion of an account (c'mon, it happens to the best of us), and we learned the new firm isn't delivering the value to the client that we did. In fact, the firm is delivering exactly 66 percent less value. How do we know this? Because some media invoices were accidentally delivered to us. Turns out, the new agency is paying three times the rates we were paying for the same placements! Read more...Labels: ClickZ, Online Media Social Networking is Expanding, Becoming More DecentralizedLast week Facebook and MySpace both announced that they will be allowing users to transplant information to other web sites. This will allow users to share pictures, applications, and information much easier with their friends and family on different web sites. For both companies, this move towards decentralization is a bold step away from the previously "walled garden" approach to their sites. While this type of site has been appealing to advertisers in the past, Facebook is hoping that the move will make them even more powerful by becoming a "command center" for social interaction across the web, thereby increasing their marketing appeal. For advertisers, broadcasting their message through a wider range of social media sites may now become more of a necessity. In fact, simply having a presence in social media will become more of a requirement than a nice-to-have. This move by Facebook and MySpace is pushing the online community towards an even more decentralized, user-driven atmosphere, and only the advertisers that are willing to keep up the pace will truly reap the benefits. Parts of this article were derived from http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OPEN_FACEBOOK Labels: Industry, Social Media, Social Media Marketing One Stop Search ShoppingYahoo! India recently launched Glue Pages Beta, a new search experience that collates and integrates information from across the Web onto one enhanced visual results page. Glue Pages run across searches for select terms in categories such as health, sports, entertainment, travel, technology, and finance. Glue Pages Beta works well when searching for topics that have broad search results. For example, if you search for “yoga,” the classic paid and natural search results will show up, but the page is also complimented with a Wikipedia definition for yoga, Google Blog Search results, as well as links from HowStuffWorks, YouTube videos on yoga and information from Y! India Answers. “Searching on Glue Pages Beta will result in an experience that promises more than just web links. Users will receive more relevant, visually appealing search results from across the Web in one topical page. The new Glue Pages Beta feature for Yahoo! India Search supports our strategy to make Yahoo! the leading starting point on the Internet and demonstrates our commitment to provide a compelling online search experience,” said Gopal Krishna, Head of Audience, Yahoo! India. To try out Yahoo! India Glue Pages Beta, click here Labels: Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Yahoo DIY Online Display Advertising - Expanding the Playing Field for Online MediaThe online advertising market is growing. We’ve all seen the stats. We’ve all see the projections. Yes, advertisers did spend $21.4 Billion in 2007, and by 2011 this number is expected to grow to $42 Billion. (Source: eMarketer)
Ultimately, by leveling the playing field for Online Display, everyone is going to benefit. Now some may view applications and technologies such as AditAll, AdBrite and AdReady as threatening to agencies; but this should not be the case. The fact is, organizations that make a significant marketing investment will continue to hire agencies as their strategic partners and to guide this process. This is not about the Death of the Agency, but rather the Birth of Small Business. Labels: Advertising, Industry, Paid Search Corporate Responsibility in Social MediaChances are that people are talking about your company online. In blogs, forums, and online social networks. And, like any invested businessperson, you want to join the conversation. Great, so time to flood the scene with nothing but gratuitous praise for your company, right? Yes, but only while maintaining a good sense of corporate responsibility. While social media is still somewhat of a "wild west" for corporations, there have already been some examples of what not to do in social media. Whole Foods CEO John Mackey was caught trashing the competition and boosting his company on Yahoo's message boards. The result: a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation... and a very public humiliation. And the list goes on. The answer? You can't control what people say online, and you certainly shouldn't try to manipulate the results. The best course of action is to be upfront in your postings, reach out to the bloggers relavent to your business, and treat social media like any other legitimate media outlet. If you do that, then it will be much easier to integrate your company into the social media scene. Parts of this article were derived from http://www.socialsignal.com/tags/social-web Labels: Blog Outreach, Social Media What's Your Browser Preference?There has been some debate around the office lately about which browser we, as online marketers, should use as default. Some of my colleagues believe we should adopt Firefox because of its flexible tools and overall superior (in their opinion) usability. While I do not contest that Firefox has its benefits, I remain an IE user with the belief that we should align our behavior with that of the majority, and the majority uses IE….at least that’s what I assumed. To ensure my claim was founded I decided to do a bit of research. Based on the statistics below from www.w3schools.com, Internet Explorer remains the most common browser. I can be confident my claim is accurate.  However it seems Firefox is moving in on IE’s position with a steady climb in usage. So, it may only be a matter of time before I’m experiencing the superior Firefox usage features my colleagues talk about….but I may not have to wait! An article on www.windowshelp.com outlines some great ad-ons for IE which, I believe, truly enhance the browser's usability. This includes a ‘find as you type’ feature, allowing users to more quickly search page content for specific terms. This feature just happens to be one of the main features my colleagues claim make Firefox a superior browser. I guess time will only tell whether Firefox will continue its climb and surpass Internet Explorer as the most commonly used browser. Until then, I guess my colleagues and I will just need to agree to disagree, and use the browsers that fit our individual preferences. Because, in the end, no matter what our personal browser usage, we need to be good online marketers and test everything we do in all browsers. What's Next?It’s understandable why there’s so much buzz going around Social Media nowadays. Millions of consumers like me are already so deeply immersed into social networks, UGC and brand channels that it’s part of our everyday lives already. In fact, if I had 15 minutes of free time, I would not think twice about spending it online in the social media space: log into my accounts on Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Flickr, Multiply, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger, Wordpress, Yelp (whew – did I miss anything?) and before you know it, the 15 minutes had stretched into an hour, or maybe even longer. Last year, a study called Never Ending Friending (commissioned by MySpace, Isobar & Carat) confirmed that majority of users really would check out social networking sites if they had 15 minutes of free time. What does this mean for marketers? First of all, it tells us where we can find our consumers (and consequently, where we should be spending more media money). Second, it tells us that consumers don’t just join these networks for the sake of joining. Consumers actually engage in conversations, build relationships, and spend hundreds of precious online minutes on social media. And last but not least, it tells us that marketers should be doing the same thing because whether we like it or not, social media is now a major part of our media mix. But what’s next? – That’s the question we have to keep asking. What do we do after we set up our profiles, blogs, pages, brand channels? Aside from making sure that there is always fresh and relevant content, we can now use this medium to communicate with the consumers. We do not want to be the static “friend” who never updates his or her site. We want to be the brand/product/company that has a dynamic, cross-functional, multi-connected presence. Profile set-up? Check. Build community with friends and fans and followers? Check. Content-rich, constantly-updated page? Check. Time to start socializing? Yes, please. Because the next thing that marketers need to do is be part of and herald the ongoing conversations in the social media world. So next time you have some free time, think about how you can continue to leverage the power of social media to help your brand or company. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out those Facebook updates too. Labels: POV, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, web 2.0 Social Media and Why You Need a StrategyEvery day, it seems we read something new about Facebook, MySpace and other likeminded properties and how the social web is changing the face of the online landscape as we know it. So what is it that makes these companies so important that they are garnering so much press and interest? Well, in my opinion its not such much the properties themselves, but rather the communities they have fostered within them and this is why every marketer should be paying attention. To support this point, just read the following quote from a recent Wall Street Journal article about Sport Illustrated (SI) and their decision to take their Fantasy Content to Facebook: "The move is, in part, an admission by the iconic sports brand, owned by the Time Inc. division of Time Warner Inc that it needs to do more than draw users to its own Web site. It also needs to take its products to a site people already visit.” - Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2008. What struck me about this comment was not so much that Sports Illustrated is partnering with Facebook, but rather how it as decided that a presence on Facebook is a viable alternative to driving users to their own web site. In short, SI has realized if they truly want to engage the Facebook community, they have to do so within Facebook, not outside of it. This, in my opinion is one of the true powers of the social web, and a key reason why all companies need to start thinking about developing a social media strategy, if they have not already done so. In short, the social web, comprised of sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and others is a web within a web. Rather than refer to these as sites, I think that they could be more accurately described as online environments. People don’t necessarily go on the social web with the intent of finding the next great web site, rather they're on the social web to interact and socialize with others within the context of that environment. Therefore, if you want to reach users within the social web you need to come to them and set-up shop in their environment. Doing so demonstrates to users that you understand the nature of the social web and are willing participate within it. This is an important fact to realize and if you want to be considered relevant within the fabric of the social web, then you need to be have a presence within the social web. Now you may be saying to yourself “But we have a website, so why would I need to create a presence within context of the social web? I mean, we’re already online.” Well, yes your business or company does have a website and is online, but you are not operating within the realm of the social web. You are also making the broad based assumption that those who are engaged in the social web, want to leave it to see what you have to offer. However, this is big assumption and an unfortunate mistake. Again, users go to the social web to interact within that environment, so if you want to reach them you need have a presence where they are. Additionally, there is a common misconception that the social web is only for kids, teens and young adults so it just does not make business sense to be there. Well, there was a time when people felt the same way about this thing called the World Wide Web. Remember when only cutting edge companies had websites? It’s laughable by today’s standards and if you don’t have a website today, people will seriously question your competency. Well, the same trend is now being realized with the social web. Not every company has a presence and those that do are hailed as being innovative and thoughts leaders…just look at Sports Illustrated. The fact that they have decided to set-up shop on Facebook has gotten them ink in the Wall Street Journal. I’m willing to bet that in a matter of just a few years, that such moves will be par for the course and if you don’t have a presence on the social web, you’ll be laughed out of the room. So where am I going with this all? Well, the fact is that marketing on the social web is something that is still relatively new. People are waking up to the fact that there is an audience to be had, but they don’t know what to do or how to effectively access it. But the fact is that social media, just like other forms of online media such as search, can act as channel and means to access a very ready and willing audience. However, to be successful you need to understand how to play with and engage this audience within the context of the social landscape. Like what SI did, think of social media as a means to complement what you are already doing online. While your corporate web site can still be the center of your online marketing universe, it does not mean you can’t have branch or satellite offices within the confines of Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and others. As I mentioned earlier, the social web is not just another group of sites, it's a unique, multi-faceted environment in which resides a huge audience. However to effectively market to this audience, you need to first understand the environment and be willing to join its fabric. Ultimately, by deploying a social media strategy you will greatly expand the power and reach of what you are doing online and develop a channel that is bound to pay off today and in years to come. Labels: Industry, POV, Social Media, Strategy Paid and Natural Search - Complimentary MediumsI was recently asked the following question by a client: "If we are appearing in the Natural Search Engine Results, why should we we also be paying to appear in the Paid Search results for the same term?" In short, if they're getting the clicks for free, why should they be paying for them as well? However, I don't think the answer is really that simple, as a truly effective search engine marketing campaign is not about Paid vs. Natural, rather its about understanding what makes each medium strong thereby playing to and understanding those strengths.
 Please do note that while it may sound like I am trying to discount the natural results, that is not the case at all. Natural results most always drive more traffic and getting top positions is the true benchmark of success when it comes to any SEO program. However, what I am trying to illustrate is the value that Paid Search results do have, even when you are also appearing naturally for the same term, as paid search offers a level of flexibility and control that you cannot get from Natural SEO. In the end, this is not a case of one versus the other, but about illustrating how having a fully integrated SEM and SEO program can ensure that you can take advantage of all that is being afforded to you in the search environment and driving the optimal user experience for all facets of the page. Labels: Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Strategy Overdrive’s Team Feroush Walks for Hunger This Sunday, a team of Overdrivers dubbed ‘Team Feroush’ joined Project Bread’s 40th Annual Walk for Hunger. Meryl, Meghan, Laura, Ra, Mel, and Barb all joined to have some fun outside of work, while helping to raise money in support of a very worthy cause. Since 1969, Project Bread's Walk for Hunger has provided critical resources for hungry children and families in Labels: Campus Life Yahoogle! –A New Way to Define the Online Marketing Landscape…according to Microsoft. Yahoogle (Ya-hoo-gle) n. 1. An arrangement between Google and Yahoo! that would involve or lead to the outsourcing to Google of key paid Internet search terms offered by Yahoo! 2. A world, according to Microsoft, in which talent flees, prices increase, the Feds come after you and most of all Google becomes an Evil Price Fixing Baron.
Labels: Google, Industry, Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Yahoo Look Out - Here Comes Yahoogle!Well folks, if you have not already heard the news, Microsoft has withdrawn its offer to acquire Yahoo!. Despite having raised its offer by $5 Billion, from $29/Share to $33/Share, Yahoo! still walked away from the deal unless Microsoft would pony-up an additional $5 Billion ($37/Share). However, what I find makes the collapse of this deal really interesting is that when you read the letter that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sent to Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang on Saturday, May 3rd while price was certainly deciding factor, the straw that broke the camels back appears to be Yahoo’s decision to further expand their “partnership” with Google. In short, it’s the prospect of having to acquire “Yahoogle!”, not Yahoo! that has really made Microsoft stop its pursuit and not go hostile. In a letter to Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stated that “We regard with particular concern your apparent planning to respond to a “hostile” bid by pursuing a new arrangement that would involve or lead to the outsourcing to Google of key paid Internet search terms offered by Yahoo! today. In our view, such an arrangement with the dominant search provider would make an acquisition of Yahoo! undesirable to us for a number of reasons.” So what would the world according to Yahoogle! look like? Well according to Mr. Ballmer, its one that’s pretty dark in which talent flees, prices increase, the Feds come after you (Microsoft certainly knows about this) and most of all Google becomes an Evil Price Fixing Baron. But who am I to tell you about Yahoogle!, let Mr. Ballmer be your guide! The following is a summary of why Mr. Ballmer feels that Yahoogle! would make Yahoo! undesirable acquisition for Microsoft: 1. No More Panama 2. Talent Will Flee 4. Google Now Sets Every Price So what do you think? Is Yahoogle! good or bad? Whether you agree with Microsoft or not, the paid search and online advertising landscape is quickly changing and Yahoogle! is certainly going to play role in paving the way. Labels: Google, Industry, Online Media, Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Yahoo The 112th Boston Marathon – Goes Into Overdrive On Monday, April 21st Overdrive was proudly represented in the 112th running of the Boston Marathon by two of its employees – Ty Velde & Michael Orlinski. It was Velde’s 7th consecutive Boston Marathon and Orlinski’s 1st. We’re happy to report that they both completed the 26.2 mile race – Velde in 3:12:48 and Orlinski in 5:14:56. It was Velde’s 14th and Orlinski’s 3rd marathon overall. Both will also be running the Chicago Marathon this October. Labels: Campus Life Overdrive Gets Set for Chase Corporate Challenge Early this summer Overdrive will be participating in the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge® in Boston, scheduled for Thursday, June 26, 2008 with a 7:15 p.m. start on the Boston Common. This 3.5-mile race – the largest held entirely within city limits – consists of approximately 12,000 runners from numerous Boston area companies. Overdrive’s team is led by Captain Ty Velde along with fellow Overdrivers Barbara Wojslawowicz, Meghan Haley and Michael Orlinski. Participants at this year's Corporate Challenge will be helping to provide a true summer camp experience to children in some of Boston 's at-risk neighborhoods. The JPMorgan Chase Foundation will make a donation in connection with the Corporate Challenge to Camp Harbor View, in partnership with the City of Boston and Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston. Camp Harbor View's goal is to offer children ages 11-to-14 the opportunity to leave the city during the day and participate in a four-week summer camp program. In addition to offering the traditional activities that summer camp is known for -- hiking, arts and crafts, swimming -- Camp Harbor View also includes programs that strive to build children's academic and leadership strengths. We’re really looking forward to being a part of this year’s event and be sure to check-in after the event to see our results. Labels: Campus Life Overdrive Interactive: Taking the LeadsExcerpt from the Boston Business Journal article by Joan Goodchild
Instead, the Brighton-based online marketing firm has seen clients boost spending with Overdrive at a time when many are cutting their budgets elsewhere. "I think it's because our founding principles stay with us today," said Overdrive CEO Harry J. Gold. "We're going to do what works." Labels: Overdrive News Engaging in Social ConversationAs Overdrive has recently been quite involved in learning more about and engaging in social media, various things have begun to make a stronger impression on me as a social media user. For example, I am a member of the official Facebook group for the restaurant/bakery Finale. Today I received this message from one of the chefs at Finale:  After reading the message, I browsed over to the profile of the group, where I spotted these posts on the profile's "wall":  As Overdrive preaches, social media marketing at its core is not about marketing, it is about socializing. Finale is using its Facebook presence to send messages directly from its chefs (Kim Moore and Nicole Coady) to all of its friends, promoting new desserts, events, and special, exclusive offers. People LOVE to feel like they are a part of something exclusive. In response, the friends of Finale are eating it up. As you can see in the image above (name and picture omitted for privacy), friends are not only responding positively but they are specifically going to the Finale Facebook group to ask questions and looking for more information! The social conversation going on between Finale and it's fans is unbelievable and embodies what social media is really all about. To see the full Finale Facebook group page, click here. Labels: Social Media YouTube: Fit for a QueenOne of Overdrive’s clients markets heavily to people who live in the US, but have close ties to family and friends who live in other countries. In doing research for this client, the media team came across an article on a Middle Eastern news site about Queen Rania of Jordan and the YouTube channel she launched last month to address misconceptions of woman in the Arab World and encourage viewers from around the world to share their opinions and acknowledge stereotypes they have heard of this culture. The always hip and media savvy Queen Rania has found a way to tap into social media to create a cross-cultural dialogue. In the palace statement, Rania was quoted as saying she wanted young people everywhere "to see the personal side of my region, to know the places and faces and rituals and culture that shape the part of the world I call home." I applaud Queen Rania for using social media to encourage discussion about stereotypes and break down common held misconceptions about the Arab World. This is a great example of how social media can be used as a form of communication, and act as a bridge to link people and communities together, around the world. The conversation will go until August 12, which is International Youth Day. To view Queen Rania's You Tube channel click here Labels: Social Media, Video |
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