The welcome I received here is just what I needed to assure me I made the right choice in coming on board. To top it off, I received the phone call from our company president, Jim Thomas, on my birthday! (talk about a “happy birthday”)

@ebthatswho

Little background on me:

I am a Mass Comm graduate from VCU with a concentration in Public Relations, and a minor in Marketing and Business. I have worked for production companies in the past as an Account Executive, and have over 5 years experience in PR and Marketing.

I am also the Co-Director of Marketing and Public Relations for RVA Fashion Week and have been since 2008. My experience with account management and campaigns will prove that I am the right person to meet our clients needs, and help continue the success of all projects that come through our door.

I am very appreciative of this opportunity and look forward to many days to come! I hope to contribute more to our blog and post some interesting as well as fun information for business and for leisure.

Let’s start with a nice little blog about the “dying press release” , still debatable? (figured this was specifically appropriate coming from me)

See you soon!

PS- Go Redskins!

]]> http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/2011/09/new-addition-to-the-keyweb-team/feed/ 1 http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/2009/12/tis-the-season-to-shorten-urls/ http://www.keywebconcepts.com/blog/2009/12/tis-the-season-to-shorten-urls/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:51:52 +0000 Shannon Sullivan http://keywebconcepts.com/blog/?p=203 December turned out to be a big month in the world of URL shortening services. With the rise in the use of Tweets and status updates came the popularity of URL shorteners. With the message length limits in place on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like, every character matters. As their name implies, URL shorteners take a long link that you supply and generate a shorter URL for you to share in its place. The link still takes you to the original source, while leaving you more room to talk about what you’ve found and want to share.

Some of the services that were already around include bit.ly, tinyurl.com, ow.ly and is.gd.

Now, other recognizable names are getting in on the act too. Facebook and Google both announced this month that they have their own URL shortening services (fb.me and goo.gl, respectively). YouTube also has added the service for sharing shorter video links (they start with youtu.be).

Who do you think will be the next one to add their URL shortening service to the mix? Or is this all a passing fad?

Shannon
New Media & SEO Specialist, Copywriter
http://www.facebook.com/keywebconcepts
http://twitter.com/keywebconcepts

Share information creatively – but make sure to stay on topic. Irrelevant posts, Tweets and status updates could turn customers off and leave them wanting more.

So, how can you use social media to reach out to customers and give them the best experiences possible? Consider …

Sales, Specials, Deals
Give customers the inside scoop on a special at your store, or offer them an exclusive incentive for being a Facebook Fan or follower on Twitter.

Example: A store offers 10% off any purchase for the first 25 customers who come in and say “I love [your store’s name] on Twitter.”

Company News
Share your excitement when great things happen with your company. Talk about a new hire, significant milestones, special occasions. Show how proud you are of your business. Invite people to be part of the celebration, but don’t turn them off by bragging too much.

Resources
Social media is about sharing with your community. Help them learn new things. Show them great resources for information.

Are you a roofing contractor? Post a link to a new article about tips for caring for a roof after installation. A green clothing retailer? Share your latest blog post about the newest “green” fabrics.

Research
Ask your customers what they’d like to see next at your company. Is there a new service or product they’re interested in? Do they want you to open a new location? Give customers a change to be heard, and take their input into consideration. That way, when your business makes its next move, you can be sure that you’re responding to people’s actual needs.

Feedback
Seek customer feedback! Give your customers enhanced support. You can use social media to answer people’s questions or address their complaints. Let customers know that you’re actively listening and eager to respond.

Shannon
New Media & SEO Specialist, Copywriter
http://www.facebook.com/keywebconcepts
http://twitter.com/keywebconcepts

But why? Getting involved sounds like a good idea, but what kinds of benefits are there to social media?

Increased Visibility
A presence on a site like Facebook could substantially increase your visibility on the Internet. There are millions of users looking for and sharing information across these platforms. By being there and providing engaging content, your company can gain more exposure…exposure that could drive more traffic to your website, or lead to new customers.

Business Networking and Collaboration
You can find and interact with other professionals in your field by:

• trading tips.
• recommending resources.
• offering advice.

LinkedIn’s Answers is a great place to talk to new people, as well as establish yourself as an industry expert.

Stronger Customer Relationships
Social media offers the chance to connect and work with clients to bring them better experiences with your company. By interacting with them directly, through media they like and use, you remove distance and bring the company and customer closer. People can put a face with a name.

You can also get feedback directly from your customers. Poll them about a new service or product they’d like to see – then act on it! You’ll show that you really do listen, and that you’re committed to meeting customers’ actual needs.

Shannon
New Media & SEO Specialist, Copywriter
http://www.facebook.com/keywebconcepts
http://twitter.com/keywebconcepts

Not only are people using social media a lot, but they’re starting to expect others (especially companies) to start using or already be using Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other social media sites.

How many people use social media?

• 60% to 75% of Americans use some form of social technology
• 2/3 of the global Internet population visit social media sites
• Visiting social networking sites is the 4^th most popular online activity – it’s more popular than checking personal email!

“Cone Finds that Americans Expect Companies to Have a Presence in Social Media”
“What the [Expletive] Is Social Media: One Year Later”

Facebook Statistics

• Facebook has 300 million+ active users
• More than 5 billion minutes spent on Facebook every day, worldwide
• 40.2% of Facebook users are 35+ years old

“Statistics”
“Facebook Demographics and Statistics: 55+ Grows 25% in One Month”

Twitter Statistics

• Over the course of 1 year (February 2008-February 2009), Twitter grew by 1,382%
• 35 – 49 year olds make up the largest user group on Twitter
• The average number of Tweets per day is 3 million

“Twitter Now Growing at a Staggering 1,382 Percent”
“What the [Expletive] Is Social Media: One Year Later”
“SMX Sydney: Twitter Tips and Etiquette”

Other Interesting Numbers

• LinkedIn boasts 45 million users
• Over 3.5 billion photos are archived on Flickr (as of June 2009)
• It would take 412.3 years to watch every single video uploaded on YouTube

“About Us”
“What the [Expletive] Is Social Media: One Year Later”

New Media and Business

A study by Cone showed that

• 60% of Americans utilize social media

Of that 60%

• 93% believe a company should have a presence on social media sites
• 85% say a company should not only be present, but interact with its customers using social media

“Cone Finds that Americans Expect Companies to Have a Presence in Social Media”

Shannon
New Media & SEO Specialist, Copywriter
www.facebook.com/keywebconcepts
twitter.com/keywebconcepts