TransWorld Snowboarding Industry Conference
Solitude Mountain Resort – Salt Lake City, UT
December 18 – December 18

Go Twit Yourself – How To Cut Through The Hype and Really Make a Difference Online

Sage Island CEO and Creative Director Mike Duncan will be speaking to industry insiders at the Transworld Snowboarding Industry Conference December 15-18. In his seminar, he’ll offer tips to improve your website’s promotional strategy, social marketing, blogging and Web 2.0 results. This may be the most valuable time you spend and learn specific tactics to get your hands dirty and improve your online  sales and overall bottom line. Learn top tools and marketing strategies that can strengthen your website online marketing efforts at little to no cost. You will leave the seminar with actionable tactics you can use to make money NOW.

Surf Expo – Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida
Friday, August 21 at 2:00

ECOMMERCE STRATEGIES FOR MULTI-CHANNEL SUCCESS
In this seminar you will learn everything from the state of retailing online to driving web traffic, search engine marketing and POS integration. The digital channel is retail’s new growth engine and you must master this domain in order to be a successful retailer. Learn ten things that you can do to improve your ecommerce website.

The Internet is the major source for attracting businesses and providing millions of users with unlimited amounts of useful information through multiple media channels. The skyrocketing growth statistics for specific social media and blogging sites have become a valuable resource for the already millions logged in while also being surged with new users daily.

Social media giants such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and  blog sites (WordPress) have captured a large percentage of these Internet users while allowing them to dictate the direction of the user provided content. Today, Internet users are dedicating much of their day finding, befriending, fanning and following once they discover how easy it is to use these sites. The online social media and blogging communities continue to thrive while each user is exposed to more and more information through friends, colleagues and business web pages.

As Internet users continually post an increasing amount of information on blogs and websites, it seems as though it has become diluted in an endless sea of content. This is why businesses are constantly driven to find new, witty tactics and visually stimulating marketing solutions to gain greater exposure for their products and services.

Businesses are turning to video marketing on YouTube to quickly capture users that watch videos from their home and business computers, as well as the ubiquitous mobile devices that can now support video streaming.

YouTube users select videos that are characterized to them as educational, entertaining or informational, but not commercially-driven. Think of this interactive channel as an alternative and effective source in providing useful, and in some cases humorous, information to capture your audience’s attention. The benefit of displaying these videos provides businesses with another valuable capability of directing and driving qualified users to their website.

This traffic driven to websites ultimately offers valuable leads and potential sales! The advantage of submitting these videos through YouTube (since YouTube is owned by Google) is that once they are uploaded, they automatically go into Google’s search engine and can result in rising awareness for your company throughout the Web.

Keep in mind that many of the same policies and guidelines apply to videos as they would with your website’s content on Google’s search network. Finally, remember it is important to include your company name, web address and a good combination of relevant keywords to attract the right consumers to your offerings.

Interested in joining the latest YouTube craze?

To do this, you simply click the YouTube upload button on the homepage and sign in. Immediately upload, tag, and share your videos with the YouTube community. For the best results, embed your uploaded video from YouTube onto your website in order to spare your own website’s bandwidth while providing maximum brand exposure. Who knows, you may enjoy benefits that you were only dreaming of! Remember to speak to the point and always keep it clean, clear, and concise!

North Carolina based company, Combat Medical Systems, came to Sage Island with the goal of redesigning and redeveloping an ecommerce website that displays their products and information. Founded in 2008, Combat Medical Systems develops innovative products to simplify tactical medicine. As can be seen in the website, Combat Medical Systems offers a number of highly configured medical kits and products for users of all medical skills. This new and improved website was built within a Content Management System, featuring a Flash Header, News module, WordPress Blog and a manageable shopping cart. Currently the shopping cart is set to handle orders by phone only, in the future it will be set to receive orders and automatically process the Credit Card.

Extending beyond the website, Sage Island and Combat Medical Systems’ professional relationship continues as we are continually working on the design and development for a new company brochure, magazine ads promoting specific products, product sheets, product photography, tradeshow banner stands, a secondary non-profit website and Pay Per Click campaigns.

One of the biggest problems that businesses have with social media is time. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets require a big time investment, and with ROI still not certain, many businesses choose to invest their time elsewhere.

With about 5,000 new accounts created each day, Twitter is the fastest growing social network on the Web and the third largest. It’s quickly gaining in popularity and may even overtake Facebook and MySpace for one of the top spots.

Last week at the Board Retailers Association Summit, I shared some Twitter tips with heavyweights in the surf, snow, skate, and wake retail industries. Here are some of the key points for business owners who want to use Twitter to their advantage but are short on time:

Find the best strategy for your business.

Twitter allows users to follow information in real time. That means instant access to your customers to listen to what they’re saying about your brand, share information with them, and offer instant customer service. Find the right balance of these uses for your company.

Choose your audience.

Build a network of customers, competitors, strategic partners, experts in your industry (including bloggers), colleagues, and other people within your industry circle. By following them (and being followed by them), you can maintain constant conversation.

Choose your tone.

Twitter allows you to converse with your network casually on a personal level. Try not to be too stuffy, and whatever you do, don’t just focus on marketing and PR and don’t automate your conversation. Automated direct messages and tweets make followers think you’re a robot. Talk to your customers, listen closely to what they’re saying, and keep it casual.

Decide who will represent your brand online.

Twitter and all social media is an online representation of your brand. Be careful when choosing who will represent your business and how. Whether it’s the CEO, an employee, or an in-house community manager, be sure they’re putting the right face on your company.

Start talking.

Initiate conversation about your brand, listen to what people are saying about your company, and be proactive in responding to @ replies and direct messages. Offer information that customers and other people in your network will find interesting — not just marketing and PR speak. Don’t toot your own horn too much, bombard users with links, or repetitive marketing messages. Just like any conversation, these common mistakes will make you boring or annoying to followers.

Twitter tools for building your network:

Twitter Search – Search for your brand name and key phrases associated with your industry to find users who are interested in you and your products.

We Follow – User powered Twitter directory helps you find users that may fit in your network.

Just Tweet It – Another Twitter directory where you can find followers.

Mr. Tweet – A Twitter networking client that helps you discover new people in your industry, find relevant followers, and track usage stats.

Tools for using Twitter:

tinyurl, bit.ly, is.gd and countless other URL shortening services shrink long URLs to Twitter-friendly sizes.

TweetDeck – The Twitter client of choice for many busy users, this free program allows you to track your feed, specific searches, and replies in one window.

Tools for monitoring your conversation & brand:

TweetScan – Alerts you when users mention your brand and related keywords.

TweetBeep – Google alerts for Twitter. Set it up to tell you when people are talking about your brand or industry.

Twollow – Auto-follow users who mention your brand or products to build your network.

Qwitter: Notifies you of the last tweet you sent before losing followers. Great tool to find out what you could be doing to turn off followers.

Twitterless: Graphs your followers and tells you who stops following you.

Tools for engaging your users:

TwtQpn: Create coupons for Twitter to give users incentive to follow you.

StrawPoll: Poll your followers to find out what they think about your brand and pertinent questions related to your industry.

TwitPic: Share photos of new products, office antics, and other cool stuff they may find interesting.

Follow me:

Sage Island
Mike Duncan

This morning Sage Island CEO and creative director Mike Duncan participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Greater Wilmington Business Journal on leveraging the power of the Internet for business. More than 500 community members and business leaders attended. Mike and the five other panel members — including Chip Mahan, president of Live Oak Bank; Brett Martin, president of Castle Branch; Fred Meyers, president of Queensboro Shirt Company; Justin Queen, president of Blu Zeus Interactive; and Debbie Elliott, president of Talk Inc. — answered questions from the audience about online marketing and social media.

For those of you who couldn’t attend the event, here are the CliffsNotes:

Talk to your customers, not at them.

Social media has changed a lot about the way that businesses market themselves online and offline. But most of those changes can be summed up with one simple idea: the practice of talking at your customers through your marketing has been replaced by conversation. Talk to them through social media, blogs, and other interactive sources. The conversation is happening with or without you. Your customers are probably already talking about your business, reviewing your services, and recommending you (or complaining) online. By participating in the conversation, you’ll build a stronger relationship with your customers and put yourself in a better position to control your brand.

User generated content is the new king.

According to a recent Forrester survey on how technology decision makers in business utilize social media during the buying process, 69 percent of the 1,200 respondents “read blogs, forums and reviews, keep track of podcasts, and watch video from other users” before making purchasing decisions. People trust these sources, because this content is coming from users just like them.

Becoming a participant in blogs, forums, and review communities where your customers are likely to partipate can help stimulate conversation. Seek opinions about your business and your services, and listen carefully to what they’re saying about you. Monitoring the conversation allows you to respond quickly to complaints and make the situation right with the customer — and potential customers who may see the negative review. But remember, transparency is essential. Be clear about who you are, and seek engagement with your customers honestly.

In social media, you are your business.

In order to succeed at social media, it’s essential that you put a human face on your company. People talk to people. Be prepared to get personally involved in your social media campaigns. It’s important to remember, though, that you’re representing your business. Don’t get too caught up in the personal aspect of social media. Many users have gotten into trouble for various degrees of oversharing. Think carefully before you post anything, and remember that the Internet is forever. Would you shout it or share it in front of a roomful of people at a professional networking event? If the answer is no, then don’t post it on your social media profile.

Adapt early for maximum benefit.

By the time an online marketing method has gone mainstream, it’s already old news. Early adapters reap the most benefit from new methods, because they have more time to learn about it and test new ideas. By the time it reaches the mainstream, the early adapters are already pros with a solid grasp of how best to utilize the latest technology. Stay up to date with new ideas, work with interactive marketing professionals who can guide you in new technology, and stay ahead of the curve.

Be innovative.

Mike Duncan closed the panel discussion with a word of advice: “Be innovative.” The world of online marketing is changing so rapidly that there’s no telling where it will go next. If you want to stay ahead, you have to be open to new ideas and willing to try new things. Emerging technologies and interactive marketing methods may seem foreign, but marketing hasn’t changed. The tools are just a little different now. It’s impossible to predict where online marketing will go next, so the best way to stay ahead of the game is to be ready for anything.

Have you seen the new Skittles website? Whoa. Talk about embracing social media.

The homepage lands you on the Twitter search stream for Skittles. Anytime a Twitter user mentions the word “skittles” in an update, it will show up on the homepage.

The navigation is a simple widget that directs users to Skittles’ YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook pages. When you click on a specific product, you’re redirected to the Wikipedia entry for individual Skittles products.

The new site is essentially an aggregator of all Skittles’ social media channels. It’s a great idea, and it’s certainly paid off this morning. Everyone is talking about it, and the Twitter stream is full of commentary on the new site and great press. For now.

But what happens when the chatter dies down? I applaud Skittles’ willingness to open themselves up to consumers this way, and for right now it’s working, but what happens when the Skittles Twitter updates become more sporadic? Will the Twitter stream homepage remain relevant? What will happen to the site when the novelty wears off?

I guess we’ll find out. For now, I’m enjoying the experiment. An approach this extreme may not work in the long term, but Twitter has earned some invaluable publicity for their bold move and hopefully cleared the way for more brands to integrate social media into their websites.

Regardless of how well the strategy works long term, we can definitely learn something from them about cohesive branding across multiple social media channels. Each profile fits together as part of a whole to create an identity for Skittles on the Web, which is how all social media profiles for a brand should work. Skittles has just taken it one step further by linking them directly to their website.