Interactive - Social Media - Street Marketing. That is UniversalWit. Get the cutting edge of marketing with the bite of creative wit.

If you are looking for traditional marketing services, then we are probably not right for you. However, if you want to move your marketing into the future like social networking, online events, brand experiences through sound and video, texting, and other forward thinking for Web 2.0 then we just may be the guys.

Busy day today for social media.  Many user accounts were suspended on Twitter because AMC threw up the red flag with users impersonating characters from the popular ‘Mad Men’ series.

Many users on Twitter are actually fake characters.  The Mad Men impersonators though were able to use sound in the character voices. AMC argued that this could mislead followers into thinking it was AMC approved.

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Link building is a key tactic in search engine optimization.  There are good tactics to link building that will deliver results and there are some tactics that will just plain land you in hot water with the search engines and you may not be able to recover.

In this blog, we often write about how content is king.  With SEO it is no different.  Creating engaging content is a good tactic for SEO and a foundation of link building activities.

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Each week on this blog, we take a look at social networking opportunities beyond MySpace, Facebook or YouTube.  This week we share Multiply with you.

Multiply is a sharing network.  I was first introduced to it in my search for mash ups, songs mixed together by a talented DJ.  I was able to check out some selections on the artist’s Multiply profile.

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I have been sitting on this news for about a week, but I am really excited about this announcement and what it means for social networks in the future.

Matt Mullenweg of WordPress (Disclaimer: This site was built on a WordPress platform and I am a big fan) announced that WordPress Multi-User will have the ability to create a social network in the next release later this year.

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With something as new and exciting as social media, it is often easy to forget that you do not want to receive an ROI from your efforts.  Marketing metrics do apply to social media.  To increase effectiveness and justify your expenditure to management, metrics should be regularly evaluated.

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Each week on this blog, we take a look at social networking opportunities beyond MySpace, Facebook or YouTube.  This week we go from moms to motors as we feature Motortopia, a social network site for your car, bike, boat or plane.
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Facebook has been all over the news this week. The site has taken over as the world’s leading social network site even if it is still behind MySpace here in the US. Facebook’s approach to using the local native language has fueled their march overseas.

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This blog often covers AdverGaming topics.  Casual Gaming offers a lot of opportunities for AdverGaming.  Better yet, some lessons being learned by casual game providers are lessons that apply to most Web 2.0 marketing tools.  It is all about finding your audience and engaging them on their preferred level.

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In our continuing look beyond MySpace, FaceBook and YouTube, today we look at a social network dedicated to moms.  I was watching the Olympics and I noticed the commercials featuring athletes talking about their moms, and it inspired me to write about CafeMom.

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Google is giving you a glimpse inside the “database of intentions”. This is the mysterious inner sanctum that stores the secrets of Google. It reminds me of something out of Harry Potter - ‘The Room of Requirement’ or something magical like that.

Insights for Search is a new service released by Google, that allows a marketer to compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, and time frames.  This service builds on the Google Trends application release a couple years ago.

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Join our friends at The Planet Pulse in their search for Pittsburgh’s Hottest Male Model on August 28th, 2008. Find out more about this exciting new retailer set to hit the Pittsburgh area next month.

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Social Media may be coming of age as a reliable and cost effective addition to a marketing program.  The factors that are leading more and more companies to add social media to the marketing mix include:

• More email marketing is landing into spam folders decreasing the ROI for these programs

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Google is throwing its weight into advergaming.  The company recently launched Lively, a virtual world which is an excellent platform for games.  Along with this platform, the company that is the leader in online advertising and has made in-roads into radio and other traditional advertising outlets announced that it will look to serve up ads inside of games.

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Beyond MySpace, FaceBook and YouTube:

In our continuing series of looking beyond the big social networks, we take a look at Decorati a focused social network for interior design.

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I came across an excellent study regarding online video.  Some great take aways like keep your programs short (3 minutes or less) and make them funny, music oriented or user generated content for max appeal.  This article came from Marketing Charts.

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The holidays are right around the corner.  Is your online marketing strategy ready?  Now is the time to take stock of your programs in advance of the season.  Consider these external factors that may play an important role in a successful holiday season:

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UniversalWit is currently assembling a Street Promotional Team in the Pittsburgh area for events in August and September.  Interested candidates should contact us for details.  Must be fun and outgoing and be able to get to each event.

We also searching for Free Runners that would like to run, jump, tumble, etc.  in a promotional event in the Pittsburgh area.  No prior experience is necessary, but you must understand the concept.  Check Wikipedia or YouTube for details.

Both projects are compensated.  Contact us for more details.

I read an interesting post on Mashable today titled ‘Corporations are driving social media growth’.  It made some excellent points that as more corporations dip their toes in the water that social media is becoming less of a niche of early adopters and more of a full fledge marketing outlet.

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UniversalWit would like to install a new recurring feature into this blog that takes a look at the many social network options that you have to promote your business.  Some will be business specific and some will be more general options.  We will try and give you a picture as to who are using the sites and why.  We have titled these segments:

Beyond MySpace, Facebook & YouTube
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The 12th edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.com The buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country. Check out the issue and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

This summer has been a busy one for new developments in social media and online marketing.  The past 2 weeks, we have been devoting Mondays to reporting on recent announcements and today is no different.

Cuil (Pronounced Cool) announced that they are bringing a competitive search engine to rival Google.  The distinction for Cuil is that they are former Google employees who claim to have built an even better mousetrap with more pages indexed and a more secure search environment.  They plan to offer advertising in the future as well.

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Change is often feared, yet change is inevitable and all around us. New Media such as social networks, blogs, and other user generated content is big change to many marketing folks. It is often more comfortable to continue a marketing strategy because of its familiarity. After all, to make a change, you must justify it to management and that could put your position in jeopardy and that is sometime the most uncomfortable change of all.

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The best blogs are not always the most read, but show the passion that a person or company has for the topics they cover.  We have been neglectful about updating our recent work section, but I’d like to introduce you to two of our recent projects.

Both are small, but both have a passion for what they are doing.  Both also enjoy helping other people.  UniversalWit shares their passion.   The company began out of a love for new media and all of the wonderful new tools available.  We never get bored helping others realize their goals, dreams, or missions with the aid of social media and other web 2.0 tools.

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The Field of Dreams quote is so over used it’s a cliché now and I hate to use it again.  ‘If You Build It - They Will Come’ only works for baseball fields in Iowa.  It does not work on the web and it certainly does not work with Web 2.0 tools such as social networks.

Web 2.0 is about interaction and engagement.  Those two words are not passive in nature.  As such, your social network campaigns should not be either.  Do you wonder why no one is visiting your social network?  Did you just hang the sign and nothing else?

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The 11th edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.com The buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country. Check out the issue and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

In the news for Monday July, 21, 2008 is the compromise from Yahoo and dissident shareholder Carl Icahn. Facebook also made an announcement today.

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Online video continues to chisel into to normal tv watching habits.  According to the venerable reporting agency Neilsen, Some 162 million went online in May. Video posted some strong numbers with 119 million unique viewers and  7.5 billion video streams viewed in May 2008.

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Finishing up our discussion on Long Tail, particularly how it applies in SEO and SEM, we have two basic examples to illustrate the thinking.  If you would like more detailed examples of long tail keywords or an analysis of your particular needs, please contact us.

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Building on yesterday’s report on the buzz surrounding Long Tail, today we will take a look at Long Tail keywords for search engine optimization.  Checking your analytics, you probably find 3 or 4 keywords that direct the majority of traffic from a search engine to
your site.
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Chris Anderson set the world on fire with his book ‘The Long Tail’ (I recommend it for reading).  Now it seems the Long Tail has been applied to strategy all over the marketing universe from product to SEO.

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One million was the key phrase today.  The US announced that it had one million names on its Anti-terrorism list.  The bigger news was that Apple sold one million of its latest version IPhone.  The company announced 10 million downloads from its apps store as well.  This means that you as a marketer are already in the mobile marketing platform.

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The 10th edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.comThe buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country. Check out the issue and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

Earlier in the week, we reported on the social media initiative from Google called Lively, a virtual entertainment site.  Several responded with some excellent insight that I would like to share with you today.

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Yesterday in social media marketing news, we reported on Google’s introduction of “Lively”, a new virtual experience website.  Yesterday, on LinkedIn, we posted a question asking for thoughts and experiences on Lively.

We’d like to hear from you as well.  Feel free to submit comments as an answer to ‘What are your thoughts and experiences with Google’s new Lively?’ We will hopefully share others thoughts in this space later in the week.

The 9th edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.comThe buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country.  Check out the issue and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

No topic today.  Instead, there has been a flurry of activity after the holiday in announcements of new social media marketing activities.  We will use the space today to report on some of these recent developments.

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Texting is growing rapidly as a form of communication in the US, which is catching up to Europe and Asia for the technology. Today’s blog post gives a basic understanding of the new marketing tool as well as some interesting data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

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Time to wrap the short week with one more post regarding search engine optimization.  This article came across my desk on Monday as well.  SEO seems to have a magical quality to it, call it Google Mystique.  Some think of it as a game.  Some think of it as an impossible task.  In this article, we look at some common SEO myths.

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In Part 2 we continue with Marketing Sherpa’s ‘Special Report: Online Keyword Research Guide: 5 Tips & 9 Useful Tools’.  Today comes the 9 tools that you can use to help you with Search Engine Optimization.

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There have been several excellent articles on Search Engine Optimization that came across my desk over the past couple of days.  As part of our mission to deliver the most appropriate and useful information possible in this blog, I plan to devote the rest of the week to sharing this insightful news.  I’ll add insight where appropriate as well.
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The 8th edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.comThe buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country.  Check out the issue and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

You may be feeling uneasy about adapting new media as part of your marketing programs.  Sure, the stats show us that traditional marketing is declining and new media is growing.  However, we know that there is still uneasiness over a customer base that is empowered and a communications explosion.

A recent study of CMOs shows that you are not alone.

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People I speak with seem to always have SEO on their minds. That’s good. SEO is a marathon not a sprint. I am apt to quote movie lines so to borrow from Willy Wonka with a few updates: SEO is 73% perspiration, 27% creativity, and 5% luck. Yes, you must give 105% and it might even help to throw in a little butterscotch ripple.

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Social Media and PR go hand in hand.  There are so many new outlets for your news items.  Today, we are going to look at the blogosphere and the opportunities that are available there.

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We have been running at top speed with this blog in an attempt to keep up with the dizzying amount of info that comes out daily. Today, we take a breath.

Many of our clients are just getting exposed to what Web 2.0 can do. As part of getting comfortable with these new technologies and new marketing, we have begun to put together a Web 2.0 boot camp. As part of this program we would like to provide a glossary of terms that will serve as a reference.

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The 7th edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.com The buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country.  Check out the issue and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

This was not originally planned to be the post for today, but I got information for the new CAN-SPAM provisions for the AMA Pittsburgh blog.  As they go into effect July 7, 2008, I thought it would be prudent to share them here as well.

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The Seeker & The Hidden Skulls Online Game

In honor of Indiana Jones, UniversalWit brings you a Seek and Scramble game for the Summer. It is free to play. You don’t have to sign up either. All you have to do is find the 13 skulls we hid on UniversalWit, The Seeker of Strange News and 1129 Ridge. Each skull has a letter on it. Unscramble the letters to make a word. Send that word as the subject line to games@universalWit.com from a valid email and you will be entered into our weekly drawings for gas gift cards.
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Search Engine Optimization is something we here every day and with good reason.  Search engines are the number one place people turn to when searching for information about a company.  We’d like to share with you a recent survey of marketers just like yourself and what they had to say about SEO ROI.

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Today’s post is for the HR professional, specifically recruiting of candidates.  We know your company is more than its job description.  We also know that a candidate is more than a few keywords on a piece of paper.  Online video can bridge the gap between employer and prospective employee.

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Now that you are convinced that you can afford video and you are excited about what it can deliver.  It is time that you sold it to upper management and they want to see results right.

So, how do you explain the ROI of video?  You can grasp the intangibles of what it will do for your brand, how it can educate, and how it will reach new customers.   Management is going to want numbers though.  Here are some ways to measure video’s impact on your marketing programs.

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Hopefully, yesterday we convinced you that video was within your budgetary reach. Now, we can look at the benefits that are possible for your brand by deploying video as part of your marketing mix.

Online Publisher’s Association reports that 69% of online users have watched a video online. 24% do so at least once a week. I am going to surmise that these numbers could have seen a growth during the writer’s strike which propelled people to the web for new content.
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The 6th edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.comThe buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country.  Check out the issue and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

Video is our subject this week, because it is extremely popular, very
effective, and also misunderstood by many marketers.  In fact this first
post of our video discussion series deals with the myth that video is
too expensive for most companies to utilize.
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After watching Jessica’s use of video yesterday and heading into the weekend, I thought we’d have some weekend homework before we talk video next week.  Don’t worry it is not that difficult.

On Monday, we start a multi-post series on using video as part of your marketing programs.  I came across two really good articles today on the subject, so we might have most of the blog next week devoted to video.

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It is nice an sunny and warm here in Pittsburgh, and I am in a cheerful mood.  We were going to get started on a 2-part blog series on video.  However, rather than end the week with it, I think we will start the week with it next week.

Instead for today and tomorrow, we will post to primers for video.  The first came to us from Jessica as an excellent example of using social media marketing to get what you want or what you need.

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My clients often ask me about Email Marketing as part of their online marketing programs. I came across this article from Marketing Sherpa and it outlines some great opportunities so I wanted to share it in this space. UniversalWit monitors many blogs and eNewsletters for pertinent information. Check this space or contact us if you are looking for something in particular

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In most cases when you see a definition of Web 2.0, you see the words User Generated Content or UGC. UGC has become the foundation of Web 2.0 with the empowerment of formally passive web surfing.

You likely want to increase traffic to your company’s website. UGC can help you rapidly accomplish this goal. In fact one company reported a 300%+ jump in traffic when they opened up their site for writers to post pertinent information.

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The 5th edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.comThe buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country.  Check out issue to and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

It may be the $20 million dollar trivia question right now - how do I make my campaign viral. Viral is the online version of word-of-mouth, compelling content that gets passed from one inbox to the next.

Here are a few  general attributes that virals share at their root, bearing in mind that people online can tell an ad right away and shut it down quickly.

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So its Friday, and we decided to give you a little food for thought in this space for the weekend. We came across a study by Eloqua called the 2008 “State of the Marketer” survey.

They surveyed marketing professionals regarding their marketing spend this year and what they expect over the next 3 years. Some interesting numbers for social media and online advertising were offered.
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I was having lunch with a colleague that I have known for several years now. The topic of PR in relation to social media came up and I wanted to share some of our conversation with you on the topic.

The question came up on what kind of PR is used to promote social media content like webisodes, contests and games. I thought about it for a second and said you know I use the same tools for traditional programs. In fact, many of the old media outlets actually have reporters that cover new media projects. So, don’t forget to include them when you release a social media program.
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The 4th edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.comThe buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country.  Check out issue to and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

This blog has covered many social media marketing topics as they relate to marketing folks, but we do not want to leave our human resource professional friends out in the cold either. HR drives many marketing programs as it is important to attract the best candidates for open positions.

Social Media can be a driving force in the mix for HR professionals as well. Read more »

This is part 3 of our blog report on online games. Don’t forget to check out the Seeker Game.

You got the whys and you want to get started with advergaming as part of your online and social media marketing program. How do you make them work? Here are some of the items we stress when guiding our clients in advergaming.
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The 3rd edition of Pittsburgh’s Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.comThe buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country.  Check out issue to and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

Why are alternative reality and other online games important to online and social media marketing programs? Well, if you are into statistics, PQ Media reports that advergaming and webisodes are the fastest growing branded entertainment segments at 51.7% growth over the last 5 year period.

If you are not so much into statistics, here are some other reasons on why games work:

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The second issue of Pittsburgh Social Media Marketing Buzz is now available at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.com

The buzz has the latest development in social networking programs around Pittsburgh as well as information and stats from around the country.  Check out issue to and email us your news at blog@universalwit.com.

Online and Alternative Reality Games (ARGs) are growing rapidly and have shown to fit nicely with online and social media marketing programs. In the next few blog posts here on UniversalWit, we will take a look at this social niche as the summer season kicks off and our minds turn to the fun activities ahead.

When you think of games, I know that visions of Wii or PlayStation probably dance in your head. Most associate video games and probably their kids with the games segment. This is the largest segment of the games market and there are product placement and co-branding opportunities if your budget permits.
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UniversalWit is proud to announce our new blog - Pittsburgh Social Media Marketing Buzz at http://pghsocialmedia.blogspot.com/ The Buzz is dedicated to reporting news and events around the Pittsburgh region related to social media as well as stats and information from around the country.

We encourage you to share your news in this space, by contacting us through this blog. Specific information on area blogs, podcasts, social network events and campaigns, alternative reality games, and other new media are always welcome and appreciated.

Keep up to date on the social media happenings around Pittsburgh with The Buzz.

As we approach the Memorial Day holiday, I’d like to
call attention to a unique memorial that is coming to
a close.

As a Pittsburgher,  I am a football fan and
this space today focuses on a former player. George
Martin, a former football star with the NY Giants, has
taken an interesting approach to raising funds to aid
the first responders on September 11, 2001.  As I am also a former New Yorker, I am compelled to spread the word.  I’’ll let
Mr. Martin tell you about his cause:
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There is a lot of information on the UniversalWit site about online and social media marketing tools, tricks and tips.  If you are just getting started in the web 2.0 world and are not sure where to look, all of this information may seem a bit daunting.

It’s ok.  There is no silver bullet, no perfect plan for social media.  It is a fluid and evolving atmosphere.  Don’t be scared to dip your toe in the water slowly and always remember that we are here to help.  Try some different things that make sense for your audience and your company.  Don’t be afraid to fail and learn from what your audience tells you.

The best way to begin is to take a social media audit.  Take the time to see how your audience engages with your brand and others and utilizes these channels.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that a person on average spends 30% of their time online.  Take a step and remember that UniversalWit is always beside you.

We are proud to be a member of the American Marketing Association. UniversalWit is also lending a hand to manage the new AMA Pittsburgh blog. You can keep up with news, events, and marketing tips at http://pghama.blogspot.com/.

If you are interested in joining the AMA Pittsburgh chapter, please visit www.amapittsburgh.org.

Do you really know how web 2.0 impacts your company?  Not knowing could cost your company customers, prospects, and brand equity.  Make good decisions by having the appropriate information.  UniversalWit announces our Web 2.0 Exposure Assessment Services.  We analyze your audience, landscape, media mix, and concepts to deliver a detailed report on opportunities and threats that web 2.0 poses for your company and its brands.  Find your exposure - find out more.

I have been asked recently about improving rankings on Google and other search engines. My simple answer is social media marketing. Google particularly likes web 2.0. When your company utilizes blogs and social networks like YouTube, Facebook and others, you create a one way link back to your website. Google reads these links and ranks them based on content relevancy and also how many visitors use these links to access your website. This is often referred to as link building. There are some tips and tricks, so if you would like to find out more contact us for more details.

UniversalWit is pleased to release the web platform - My Chiropractor site.

My Chiropractor Site is an easy to use, easy to update all inclusive web site solution for chiropractors. The services include blog and video capabilities, hosting, and search engine optimization for one low monthly price.

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Yesterday, UniversalWit released its first edition of the Web 2.0 Zone.  As a follow up to this release, we wanted to share with you a valuable post that we came across in the Site Creations Blog by Scott Clark.

The post was titled “Marketing During a Recession? Get The Wind at Your Back.”  I know that many of you have begun to worry about the possibility of a recession.  Your first response may be to cut budget.  It is wise to manage your costs during a recession, but be careful how you cut your marketing budget.  This may be a good time to pick up market share if you play your cards right.

Social Media Marketing is an excellent investment during a recession.  It may be the best vehicle to deliver your messages in an easy to swallow manner for a tighter wallet.  Clark makes some excellent recommendations and I recommend checking it out for yourself here.

Worried about recession.  Contact UniversalWit for a free consultation on how social media can help you navigate the tougher waters ahead.  Remember any social media marketing program takes time, so get yours started today.

Good luck.

This Halloween - we dare you to try something new. UniversalWit has taken the haunted house and sent it hurling into cyberspace as if it were Dorothy’s house in the Wizard of Oz. See it for yourself at www.1129ridge.com and get the marketing background on it in our recent work section.