The O'Neill Communications Blog

Archive for the ‘social networking’ Category

GAPA Website Upgrade

GAPA (the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants) recently asked us to give their website an overhaul. We had designed their previous website about 4 years ago and as the organization has grown and changed in that time they recognized a need for a new website that would better accommodate them and their needs. We jumped at the chance and after some hard work, we’re proud to show off the end result. See the before and after after the jump. (more…)

Math: Miserable and Magnificent

I have never been exactly reticent about my deficiencies in math and logic.  I mean, I’m really well rounded, but I won’t lie: I often add and subtract on my fingers; ask my phone to calculate percentages in line at the Macy’s One Day Sale; and so help me, please do not ask me what year it was 33 years ago.  I will look at you as if I’m resolutely working out the numbers in my head; but if I were a cartoon, my eyes would be crossed and you would see birds circling my head. I don’t know the answer, and 9 times out of 10, I don’t care. (more…)

They call it Pre-tailing.

I just returned from Food Marketing Institute where they commonly talk about Pre-tailing.  It is when consumers use the Internet to shop and compare retail and online products or use social media to ask their friends for advice when making a buying decision. (more…)

Classic marketing. Brilliant execution.

I just finished reading “Game Change” by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. It’s a great read for anyone interested in national politics. It’s also an intriguing read for those involved in marketing as the authors describe in great detail the well-crafted presidential marketing campaign executed by Barack Obama. Regardless of your political preferences, the Obama campaign will long be considered a case history on brand marketing. After all, politics, for the most part, is marketing. As a newcomer to the American stage, this unlikely candidate first defeated the well established Clinton machine, then went on to beat the well known, well respected war hero, John McCain.

Putting politics aside, marketers would do well to take a few pages out of Obama’s marketing playbook.  Why? It’s classic marketing with a flourish. Here are a few of the keys to Obama’s election marketing success; each can be related to your own business. (more…)

Ten Benefits of Timely and Thoughtful Website Upgrades

Websites should be looked at as living, breathing entities. They should evolve and change over time, adapting to their environments – especially their users behaviors. The method of change can vary from frequent, minor adjustments or larger, more sweeping changes and upgrades less frequently. Recently we made some major changes to one of our client’s websites and I’d like to walk you through some of the benefits of this web redesign and how a commitment to keeping your website evolving can benefit your business and its presence on the web. (more…)

How to stay up-to-date with the latest in social media

As we all know, social media is constantly changing. There’s new social networks popping up everyday, entirely new services are being used by your customers that you’ve never even heard of and you’re still discovering new features in Facebook. It seems like way too much work to participate in social media and at the same time stay up-to-date on the latest technologies and capabilities. Hopefully this list will help you out. Below are a list of some great resources to keep you in the know without wasting too much of your time. (more…)

All the different types of Social Media

All the different types of social mediaWhen you hear people discuss “Social Media” you undoubtedly think of Facebook and Twitter if you have any familiarity with the phrase to begin with. The big, stand out names are the brands that have come to define this emerging yet rapidly changing form of media, but the truth is there are countless other names and entire genres that get overlooked. Social Media is a big umbrella term for a lot of unique sites and services. In this article I’ll go through some of the major types of social media and share some examples of each. (more…)

Beware the social media “expert”

With the advent of social media marketing, I caution clients to beware of the social media “experts” that are flooding boardrooms across the country. No doubt that these folks understand how certain social media applications work and how quickly they can whip together a Facebook program or set up a Twitter account.  But what is often missing is a true understanding of marketing, and how social media should be integrated into an overall branding effort. Said differently, social media is to marketing as tactics are to strategy. Social media is not a replacement for sound marketing, which is still about brand positioning and the brand message. It’s one more tool in a marketer’s tool kit. (more…)

10 Reasons your company needs to be on Facebook NOW!

By now I’m sure we all realize that Facebook is a huge presence online (now even more visited in the US than Google!) and is also changing how we as marketing and PR professionals interact with our audience. Many businesses are still reluctant to get started on Facebook or did get started but aren’t ready to commit any time to it. Here are ten reasons why your company should get started and keep an active presence on Facebook right now! (more…)

The New Breakfast Club – Twitter and Facebook

The other day, the difference between Twitter and Facebook came up in a meeting – and with good reason. Facebook asking “What’s on your mind?” sounds very similar to Twitter’s “What’s happening?” But Facebook and Twitter are two very different animals, for very different reasons. I explain my perspective on the two after the jump:

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