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The Evolution of Holiday Shopping

With the holidays upon us, holiday shopping is in full swing. But before rushing to the mall to snag the hottest discounted items, many shoppers are using the internet to get ahead this holiday season. Social media makes it easier for savvy shoppers to find the best deals out there, before stepping foot in an [...]

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Social Networking: A Personal Approach To Job Hunting for College Grads

Everyone says networking is the key to finding a job in this weak economy, so it’s no surprise that job hunters have turned to social networking sites for help. Social media is incorporated into so many aspects of our lives, including the way we interact with professional contacts. Social networking is a powerful tool for [...]

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The Influence of Social Media on Young Consumers

I am going to be perfectly honest. I am a social media junkie. Like other young adults, I spend endless hours “Facebook stalking” friends and reading through posts in my news feed. I spend way too much time on Twitter, checking out what my peers are doing and what they are thinking. The popularity and [...]

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Six Do-It-Yourself SEO Tips

Six Secrets For Do-It-Yourself SEO Mastery

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Full Service Online Communities and Social Networks

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Capable Networks‘ CEO / Co-Founder Ron Repking. Ron showed me Capable Networks’ full service online community and social network platform. Even more impressive than their proprietary technology is CN’s complete turnkey professional service offering for online communities. There are lots of social networks and online community activation technologies like Ning [...]

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Social Media “Friend” or “Foe”?

A good friend of mine runs a terrific small business. He’s been around for fifteen years and seen all the challenges in every category of business life. He called me last Friday and told me about a horror story with his payroll vendor. In a nutshell, this payroll service mistakenly deducted substantially too much in [...]

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9 “Obvious” Ways to Use Social Media for Marketing

I’m reminded lately through conversations with business owners that there is nothing “obvious” about social media marketing.  So in the spirit of not taking things for granted, the following is a list of “basic social media marketing techniques”. Announce Something Special – I’m not just talking about a discount, promotion or sale. Obviously, you’ll want to promote [...]

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Your Website Doesn’t Have to “Pop”

Website design is important – fine.  As interactive marketing agency in Chicago, we are all about Style!  But too many website redesign projects stall because of misguided notions about website design. Don’t misunderstand me. There are situations for certain businesses where creative design that “pops” is critical to the brand. But in most cases effective [...]

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Extend Your Reach: Teach!

Small and mid size businesses have an advantage over large competitors. Smaller companies can be more responsive. Unfortunately for the “biggies”, sometimes they just can’t get out of their own slow bureaucratic way. Permission, sign-off, formalities and choke points get in the way of helping and teaching. Responsiveness is value, especially for a knowledge-based business interested in [...]

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WordPress Doesn’t Have to Look Like a Blog

I’m frequently asked if WordPress can be used for more then just blogging? It is much more than a platform for blogging. Whether you’re configuring one if it’s countless themes out-of-the-box or customizing the design, WordPress is a proven tool for developing beautiful interactive websites for mid-size businesses. It Ain’t Just for Blogging Anymore WordPress is [...]

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