Odney : SmartBlog

Tips for Being Tops on Twitter Category: Social Media Author: Michael Pierce Posted on Thursday, March 21, 2013
What does it take to be tops in Twitter? A recent article in the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead listed the top Twitter users in the Fargo area and in North Dakota, and talked to some of them about the power of Twitter and what it takes to be on top. So, from someone who ranks number 15 on the list, and who's also consulted with two other clients in the top spots - North... more

Are photos more engaging? Category: Social Media Author: Meghann Theurer Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012
With the rise of photo sharing sites like Pinterest and Instagram, I have been wondering whether or not photos are more engaging than other types of posts for social media. According to an Infographic by Tamba, Pinterest will account for 40% of social media driven purchases by the end of this year alone. Pinterest receives 4 million daily unique visits and is quickly climbing the ladder of the most popular social media sites list,... more

7 reasons to embrace online culture
Category: Social Media
Author: Meghann Theurer

Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012


7 reasons to embrace online culture Infographic

More than likely if you are reading this, you are using some form of social media. Whether you clicked through from Facebook, Twitter, or email (yes, email is a form of social media - the first and oldest form that is) in order to get to this post you had to use some form of online mechanism to get here. My guess is that at least 3 out of 5 of you got here through... more

Where are your goalposts? Category: Social Media Author: Michael Pierce Posted on Thursday, April 07, 2011
"Let's measure how we're doing in social media." Sounds simple, right? But many companies have a problem defining what success in social media means for them. Is it your number of friends/followers, number of interactions, web traffic, site memberships, or are you measuring success at your cash register? The biggest mistake in social media can happen even before you start to create a presence. Define your goals first, and those goals will help you determine... more

The Science of Timing Category: Social Media Author: Meghann Theurer Posted on Wednesday, March 30, 2011
I had the opportunity to attend a great webinar called, "The Science of Timing," put on by HubSpot.com's Social Media Scientist Dan Zarrella. He had great insight into the when the best times to post on your blog are, what times are best to send out your email marketing items, and when you are most likely to get a response from your social media sites, all depending on what day and... more

What: The top 5 questions that clients ask about social media Category: Social Media Author: Meghann Theurer Posted on Friday, January 28, 2011
Who can we target on Facebook? Facebook offers outstanding targeting capabilities. We can target by age, birthday, geography, sex, education, workplace, language, and by someone's personal connections, relationship status, likes and interests. Where should we be online? We'll help you answer these questions, then identify the channels that meet your needs. Why is it important to be on social media channels? (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin…etc.) People are talking about you, whether you want them to or not. Having... more

Thoughts on a Job Shadow. Category: Social Media Author: Meghann Theurer Posted on Tuesday, January 11, 2011
It was interesting having a job shadow all last week. It wasn't long ago that I was an intern here, so I found it interesting that someone wanted to follow and learn from me. I haven't been doing this that long and she had a slew of experts here at Odney to choose from. But of course I'm glad to have had her! I hope that she came out a little more knowledgeable about... more

Social Media Best Practices Category: Social Media Posted on Thursday, October 21, 2010
At Odney, we follow some basic guidelines when working with social media. Here are a few good tips to help you with your social media efforts: Social Media general practices: •Post on a variety of topics •Ask and answer questions •Posts should be relevant and timely •Link between channels. Facebook-->Twitter-->Blog-->YouTube etc… Facebook: •Post Notes within Status Updates. Use a variety between longer posts, questions, and shorter posts.... more

Eight tips for using social media Category: Social Media Author: Meghann Theurer Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2010
If you don't use it now, you'll be using it soon. So you might as well use it effectively. Keep these tips in mind when working with social media: 1.Timing is everything. People want the most relevant information and they want it now. Be the first to get that information to your followers and you'll be seen as an industry leader. 2.Be honest. The web is rife with rumors, innuendo and flat-out lies. If you... more
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Killing Kin Category: Social Media Author: Karen Kallestad Posted on Thursday, July 01, 2010
The Microsoft/Apple comparisons are inevitable - Kin is to iPhone as Zune is to iPod. What killed the Microsoft Kin? Maybe it was pricing, maybe it was a poor product, or maybe the market is just saturated. But their marketing didn't help. Kin was rolled out with an ad campaign featuring "Rosa," a Kin user of course, going around the country meeting the people in her online social network. The ads ranged from dull to... more

We're All on Facebook Now Category: Social Media Author: Michael Pierce Posted on Friday, May 14, 2010
You're now on Facebook, even if you're not on Facebook. The social networking site recently introduced a new feature called "community pages." These pages aren't created by individuals, companies or organizations. They're compiled automatically by Facebook, using information from the site as well as Wikipedia and other sources. Here's how it works. Let's say you want to find a company on Facebook, so you use the site's search function. The results show an official Facebook... more

Has Facebook Lost Its Focus? Category: Social Media Author: Michael Pierce Posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Facebook, from the very beginning, has always been about the user. From its barren yet easy-to-use interface to its unobtrusive ads. Facebook is what I have considered the "killer app" in social media. But has it begun to go astray? In the past few months we have seen a myriad of changes on everything from Facebook's privacy policy to its layout. Facebook has always been able to take the heat its changes bring, roll with the... more
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Changing diapers Category: Social Media Author: Karen Kallestad Posted on Monday, January 18, 2010
Changing diapers can be tricky. Just ask Procter & Gamble. P & G recently rolled out its new, improved line of Pampers Cruisers. The new diapers are thinner, more absorbent, and no longer have a mesh liner. Because the new version was initially available in only a few markets, the marketing campaign was put on hold until the nationwide rollout. The packaging was identical to the old version, which meant that parents had no way... more

Put Your Best Facebook Forward Category: Social Media Author: Karen Kallestad Posted on Thursday, August 20, 2009
Oh, those hilarious photos of you on Facebook. You know, the ones taken after you'd had a few too many tequila shooters. Your friends think they're so funny. The human resources director who just interviewed you for your dream job might find them not so much funny as . . . informative. A recent CareerBuilder survey found that 45 percent of employers are now using social networking sites to research potential hires. That's up from 22... more

Go Ahead and Tweet Category: Social Media Author: Karen Kallestad Posted on Monday, August 10, 2009
Take a break and Tweet a little. Friend someone on Facebook. Update your blog. A recent Australian study showed that "workplace internet leisure browsing," or what your boss may refer to as "goofing off," actually increases productivity. In a study of 300 workers, 70 percent of those who used the internet at work engaged in leisure browsing. The most popular online leisure activities were searching for product information, reading news, playing games and watching YouTube... more

Don't put your eggs (or your messages) all in one basket Category: Social Media Author: Michael Pierce Posted on Monday, August 10, 2009
This week saw hackers attack two of the social networks most used and most admired - Twitter and Facebook -- causing issues for users worldwide. While I don't condone hacking, the perpetrators did us a favor. They reminded us that you cannot rely on one communications channel (no matter how hot) to get your message out. You will have much better results if you use multiple communications channels to get your message to... more

Twitter vs. Google? Category: Social Media Author: Karen Kallestad Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009
Could Twitter someday top Google in driving web traffic? Venture capitalist Fred Wilson thinks it's a possibility. Speaking at the recent 140 Characters conference, Wilson noted that he's seeing a change in the referring sources for online traffic. While Google is still by far the biggest referring source, Twitter and Facebook are rapidly increasing. In the past, people shared links through e-mail. These days they're more likely to share through social media, which propagates the... more

Web To Go Category: Social Media Author: Karen Kallestad Posted on Monday, June 01, 2009
Is your website mobile? Many of its users are. As more users take the internet with them on web-enabled cell phones and other devices, website owners need to adapt to new ways people are accessing information online. Website owners often make the mistake of thinking of mobile as just another way for people to access their regular website. The mobile environment and the mobile user's needs are different. It's not just a smaller screen. A... more