Cheryl Waller

Posts Tagged ‘Facebook’

HubSpot Announces New Channel Partner and Franchisee Program

9 September 2010 | No Comments » | Pamela Seiple

network Today, we're please to announce our new Channel Partner and Franchisee Program, which is designed to drive more leads to networks of channel partners, distributors, and franchisees. 

Our new program offers customized consulting and on-boarding with a custom learning center, which allows franchisee networks to share best practices, utilize branded, web-ready offers, and easily implement call-to-action forms to generate more leads. The program also gives franchisor or channel management companies an easy way to distribute web-ready content to their networks, making content generation easier for the collective group.

Because potential customers are increasingly relying on the internet for information that affects their purchasing decisions, businesses must move away from traditional, outbound marketing techniques like cold-calling, direct mail, and print/TV advertising and instead utilize more effective, modern inbound marketing strategies such as search engine optimization, social media, and business blogging. As a marketing software company that is committed to helping businesses take advantage of this marketing transformation, our software is now helping over 3,000 customers generate an average of 4.2 times more leads after five months.

For channel resellers and franchisees, inbound marketing strategy is pivotal to core business success. Making each partner more effective at lead generation helps the sales of the overall company. In addition, enabling partners or franchisees to be more self-sufficient with marketing empowers them to take advantage of their local knowledge and relationships, and building the strength of partners and franchisees helps create a sustainable path to higher revenue growth and profitability for the core brand/company.

Our internet marketing software brings a number of benefits to franchisees or channel partners and resellers:

  • Improves online visibility in social media and search engines
  • Generates more leads and closes more sales
  • Works faster and smarter using an all-in-one set of marketing tools
  • Integrates with any CRM or sales system
  • Tracks marketing ROI and results

“In a time when everyone has a website, it’s very easy for your site to get lost on the web,” said Dan Werner, chief operating officer at Signworld who uses HubSpot within his franchisee network to drive more leads for individual franchisee owners. “The HubSpot platform, training, and the do-it-yourself approach have really catered to our independent owners. HubSpot has helped our independent owners become more successful in their website marketing efforts with significant traffic increases. Most of our owners are reporting 50%+ more traffic to their site than through previous efforts.”

“This shift toward marketing on the web is allowing so many companies to achieve their business goals much more efficiently,” said HubSpot CEO and Founder Brian Halligan. “We’re extremely dedicated to helping these companies utilize inbound marketing strategies, and I’m very excited to see our new program come to the aid of even more companies within the channel partner and franchisee network.”

For additional information about HubSpot’s new Channel Partner and Franchisee Program, please contact Heather Ryan via email at hryan@hubspot.com or by phone at 857-829-5685.

 

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Oxfam Takes to the Web to Raise Awareness About Hunger

8 September 2010 | No Comments » | Brenna Ehrlich


Oxfam America has hit the web today to promote its Hunger Banquet program, which teaches citizens about poverty and hunger and how they can help those in need.

The first proxy of the Hunger Banquet — the Fast for a World Harvest — occurred in 1974, when 250,000 people across the U.S. fasted for a day or meal and donated their food money to Oxfam, an international relief and development organization that’s active in more than 100 countries.

Well, the organization has come a long way since then, today launching a (hopefully) viral video starring actress Charlyne Yi (Paper Heart, Knocked Up). The vid features music from Rogue Wave and Ra Ra Riot, and is hosted on a custom player created by Strategic Productions (who also produced the vid). The player allows viewers to join Oxfam within the video itself, making it easy to get involved. Oxfam will also be promoting the campaign via its Facebook and Twitter, as well as a centralized hub at oxfamamerica.org/hungerbanquet.

The website also includes a guide that explains how to create your own hunger banquet, encouraging folks to really turn this whole thing into a movement.

So what exactly is a hunger banquet? Basically, guests draw tickets that assign them to either high, middle or low income tiers (based on recent poverty stats). The 15% in the upper class get a big meal, the 35% in the middle class bracket are served rice and beans and the 50% in the low-income category receive only rice and water. Guests can also playact the role of the bracket they inhabit (the guide includes instruction on how to do this). At the end, everyone discusses their experiences and how to take action.

“For more than 35 years, the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet has been one of the best recognized and effective events, introducing tens of thousands of people to Oxfam’s mission and enabling them to help in the fight against hunger and poverty,” says Nancy Delaney, constituency outreach manager for Oxfam.

“Oxfam is re-vamping the way activists can take action with us, in order to reach out to a new generation — online toolkits and a centralized action hub will make it easier for everyone to find and host their own event, and our video campaign highlights the experience of the event and makes it easy for viewers to sign up right on the video player. This is all just the beginning of a new chapter of Oxfam’s outreach to the next generation of Hunger Banquet activists,” she adds.

We sat down with Charlyne Yi and Amy York Rubin, founder/CEO of Strategic Productions, via Skype to chat about the campaign. Check out our interview below. You can see the video the team created below.


Our Interview



The Video


Image courtesy of iStockphoto, jrmiller482

More About: facebook, social good, twitter, video, viral video

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See What’s Hot Nearby on Facebook Places, Twitter and Yelp

7 September 2010 | No Comments » | Jolie O'Dell


Facebook Places is still virgin territory for most users, let alone developers and businesses. So how do you get the most out of a service that few people have really figured out how to use?

Geo-social aggregator Hotlist thinks that by combining data from Facebook Places, Twitter, Google Maps and Yelp, users can actually get a lot more value out of their checkins. Its app shows the popularity of nearby events and venues, whether or not your friends are there, the male-female ratio at a given spot, and recent Yelp reviews and Twitter posts for any location you might want to hit up.

It’s one of the first Facebook Places API integrations we’ve seen, and it’s doing a pretty thorough job of combining a ton of unstructured (from the user’s perspective) data into truly useful tidbits of actionable information.

For an on-the-go-oriented application, it helps to have a strong suite of mobile apps. While we’re still waiting for an Android app or a BlackBerry mobile offering, Hotlist does have an iPhone app [iTunes link] available for download now.

As you can see from the site’s interface, there’s a lot of available data out there, and Hotlist does a decent job of pulling it all in. It has the ability to show you where your Facebook friends are currently checked in, and it can post back to Facebook about your intended excursions in the future, which is a nice traffic-driving mechanism for the site.

We weren’t able to test out the iPhone app, but of this we’re certain: Twitter, Facebook and Yelp already exist online, and they’re doing just fine. Where Hotlist stands to win is in the mobile arena. A truly excellent set of mobile apps — not just an iPhone application — can make the difference between an also-ran in the location market and a truly useful and sticky app with a long runway.

What do you think of Hotlist, both the site and the iPhone app? Let us know your opinions in the comments.

More About: facebook, Facebook Places, Hotlist, twitter, yelp

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25 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed

5 September 2010 | No Comments » | Zachary Sniderman

Social Media Cans

Normally, we assume you’ve missed a few posts here and there because you’ve been outside enjoying the last days of summer. But given the impending Hurricane and crippling heatwave, we sincerely hope you’ve been inside this past week. So what’s your excuse?

If you still have catching up to do, we’re back with another list of resources from the past week or so.

Our Social Media section can help you gear up for Fantasy Football season, Watch the US Open, or break down the news with some insightful infographics. Tech and Mobile offers a guide on making your own ringtones, using Gmail’s priority inbox, and a slew of iPhone tips and tricks. Business comes packed with SEO tips, response plans to social media attacks, and advice on incorporating your startup.

Looking for even more social media resources? This guide appears every weekend, and you can check out all the lists-gone-by here any time.


Social Media

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.


Tech & Mobile

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.


Business

Google Insights Image

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.


Reviews: Facebook, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Mashable, Twitter, YouTube, iPhone

More About: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, technology, trend, trending, twitter, youtube

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HubSpot Accredited by the Better Business Bureau

3 September 2010 | No Comments » | Caroline Himmelman

We care about trust, which is why HubSpot has become a member of the Better Business Bureau.

 HubSpot, Inc. BBB Business ReviewWe're proud to join a network of businesses committed to serving customers fairly and transparently.  HubSpot currently serves over 3,000 customers, and we feel it is essential to maintain their happiness as we grow.  The Better Business Bureau facilitates our conversation with our current customers while providing an opportunity for new customers to discover who we are at our core.

Going forward, HubSpot will maintain the BBB Accreditation seal on our site here. The seal links to HubSpot's BBB report page, where customers can go to view our ratings, review HubSpot, and more. 

We're pleased to be starting with an A rating, and hope to maintain, and even improve, our score!

Screen shot 2010 09 02 at 10.42.55 AM

Please feel free to drop by our report page and leave a review of your own! We always welcome your feedback.

 

Free Ebook: Online Marketing Opportunity Report

Free Ebook: Online Marketing Opportunity Report

Do you wonder if it is worth the effort to start a Twitter account or a Facebook page?

Download this free report to learn how your insudtry uses social media, blogs, and search engines.

Become a Fan on Facebook
Get inside info and advance notice of HubSpot's free marketing webinars, ebooks and more. Click here -->

 hubspot facebook fans

To Unfriend or Not to Unfriend: That Is the Facebook Question

1 September 2010 | No Comments » | Brenna Ehrlich

Facebook Broken Heart

We’ve all done it — surfed on over to the book of faces, our hearts racing and pupils dilating with excitement, let our cursors linger over those oh-so-powerful words, “Remove From Friends,” and clicked away with the maniacal glee of a serial killer.

Still, there aren’t too many among us who have the skill, nay, the expertise to cut ties without cutting deep.

At this point, some of you may be reminiscing about the sepia-tinged past, those glory days when, if you didn’t want to chill with Lucy “I Eat Paste” Smith anymore, all you had to do was ghost out of her life, letting the last tendrils of your friendship dissolve into the ether like wisps of smoke.

Well, those days are as dead as Lucy’s creepy gray front teeth. Now, every time someone exits your life, you have to decide whether to keep them in your Facebook stream or cut the lifeline.

“Friends and acquaintances come and go as we move through life stages and find the need for keeping some friends and losing others,” says Dr. Larry Rosen, author of Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn. “If you had no way to unfriend someone, then this would lose the authenticity of having a relationship.”

You hear that? Unfriending is practically doctor-approved. Still, how do you know when and how to take the pal-eviscerating plunge? Read on for our tips on handling unfriending situations.

And so begins my Netiquette column — which I write with my Stuff Hipsters Hate co-blogger, Andrea Bartz — this week over at CNN.


Check out the column at CNN.com >>

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, A1Stock


Reviews: Facebook, iStockphoto

More About: cnn, facebook, netiquette, social media, Stuff Hipsters Hate

Facebook’s Latest Patent Targets Search Behaviors

31 August 2010 | No Comments » | Jolie O'Dell


Serving up search results based on what your friends clicked: It’s been a hot topic lately, and one that Facebook has seen fit to claim as its own.

The social networking goliath has just won a patent covering a certain type of search algorithm, one that is largely based on the interests and clicks of a user’s friends and friends-of-friends.

Specifically, the patent is for “ranking search results based on the frequency of clicks on the search results by members of a social network who are within a predetermined degree of separation.”

The patent continues, “Search results, including sponsored links and algorithmic search results, are generated in response to a query and are marked based on frequency of clicks on the search results by members of social network who are within a predetermined degree of separation from the member who submitted the query. The markers are visual tags and comprise either a text string or an image.”

The listed inventors are Chris Lunt, Nicholas Galbreath and Jeff Winner. The patent application was filed almost six years ago; we’re uncertain how much this technology plays into Facebook’s current business and search strategies. Still, the patent calls into question whether users click — or buy, or watch, or behave in other ways — like their friends and peers do.

What we do know is that Facebook search has been a priority for the company since its redesign earlier this year. At that time, the search bar on the site was given a prominent new position, and several under-the-hood upgrades rounded out the Facebook search experience.

We’ve also seen a lot of sidebar ads and recommendations lately centering around what a user’s friends like within the site. All in all, the patent seems to line up with Facebook’s general mission to explore (and profit from) the synapses and connections within a social network.

What do you think of this patent? Do you suppose we’ll see any major changes to Facebook search or any business moves based on it?

More About: facebook, patent, Search

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“The Social Network” Movie Launches a Facebook-Themed Website

30 August 2010 | No Comments » | Christina Warren


Columbia Pictures has just launched the official website for The Social Network, 500MillionFriends.com. David Fincher’s take on the Facebook story is highly anticipated by film fans and social media addicts alike.

The site opens into a large-form portal with photos, videos and cast information, all arranged in a very Facebook-like collage.

The new site carries on the same theme used in the teasers, trailers and TV spots for the film.

Words such as “Punk,” “Traitor” and “Genius” are displayed either as their own or overlayed over other photographs. The site also contains access to cast information, the official synopsis and cast publicity stills.

The Social Network will be in theaters October 1, 2010 and is already garnering rave reviews from Rolling Stone and Film Comment.

What do you think of the new site? will you be going to see the movie when it comes out? Let us know!

More About: facebook, facebook movie, Film, Movies, the social network

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3 Winning Alternatives to Online Sweepstakes

30 August 2010 | No Comments » | Meaghan Edelstein


Meaghan Edelstein has gained national media attention through her blog, I Kicked Cancer’s Ass, which she started to document her battle with end stage cancer. She is an attorney, the founder of the non-profit organization Spirit Jump, and works for the Real Time Marketing Group.

For some time now, companies have been utilizing online promotions as a means to increase brand excitement and build a strong following. While there are many different types of promotions, sweepstakes appear to be more and more popular. What many brands fail to realize, however, is that sweepstakes can be considered illegal gaming. Unless they consult an attorney experienced in that area of law, the ramifications of running this type of promotion can be complex.

So what exactly are sweepstakes? Sweepstakes are contests that have all three of the following elements: something of value is given away, it is awarded by chance, and entrants must provide consideration for their entry.

If any one of these elements is eliminated, the promotion is not a sweepstake. For example, “Free entry” and “No purchase necessary” have proven practical as a means to eliminate consideration. However, one can avoid the complications of sweepstakes altogether by running different types of promotions.

Here are some ways to engage consumers utilizing social networks in lieu of sweepstakes. Each way removes the second element — chance — which makes the promotion no longer a sweepstake because winners are chosen based on something other than random drawings.


1. Polls, Brand Trivia and Sharing


Polls, brand trivia and promotions that encourage sharing can be great alternatives to sweepstakes. These options can offer a variety of incentives for participating; anything from actual prizes to sheer bragging rights. Because awards are based on skill and not chance, these types of promotions are not considered sweepstakes. Contests such as these generally focus on engagement, fun and healthy competition.

The new A&E television show The Glades created a Facebook Page four weeks ago and has been running a sharing promotion, Top Fans, for the past three weeks. To date, they have over 45,000 “Likes.” This sharing promotion encourages fans of the show to invite their friends to also Like The Glades, and those with the most referrals win bragging rights and are featured on The Glades Facebook Page.

But, sharing promotions aren’t enough. The Glades posts unique content on its social media platforms, including never-before-seen footage, teasers and other interesting insider information. The idea is to provide content people will feel excited about sharing.

Vice President of Advertising and Consumer Marketing Lori Peterzell speaks to their recent sharing promotion: “The Glades Top Fan promotion has been a powerful tool to organically increase our Likes on Facebook. We have run successful sweepstakes contests, but wanted to offer something different. Human beings are naturally competitive and our Top Fan promotion offers fun and healthy competition. We have found sharing promotions create strong emotional connections — being proud of their relationship with The Glades and sharing that with their friends. Bragging rights that one is the ultimate fan have proven to be just as worthy as prizes.”


2. Voting


MTV Twitter Jockey

Contests that require people to vote for winners are not considered sweepstakes because winners are not chosen at random. Instead, the majority vote decides who is victorious. Voting has become increasingly popular and brands use this type of contest in various ways.

Over the past several months, many well-known companies have executed successful voting contests. Levi’s used voting to find the future face of its company. MTV asked fans to vote for who would be the first ever Twitter Jockey, and Pepsi and Kohl’s are using voting to decide what cause should receive financial awards. The buzz that has erupted around these campaigns is enormous. This might be in part because voting allows fans to be more connected and feel important and valued.


3. Uploading Content Promotions


This type of contest removes the element of chance. Asking people to submit great content, whether videos, essays or photos, and awarding prizes based on submissions is a win-win for the brand and participants. The brand gets amazing content and a view into what customers are thinking, while participants are able to connect on a deeper level with brands they love.

The Radio Flyer company has manufactured little red wagons since 1917. Many of us have fond memories of being pulled around in these wagons as kids. This emotional connection has led the brand to a promotion that encourages fans to upload photos and help create the “World’s Largest Wagon Mosaic.”

Rather than offer a grand prize to one random winner, the mosaic offers weekly and monthly incentives to encourage participation. Each week, one photo is selected to be featured on their homepage and the individual who submitted the winning photo receives a commemorative mini classic wagon. At the end of each month, all submissions are entered to win a full size Classic Red Wagon. Rather than choosing winners at random, they are selected by a panel of judges.

Melissa Akers, Marketing Manager for Radio Flyer says, “We have, for many years, seen how our friends and consumers have proudly uploaded images of themselves and their families interacting and enjoying Radio Flyer products via sites such as Flickr, Ofoto and Google Images. It was therefore our desire to thank these loyal supporters while also working with them to reach the next generation of Radio Flyer fans … The mosaic provides a place for all fans of the brand to upload their photos together and be a part of something bigger.”


Conclusion


There is no limit to the variety of concepts that can be used to create non-sweepstakes promotions. With social media, brand managers are only limited by the scope of their imagination. Regardless of the approach, the key is to take advantage of the strengths your brand has to offer. You don’t need the complications of sweepstakes to run a competitive promotion.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to serve as legal advice. The laws around sweepstakes and contests vary from state to state. We strongly encourage you consult a qualified attorney if you have any questions about running sweepstakes on the Internet.


More Business Resources from Mashable:


- HOW TO: Legally Structure Your Startup
- 10 Tips For Corporate Blogging
- 5 Lessons to Learn from Web Startups
- 5 Online Tools for Answering Your Small Business Questions
- 5 Tips for Managing Your Company’s Brand on the Web
- How Lawyers Are Using Social Media for Real Results

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, KLH49

More About: brands, business, Contests, engagement, MARKETING, polls, prizes, small business, social media, sweepstakes, voting

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27 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed

29 August 2010 | No Comments » | Zachary Sniderman


A new Digg, a new school year, and a new weekly roundup of essential resources. In case you were too busy buying pencils and calculators for yourself or a young ‘un, we’ve pulled together our top posts from the past week or so.

Check out our updates on Digg, or our infographic on the state of the Geosocial Universe in Social Media. Tech’s your thing? We’ve got your back to school apps, how to figure out those pesky QR codes, or how to “unsend” e-mails in Gmail. Finally, our business section brings you tips on creating logos, alternatives to Foursquare and a peak inside the Edelman offices.

Looking for even more social media resources? You can find this guide every weekend, where you can check out all of the lists-gone-by.


Social Media

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.


Tech & Mobile

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.


Business

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable’s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

[img credit: Flowtown]


Reviews: Chrome, Digg, Facebook, Firefox, Foursquare, Gmail, Google, Mashable, Twitter, social media

More About: business, facebook, Features Week In Review, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, small business, social media, tech, technology, trend, trending, twitter, youtube

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