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Starmark hosts Social Madness VIP reception

Reprinted from South Florida Business Journal

Companies battling Round 2 of Social Madness gathered Thursday at a VIP reception held by Starmark International.

The social media challenge is presented by our parent company American City Business Journals and is locally sponsored by Starmark International.

The competition began earlier this month with 60 South Florida companies that were placed in a small, medium or large category based on the size of their collective social following. The eight companies in each category with the highest scores were placed in brackets and will go head to head in this round until July 8. The company with the highest score in each matchup will advance to Round 3.

See event slideshow on the South Florida Business Journal website.

Creating Social Hubs

By now, your brand has most likely established its social media presence. You’ve turned to every platform that will help expand your business. You’ve added trendy social media icons to your main website, hoping this will be enough to build your following.

But the truth is, keeping up with a company’s collection of social media outlets can exhaust any consumer. This is why your brand should consider organizing your social media channels into one central area on your website, called a “social hub.”
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Starmark congratulates winners of Social Madness Round 1

Starmark would like to congratulate the local winners of Social Madness 2013 Round 1. These companies advanced to the next round by receiving one of the top eight highest scores at the end of the open format.

Starmark is not only a sponsor of the South Florida Business Journal’s Social Madness, a one-of-a-kind competition that measures a company’s social media engagement.Through social media channels, Starmark is also mentoring and coaching participating local businesses on social media best practices. The competition is now in its second round, a bracket format with eight companies in each size category. Round two lasts until June 24, when companies matched head to head will see who accumulated the most votes and best engagement. Starmark offered round one winners complimentary access to their proprietary software called the Social Playbook, which is designed to help companies with their marketing plans and give them an edge in their social media outreach.

Facebook quietly unveils more cost-efficient customer targeting

Reprinted from the South Florida Business Journal

Facebook is increasing the targeting power of promoted posts to help local businesses grow their profits. Marketers in early June were given the ability to geo-target the promoted post so it will reach fans and friends of fans in a specific location. While it seems that this option may not be rolled out to all Pages as yet, marketers are excited to test its ability to make their Facebook promotion budgets more productive. (more…)

Facebook Enhancements: A picture is worth 1,000 likes

Facebook continues to enhance its platform and update the way users interact with brands. One recent upgrade is called Rich Stories, which is changing the look of users’ news feeds. For marketers, the directive is clear: Get visual!
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Starmark Presents at Social Media Crash Course

Starmark’s Chief Interactive Officer and all-around digital guru Brett Circe will be presenting at the Social Media Crash Course that runs from 8:00 – 11:30 a.m. on June 26. Brett will be speaking about what Facebook’s timeline and enhancements mean for business. The Social Media Crash Course is sponsored by the South Florida Business Journal. Register today because these events sell out quickly. (more…)

SFIMA to explore the Digital Side of SeaWorld Antarctica

Starmark’s valued partner and kindred visionary Ross Schmadebeck, interactive manager at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, will speak at the June SFIMA event from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. on June 13, at the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale.

Ross will describe how digital played a key role in getting people to “follow the freeze” to the new SeaWorld Orlando attraction Antartica: Empire of the Penguin. He will discuss how SeaWorld Orlando converted followers to digital brand ambassadors, and how creating a centralized web experience can immerse advocates and attract new fans. (more…)

Just how much do your Facebook friends ‘Like’ you?

Clients often ask their social media managers about how many people their brand is reaching on Facebook. Facebook provides two answers to this question.

Total Likes is Facebook’s measurement for a page’s audience – the number of people who have “liked” your page. Friends of Fans is a statistic that calculates the potential ad audience for sponsored stories. The Friends of Fans number can be located only on your Facebook Insight page.
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Starmark Speaks at Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance ‘Economic Gardening’ CEO Roundtable III

Starmark CEO Peggy Nordeen and Vice President Diego Naranjo spoke at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance “Economic Gardening” CEO Roundtable III on May 17 about social media and today’s business environment. Nordeen described social media’s transformation of the business landscape, and how consumers rely on social channels as the new customer service. Naranjo provided an overview of best practices for Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and SlideShare. Each platform reaches a different audience and plays a distinct role in a business’ marketing and communications.

“Every business needs to evaluate which social outlets are most useful in their industry,” Nordeen said. “Success in social media requires research and customer insights, just as in traditional marketing.”

Leverage social media for SEO results

For individuals and brands, the inescapable truth of our digital age is that your reputation is what Google says it is. You can boost your rankings of positive stories by creating keyword optimized content, and by developing successful linking strategies (link bait hint – awards, competitions, freebies, etc.). However, active social media platforms are a vital tactic for claiming high Google rankings.
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Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau Wins Multiple 2013 Communicator Awards

Starmark is pleased to announce that its client Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau won 2013 Communicator Awards in multiple categories. The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program recognizing big ideas in marketing and communications. Founded nearly two decades ago, The Communicator Awards receives over 6,000 entries from companies and agencies of all sizes, making it one of the largest awards of its kind in the world. The Communicator Awards honors work that transcends innovation and craft – work that made a lasting impact. (more…)

Starmarkers attend SeaWorld Orlando’s grand opening of Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin

The biggest and most expansive attraction in SeaWorld Orlando’s history, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin™. This epic exploration of a mysterious world blends animal encounters with an exhilarating family ride for a one-of-a-kind experience the whole family will enjoy. Be transported to an icy world like you’ve never seen before. Experience the majestic grandeur of the South Pole and see it through the penguins’ eyes on an exhilarating, first-of-its-kind family ride. Then, step out and explore their colony in an expanse that envelops you in cool extremes: bringing you above and below their icy world. Are you ready?