Latest Posts

Take the guesswork out of your web marketing with A/B Testing

In creating a web presence, there are a lot of different ways to go in terms of layout, text, images, colors, offers and so on. So how do you know which direction will help you achieve your goals? AB Testing allows you to test two variations of a web page or email blast in order to determine which is more successful. (Think of it like bracketing for the NCAA finals.) For example, does an orange “buy now” button work better than a green one? Does a subject line with a freebie offer work better than one with a discount offer? Is it more effective to place the navigation bar at the top or on the left? These may seem like trivial differences. However, once your AB Testing results come in, you’ll discover they’re huge.

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Generate a following on Twitter

Twitter is one of the fastest growing social media sites in the world. And that alone is enough motivation to sign up and start putting this free networking tool to work for you. Another reason is its ease of use. Twitter lets you create a running micro-blog of just 140 characters or less. The social element of Twitter allows you to “follow” other users and vice versa, monitoring one another’s updates and messages via IM, cell phones and the Web.

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Peggy Nordeen Honored with a South Florida Business Journal Diamond Award

Peggy Nordeen, Starmark International’s CEO, was recently selected by the South Florida Business Journal as a 2009 Diamond Awards honoree. The Diamond Awards honor an elite group of ten Broward CEOs that not only excel in the corporate community, but in civic and charitable arenas as well. The honorees were selected through a special advisory panel consisting of former Diamond Awards recipients and key business leaders.

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Get inside your consumers’ heads with a usability study

Usability testing involves the systematic observation of persons using a product under controlled conditions. Best conducted by an outside agency or usability expert, usability studies will provide insights into performance, accuracy, recall and emotional response. For example, how many steps did it take Joe to find something to buy on your website or check out? How many mistakes did he make in navigating your site? How much information did Joe walk away with? Was he comfortable on your website or was it a stressful experience?

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Build buzz with courageously outrageous marketing

If you haven’t seen the “Will It Blend?” videos created by Blendtec, watch them now on YouTube and prepare to laugh. However, you’ll also marvel at how effectively these videos convey the product’s unique selling point: power.

This series of short videos launched in October 2006 with a budget of $50, a garden rake and Tom Dickson, the founder and CEO of Blendtec, starring in a white lab coat. Within five days, these no-frills clips had gone viral with six million views. Since then, a number of unexpected items have been blended by a Blendtec, such as glow sticks, marbles, tilapia and a Rubik’s Cube.

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Optimize your website with an analytics package

How do your consumers get to your website? Where do they go once they get there? And when are they leaving? These are the basics. If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you need to download and install an analytics package. Whether you are running a large or small website, there are powerful tools you can use to uncover visitor preferences and track their journey through your site in order to optimize a website or marketing campaign’s audience response.

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Using Social Media in Higher Education

Booming over the last few years, social media has become an integral part of the way we communicate.  Some of social media’s early adopters include college students, who remain fluent and active in social media in its various forms.  Some savvy colleges and universities have taken notice, leveraging social media to grow their student bases and extend engagement with current and past students.

For example, when users of all ages use social media they create a “self profile.” Nearly 100% of the time they include the name of their college. This is one of tools social networks use to help users connect and re-connect — and this is one of the key reasons that social media in higher education is such a strong fit.

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Tenerife Set to Become the Next European “Hot Spot” for U.S. Travelers

Searching for the next hot-spot destination? With the launch of direct flights from Miami International Airport, a European island paradise is just a few hours away. Tenerife, or more commonly known as The Island of Eternal Spring, is the largest of the Canary Islands, an archipelago that is one of Spain’s autonomous communities. Tenerife, an outermost region of the European Union, is located just off the west coast of Africa.
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Online news wires get your press releases in the right hands

While getting your news directly to MSNBC, Yahoo! News or Google News may be a far-reaching goal, there are other ways to get to the big time. Several news wire services exist online to help you facilitate the process of disseminating press releases. Businesswire.com, PRnewswire.com and PRweb.com route your news by category to journalists in various fields of interest, including international, arts and entertainment, sports, technology and more. Taking it a step further, BlackPRWire.com, HispanicPRWire.com and USAsianwire.com distribute news to culturally specific media.

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Focus on what consumers want with a focus group

Get in some face time with your customers by conducting market research with a focus group. Essentially, a focus group is a way to receive constructive feedback directly from your customers or potential customers. Focus groups are used in planning, marketing and evaluation by answering questions that will help you improve your company’s product or service. Focus groups can help you resolve existing issues or even generate new ideas.

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Governor Crist Endorses Viva Florida! Program

Governor Charlie Crist today announced the Viva Florida! campaign, a multi-year, multi-city consumer awareness campaign tailored to educate audiences and promote Spanish culture and heritage throughout the state. (more…)

Build a Following with Email Marketing

Email marketing is essential these days. It’s a way to communicate with customers monthly, weekly, daily or several times a day – but with the benefit of a low “cost of entry.” To begin, all you need are email addresses, an email marketing service provider, and of course, something to say. But be sure to keep it interesting. Email topics may include upcoming sales promotions, information about your service or product, a credibility story, events and more. These ongoing messages keep your company top-of-mind and help build customer loyalty.

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