Holiday Dinner

December has been a busy month for our company. We've welcomed new clients and expanded to our offices in Miami and North Carolina. However, we can still make time for fun!

This year we held our Holiday Dinner at Serpas.  The staff was great and the food was excellent.  They even created a personalized menu created in our honor:

Per company tradition, everyone participated in a white elephant gift exchange during appetizers.  There were a lot of great gifts including chocolate covered Oreos, season one of "The Big Bang Theory" and wine.

The mark of a great Holiday Dinner is delicious food and a lot of laughter.  It was definitely a success. Michele was able to get some great shots of our hardworking team.

Puneet and Ronell

Wood, Amy and Cindi

Chris E., Chris F. and Puneet

Cindi, Doug and Ryoko

We all wish you and yours a happy holiday season.  Stay tuned for more updates in 2012!

CamiCakes for all!

Here at Meta Media, Inc., we LOVE cupcakes. This has been proven time and time again based on the short amount of time between cupcake arrival and a completely empty box.

Atlanta is a wonderful city for many reasons, but the fact that it has tons of local bakeries to chose cupcakes from is a definite highlight! Michele, our VP of Marketing & E-Commerce, brought in a dozen of delicious cupcakes from CamiCakes.

Rest assured, they were devoured in a matter of minutes.

Meta Media Halloween Party

This posting is a little late. However, it's because we've had a lot of exciting things happening here at Meta Media, including several new projects and welcoming our new talented designer, Ryoko!

The Halloween Party was a great success! There was a Halloween Trivia Challenge, games, endless amounts of food and of course great conversation. Amy dominated Halloween Trivia, earning herself new ipod speakers.

Doug displayed the most Halloween spirit and won the costume contest for his superb portrayal of a "Jersey Shore" character.

Stay tuned for more blog updates.

New Report Indicates SEO is the Best Way to Generate Leads

According to the 2011 State of Digital Marketing Report by Webmarketing123, search engine optimization is the first source marketers utilize to create new business leads.

SEO tactics ranked higher than PPC and Social Media.

Review the Search Engine Land infographic for more details.

We at Meta Media, Inc. understand the value in creating SEO enriched websites, but also provide our clients with PPC campaigns and social media. Using SEO, PPC and social media enhances a client's overall Internet presence, which is an important step in reaching a broader audience and differentiating one's business from competitors.

Has Marketing Gone Too Pink?

During the month of October, pink products dominate store shelves. The popularity of Breast Cancer Awareness month has resulted in various industries supporting the cause with their products, everything from dressed up tubs of lunchmeat to special edition eyelash curlers.

The plethora of products has activists questioning the integrity of these marketing campaigns. How many companies are really contributing to the cause? How many are just marketing an easily recognizable cause for profit?

This ongoing debate raises excellent questions for those in the marketing industry. Supporting cancer awareness is trendy and with every trend there’s a risk for consumer backlash. Although some companies may be using pink as a marketing ploy to increase profits, if the demand decreases as a result, it could negatively impact the genuine campaigns, thus losing support for the cause.

http://www.newser.com/article/d9qabtko1/some-women-question-pinkwashing-is-breast-cancer-awareness-more-marketing-than-health.html

We're Hiring!!

Meta Media, Inc. is looking for an experienced Project Manager to join its growing team. The Project Manager will be responsible for overseeing a segment of the agency's marketing, website design and website development accounts. The Project Manager will meet with the team regularly, create timelines, and ensure that projects meet a client’s goals and are delivered on time. Agency experience preferred!

The Project Manager will also work with clients on strategy as well as execution of crucial deliverables. The Project Manager should preferably have e-commerce, web, and/or online marketing experience, with the ability to efficiently manage and implement multiple, simultaneous projects for our clients – on time and on budget.

Client projects may include:

- Website redesign

- Landing pages and micro-site development for local clients

- Usability/ site updates and enhancements

- Admin tool development

- Website coding, development and other web-based IT projects

- SEO copywriting and linking, including directory and map listings

- Paid search implementation and management on Google, Yahoo/Bing and other second-tier search engines

Requirements for the Project Manager position include:

- Relationship building both internally and with new/ existing customers.

- Direct experience with an agency or e-commerce company as a Project Manager, or Marketing Manager

- Ability to review and make decisions based on Web analytics programs like Google Analytics or CoreMetrics

- Understanding of usability, information architecture, and the web user experience

- Demonstrated ability to manage both technical and non-technical details for all types of web projects

Other information:

- The position is full-time

- Competitive salary based upon experience

ABOUT OUR COMPANY

Meta Media, Inc. is a growing, fast-paced interactive marketing agency that caters to companies that want to effectively market their products and/or services on a local and/or national level. As a one-stop shop for all our clients’ needs, Meta Media, Inc. provides a comprehensive suite of strategic services, including website design/ creative/ usability, e-commerce platform development, custom IT solutions and ROI-based marketing strategies such as e-mail, paid search, social media and SEO.

Meta Media, Inc. stands out from other agencies in the space due to our customized, ROI-focused solutions and high level of personalized customer service for each client. In addition, we track all campaigns down to the last dollar, and engage in a multi-tier process that includes ongoing refinement and optimization. You can read more about Meta Media, Inc. online at www.metamediainc.com or check out our blog: http://metamediainc.blogspot.com.

If interested, please send resume and cover letter to info@metamediainc.com with "Project Manager Position" in the subject line.

Testing Website Usability

A good website design is not only visually stimulating, but it must also have functionality. Potential customers can be intimidated by overly complicated sites, and become frustrated when they are unable to find what they want, whether it be information or a product.

Testing usability is a vital part of all of Meta Media, Inc.'s website design or redesign projects. We test and retest every aspect of a site to ensure a great overall user experience for all of our client's websites.

Mashable.com recently posted an interesting read providing an in-depth exploration of this topic. The article emphasizes the importance of assessing a website from the user's perspective, not just a marketing/business angle. Check out their article: "22 Essential Tools for Testing Your Website’s Usability."

Cupcakes on a Casual Friday!

At the end of the day, we all manage to get through the conference calls, email updates and deadlines, but what's more important is we still like working with each other!

Meta Media, Inc. truly is a special place to work. Finding a reason to celebrate isn't that hard around here; birthdays, new accounts and Fridays are always great reasons.

Friday is usually everyone's favorite day because we can dress casually, but last week we had an additional surprise. Michele, our VP of Marketing & E-Commerce treated everyone to delicious cupcakes from Piece of Cake!

Cupcake break! Here's a picture of Michele and our Creative Web Designer extraordinaire, Doug.

Here we have our enthusiastic Content Writer and budding starlet, Amy.

Key members of our sales staff Dallas and Ronell take some time to discuss their favorite cupcake flavors.

Lastly, we have our Content Writer/Administrative Assistant, Cindi. She didn't want to miss out on the fun!

Keep checking for more updates. Next on the agenda is the Meta Media, Inc. Halloween Party!

Upcoming Facebook Changes

As some facebook users are still reluctantly adjusting to the recent changes made affecting their news feed, even more changes are on the way. Facebook has plans to expand the popular “Like” feature by adding additional “Read,” “Listened” and “Watched” buttons.

From a marketing and advertising perspective, these new features will allow facebook to provide more detailed data to companies.

Will these upcoming changes encourage society’s current facebook addiction by increasing activity and involvement, or will these changes create a massive negative backlash? With every change comes a risk of alienation, but the new information could help a lot of companies with more detailed targeted ads.

http://www.newser.com/story/129003/new-facebook-buttons-coming-watched-read-listened.html

Daily Deal Site Craze is Winding Down

Groupon, Living Social and other daily deal site competitors have been experiencing significant drops in popularity and revenue recently. Facebook decided to end its version of daily deals, just after four months of testing.

Daily deal sites managed to overcome the stigma of coupons, but it seems their novelty is wearing off. From a marketing perspective, which deal sites are still worth recommending to clients, and for how long?

Groupon is hoping to move in a new direction with Groupon Now, a real-time mobile application that allows users to search for deals near them. Real-time deal apps might be enough to captivate consumers, but based on recent data customers are definitely looking for the next stage.

http://mashable.com/2011/08/30/one-too-many-daily-deals/?WT.mc_id=obinsite

MySpace Takes a New Marketing Direction

Remember MySpace? The MySpace brand conjures images of sparkly graphics, goofy page designs and top ten friend lists. For years, people have been switching over to use facebook and Twitter for social media, and Google+ has recently gained popularity as well.

The old MySpace is outdated, but their new marketing executives are attempting to revive the site with a new music marketing strategy. Entertainer Justin Timberlake is serving as a creative director, and partnerships have been formed with iTunes, Spotify and Vevo.

Re-branding a well known name like MySpace can be difficult because not only does a company have to compete with its competitors, but it has to compete with its former archaic self.

Do you think music-focused marketing is enough to save MySpace?

Revamped MySpace Will Have iTunes, Spotify and Vevo in Its Crosshairs

Online Social Shopping Trends

Recent data found while studying the behavior and habits of online shoppers revealed three important trends, according to ecommerce-guide.com

Trend #1: Online Shoppers Research Products before Purchasing

Most online shoppers begin their shopping experience by conducting research through a search engine, like Google. This is why search engine optimization (SEO) is so important for ecommerce sites and online retailers

Trend #2: Other Customer Reviews and Social Media Comments Matter

A good or bad review can influence whether an online shopper makes a purchase. Shoppers also look into products and companies that have a lot of facebook “likes.”

Trend #3: Consumers Are Using Mobile Phones In-Stores

The recent study revealed that more customers are scanning barcodes and comparing in-store prices to those found on Amazon.com. Customers are also taking advantage of coupons found on their phones.

Overall, the latest data reveals how crucial it is for businesses to stay connected with consumers and have a strong online presence.

3 Consumer Shopping Trends Online Retailers Need to Know

Meta Media, Inc. Welcomes Cars.IAAI.com as a New Client

ATLANTA, GA (August 10, 2011) – Meta Media, Inc., a full-service firm specializing in marketing, website design and development, e-commerce and usability techniques, welcomes Cars.IAAI.com as its latest client. Cars.IAAI, the vehicle purchasing and auctioning division of Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc., has hired Meta Media, Inc. to design and implement a natural search engine optimization strategy.

“We are very excited to work with Cars.IAAI.com,” said Michele Fontanelli Arnett, VP of Marketing and E-Commerce at Meta Media, Inc. “The strategic leaders of this website are seeking to increase business and build brand awareness on a national level, and we plan to execute our proven marketing strategies to help them achieve their goals.”

Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. is a large national company, with over 150 locations throughout the United States focused on purchasing and auctioning vehicles. Cars.IAAI.com pays cash for all vehicle makes and annually models and auctions more than one million vehicles.

Meta Media, Inc. plans to utilize a variety of search engine optimization techniques designed to provide additional exposure for Cars.IAAI.com, with the ultimate goals of increasing both brand awareness and sales. The main strategy will focus on content, tags, linking and other targeted SEO tactics, which will be implemented and maintained by the Meta Media, Inc. account team.

About Meta Media, Inc.

Meta Media, Inc. is a full-service firm, with expertise in traditional and non-traditional, ROI-based marketing strategies, including website design, usability, front and back-end development, marketing, analytics and tracking, reporting, testing and optimization. In addition to Cars.IAAI.com, the company’s clients include Dr. Comfort, Aaron’s, The ENT Institute, Pope & Howard, P.C. Law Firm and many others. You can read more about the company online at http://www.metamediainc.com.

Social Scoring Systems

An emerging online trend in social media that professionals in the marketing field should keep an eye on is social scoring systems. Currently, the website with the most buzz is Klout, which is a social media metrics analytics company.

According to their website klout.com, the assigned “Klout Score” is the measurement of your overall online influence. The scores range from 1 to 100 with higher scores representing a wider and stronger sphere of influence.

Although Klout is currently the most newsworthy site, there are other up-and-coming social scoring systems, including:

• Tweetlevel and Bloglevel, both from the Edelman PR firm, measure your influence in Twitter and the blogosphere, respectively.
• PeerIndex scores you based on your influence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Quora, as well as blogs and other URLs you add.
• Tweet Grader from HubSpot ranks you according to how influential you are on Twitter.

Social media metrics analysis could potentially be a great tool for marketers, as it measures social interactions and who is influencing who.

5 Things Small Businesses Should Know about Klout

IBM Unveils New Cloud-Based Analytics System for Online Marketers

The latest press release from IBM announced a new web analytics system to assist marketers with online campaigns, entitled the Coremetrics Digital Marketing Optimization Suite.

The new IBM software is supposed to act as a single source of information for marketers providing customer profiles, web analytics and digital marketing execution. According to IBM some highlights of their latest marketing tool are:

- Enables marketers to perform advanced segmentation and automate marketing execution based on multichannel data, including off-line data sources
- Delivers real-time product recommendations for all online channels, including social, mobile, email, and display ads
- Provides A/B testing capabilities to help search engine marketers compare pairs of search terms to determine the most cost-effective terms and associated ads
- Incorporates best practice key performance indicators and corresponding industry-specific benchmarks
- Supports deep analysis into how customers interact with a brand over time and when each marketing program is the most effective.

Only time will tell if the Coremetrics Digital Marketing Optimization Suite by IBM will be able to compete with other programs that marketers are already utilizing, such as Google Analytics.

IBM Press Release

Domain Name Expansion May Contribute to Branding Obstacles

Recently the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced a significant change in the makeup of the current domain name system. ICANN is responsible for overseeing online addresses, and has approved to widen the choice of domain endings to include nearly any word in any language.

The potential downside to the new domain expansion is branding interference. The expansion creates an opening for competitors or general opportunists to purchase a nearly limitless amount of domains associates with a company’s brand.

However, domain extensions will not be obtained without an application or a hefty price. The charge to apply for a domain extension with ICANN is $185,000, plus a $25,000 yearly fee for those who gain control of the domain. There is an ongoing debate as to whether these fees are to prevent domain extension abuse or if ICANN is just trying to increase their profits.

Domain-Name Bosses Approve Huge Expansion

Online business trend: Social Commerce

E-commerce websites are increasing efforts to capitalize on social networks such as Facebook. Ebay recently announced in the next few months they will begin offering consumers an opportunity to find products and plug them into their Facebook network. This enables a consumer’s Facebook friends to vote on their preferred product and offer comments.

Social commerce initiatives were inevitable. Current social media practice allows companies to easily improve overall branding and online presence, through interactive conversations with customers. But social commerce will take things to a new level. Now companies will be able to analyze more specific information based on detailed product conversations and consumer feedback.

Social commerce will enhance the likelihood of potential customers becoming consumers by utilizing word-of mouth communications through social networking.

Ebay to launch social commerce features

Local Marketing, Inc. Nominated for Most Effective Local Marketing Campaign in Georgia

Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association Recognizes Local Marketing, Inc. with 2011 Award Nomination

ATLANTA, GA (April 15, 2011) – Local Marketing, Inc., a full-service marketing, creative and IT firm based in Atlanta, announced today it is a finalist in the 2011 Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association (AiMA) Awards.

Local Marketing, Inc. received the AiMA nomination in the category of Most Effective Local Campaign in Georgia for the company’s website design and marketing work for The ENT Institute. Strategies for the company included a website redesign and online/ off-line marketing efforts targeted around each of The ENT Institute’s seven Atlanta area locations.

In order to qualify as a finalist, Local Marketing, Inc. submitted a detailed review of its strategies and tactics, all designed to help increase both awareness and new patients for The ENT Institute. AiMA analyzed Local Marketing, Inc.’s effectiveness by conducting a comparison of success metrics to both industry benchmarks and specific campaign objectives.

“We are thrilled to have the AiMA Award nomination in the local campaign category,” said Vice President of Marketing, Michele Fontanelli Arnett. “We are particularly proud of our efforts for The ENT Institute, and the fact that we have garnered such good results for all their locations. This campaign is a great example of what we can do for any company: improve both brand awareness and customer acquisition.”

Winners for the 2011 AiMA Awards will be announced at the ceremony on April 28, 2011, held this year at the Georgia Aquarium.

ABOUT LOCAL MARKETING, INC.

Local Marketing, Inc. specializes in non-traditional, ROI-based marketing strategies, including site design, development, marketing, analytics, reporting and optimization. Local Marketing, Inc. provides customized solutions for companies who want to specifically target local markets. Our philosophy of ongoing refinement means we never start improving and optimizing our clients’ campaigns. With our knowledge, experience and industry relationships, we are your multi-channel experts and a one-stop shop for effective online strategies with clear ROI. Read more about the company’s efforts online at www.localmarketinginc.com.

Meta Media, Inc. Welcomes Ford Investment Consulting, LLC As Latest Client

ATLANTA, GA – December 27, 2010 - Meta Media, Inc., an online marketing firm specializing in e-commerce and local business, welcomes Atlanta’s Ford Investment Consulting, LLC as their latest client.

Shavonn Crawford recently founded Ford Investment Consulting, and her aim is to help small businesses and individual investors manage their investments by providing them with the individualized attention and assistance that large investment firms cannot.

Crawford has worked with the larger money management firms, but with this company she hopes to offer investment advice for the everyday client.

“We are very excited to take on Ford Investment Consulting as our latest client,” said Michele Fontanelli Arnett, VP of Marketing and E-Commerce at Meta Media, Inc. “Ms. Crawford has a clear vision for her company, and we plan to provide her with a marketing plan that will greatly increase her client base.”

Meta Media, Inc. plans to utilize a variety of marketing programs designed to provide exposure for Ford Investment Consulting, including paid search marketing, natural search engine optimization tactics and social media. Their staff of experienced web designers will also be creating a useful and informative website for the company.


Contact:
Amy Farley
Meta Media, Inc.
http://www.MetaMediaInc.com
afarley @ metamediainc.com
Phone: 404.917.2100 x235