NewsOK Q&A with Phase 2’s Shane Kempton

By Phase 2 | Published: July 25, 2011

NewsOK.com’s Paula Burkes recently had a Q&A session with Phase 2’s Shane Kempton. The topic: Domain creations approved for brands and organizations. Read the article here www.NewsOK.com/Business_Q&A

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What’s the Google+ Fuss About?

By Heath Clinton | Published: July 25, 2011

As a business owner, you may be non-plussed about Google+. Right now it’s by personal invitation only, for personal use only. But what are the implications for the new social media site and how it will affect Facebook usage, which is tough enough to get a handle on with its site enhancements every few months? And what about the 140-character social media site Twitter? Will you lose your “fans” and “followers” you’ve worked so hard to build since you jumped on the SM bandwagon?

Let’s take a look at what Google+ currently is and how it may change the way people communicate in the future. More importantly, how can you easily tie these services in to your web site to increase web views and search engine optimization?

+1 me. Unlike the “like” button on Facebook or a “RT” (retweet) on Twitter, the +1 button added to websites and articles aims to improve it’s search ranking but doesn’t share that “add” anywhere except for the profile. Also, you can’t +1 anything unless you have a Google account. Will people sign up for Google in droves? Time will tell, but our assessment is to stay ahead of the curve, go ahead and get one. It’s free and improving your ranking is always a good thing.

Circles. At this time, adding new followers to circles enables the user to create groups based on whatever interest or category you wish. You do not have to add anyone to a circle just because they’ve added you. Also, the names of your circles are private, so they won’t see where you’ve put them. This enables you to read and communicate more effectively with your niche circles.

Hangouts. Another Google+ exclusive is the Hangouts feature, which let you create hangouts and talk with people via webcam. We can see this becoming a nice feature for businesses with clients, vendors and prospects in other cities.

While we don’t see Google+ jeopardizing other social media networks at this time, we do see it as another opportunity for connection and communication, so talk to us about how a CMS (content management system) web solution can enable you to add widgets for social media, blogs, photo streams, and more to enhance your web presence and provide a rich user experience.

Posted in Impact on Society, Social Media | Leave a comment

Morphing your mobile device into a money manager

By Heath Clinton | Published: July 1, 2011

It’s true. With the expanded coverage and use of wireless technologies, along with the breadth of mobile applications related to financial information available today, who needs a brick-and-mortar bank? Especially when you look at the convenience factor: would you really drive to the bank when you can just use your mobile device’s web browser to complete a transaction?

The internet has allowed for a number of new ways to conduct banking business, which has led to the creation of never-before-seen institutions: online banks (think ING), online brokers (like E*Trade) and wealth managers (such as TD Wealth Management). Most services in these institutions are transaction-based, offering customers a way to make transfers, pay bills, receive account statements and alerts, and keep on top of their investments. All on the go.

It’s not just limited to banking applications however. Retailers and credit card companies are busying themselves deploying new scanners, plug-ins, add-ons and mobile apps to make cash and credit cards seem obsolete:

Square is the startup company that developed an iPhone and iPad device that plugs into the headphone socket and scans the magnetic strip on a credit card. Customers sign their name on the device’s touch screen and receive a receipt by email.

Customers with a Starbucks reward card fire up their iPhone or Android-powered phone to display a bar code on the screen. The clerk scans it and the purchase flows through to the customer’s account, which is already set up on the back end.

Google Wallet allow customers with a special phone (currently the Google Nexus S 4G phone on Sprint) to set up an account through Google, wave their phone past the “PayPass” sensor at participating stores, and their payments go through.

Verizon Wireless is also experimenting with Payfone, a mobile payment company that would let customers pay for purchases with cell phones, iPads and other mobile devices. Charges would either show up on customers’ credit card or cell phone bill.

The variety of mobile financial applications and devices seems endless. That’s a good thing, because as consumers become more tech-savvy, the technology had better keep up.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Putting the power of social media to work in the oil and gas industry

By Heath Clinton | Published: June 16, 2011

As industries go, oil and gas tends to be thought of as behind the social media curve. It’s seen as a bit … stodgy. Traditional. Ostentatious.

But for all of those who think that this industry is stuck in the 1980s, there are many more who realize that oil and gas companies are highly technical entities. Drilling for energy sources on land or under water is no easy task – the technologies used need to be state-of-the-art to keep up with demand and the competition.

More and more, energy companies are embracing technology above the surface as well – social media has quickly become a commonplace industry tool. Companies are using these frameworks in a variety of ways that allow for real-time collaboration, more efficient talent recruiting, compliance with regulatory policies, and effective communication with the public.

Energy is a highly regulated industry, and its companies are required to make information available to their work forces and partners in a timely and efficient manner. Cloud computing, public instant messaging systems and internal social networks allow for more cross-collaboration and break down workflow barriers (according to a Microsoft Corp.  and Accenture survey released at the Microsoft Global Energy Forum 2011 in Houston earlier this year) while keeping up with the changing face of technology.

But oil and gas’ use of social media and other online tools doesn’t stop with compliance; many are using these tools for other purposes. Oklahoma’s own Chesapeake Energy has successfully implemented and branded @CHKCareers,  a Twitter stream that posts current job openings, interacts with followers and offers career advice to nearly 2,000 people. The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill – while devastating –  gave BP the opportunity to communicate via social networks to media, Gulf Coast residents and businesses affected by the spill, concerned citizens, and employees.

But the biggest boon to the oil and gas industry from social media is most likely increased productivity, thanks to improved collaboration and knowledge-sharing between workers. These elements are important for driving revenue, cutting costs and contributing to the health and safety of workers (Oil and Gas Collaboration Survey 2009) – all of which positively benefit the industry.

Posted in Impact on Society, Social Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

You’ve created it, but will they come?

By Heath Clinton | Published: May 16, 2011

Great! You’ve developed a mobile app for your business.

Now what?

There are – quite literally – hundreds of thousands of mobile apps. From games and travel to health and work utilities, the choices are astounding. Putting time and effort into developing a mobile app can be a total waste if no one is interested. So how do you generate the most interest for your app? By being strategic and deliberate:

  1. First, and most importantly, you need to think about how your consumers will find the app – before its built. Will they go searching for it in the App store? On your website? Through email? Will they be sent specific customer communications about it? Or will they see it on that billboard on the side of the highway? There’s no one-size-fits-all approach here: each business’ consumers search out, take in and process information differently. Survey your customers and clients to find out how they like to receive information. Ask them if they’re even using a phone or device with mobile app capabilities. The more you know about them, the better your chances of hitting them with the right information in the right way.
  2. Secondly, be clear on what the app is going to be used for:
    1. If you’re using the app for customer retention (think banks that offer online banking in a mobile app), a huge media blast probably isn’t the way to go. Use what you already have: existing customer communications. E-mail newsletters and blasts, direct mail, promotional and marketing materials, and even invoices can serve as vehicles for announcing your business’ new mobile presence. This isn’t to say that a very targeted ad campaign can’t be useful here, just be sure to feature the app as a point of differentiation for your product or service.
    2. If the app is going to be used for general purposes (think games or utility apps, such as mileage trackers or to-do lists), then a paid media push using either traditional or online media could be the best option. The key here is to have a good idea of who will use the app so that you can make the most of your advertising dollars. Direct mail, e-mail newsletters and blasts, and other marketing materials can also be effective, as long as it’s hitting the right people.
  3. Last, decide how and when you measure the effectiveness of both the app and the marketing effort. How will you determine if developing your app was worth it or if you’re hitting the right people? Think beyond just the number of downloads here. How about reviews? Does it cause them to take some sort of action? Any information you can glean from the people actually using the app is critical.

Putting some serious thought into how and who will help you and your business get the most out your available app. Do you have thoughts about how to market mobile apps for business? Let us know in the comments.

Posted in Mobile, Technology | Leave a comment