The Hobbit and 3D Printing

http://venturebeat.com/2013/12/04/the-hobbit-and-enders-game-are-making-3d-printing-hollywoods-smartest-new-marketing-tool/

Will 3D Printing Go Green?

We say yes. 

http://m.inhabitat.com/inhabitat/#!/entry/emerging-objects-creates-ecofriendly-3d-printing-materials,519651f6da27f5d9d0c704f0

Offering Bio Materials, Eco Friendly 3D Printing Options

New updates coming regarding our bio material options for 3D printing projects. 

Updated 3D Printing Services

We are excited to announce a new and improved infrastructure which allows us to offer advanced 3D printing to our clients. We will post more information about our updates soon. 

Using LinkedIn to Grow Your Business

LinkedIn can be a powerful social media tool to promote your business. A recent study revealed that LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Twitter and Facebook. B2B companies in particular benefit from using LinkedIn. A recent survey revealed that 77% of B2B companies sampled acquired a customer through LinkedIn.

Here are some helpful tips in using LinkedIn to promote your business.

1. Quality over quantity: When acquiring contacts and building your network over LinkedIn, consider quality over quantity. Simply piling up contacts is not a sufficient strategy. Connect with relevant people and companies that can serve as potential strategic partners and prospective clients. LinkedIn allows access to the premiere professionals of their respective fields. Take advantage of this and connect/ follow people from whom you can learn or that may serve as mentors.

2. Post updates: LinkedIn gives you the ability to share information through status updates. This is a great way to keep your connections informed about your business or share useful information. You can also post projects that you have developed or are currently working on. This gives you the opportunity to showcase your skills and unique aptitudes. 

3. Recommend and endorse others: This feature is important to use. Endorsing and recommending others who you have worked with often encourages them to do the same for you. You are not only helping them gain more credibility and clout, but developing your own as well. 

4. Create a company page: Not only can you post as yourself but similarly to Facebook, you can create a company page through LinkedIn. You can post updates and share information as your company and recruit followers to your company page. There are nearly 3 million unique company pages on LinkedIn. To stand out and increase your exposure, consider using sponsored updates. Typically, only followers can see your company updates. However, with a sponsored update, people outside your company's following can also see your update. LinkedIn allows you to create targeted campaigns within a specified budget. It is a great way to extend the reach of your posts.

Our Article on Social Media Today

We are pleased that our article, The Tao of Social Media, was featured on Social Media Today. It is a terrific website and information resource. The link is below!

The Tao of Social Media

Koi Creative Featured through Yahoo! Small Business and Business2Community- 12 Ways to Legally Protect Your Brand

We were included in an article today that ran on Yahoo! Small Business. The article is entitled, "12 Ways to Legally Protect Your Brand." Click the link below to view the article.

http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/12-ways-legally-protect-brand-194158923.html

Using Facebook to Market Your Business

Offer Your Fans Discounts and Rewards 

Encourage fans to like your page by offering them something in return. Deals and reward offerings can include free content such as ebooks and video downloads as well as discount codes and coupons. For instance, you can generate a discount code that your fans can use through your website for their purchases. There is a "deals" tab available on your page. Simply go to the "edit page" section in the top right corner and select "deals."

Create Contests 

Contests are a great way to create buzz about your company or brand. They also help create engagement/ participation with your fans and can inspire increased loyalty from those fans. Examples of contests may include asking fans to submit artwork, provide feedback about current product/ service offerings, answer trivia questions, etc. You can offer discounts and unique prizes to contest winners. Do not be afraid to use your imagination; prizes relevant to your business such as merchandise, free trials of your product/ service are always sound choices. You can be even more adventurous and offer event tickets, trip giveaways, consumer electronics, etc. Be original! 

Hosting Events

If you are looking to have a launch party for a new product, host a press conference, schedule a seminar or promote any sort of event for your business or brand, be sure to use the Facebook "events" feature. You can create open or private events. Open events are available to the public. Only those who are invited can RSVP closed events. You can increase your likes through closed events by allowing invitees to invite their friends. When creating events, be sure to enable the event wall so that fans can post information or ask questions about the event. 

The Tao of Social Media

There once lived a young, curious fish. He was inclined to ask his older and wiser friend many questions.

"I always hear of this thing called the ocean," the young fish said. "What is it?"

"Why, the ocean is that which surrounds you on all sides," replied the older and wiser fish.

"That cannot be," protested the young fish. "If it truly surrounded me on all sides, I would be able to see it!"

"You cannot see it because the ocean is both within you and outside of you."

"But how can I tell if it exists if I cannot see it," asked the bemused young fish.

"You cannot see it, but you can feel it," replied the older fish.

This ancient Chinese parable was written to describe the ineffable force that connects all things, the implicate order of reality- the Tao. Simply put, Tao is essence.

Now that I've got your attention, let's discuss the Tao of social media. And getting to the essence (or Tao) of social media is about understanding connection and engagement.  The purpose of using social media for your business is to connect with and engage your audience, create word-of-mouth activity for your business, generate leads and convert those leads into sales. 

Social media has revolutionized the way we connect and share information. As social media has evolved, it has become increasingly recognized as a fixture rather than a trend. It is embedded in many dimensions of our day-to-day life and has profoundly affected the business sphere. 

Consider the following stats regarding social media:

- 77% of B2C marketers say they have acquired a customer through Facebook

- 34% of marketers have generated leads through Twitter

- 77% of B2B marketers have acquired customers through LinkedIn

- LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Facebook or Twitter

- 84% of B2B companies are using some form of social media marketing 

- Social media produces double the marketing leads of trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail or PPC.

- Social media lead conversion rates are 13% higher than average lead conversion rates

Understanding that social media is here to stay, consider some of the benefits of incorporating social media into your marketing strategy:

1. Increased leads 

2. Increased lead conversion

3. Sales growth

4. Increased exposure, word-of-mouth

5. Increased traffic, improved search engine rankings 

6. Expand strategic alliances/ partnerships 

From the emergent perspective, no longer are traditional marketing efforts sufficient. In fact, people are more impervious to advertising and being sold then ever before. In making their purchase decisions, people are reading blogs, checking out review sites and reading what their friends are posting on Facebook and Twitter. 

Social media and digitization has in part empowered consumer behavior. Rather than relying primarily on the seduction of advertising, companies find they are competing in a testimony-driven community where products and services are openly shared, proselytized and in some cases persecuted. People share information about the products and services they like and use and in some cases those they do not favor. This word-of-mouth activity rewards companies that create value and arguably begets more integrity in markets. Of course this form of social exchange has always been basic to human life and business; but never has it been so empowered, expedient and ubiquitous in real time. 

Though crafting a social media strategy may be daunting to those who have yet to adopt it as part of their marketing strategy, a good place to start is creating a Facebook page for your business as well as a Twitter account. If you operate a B2B business, LinkedIn can be even more effective in creating strategic alliances and attracting clients. 

Again, remember the function of social media marketing is to create connection and engagement that ultimately contributes to word-of-mouth activity for your business, attracts leads and converts those leads into sales. So what are some of the ways to achieve this?

1. Create contests and reward offerings through Facebook. Using landing pages can also be helpful along with distinct calls to action. An example of a call to action is subscribing by email to receive a free ebook or white paper. 

2. Post interesting and engaging content that will compel your followers/ fans to share the information and participate on your page

3. Offer useful content that informs rather than sells. Especially if you are a B2B, creating and sharing content through blogs, video, ebooks, white papers can be helpful. 

4. Use mixed media such as photo and video. Infographics can also be useful in condensing information into concise, palatable imagery that is more engaging. Consider posting videos through Instagram, YouTube. You may even consider a video podcast. 

5. Let your followers and customers participate. Examples include allowing followers/ fans to vote on new products, services, etc. Listen to them- social media is not only a platform to dispense but to receive. You can gain valuable insight from your fans/ followers. 

6. Form key relationships with potential strategic partners that offer complementary products/ services. Such partnerships can create more leads. LinkedIn is particularly effective in achieving this. 

Through your social media efforts, be authentic. Do not attempt to project a false image, don't be afraid to show your or your business's unique personality. 

Foursquare Gunning For Yelp

http://news.cnet.com/8301-14013_3-57573704/foursquare-gunning-for-yelp/

Craigslist Alternatives

If you are looking for a Craigslist alternative to post free business ads online, there are a few options you should consider. 

eBay Classifieds:

This is a great site with most of the same categories as Craigslist. It is geo-specific and allows for both product and service listings. Check it out here: http://www.ebayclassifieds.com/

Oodle:

Oodle is one of the lead challengers to Craigslist. It allows for social media integration and can display posts from eBay and Facebook marketplace. Oodle also can be downloaded and managed as a mobile app. Check it out here: http://www.oodle.com

Backpage:

Backpage is another classified posting site gaining a lot of traffic. Though Craiglist still boasts a larger user base, Backpage is catching up. With a similar layout and feel as Craigslist, Backpage does not have as many vexing restrictions. Check it out here: http://www.BackPage.com

Social Media Today Article Reveals LinkedIn is 277% More Effective than Facebook, Twitter in Generating Leads

View the article here:

http://socialmediatoday.com/index.php?q=socialbarrel/1596276/using-social-media-lead-generation-infographic&utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign%2520value=hootsuite_tweets

Use Video to Market your Business

Creating video is a great way to market your company. It is well documented that video can be more engaging than text! Everyone has heard a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, how valuable does that make a video? Infinitely more!

Video can express a great deal more than static text and in a way that can be more colorful and interesting to your audience.  Video can even be easier to understand and more informative, particularly if you have a more complicated business model or product/ service you are evangelizing. 

In times past, business owners may have felt daunted about creating video.  Now, with applications such as Vine and Instagram video, it is easy to create and share videos. The benefits of this are manifold. 

1. It's cheap: You do not need to hire a production crew or buy/rent a sophisticated camera. With Vine and Instagram, you can film right from your smart phone if need be. 

2. Promote products/ services: Video is a great way to display the products or services you offer. A visually strong product is better represented through video than even the most articulate of written descriptions. 

3. Personalize: Video gives you an opportunity to show who you are or express what your company is all about! This will give your audience more insight into your culture and create more connection. Per the touted adage in writer's circle, show don't tell! By showing your audience your message, it is considerably more credible and authentic. 

4. Educate: Video provides a platform to educate your audience and provide information. This may be done to directly provide information about your company, products or service offering. It is also a way to showcase your expertise in your given industry by producing your own video podcast. 

Social Media Infographic

What Exactly is Google+?

The Wikipedia entry states that Google+ is a multilingual social networking and identity service owned and operated by Google Inc. It is the second-largest social networking site in the world, having surpassed Twitter in January 2013. It has approximately 359 million active users.

Yes, that's right, Google+ has surpassed Twitter! Yet, despite its increasing prevalence, many are still ambivalent about what the social networking service is and how it can benefit them. 

To better explain what Google+ is, it is a social layer that integrates Google products/ services such as e-mail, search, blog, Youtube and so on. By adding a social layer to this integration, Google is using your data to create a more personalized experience across these platforms. 

As Eric Schmidt said:

“We’re trying to use the identity infrastructure to make the Google products really interesting. The most obvious one has to do with like You Tube recommendations search recommendations so forth, so on. We can do this based on who you are accurately and more so who your friends are.”

The key shift here is social. Previously, Google surveyed links and connections between sites. Google is now looking at connections between people. 

The Benefits of Social Media Marketing

A shroud of mystery sometimes surrounds social media marketing. Traditional marketers and companies are not always aware of how to employ social media to benefit their business. Some may question its efficacy and even the more faithful may fail to measure their social media campaigns and how they assist the company's sales performance. Yet, businesses that recognize how to use the power of social media are quick to declare its benefits. No matter your perspective, it is clear that social media is embedded into the modern social and business spheres. Social media is here to stay and businesses must learn to use its power (for good of course!).

Businesses must foremost understand that social media is used to engage and connect. It allows businesses the opportunity to directly interact with fans/ followers resulting in the exchange of ideas and information. This results in a number of benefits for the business spanning promotion and even market/ consumer insights. For instance, a business may receive feedback on a new product or idea.


Let's consider further some of the benefits of social media marketing:

Sales Growth
Studies have shown that social media, particularly when used over time can help bolster sales. For many, this may seem the only benefit worth discussing. After all, what is the purpose of marketing if not to sell? But, more than ever, consumers do not like to be sold and are disenchanted with advertising blitz. Marketing in today's climate is more dimensional and dare we say meaningful. Effective marketing is about creating relationships, generating word-of-mouth so that a company can share its value. It is this value that enriches lives and society as a whole. The social media platform is a great way to develop such relationships and these relationships ultimately beget increased sales activity. Examples of relationship building through social media may include direct fan interaction over Facebook or creating strategic alliances or client relationships through LinkedIn. Increased sales are also connected to other benefits imparted through social media which we will discuss below.

Increased Exposure
By expanding your social media following, you will invariably increase the exposure of your business and build brand recognition. By creating worthy content, you will also encourage followers to share information with their friends and family not only through social media directly but through their actual in-person interactions. This word-of-mouth proliferation helps to generate exposure and galvanize buzz about your business.

Strategic Alliances/ Partnerships
More and more, businesses are using social media to create new business partnerships. Such partnerships may help you expand your product/ service offering, save costs within your supply chain, become an outsource agent for similar or complimentary businesses and so on. The point is, social media can be used for creating relationships not only at the consumer level but through B2B channels as well. 

Increase Traffic/ Search Engine Rankings
A social media presence can improve your business' online presence and help bolster search engine rankings. Both through improved search ranking and through the fan base you establish, you can generate more traffic to your website, augment email subscription lists, etc.  

5 Tips to Boost Your Next Cause Marketing Campaign’s Reach

Businesses with a clear purpose perform better and are more likely to succeed.  A business’s purpose should serve as the hub of its ideation — in other words, every decision a company makes should be an extension and affirmation of its purpose. Having a sense of purpose allows a business to better navigate its challenges, often providing clear solutions in even the most trying of times.

Plus, purpose-driven businesses have a great marketing advantage — they are more likely to engage consumers. Tailoring specific cause marketing campaigns to your business’ consumers can be an effective form of consumer outreach, as well as a means of evangelizing for your business purpose.  

When planning your own cause marketing campaign, these 5 tips can help increase your chances of success:

1. Be authentic. Consumers are quickly fatigued by disingenuous companies and hollow claims. If you are partnering with a charity organization for your campaign, find a cause that has personal relevance or that serves as an organic alignment to the brand. Consumers recognize authenticity, and can spot campaigns that don’t have it.
2. Allocate charity benefits. Allocating a percentage of sales from a product to charity is a simple and effective way to set up your cause marketing campaign.  The campaign can operate for a specified period of time, or can serve as a permanent campaign.  In addition to our various campaigns, we have a permanent profit-share model.  
3. Create branded products. Create T-shirts, hats and other articles to promote your campaign. Sales from such items can then be directed to partner organizations. Physical items such as T-shirts are also a means of furthering the campaign’s message and gaining exposure, and allows the consumer to engage with your brand and feel like they’re part of the cause.
4. Host events. Events help declare the message of the campaign and attract focus to it. Events can come in many guises, including parties, educational seminars, festivals and concerts. However, defining and planning a successful event depends on the nature of the campaign.  
5. Distribute press releases. Marketing campaigns provide opportunity for press and greater company exposure. When a cause campaign is launched, follow it with a press release to local media (or national, if relevant) concerning the campaign. It may even be appropriate to schedule a press conference highlighting the campaign, its purpose and associated products.

Creating More Effective Real Estate Ads

Recently, we have performed some work for real estate clients. We decided to dedicate a post to creating more effective real estate ads. Creating effective real estate ads is about declaring your unique selling proposition (USP). How are you different/ better than your competitors? Customers always want to know: what's in it for me? Do your ads translate features into benefits?

People Ignore Most Ads
People are overwhelmed with more advertising than ever, bombarded through TV, radio, print and web. People have become conditioned to ignore advertising. Most real estate ads attempt to sell the prospect. This violates a basic business principle- prospects do not want to be sold. They ignore most real estate advertising.

The Failure of Image Ads
Many agents attempt to attract prospects through image ads. These ads are often flashy, colorful ads that feature pictures of the agent with the redundant promises of service and quality. All of these ads look the same- it is difficult to distinguish one agent from the other. Because these ads look and read like other ads, they will be ignored! These ads are trying to sell the prospect. Again, the prospect does not want to be sold!

Have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
All people want to know one thing- "what's in it for me." The purpose of marketing and advertising is not self-promotion; the true thrust of effective advertising is to attract prospects by appealing to their wants/ needs. This is a simple process. 1. Determine what your customers want/ need 2. Determine which of those wants/needs you can fulfill 3. Find a way to clearly communicate to your customers that you can fulfill those needs/ wants. Fulfilling a customers needs or wants is your unique selling proposition or USP. Your USP is what makes you different, it is what separates you from your competition. Your USP is the value that you offer your prospects and existing clients. Every company says they offer the best service, quality, price and dependability. They rely on vague and emoty superlatives such as we are #1, we're the biggest, we're the best. You must develop a meaningful USP that connects to the actual benefits you offer your clients. Effective USPs have the following characteristics: 1. Unique: You must offer something different 2. Specific: You must be clear and precise about what you offer. If you can be specific, your USP is more believable. 3. Relevant: You must be relevant to the needs/ wants of the client. Connect on a deep emotional level. Focus on benefits over features. Remember, people want to know, "what's in it for me."

Editorial Ads
Editorial style ads are presented as news, not advertising. Editorial ads can be an effective way attract prospects without selling them. Essentially, you are offering information that is relevant to prospects. This type of advertising generates a 500% greater response volume than image advertising. Because the ad appears as news, not advertising, prospects will not dismiss it. The information presented in an editorial ad must set up a problem and solution. It must be communicated that the information provided will solve a problem the prospect cares about or provide them a benefit. Positioning, appearance and the publication are all important considerations in creating effective editorial style ads.

Classified Ads 
Classified ads are different from editorial ads in that they are more direct and overt. Classified ads can underscore an agent's general service offering or reference a specific property. Many agents try to sell a specific house with an ad. You can't sell a house with an ad! The purpose of creating a property ad is to attract prospects. Often, when prospects call regarding a specific property, they ultimately purchase a different property. Creating effective classified ads invariably requires creating a USP that connects to the needs/ wants of the prospect. Strong ads connect to a prospect's emotional triggers. For instance, first time home buyers need to feel safety. Prospects purchasing an upgrade or second home want to feel prestige and esteem. Large brands and companies spend many millions to create emotional links to their products and services. Remember to determine your prospects wants/ needs and communicate how you can appeal to those wants/ needs.