Follow Me: How to Use Social Networks to Build Visibility & Drive Sales

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Cynthia Closkey

Today I’ll be speaking on a panel at the 5th Annual Business Technology Conference, organized by the Small Business Development Center at Duquesne University. Our moderator will be Betsy Benson, Publisher and Vice President of Pittsburgh Magazine, and sharing the panel with me will be the delightful Victoria Dilliott, owner of Affogato Coffee Bar.

Our session title: “Follow Me: How to Use Social Networks to Build Visibility & Drive Sales.”

Follow Me: How to Use Social Networks to Build Visibility & Drive Sales

View more presentations from Big Big Design.

My portion of the session will be an evolution of a session I gave at PodCamp Pittsburgh 5, “Blogging for Business.” I wanted to expand on the ideas I’d discussed at PodCamp, going beyond blogging to a more comprehensive social media communications strategy (and actually beyond social media to online communication as a general thing).

The slideshow includes lots of neat visuals from Flickr and elsewhere (all Creative Commons attributed), but there’s one particular visual I’d like to highlight: the “Killer Blog Strategy Mind-Map” diagram by Johnny Haydon. Communications — and social media/online communications in particular — act much like a loop system, and this diagram does a great job of visualizing the loops of causes and effects. A full diagram of the system would be much more complex, but sometimes the complete complexity obscures the core of what’s going on. If you’re trying to set out your plan to build communications (and community) online, this diagram is the place to start.

More notes to come after the presentation.

FOLLOW-UP:

Thanks to everyone who attended our session. What a fine discussion we had! Very big thanks to Victoria for sharing her story, and to Betsy for moderating the session.

Here is more information for some examples I mentioned during the talk:

Cooks Source controversy: Thorough summary write-up here, the main post by the blogger who first discovered her material had been reprinted without permission.

A sample of how Paper.li shows interesting content from a Twitter account and the users it follows: my Paper.li

Eat’n'Park using social media for last-minute promotions during the Stanley Cup playoffs: coverage in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (6/21/2009)

AlphaLab accepting applications for Summer/Fall 2009

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Cynthia Closkey

One of our client companies is iTwixie, a web company creating the ultimate online hangout for tween girls.

iTwixie was one of six startups accepted in AlphaLab’s Winter/Spring 2009 program, which provided the company with seed funding plus office space on Pittsburgh’s South Side, guidance from AlphaLab and the organization’s parent, Innovation Works, and excellent interaction opportunities with Pittsburgh’s venture capital community.

This is a terrific program, especially for technologists looking for an entry point into the entrepreneurial world.

If that’s you, you’ll want to know that it’s time to pull together your ideas and make your pitch for the next AlphaLab application deadline:

AlphaLab is now accepting applications for its Summer/Fall 2009 session that officially starts on June 15th, 2009! Here are some important changes to note for this new application cycle:

We are introducing an Early Action portion to the application period where applicants can be apply and be accepted early for the AlphaLab program.

Early Action applicants will be invited to a meet-n-greet event with AlphaLab staff where they can interact and ask questions.

Early Action candidates that are accepted to AlphaLab will be able to get an early start on working on their companies and have early access to AlphaLab resources.

If an applicant is not accepted as part of AlphaLab Early Action, they will still be considered as part of the general application period.

The Early Access deadline is April 17th, 2009.

The general application deadline is May 15th, 2009.

For more information about the application process (including Early Action) and to access the AlphaLab application, visit: www.alphalab.org.

ABOUT: AlphaLab is a catalyst for launching the next generation of software, entertainment technology and Internet-related companies. Created by Innovation Works, one of the nation’s most active seed-stage investors, AlphaLab provides funding, free office space, expert business advisors and services through an intensive program in Pittsburgh. AlphaLab helps companies rapidly develop their technology, gain user feedback from early product releases, develop go-to-market strategies, and move toward successful commercial launch.

AMA Pittsburgh Marketing Mixer at Six Penn Kitchen

Posted on May 31, 2008 by Cynthia Closkey

Meet local marketers and enjoy the downtown scene.

When: Thursday, June 12, from 5:30 to 7:30p
Where: Six Penn Kitchen, 146 Sixth Street, Pittsburgh
Who: Anyone, plus members of the American Marketing Association’s Pittsburgh chapter
How much: $20 for food, two drinks, and unlimited mingling

Enhanced mingling is courtesy of The Famous Grouse, Scotland’s oldest working distillery, whose reps will be on hand with samples of their exceptional single-malt whiskeys.

To find out more and register online, see the event page.

These events were great fun last summer, with a lot of marketing and general socializing. I have to miss this June mixer, but I hope you will check it out. And I look forward to the other mixers later this summer.

DevHouse Pittsburgh #4 — BBQ House Party

Posted on May 9, 2008 by Cynthia Closkey

DevHouse Pittsburgh is "the premier Pittsburgh-area hackathon event that combines serious and not-so-serious productivity with a fun and exciting party atmosphere."

We’re about rapid development, ad-hoc collaboration, and cross pollination. Whether you’re a l33t hax0r, hardcore coder, or passionate designer, if you enjoy software and technology development, DevHouse Pittsburgh is for you.

DevHouse is not a marketing event. It’s a non-exclusive event intended for passionate and creative technical and design people that want to have some fun, learn new things, and meet new people.

When: Saturday, June 14, 2008, 2pm – 8pm

Where: Karl Schieneman’s house, 4685 Middle Road, Allison Park, PA 15101

Details of the BBQ are not yet resolved — one scenario is that each person might bring their own grillables, with beverages, sides, and fixings provided. Check the DevHouse Pittsburgh website for updated information, and to RSVP so they have a good guess at a headcount.

It’s sure to be an interesting and fun event. I hope to see you there!

PodCamp Pittsburgh 3

Posted on March 27, 2008 by Cynthia Closkey

PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 is the third iteration of a community UnConference for people who create, enjoy or are interested in learning more about blogs, vlogs, audio podcasts, web video, content networks and new media monetization.

WHEN: Saturday, October 18 through Sunday, October 19, from 9 AM to 4 PM each day
WHERE: The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, 420 Boulevard of the Allies, 15219
WHO: New media experts, new media creators, aspiring new media creators, communications and PR personnel, and you!
HOW MUCH: Free!

Registration will open soon at the PodCamp Pittsburgh website . Mark your calendar!

PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 planning meeting

Posted on March 24, 2008 by Cynthia Closkey

There will be another PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 planning meeting on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 7:00 PM (note the later time) at the Creative Treehouse in Bellevue.

Topics to be covered will include:

Finalizing event date
Discussion of mission and goals for the year
Updates from subcommittee leaders
Discussion of partnership to handle financial matters

Refresh Pittsburgh meeting

Posted on March 24, 2008 by Cynthia Closkey

The next meeting of Refresh Pittsburgh will at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, April 1 at the Creative Treehouse in Bellevue.

Refresh Pittsburgh is a community of designers and developers working to refresh the creative, technical, and professional culture of Internet developers in the Pittsburgh area.

To start the evening, Pat Collins will present “CakePHP: Rapid application development with PHP”.

Why learn a new programming language when you can use your existing PHP skills to become a better coder and increase your productivity? Let Pat show you how to build a blog application in no time, and how you can help!

Then, Val Head will be presenting “A, B, C, D-esign!”

Val’s presentation will be a discussion of the basic building blocks of design as they apply to designing fo the web. She’ll show examples of concepts like colour, typography and hierarchy and talk about how these fit in to a web page design.

As usual, if you would like to show off a recent project or pose a few questions to our group, please let us know and we’ll fit you in.

We’ll make sure to provide a good supply of coffee and cookies and other sweets to get you through the night.

Please RSVP to let us know if you will be joining us. We need to make sure we have enough seats and most importantly, coffee and cookies! And by all means, please forward this invitation to anyone you like.

Marketing for Nonprofits Workshop

Posted on March 24, 2008 by Cynthia Closkey

My colleague Karen Bryant will be presenting an all-day marketing class at the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management this Thursday. There are still a few spots open.

Marketing for Nonprofits: Five Keys to a Winning Marketing Plan.
Every nonprofit needs a strategic marketing plan to attract clients, secure funding and get noticed. This practical, how-to session presents the five keys to a winning marketing plan in easy-to-understand language with case studies, sample material, hands-on activities and a marketing plan template. Participants begin the marketing planning process in class and leave with the tools to complete and execute it. No budget is too small; these techniques and materials work for everyone.

Presenter: Karen Bryant has over 25 years experience working in the nonprofit and corporate sectors. Today, she merges her corporate marketing know-how to help nonprofits to take advantage of marketing and branding strategies utilized by successful companies. Her Pittsburgh clients include YouthWorks, Inc., Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, Elisco Advertising and Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh, to name a few.

Thursday March 27, 2008
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Regional Enterprise Tower
425 6th Avenue, Suite 2610
Downtown Pittsburgh
Fee: $100
Contact: Ivana Spehar 412-397-6000