Arushi Raval’s Website by Spark Media Consulting

December 10th, 2011

 

In order to get the word out about Arushi’s Bharatnatyam Arangetram, Arushii Raval's Website Design by Spark Media Consulting as well as the charity she is supporting, Spark Media Consulting created a unique and eye-catching website. This website serves as a showcase for Arushi’s stunning pictures and as a way to inform visitors of all the different aspects of the Bharatnatyam event.

 

The site also highlights the fact that Arushi has chosen to support Embrace Infant Warmer for her charity. Embrace is a sustainable social enterprise thatis addressing the issue of global infant mortality through an innovative infant warmer that costs 1% of a traditional incubator. The design looks like a miniature sleeping bag, but in reality, will saves lives of vulnerable infants. It is a new, low cost solution to help keep low birth weight babies’ body temperature warm so they can survive and thrive in developing countries. If you are interested, please click here to donate.

 

We wish Arushi lots of luck on the day of her upcoming performance, and we hope everyone is enjoying the website!

 

 

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5 ways to Leverage Twitter for Education

October 16th, 2011

 

Twitter has become a social network of incredible power, yet the information for many is jumbled, it’s too much too quick. However for those who have discovered the power of tweeting, and have a smart well designed strategy to monitor content; twitter proves to be an immense resource in building strong networks, and collaborating with big players in any industry. Recently I stumbled upon an article discussing some profound ways schools and educators are using twitter to reach out to their student’s and bring educational advancement to the forefront of American social progress.

 

1. Twitter as a Mini Facebook:

Schools have begun to use twitter as a mini Facebook. Students post statuses just like Facebook, but unique twitter advantages allow for tremendously more social growth. Twitter has the ability to backchannel; this means there are conversations going on in real time, including on-campus lectures. Few Professors have even begun to involve live tweeting in their classrooms to allow students to actively participate in classroom discussion.

 

2. Relevant Hash Tags (#)

are the most powerful tool to facilitate conservations. They allow for all posts related to that hash tag to be seen by a user who searches for it. For example the web services department at John Carroll University promoted homecoming events with a “homecoming” hash tag. This set up a page that assembled all the tweets and pictures with the homecoming hash tag. Alumni and student’s from all over the country were able to follow the homecoming, and comment on it without ever stepping foot on the campus.

 

3. Twitter to Connect Educators

Twitter has now become the water cooler of this decade. Twitter is where news breaks, and a platform for industry leaders to bounce ideas, talk about collaborations, and just discuss the day’s news. Educators can build networks by connecting with the top minds in higher education. Following Professors from top Universities can help educators reach their own students more effectively. Educators can also follow conferences that they cannot attend in person, and can be part of the discussion from their homes.

 

4. Building A School’s Brand Online

Twitter users are more often than not all looking for a few things:
1. Benefit
2. Information
3. Customer service
4. Entertainment

 

Schools can provide real-time information on what is happening on-campus. Questions that parents have can be answered via twitter. Teachers and parents can create a network where information on advancing education in shared, and web resources and tools are openly shared to build a database of resources for any class.

 

5. Student Involvement

Every school has amazing students who are doing incredible things. Involve these students in your twitter platform and allow them to interact with industry leaders and find information. The more people that become involved in developing a twitter platform the more content gets shared, and the more relationships the school can build. Science Fair Projects, Math Olympiads, or any school project is bolstered with a network of professionals and experts willing to interact with students in real time.

 

I’d like to leave this one open to suggestions. If anyone has any more ways where twitter can help out education, or any questions, please feel free to comment. Additionally I am always looking for more resources to provide students, so any and all help is very much appreciated.

 

 

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The Significance of Twitter for Companies & Businesses

September 11th, 2011

 

Advertising on Twitter

  • Promoted Products
  • Promoted Tweets
    • Allow companies to reach a broader customer base.
    • A regular tweet with advertising amplifies visibility.
    • These tweets begin to appear as content in search results. A viral tweet that is immediately made into promoted tweets are likely to be found by those outside of twitter as well.
    • Promoted Tweets are offered on a Cost-per-Engagement (CPE) basis, so you only pay when a user Retweets, replies to, clicks on or favorites your Promoted Tweet. Retweeted impressions by engaged users are free, and can amplify the reach and cost-effectiveness of your campaign many times over.
  • Promoted Trends
    • Offer an opportunity to feature a Trend related to your business at the top of this Trends list. When a user clicks on the Trend, they are taken to the conversation for that trend.
  • Promoted Accounts
    • Promoted Accounts highlight your account to users most likely to find it interesting. Twitter looks at your account and followers to identify similar accounts and similar followers.

 

Tracking Twitter’s Progress

  • Twitter Analytics: All three dashboards display the fundamental metrics of your campaign: impressions, Retweets, click, replies, and follows (Promoted Accounts) as they happen.
  • Timeline Activity provides an invaluable, all-encompassing look at your all your activity on Twitter. See how single every one of your Tweets (regular, as well as Promoted) is performing in terms of mentions, follows, reach, and more:
  • Pay attention to the Trending Topics on your Twitter search page. These mentioned terms show what most people are paying attention to right now and can be used for topics on your own tweets.

 

Business to Business Sales using Twitter

  • The idea behind business to business connections on twitter is to create connections with industry leaders by engaging them in topics of interest to them. (Following their tweets).

 

Twitter Brand Management

  • List creation is crucial in Brand management. Competitors list, initiative lists, and relevant news lists will help organize tweets and help clients respond more efficiently and promptly.
  • Lists also identify trending topics.

 

 

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Spark Media Consulting Business Cards

September 2nd, 2011


 

Spark Media Consulting Business Cards

 

After going through a couple business card designs and researching the best business card printers, Spark Media Consulting now has 500 beautiful business cards!

 

When wanting to get the word out about your business, having eye-catching and informative business cards are one of the easiest and cheapest ways to do so. However, having a poorly designed business card that is difficult to read can be just as bad for your business.

 

Think of business cards as mini-representations of your business. Does the design reflect your unique branding? Is the information easy to read and to-the-point? Will someone be wowed by the overall look and feel of the card? If you answered no to any of these questions, Spark Media Consulting can design/re-design business cards for your company that are sure to make you answer yes to every evaluative question.

 

 

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Social Media-Centered Design

August 26th, 2011


 

With the ever-expanding presence of social media in the online world, website design has adapted by finding ways to integrate and highlight social media platforms.

 

The most common form of integration comes in the form of small buttons/icons. These icons are usually placed at the top, bottom, or side of web pages, especially on article or blog sites (as seen at the top of this blog post). Each icon represents a certain social media platform, and the reader can choose to "like" or "share" the page with others, therefore promoting the site through any relevant form of social media. In order to integrate the icons into the design of a site, many of the icons are custom made and fit the overall look and feel of a particular site.

 

Many websites are also now designed with a nod to one or more social media feeds. These feeds are usually placed in a sidebar and feature current updates from a site's online activity. This allows a user to find these updates quickly and stay up-to-date with a site's recent happenings. The default looks for many feeds do not mesh well with a website's design, so it is common to see feeds presented in a way that makes them look consistent with the rest of the website's content. For example, Spark Media Consulting's website has a "feed bar" at the bottom of this page, highlighting our facebook, blog, and twitter postings.

 

Business pages on facebook have taken on their own roles as mini-websites. Of course, these mini-sites have quite a few restrictions compared to a traditional website. For starters, the width of the mini-site can only be 520px. That's a much smaller canvas than the traditional 1000+px width of a website. Having a mini-site on facebook makes your business look much more professional and provides a lot more information than a generic facebook business page. A higher quality web-presence will increase the chances that users will share your business on social media platforms, therefore increasing your popularity and expanding your customer base.

 

 

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The Advantages of Spark

August 19th, 2011


 

One of the latest trends in the online environment is the use of social networks for information on local businesses. Millions of people are using the internet or their mobile phones in order to tap into social networks on a daily basis. For a business, this presents a unique opportunity where you can benefit from the services offered by Spark Media Consulting. The following reasons will help explain why your business should be interested in pursuing all the benefits offered by social media marketing.

 

Consumer Demand

Regardless of the industry, potential clients are expecting to see businesses on social media platforms. They are looking for information, deals, reviews and experiences of others that dealt with your business. What type of impression do you leave if they can’t find you on Facebook, Twitter etc? Well, most potential clients might feel as though you are not a company that is engaged with your market place and consumers. The social media strategies developed by Spark Media Consulting will create an online presence for your business and build relationships with relevant communities. Social media is the new medium for word of mouth!

 

Increase Your Marketing Potential

If there is a physical room or space that your target market regularly meets then there is a strong reason for your business to look for exposure there. Well, it’s the same basic principle online. Consumers use social media sites to help them find information on businesses every single day. Spark Media Consulting will help you find potential clients on different social networks and put your business right in front of them.

 

The Power of Interconnection

Another reason to invest in the power of social media marketing is seen with linking your website to various social media networks. Linking your website not only improves the search engine optimization of your website, but also helps drive quality traffic from your social networks back to your site. Once there, a professional and aesthetically pleasing website developed by Spark Media Consulting is sure to grab their attention and increase the likelihood of hooking a potential client.

 

Improving Overall Marketing Performance

Another advantage that arises from working with Spark Media Consulting is improving the overall performance of your marketing campaign. It is essential for any business to exploit and take advantage of an advertising channel, such as social media, that will improve marketing success and generate new sales. There are countless case studies that have proven social media marketing can accomplish both of those goals. These days, no business can ignore the power of social media marketing and still hope to compete.

 

Contact Spark Media Consulting today for a free quote and see how we can help take your marketing efforts to a completely new level.

 

 

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