MetroMediaWorks

Twitter Improves Ad Targeting

Chris Caputo — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:50:41 +0000

In an announcement Wednesday, social media network Twitter unveiled a new marketing tool that could put them into the “Big Time” with advertising giants such as Google. The new tool, being hailed by Twitter as a “Technological Breakthrough”, will allow them to more specifically target their audience based on such specific details as geographic location and content of their tweets. In the past, they could only target users based on who the user was following. With expected 2013 marketing revenues of less than $600 million, Twitter is certainly not one of the “heavy hitters” in the marketing field. But this move is coming just in time to move forward with their plan for an initial public offering as early as 2014.

Facebook Home and Your Small Business

Chris Caputo — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:30:03 +0000

While industry analysts are wild about Mark Zuckerberg’s recent announcement on Facebook Home, the short term affect on small business isn’t entirely clear.

Any time something of this magnitude hits the market, our clients are immediately interested in what they need to know.

Here some highlights you should be aware of:

This isn’t a “Facebook Phone.” Instead, it’s a customized version of the Android operating system that has been modified extensively to make Facebook the core of the users experience with the phone. For example, upon turning on the phone, users will see Facebook updates cover the entire screen and have the ability to interact with news feed items with simple gestures.
Facebook Home is only available for Android. Google’s Android operating system, which has steadily increased its market share over Apple’s iOS operating system, is extremely customizable. Android’s inherent flexibility made it possible for Facebook to release a customized version of the operating system. Facebook Home will come pre-installed on the HTC First, which will retail for $99. Users with newer Android phones will be able to download Facebook Home from Google’s app store on April 12.
Facebook Home isn’t likely to available for Apple iPhone anytime soon. Apple tightly controls its operating system in order to ensure a uniform user experience, and therefore, Facebook Home would be difficult to replicate on the iOS platform based on Apple’s current software development kit (SDK).

There are some interesting ways Facebook Home may impact small business:

If your business is already advertising on Facebook, expect even more impressions to come from mobile devices. More impressions will likely translates into more clicks, and therefore, more users visiting your Facebook Page (or web site) from their mobile device. Small business owners should ensure that their web site works well from mobile phones to ensure web sites continue to generate results.
If your business isn’t advertising on Facebook, now may be the time to start. This level of integration into users mobile devices will most likely give Facebook access to additional information, such as the user’s current location, more often. Having accurate location information will make it possible for Facebook to show geo targeted ads to customers viewing content near your business. Of course, geo targeted ads are just the surface of what additional type of targeting will be possible as a result of Facebook Home taking over users mobile phone.

MetroMediaWorks helps small business owners develop mobile web sites and advertise on Facebook. Contact us for a free quote.

Sun Trolley Tracker Wins Travel Choice’s Award For Innovative Programs

Chris Caputo — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:59:23 +0000

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – On Friday March 15th 2013, the University of South Florida named the Sun Trolley Tracker App as the winner of the Innovative Program award for 2013. The award will be presented to the Sun Trolley Marketing Team, Leadership Broward, and Metro Media Works who all worked in a joint effort in the launch of the app. There will be an awards ceremony held on Saturday March 29th where the team will be presented with their award.

ABOUT THE SUN TROLLEY – Whether you’re in downtown Fort Lauderdale for work or play, the Sun Trolley is a convenient choice to get around. Our trolleys reach all over Fort Lauderdale, providing access to world-class shopping, sparkling beaches, and endless options for entertainment. The Sun Trolleys are environmentally friendly bio-diesel vehicles that offer air-conditioned comfort and cool tunes.

ABOUT THE SUN TROLLEY APP – Sun Trolley Tracker is designed for Sun Trolley riders in Fort Lauderdale, FL/Broward County. Based on the Metro Go software platform, the Sun Trolley Tracker makes it easier for you to catch the trolley, and provides access to exclusive offers and deals at area businesses. You can see where the trolley is, and the estimated time until it is available.

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If you would like additional information or to setup an interview please contact Chris Caputo at 954-557-2801 or at chris@metromediaworks.com

Find Your iPhone Device ID (UDID)

Chris Caputo — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 19:28:58 +0000

When working with an iPhone app developer, you will often be asked to provide your iPhone Device ID (UDID) so that development versions of the app can be installed on your mobile phone for testing purposes. This 45 second video will walk you through how to find your Device ID (UDID) using iTunes 11.

Why Google+ Matters: SEO

Chris Caputo — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:58:52 +0000

While Google+ has been called a “Facebook Killer,” the jury is still out on whether or not G+ will eventually overtake Facebook as the leading social network pervasive in all of our every day lives. In light of the most recent changes to Facebook interface, some users are flocking to Google’s simpler, easier to use social network. Personally, I think Google needs a lot of improvement before it can be considered a replacement for Facebook… and a lot larger network.

Regardless of whether you like Google+ as a social network, it’s close integration with Google’s search engine should not be overlooked. Preliminary blog posts by industry insider’s have suggested that sharing content on Google+ would result in those pages being quickly added to the search giant’s massive web index and/or result in better positioning on search engine result pages (SERPs). Since you can’t believe half of what you read on the internet, I decided to give it a try myself.

To test whether or not Google+ would have an effect on how fast a page was indexed, I created two test blog posts at exactly the same time. They both had minimal, near identical text content. I shared one post immediately via my Google+ page, and another by using Google’s Submit An URL tool. Within a matter of hours, the page shared on Google+ was indexed and being returned in Google search results, while the page submitted via the traditional URL submission method still hasn’t appeared.

The takeaway: Whenever you add new content to your web site, share it via Google+ if you’d like to see it indexed quickly.

For more SEO tips, connect with me on Google+.

Use Your Chamber Membership To Improve Your Google Ranking

Chris Caputo — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:30:22 +0000

As member of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, you’ve probably already experienced membership’s many benefits including networking opportunities, educational workshops, and area discounts. One benefit you may not have been aware of, however, is how being a member of the Chamber can help your business’s web site rank higher on Google’s search engine result pages.

Without a doubt, there are many factors that determine your position in Google’s search engine result pages. One of the most critically important factors is the number of high quality web sites that link to your business’s web site. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce is well-positioned in Google’s indices, and therefore, it is beneficial to have links to YOUR web site appear on the Chamber’s web site.

Every member of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce is entitled to a free listing in the Chamber’s member directory. Your listing includes a link back to your web site. It is important to verify that your business is listed under the proper categories on the membership directory, and that your listings include a link back to your web site. To see if your business’s web site is listed in the membership directory, visit the Chamber’s membership directory and search for your business name.

If you would like to learn more about your business can appear on the first page of Google’s search engine results listings, contact Chris Caputo at MetroMediaWorks for a completely free search engine optimization (SEO) audit. MetroMediaWorks helps Fort Lauderdale, FL area businesses improve their search engine optimization (SEO), achieving excellent organic SEO results consistently.

Avoid Copyright Infringement in Web Design

Chris Caputo — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:10:59 +0000

Those who create a website for personal or business use are often not aware of the restraints posed by the use of text and graphics they may find elsewhere on the Internet. Copyright, for many, has to do with print books and other printed material. It may never occur to those new to web design that copyright laws apply or even what is or is not copyrighted material and what this means as they create their web design.

When trying to ensure that their website gets traffic, they may use material such as illustrations, charts, photos and text they find on other web sites. While this may seem harmless, it could potentially lead to copyright infringement charges. Copyright comes into play as soon as text or a picture is created. Pictures and text used on the web sites of others cannot be used without permission and, often, without paying for the privilege.

It is very easy to search the Internet for just that right graphic, download it, and utilize it on your own website. You may believe it is OK because others have done the same thing. This is not the case! Someone owns that graphic and you have no right to appropriate it without express permission from the owner. The same goes for using or passing on that really good article you find and want to use for SEO purposes by cutting and pasting it in your own blog post. It, too, is copyrighted and permission must be granted before you have the right to put it up on your website.

Those who seek to design their own websites don’t always understand copyright laws nor how to use search engine optimization (SEO) in order to draw traffic to their website. That’s where the services of professionals comes in. However if you hire a company, make sure they understand copyright laws and will guarantee all text and graphics used on your website do not break copyright laws.

MetroMediaWorks out of Fort Lauderdale understands your need for a well designed website that includes intriguing text and graphics that enhance the overall appearance and tone of the website. This Ft Lauderdale business has the experience and knowledge required to create a website that doesn’t infringe on the copyrights owned by others.

MetroMediaWorks of Fort Lauderdale understands customers are liable for items used for which permission has not been granted. They take particular care that the designs they use will not lead to accusations of copyright infringement.

Business Pages Now Available on Google+

Chris Caputo — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:43:47 +0000

Look out, Facebook, Google+ is now offering Google+ Pages!

If your business has been around for any amount of time, and you’re remotely interested in social media, you’ve probably are set up a Page for your business on Facebook. Facebook pages allow you to connect, communicate, and engage with the public, unlike personal Facebook accounts that are designed to help you stay connected to your personal network. Until now, however, you could not set up a page on Google+ unless you were part of their limited pages beta program.

To see a sample Google+ page, you can visit MetroMediaWorks on Google+.

Measure Site Activity With Google Analytics

Chris Caputo — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:28:32 +0000

Ever wonder how many people visit your web site? What content they are looking at? How they found out about you? You’ll want to check out Google Analytics. This free tool provides web site owners with in-depth analysis of visitor activity with literally dozens of reports and easy to understand graphics.

Getting started is easy. Just sign into Google Analytics and enter some basic information about your web site. Google will instantly create “code” that you (or your web developer) can easily add to your existing web site so that report data can be gathered automatically in real time. Please note that Google Analytics reports are generally about 24 hours behind, so it will be a day or so before become available.

The Growth of Bing

Chris Caputo — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:45:55 +0000

If you’re not familiar with Bing, Microsoft’s new venture into search, you will be soon. Launched just a month ago, Bing has already achieve a 7.3% market share. While this doesn’t compare to Google’s 62.8% market share, industry experts agree that Bing poses a significant threat to Google in the future. Within the past week, Microsoft inked a deal with Yahoo that will result in Bingo search result’s appearing on Yahoo.

If you’re already doing Google Pay-Per-Click marketing (PPC), it’s time to consider Bing as new source. You can access Bing’s advertising center here.