Real-time Marketing: 5 ways to take advantage of what's going on right now

As you read this, something is happening. Our world is buzzing about with the latest news, events, topics and ideas. Brands just have to reach out and grab the right one to follow its way to fame.

Real-time marketing is defined as “on-the-fly” participation by brands. Everyone has heard of the brilliant Oreo tweet that stole the Super Bowl show during the black out. It was just a simple picture and tagline but because it was released at the perfect moment on the perfect medium it went viral.

Dedicate a small team

Before you begin your hunt to capture publicity and the hearts of men, you need to put together a team. It’s not economical to have all your employees sitting in a room watching TV and scouting Twitter for a big idea. Choose 1-3 people who are creative, responsible and great decision makers who could whip something up in a short amount of time.

At least one of those team members should always be on Twitter, checking news and various related sites for any good opportunities.

Have a plan but be flexible

The team above should create a plan. This may seem counterintuitive since you are supposed to be creating marketing spontaneously. Nevertheless, here is a list of things your team should consider ahead of time:

-What companies are we looking to get in the news (do you have permission from them)?
-What are a few events in the near future that could be a good opportunity?
-What are a few obvious tie-ins with these events? 
-How can our brand or product play a part in the event?
-Who is your designated designer/copywriter for any quick projects?

Brainstorming a few ideas ahead of time will help your team react quickly in real-time.

Know where to look

Surfing is no easy walk in the park. Surfers have to have a keen ability to judge the perfect wave and when to get on at the perfect time. Just like surfers, we are dependent on the waves of publicity. Waiting for the perfect one might take some time. It helps if you know where to find that perfect wave. 

1) Topsy: This real-time search engine is a perfect place to find niche news being talked about. Users can search everything, narrow down by time or language, or even choose news coming from specific areas like experts or videos.

2) Twitter trends: Twitter is a great place to keep your eye on what’s breaking now. Create lists for various genres, such as foreign news, technology, sporting events etc. Check out the trending hashtags to see if your company would fit into one.

3) People in the know: Don’t follow second hand news, go straight to the source. In your industry or news sector, find who’s releasing the information first. For events, go to the official page as well as workers at the event who might be tweeting ahead of time anything that happens.

4) Pinterest: Find out what is trending and popular through Pinterest pictures. 

5) Reddit: Find out what’s getting a lot of attention on Reddit. They have a ton of subreddits that could apply to your industry. 

6) Listen: Use tools like Synthesio to listen to what’s breaking in the social community.

7) Statistics: People love numbers and research. Check the latest statistics on sites like Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gap Minder, Office of National Statistics, and National Centre for Social Research. See how your company can highjack the statistic and apply to their industry.

Be proactive

Popular events aren’t the only time you can steal the news. Get in touch with journalists, take them out to coffee, ask them about upcoming stories. Keep in the loop both on a personal and professional level. 

When something comes up that relates nicely with your brand or product, offer the journalist a unique angle. Journalists are always looking for unique angles to make their story fresh and exciting.

Engage consumers

There’s more to real-time marketing than just getting in the news or riding the tailwinds of a highly talked about event. Real-time also should apply to consumers. Whether it is one or a hundred, brands or their supporting agency should always be on top of quickly responding to consumers’ needs or comments.

Social media has made it possible to interact and respond quickly. People have come to expect a fast reply over Facebook or a retweet from a brand on Twitter. This human reaction from brands is what wins (or loses) the hearts of consumers.

Special thanks to Alicia Lawrence for her contributions on The Marketing Blog.  Connect with Alicia on Google+. Alicia Lawrence is a content coordinator for an Internet marketing company serving clients like 12 Palms addiction rehab center. Her work has been published by the Association for Business Communication, Yahoo! Small Business, and Spin Sucks. 

What? You Actually Call People On Your Phone?

According to the Office of National Statistics, over 17.5 million people use their mobile phones to browse the internet. Around 45% of those using the internet use their phone. Around 6 million people used their phone to access the internet for the first time in 2011. Back in 2009, only around 8.5 million people in the UK used their phones to browse the internet.

So what is behind this trend for increasing mobile phone usage?

The Smartphone Revolution:

Smartphones have certainly impacted on these trends. Since the advent of the iPhone series in 2007, phones have become better and better and have captured the imagination of the public.

The smartphone sector grew through recession and has been extremely buoyant despite the expensive contracts and expensive premium end phones. We’ve now seen new phones come on to the market that provide superb functionality, excellent screens, and 3G connectivity at budget prices. This has driven consumers to increasingly enjoy their mobile phone browsing experience.

Network Development:

Alongside the development in the smartphone market, the mobile phone networks have increased apace. We now have 4G connectivity with theoretical speeds of 14.4MBps and 3G connectivity is able to do around a tenth of that. Therefore we can get decent connectivity through 3G and excellent connectivity through 4G. With LTE and further advancements, we are going to be looking at even faster mobile broadband- mega fast.

It Depends Where You Are:

Only around 13% of rural mobile broadband users say that they have decent 3G connectivity consistently. Compare that to mobile broadband in London where you have well over 90% of users with good 3G activity.

According to the Office of National Statistics, 38% of people now use their mobile phones to surf while outside their homes and the rest jump on Wi-Fi.

Increasing Use of Wi-Fi Hotspots:

Over 5 million people now use Wi-Fi hotspots. This is a figure that is increasing fast and the variety of options to get on Wi-Fi hotspots is increasing. BT provides Wi-Fi hotspots, Sky offers them as well. There are even special cloud based Wi-Fi networks that you can get on in public places, paying a small fee.

Social Media:

The integration of social media into our phones has certainly been a major contributor to us getting online with them. As people have browsed Facebook, many have realised the speed and capacity of their phones to do more than just phone, text, and e-mail.

In addition, people have realised the benefits of being in touch on the go, especially with services such as eBay, where time really matters. You no longer have to sit in front of your computer to stay online.

Advertising Revenue Potential:

Companies like Facebook and Twitter are looking to increase their revenues from mobile phone markets. Increasingly, they are understanding that the potential of smartphones is so great, and that revenues from mobile broadband could end up surpassing their other revenue streams. They are drastically innovating and testing to find ways to generate the maximum that they can from this new and exciting revolution in technology.

Top Tip:

If you have a decent allowance of data on your phone, you can set it up as a wireless hotspot so you can jump online on your tablet or your laptop. There are many applications that can be downloaded through IOS, Windows, and Android. It really can be very simple to make your phone a mobile modem.

Author Bio:

Phil Turner bought his first smartphone recently, tempted by Sky offers he had received in the post about free wifi hotspots for Sky subscribers.

Coolest Online Learning Technologies

A Weapon for Knowledge:

Many educators are taking advantage of advances in online learning technology. This includes accessing teaching activities and resources online. At the same time, it utilizes different forms of communication, multimedia tools and online assessment.

An online assessment is use to gauge what the students have learned. Additionally, it employs Classroom technologies such as interactive whiteboards and personal response systems. One of the benefits of this program is that it provides an increased chance for dialogue between teachers and students. This in turn enhances the learning experience. Choosing the right online learning technology can be a daunting task. However, there are several online learning technologies that are worth checking out.

Webcams:

The use of webcams as a learning and teaching tool is gradually increasing. It also offers teachers an effective means to enable their students to see real time events. At the same time, it brings to life far off places. These two features alone can inspire imagination and curiosity. Teachers also employ webcams to provide lessons on a wide variety of topics. This includes live music lessons and online English language courses. They can be used for collaboration between schools and video conferencing as well.

Video:

This online learning technology helps teachers reach visual learners. These pupils have a tendency to learn effectively by viewing the material rather that reading it. Teachers can gain access to a wide range of video clips using the Internet instead of VHS tapes or DVDs.

Teachers can employ messaging programs as video e-learning tools. These messaging programs include Adobe Connect and Skype. They are also used to interact with experts and guest speakers on a particular topic. At the same time, interactive games are steadily being included in many higher education and K-12 institution curriculums.

Although research on utilizing video as an online learning tool is preliminary, early research shows great results and increased retention when it is employed in a lesson. Utilizing a systematic video development approach holds a lot of promise for making video models that have a positive impact on student learning.

Audio:

Lessons on tape have been around for a long time. They have been used in classrooms around the world long before the advent of computers and video. Learning using audio has been fully implemented thanks to advancements in technology. This has allowed teachers to stream audio from the Internet. At the same time, there are many podcasts and webcasts available online for teachers and students to download.

At the same time, audio is often employed to effectively explain visuals. Examples of visual learning tools may include maps and flow charts. This is because teachers are directing data to both the visual and auditory channels to effectively distribute the mental workload. Using snippets of audio about a subject being discussed also adds authenticity to the content.

Blogging:

Many online users consider blogs to be a platform for communication. However, they have recently started to be used as an online learning tool. This allows pupils to ask questions, respond and interact with other students both outside and inside the classroom.

Students can also utilize a blog to do everything that they usually do on paper. Some of these things include answering homework questions, receiving feedback on project drafts and reflecting on reading assignments. At the same time, teachers can use them to provide feedback using comments. Other students may also utilize them to provide qualitative feedback.

Screencasting:

This is a recent trend in online learning. There are a lot of screencasting tools that are available today that provide users with numerous benefits. One benefit is the ability to share their computer screens directly from their browsers. This allows people to create videos that are available online. Viewers can stream these videos directly.

Another advantage is that it gives the presenter the capability to show their flow of thoughts and ideas rather than simply explaining them. This enables them to mimic one on one experience between the student and teacher. Mimicking this experience enables teachers to deliver complete and clear instruction.

From the learner’s point of view, it provides the capability to rewind and pause the lesson. This allows them to learn at their own pace.

Author Bio:

Alex Faubel enjoys writing about topics related to business and the intersection of technology in career focused education programs.

How Scientists are Using the Internet?

Over time, the way to disseminate news to the masses has gone from traditional print media to broadcast stations to the Internet. For scientists and others at the forefront of the technological boom, this has come as a welcomed development, as the Internet allows for research to be done more efficiently and news and reports to be published immediately.

It is only natural then that during the social media boom 85% of scientists reported that social media had an effect on their decision-making, and 77% of life scientists found themselves participating in some form of social media. Twitter, for example, allows scientists to collect data, share resources, deliver news and build relationships within the industry. Where will the technology go from here? To start, we must first look back at the developments of social media and science reporting over time.

Take a look at this infographic to learn more about the changing landscape of science and social media.

10 Easy Steps To Configuring An Internet Answering Machine

An online answering machine works just like a regular answering device. The only divergence is that you have to connect your phone to the computer instead of a traditional answering device. The online answering works on both dial-up and broadband connections and ensures that you do not miss any call. The answering software allows you to listen to messages as and when they are being recorded, and also download other messages and listen to them much later.

Here are step-by-step instructions that will help you install and setup online answering software:

1. Before downloading and installing the software, do check if your computer has the necessary space and memory, and the appropriate modem. You will need a voice modem – space and memory should not be a constraint.
2. Before buying any software, download the trial version and test it. It must be easy to use and you should take a liking to it before buying it. Most answering software companies offer a free trial, and you should try 3-4 different software before zeroing on to one.
3. After choosing convenient answering software, you should buy and download it. Save the exe file in a folder of your choice.
4. Remove the line cord from your telephone and connect it to the modem port in your computer. The other end should be plugged into the wall jack. Connect the telephone line to your modem. If you need clarity on this step, talk to customer support of the online answering software vendor.
5. Now, install the answering software. Install it as recommended in its manual or as per directions printed on the installation screens.
6. You have to now configure the software based on your preferences – For example: set the number of rings that should be allowed before the software answers the phone, set the silence detector and the toll saver features. You also should configure the recording time limit for messages. Check all the other features in the software and set them up as per your requirements.
7. Next, set up one or many mailboxes to record a greeting message. You can record multiple messages – one each for every mailbox. Many software tools have a feature that allows you to record a special greeting for a few phone numbers of your choice.
8. To stop unauthorized people from accessing your messages, you must setup a password. Note down the password in your diary. Remember, you can even access your messages remotely.
9. If you are the type of guy who gets very important messages all the time, then you should enable email forwarding of messages. That way every message will be forwarded to your email inbox.
10. If you want to be alerted every time a new message rolls in, then you have to configure the appropriate alert option.

Finally, do not install an Internet answering machine without equipping your computer with a robust firewall and antivirus programs. You don’t want people hacking into your computer and stealing your precious data, including the important messages in your mailboxes.

Author Bio:

Roger A. Delatorre is a blogger from Minneapolis, MN who recommends checking out MaxEmail for a simple solution for an internet answering machine.

How To Buy An Unavailable Domain?

What is an unavailable domain and how do you buy one? Very often, when you search for a domain name that you want you will find that someone already owns it. This is a very common occurrence, especially if you are looking for a .com domain name. Not only are many of these bought up for websites, many domain investors have gobbled up desirable .com domain names.

Just because a domain name is not immediately available, however, doesn't necessarily mean you cannot buy it. There are other ways to obtain it. Most domain registrars have a service where they help you obtain a domain name that's already owned. There is no guarantee that this will work, but if you really want a domain it's worth trying.

Domain Buy Service:

If you go to GoDaddy.com, for example, and search for a domain name you may find that it's already registered. In this case, GoDaddy will show you other options that may not be registered. They will also offer to help you obtain the domain for which you originally searched.

If you click on this option, you will see that they have a Domain Buy Service that currently costs $69.99 per domain plus commission. In exchange for this fee, GoDaddy will contact the domain's current owner and negotiate on your behalf. Naturally, it's in the domain registrar's interest to get the domain for you, as they will earn a commission on the sale (read this Namecheap review by Domain Raccoon for more services).

You should, however, only do this for a domain you really want and that has good earning potential. The cost of getting a domain in this manner can be substantial. You are not only paying the registrar for the service, but you don't know how much the current owner may want for the domain -- if he or she is even willing to sell it at all.

Domain Back Orders:

Another option is to back order the domain you want. In this case, you only have a chance to get this domain if the current owner does not renew it. Even then, you may have competition if other people have also back ordered it. In this case, it goes to auction and you will be able to bid against others.

When it comes to expired domains, you should also know that domains don't become available immediately after the expiration date. The current owner has a grace period of 40 days. During this time the owner can still renew it. This means that even if a domain is about to expire immediately, you will still have to wait more than a month before you have a chance to buy it.

Another way to get a domain that will soon expire is to register for a service such as Snapnames.com. This company and a few others like it will buy a name on your behalf as soon as it becomes available. You will have to pay them a fee, currently $69, and they will try to secure it for you. If others also want it, however, it will go to auction.

Using a service like Snapnames gives you a better chance of getting an expired domain than if you tried to register it yourself after it expires. Still, there is never a guarantee.

Contacting Domain Owners Directly:

Another way to get an unavailable domain name is to contact the owner directly. The owner may not respond to you at all. He or she may quote you a price higher than you're willing to pay. On the other hand, there's always a chance you will be lucky and find that the owner is willing to sell at a price you can afford.
If the domain has a website associated with it, you can often find the owner's contact information on the site. Keep in mind that if the site is well developed, this will probably drive up the domain's value. If there is no website, you can find contact info for the owner at Whois, unless the owner opted for domain privacy.

Author Bio:

Greg has been active in the domain registrar industry for almost a decade. He has bought and sold thousands of domains in various industries and frequently blogs about his experiences on registrars at domainraccoon.com .

July 4th DUI Checkpoints Announced for Los Angeles

A number of DUI checkpoints will be administered by Los Angeles police Departments over the Fourth of July weekend.
One checkpoint is planned at the intersection of Broadlawn Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard West near Universal Studios, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
A news conference will be held at that location at 5 p.m., with City Councilman Tom LaBonge, a representative from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and officials from the LAPD scheduled to speak, according to the LAPD.
Another Drunk driving checkpoint will be set up on Florence Avenue between Broadway and Main streets, the LAPD said.
Police will set up traffic signs advising drivers they are approaching a checkpoint. Once there, police will explain to motorists the purpose of the checkpoint and detain drivers who appear to be under the influence, according to the LAPD.
Validity of driver licenses also will be examined, police said.
The West Covina Police Department is also planning a DUI and drivers license checkpoint at an undisclosed location "where a significant number of DUI-related collisions and DUI arrests have occurred," according to West Covina PD Lt. Marty Sevilla.
The checkpoints will be in place Friday, July 2, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.