Blog entries

Cold Weather Energy Saving Tips

Danielle Kolesar — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0100

Make sure to save money while keeping yourself warm this winter:

Install heat reflectors behind radiators
Place reflective window films on the inside of window panes and glass doors
Cover your air conditioner
Put draft blockers behind light switches and electrical outlets
Caulk the gaps around your windows
Programmable thermostats control temperature when you aren't home

Create a YouTube Channel Using These 9 Easy Steps

Danielle Kolesar — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0100

YouTube Helps Builds Your Online Presence

YouTube is not just used to spread funny or bizarre videos throughout the web. Many businesses are utilizing this social media site as a powerful marketing tool by creating their own YouTube channels to promote their brand. A YouTube channel can greatly advance your online presence, but just like any other online content, it needs to be properly created and maintained.

Why is YouTube so popular?

Typically, people are m...

Improve Your Car's Fuel Efficiency

Danielle Kolesar — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:24:33 +0100

High gas prices are as good a reason as any to increase your car's fuel efficiency, but these tips also reduce pollution:

Change your air filter regularly
Speeding eats up extra gas so stay safe and keep to the speed limit
Turn your car off instead of idling and put it in neutral for short waits
Use cruise control whenever possible to maintain a consistent speed
Inflate your tires to the correct air pressure

If your mileage is still low, take your car to th...

5 "Must-Use" Features of Google Analytics

Danielle Kolesar — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:15:42 +0100

5 "Must-Use" Features of Google Analytics

It seems that everyone these days uses Google Analytics, but we find that many organizations benefit from a better understanding of the relevance of the report data. Looking at website visitors and pageviews is a place to start, however, there is so much more than just how many people came to your site.

Following are 5 must-use features of Google Analytics:

1. Visitors

The Visitors tab shows how many people visited yo...

Send Kids Back to School Green

Danielle Kolesar — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:26:29 +0100

As kids return to school, there are simple ways to encourage them to help the environment. Remind them to:

· Turn off the lights before they leave.

· Throw away trash on the playground.

· Use both sides of their notebook paper.

· Save unused school supplies.

· Put complete...

5 LinkedIn Things to Do Today to Improve Your Presence

Danielle Kolesar — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:40:10 +0100

5 LinkedIn Things to Do Today to Improve Your Presence

We spend a lot of time talking about LinkedIn to our clients and seminar attendees. One comment we often hear is that people are busy and don’t want to take the time to update their LinkedIn profile.

A comprehensive LinkedIn profile is a great way to build your web presence, generate leads, job hunt and more. Start by asking yourself why you have a LinkedIn presence. What is your...

5 Ways to Use Social Media in the Service Industry

Kristy Amy — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:23:42 +0100

At OnMark’s recent Social Made Simple seminar, we had an attendee pose a great question: If you sell a service, and not a “widget,” what’s the best way to use social media?

This is often particularly challenging to those in the heavily regulated financial, healthcare or banking industries. But before you give up entirely on integrating tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter into your communications strategy, consider doing a little research and testing out a few simple ways...

Go Green When You Go Camping

Kristy Amy — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:12:57 +0100

Make the most of your family camping experience and the environment with these tips:

Travel local - use less gas and less travel time.
Borrow or rent instead of buying camping gear.
Use LED lights for flashlights and lanterns.
Host your campfire or cookouts using reusable plates and dishes.
Opt for a tent instead of a camper.
Use organic bug repellent and citronella candles instead of chemical-based repellents.
Don't forget to get rid of your garbage by recycling or disposing bef...

Calculate driving costs, save water

Kristy Amy — Thu, 12 May 2011 18:20:11 +0100

Planning your summer vacation? Calculate the cost of driving anywhere in the U.S., including your carbon footprint, at www.costtodrive.com.

Turn off your tap water while brushing your teeth and washing up and save more than 200 gallons of water a month.

Social Media "Magic" or Management: How to Squeeze 10 hours into 2

Kristy Amy — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:28:22 +0100

At a recent seminar, we heard a social media expert say that marketers need to spend at least 10 hours a week researching, posting, Tweeting, monitoring and responding in order to execute a successful social media strategy. This guideline seems reasonable if social media management is a key aspect of your job description, but what if you wear other hats like many of our small business clients do? Does that mean your social media efforts are wasted if you can’t even spend a fraction of t...

Smart Paper Recycling at Home

Kristy Amy — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:42:56 +0100

If your house is like mine, we have TONS of paper. (Even though we have tons of electronic devices in use every day.) While we are trained to recycle at work, we need to carry over this habit to home.

Tips for getting started:

Setup a large plastic bin in a convenient place for everyone. We started by keeping ours in the garage just outside the door. We quickly decided that this wasn't convenient enough and now keep it in the mud room just off the garage.
Find a local place to tak...

The Social Big 3 – What do customers expect?

Kristy Amy — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:21:18 +0100

If you think about it, email is truly the first social media tool. It enabled one to many communications with groups of friends, family and coworkers around all kinds of topics. Since the use of Facebook and Twitter has exploded over the last few years, many of our clients are asking: How do we balance the 3 largest social outlets within our company’s marketing plan?

Recently ExactTarget, a global online interactive marketing provider, conducted research about people’s ...

8 Ways to Keep an Eye on your Brand

Kristy Amy — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 23:35:47 +0100

In addition to “owning” your listings, you want to keep a watchful eye on what others are saying about you.

Here are eight easy ways to keep an eye on your brand.

1. Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts): Set up alerts for your company and product names as well as any other important key words and this tool will comb the web weekly (even daily) and conveniently deliver web mentions in an e-mail.

2. GigaAlert (www.gigaalerts.com): The free vers...

What They’re Saying About You

Kristy Amy — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:42:49 +0100

You invest so much into building your business, but in an instant, a disgruntled customer venting frustrations on the web could tarnish your brand.
Although keeping tabs on your online reputation sounds daunting, it’s not.
For starters, go to Google, Bing and Yahoo and search your company name and brand names. What shows up? Google and Yahoo feature a local listing function that is similar to the old yellow pages. Review your address, phone number and map placement. Is it correct? (In o...

Plan for leftovers before dining out

Kristy Amy — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:49:13 +0100

The next time you head out to a restaurant for dinner, think about where you are going. Do you anticipate leftovers? If yes, throw a reusable container into your bag, pocket or purse. By forgoing the carryout container, you save the environment from one more cardboard or Styrofoam container sitting in a landfill. Additionally, you're less likely to forget those prized leftovers on the table and increase the chance of enjoying them the next day. :)

The Word of the Day -- A Journey for Positive Mental Attitude

Kristy Amy — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 06:00:00 +0100

At the beginning of this year, I resolved to yell at my kids less as I get them off to school each day. Feel free to smile at this very blunt admission that yes, I yell to get my kids to school on time. Now what you need to understand about my mornings is that I have three boys, ages 4, 6 and 8. These aren't quiet, introverted boys. These are loud, energetic boys who rarely sit still unless they are playing DS. It is a small miracle that they get to school every day on time, fed, dressed, hai...

Think Green for the Holidays

Kristy Amy — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:17:31 +0100

Use a gift bag instead of a box and wrapping paper. It saves paper and is something that you can use again and again. (Oh yeah, it also saves on wrapping time!)
If you receive a gift wrapped in paper, find your nearest recycling center that accepts mixed paper.
Serve those holiday appetizers on real plates. It looks nicer, is easier to hold and saves the earth.

5 reasons your employees should use social media

Kim Kelly — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:19:27 +0100

Social Media Makes your Best Asset Better

If your company doesn't allow its staff to use social media, you are wasting your most valuable business asset – employee expertise. Think about it: You trust your employees to operate your business, why wouldn’t you trust them to use social media to do their jobs even better?

According to Deb Mills-Scofield, a corporate innovation expert, some companies tend to focus on using social media to communicate externally and neglec...

Green Tips for Thanksgiving

Kim Kelly — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:01:37 +0100

When I think about Thanksgiving dinner, treasured images of family, friends and laughter come to mind. At the same time, I think about the large amount of unnecessary waste and trash produced from one meal. Here are a few tips for making your Thanksgiving a more eco-friendly gathering!

Purchase local, organically grown produce rather than pre-packaged fruits and vegetables. You will support your local economy and farmers while purchasing the freshest items available. Addition...

8 Things to Consider When Writing Your Company’s Blog

Kim Kelly — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:58:23 +0100

Many of our clients have asked about blogging recently and how online writing is different from traditional copywriting. While blogging can improve your SEO ranking and infuse your site with fresh content on a regular basis, it’s not without guidelines. Many of these guidelines are similar to print copywriting, such as:

Don’t plagiarize. Make your ideas your own and if you’re not the expert on the content, consider linking to someone who is.

Check your facts. Yo...