As I mentioned, we are co-hosting a custom media full-day workshop, “Custom Media Day: Growing Your Custom Media Business in a Social Media Age” on Wednesday, June 17 from 8:30am-4:30pm at the Scandinavia House in New York City. You do not need to be a member to attend.

Scheduled speaker and topic presentations include:

Executive Roundtable Discussion: Hear What the Clients are Saying

Moderated by Joe Pulizzi, Co-Author of Get Content Get Customers and Founder of Junta42 and featuring the following panelists:

• Tracy Burleson, Director of Residential Programs, Propane Education & Research Council (PERC), on how they developed a successful integrated print/online custom content program.
• Pamela Plehn, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) on the success of CME magazine and how they are taking it to the next level.
• Mike Volpe, Vice President, Inbound Marketing, HubSpot, will discuss how HubSpot went from unknown to a leading marketing software company by leveraging a cutting-edge online content strategy.

Keynote Speaker: Andrew Hazen, SEO Expert and Founder of Prime Visibility

• The World Beyond SEO: Tricks and secrets to successful social media and how to integrate it into current online content programs.

Digital Magazine Workshop

• The leading experts on digital magazines will show you what you never knew about digital magazines and how you can create new revenue streams and opportunities today.

What You Always Wanted to Ask about Social Media but Never Could

• A workshop about what YOU should be doing in social media now and how you can create new services or integrate current client offerings with the latest social media tools.

Custom Publishing Council Member Meeting

• This meeting is open to all attendees. Expect a discussion focused on the latest custom publishing research and what you need to know to excel in the custom marketplace.
• Making the Case for Custom Media: A presentation on new Roper research

A cocktail networking reception will immediately follow the CPC member meeting.

Register online for “Custom Media Day” at www.abmevents.com. The full day price is $95.00 per person for ABM, Junta42 and CPC members, and $125 per person for non-members. Half day rates are available. This includes breakfast, lunch, and the cocktail reception.

Source: Sarah Welt, Custom Publishing Council

www.custompublishingcouncil.com  | www.custompublishingcouncil.blogspot.com

Our friend has a nice post on ad spending trends, which includes a few charts from a report prepared by the research firm eMarketer.

Pay particular attention to the Internet spending trends. At eoecho, we are seeing significant increases in WOM related marketing budgets – Internet spending on blogs, social networking, podcasting, viral marketing, etc. Are you experiencing the same trends? Do you see these trends continuing?

TAGS: ad spending, publishing, word of mouth, eoecho

And send they do – inboxes are being jammed with irrelevant, poorly written content originating from Constant Contact users. Yes, there are others, but we’re picking on them because we rec’d four poorly written, some unsolicited, emails today with their logo on the bottom indicating “sent using Constant Contact.” Their success in marketing appears to be backfiring. How can you compete with this newsletter overload? Is there an alternative?

We’re making the switch to autoresponder programs focused on providing relevant content requested by our prospects and customers. It’s still email, but the results appear more promising then just the standard newsletter marketing strategy.

We looked at, and tested, several software products before making a decision to go with this company. We considered using Constant Contact, but we have been told ISPs are scrutinizing their emails – rumor is delivery rates are becoming an issue. You can cut your cost in half, likely improve your delivery rates, and receive better customer service (in our humble opinion) by checking out the provider we’re now using. Their anti-SPAM mechanisms require opt-in lists that will keep many of the spammers using Constant Contact away. Therefore, we expect our delivery rates to remain high as others using the software are reporting.

Are you using autoresponders? If so, how are your results?

TAGS: email newsletters, autoresponders, Online Marketing, Marketing, PR, eoecho

FirstGov has the most comprehensive search of government anywhere on the Internet. It also provides a Spanish-language portal – FirstGov en Español. In addition, entrepreneurs can find out how to do business with the federal government through the FirstGov Business Gateway.

The doors of lower Manhattan, below 14th Street, are especially unique and filled with the area’s heritage and originality. Tara took these shots for her photojournalism grad class.

Now that’s a great idea!

Thank Tara for sharing her photos with us. Here’s a sample (see Tara’s blog – link above – for more great shots):

Spiders crawl the Internet looking for email addresses on your web pages. To avoid your email from being captured by SPAMMERS, use this great little tool that encrypts your email address. It is a tool used by webmasters to create encoded "mailto" links.

Just click on the "Online-Code Generator" link in the right hand column once you get to www.mailtoprotector.com

FYI: The code generator only works if you are using Internet Explorer as your browser (don’t know why, just the way it is). 

To see it in action, click: Greg Magnus

Well, it’s finally here. The “Top Searches List” for 2005. Interesting to see what the world of Internet users spend their time on.

Here’s the Top 10 List (drum roll please):

1. Music Lyrics
2. Paris Hilton
3. Google
4. eBay
5. Yahoo
6. Mapquest
7. Games Cheat
8. Games
9. Dogs
10. Top 100 Baby Names

Go to the link above for interesting commentary.

If you decide to build your own website and you’re not a graphic designer, this site offers great tips in their articles.

We provide website design and we help our clients build and market their blogs – numerous online services to benefit your company’s growth. If you need help, please let us know.

- Greg

www.eoecho.com 

Contact David Cummings for a copy of the RFP:

Email: David@mbca.org
Phone: 800-637-2360
Web: www.mbca.org

Deadline: February 28, 2006, responses must be received at the MBCA National Business Office by the close of the business day (5:00 p.m.).

Warm Regards,

Greg Magnus
Mid-Atlantic Regional Director
National Board of Directors
Mercedes-Benz Club of Am. – www.mbca.org
Central Virginia Section – www.mbca.org/cva/

President
www.eoecho.com
greg@eoecho.com
Ph: 804-915-7379