Social Media Marketing and Optimization

Don't Know Your Twitter From Your Widget? Overdrive Interactive CEO Helps Businesses Dive Into Social Media

Boston, MA (PRWEB) January 26, 2009 -- For businesses, decoding the social media landscape (http://www.ovrdrv.com/services/social-media-marketing.asp) is no longer a maybe, it's a must. The only problem is the lightening speed at which social media is developing can intimidate most marketers. So the head of a national award-winning interactive agency has set up an educational webinar aimed at demystifying social media.

Working off his popular lecture series, "Social Media Is About Socializing", Harry Gold (http://www.ovrdrv.com/about_us/people.asp), CEO of Overdrive Interactive, initially developed the webinar to share with professional colleagues of Overdrive's clients, which have included GMAC Insurance, Cognos, Harley-Davidson and Hasbro, among others. The topical subject has generated considerable interest among those new to the social media platform; in the last two months alone, Gold has conducted the webinar four times for more than 2000 combined registrants.

"We're in an era where even President Obama communicated via Tweets and Facebook posts during his election campaign and the good news is it's well within the power of the average businessperson to reach out to consumers in the same way," said Gold. "The message? Get out there and dive in -- if you just dip your toe in the water you will never get wet."

During the hour-long webinar, Gold tackles the most noteworthy trends in social media -- particularly YouTube, Blogs, Facebook (www.ovrdrv.com/facebook), and Twitter. He encourages new users to begin the same way any person would -- by building an account, then post relevant news or information on your page or profile and, ultimately, amass friends, fans and followers.

"YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are exceptionally important social networking tools for today's businesses," says Gold. "The secret is to recognize the difference between using the social media platform for work and for play. Businesses need to post quality content that helps inform their audience in a meaningful way -- do this and you will make real and lasting brand connections with prospects and customers that generate ROI."

Upcoming free webinars will be broadcast on Thursday, January 29 and Wednesday, February 2 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Details and registration information can be found at: http://www.ovrdrv.com/social-webinar/.

About Overdrive Interactive:

Overdrive Interactive is a full-service online marketing agency based in Boston that helps clients grow their business with engaging and measurable online media, social media and search engine marketing campaigns and services. The agency specializes in creating genuine consumer connections that help companies build their brands, generate leads and drive revenue. Overdrive serves organizations that are seeking a high level of accountability from their marketing firms and advertising investments. For more information, please visit www.OverdriveInteractive.com.

About Harry Gold:

Harry Gold is the architect and conductor behind Overdrive's ROI-driven programs, and is a frequent lecturer on search engine marketing, paid search management, social media marketing and online media for The American Marketing Association, The New England Direct Marketing Association, The Ad Club, UMass Boston, Harvard University and Boston University. He is also a recognized subject matter expert and columnist for ClickZ.

Gold started his online career in 1995 when he founded Interactive Promotions and has been at the forefront in developing successful online programs for various agencies and Fortune 500 companies ever since. He is now founder and CEO of Overdrive Interactive, the award-winning online marketing agency behind highly successful search engine marketing (http://www.ovrdrv.com/services/paid-search-management.asp), online media and social media campaigns for clients as diverse as Harley-Davidson, John Hancock, The Princeton Review, LoJack and Dow Jones.

###

MORE ARTICLES:

Social Media Increases Revenue and Growth by 60 Percent
Business that used social media increased their revenue and growth by 60% versus 8% for business that did not use social media. Consumers are spending more time and conducting more business online and businesses that have incorporated social media are reaping the benefits as they are gaining visibility with the consumer across the entire online purchase cycle.

John Squire, CMO, Coremetrics To Keynote Social Media Strategies
Johns Squire, Chief Strategy Officer, Coremetrics will be keynoting the second annual Social Media Strategies conference on May 18-19, 2010. The conference will be focused on social business, marketing and optimization strategies for B2B and B2C.

New Report Reveals Technology, Car and Entertainment Brands are the Most Talked About Sectors in Social Media
New research; Brands in Social Media, examines the conversations around top 100 brands in blogs, forums and social networks.

Integration of Social Media with Mainline Marketing Programs is Key to Success in 2010
Companies and organizations rushing headlong into stand alone social media campaigns in the belief they will be the “silver bullet” to their brand promotion needs are sure to be sorely disappointed, according to John Hope-Johnstone, Chief Strategist for HPR Social Media.

SocialMediaPlus Announces Content for Education Seminars; Planning, Implementing, Measuring Among Key Topics
More than 1,000 attendees from throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region are expected for the upcoming SocialMediaPlus one-day business summit to discuss everything from planning, implementing and measuring social media programs in any business. The summit, planned for May 25 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, features nationally recognized speakers in 28 seminars spread through four education tracks, each relating real-world experience in the fast growing social media industry.

American Century Investments Study Shows Many Financial Professionals See Potential of Social Media
American Century Investments surveyed financial professionals regarding their use of social media.

Businesses May Be Under-Reporting 80% of Their Social Media and PR Traffic by Not Tracking 'View-Through,' According to Tealium
Standard Web Analytics Packages Unable to Detect Large Majority of Social Media Traffic

Social Media Marketing Tips
At Social Media Marketing LLC, we are experts at social media marketing for small to medium sized businesses, particularly, the home based business and real estate (realtor and private investor)

Pharma Companies Head Toward The Social Media Dialogue
Pharma companies are wrestling with social media issues as the space rapidly evolves. Smart companies are learning to engage their audiences the right way...

Friendster Expands its Portfolio with Fourth Social Networking Patent
Friendster Receives Patent on Compatibility Scoring of Online Social Network Users

Jobs In Social Media Launches Marketplace for Finding Social Media Talent
Social media professionals now have a dedicated social networking site just for them. It's called Jobs in Social Media and it sees the social media job market as a fast riser in the new economy.

Social Media in the Business-to-Business Environment
Purpose of this article: Social networking has been around a while Now, social media is the hot topic for marketers

Web 2.0 Development Firm Launches Interactive Guide Social Media Power Offers Hands-on Instruction on Social Media and Optimization
Austin, Texas - June 30, 2008 - Social Media Power, a Web 2.0 development firm based in Austin, TX, announces the launch of a practical, solutions-oriented guidebook to social media and Web 2.0 optimization to benefit entrepreneurs, small businesses, authors, and small publishers. The no-nonsense guide, titled A Step-by-Step Guide to Social Media Marketing and Web 2.0 Optimization, is written in an easy-to-understand manner that can lead anyone through the social media optimization process, even with little knowledge of programming or HTML.

Social Media Strategies Conference 2010 to focus on Social Media Marketing & Optimization Strategies
More and more businesses are learning that it is important to have a strong social media presence in place to promote their products and services. Social Media Strategies Conference will focus on Social Media Marketing and Optimization Strategies, featuring B2B & B2C companies that have used social media marketing strategies successfully.