Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

During this fall internship, we’ve been devoting a lot of time and energy to search engine optimization (SEO) — both learning what it is and how to do it, and then putting that knowledge to use. Up to this point, businesses have provided SEO as a service to those hoping to bring traffic to their website. But now it seems that might become a thing of the past. Everything on the Internet is shifting towards keywords and tags. Soon that will be the model upon which the Internet is navigated. So then one might ask, “Is there a way to automatically generate keywords based on a site’s content?” And it turns out that such methods are being developed today.

The first one I found is particularly applicable for bloggers such as myself. It’s a WordPress plugin called All In One SEO, developed by Semper Fi Web Design. I came across it last week as I was searching their plugin database for helpful tools. Out of 279 user reviews, it has an average rating of about 4 out of 5. But what exactly does the plugin claim to do? As stated on the WordPress page, the plugin should optimize your blog for search engines, generate META tags, avoid duplicate content, and more. The plugin claims to work “out of the box” for WordPress 2.3, with no fiddling necessary (Unfortunately we’re on to WordPress 2.6.2). They also say you can override META tags and specify most settings.

That all sounds great, but is there more to the story? As far as I can tell, there’s no way to confirm that the plugin is actually doing what it’s supposed to do. Time for some more research, and more writing about Digital Marketing on my own blog.

I’m sure most of you have been fighting gas prices throughout the year. Despite the fact that most of us are trying to be more eco-friendly the constant increase in the price of oil has made it extremely tough. In recent weeks however, gas stations have surprised us all and have actually lowered their prices. We’ll see how long that actually lasts though. Hopefully it won’t be short-lived. In the mean time, here are some tips to help make your automobile more fuel efficient:

• Slow down your acceleration time (accelerate 0 to 60 mph in about 15 seconds). The average improvement in fuel economy is about 31%
• For all you speed racers out there, try driving the speed limit. You’ll save on average 12%.
• Try using your cruise control more frequently, it can save you an average of 7%
• If you end up being stuck in traffic or idle for more than one minute turn off your car, it will save you an average of 14%
• Refuel your vehicle during the evening hours to cut down on the amount of pollution created
• Try combining your daily errands and activities to the shortest route possible. The heaviest car emissions occur during the first two miles that your car is being driven since the engine is still warming up
• Keep your tires inflated at the maximum recommended pressure and get your car alignment checked about every 5,000 miles
• Keep up on your car maintenance, especially ignition timing, spark plugs and wiring, and idle speed settings
• Purchas long-lasting, fuel-efficient radial tires
• Avoid quick starts and stops
• Use anti-freeze that doesn’t contain ethylene glycol
• Avoid idling your car for more than 30 seconds
• Keep the air and fuel filters clean

In addition to these check out the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Vehicle Guide. All you have to do is fill in your car make, model, year and state and it will show you your cars fuel efficiency, air pollution score, greenhouse gas score and more. You can also look up and compare what the “greenest” vehicles are.

Driving is an essential part of most of our daily lives. Although it is hard to cut back on our daily activities, we must come to realize that when there is an opportunity for us to take public transportation or ride a bike we should use it. Although we rely on cars to fulfill a majority of our needs, we also rely on the environment to survive. Without the environment, we are non-existent thus making cars un-important.

Last Wednesday the interns and Derek dedicated the day to analyze Google Adwords possibilities. Setting a Google Adwords account is really easy but getting the most out of it may not be so easy. The following recommendations will help you with setting up your account.

The first steps after signing up for your Google Adwords account is setting a monthly budget (of at least $50, anything under that does not really show at all) and determining where your ads are going to appear. If you are starting and your business is mostly local, it will probably be a good idea for you to keep your adwords campaign also local. Another option is to set the maximum cost per click (CPC). If your keywords are very competitive, you may want to set up a high maximum CPC. Otherwise Google can set your bids in order to optimize the results.

Make sure that you get the most of the 95 characters available per ad (25 for the title and 35 for each line). While writing your ad there are some considerations to keep in mind. The first one is how accurate is your ad. If a potential customer clicks in your ad, which reads “professional photographic equipment”, and you are only selling disposable cameras that person not only is not going to buy from you, but is also going to cost you money since he/she is clicking in your ad. It is very important that your ad include the benefits of your product and/or service and some of your keywords. You can find the keywords that relate to your site by using the Google Adwords tool. Once you do this, you can see the relevance and how competitive are these words, and choose according to your site content and budget. The best idea is to combine some competitive keywords with some other more specific to your site. Being specific will attract potential customers to your site. If you are local and you only offer your product/service locally you will most likely improve your results by including your location in your Adwords ad. Also do not forget to push your customer, including phrases like order now or limited supplies will make your ad more successful.

These are some very basic guidelines for starting your Adwords campaign. If you want to learn more about Adwords and how to use it in your business you should rely on experienced professionals and contact Ingenex Digital Marketing, I’m sure they will find the most suitable digital marketing solution for your business.

Our Human brains tend to operate in dichotomies: good and bad, man and woman, Obama and McCain and… nature and technology?! Humanity, or more specifically our advances in technology, have largely been responsible for the degradation of ecosystems, exhaustion of resources and extinction of species. Technology is therefore intrinsically in opposition to nature… or is it?

Ok, so our societal advancements have not always treaded lightly on our Mother Earth. It cannot be denied that we have done some irreversible damage. That being said, we are still a part of these integral ecosystems and what is done has been done. It is then, perhaps the most beneficial to utilize our technological advancements to help preserve, conserve and reduce what damage has been done (when possible). Yes, this is a rather large task, and one may ask simply how can you even begin to approach this? Well…

With the advent and ubiquity (literally) of the internet, solutions may be as simple as running a Google search. I recently stumbled upon a website boasting the ‘30 Best Eco Sites.’ As is turns out I hit the green goldmine of eco-sites! This site features a list of some of the best green internet resources. These top 30 sites include everything from environmental blogging, eco-clothing and products and day-to-day living tips. Each and every site serves as an excellent educational green resource, and I highly recommend that you check it out.

On site on this list that caught my eye in particular was EcoGeek. EcoGeek focuses on the connection between nature and technology and aims to prove that green gadgets can be good. Ah ha! Just what I was looking for- people are actually synthesizing these two concepts that until recently (and I mean recently) were definitively at odds. Maybe, just maybe, we can use this internet thing as a platform for a universal green movement…? Sure, technology has been bad for our planet. But it’s time to realize that technology may also have the power to begin to heal the environment. Shunning or ignoring the omnipresence of modern day technology will do nothing to save the planet. We must accept the reality of this situation and begin to use the tools we have at hand to begin to work towards a more sustainable future.

With the current state of the economy, those of us who aren’t eco-friendly yet need to look into it – being environmentally savvy can save more than you think. The upsets of the financial markets in the United States are having effects across the globe; consumers everywhere are thinking again before making purchases, going a little longer before replacing things, and weighing the values of each purchase before heading to the checkout line. Depressing stuff, right? Luckily for people who think green, saving the planet can also mean saving dollars.

Here are some top tips I found that can help you conserve your dollars and the earth, chosen for their low-cost aspect and ease of adoption:

 1. Put on a sweater

Add degrees of warmth, and save money while you’re at it! Keep your heating bills down and enjoy sporting winter fashions at the same time. Layering is a really good idea for maintaining the temperature you want, wherever you go. Even if you’re just hanging around the house, putting on more clothes definitely beats turning up the thermostat when it comes the checkbook.      

 

2. Stop drinking bottled water

Did you know that you can get bottled water for free, at home? All you have to do is take a bottle (preferably reusable) and fill it with water – from the tap. If you have a thirst emergency and you aren’t at home, or don’t own any bottles, hands work equally well as efficient (and free) cups. If you insisit on drinking bottled water, RECYCLE!

3. Cut back on meat

Yes, you can still get enough protein if you stop eating meat, or even reduce your consumption even one day a week. Eating less meat means saving lots of money – meat is pretty expensive compared to tofu, beans, vegetables, fruit, or grain staples. Additionally, cutting the fat for many people will mean saving on future medical bills as well – consider it a non-taxable investment in your personal health.

4. Keep your computer as long as possible, and recycle once you decide to buy a new one

Sure, we would all love to have the latest technology as soon as it comes out. This may be an option for some people, but a computer is a hefty investment to others. While your old machine may not be in the prime of its technological ‘life’, waiting to replace it saves the resources it would take to make it, the gas needed to transport it, and the moolah in your pocket from being spent. Upgrade your existing machine, and if it really is time to buy new, make sure to recycle your old computer appropriately.

5. Have a winter party!

Be resourceful: invite your friends over for a gathering, and harvest their body heat! Each guest is the equivalent of a 175-watt heater, so the more peeps you invite, the warmer your house (and your heart). Seriously though, at one point all of us have been in an unbearably hot bar or club and know that body heat gets places hot. There are no rules on feeding or watering your guests, so let them provide the hot air while you bask in the glow of free heat.

If you really want to be extra-green, consider trying to live a life in the day of this family. For those of you just trying to save a buck, I would recommend The Daily Green, The Budget Ecoist, or the Frugalist. I hope that this entry helps you save money, but more importantly, look at your spending habits and evaluate your consumption and its effects on the environment. If you do end up saving so much money that you want to share the wealth, contact me and we can arrange an (eco-friendly) e-Transfer.

After GM unveiled the Chevrolet Volt, there were some other manufacturers that wanted to join (and compete) for the electric car market. BMW with the future Mini E, Tesla with the Roadster, Smart with the Smart ForTwo Electric and Nissan with the yet to be confirmed Mixim (currently only a concept car) will be the first  electric cars competing for this new market, and I’m sure that not the last ones.

The impact of a growing market of electric cars will be beneficial for the environment. These cars will not contaminate with any kind of emissions and also will help to reduce the economic dependence that the United States have on oil, both foreign and domestic. According to the electric car impact study that is being developed by GM and other 30 companies, the Chevrolet Volt will require about 8 kilowatt-hours of energy to recharge its batteries, and that should be enough for getting about 40 miles on the road. So 8 kilowatt-hours of electricity that can be obtained by using renewable energies will save 2 to 3 gallons of gas. Also, the average price of the kilowatt-hour in the States is about ten cents, so recharging the Volt batteries would be under $1.

According to the Energy Information Administration, only 7% of the energy used in the USA comes from renewable sources, while 40% comes from Petroleum. If the car industry has learned from the errors of the past and the electric car becomes successful, this will probably a turning point for the use of renewable energies in America, and the progressive reduction of the oil dependence, which will make transportation more eco-friendly than it had never been before.

As we press forward into the future, mobile marketing is increasingly evolving. Billions of people all around the world own and use a cell phone on a daily basis. Among the evolution of mobile marketing, QR codes have recently come about. Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with what these are let me explain. QR stands for “quick response” code where the code allows its contents to be decoded at high speed.  QR codes were created by the Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. Since then, they have emerged into the Japanese market and have become extremely popular. QR codes are still working their way into the U.S. market and are said to become more prevalent in the future.

Recently, popular designer and fashion icon Ralph Lauren has introduced QR codes into their print ads, mailers and store windows. When scanned with a mobile phone, the code directs the phone’s browser to a website where you can shop for RL products.  For those of you that are impulse buyers this could be heaven on earth. You now have the opportunity to see an item of clothing in a store window, scan the QR code with your phone and purchase the item on the spot without even stepping into the store.  Ralph Lauren hopes that QR codes will become mainstream sometime in the near future.

While researching this topic, I found that most people are extremely skeptical about purchasing items using QR codes. Although it has become extremely popular in Asia, Americans are much more hesitant to put stock in QR codes. Many people felt that since the amount of information they had heard about QR codes was minimal, they questioned the safety of it. Also, others were hesitant about impulse buying and having to potentially whip out their credit cards on a street corner to buy a sweater.

For those of you interested in testing out QR codes here is how you would go about doing that. First, download QR reader software on your phone. (All phones aren’t supported yet so visit m.ralphlauren.com to check if your phone is compatible to download the reader).  Once you’ve downloaded the reader on your phone you can use it to scan any QR codes you see, i.e. the Rugby Ralph Lauren Store in Manhattan, New York.  Your phone will then be directed to that item’s website and you can buy it right there on the spot.

Innovative, yet skeptical this technological advancement is definitely something to be excited about. Keep a lookout for QR codes as they work their way into the U.S. market.  This breakthrough has taken the future of mobile phones to the new level. Ponder the thought, sometime in the near future, if this isn’t already the case, almost all of our personal and business transactions will have the capability to be taken care of over our mobile phones, thus, almost making it like a mini-computer. Oh the possibilities!

In the past several years, the hideous truth about plastic bags has been gaining more and more media attention. People are beginning to realize what these bags are made from (petroleum) and how long it takes them to disintegrate in landfills (a long time, should they make it there). 

I began to realize this anti-plastic bag mass movement has trickled down to a variety of large chain stores in the local Ann Arbor area. Although perhaps this is an attempt to tap into the ‘green niche’ rather than operating out of eco-consciousness, I feel optimistic none-the-less that environmental stewardship is beginning to be addressed on a larger scale level.

Last night I was shopping for various toiletries at my local Rite-Aid. I noticed that even they carried cloth bags emblazoned with their logo! I was a initially a little shocked, and proceeded to the cash register where I told the clerk that I didn’t need a plastic bag. He seemed amazed at my ability to carry my three items by hand out to my car. He proceeded to let me know that some of his regular patrons will ask to double bag unnecessary items (such as a gallon of milk).

Wasteful behavior such as this makes me feel fortunate that many stores are beginning to add additional taxes when you use plastic bags. Additionally, many cities and states are beginning to propose an all-together ban on plastic bags. Both measures have proven to be very successful. In fact, China’s ban on plastic bags will save an estimated 37 million barrels of oil! This ban extends to the free bags distributed to customers. 

Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to ban plastic bags or even to tax them. The city of Dallas’s local council recently stated that banning plastic bags and food containers would have a “negative impact on the local environment, the economy and the school system.” They went on to say they believe in educating people about what is responsible behavior and simply “not to litter…” a preventative measure that works oh so well…

All in all I am totally in favor of bans or taxes on plastic bags. I think that this is absolutely a step in the right direction; if people are more aware of their conspicuous consumption, then they are forced to take a step back and reevaluate their behavior. This increase in environmental awareness in recent years has spurred many programs that adress the urgent need for stewardship and sustainability. 

Recently, Ingenex has begun to research Michigan State University’s Be Spartan Green program. As discussed in my recent blog post, we hope to bring our eco-friendly internship program to help bring digital and environmental education to East Lansing. It is through awareness and education made possible largely due to digital technologies that we can work and strive towards a more sustainable future.

According to The New York Times, bike borrowing and sharing programs are becoming very popular at universities and colleges around the country. Some universities are funding the programs, hoping that students will choose bike travel over using their car. Some schools spent as much as $50,000 on their program, offering bikes that sell for over $400. Other programs involve discounts through local bike shops. Not only will this cut down on carbon emissions, but it will also decrease traffic and parking competition on campus.

(sxc.hu)

I think there’s a definite need for such a program at Michigan State. Students pay between $1.25 – $1.75 per hour for campus parking, and tickets start at $10 and quickly accumulate. However, this kind of program might conflict with the City of East Lansing’s actions to move students as far as possible from the actual campus. More and more students live in apartments up to two miles away from where they attend class. The main campus is already about four square miles, or about a 45-minute walk from end to end. Some might also say that bike riding decreases in the winter with increased snow and ice levels. Still, the bike remains the best method of transportation at schools like MSU and U of M. It woud be in the best interest of the universities to develop a free bike program for students.

Furthermore, cities should start programs like this. I would potentially ride a bike to downtown Ann Arbor if I had a decent street bicycle. However, I currently do not own one, so I lack that option. A city could help develop its green accomplishments (and its green reputation) with this kind of program.

(NOTE – I’ve just been informed by fellow Eco-Friendly Intern Jennifer Harrison that MSU does have a bike rental program. You can read about it at bike.msu.edu.)

Follow our internship at my personal Digital Marketing Blog. Also, go to the Social Harbor website to learn more about Ingenex Digital Marketing.

There are literally hundreds of social media networking tools available on the web, many of which are free and fairly simple to figure out. While it is debatable which is the ‘best’ utility (as this is fairly opinion based), there is no doubt in my mind that Twitter offers something distinctive in the realm of digital technologies. Twitter can be used as a social networking tool through short, 140 ‘micro-blogs’ or ‘tweets’ as they’re called, that serve as status updates for an individual, organization or company. You can choose whose updates you receive and similarly people can add you and follow your updates. Here is one of the coolest features of the site: the ability to receive updates from your contacts via the Twitter webpage, through Facebook, as an RSS feed, SMS text message or via Instant Messages. Additionally, you can have your Twitter account automatically publish a link to your latest blog posts. You also can control your privacy settings and restrict who receives your tweets.

Twitter allows you to create your own personal profile complete with biography and links to any personal webpages that you may have. You can search all other Twitter profiles to find people in close proximity to you and with similar backgrounds and interests. Twitter is straight to the point; it allows for you to share instant information with a network of contacts in a concise manner.

This image is known as the Fail Whale, an iconic aspect of Twitter.

Many businesses and business-minded individuals alike have put this Web 2.0 tool to good use. Companies such as Whole Foods, CNN and JetBlue all have accounts that provide consumers with relevant-up-to-date information in their respective industry. You can also follow both Democratic and Republican Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates on Twitter- really useful to provide up to date information about their campaigns. 

Twitter is continuing to grow in size and popularity as many businesses are realizing that this tool serves to fill a unique digital niche. Not only can tweets provide up-to-the-second information about products and services offered by your business, but it serves as an interactive forum where a business-consumer dialogue can occur, allowing for maximum success on behalf of all parties. Of course, this interaction is even more beneficial for a business that operates in a primarily digital field (take Ingenex, for example).

Twitter is showing itself to quickly be the way of the future. Because accounts can be created for both individuals and large corporations, the type of information transmitted in a tweet can cover a wide range of meanings and purposes. Corporations can notify followers of potential sales, while individuals can let their contacts know that they’ve just recently posted a blog entry worth checking out. Tweets are short but extremely multi-faceted in terms of use and the type of audience they can potentially reach. I definitely recommend utilizing this social networking tool for both your personal and business needs.