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Welcome to the super-interesting, never-boring October 17 Media online marketing & advertising blog!

Here you'll find a smattering of tips, tools, techniques and opinions on the latest and greatest at October 17 Media and the online marketing world. We post about website optimization, analytics, conversions, domain name news, email marketing, SEO, copywriting, social media and other important topics for businesses and webmasters everywhere.

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Social Media and Charity Campaigning: A Match Made in Heaven

September 2nd, 2010

Hole-in-one Cause Campaign TipsIt was estimated that, despite the economic downturn in 2008, Canadians were still able to donate approximately $8.9 billion to charity. Though this was a 5% drop from the previous year, it’s certainly no miniscule amount, not to mention the thousands of hours of volunteer work we worked for non-profits. It seems we are more aware of the importance of giving of our resources and our time, much more that we were a decade ago. The techniques of today certainly differ from those in the 80s and early 90s, when only those large organizations who can afford TV, print and radio advertising (plus a celebrity endorser or two) could get the word out.

The Internet has become the great equalizer, where everyone with a cause can spread their message, and now so more than ever with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. Social media and non-profits seem to the perfect match – both relying on people’s participation and beginning from the grassroots. In the past 5 years or so, many organizations, big and small, have used social media for their own causes. It is inexpensive and cost-effective, allowing them to directly contact with their target audience. But whether you’re a seasoned campaigner, or just getting your feet wet, it’s not as simple as just building a website and expecting the dollars to start rolling in. There are a few key tips you should keep in mind, if you want to start your own cause marketing campaign, which will keep you on track to get that hole-in-one. Read the rest of this entry »


Chilling with the Old Spice Guy at the Emmy’s

August 27th, 2010

Emmy Winner Old Spice Guy This is L.A.! Tamara Brooks, co-founder of October 17 Media was living up the life at the 62nd Annual Emmy Awards with her Emmy-nominated hubby (for his Special Effects work on Stargate Universe) just at the end of August. And guess who she got to hang out with? None other than The Old Spice Guy aka Isaiah Mustafa.

All you avid October 17 Media blog readers out there know we’re big fans of Old Spice’s recent marketing campaigns. The recent video responses to fans’ Twitter and Facebook Wall questions was a fantastic viral explosion on the web back in early July 2010. Check out this video of him on Ellen – he really is that nice, down-to-earth and cool! As with any online marketing firm, Isaiah, we love you <3

We're big on social media and love creating online marketing contests to increase traffic to websites and raise brand awareness. Find us @oct17 for social media tips and become a part of the family on Facebook!


Mobile Shopping and Strategy: The Trend That’s Here to Stay

August 23rd, 2010

Mobile Shopping
Mobile marketing is not exactly a new concept but it has yet to catch up to other conventional platforms due to a few drawbacks. The reach of mobile technology is dependent on the number of mobile devices in use today. Very few people can function without a mobile phone and with the advent of 4G smartphones (who’s got their iPhone 4?!), the reach and ability of a mobile device has grown tenfold. Naturally, it makes sense that marketing through these devices will mean the ability to access more people directly. Even your grandma is using her phone to browse the web (Hi Grams!). Ergo, getting a mobile version of your site and incorporating mobile advertising using tools like AdWords is a smart marketing strategy move, especially if you are in the retail industry. Read more about how to do that on our previous blog post.

Considering the number of mobile users in the world, mobile marketing as a concept sounds very lucrative. Unfortunately, mobile users have yet to take advantage of the widespread technology that can enable this marketing tool to succeed. For example, do YOU have a mobile version of your website? If yes, does it look exceptional for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and other mobile users? How accessible, functional and relevant is it to your customers? Believe it or not, mobile marketing is no longer “in the future”; ladies and gentlemen, it is NOW. If you’re interested in joining the world in going mobile, be sure to check out Webcopyplus‘ must-read blog article about how The World is Going Mobile. If the issues standing in the way of mobile marketing are addressed one by one, it can easily overtake email marketing. Read the rest of this entry »


On the Cheap: 1-on-1 Online Marketing Workshop Session!

August 16th, 2010

Social Media Crash Course Flyer

Get yourself a one-on-one online marketing workshop with
co-owner of October 17 Media Tamara Brooks on the cheap!

So, what’s the cost?

$125 for 1 hour session.
—–OR —–
Mention this blog post and receive the same session for $89.95 (plus HST).

Get ideas and tips specific to your company’s online needs and goals

Bring your laptop, this is a work session!

  • We’ll review your website and provide tips on how to convert traffic more effectively.
  • We’ll look at your social media presence and make recommendations on how to improve.
  • We’ll help you learn how to track metrics and return on investment.
  • We’ll help you review your paid advertising and search engine optimization strategy.

Available slots: Read the rest of this entry »


New Facebook Insights Dashboard

August 11th, 2010

FB Insight Treasure ChestThe Facebook fan page is on its way to becoming a top new advertising platform. After all, Facebook is now officially the most popular U.S. website according to data from Hitwise analytics. Facebook has gone a long way in making its fan pages more flexible as far as design and content is concerned, allowing for custom tabs that look brand-spankingly out of this world. Avast, ye hearties, now they’ve updated Insights, a free service similar to web analytics that is available for everyone who has a fan page to track the progress of it.

The new and improved Insights dashboard was made live just recently to page admins. Read the rest of this entry »


October 17 Media specializes in website development, paid search advertising, social media and viral marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) and email marketing.