Are the 2015 Super Bowl Commercials as Important as the Game?

We all know that the Super Bowl is about football but it’s also about Advertising!  People now watch the Super Bowl for the commercials just as much as the game.  This event has become more than just about sports. It’s a brands way to capture attention from all the eyes of the game on social media. This year several companies pre-released their 2015 commercials  instead of waiting to release  them on Sunday.  Check out the 2015 previews: … [Read more...]

Choosing the Appropriate Social Media Platform for Your Content

Developing a personal brand takes time, but social media is an essential tool that can help tremendously. We now have the ability to search with ease, have constant learning opportunities and various ways to communicate and interact with others. We have only had these tools in the last few years so lets utilize them! Many companies constantly post but do not receive the results they are looking for.  Once you know your readers, you will be able to promote not just what your company has to … [Read more...]

Pulling the Plug on Google Authorship

Big News for the social media community!  On August 28th, 2014 John Muller announced on Google+ that Google Authorship program is coming to an end*.  For those who are unfamiliar of what this experiment was; it began in 2011.  The idea was to help minimize spam in the search engine results page (SERPs) by listing the authors and linking them to their posts.  With all the other participants in the social media world, Google tried to join the game but was a little late. This is a great example … [Read more...]

Did a Google+ Enhancement Prompt this Facebook Change?

Facebook news feed.  There are both critics and proponents of this change but no one is really sure how it is going to effect a brand.  One little change slipped through this week that we feel is really a big positive change for brands.  This Facebook change is likely the result of the recent change Google made in it's brand pages on Google+.  We are in a world of visual story telling.  Google increased the size of their cover images and have never had any restrictions on text on the image. … [Read more...]

3 New Enhancements to Google+

Google+ is a part of the marketing strategy for Social Buzz Lab Clients. We were thrilled when Sara McKinley, Product Manager at Google announced on her Google+ profile some changes and improvements to profiles and pages today. Larger Cover Photos   Cover photos are much larger than before (up to 2120px by 1192px), and they display in 16x9 when fully expanded.  We're really excited about all the possibilities the larger cover images will present. An Easier Way to Edit Your Info  The … [Read more...]

You’re Freakin’ Kidding Me… You’re Not on Google+?

Google+ for Business

We've been actively creating Google+ business pages for our clients since Google released pages for businesses.  When I'm asked to describe Google+ I often refer to it as Facebook without all of the drama. Many marketers have left Facebook for Google+.  We've even heard debates from those who have questioned if Google+ would make it or if Facebook would eventually win the battle.   As Forbes author  Anthony Kosner wrote, Watch out Facebook, Google, Inc. could catch up. Data collected … [Read more...]

3 Ways to Benefit From Google Search Plus Your World

Google recently released one of the biggest changes to its search engine in a decade.  With the input of only a few characters you will get personalized results based on content from Google+  profiles, posts, photos and business pages. Google explains,  "We’re transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships." 3 User Benefits from Google Search Plus Your World Find People Online - when you start entering characters in a name … [Read more...]

10 Simple Steps to Get Started with Google+

The Social Buzz Lab frequently conducts training and seminars on Social Media. We recently had our first gathering of the new year for our Meetup2.0 Group in Roanoke, VA.  John Lusher and I (add me to your circles) did a 45 minute training on how to get started with Google Plus. We started with the simple steps and ended the meeting with a hands-on live Hangout. 10 Simple Steps to Get Started with Google+ To set up a Google+ account you need a Google account (Gmail works). Once you … [Read more...]

Two New Gmail Updates to Enhance Google+ Experience

My email of choice is Gmail and I often recommend Google Apps for our business clients. The main reason I heart gmail is because of the integration it supports in all of the tools I use for management, research and collaboration.  Google recently released a new look for Gmail. Two Gmail Updates that Integrate Google+ There is a new tab on the left sidebar that allows users to sort incoming mail from contacts based on the Google+ circle  they belongs to.  This allows you the ability to sort … [Read more...]