Hey is anyone out there listening to AM Radio anymore? Hope so because we were just featured on Greg Skidmore’s radio show and blog Business Catalyst on WGCH in Greenwich, CT. Here the podcast here.

Enjoy!

I have been waiting for this week to arrive for about 2-3 years. Over 3 years ago, I went to a blogging conference where I learned, for the first time what a blog was (Robert Scoble, among others, was speaking…had no idea who he was).

About 6 months later I had a vision of how business could use blogs and how we could provide a service guiding clients through the blogging process. Soon after I learned about other cool things like podcasts and videos and began to pitch my clients who gave me the stare of death….the “what are you talking” about look with the thought of “why would I want to play around with blogs and podcasts when I am so busy.”

Frustrated, I decided to put together a conference where the innovators, including us, of social media came together in one room to teach the business community that new media is about to become the necessary media. That was 2 1/2 years ago.

This week it seems the vision of using social media as a business tool has bloomed into a full blown all out cry for joy or help by business people worldwide and we are answering the call and/or celebrating.

We sent out a search engine optimized press release for a travel client which drove visitors to their blog (which we created) and website, met with a client to go over the stats of their blog and their myspace and facebook pages, launched a very cool video on 7 different channels with a teaser on YES Network along with a live-linked flash banner ad below it which drives visitors back to the main website, we met with a new start up/client that uses social networking to reach out to her community and needs help with PR and general promotion (how will we do that? through myspace and facebook of course), helped a client with their wine blog that we helped them create and made sure their pictures were formatted properly, had lunch with a associate where I met another contact who is a top notch branding consultant whose only link missing in her services is the social media factor which she wants to learn more about from Creative Concepts, talked with one of my staff who loves working for Creative Concepts because she can do all of her online work when her kids are in bed (she said she loves what she does so much she would do it for free…should I take her up on it?), and finally, I heard from one of the judges (from a Fortune 500 company) from the Business Smart Tools Angel Award, he wanted to connect to one of my contacts on Linkedin and wants to hear more about our long string of online services.

Now, are we living the social media dream? The vision from over 3 years ago?

Happily, the answer is yes!

Video, as you may have heard, is a very hot property these days! Everyone wants in on the YouTube power of exposure, especially companies. Unfortunately not many deliver it on a regular basis. Videos either seem too much like an ad similar to those on TV (which doesn’t have the same pull online) or the videos are a glimpse into our neighbors backyard which initially makes us curious but bores us quickly too.

In an online video we just produced and distributed for Bigelow Tea, I believe we found the right mix of human interest and honest (important!) statements about the product. Joe Torre and Phil Simms have been drinking Bigelow Green Tea for quite some time and for personal reasons. Cindi Bigelow has been living the Green Tea dream at her families’ company, Bigelow Tea. When these three inviting personalities got together and chatted on a park bench in NYC, magic happened.

Take a look for yourself and see:

Well the time has come to say goodbye to an old friend…one that had experience and connections…a friend I was excited to see every month, yes the magazine Business 2.0 will publish its last issue in October as reported by The NY Times, TechCrunch and Sillicon Alley Insider. Sillicon Alley Insider predicts that many staffers will move to Fortune but regardless of that, I am not sure I will ever find a replacement for the magazine that brought new ideas and amazing innovators to my door.

Goodbye to a good friend (OK, I know that is a bit over the top but I have been up most of the night working)!

Ok, I know it is Labor Day and that I should have been spending every minute with my beautiful family but they were tired from our trip to Southhampton (beautiful weather, great food and wonderful family made it the perfect trip) and I was drawn to my computer, more specifically to Facebook. I am so excited, I just had to share.

We as a company entered Facebook about a month ago well after we had a presence on MySpace for one of our clients. Myspace was a bit of a wild frontier and seemed to move quickly but once we were on there for awhile, we only had the same venues to work with: the one very active group we joined which linked closely to our clients’ product and our “friends” who seem to listen more than interact. Please note that while many agencies create digital ads for these spaces, we believe in creating communities and talking to people while growing the business so we are out there making friends and joining groups on behalf of our clients.

Well when we entered Facebook, it was different. First, it took awhile to become familiar with all that was going on (new apps created literally every minute in addition to a different interface from MySpace slowed us down temporarily). Robert Scoble, famous blogger and vlogger and one of our first friends, was making updates and additions on a regular basis which we could see on our mini feed which updates us about our friends, so I started to follow his path just like I did 4 years ago when I heard him speak live in NYC where he talked about blogging which, at that time, was a new and very strange thing to most of the world including myself.

I slowly have gotten into the swing of things by creating a profile page for myself/Creative Concepts and have uploaded a direct feed for this blog, a neighborhoods app so I can see who my actual neighbors are that are using Facebook (not many), I added a fun wall where I can post video, pictures, slides and more, plus I created a new group for the Business Smart Tools Conference which promotes the conference but more importantly, keeps a new/social media conversation going throughout the year.

I do believe that my intuition about blogging 4 years ago was on the money…I feel the same way about Facebook! Join the fun and let me know so we can be “friends!”

Just got an email from adoptasky.org. It looked like spam but the subject line interested me, Adopt A Sky Project, so I kept it in my follow up folder only to open it up just recently. The point of the site is to bring attention to saving our environment, more specifically, our air. Startling stats, strong visuals and the possiblity to buy a piece of the sky (on the website) is an unusual and pointed way to bring interest and visitors to the site. Take a look and buy, buy buy (it’s free) so you can save our skies.

Speaking of websites, one of our clients has put out an RFP to redo their website. Instead of creating a website for them, we are working as consultants (our choice) to help them weed through the process. Because of our work, the new (or old, may the best agency win) web developers must provide video capability, a blog (which is already up and running), SEO, and other interactive elements for now and for the future. Nothing too crazy here…you would think this is pretty common stuff at this point but you would also be amazed at how many web developers say they can do it all yet they can’t. Some only know flash so SEO is compromised, some do a great design but the backend is dated the minute the site is live, some know web development and think the blog application is the same but it isn’t…the list goes on and on (trust me, I have experienced this firsthand). With all of the options available on the web, the designers are falling behind (not all of course) and relying on old platforms and non existent stat packages which is not OK.

When shopping for your new website, you must ask for SEO (search engine optimization) in all of its forms, a blog if you have the time, video if you can make it happen and an eccommerce element that is designed well and easy to navigate. The world moves quickly so you have to catch up…that is what our clients are paying us for. Advice, choices that have room to grow and a design that is streamlined with the corporate branding! This is what we provide for our clients!

I just saw a great article in Wired about how Second Life isn’t adding up for the corporate sector. Coke and the NBA have been in there trying and while Second Life may have the cool factor, the cash register isn’t ringing for the marketers and their bosses!

Interesting because I have been saying this from day one. As one who advises clients on new/social media options, I checked out the blogging when it first got hot (loved it and saw great value), I checked out the podcasts (good for commuters but not everyone will have an IPod so it isn’t the perfect solution), I checked out video on Youtube and other sites (so cool and viral), I checked out Linkedin (great value but high maintenance) and MySpace (interesting but have to weed through a lot of riff raff) and Facebook (wild frontier with endless possibilities) and of course Second Life which, when asked, I said from day one it was cool but had no long term value (translates to sales) for the corporate sector.

Now at the Business Smart Tools conference in May, I invited Greg Verdino, then of Digitas, to give a demo of Second Life. With every conference, I want to present something that is way out there for those who aren’t messing around with the latest latest. He was great and it was interesting but many in the audience just didn’t see how they could use it to get their message out to their present and future customers. I agreed with them.

As Wired has mentioned, the concept of Avatars in an online community may evolve into something truly worthwhile for business, but until then, stick to the hundreds of other marketing options that exist online!

Say it isn’t so, I just heard that my favorite magazine of all time, Business 2.0 may be done. How can that be? The content is awesome, the ideas great…I always learn something!

Well I heard that Facebook has a group supporting it, and so I have joined and the group is getting larger by the minute.

One of the questions posed on the wall: will social media save Business 2.0?

Only time will tell!

We are very happy to bring on our newest client Sweet Rexies which is a small candy store with big ambitions.

Sweet Rexies, with a floor-to-ceiling wall of sweet delights, is much more than a sweet shop. Nanci Lewis, owner, has made this family destination in Norwalk, CT into the #1 Birthday party venue for kids (the numerous awards speak for themselves). Nanci has also provided us with funky high quality gifts and clothes for our children in addition to expanding into the corporate sector as well as weddings by providing clients with everything from favors to gift baskets that are over the top fun.

Big plans are in the works for Sweet Rexies that include online adventures and cross country hikes so stay tuned and see what is next for this candy store that is so much more!

Ever produced a corporate video that has a consumer pull? We have and it’s on the Bigelow Tea blog here.