The Buyer Group PR + SEO News

Starving for the latest stats, figures and social media rankings?  So were we…

According to a study from Compete.com, Facebook has taken first place for unique visitors, which are now more than 68 million, as well as monthly visits, topping out at nearly 1.2 billion for the month of January.

MySpace is now the second most used social media site (58 million), with Twitter in distant third place (6 million).  Even with the dramatic growth Twitter has experienced in the past year, its still lags behind social media giants Facebook and MySpace.

Looking for more detailed info about these sites?

A Nielsen study supports the finding of compete.com but ranks the social media outlets by total minutes spent on each site.  Here, Facebook again edged out MySpace and this time, quite handily. Facebook users logged a combined 13.9 billion minutes on the site compared to the 5 billion minutes spent on MySpace. Twitter recorded roughly 300 million minutes, with LinkedIn at about 200 million.

Overall, the total time spent on social media sites has increased by 83 percent in the past year, according to Nielsen.  Amazing.

Social media statistics 09, presented by The Buyer Group.

Interested in Social Media 101 lessons?

On Tuesday, Lisa Buyer and Sarah Van Elzen hosted the first Social Media Boot Camp for ShopToEarn associates. The Buyer Group covered some serious territory talking about the ins and outs of social media  with a half hour of introductory information for social media beginners.

The Social Media Boot Camp line up included:
LinkedIn – The Professional.
Network, discover professional connections and join the ShopToEarn group
Facebook – The Connector.
Share and connect with friends.
Twitter – For Updates.
What are you doing right now? This social messaging site is all the talk and mini updates.
YouTube – For Watching.
Let the Official ShopToEarn channel tell the story.
Flickr – For Photos.
It’s where all the online photo-sharing happens.

ShopToEarn associates that are new to social media were encouraged to pick their favorite channel and follow ShopToEarn and ShopToEarth.  As a result of the webinar, ShopToEarn had 300 new subscribers, tweeters, and social media brand advocates behind the ShopToEarn name!

The Buyer Group will be heading up monthly Social Media Boot Camp’s for Shop To Earn with the next date on Tuesday May 12th, 2009.

Online PR Agency Debuts its Social Media Side of Life

Deerfield Beach, FL – March 17, 2009 – Fans of The Buyer Group can now stake their claim. Who is winning the popularity contest on Facebook? Barack Obama and Coca-Cola seem to be the most popular brands on Facebook, but The Buyer Group joins the ranks with the debut of its Facebook Fan Page.

The Buyer Group’s fan page acts as an interactive resource where the Internet PR firm can connect with clients, fans, marketers, and other media professionals, providing the latest updates on SEO, online PR, and branding news.

“The Buyer Group’s fan page was a natural progression to network with clients and fans,” said Lisa Buyer, The Buyer Group President and CEO. “With blogging, networking, newsfeeds, and a platform that still can’t be beat, Facebook continues to grow in popularity as a social media tool that also doubles as a PR tool, depending on the nature of a business and its market.”

While Facebook is continuing to gain popularity with social media users all over the world, the free, interactive platform can connect businesses and consumers directly – allowing PR professionals and online advertisers to communicate with potential clients and prospects in a user-friendly environment. The Buyer Group’s fan page features informative articles, blogs, and photos while allowing “fans” to communicate directly with The Buyer Group for their online PR needs.

Social media services like Facebook, also known as Web 2.0, are a staple in the online landscape, quickly proving a necessary component in relevant online PR campaigns. Helping businesses embrace the advantages of Facebook, along with other emerging online technology, is part of The Buyer Group’s mission to provide clients with the best of traditional and online PR services, branding, and search engine strategies.

About Facebook
Facebook is a social media network launched in February 2004 as a platform for online users to connect by sharing ideas and information. Over the past few years Facebook has emerged as one of the most successful social media services in the world, allowing millions of people to connect with friends and family members, share photos, blog about their experiences, and discover new web sites and friendships along the way. This initial concept has quickly evolved into a valuable resource for online marketing, providing companies with the opportunity to target and optimize their online impact while keeping in tune with their customers wants and needs. To learn more about Facebook, visit http://www.facebook.com.

About The Buyer Group
The Buyer Group is a member of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, South Florida Interactive Marketing Association, Agency Management Roundtable, and is recognized as a Google Advertising Professional Company.  Lisa Buyer is a regular speaker at Internet Marketing conferences including PubCon and Search Engine Strategies talking on the topics of online PR, News search SEO and the influences of social media.  For more information about The Buyer Group and its interactive public relations and branding services call Lisa Buyer at 954.354.1411.

Connect with The Buyer Group
Visit our Facebook Fan Page
Follow me on Twitter
Find me on Facebook
Connect with me on LinkedIn

Search Marketing Conferences
PubCon – The search-marketing event of the year that fuels a surge of new energy and ideas for The Buyer Group each year. Looking forward to the PubCon in Austin, Texas.
Search Engine Strategies (SES) – A yearlong schedule of search marketing and commerce events for our online fix. Next stop SES New York March 23-26, 2009.

2008 was great in the world of conferences, where Lisa Buyer held a spot in the speaker’s lounge. Lisa shared the latest trends in online PR on session panels at both PubCon and SES along side the top the movers and shakers in search.

People in Search
Joe Laratro – one of the first 100 Google AdWords certified professional, SFIMA President and Pub-Con Advisor Board Member, this year Joe Laratro worked with The Buyer Group in merging online public relations with the SEO world.
Dana Todd – From SEMPO Chair to SES favorite speaker to Newsforce dynamo, Dana Todd is the personality and brains behind search marketing and was responsible for Lisa’s SES speaking debut.

When it comes to personalities in search marketing, Joe and Dana take the cake. Each were influential in helping shape The Buyer Group’s online public relations and branding position in the marketplace.

Blogs
Top Rank Blog– The intersection of digital PR, social and search engine marketing, Lee Odden’s blog is our 2008 all time fave to follow. We like Lee’s mix and his ability to be at every search conference on the planet.
SEOMOZ – Slightly more techie, but still on our Google home page is Rand Fishkin’s SEOMoz blog. We like his style and his social media conference presentations inspire us.
Scene in the Tropics by Lesley Abravanel – Looking for where to see and be scene on South Beach? Ask Lesley. She is the best celebrity and trend blogger for those who want to know.

Online PR Wire Services
MarketWire – Recently winning over The Buyer Group for its high ranking news search placement and SEO option
PRWeb – Always a favorite of The Buyer Group for its user-friendly interface and video option
Newsforce – The best and easiest PR optimizer on the planet along with the perfect way to get clients instant national headline news.

Research Web Sites
Google – Need we say more? We love Google Alerts to track brands, keywords and our online PR campaigns.
Wikipedia – The year of the wiki, 2008, when The Buyer Group posted its first wiki page

Inventions
Retail DNA Tests– 2008 invention of the year, as scene in Time Magazine

New Business
Shop to Earn/Shop to Earth – The Buyer Group’s newest online venture and client. This hybrid MLM and affiliate marketing business model is destined to be the largest shopping portal on the planet and will bring the average shopper a way to earn money back while also being eco-friendly.
Oppenheim Pilelsky Law – Family of entrepreneurs at it’s finest. Read on about The OppGuide and please take the time to vote.

Books
“Groundswell” by Charlene Li – New and improved Buyer Group Bible of 2008 underlines why social media is a natural with online public relations strategies.
“Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness” – Suzanne Somers’ latest book that listed Buyer Group client as a source

Brands
Apple – Apple computers, iPods, iPhones and more.
W Hotels – “What is your wish?” the W Concierge asks

The Buyer Group is an online PR firm that prefers designer computers and boutique hotels, with an edge. Apple branded products help us work smart and be creative – so we have time to play at the W Hotels.

Best Use of Social Media
Change.gov – Obama’s presidential campaign couldn’t have been more successful as he rode the social media wave to victory.

Social Media Sites
Twitter – 2008’s Micro-blogging, social media site of champions. Familiar with the book, “Twitter Revolution” by Warren Whitlock? If not, pick it up for everything you need to know about communicating on twitter.
Facebook – Sent a martini to your friends Facebook yet? This social site is our 2008-networking favorite; it doubles as a corporate communication site as well.  Many of our clients have networking groups and fan pages on Facebook.
LinkedIn – Where professionals convene, drop recommendations, and share business contacts with each other.

Tweeters of the Year
Shannon Anderson – founder and president of babiesonline.com @queenofgeek
Tony Hsieh – CEO of online shoe giant Zappos.com @zappos

Escapes
Me Day Spa – The best mani/pedi on South Beach. Our monthly favorite escape.
Yoga South – Lunchtime workout? A must-have for The Buyer Group. Ohm.

Investment Banking
Infusion Capital’s Kelly McCarthy – Celebration, FL at its finest.

Online Tool
Google Analytics – The question of the century made to PR firms: How do you measure the success of your PR campaigns?  Easy Answer: The advent of Google Analytics let’s us measure the success of optimized press releases stats, social media facts and more.