By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

Social media is here; it’s huge and it’s growing.  Establishing an online and social media strategy has become essential for businesses that want to connect with customers, clients, employees and other stakeholders.

Clients come to Marx Layne with questions on how to best utilize this tool and how to integrate it into their marketing.  Delivering and managing online reputation is a part of the creative communications we provide.  No two businesses are alike, and neither are their social media needs.  Our approach is specifically tailored to meet the needs of particular products, services and brands.

With our depth of experience, we combine the most effective social media strategies to help our clients enhance brand equity and reputation, sell products and services, create credibility, shape public opinion and solidify relationships with consumers and other stakeholders.

Marx Layne & Company understands that being on a social network is not the final goal for businesses.  We actively seek out new and innovative ways to inspire social media fans and friends to take action so that businesses and brands can see real results.

Our professionals have analyzed the best practices in the public relations industry and have identified how specific online communities respond through engagement and interaction.  This attention to detail translates into better outreach as companies look to optimize content for users.

At Marx Layne, we regularly work with local, regional and international clients to meet their social media needs.  Our social media and digital marketing experts guide and manage those needs for daily success in social networking.

Marx Layne’s digital marketing and communication practice can:

• Develop Social Media Campaigns With Two-Way Conversation
• Enhance Brand Equity
• Monitor the Social Conversation
• Optimize An Internet Presence
• Foster Customer Loyalty Through Interaction
• Generate Video, Apps and Content
• Drive Internet Advocacy While Maintaining The Social Dialogue

First and foremost, a good social media campaign has concise, compelling editorial content written by people who clearly understand the brand.  At Marx Layne, we facilitate the sharing of videos, photos and branded messages that match our clients’ expectations. Creating editorial content and understanding the client’s brand is the backbone of the work that we do at Marx Layne.  Social networks are a continuation of that content and writing style.

How different clients work with us

Our clients range in size from privately held companies with a local or regional presence to Fortune 500 corporations and non-profit organizations.  Each has a different need when it comes to social media.

Some want us to set up, manage and facilitate the daily conversation with their social media audience.  Others want us to coordinate the social media strategies that they can conduct themselves. Still others are looking for guidance to get started, while looking to eventually become independent participants in the social media world.  All of our clients are asking us how to integrate social media as part of their website.

Reaching out and engaging the community is a vital part of what we do, so that we can foster a sense of achievement among customers as they create, manage and participate in the discussion themselves. To optimize the response and engage audiences appropriately we can track the “buzz” that is being generated.

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

At Marx Layne, we know the perceptions of Detroit are muddled.  We know this city still has what it takes to be the best.

From a public relations perspective, it’s good to see some positive light being shed on the city in a series from Palladium Boots called Detroit Lives.

“Once the fourth-largest metropolis in America—some have called it the Death of the American Dream. Today, the young people of the Motor City are making it their own DIY paradise where rules are second to passion and creativity. They are creating the new Detroit on their own terms, against real adversity. We put our boots on and went exploring.”

Watch the story below, embedded in three parts.  There’s even a bonus feature embedded.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Bonus feature

By MATT SCHULER, Digital Architect, Marx Layne

Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently talked at the 2011 Interactive Advertising Bureau Annual Leadership Meeting.  Mashable highlighted it here: “Mobile Growing Faster Than ‘All Our Predictions’”

You can watch the full video of Schmidt’s keynote speech embedded below. He makes a lot of great points about how mobile search is the future.

Some of the key statistics that Schmidt points out for mobile mentions come from YouTube, which sees 200 million mobile views per day.  Schmidt points out more mobile growth statistics related to the Super Bowl.

Remember that fantastic Chrysler commercial that aired during the big game? Well, mobile searches for Chrysler saw a 102x increase—while there was only a 48x increase on desktop searches according to Schmidt.  To me, that makes sense because more people were watching the game with a mobile device in hand versus sitting at a desktop computer.

Schmidt also cited other mobile search statistics, saying 78 percent of smartphone owners use their phones in stores.  In the video, Schmidt says “this is the future and everybody will adapt because are fundamentally better off with a better and smarter and more empowered, if you will, customer.”