AF Expo, presented by AllFacebook, is an inside look at Facebook innovations and technology issues jointly impacting marketers and social developers. Packed with case studies and real-world perspectives, AF Expo offers attendees insights into Facebook marketing and development, as well as a sneak peek at the latest Facebook data, demographics and design issues.

Firebelly’s Duncan Alney and Chad Richards will be participating in the following 2 sessions:

Planning a Contest on Facebook? Fatal Mistakes and Hidden Success
June 29, 2:00-3:00pm
In this illuminating panel, we’ll examine five distinct contests and sweepstakes run on Facebook, highlighting key mistakes as well as learnings. What is allowed versus what items are surprisingly not allowed? How much traffic and how many entries can you reasonably expect? What are the biggest mistakes made in setting up, executing, judging and measuring contest success? How do you prevent your traffic from dying when the contest is over? Best practices gleaned from contests that include photos, essays, and videos; as well as micro-promotions are all part of the conversation.
PRESENTERS:
Amy Millard – Chief Marketing Officer, Wildfire Interactive Inc.
Chad Richards – Director of Social Marketing, Firebelly Marketing
Dennis Yu – Managing Principal of Facebook Marketing, Webtrends

Facebook Pages: Using Content and Conversation to Build Community
June 29, 4:30-5:30pm
Now that they’ve begun to like your page, learn how to use content and conversation to develop deeper affinity and foster relationships. This session delves into the fine details of using cohesive branding, setting community expectations, stimulating dialog and increasing peer to peer interaction through live authenticity and a persuasive call to action. It will also touch on how to identify evangelists and detractors, and work with them; as well as how to leverage Facebook insights. Bonus content on how to develop intelligence based on community activity is all part of the discussion.
PRESENTERS:
Duncan Alney - President, Firebelly Marketing
Duane Brown – Strategy Director, Creative Traction
Michael Jaindl – Chief Client Officer, Buddy Media
Hyla Molander – Author and Founder of Widowed Web on Facebook
Brandon Pierce – Regional Sales Director, Facebook
Ekaterina Walter – Social Media Strategist, Intel Corporation
Todd Tweedy – Managing Director, Audience Machine

On Thursday, December 30th 2010, Firebelly was named Most Ethical Social Media Company at the 2010 Indiana Social Media Summit.

The Indiana Social Media Summit recognizes leading businesses and individuals at the forefront of social media from the state of Indiana. Firebelly was among 12 Indiana social media companies nominated for the Most Ethical Social Media Company award.

We were honored to receive the award and be recognized for the quality (and ethical) work we do for our clients.

Below are Firebelly’s upcoming speaking engagements. We hope you can join us!

December 8, 2010
2010 American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) Annual Conference
Amelia Island, FL

Marketing Your Consulting Practice Using Social Media
Duncan Alney

January 13, 2011
2011 NAHB International Builders’ Show
Orlando, FL

Social Media & Brand Management
Duncan Alney

January 20, 2011
Indiana University Communications and Marketing Conference
Indianapolis, IN

Why Blogging Is The Best Social Strategy
Chantelle Flannery

Using Content & Conversation To Build A Vibrant Community
Duncan Alney

Top 10 Tips For Facebook Marketing
Chad Richards

Duncan will be presenting Personal Branding: Are You Ready To Light The Fire Within? to students at Hanover College on Thursday, November 11th at 6PM.

Session Description:

What are your dreams? How do people perceive you? What do you value in your life? What makes you different? Are these questions you’ve asked yourself? While there is comfort being a part of a herd, no one will notice you for who you are. Stop competing against the crowd and stand out as an individual by developing a clear understanding of the brand called you. That’s right. You can be the CEO of your personal brand. Learn how to activate your inner most dreams into action, unlock your energy and channel it into a life of accomplishment, significance and happiness.

Duncan will be speaking at the Grow Smart Biz Conference hosted by Network Solutions and the Washington Business Journal in Washington, DC on November 5th.

This event will bring in hundreds of executives from various industries throughout the region to hear leaders in small business share their knowledge and experience on today’s most relevant topics.

Firebelly’s Duncan Alney and Chantelle Flannery will both be speaking at the 2010 Master of Business Online conference on October 19, 2010. Below are the details.

October 19, 2010
4:10pm -5:00pm
Blogging: The Most Effective Social Strategy
Chantelle Flannery

4:10pm – 5:00pm
Case Study: Using Content, Conversation & Community to Build a Vibrant Social Brand
Duncan Alney

Firebelly President Duncan Alney has agreed to be a workshop presenter during the Strategic Communication and Social Media Workshop at the Indiana Nonprofit Capacity Building Conference on October 12, 2010. Below are the details:

October 12, 2010
9:45am – 10:45am
Strategic Communication and Social Media
Facebook and Twitter are among the most prominent online social-networking tools nonprofit groups can use to connect with supporters, raise money for their causes, and increase their visibility. Are you keeping up? Should you? How do you know? And where do they fit in your staffing and communication plans? Nonprofit organizations who feel challenged to “keep up” with technology should consider several things before launching new media and social networking technologies. Learn more about the options, benefits, and costs, and when digital media can complement and elevate your communication strategy.

Below are speaking engagements that Firebelly staff have over the next couple of weeks. We hope you can join us!

May 13
Online Reputation Management
Duncan Alney
Indiana Cultural Tourism Conference
Indianapolis, IN

June 3
Social Media Marketing
Duncan Alney and Chad Richards
Physician Office Managers Association of America
Indianapolis, IN

July 25-27
Duncan Alney
RealPage User Conference
Las Vegas, NV

August 21
Online Reputation Management
Duncan Alney
BlogIndiana
Indianapolis, IN

September 13-17
Crisis Communication
Duncan Alney
Brainstorming
Dallas, TX

September 13-17
Strategic Marketing
Chantelle Flannery
Brainstorming
Dallas, TX

Below are speaking engagements that Firebelly staff have over the next couple of weeks. We hope you can join us!

March 17th
Are You Ready For The Social Revolution?
Duncan Alney
Construction Financial Management Association Central Indiana
Indianapolis, IN

March 23rd
Content, Conversation, Community – Building The Social Media Mullet*
Duncan Alney
Social Media Optimization Summits
Dallas, TX
*use promo code DUNCAN for $100 off conference registration

March 23rd
Using Social Networking To Grow Your Business
Chad Richards
The Presidents’ Forum of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN

March 24th
New Media Integration Luncheon
Duncan Alney
Social Media Optimization Summits
Dallas, TX

April 6th
Personal Branding: Finding Your True Personal Potential
Duncan Alney
Hanover College
Hanover, IN

April 14th
Social Media For Small Business Owners
Chad Richards
National Bank of Indianapolis
Carmel, IN

Situation
Well branded company with award winning marketing with no real online marketing strategy. The objectives were to increase awareness, improve search results from page 53 to something better etc.

Strategies
J.C. Hart and Firebelly Marketing formed a marketing partnership approximately 14 months ago. The objectives were to increase awareness and improve the company’s reputation online. The first step was to create MySpace and Facebook assets and begin inviting residents to be friends. Next all newsletters were eliminated and all content repurposed into blogs for each of the company’s communities. The website was broken into two components – a comprehensive corporate site and a site for each community. The branding was extended consistently and all community sites focused on vibrant imagery, floor plans, and immediate pricing (with an option to lease online). All sites included a solid SEO approach to assist with search. A video contest focused on residents was launched with the goal of capturing user generated content, to activate evangelists, and to get great testimonials. J.C. Hart also eliminated all print/guide marketing which placed a greater emphasis on web marketing including ILS generated traffic and leads.

Results

• Increased website traffic 75% compared to June 2008
• Eliminated print/guide marketing (saving thousands of dollars)
• Increased foot traffic and showings 4.15% Year to Date 08 vs 09
• Received nearly 50 video testimonials via a YouTube video contest (plus the JC Hart YouTube Channel received over 10,000 views in 2 months)
• Generated qualified traffic/leads via Twitter

Click to find out how we can help your apartment communities!