AZIMA Academic Outreach Invites You to Attend NetWORKS

Posted on May 18, 2010 by - Uncategorized

NetWORKS is designed to:

  • Connect your company with MBA talent to fill current job and internship openings.
  • Engage in business-to-business networking and hear briefly from our new Director of Career Management and Associate Dean, W. P. Carey MBA, Beth Walker.

Attendees will primary include first and second year MBA students from the #20 nationally ranked Evening Program seeking full-time opportunities and internships that require a college degree.  The format is relaxed and interactive, allowing time to talk personally with students about your organization.

Our Working Professional MBA students showcase a broad range of industry experience, including: Aerospace & Defense; Financial Services & Banking; Healthcare; Education; Business Services; Computer Hardware; Real Estate/Construction; Manufacturing; Energy and more.

We are pleased to offer NetWORKS at no charge.  Read on for how to register!

NetWORKS: Connecting Companies to MBA Talent

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 – The University Club

4:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Employer Reception and Introduction to Director of Career Management and

Associate Dean, W. P. Carey MBA, Beth Walker

5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

NetWORKing time with first and second year MBA students and alumni

Location and Map:

The University Club, 425 East University Drive, Tempe, 85281

Parking and Map:

Parking is available on the east side of the University Club and is limited to 55 spaces.  Additional parking is located at the ASU Fulton Center parking structure located just north of University Drive on College Avenue.

To keep the focus on personal interactions between you and student participants, you need only bring your business cards and one marketing piece, such as a brochure.  We will provide signage for your table and name badges.

Register for NetWORKS: Connecting Companies to MBA Talent

We hope you will join us Wednesday, June 9.  Thank you for supporting W. P. Carey MBA programs and students.

AZIMA Presenter’s Thank You Gift Sponsor

Posted on May 13, 2010 by - Uncategorized

Those of you that attended the last AZIMA signature social event at Tempe Mission Palms may remember the lovely gift of deliciously decadent treats that was bestowed upon our presenter as a thank you gift for their generous contribution. We do greatly appreciate the time and hard work that was donated to us by all of our presenters thus far and we are also extremely pleased to have the pleasure to have received a very gracious offer from our friends at Fairytale Brownies to continue to provide these lovely thank you gifts to our presenters on our behalf for the remainder of the entire year.

If you haven’t taken a look of the fantastic array of specialty desert baskets that they offer, it is about time that you did. You can also connect with them on facebook and twitter!

AZIMA Member Guest Blogging Opportunities

Posted on May 11, 2010 by - Uncategorized

We, the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association, take great pride in the fact that we are one of the places Arizonans turn to first for interactive marketing education and networking. We are constantly striving to provide our members with leading edge online marketing strategies, tactics, and creative executions.

As our membership has grown in the past year, we have been extremely impressed with the caliber of expertise that resides right here within our association and we have decided to open this blog up to all of you. We would like to put our members right here in the drivers’ seat with us (the Board of Directors of AZIMA) and offer another added benefit for our valued members. We would like to provide yet another place for you to share information with your friends and colleagues in the ever advancing interactive marketing community that is thriving here in Arizona.

As most of you are already aware, guest blogging is a great opportunity to share your industry specific knowledge with a wider audience, helps expand your online presence and brand,  and is also a great way to get a link back to your personal or business website. AZIMA invites you to submit your interesting blog content piece to us for review and possible placement right here on the AZIMA blog. If you are already a member, it’s simply, just e-mail us at admin{at}joinazima.org with what topic are you are skilled at writing on? We’d love to hear from you! If you aren’t yet a member, what are you waiting for? Join today!

OMSPHX 30% Discount for AZIMA Ends Sunday May 9th, 2010

Posted on May 7, 2010 by - Uncategorized

I am sure that you’ve heard by now that the Online Marketing Summit 23-City Tour kicks off in Phoenix on May 20.  This is your chance to learn best practices and actionable strategies from the nation’s best online marketing professionals and practitioners. Connect with hundreds of your local marketing peers to learn, network and share ideas.

Join us for NEW B2B and B2C case studies and social media integration tracks, unparalleled networking opportunities, and an exclusive “Social Media and Content Marketing Workshop and Breakfast”, brought to you by the Online Marketing Institute and Wharton Interactive Media Initiative. Learn integrated marketing and search engine optimization strategies from leading experts in the field such as Intuit and Elixir Interactive.

**Register by this Sunday May 9th to take advantage of a special AZIMA early-bird discount. Save 30% when you sign up for the full-day OMS Phoenix event.

Register with discount code: AZIMA

DATE: May 20, 2010, 7 am – 5:30 pm

PROGRAM : The Online Marketing Summit (OMS)

Launch of 23-city North American Tour

OVERVIEW: Across the continent, thousands of online marketing professionals will attend the 2010 OMS 23-city tour, the only conference tour solely dedicated to online marketing education – in an environment free from exhibit booths and sales pitches.

Covering the topics of Social Media, Search, Email, Demand Generation, Analytics, Usability and Integrated Marketing, the OMS 2010 Tour offers attendees the opportunity to learn actionable best practices, strategies and tactics from leading authors, academics, brand marketers and online pioneers.

Case studies, personalized one-on-one labs, panel discussions, advanced tactics roundtables, and networking events present OMS attendees with countless options to learn without the distractions of vendor sales people.

LOCATION: Downtown Sheraton,340 N. 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004

PRICE: All Day Pass – $369

Social Media & Content Strategy Workshop and Breakfast – $99

* AZIMA Members – Pre-register before May 9 and receive 30% off your full-day OMS admission.

** AZIMA Members – Pre-register between May 10 – May 20 and receive 20% off your full-day OMS admission.

REGISTER NOW!

Personalize Your Online Content with Video

Posted on April 23, 2010 by - Uncategorized

Guest Post By Member: Andre Willis

Webinar: Leveraging the Latest Tools for Effectively Creating, Marketing and Distributing Media Content on 4/21/2010

Most of us have likely heard the phrase “content is king” in regard to online marketing.  The April AZIMA webinar featured digital media content creation and distribution tips from Chance Carpenter, Founder of Essential Event Technologies, and Matt O’Brien, Founder of Mint Social. These two have more than 20 years combined experience in digital media production, and demystified online video for us.

Carpenter and O’Brien cautioned that online video isn’t right for every business. Can you provide valuable content to your audience? More importantly, who will deliver your message? Useful content plus a highly-respected and/or dynamic personality is the key to creating memorable, engaging videos. The majority of today’s web traffic (approximately 75%) targets interactive content, not dull, static web pages.

Getting started with online video doesn’t have to be an expensive process. Flip cameras and high-definition camcorders can be purchased for less than $200. Editing software is included free with most computer operating systems. Consider investing in a tripod for better camera stability.  Additional microphones may be necessary, and be aware of your lighting. What good is a video if the audience can’t hear or see the speaker?

Carpenter and O’Brien also provided a rundown of video hosting sites, live-streaming services and web-based collaboration tools.  The options are plentiful, so don’t be afraid to research and test them all. Lastly, it’s important to know when to seek out the services of professionals who can help optimize your video content.

[Check out this webinar now!]

Welcome to the 2010 AZIMA Board of Directors

Posted on April 21, 2010 by - Uncategorized

It is my pleasure to introduce to you two brand new members of the AZIMA Board Members, Bill Swartz joins the AZIMA Board of Director’s as the VP of Sponsorship, and Jeff Hecht joins the crew as the new VP of Public Relations. I’d like to wish them well in their new leadership roles. For the purpose of this introduction, I thought I’d ask each of them a few questions intended to provide a bit of an ice breaker.

Meet Bill Swartz, VP of Sponsorship

Elise Redlin-Cook: What and/or who inspired you to seek a seat on the board?

Bill Swartz: I have admired AZIMA right from the start. I love the way the organization has a warm personality and welcoming mood, while still delivering great events with great content! Mike Wolf reached out to me and indicated there might be an opportunity to take a seat on the Board if I was willing to do some heavy lifting by taking the Sponsorship effort to the next level after the great job that has been done to date totally setting that whole piece up. I jumped at the opportunity!

Elise: How long have you been an AZIMA member and/or attending our events?

Bill: I have attended events as regularly as my schedule would allow right from the kickoff forward.

Elise: Which, if any social networks do you care to connect with other AZIMA members on?

Bill: I am a total Facebook addict (www.facebook.com/billswartz), a big LinkedIn user ([email protected]), and a moderate user of twitter (@billswartz).

Elise: MAC or PC? Care to elaborate?

Bill: Mac since the beginning of time. Cause I’m cool like that. Nuff said?  :)

Elise: Are you driven by any passions outside of the interactive industry?

Bill: I’m driven by a passion to give positive energy, encourage personal transformation, and to learn as much as I can about things outside my usual daily experience. I am an avid (daily) hiker of Piestewa Peak (I run the Piestewa Peak Facebook group), and an avid practitioner of yoga (my fave instructor is Alex Austin, At One Yoga).

Meet Jeff Hecht, VP of Marketing & PR

Elise Redlin-Cook: What and/or who inspired you to seek a seat on the board?

Jeff Hecht: My dear friend Becky Seymann got me involved at the registration table at AZIMA events, but the amazing people I have met and the interesting programs have kept me coming back again and again, and wanting to help out however possible.

Elise: How long have you been an AZIMA member and/or attending our events?

Jeff: I’ve been an active attendee since August (the Facebook event) of last year…

Elise: Which, if any social networks do you care to connect with other AZIMA members on?

Jeff: I have kept contact with AZIMA members through Facebook (www.facebook.com/jeffhecht) and Twitter (@jeffhechtaz), and what I consider to be the most important, in real life.  Lunch or happy hours with my AZIMA friends is the best!

Elise: MAC or PC? Care to elaborate?

Jeff: PC, although I may be re-evaluating this soon… :)

Elise: Are you driven by any passions outside of the interactive industry?

Jeff: As a PR practitioner, I am certainly interested in topics relevant to my field of expertise, including crisis communications and message and brand management.  On a personal note, I am a sports fan (Redskins football and Coyotes hockey are at the top of my list), all things 70s and 80s, Howard Stern, and traveling whenever possible.

I would like urge all AZIMA members and supporters to say hello to our new Board of Directors!

The Autoresponder is DEAD

Posted on April 15, 2010 by - Uncategorized

Guest Post By: Heather Cooan,  Marketing Campaign Analyst with Direct Alliance Corporation, Heather works alongside Google employees to create and optimize adwords campaigns for small to medium sized businesses.

Yes, folks, the autoresponder is dead! It has been annihilated by the king, relevance. This is just one of the gems I captured from the most recent AZIMA event that took place this past Tuesday April 13, 2010 featuring Clate Mask, CEO and Co-founder of Infusion Software and Consulting.

With the aroma of sizzling fajitas caressing my senses, Clate gave a very clear and intuitive presentation on email marketing 2.0.Clate is convinced that it is time to marry CRM and email marketing together to create the most relevant campaigns possible. Gone are the days of ‘one size fits all’ email blasts to your entire list, the time has come to treat your customers as customers and not as a list of leads.

Successful email campaigns from here on out will involve paying attention and appropriately responding to user behavior with highly targeted and relevant information that aims to improve the user experience. Contributing value, building, and solidifying relationships and rapport with customers is where it’s at.

Segmentation targeting along with automation tools, like the software developed at Infusionsoft, as well as delivery methods that are more then just email make up the new yellow brick road we should be following to increased customer loyalty and ultimately, conversions. Makes sense to me, why haven’t we always done it like this?

This was my second social event with AZIMA. I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation as well as the networking opportunities with this group. There was ample time for discussion after the presentation and I don’t know about you, but I live for the Q&A portion of presentations, this is where the  best information is. Really great, in depth questions were asked like, “How do we do a better job in email marketing when it comes to mobile devices”?

The networking opportunities at AZIMA are explosive! They even supply you with two free drinks to get your networking mojo flowing and make things a bit easier, a huge bonus for people like me who are fairly new to the industry. I managed though. I met an interesting array of people, including people from the cool little start-ups like Sean Coleman, CEO of OrangeSlyce, a job board connecting students and small businesses, all the way up to members of some of the larger agencies. I met students, and professionals in between jobs, I even scored an invitation to Shwaag from CEO Eric Keosky-Smith!

Oh, and did I mention the nacho bar?

Get to Know Clate Mask at the Upcoming AZIMA Event

Posted on April 6, 2010 by - Uncategorized

Clate Mask, the keynote speaker of the next AZIMA Social Event scheduled on April 13th, 2010 is the CEO and Co-founder Infusion Software & Consulting. Infusion provides complete CRM solutions to small businesses that want to automate and improve their sales, marketing and overall customer management. Prior to joining Infusion, even a year before finishing business school, Clate worked at a dot com start-up called North Sky, where he was instrumental in building the company, and eventually facilitating the sale of the company to About.com in 1999.

Clate is married and has five children. He enjoys raising his children, loves to play golf (he shot his first hole-in-one on June 14, 2006!), basketball, softball and racquetball – and don’t even get him started about ping pong.

I’ve asked Clate a few questions so that we could all get to know him a little better before we have the pleasure of meeting him on next Tuesday.

Elise Redlin-Cook: Quality content vs. the right content vehicle…which is more important?

Clate Mask: Quality of content… every time.  Having said that, I’m leaning more and more toward the power of video for (quality) content distribution.

Elise Redlin-Cook: What’s the best advice you have for our audience, whether it be your own or was given to you by someone else?

Clate Mask: Stop trying to grow your business without first establishing your core philosophy – why you do what you do, what’s the meaning, what’s the point, why does it matter beyond money.  Until you get that right, you’re grasping at straws.  After you get that right, everything makes more sense.

Elise: Is there such a thing as a “social media expert/guru?”

Clate: Yes.  His name is Joe Manna and he works for Infusionsoft.  ;)

Elise: What was the last book you read or are currently reading?

Clate: Crush It by Gary Vee.  Great book about building your personal brand.

Elise: When you think of a company that is doing “it” right (“it” can be whatever you want “it” to be)…which one comes to mind?

Clate: Zappos.  Love their culture and the way they’re building the company through superior customer service.

Are you interested in learning more about Clate and his insights on increasing leads and sales? On April 13th, 2010 at Tempe Mission Palms, Clate will speak on “Email Marketing 2.0- How to Increase Leads and Sales” at our Monthly Social Event. We hope to see you all there! Register Now!

Meet Bill Leake of Apogee Search and Find Out if Social Is a Waste of Money

Posted on March 9, 2010 by - Uncategorized

Don’t miss tonight’s Arizona Interactive Marketing Association event at Tempe Mission Palms featuring Bill Leake, the CEO and co-founder of Apogee Search.In an attempt to get to know Bill a little better prior to his presentation, we asked him some questions that we thought we’d share with you.

Elise Redlin-Cook: Bill, if you were stranded on a desert island and can only access three websites…which would you choose … and of course, why?

Bill Leake: Facebook. With Facebook, we don’t really need email, we can keep in touch with most people we care about, and with messaging/chat, have multiple form factors. Second, Wikipedia which will help me MacGyver anything I might need. And last, but not least, YouTube: Moving pictures are worth 10’s of thousands of words.

Elise: Great picks! What marketing trend do you consider as the next “big thing” that will change the way companies interact with their audiences/customers?

Bill: I’d say the next “big thing” is Internet Video blending into IP/TV

Elise: Quality content vs. the right content vehicle…which is more important?

Bill: The vehicle.  You can have a great horse buggy, or a phenomenal choo choo, but if everyone is doing the automobile thing, it doesn’t help for jack!

Elise: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? And, what’s the best advice you’ve given someone else?

Bill: With regards to work, I was once told “You need to leave this job, you’re starting to rot!” And the best advice I’ve given someone, also work-related, “You spend so much of your lifetime at work, if you’re not happy there, fix it or leave.”

Elise: Both excellent pieces advice.Now, probably a question on a lot of minds, is there such a thing as a “social media expert/guru”?

Bill: Nope. Well, there are plenty of self-described and self appointed ones.

Elise: Haha. I think many of us can agree with that. What was the last book you read or are currently reading?

Bill: I’m currently rereading Friedrich Hayek, “The Road to Serfdom”

Elise: Who are the three people (or companies, organizations, etc.) that everyone should be following on Twitter?

Bill: Me, @marketing_bill – I won’t tweet at you, Guy Kawasaki, @GuyKawasaki, See how the master of faux authenticity and automated systems does it. And of course something you actually are passionate about (there’s more to life than social media, but social media can help enhance the rest of your life).

Elise: How has social media helped/hindered your ability to create your own personal brand?

Bill: It has hindered me by creating a whole new set of time requirements and platforms to follow and has also made it harder to control the perceptions. But, it has helped me by, like a small town, forcing a bit more authenticity and through force multiplier potential.

Elise: What new skill set will be required of the next generation of marketers?

Bill: A combination of math and psychology

Elise: When you think of a company that is doing “it” right (“it” can be whatever you want “it” to be)…which one comes to mind?

Bill: Both Apple and Google, in their respective (but increasingly overlapping) spheres

If you’re interested in finding out more about Bill, and the answer to “Is Social Media a Waste of Money?” then you won’t have to wait long. Attend the AZIMA event tonight!

We are no longer selling presale tickets online, but you can still register at the door, which opens at 6:00PM. We will be serving a light dinner, and two drinks are included with the purchase of your ticket.

Tempe Mission Palms

60 East Fifth Street

Tempe, AZ. 85281

www.missionpalms.com

Complimentary Valet Parking for this event!

Price: At the door $55

We hope to see you there!

AZIMA Academic Outreach & How to Seek Out Fantastic Interns and New Hires

Posted on March 2, 2010 by - Uncategorized

One of the core missions here at the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association is to help local marketing services firms, businesses, educational institutions and students improve their overall understanding and application of interactive marketing best practices. As an integral step in attaining this goal, AZIMA has created an Academic Outreach Program. The program will provide one or more scholarships to Arizona universities each year and participates in the development of curricula, events and research that help shape academic outputs and act as a catalyst for growing Arizona businesses. We will provide a conduit to internship opportunities for students, as well as jobs for recent graduates.  AZIMA’s VP of Academic Affairs, Jeff Walters has been working with ASU and has produced this useful document, AZIMA – Academic Outreach & ASU to assist anyone considering offering an internship position or hiring recent graduates from the school at their organization. Its full of helpful information, resources and contact information to help with this endeavor.

Additionally, at the recent AZIMA event our members and visitors had the pleasure of hearing from Kathleen Taylor with the Graduate Career Management Center of ASU. She discussed the Resume Book, Strategic Marketing and Services Leadership 2010 Candidates & 2011 Candidates. This book highlights the resumes of W. P. Carey MBA students specializing in Strategic Marketing and Services Leadership. These students will be graduating from the full-time MBA program in May 2010 and 2011, and seek full-time marketing positions and summer internships.

Together these two documents will assist any local organization looking for an intern or a graduate as a full-time employee. AZIMA is the place Arizonans turn to for interactive marketing education and networking, providing its members with leading edge online marketing strategies, tactics, and creative executions and this is just another way that we are making an impact on the community. Interested in more information regarding our academic outreach? Feel free to contact us, we are always looking to connect.